POP/ROCK
Paul Simon is offering a doubleheader -- a sitdown concert Monday and then a standing general-admission club gig Tuesday. With an eight-man band that stars Cameroonian guitarist Vincent Nguini, Simon will perform at the underused Minneapolis Convention Center auditorium, offering something of a retrospective of his influences (as opposed to his 50-year career) as well as selections from his splendid new "So Beautiful or So What," his best album in decades. The next night, he'll hit First Avenue with the same band, becoming the first two-time Rock Hall of Famer to headline Minneapolis' most-famous music venue. Reports from other cities indicate similar sets for theater and club shows. (7:30 p.m. Mon., Mpls. Convention Center, $52-$127; 8 p.m. Tue., First Avenue, sold out). Jon Bream
You never know what to expect when Jackson Browne plays solo. Surrounding himself with more than a dozen guitars and an electric piano, he works without a set list. He might take requests, go off on a political tangent or cherry-pick from the catalog of thoughtful, sensitive songs that landed him in the Rock Hall of Fame. Depending on your point of view, you might find his shows long and indulgent or mesmerizing and meaningful. (7:30 p.m. Wed., State Theatre, $54-$104.50.) Bream
Four years since their buzz-building debut "Atomism" and two years since they started writing and recording again, the heart-over-hipness Twin Cities natives in White Light Riot are finally putting out their self-titled sophomore album. It truly sounds like it took two years to make, and maybe a million bucks, too. With booming, Foo Fighter-sized drums and stratosphere-punching guitar parts reminiscent of early Radiohead, the record confirms the quintet would have been at home in the '90s but is a welcome standout in the '10s. Frontman Mike Schwandt especially took a big leap forward between albums, now among the scene's most dramatic and cocksure rock-stars-in-waiting. Check the track "Becoming the Villain" online for a taste of the big flavor. WLR is confident enough to have Rogue Valley, Communist Daughter and Wishbook all open their CD party. (8 p.m. Sat., Varsity Theater. 18 & older. $10). Chris Riemenschneider
Her voice evokes Adele's -- with more depth, sass and humor. Davina and the Vagabonds' sensational new "Black Cloud" is the best local album of 2011, and one of the best in years. "Cloud" is filled with pop, Southern soul, gospel, jazz, blues, R&B, cabaret -- all with a New Orleans accent, thanks to the spunky and versatile Vagabonds' horn section and Davina Sowers' deliciously soulful and Southern voice. Highlights include the deeply spiritual ballad "River," the buoyant pop plaint "Disappears," the cabaret strut "Black Cloud" and the soulful hymn "Carry Him With You." Expect a rollicking good time at Davina and the Vagabonds' two-night CD-release celebration. (8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Dakota Jazz Club, $10.) Bream
With its electrifying live show, Israeli-bred, L.A.-based Infected Mushroom attracts one of the dance-music world's most rabid followings. Singer Amit "Duvdev" Duvdevani takes a back seat on the group's just-released album "Bust a Gathering," as the band expands its circle outward with collaborations including Astral Projection, MFG, Simon Posford and Total Eclipse. (9 p.m. Fri., Epic, $20-$25. 18 & older.) Jahna Peloquin
One might expect a young band called the Bridge to be inspired by Neil Young, but a better reference point for the hard-touring combo from Baltimore would be Little Feat. In fact, the band's syncopated, Dixie-fried song "Geraldine" could be a lost page from the Lowell George songbook. That song is on the Bridge's latest CD, "National Bohemian," named after a Baltimore beer and produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos. After touring this year as an opener for Tea Leaf Green, Galactic and Trombone Shorty, the Bridge has earned co-headline status with funky local jamsters Shoeless Revolution. (9 p.m. Fri., Cabooze. $10-$12.) Tom Surowicz
He was her mentor when she was 13. Now folk-singing stalwart Tom Paxton, 73, and 1970s pop star Janis Ian, 60, are touring together as a duo. She will do "At Seventeen" and "Jesse," and he'll do "The Last Thing on My Mind." He'll talk politics (he always does), and she'll probably talk about her 2008 autobiography "Society's Child." Seasoning the sound will be violinist Natalia Zuckerman, daughter of Pinchas and Eugenia. (8 p.m. Fri., Fitzgerald Theater, $40-$50.) Bream