Thursday, Oct. 20
The Weight Band, led by Jim Weider who played with the Band from 1985 to 2000, offers its own brand of Woodstockian Americana (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$50); Japanese guitar innovator Miyavi plays a unique slapping style (8 p.m. Fine Line, $30-$35); Boston rockers Dead Poet Society roll into town (8 p.m., 7th St. Entry, $17-$20).
Friday, Oct. 21
1. Maren Morris: Never one to stay in one musical lane or play by Nashville's rules, the feisty country-pop star dropped another pop bop collab this year with Zedd, "Make You Say," right in the middle of promoting her own third major-label album, "Humble Quest." The 32-year-old Texan does things her way, whether touring with her 2-year-old son on the bus or threatening to not attend next month's CMA Awards ("Humble Quest" is a finalist for album of the year) because she would not be comfortable in the same room with conservative social media influencer Brittany Aldean, with whom she is feuding after Aldean, superstar Jason Aldean's wife, made a transphobic joke. Opening is Lone Bellow, the remarkably soulful, harmonizing Americana group from Brooklyn. (8 p.m. the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., $52.50 and up, ticketmaster.com)
2. Crazy Broke Asians: Like the Minnesota answer to the recent Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert with Japanese Breakfast and the Linda Lindas in New York, this playfully titled gig will throw a spotlight on the seriously rich, butt-kicking crop of Asian American women rocking up the Twin Cities music scene these days. Meghan Kreidler and her punky band Kiss the Tiger — who broke big locally last year with the Current-buoyed single "Hold on to Love" and really their entire album "Vicious Kid" — top off an eclectic lineup also featuring funk-rocker Mayda, hip-hop songwriter Diane, D'Lourdes, Vulgar Tongue and Tekk Nikk. (7:30 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., all ages, $15-$20, thecedar.org)
3. Dessa: After publishing her new poetry book ("Tits on the Moon") and finishing the second season of her BBC-backed science podcast ("Deeply Human"), one of Minneapolis' most-decorated hip-hop stars is getting back to what she still does best with her newish backing band on Midwest and East Coast tour jaunts and another big hometown gig. The wordsmith rapper sounds convincingly like a sophisticated adult-pop singer on her new single, "Blush," and she has more strong songs to highlight from last year's "Ides" series. Open Mike Eagle opens. (9 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $30, axs.com)
4. St. Paul Chamber Orchestra: In addition to music by Antonin Dvorak, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson and Gabriela Ortiz, the SPCO will perform a work it premiered in 1974, "Incident at Wounded Knee" by Louis W. Ballard, narrated by Minnesota's poet laureate, Gwen Westerman. It's part of something like a mini-festival of Indigenous culture at the Ordway, featuring artwork from All My Relations Arts and Two Rivers Gallery and 7 p.m. red cedar flute recitals by Bryan Akipa. (11 a.m. and 8 p.m., also 8 p.m. Sat. Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul; 3 p.m. Sun. St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, 900 Stillwater Road, Mahtomedi; $11-$50, students free; thespco.org.)
Also: A belatedly discovered soul singer like the late, great Sharon Jones, North Carolina's Lee Fields is touring behind "Sentimental Fool," a mighty new album made with Jones' crew the Daptones (9 p.m. Fine Line, $20-$40); Minnesota's blues/soul queen Annie Mack and her tight band will rock up one of St. Paul's oldest and most ornate buildings for the Landmark Live series (7 p.m. Landmark Center, $20); sidelined Americana rock bad boy/buffoon Ryan Adams plays his first show in town on since a career-halting expose by the New York Times on his sexually predatory behavior toward young women and at least one underage girl (8 p.m. Orpheum, $25-$90); Chicago native and sometime-Hollywood-actor Jake LaBotz, who is now living in Rochester, is promoting his latest album of stylishly gritty, evocative blues, "Hair on Fire" (8 p.m. Hook & Ladder Mission Room, $15-$20).
