The Big Gigs

TASTE OF MINNESOTA 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Fri.-Mon. Harriet Island, St. Paul; $20 before 4 p.m., $30 after.

Twin Cities hip-hop heroes Atmosphere (8:45 p.m.) and P.O.S. (7:25 p.m.) last played in town to 17,000 fans at the Soundset festival, and Taste of Minnesota's planners are wagering on them to attract a similar crowd to their boldly revamped holiday event. With opening-night radio sponsor the Current 89.3 FM, they assembled a full day of adventurous music, including Current indie-rock favorites the Walkmen (6:05 p.m.), Minus the Bear (5 p.m.) and Retribution Gospel Choir (2:45 p.m.), buzzing alt-country stars Justin Townes Earle (1 p.m.) and Dawes (4:30 p.m.), plus R&B vet Willie Murphy and his big band (3:45 p.m.), bluesman Guy Davis (2:15 p.m.) and many local club staples. (C.R.)

After an up-and-down career with Montrose, Van Halen, Chickenfoot and under his own name, tequila-fueled rock screamer Sammy Hagar (8:30 p.m.) has signed to write a 2011 autobiography that might be more exciting than his musical catalog. Blues star Otis Clay will stir it up Chicago-style (6:15 p.m.). Among the noteworthy locals are reggae-got-soul vets Ipso Facto (4:30 p.m.), acoustic bluesman Charlie Parr (11 a.m.) and newcomer Dustin Lee (2:30 p.m.), whose sensibilities reflect a Cities 97 artist who writes with the flair of a Nashville country wannabe. (J.B.)

Depending on the mood of frontman Adam Duritz, Counting Crows (8:30 p.m.) can be either masterfully mesmerizing or hopelessly indulgent. You can judge by his interpretation of "Mr. Jones." The Gin Blossoms (6 p.m.) still rely on 1993's "Hey Jealousy" and guitar jangle as their calling card. Must-sees are two New Orleans stalwarts, the funk-jazz fusion Dirty Dozen Brass Band (4:15 p.m.) and rollicking piano queen Marcia Ball (6:15 p.m.). Among the local standouts are the New Standards (4 p.m.), who cleverly recast rock favorites as vibes-defined lounge concoctions, and Molly Maher (4 p.m.), who is Minnesota's answer to Lucinda Williams -- and that's a real good thing. (J.B.)

On tour together for the summer, Omaha groove rockers 311 (8:30 p.m.) and Southern Cali punks the Offspring (7:10 p.m.) had some of the most ubiquitous -- and, plenty believed, obnoxious -- hits on alt-rock radio stations in the mid-'90s. They're coming here with Hawaiian rap/rock ska band Pepper (6 p.m.) and will be preceded by an eclectic mishmash of local talent, including hip-hop band Heiruspecs (4:15 p.m.), Americana duo the Pines (4 p.m.), piano rocker Mark Mallman (2 p.m.), metal tribute band Hairball (6 p.m.) and jazz singers Claudia Schmidt and Prudence Johnson (Noon). (C.R.)

POP/ROCK All Tiny Creatures is the new, minimalist, organ-fueled instrumental band of Madison/Eau Claire musician Thomas Wincek, who previously recorded in Colonies of Bees and collaborated with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver on last year's Volcano Choir album. Preliminary online tracks suggest an aurally scattershot cross between Stereolab, the Bad Plus and Can. Among the vocalists who sang for its pending debut album are Vernon, members of Megafaun and Mystery Palace/12 Rods leader Ryan Olcott. ATC is touring with the Caribbean, another deconstructionist band from Washington, D.C. (9 p.m. Fri. Kitty Cat Klub. $5.) (C.R.)

A tradition that probably has more to do with the fact that it's a day to get together and party with friends than the "Four" tie-in, Dillinger Four's seventh annual Independence Day gig at its bar of employment has taken on more momentum now that Minneapolis' most revered punk band plays less and less. It'd even be wise to pick up advance tickets to this one, also featuring fellow Fat Wreck Chords labelmates Banner Pilot, plus the Dopamines, Slow Death and Box Thieves. (9 p.m. Sun., Triple Rock. 21 & older. $8-$10.) (C.R.)

Levon Helm's performance with his large roots-rock ensemble at the Fitzgerald was one of the best Twin Cities concerts of 2009 -- in any genre. Despite a voice ravaged by cancer, the singer/drummer/mandolinist remains the uncrowned king of Americana, as vital now as he was with the legendary and underappreciated Band in the '60s and '70s. Opening is John Hiatt, a headliner in his own right whose solid new "The Open Road" examines, as always, family but this time also addresses legacy, with echoes of Chuck Berry, Willie Dixon and the Stones. (7:30 p.m. Tue. Minnesota Zoo, sold out.) (J.B.)

