GARY LOURIS
Monday & Tuesday: When illness caused Texas twang-folk vet Nanci Griffith to cancel her gigs at the Dakota, the club's staff came up with a pretty terrific remedy: Hometown alt-country hero Gary Louris of the Jayhawks will play both nights, headlining the downtown music haven for the first time. They'll also be his first hometown shows since canceling a tour last fall for chemical dependency treatment. He sounded great at the recent South by Southwest music fest and has been working on his second solo album. He might preview a few of those songs alongside Jayhawks and Golden Smog staples and who-knows-what-else. (7 p.m. Mon.-Tue. $30. Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls. 612-332-1010 or DakotaCooks.com.)