Best of the week: Run the Jewels, Japandroids, 'Hedwig,' Shirley Caesar, Maria Schneider Orchestra, more

Probably Bernie Sanders' unlikeliest ally in last year's presidential campaign, Run the Jewels lead boomer Killer Mike returned more fiery, fast and furious than he has ever sounded on "Run the Jewels 3," another dazzling collaboration with fellow rapper and wizard producer El-P. The duo enlisted the likes of Zack de La Rocha and Beyoncé collaborator Boots to make things even more madcap on the record. The Gaslamp Killer, Gangsta Boo, Nick Hook and Cuz open.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

8 p.m. Tue., Myth, Maplewood, all ages, $30, eTix.com

Fans of the high-adrenaline roar-rock Japandroids are rejoicing now that their first album in five years, "Near to the Wild Heart of Life," has finally dropped — and especially since the rumors of the band mellowing out proved very untrue. Singer/guitarist Brian King did let middle age and Springsteen-esque writing seep into the album, but the live show should still hit like a monsoon. Edina-reared Craig Finn of Hold Steady fame opens, previewing his second solo album, "We All Want the Same Things."

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

9 p.m. Tue., First Avenue, Mpls., $20, eTix.com

When "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" blasted onto the scene in 1998, it broke all kinds of new ground. Created by composer/lyricist Stephen Trask and book writer John Cameron Mitchell, this rock 'n' roll-drenched show took us into the hurts, fears and yearnings of an East German genderqueer character in the American heartland. This national tour is headlined by Euan Morton, who inhabited Hedwig's outré costumes and insecurities both on Broadway and in London.

Tue.-Sun., Ordway, St. Paul, $37-$114.50, ordway.org

When Shirley Caesar takes the stage, it's hard to tell where the preaching ends and the singing begins. Because with the first lady of gospel, they're one and the same. She's always testifying to the Lord, as she does on her latest, the Grammy-nominated "Fill This House," which features guest turns by soul man Anthony Hamilton and gospel great Hezekiah Walker. At 78, Caesar shows no sign of slowing down. Say "Amen!" With Vanessa Bell Armstrong and Beverly Crawford.

JON BREAM

7 p.m. Thu. Orpheum, Mpls., $44-$74, ticketmaster.com

Even Franz Schubert was uneasy with the 24 songs he created for Winterreise (aka "Winter Journey"), regarded as the greatest song cycle ever by a classical composer. The tale of a lonely wanderer, spurned in love, trudging through a snow-packed landscape was, Schubert thought, "terrifying." And yet he poured into it some of his most beautiful and deeply emotional music. Chinese baritone Lu Zang performs the complete cycle, with pianist Yunyue Liu.

7 p.m. Sat., the Baroque Room, St. Paul, $5-$10, thebaroqueroom.com

Jazz trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire meets socially conscious rapper Kool A.D. meets the intrepid "New Classical" strings of the Mivos Quartet. This concert is exactly the kind of thrilling stylistic swirl that makes the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's Liquid Music series such a vital part of our local music scene. And for the final bold stroke? The collaborators will stage their world premiere chamber work, "Origami Harvest," in a nightclub.

BRITT ROBSON

7:30 p.m. Wed. Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St. Paul, $20, liquidmusicseries.org

Paul Auster has written his first novel in seven years (and his longest ever, at nearly 900 pages) and he'll talk about it at an event in St. Paul. Auster's "4 3 2 1" is the semi-autobiographical novel about four guys, each named Ferguson, each born (like Auster) in 1947 and each growing up in New Jersey and Manhattan (like Auster). The Star Tribune's review said the book contains "some of the most perceptive writing of his career."

7 p.m. Wed. Kagin Commons, Macalester College, St. Paul, $5, raintaxi.com

Windom-reared, New York-based jazz composer/conductor Maria Schneider brings her 18-piece eponymous orchestra to her home state for a performance of her Grammy-winning album, "The Thompson Fields." The music was inspired by various forms of nature that informed her childhood in Minnesota. Here's hoping the five-time Grammy winner encores with her David Bowie collaboration "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)."

JON BREAM

7:30 p.m. Thu., the O'Shaughnessy, St. Catherine University, St. Paul, $35-$65, oshag.stkate.edu

Brush away winter doldrums with a tropical beach party at the Minnesota Zoo. Each winter, the zoo hosts two of Minnesota's largest indoor sandboxes, holding a total of 34 tons of sand. Zookeepers conduct animal enrichment and training demonstrations, during which guests can observe and touch some of the wildlife. Face painting, crafts and other activities are involved, as well.

11 a.m. Sat.-next Sun. Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley, $12-$18, minnesotazoo.org.