Once again the 18-member Brian Setzer Orchestra ushers in the holiday season too early with a hometown kickoff (he lives here) to his 12th annual Christmas tour, which will visit 31 cities. The BSO has released its first Yule studio album in a decade, "Rockin' Rudolph," which finds Setzer crooning "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and seasoning it with some jazzy guitar, getting playful on the Flintstones-inspired "Yabba Dabba Yuletide" and showcasing the instrumental chops of his players on "O Little Town of Bethelem." The BSO holiday show is always a swingin,' well-dressed, festive time with hot guitar work and even a few Stray Cats licks. The one-man band known as Low Volts opens. (8 p.m. Sat., Orpheum, $53.50-$89.) Jon Bream

POP/ROCK

Robert DeLong's "Long Way Down" holds the local distinction of being the first song played when Go 96.3 FM changed over to its current modern-rock format in January, and both that station and the Current have been steadily spinning the jittery, slightly paranoiac single ever since. The Seattle area electro-pop singer — who performs solo behind a castle-like array of drums and electronic gear in concert — is back on tour behind his third album for Glassnote Records, "In the Cards." Opener Coleman Hell is a Thunder Bay, Ontario, native newly signed to Columbia Records. (8 p.m. Fri., Varsity Theater, 16 & older, $18.) Chris Riemenschneider

A postwar-era throwback country/rockabilly/swing singer who sounds refreshingly devoid of kitsch or novelty, St. Louis' Pokey Lafarge has a kinship to the Twin Cities that extends beyond our shared ties to the Mississippi River, which seemingly inspired the title of his strong new album, "Something in the Water." He returns to town to head up the sixth anniversary of 89.3 the Current's Bill DeVille-hosted Sunday morning twang show "The United States of Americana." Nashville's Margo Price and local legend Spider John Koerner open. (9 p.m. Fri., Fine Line, $16-$18.) Riemenschneider

One of the pioneers of industrial techno-rock alongside Ministry and KMFDM on Wax Trax Records, Chicago's My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult was more influential and experimental than its campy 1991 hit "Sex on Wheelz" suggested. Co-founders Groovie Mann and Buzz McCoy are still at it, heading out on their Electrik Messiah Tour with last year's album "Spooky Tricks" in tow. (8 p.m. Fri., Amsterdam Bar & Hall, $15-$20.) Riemenschneider

Gogol Bordello long ago hit upon the brilliant idea of conjoining the two very different strains of manic frenzy inherent in punk and gypsy music. To this irresistibly caffeinated and irreverent hybrid they toss in elements of theatrical camp and cabaret featuring a rotating cast of spotlighted soloists behind Ukrainian singer-showman Eugene Hutz who tromp the throttle on a regular basis. One of the hardest working bands in show business, Gogol Bordello will perform their masterpiece, "Underdog World Strike," and more on the occasion of the disc's 10th anniversary. (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., First Avenue, $30-$35.) Britt Robson

Last year at the Medina, the still mighty Eric Burdon demonstrated the growl, swagger and personality of an enduring rock star on such Animals classics as "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" and solo favorites as "Spill the Wine." The Rock Hall of Famer, now 74, has a jukebox full of classics to sing, including "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," "House of the Rising Sun" and "Sky Pilot." Mark Andrew, the Twin Cities veteran of TV talent competitions, opens. (8:30 p.m. Sat., Medina Entertainment Center, $36.33-$57.08.) Bream

Robert DeLong hits the Varsity Theater on Friday.

The Hawaiian trio Pepper was firmly in the slip-n-slide ska camp of Sublime until their self-titled album two years ago pushed them in a more straightforward pop direction, alienating a fair chunk of their fan base. The bouncy track "[Expletive] Around (All Night)" boasts a groove kindred to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the other material ranges from a ballad to a tepid hip-hop party jam. Live, the island vibe definitely still comes to the fore — good news for folks weaned on "Kona Town." (7 p.m. Sat., Fine Line $23.50-$40.) Robson

Some singer-songwriters have gone country in mid- or late career. Duncan Sheik has gone Broadway. Not only did he capture Tony Awards for "Spring Awakening," but he has worked on musical versions of "Because of Winn-Dixie" and "American Psycho," among other vehicles. His new pop album, "Legerdemain," has a definite theatrical feel as well as Paul Simon-esque literate pop vibe. Sheik has written a play with music about writer Carson McCullers with New York singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, who is promoting 2014's "Tales From the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles," which is, at turns, serious, lighthearted and self-reverential. Vega and Sheik are touring together, offering separate sets and a few songs as a duo. (7:30 p.m. Sun., Cedar Cultural Center,$40-$55.) Bream

The Bottle Rockets were never the hippest or hottest of the many alt-country bands to emerge in the mid-'90s, but they were one of the best. Their first album in four years, "South Broadway Athletic Club," also happens to be one of the finest of the St. Louis quartet's 20-year career, showing off leader Brian Henneman's Hiatt-meets-Westerberg writing style and his and John Horton's straight-up butt-kicking guitar licks. Molly Maher opens. (8 p.m. Wed., Turf Club, $15-$18.) Riemenschneider

