The Big Gigs: Our critics' music picks

HOLIDAY SHOWS Trumpeter Chris Botti is hip enough to tour with Sting and cool enough to convince John Mayer, Yo-Yo Ma, Josh Groban and even Aerosmith's Steven Tyler to appear on his latest CD, "Chris Botti in Boston," recorded last year with the Boston Pops. Botti doesn't plan on any famous guests in Minneapolis, but he will season the repertoire with Christmas favorites as well as material from his successful solo career. (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Orchestra Hall, $22-$65.) (J.B.)

Cape Breton fiddle queen Natalie MacMaster popped up on YoYo Ma's 2008 holiday release "Songs of Joy and Peace," but she hasn't made a CD of her own since 2006. MacMaster has been quite busy offstage as the mother of three tots (ages 1, 2 and 4), but another CD is due soon, so MacMaster should have lots of fresh material to feature. (8 p.m. Fri., Cedar Cultural Center. $25-$28.) (T.S.)

For the fourth year in a row, local rock vets turned jazzy cabaret players the New Standards -- pianist Chan Poling (Suburbs), bassist John Munson (Semisonic) and vibraphone ace Steve Roehm -- are inviting an eclectic bunch of friends to help wrap up a bundle of fun standards, old and new, for a one-of-a-kind holiday concert. Guests include Gary Louris (Jayhawks), crooners Prudence Johnson and Kristen Mooney and the Pretenders' locally reared pedal-steel wiz Eric Heywood. (8 p.m. Sat., Fitzgerald Theater. $31.50.) (C.R.)

Best-remembered as the band that helped Jon Favreau work up the courage to cut loose in the cult-classic movie "Swingers," Los Angeles retro-swing big band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has been making a name as a holiday music act with lively renditions of "Blue Christmas," "We Three Kings" and the like. (8 p.m. Sat., Pantages Theater. $32-$42.) (C.R.)

Many people made a big fuss this year when Bob Dylan, who was raised in a Jewish family, released a Christmas album. Hate to break the news: The biggest Christmas song of all-time, "White Christmas," was written by Irving Berlin, who was Jewish, and the biggest-selling holiday album of all-time, 1994's "Miracles," is by smooth-jazz saxophonist Kenny G, who is Jewish. (7 p.m. Sun., State Theatre, $42-$52.) (J.B.)

One of the more captivating talents to come out of Canada since the days of Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, jazz/pop thrush Holly Cole is a contagious ball of energy who inhabits her material like a seasoned actress, wallowing in a melancholy ballad one moment, then giddily ripping up the room with a hard-swinging standard. Refusing to be pigeonholed, she bridges jazz, pop, rock and cabaret seamlessly, with big smiles and high style. (7 & 9:30 p.m. Mon.-Tue., Dakota Jazz Club. $30-$40.) (T.S.)

Among the flurry of "American Idol" alum releases this fall is 2008 runner-up David Archuleta's "Christmas From the Heart." The breathy choirboy tenor does the kind of renditions of holiday fare that we learned in choir, and adds an original, "Melodies of Christmas," that oozes with sincerity and cliches. (7:30 p.m. Wed., Fitzgerald Theater, $43-$46.) (J.B.)

Named for the all-local all-star charity CD now on sale at Target stores, the Home for the Holidays: A Minnesota Christmas concert promises everything from Irish flavor by "Riverdance" star Katie McMahon and the Wild Colonial Bhoys to the jazzy stylings of Patty Peterson to the rockier sounds of Tim Mahoney, Mick Sterling and Ari Herstand. Other singers include Mary Beth Carlson, Matthew Griswold, Cate Fierro, Roster McCabe and organizer Phil Thompson. Proceeds benefit the IBEW Holiday Lights Project. (7 p.m. Thu., Pantages Theatre. $24-$31.) (C.R.)