Always superior live, Widespread Panic has just delivered one of its more convincing studio albums, "Dirty Side Down." Even though these 12 longish songs stretch past one hour, this collection is more about songwriting than jamming. There are complex melodies, a strong sense of dynamics, interesting lyrics and, of course, compelling instrumental interplay. A standout is the Southern rocker "Jaded Tourist." (7:30 p.m. Wed. Orpheum, $32.50.) (J.B.)

He was a fiddle/mandolin/banjo/guitar-playing encyclopedia of folk music. A musician extraordinaire, a teacher par excellence and a multilingual philosopher, mentor and hero to a couple generations of Minnesota musicians, Bill Hinkley, 67, died in May of a blood disorder. His life will be celebrated with a service, stories and a parade of songs. (5 to 11 p.m. Wed. Nicollet Island Pavilion, Mpls.) (J.B.)

Mary Chapin Carpenter's run of country hits in the late 1980s and early '90s was really an aberration. She's always been a folkie at heart. She proves it once again on this year's "The Age of Miracles," a predictably thoughtful collection of songs about love and life. Always literate, she quotes Tom Petty, tells the story of Ernest Hemingway's first wife and discusses Tiananmen Square from the point of view of a Chinese soldier ordered to clear the protesters. She also offers "I Put My Ring Back On," a duet with Vince Gill that could be the female sequel to her 1994 hit "He Thinks He'll Keep Her." Opening are the Pines, the wonderfully whispery Twin Cities country-folk duo. (7:30 p.m. Wed. Minnesota Zoo, $40.) (J.B.)

Last month, Trombone Shorty joined Jeff Beck in a tribute to Les Paul in New York, performed at the Bonnaroo fest in Tennessee, tore it up at the Playboy Jazz Festival in Hollywood and got down with his band on "The Late Show With David Letterman." And he's also been featured on HBO's new "Treme." All this activity was designed to promote Trombone Shorty's first major-label release, "Backatown" on Verve. The disc comes close to capturing the excitement of Shorty's shows with his New Orleans Avenue. With assists in the studio from Allen Toussaint, Marc Broussard and Lenny Kravitz (his former boss), Shorty serves up a gritty, greasy gumbo -- he calls it "supafunkrock" -- that will keep you partyin'. Opening is Louisiana bluesman Tab Benoit. (7:30 p.m. Thu. Minnesota Zoo, $28.) (J.B.)

BLUES/ROOTS Arizona's renaissance man of the blues, Bob Corritore is a nightclub owner, radio host and prolific record producer, but this harmonica ace is best known for his partnership with gruff-voiced singer and guitarist Dave Riley. A Mississippi Delta native who's also spent fertile time in Chicago, the resilient Riley has had a life seemingly tailor-made for a bluesman. He's a Vietnam vet, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, a longtime guard at Joliet State Penitentiary, and his neck was broken in a 1998 car crash with a drunken driver. No wonder their latest CD is titled "Lucky to Be Living." (9 p.m. Fri., Wilebski's Blues Saloon. $10.) (T.S.)

C.J. Chenier hasn't released a new disc since 2006's fine "The Desperate Kingdom of Love," titled after a PJ Harvey song. The CD had its fair share of updated zydeco and blues classics, a Van Morrison selection ("Comfort You") plus one of the greasier love songs of our time -- C.J.'s charming original "Finger Lickin' Chicken." (7:30 & 9:30 p.m. Mon., Dakota Jazz Club. $15-$25.) (T.S.)

COUNTRY The little man with a big voice, Dale Watson returns to the club he likes so much that he commemorated it in song: "Louie's Lee's Liquor Lounge." The new millennium's answer to Dave Dudley, Watson has recorded two full CDs of truck drivin' music, including his latest release, 2009's "The Truckin' Sessions, Vol. 2." Local country-rockers Chris Brooks & the Silver City Boys open. (9 p.m. Sat., Lee's Liquor Lounge. $15.) (T.S.)

The Oak Ridge Boys' classic hitmaking lineup -- William Lee Golden, Duane Allen, Richard Sterban and Joe Bonsall -- has not only been back together since 1996 but they made an album last year, "The Boys Are Back." Covering songs by the White Stripes, Neil Young and John Lee Hooker, the Oaks tried too hard to be hip. They're more enjoyable when they stick to their own hits from the 1970s and '80s. Opening is Rocket Club, the wannabe country band fronted by KFAN radio personality Chris Hawkey. The concert will be followed by fireworks at about 10 p.m. (7 p.m. Sun., parking lot next to the Meadows golf course at Mystic Lake, Prior Lake, free.) (J.B.)