Sean McPherson's big three

As he steps out with his Twinkie Jiggles Orchestra, McPherson looks back on the three gigs that have made him a well-known man-about-town.

Dessa, with whom he performs Saturday in Lutsen: "Working with her has been an invaluable education, seeing how she writes her songs and how she runs her business. It's a lot like when we [Heiruspecs] worked with Atmosphere, it was a chance to see a person I think is a top-tier songwriter in action."

Trivia Mafia, which he co-founded in 2006 at the 331 Club and now hosts nightly contests all over the metro area: "It's been incredibly fun to see it grow and really become a part of the local economy. It's given some other creative people a steady gig [as hosts] and been good for the bars, too. And in a completely unlikely way, it fulfilled my majors from college, which were African-American studies, music studies and cultural studies."

Heiruspecs, who will drop a long-awaited new album in early April: "When we started, nobody was doing what we do, and now there are about 10 live hip-hop groups in town that I think are really, really good. We've been dormant for a while, so we need to reapply for the title as the best live hip-hop band in the Twin Cities. But I do still think we're the best."