The Big Gigs for week of 7/8

POP/ROCK The 17th annual Basilica Block Party may have its best and deepest lineup ever. On Friday, party with G. Love & Special Sauce, delightful retro soulsters Fitz & the Tantrums, vocal powerhouse Lissie, the Twin Cities own Americana heroes the Jayhawks, the sunny but thought-provoking Michael Franti & Spearhead and then chill with headlining "Babylon" balladeer David Gray. On Saturday, the festivities get cookin' with drum-happy local rockers 4onthefloor, acoutic soulman Amos Lee, U.K./U.S. rockers Gomez and country-rockers Drive-By Truckers, and build up to Ray LaMontagne, the gentle Maine soulman who elevated "Beg Steal or Borrow" to Grammy nominations. The two-day, three-stage fest is a fundraiser for the restoration of the basilica. Full schedule at basilicablockparty.org. (5 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Basilica of St. Mary, Mpls. $45-$80.) Jon Bream

There's more than one giant Catholic church bash with great music this weekend. The St. John's Block Party in Rochester has another road-trip-worthy lineup that includes Current-buoyed Twin Cities favorites Cloud Cult, Peter Wolf Crier and Communist Daughter on opening night. Saturday's daylong, two-stage affair features irresistible husband/wife pop maestros Mates of State, whose co-leader Jason Hammel grew up in the area, along with Cities 97 fave Eric Hutchinson, Jeremy Messersmith, Trailer Trash, E.L.nO., kids acts Okee Dokee Brothers, Koo Koo Kanga Roo and more. (6 p.m. Fri., Noon-midnight Sat., St. John the Evangelist , $20/day, $35/two-day, 12 & under free.) Chris Riemenschneider

Pink Mink has played just about every club and public performance space in its yearlong rise to local fame, so when it came time to celebrate its long-awaited debut album, the gang had to come up with something special. Boy, did it. Singers Christy Hunt and Arzu Gokcen will captain a sunset cruise down the Mississippi with their first mates Charles Gehr and Jacques Wait. Their record's standout tracks, including "Hidden Beach" and "Seekin' Scott Seekins," are already ingrained into local playlists, so the band really is cruising. If somebody sees a couple of Japanese dudes clinging to a bass drum in the middle of the river, that would be openers the Birthday Suits. (7 p.m. Fri., Betsey Northrup boat, departs Padelford Landing on St. Paul's Harriet Island. $25.) Riemenschneider

If the name of the Twin Cities Roots, Rock & Deep Blues Festival sounds familiar, that's because it's loosely based on the Deep Blues Fest that sadly petered out two summers ago. Chris Mozena of Half-Door Records resurrected the idea, broadened its scope and narrowed it to one day to help mark the 25th anniversary of Patrick's Cabaret. Some DBF players are back, including Mississippi heir Kent Burnside (RL's grandson), Indiana duo Left Lane Cruiser and local legend Spider John Koerner. The added talent, to be spread out over three stages, includes Nashville bluesmen the Scissormen; raw, punky local blasters the Book of Right On, twangy pickers Pert' Near Sandstone and many more. (3 p.m.-close Sat., Patrick's Cabaret, 3010 Minnehaha Av. S., Mpls. $5-$10.) Riemenschneider

About as far as they can get from their annual pre-holidays gig at First Avenue without actually leaving their native Twin Cities, Soul Asylum is rocking a big tent out in the 'burbs for Babe's port-o-pot-centric Pan-o-Prog outdoor bash. It's the platinum rockers' only local gig of the summer, and they have new material to show off from an upcoming record. Flash Mob and some School of Rock kids open. (8 p.m. Sat., Babe's, 20685 Holyoke Av., Lakeville. $17.) Babe's regular G.B. Leighton also plays under the tent a night earlier. (8 p.m. Fri., $10.) Chris Riemenschneider

Katy Perry has been embraced by Russell Brand and rejected by "Sesame Street." That might give you a clue that her Candyland-inspired arena show -- blue hair, cupcakes on her bra and the suggestive "Peacock" -- isn't just silly kid's stuff. But the kids and Top 40 radio love her "Teenage Dream," "California Gurls" and "Firework." Can't wait to see 16 different outfits from pop's button-pushing, Bettie Page-loving pinup girl. Opening are DJ Skeet Skeet and Marina & the Diamonds, whose lead singer suggests Ke$ha with Florence Welch's pipes. (7:30 p.m. Sat. Xcel Energy Center, $25-$47.) Bream

Dubbed "the zydeco sweetheart," Rosie Ledet makes tougher music than that sobriquet might suggest. It's sweaty, gritty and cheerfully R-rated, often sporting double entendre lyrics. While Ledet can tug at your heartstrings with a song such as "Hello, Baby," her music more typically aims at the feet and groin. She vamps away on squeezebox and sings with soul, as her band grooves relentlessly. (7:30 p.m. Sat., Wilebski's Blues Saloon. $10.) Tom Surowicz

