Holly Near with Jan Martinelli, Tammy Hall, and Emma's Revolution

Holly Near plays The Cedar Cultural Center on Sunday, April 25, 2027, with Jan Martinelli, Tammy Hall, and Emma's Revolution. It's a full bill, with Near as the main feature.

Near is a songwriter, actress, and activist who's spent decades working at the intersection of music and politics. She's often described as one of the most powerful, consistent, and outspoken singers of her time, and she's long been an ambassador for peace. Before she turned to singing full-time, she worked in film and television, with guest spots on The Partridge Family, Room 222, and All in the Family, and roles in movies like Minnie and Moskowitz and Slaughterhouse-Five. She also performed in Hair on Broadway. When she did move into music, she started out alongside her sisters, Laurel and Timothy, and has since collaborated with artists like Mercedes Sosa, Ronnie Gilbert, Inti Illimani, and the late Jeff Langley.

Her songs have always been tied to the movements she's been part of. In her early twenties, she traveled with the Free The Army Show and the Indochina Peace Campaign, experiences that introduced her to global feminism. She wrote the protest song "It Could Have Been Me" in response to the Kent State killings, and "Singing For Our Lives," which became an anthem for the LGBTQ community. In 2019, she launched Because of a Song, an online archive of artists from the feminist lesbian music scene in Oakland.

On the night, she's joined by Jan Martinelli, Tammy Hall, and Emma's Revolution. The show is at The Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55454. Doors open at 7 PM and the music starts at 7:30 PM.