An Evening with PUULUUP

Tuesday, September 23, 2025 / Doors: 7:00 PM / Show: 7:30 PM

All Ages

Seated

This is a seated show with general admission, first-come-first-served seating. The Cedar is happy to reserve seats for patrons who require special seating accommodations. To request access accommodations, please go to our .

For Cedar presented shows, online ticket sales typically end one hour before the door time, and then, based on availability, tickets will be available at the door.

Our favorite Estonian duo return to The Cedar stage: Puuluup! Two talharpa enthusiasts, Ramo Teder and Marko Veisson, in midlife crisis living a rock & roll lifestyle.

“Puuluup are true originals with a cult following. They are doing something pretty unusual, pushing obscure folk material towards the mainstream with a whole lot of panache.” – SONGLINES

Puuluup was formed in 2014 by two talharpa enthusiasts Ramo Teder and Marko Veisson. Ramo Teder is a multi-instrumentalist and has been known for his long solo project Pastacas. He is also a looping pioneer in Estonia and has mastered these skills for twenty years already. Marko Veisson has a background in anthropology and his fieldwork in Northern Ghana as well as his love for West-African music have definitely influenced Puuluup’s style.

They play their own compositions on Talharpas – a traditional bowed lyre, popular in Northern Europe since the early Middle Ages and played on Western Estonian islands until the beginning of 20th century. Puuluup directs the vibrations of Talharpa’s horsehair strings through effect blocks and looper, uses alternative bowing and drumming techniques and sounds. The mellow sighs of talharpa are paired with electronically amplified echoes, knocks, creaks and crackles, while still maintaining the instrument’s natural sound.

They play with music as they play with words, sometimes creating their own language. As the band states: “We draw inspiration from Vormsi nights, trams in November, junkies in love, criminals from Odessa and Antonio Vivaldi”. As a side dish, when giving live concerts they also offer choreographic flittering which emerged on its own during the numerous days these two men spent in the rehearsal rooms.

Because of their unique approach to this traditional instrument Puuluup received several music awards in Estonia including the best Band, the best Ensemble, for the best Album. Their popularity in Estonia and abroad is rapidly growing. The band performed in Canada, USA, China, Chile, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Macedonia, Hungary, Slovenia, Ukraine, Taiwan among others.

What inspires them: All kinds of random sources of inspiration are similarly important for their music – unexpected excerpts from Polish TV series, old Estonian punk, klezmer, African gospel, Sahel music, hip-hop, Antonio Vivaldi even R&B, even windmills and wires forgotten in the car…

Who inspires them: Buena Vista Social Club – they make them feel still rather young and give hope that they have a long career ahead.

Their performance: The lyrics are to set the mood. Mostly they are rather abstract and are open to different interpretations. Puuluup always ware black suits on the stage which may mean that they are taking themselves very seriously.

To learn more about PUULUUP:

• Visit their website here

Host or Publisher The Cedar Cultural Center