Between writing music for TV, penning columns for the Huffington Post, hosting creativity seminars and recuperating from a recent vocal nodule, Peter Himmelman hasn't had much time to get out and do what folks in his hometown know him for best: singing his songs of deep faith and emotion, wildly imaginative poetry and sometimes great humor. The St. Louis Park native is getting back together with keyboardist Jeff Victor and a full band to take part in the intimate New Century Sessions series. California songwriter Christian Lee Hutson opens. (7:30 p.m. Thu., New Century Theater in City Center, $40-$65.) Riemenschneider

COUNTRY

Jennifer Nettles' new single, "Sugar," is peppy Southern soul delivered with her distinctive twangy voice. The tune will be featured on her second solo album, due in early 2016. The former Sugarland singer's solo debut, 2014's "That Girl," seemed tailored for country-pop crossover but the collection of originals didn't deliver on the promise of Nettles' formidable voice. Opening are award-winning Brandy Clark, a terrific songwriter and solid singer known for her hit "Stripes," and Ryan Kidder, the voice behind the single "Kiss Me When I'm Down." (8 p.m. Fri., Treasure Island Casino, Red Wing, $52.50-$67.50.) Bream

HIP-HOP

Beanie Sigel is a throwback to the turn of the century days when "keeping it real" on thug life tales was more legitimate badge than hollow cliché. He came out of Philly guesting on a Roots track and caught the attention of Jay Z, leading to a series of gritty albums and a successful clothing line. Along the way, "Beans" shot people, got shot, got busted and went to jail for weapons and tax evasion, making classics like "What Ya Life Like," feel like a visceral truth. This gig, buttressed by a slew of "special guests," is part of his comeback tour, amid chronic hints of more original songs to come in his plain-spoken flow. (9:30 p.m. Sat., Cabooze, $20-$28.) Robson

JAZZ

Regina Carter is probably the best-known violinist in jazz, but in recent years she has expanded her musical scope to delve into her family roots. For this gig she'll concentrate on "Southern Comfort," which honors her paternal grandfather, an Alabama coal miner, and conjures the weave of Appalachian mountain melodies and plain-spoken field hollers along with the liquid soul of gospel and blues and the improvisation of jazz. Her ace quintet includes Will Holshouser on accordion, Chris Lightcap on bass, Alvester Garnett on drums and Marvin Sewell on guitar. (7 and 9 p.m. Mon., Dakota, $30-$40.) Robson

CLASSICAL

Moscow-born, New York-based pianist Natasha Paremski made a strong impression in her concerto appearances last year with the Minnesota Orchestra, and her return to play Tchaikovsky's popular First Concerto seems guaranteed to set sparks flying. So, too, will Vaughan Williams' Fourth Symphony, one of the composer's most intense, combustible pieces, and the presence on the conductor's podium of Andrew Litton, an expert energizer of big orchestral statements, should ensure a riveting performance. Litton, an excellent pianist, also helms Elgar's ripely romantic Piano Quintet at a late-night chamber recital following Saturday's concert. (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Orchestra Hall, $29-$96.) Terry Blain

We live in an era rich in technically brilliant young pianists, but even so Ukrainian Alexander Gavrylyuk stands out. Still in his early 30s, Gavrylyuk has chalked up major critical successes in Amsterdam, New York and Moscow, and brings his white-hot brand of pianism in a solo recital featuring Rachmaninoff's Second and Prokofiev's Third Sonatas. Gavrylyuk isn't just a blistering virtuoso, though, and the inclusion of works by Schubert and Chopin should show the more poetic side of his pianistic personality. (3 p.m. Sun., Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, Macalester College, St. Paul; $25, chopinsocietymn.org) Blain

FOLK

Philip Brunelle, Vocalessence's artistic director, calls Voz en Punto the "King's Singers of Mexico." The a cappella sextet sings Mexican folk songs with a bent toward humor and technical virtuosity and Vocalessence presents them. There's a preshow conversation at 3 p.m. and a post-show fiesta. (4 p.m. Sun., Ordway Center, $20-$40.) Graydon Royce

Normally, Inuit throat singing is done in pairs. Canadian vocalist Tanya Tagaq, who attended high school in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, created a solo style that delivers a barrage of guttural clucking, sighs, falsetto leaps, growls, coos, repetitive panting and haunted moans. Sometimes she sounds like an animal that has learned to scat-sing. Her sidemen, violinist Jesse Zubot and percussionist Jean Martin, push the envelope on this primal artistry with various effects. They will dismantle clichés with mesmerizing flair by providing a soundtrack to a showing of the 1922 silent film "Nanook of the North." (8 p.m. Nov. 19 & 20, McGuire Theater, Walker Art Center, $22-$25.) Robson