Saturday, Oct. 22
5. Marcus Mumford: After gaining a different kind of fame via the "Ted Lasso" TV theme song, the British folk-rocker of Mumford & Sons fame emerged from COVID lockdown with a solo album that marks another interesting career turn. Cutely titled "Self-Titled," the rockier (read: banjo-less) collection alludes to sexual abuse and other personal strife in a hopeful tone with guest singers including Brandi Carlile and Phoebe Bridgers. He's playing the record in its entirety on tour, rounded out by a few "& Sons" and "New Basement Tapes" songs. Openers the A's are a fun new band led by Sylvan Esso's Amelia Meath and her Mountain Man bandmate Alexandra Sauser-Monnig. (8 p.m. Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $50-$100, axs.com)
6. Charlie Musselwhite: After making recent albums with Ben Harper and Elvin Bishop, the veteran bluesman returned to his roots this year with "Mississippi Son," an ode to his home state, to which he recently returned. A renowned harmonica player, he exercises his guitar chops here as well, interpreting songs by Charley Patton, John Lee Hooker, the Stanley Brothers and Guy Clark. With his soft rasp of a voice and emotional harp, this is an intimate record, exemplified on the original slow blues "In Your Darkest Hour." (8 p.m. Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins, $53-$68, hopkinsartcenter.com)
7. Tommy James: We heard about payola back in the day, but who knew about the depth of the mob's involvement in rock 'n' roll until James' eye-opening 2010 autobiography "Me, the Mob and the Music"? When Tommy James and the Shondells were tearing up the charts in the '60s with "Hanky Panky" and "Crimson and Clover," they were working for Roulette Records and its strong-armed boss Morris Levy. James waited until all the principals passed away before writing his expose. Moreover, he finally started collecting the royalties he expected. In concert at the Minnesota State Fair in 2019, James impressed with group harmonies and two versions of "I Think We're Alone Now." (8 p.m. Medina Entertainment Center, 500 Hwy 55, Medina, $50-$65, eventbrite.com)
Also: Determined Twin Cities rocker Roxxy Hall, rebounding from ovarian cancer, celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Roxxy Hall Band (7 p.m. Minnesota Music Cafe, $10); the Twin Cities blues-rocker formerly known as Crankshaft, Alex Larson returns from hiatus to celebrate a new album that's a bit more sophisticated and serious than his prior stuff, but still a lot of fun, with opener Red Eye Ruby (8 p.m. Uptown VFW, $15); Nashville-based hippie-soul folk-rock band Judah & the Lion are back touting their fourth album, "Revival" (8:30 p.m. First Ave, $33); New Zealand's alternative-rock vets the Chills are back in action (8 p.m. Turf Club, $20); Van Morrison-channeling, horn-driven Twin Cities rockers the Belfast Cowboys return to the Hook & Ladder (7:30 p.m., $15-$20).
Sunday, Oct. 23
8. Kurt Elling: The Gustavus Adolphus-educated, Grammy-winning jazz vocalist is an unquenchable musical adventurer. Earlier this year, he toured with avant-garde guitarist Charlie Hunter, exploring funk-jazz. Last year at Twin Cities Jazz Festival, Elling collaborated with saxophonist Bob Mintzer and a small combo. This time around, the intellectual Chicago vocalist teams up with the JazzMN Orchestra, a big band featuring top Twin Cities musicians under the direction of Pete Whitman. (3 & 6 p.m. Belvedere tent at Crooners, 6161 Hwy 65 NE, Fridley, $40-$50, croonersmn.com)
9. FénixDion: One of the Twin Cities' most promising, young rock acts, this funky, guitar-heavy sextet offers various echoes of Lenny Kravitz, Oasis and MGMT on its hazy debut album. Versatile frontman Keston Wright has also played dance-pop with Static Panic and country music with Tracey Blake, but he fully gets his rocks off here and opens up as a songwriter with a troubled past. Indie-rock vet Kid Dakota and Goon Tribune open the release party. (8 p.m., 7th St. Entry, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $12-$15, axs.com)
Also: Cosmic soul-funk singer MMYYKK, formerly of Astralblak, heads up an eclectic Minnesota Music Coalition showcase with Native rockers War Bonnet and classical crossovers the Delphia Cello Quartet (7 p.m. Ordway, $17-$37); ex-St. Paulite Red Gallagher returns in a benefit for Northeast Seniors Foodshelf (2 p.m. Lilydale Pool & Yacht Club, $10).
Monday, Oct. 24
Twin Cities jazz bassist Chris Bates' Low End Theories series continues with guests including Erik Fratzke and Nathan Hanson (8 p.m., $12).
Tuesday, Oct. 25
10. Carrie Underwood: After continuing her Vegas residency earlier this year and joining Guns N' Roses onstage in London, the country queen returned to the road last weekend to kick off her Denim & Rhinestones Tour, complete with aerial stunts. She just dropped a new single, "Hate My Heart," a typically explosive Underwood song about being upset after a breakup. The singing voice of "Sunday Night Football" is bringing one of Nashville's brightest stars with her, Jimmie Allen, reigning CMA best new artist, who last week staged his own bowling tournament, the Jimmie Allen PBA Challenge. Speaking of the CMA Awards, Underwood is a finalist for three of them this fall, including entertainer of the year. (7:30 p.m. Target Center, 600 1st Av. N., Mpls, $44.50-$155, axs.com)
Also: Tapped to open Blink-182's reunion tour next year, Baltimore punk band Turnstile is out on its own headlining tour with indie-rock darling Snail Mail opening (7 p.m. the Fillmore, $35 & up, all ages); the California Honeydrops, Oakland's modern blues band, drop in for two nights (8 p.m., also Wed., Turf Club, $25); costumed, blood-spewing metal kings GWAR sludge on with Nekrogoblikon and Crobot opening (7 p.m. Skyway Theater, $30); fresh from dates with My Chemical Romance, dramatic Seattle pop/rock strummer Barns Courtney is promoting his latest album, "Supernatural" (8 p.m. Fine Line, $20); St. Paul finger-picking champ Pat Donohue entertains with the Prairie All Stars (7 p.m. the Dakota, $25-$30).
Wednesday, Oct. 26
Polaris Prize-nominated rockers Daniel Romano's Outfit, whose namesake leader has played with the City & the Colour, are making up tour dates for last year's album, "Cobra Poems" (8:30 p.m. 7th St. Entry, $15).
Classical critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.
