POP/ROCK
The thinking-man's '80s metal band, Queensrÿche didn't have to think too hard to put together its new album, "Take Cover," an all-covers collection. Besides shoo-ins such as Black Sabbath, Queen and Pink Floyd, the disc includes a few surprise selections by the O'Jays, Buffalo Springfield and even some band called U2. In the spirit of the CD, the band is holding an online contest that picks one fan in each city to sing with them. Opener Don Dokken is also having fun with his old favorites, playing acoustic sets. (7 p.m. Sat., Myth. 18 and older. $28-$33.) (C.R.)
When last heard on disc, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was "collaborating" with Dean Martin on "Forever Cool," his 2007 posthumous pairing with the likes of Martina McBride, Kevin Spacey and the Twin Cities' own Paris Bennett. Predictably, BBVD swings with Dino. Since busting out in the mid-1990s, this L.A. retro oufit has been in demand, being heard everywhere from a Super Bowl halftime show to more than 60 films and TV shows. (2 p.m. Sun., Orchestra Hall, $21-$40, 612-371-5656.) (J.B.)
A Fine Frenzy, the stage name of 23-year-old Alison Sudol of Los Angeles, received support in 2007 from VH1 (as a You Oughta Know artist) and Cities 97 (which played her alluring single "Almost Lover"). Her CD "One Cell in the Sea" deserved more attention for its lyrical vulnerability, hushed intimacy and haunting vocals. Let's hope the audience at this Cities 97-sponsored gig is respectful of her atmospheric, quiet-as-Cowboy-Junkies music. Cedar Avenue opens. (8 p.m. Mon, Fine Line, free but tickets should be picked up in advance at the club.) (J.B.)
Two bands that have lasted past an initially hot hot buzz, Editors and Hot Hot Heat have maintained their credibility through strong followup albums and even better live shows. England's Editors, in particular, are more enthralling onstage than on their gloomy but still gorgeous Joy Division- and Cure-copping CDs, thanks largely to Milky Way-sized dueling guitar parts. Canadian pop-rockers Hot Hot Heat offer even more spastic energy and choppy rhythms in concert. San Diego-reared openers Louis XIV, however, have yet to live up to their own hype. (9 p.m. Wed., Fine Line. 18 and older. $18.) (C.R.)
Usually when moe. tours to promote a new album, the songs on said album have been a part of its live set for at least a year. But the jam band whose members were reared in Buffalo, N.Y., changed its methodology on the latest disc, "Sticks and Stones," writing songs in the studio for the first time and keeping it all to around 40 minutes. Maybe that means the quintet's long and often meandering live show will be more concise. (9 p.m. Sun., First Avenue. 18 and older. $20-$25.) (C.R.)
WORLD The kora is a 4-foot-long, 21-string instrument as central to the music of Mali as the guitar is to American music. A virtuoso who plays bass and rhythm parts as well as the traditional solo melody on the kora, Toumani Diabate adds luster to a centuries-old griot tradition among his Mande people, who once ruled western Africa. His Symmetric Orchestra, purposefully chosen from that same Mande territory, proved nearly as capable and cathartic as their leader on their first visit to the Dakota last year. Together they create polyrhythms so densely woven they yield a plush, multihued musical fabric. (7 and 9:30 p.m. Sun.-Mon., Dakota Jazz Club. $25-$40.) (B.R.)
Hugh Masekela's 2007 shows were among the best, most uplifting bar gigs of the year, as the legendary trumpeter/singer from South Africa treated packed houses to stirring sets of his international hits "Grazing in the Grass," "Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela)" and the amazing tour de force "Stimela," about the hard lives of African miners. Now the master showman is back to present his Chissa All-Stars, including versatile diva Sibongile Khumalo, who's sung everything from jazz and Afro-pop to Verdi's "Requiem." Highly recommended. (7 and 9:30 p.m. Tue., Dakota Jazz Club. $35-$50.) (T.S.)