HIP-HOP With a hip-hop crew that gets along better than a lot of families, the Doomtree Blowout V amounts to a reunion that's equal parts holiday party and competitive throwdown between rivalrous siblings. Big-brother P.O.S. spent most of the year on the road behind his blazing disc "Never Better." Soulful sister Dessa has a new CD ready to come out early next year, as does beatmaker Lazerbeak, while producer/DJ Paper Tiger will sell a new 7-inch at this show. All of the crewmates -- including Sims, Cecil Otter and Mike Mictlan -- also worked together on a new eight-track EP, "False Hopes XV." So there's plenty of new stuff to blow out with the old. (6:30 p.m. Sat., First Avenue. $15.) (C.R.)

It's hard to say whether an Eyedea & Abilities gig nowadays should be classified under hip-hop or rock. The St. Paul duo's first album on Rhymesayers in five years, "By the Throat," is loaded with guitars and drums and an experimental aesthetic that's far from the rap norm. But Eyedea still rocks the mic like few other skinny white MCs out there, and Abilities' turntable skills can be as riveting as an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo. So let's still call 'em hip-hop. They're sharing the bill with an equally adventurous duo with a similar battle-rap past, Themselves, who just returned from a long hiatus with the new Anticon release "CrownsDown." Sector7G and Kristoff Krane open. (9 p.m. Wed., Varsity Theater. 18 & older. $14.) (C.R.)

POP/ROCK Canadian rocker Bryan Adams will bring his acoustic guitar, that whiskey-and-cigarettes voice and a jukebox full of MTV-spawned hits for a solo concert that will transport you back to the '80s and '90s. (8 p.m. Fri. State Theatre, $35-$128.) (J.B.)

Soul Asylum's annual home-for-the-holidays gig arrives a little earlier than usual, but hot on the heels of the local legends' recording sessions at Flowers Studio, for an album tentatively due next year. Don't be surprised to hear a few new songs, along with some of the old nuggets the band throws in just for First Ave -- if only to try to throw off its über-steady v.2.0 rhythm section of Michael Bland and Tommy Stinson. Openers the Tomatoes are SA-flavored pals/fans of Dave Pirner's from New Orleans. (8:30 p.m. today, First Avenue. $18-$20.) (C.R.)

Nashville likes to claim the Zac Brown Band but considering that Brown's biggest influence is James Taylor and that he covers songs by the Band, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan, ZBB is nothing but eclectic. To be sure, he's had some country hits, including the current Buffett-evoking "Toes" (which had to be edited for K102 and other radio stations that didn't like a word that rhymes with sass). And these guys are pretty fair pickers. But doggone if Zac and the boys don't rock the house. Opening are three baby bands on Brown's label -- Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan and Levi Lowery. (7 p.m. Sat. Northrop Auditorium, $27.50-$40.) (J.B.)

While the magnetic draw of their Oscar-winning debut album and the accompanying 2007 movie "Once" was the real-life sparks that flew between its two singers, the Swell Season has quite a different story this time around. Co-leaders Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglova petered out as a romantic couple but didn't let that put the kibosh on their musical partnership. Rather, it makes for another alluring, soap-operatic backdrop to their followup album, "Strict Joy," which isn't strictly a breakup album but certainly isn't loaded up with joy, either. Hansard is only doing one or two songs by his old band the Frames on tour this time, but he and Irglova have worked up some terrific covers to round out their set list. (7:30 p.m. Sat., State Theatre. $32.50-$40.) (C.R.)

It would be easy to complain that KDWB's annual Jingle Ball is too teeny-bop this year but the event has sold like a Taylor Swift show -- all 14,000 tickets are gone. The hot attractions are baby-faced 15-year-old heartthrob Justin Bieber and Owatonna's own Owl City, a perfectly lovable emo electronica neophyte who went to No. 1 this fall with "Fireflies." American Idol Jordin Sparks is top-billed, but the more experienced Pitbull, the Latin rapper, is closing the show, which also features Boys Like Girls, 3OH!3, Colbie Caillat and Jay Sean. (5:45 p.m. Sun., Xcel Energy Center. Sold out.) (J.B.)

