COUNTRY The marathon run of "Trashy Little Xmas" shows is over, but Trailer Trash and its bulging gift bag of country classics lives on year-round. Minnesota's beloved honky-tonkers are even starting 2010 with a new CD to promote, "Smash Hits," a rowdy collection of 17 oft-played cover tunes that includes "Wichita Lineman," "The House of the Rising Sun," the Flying Burrito Brothers' "Christine's Tune (Devil in Disguise)," the Doug Sahm and Texas Tornados classics "Be Real" and "Hey Baby, Que Paso," Richard Thompson's "Tear-Stained Letter" and even a countrified Judas Priest nugget, "Livin' After Midnight." Led by singer/guitarists Nate Dungan and Dan Gaarder with an MVP cast that includes Gear Daddies steel wiz Randy Broughten and BoDeans drummer Noah Levy, these guys play their twang a little tongue-in-cheek, but the musicianship and camaraderie are serious business. (9:30 p.m. Fri., Lee's Liquor Lounge. $6.) (C.R.)

POP/ROCK Steve Miller lost two dear musical people in his life in the past six months: Les Paul, his godfather and fellow Milwaukee-area native, and longtime bandmate Norton Buffalo. At Paul's request, Miller sang two songs at the electric guitar innovator's memorial service. Miller will headline an all-star tribute to Buffalo, who played harmonica with him for 34 years, on Jan. 22-23 in Oakland, Calif. In the meantime, the Steve Miller Band has just one gig -- in the hometown of its drummer (Gordy Knudtson) and bassist (Billy Peterson, out with a broken ankle). Expect an emotional evening in an intimate setting, with Miller's underappreciated guitar soaring like an eagle. (8 p.m. Sat. Mystic Lake Casino, $79-$119.) (J.B.)

Nellie McKay has done standup comedy, performed on Broadway, acted in movies and written for the New York Times Book Review. The book review was about Doris Day, who is McKay's idol and the subject of her latest CD, "Normal as Blueberry Pie: A Tribute to Doris Day." The 27-year-old New Yorker makes Day's songs her own, with her wacky, imaginative, Robin Williams-as-piano-popster personality. The most exciting cabaret figure to emerge in the '00s, she is smart and smart-alecky, clever and creative, fast and fearless, political and impolitic, proudly unhip and gleefully old-fashioned. Highly entertaining and highly recommended. (7 p.m. Wed.-Thu. Dakota, $30.) (J.B.)

KIDS MUSIC Adding to a multi-faceted arts career that includes film and TV scoring for him and dance and choreography for her, Minneapolis' Chris Beaty and Kate Lynch have created a new kids' music act called Clementown with the help of best-selling kids' author/poet/illustrator Calef Brown. The duo titled and crafted their first two albums based on a pair of Brown's books, "Polkabats and Octopus Slacks" and "Dutch Sneakers and Flea Keepers." Brown was so impressed with their quirky musical interpretations -- akin to They Might Be Giants' kid stuff -- that he's flying to town to appear with them for two performances as part of the Walker's First Free Saturday family series. (11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Sat., Walker Art Center. Free.) (C.R.)

BLUES/ROOTS Amazingly, after more than a decade's absence, Wilebski's Blues Saloon is again your destination for 12-bar music in St. Paul. This weekend brings an old bar hero out of the woodwork. Octogenarian harp king Mojo Buford, best known for his long on-again/off-again association with the legendary Muddy Waters, "guest stars" on a co-bill of Rockin' Daddy & the Rough Cuts and Cool Disposition. Rockin' Daddy & Co. evolved out of Buford's old backing band, Blues Deluxe, and they share two band members with the decade-old Cool Disposition: guitar ace Dan Schwalbe and drummer Marty Bryduck. Buford is likely to join the fray with both bands, since they treasure his style and render it well. (9 p.m. Fri., 601 N. Western Av., St. Paul; upstairs. $8. 651-331-0929.) Then Saturday night brings the return of the Butanes, who backed many of the stars that put Wilebski's on the blues map. (T.S.)

Together since 1975, and veterans of more than 25 albums, the Louisiana bayou band BeauSoleil is once again Grammy-nominated for its latest release, "Alligator Purse." Whether they win the award or not, Michael Doucet and the boys have long since established themselves as the world's premier Cajun band, not to mention one of the most versatile, numbering among their fans two prominent Minnesotans -- Garrison Keillor and Bob Dylan. The Brass Kings, a fine blues/Americana trio with no brass instruments whatsoever, open. (8 p.m. Sat., Cedar Cultural Center. $22.-$25.) (T.S.)

Star Tribune, Star Tribune
Nellie McKay

JAZZ Starting out as a bassist with the Indiana-based band the Olivers back in the mid-'60s, Billy Franze has gone on to play mostly lead guitar for a host of fine artists, primarily in his adopted home of Minnesota but sometimes on the road, too. His résumé includes recurring gigs with the Tuesday Night Organ Band and Dr. Mambo's Combo, plus past associations with Jack McDuff, Jonny Lang, Mavis Staples, Prince and the rogue's gallery of visiting stars who've shown up to jam at Bunker's. Now Franze leads an ad-hoc jazz quartet with pianist Peter Schimke, bassist Billy Peterson and drummer Kenny Horst. (9 p.m. Sat., Artists' Quarter, $10.) (T.S.)

Former Twin Cities bass man Shaun LaBelle is well connected. With one foot in funk and the other in smooth jazz, the California multi-instrumentalist has put together an impressive lineup to play material from his "Desert Nights" disc: jazz fusion keyboardist ace Jeff Lorber (the guy who gave Kenny G his start) and a bunch of Twin Cities all-stars, including drummer Stokley Williams, saxophonist Kenni Holmen and guitar star Dave Barry, who has toured with Janet Jackson and Cher. (7 & 9:30 p.m. Sun.-Mon., Dakota, $20-$25.) (J.B.)

Singers Leslie Ball and Christine Rosholt and guitarist David Singley all share a birthday, so they decided to throw themselves a joint party at the Dakota. Ball is a Southern Theater favorite, and many moons ago she was the frontwoman of the popular area rock band Rue Nouveau. Rosholt has two CDs out and appears all around the state -- from Duluth to the Wabasha Street caves. Singley teaches at two esteemed schools, Carleton College and McNally-Smith College of Music. (7 p.m. Tue., Dakota Jazz Club. $5.) (T.S.)

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