Lowell George is long gone and now, too, Richie Hayward. But Feats won't fail us now. Little Feat remains a consistently exciting live band, one of the hippest groups to emerge from the 1970s and endure into the next century. Beloved by today's jam-band scene, the funky boogie band still features founder Billy Payne on keys/vocals and longtimers Paul Barrere, Sam Clayton and Kenny Gradney. (7 p.m. Sun. Minnesota Zoo, $33.) Bream

Warped Tour lineups always vary from city to city, and the Twin Cities came up very short this year. Howling metalcore bands the Devil Wears Prada and Asking Alexandria, half-baked Hawaiian ska-rock trio Pepper, San Diego punks Unwritten Law, twang-rockers Lucero and '70s-flavored throwbacks Foxy Shazam are the biggest names on the local lineup. With 30-some bands total, though, and all the usual nonstop athletic sideline action, the 17th annual event still offers a great day of distraction for its youthful audience, and at a good price. The do-gooder organizers are even capping bottled water prices at $3 nationwide and offering a $8.50 pre-order meal coupon. (Noon Sun., Canterbury Park Festival Field, Shakopee. $33.75.) Riemenschneider

Taking a break from opening arena and amphitheater shows for country's Sugarland, sunny piano popster Sara Bareilles will get a chance to stretch out at one of her own concerts. In addition to playing her Grammy-nominated hit "Love Song" and lots of tunes from last year's "Kaleidoscope Heart," she might throw in a cover of Cee Lo Green, Beyoncé or Mumford & Sons. Raining Jane opens. (7:30 p.m. Tue. Minnesota Zoo, $34..) Bream

Ever-charming acoustic bluesman Eric Bibb landed on a number of Top 10 lists with his 2010 CD "Booker's Guitar." He followed that with a concert session, "Troubadour Live," that introduces his veteran Swedish collaborator, guitarist Staffan Astner, to U.S. audiences. (7 p.m. Wed.-Thu., Dakota Jazz Club, $20.) Surowicz

Unless ol' Bob Dylan were to crash the party, you couldn't find a more apropos trio of Minnesota musicians than Pop Wagner, Charlie Maguire and Tony Glover to celebrate Woody Guthrie's 99th birthday. For the third consecutive year, these well traveled players will pay tribute to the late, hugely influential folk/blues singer, who was as adept at political songs as he was at kids' music. Glover, who met Guthrie in 1962, has been an avid student of his work. He collaborated with Wagner and Maguire on a 13-song salute to Guthrie, "Woody Reflected." (7:30 p.m. Thu. Ginkgo Coffeehouse, $12-$15.) Bream

After landing the top 10 hit "Day 'n' Nite," Kid Cudi became a big enough hip-hop star to fill Epic nightclub. So what's he doing in an arena? This guy really does have a lot in common with Kanye. The Cleveland rapper is touring behind his sophomore album, "Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager," a psychedelic and semi-psychotic concept album that only lends itself to big-venue concerts in a Pink Floyd-ian, wigged-out sort of way. Opening is fellow Cleveland kid Chip Tha Ripper. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Target Center. $49.50 & $39.50.) Riemenschneider

WORLDMaking its annual visit to the West Bank, Tinariwen, the Tuareg refugee trance blues band that's deservedly become celebrated globally, will preview its Anti- Records release "Tassili." The CD features guest appearances by members of TV on the Radio, the Dirty Dozen and Wilco. Making his American debut, rockin' Nigerian electric guitar star Bombino opens. (8 p.m. Fri., Cedar Cultural Center, $28-$30.) Surowicz

For the record, the Maytals don't exist anymore; they broke up in 1981. For the record, Toots Hibbert, who performs as Toots & the Maytals, remains reggae's most soulful and passionate singer. Forty-three years after he sang the song "Do the Reggay" that gave a name to the nascent genre, Toots, 65, still puts on one of the exciting shows in reggae. Always recommended. (7:30 p.m. Sat. Minnesota Zoo, $38.) Bream

The siren of Timbuktu, Khaira Arby had to fight discrimination to attain stardom in Mali -- starting with her own Berber father, who forbade her from pursuing music. She rebelled, and the world is better off. Arby's amazing clarion voice -- "a gift from God," in her own words -- is now invigorating listeners on several continents. Her overt political lyrics, often tackling feminist issues in four different languages, are stirring, too. (7:30 p.m. Wed., Cedar Cultural Center. $18-$20.) Surowicz

JAZZ Since we last saw them together, Texas pianist Dan Cavanagh wrote a great big-band arrangement of Radiohead's "Packt Like Sardines" -- part of "The Radiohead Jazz Project," downloadable at strib.mn/louMdL -- and vibraphonist extraordinaire Dave Hagedorn's student big band at St. Olaf College won a DownBeat award. Now these big-band vets pool their talents in the smallest band imaginable to play songs from their knockout duo CD "Horizon." (9 p.m. Wed., Artists' Quarter, $5.) Surowicz