Whether or not you'll be at the Lennon Tribute next door in the main room, Priestess and Early Man make for one loud, wild, visceral finish to a Tuesday night. The frequent tourmates -- Canadian and New York bands, respectively -- specialize in classic, Sabbath-spiked, stoner-metal sounds but with punkier energy, a formula that has earned them opening slots with the likes of Mastodon, High on Fire and even Dinosaur Jr. (9 p.m. Tue., 7th Street Entry. $10.) (C.R.)

Like fellow New Orleans crews Cowboy Mouth and the Radiators, the Subdudes are regular visitors to the Twin Cities known for their eclectic but funky musical gumbo. This year's "Flower Petals" finds the quintet in an acoustic mode, offering a concept album from the perspective of a dead soldier at the end of the 19th century. (7 & 9:30 p.m. Wed. Dakota, $20-$35.) (J.B.)

After a decade and a half as Gillian Welch's essential and remarkably articulate guitarist, David Rawlings has finally gotten around to a solo debut, "A Friend of a Friend," under the moniker David Rawlings Machine. Actually, he and Welch have been touring under that name since 2006. The sound is a broader view of Americana than Welch's music. On disc, Rawlings offers several originals as well as covers of Neil Young, Ryan Adams and Bright Eyes. In concert, he's been known to toss in Bill Monroe and Bob Dylan, too. (7:30 p.m. Wed., Cedar Cultural Center. Sold out.) (J.B.)

After building up his live show to dizzying heights with help from a trio of Twin Cities musicians, Chicago indie hero Andrew Bird is throwing fans a powerful changeup by finishing off the year with his so-called Gezelligheid Concerts (loose translation: "cozy"). The whistling, violin-playing, big-word-loving singer lined up a string of solo/acoustic shows in unique, intimate spaces -- including a real charmer of a downtown church overlooking Loring Park. All but the final show was sold out at press time. (8 p.m. Dec. 10-12, St. Mark's Cathedral, 519 Oak Grove St., Mpls. $29-$34.) (C.R.)

Fresh from touring with Breaking Benjamin, Australian hard-rock trio Sick Puppies has been nipping at the heels of stardom via lucrative avenues such as video-game placement (including "Street Fighter IV"), plus its anthem "All the Same" was featured in the hugely viral YouTube clip "Free Hugs." The group's latest single, "You're Going Down," has been widely used for pile-driving action by the WWE this year. Rev Theory and Adilitas Way open. (6:30 p.m. Thu., First Avenue. All ages. $15.) (C.R.)

FOLK Rock Hall of Famer John Sebastian (Lovin' Spoonful) first played with David Grisman in 1963 in Greenwich Village, recording together with the seminal Even Dozen Jug Band -- a group that also included future stars Maria Muldaur, Stefan Grossman and rag revivalist Joshua Rifkin. Forty-plus years later, Sebastian and Grisman wound up on a benefit concert bill and decided to renew their partnership. So far, the happy results have been one CD ("Satisfied"), several tours, and now a West Bank appearance. (7:30 p.m. Thu., Cedar Cultural Center. $40-$55.) (T.S.)

JAZZ It's a family affair when maverick NYC downtown jazz cellist Erik Friedlander incorporates shots by his famous photographer dad, Lee Friedlander, in a new multimedia show, "Block Ice and Propane." Friedlander senior is famous for many different types of pix, including album covers for Atlantic Records (Ray Charles, Aretha, Charles Mingus), urban street scenes and the crisscrossing-America shots that will be featured at this weekend's solo cello concert, which also incorporates films by acclaimed avant director Bill Morrison. (8 p.m. Sat., Walker Art Center. $18-$22.) (T.S.)

It's funny, yet fitting, that a concert titled "Modern Voices for the Big Band" features music by Bob Brookmeyer, soon to turn 80. Brookmeyer's writing still sounds fresh, and it's also nice to see the University of Minnesota Jazz Ensemble I & II tackling recently composed charts by Darcy James Argue, whose rock-aware big band, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, has been a surprise New York City and YouTube hit. Dean Sorenson directs the freebie show. (7:30 p.m. Mon., Ted Mann Concert Hall. Free.) (T.S.)

Contributors: Staff critics Jon Bream and Chris Riemenschneider and freelancer Tom Surowicz.