The Big Gigs: Shows upcoming this week to hit

Not only is Brenda Lee the only woman in both the country and rock halls of fame, but she's also the voice behind "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." Between her barrage of jokes, Little Miss Dynamite, 63, will sing that and other holiday favorites as well as her biggest hits ("I'm Sorry," "Sweet Nothin's"). Word is that she has some special guests, including Dr. Elmo, to offer "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" and "Send Me a Wife for Christmas." (8 p.m. today & Sat., Treasure Island Casino, Red Wing, Minn., $30-$50, 1-888-777-5668.) (J.B.)

Even though she's from West Virginia and lives in Tennessee, Kathy Mattea thinks Christmas in Minnesota is just fine. That's because her husband, songwriter Jon Vezner, is from here. The country star has been leaning more toward folk music, as evidenced on her excellent 2003 CD, "Joy for Christmas," featuring Marc Cohn's "Baby King" and Melissa Manchester's "There's Still My Joy." This time, Mattea will wrap up her holiday selections with the Minnesota Orchestra, which will also perform an opening set. (8 p.m. today, Orchestra Hall, $21-$50.) (J.B.)

Since he's one of us, we take Peter Ostroushko for granted. But the Minneapolitan is a world-class mandolinist and fiddler, as he reminded everyone at the Bob Feldman tribute in September. Ostroushko made a wonderful CD, "Heartland Holiday," for Feldman's Red House Records, that will be the focus of his annual holiday concert. The ethnically eclectic program will feature everything from Brazilian to Ukrainian music. Guests include singers Ruth MacKenzie and Natalie Nowytski. (8 p.m. Sat., Fitzgerald Theater, $34.50.) (J.B.)

Don't think pianist George Winston's winter show will be all solo instrumentals as serene as the North Pole on Dec. 26. His soulful interpretation of "When the Saints Go Marching In" is in the mix, along with other surprises. Concertgoers are asked to bring canned food for Hunger Solutions Minnesota, which also will receive proceeds from Winston's merchandise sales. (8 p.m. Sat., Orchestra Hall, $29-$39.) (J.B.)

POP/ROCK Wrapping up his year backing Andrew Bird with three gigs here last weekend, Martin Dosh also found time to slip in an unannounced show at the Nomad as his one-name one-man band Dosh. It was a treat hearing the drummer/keyboardist revisit the warm and rhythmic soundscapes on last year's golden-sounding CD "The Lost Take." Pals from that album, including fellow Bird bandmate Jeremy Ylvisaker, Happy Apple's Mike Lewis and J.T. Bates, will back Dosh here and promote the second CD by their own band, Alpha Consumer. Nerd-folk trio Dark Dark Dark also performs. (9 p.m. today, 7th Street Entry. 18 & older. $8-$10.) (C.R.)

There'll be at least one fewer person on the Soul Asylum guest list tonight: Dave Pirner's brother Paul is playing across downtown with his own both-guitars-blazing rock band, the 757s, featuring Seth Zimmerman (Tangletown) and Jimmy Peterson (Bellwether, Missing Numbers). The quartet's raucous, anthemic debut CD, "Tell the Pilgrims It's a Potluck," was made after only one rehearsal, and it's even better than that sounds. Terry Eason and Porcupine open. (9 p.m. today, 400 Bar. 18 & older. $7.) (C.R.)

After starting out as sanctified rockers in a New Jersey church, Robert Randolph and the Family Band have evolved into a popular jam band. Whether he's jamming with Eric Clapton or leading his own group, Randolph always tears it up on pedal steel guitar, but maybe a little more taste of his gospel roots will be in order on his three-city, pre-Christmas Midwest tour. Satin Peaches open. (7 p.m. Sat., First Avenue, $20.) (J.B.)

It's probably time to stop calling the Gear Daddies' concerts "reunion" shows, now that the regionally beloved 1980s/'90s country-rockers have a MySpace page (myspace.com/geardaddies2007) and performed at St. Paul's Highland Fest this summer (for working bands only). But the reunion tag can still be applied to the quartet's now-regular holiday stand at the Fine Line. It's as much about old college pals and drinking buddies getting back together as it is the band getting to drive "Zamboni" again. The Wednesday show was added after next weekend's two shows sold out. They're split up by frontman Martin Zellar's solo gig Thursday at St. Cloud's Pioneer Place Theater. (9 p.m. Wed. and next Fri.-Sat., Fine Line. $31.) (C.R.)

Hybrid rock/rap/electronic quintet Mel Gibson & the Pants started the year by releasing its best album yet, "Sea vs. Shining Sea," a blast of bombastic and jittery none-of-the-above digi-rock. Then it took a bunch of months off while one member studied abroad. In the interim, co-founders Ryan Olson and Drew Christopherson mixed things up even more wildly with their other bands Building Better Bombs and Digitata. MG&TP is finally back in action and making up for lost time with a month of Thursday gigs as part of the Nomad's excellent Minneseries. This one's the finale. (9 p.m. Thu., Nomad Pub. Free.) (C.R.)

Mason Jennings was a smart choice as the go-to guy to re-create a pair of Bob Dylan's folk-era anthems for the new pseudo-biopic "I'm Not There." Hardly a Dylan soundalike -- his smooth voice is a chocolate shake compared with Bob's salt and tequila -- Jennings has maintained an all-heart-or-nothing approach to his innovative folk music, even after signing to Epic Records to release last year's lofty "Boneclouds." He's working on the follow-up album, so new songs should cap this hometown solo acoustic gig. Openers are Janey Winterbauer and Marc Perlman (from Astronaut Wife and the Jayhawks, respectively), plus Mason's kid brother Matt Jennings. (7 p.m. Thu., First Avenue. 18 & older. $22-$24.) (C.R.)

JAZZ It's a Christmas homecoming gig for fine vocalist Diane Witherspoon, whose late sister Shirley was well known around town and whose second cousin Jimmy was a blues legend around the globe. Based in California for several decades, she has had a fruitful association with piano great Cedar Walton, recording a 1999 CD of his music ("You May Never Know") with Walton himself at the keyboard and the wonderful Billy Higgins on drums. She's also sung with some fine sax players from several generations (Teddy Edwards, Frank Morgan, Eddie Vinson, Odean Pope, Eric Alexander). It should be fun catching up with the long-gone Minneapolis native. (9 p.m. today-Sat., Artists' Quarter. $12.) (T.S.)

Fresh from a Carnegie Hall concert that the New York Times called a tour de force, the Bad Plus returns for its traditional holiday homecoming. This year, the Minnesota-bred trio is doing a whopping eight shows. That's what happens when a popular group leaves a major label (Columbia) and releases its fourth CD on a boutique jazz label (Heads Up) out of Cleveland. The disc, the appropriately titled "Prog," features covers of Rush's "Tom Sawyer," David Bowie's "Life on Mars" and Burt Bacharach's "This Guy's in Love With You." Is that progress, or what? (7 & 9:30 p.m. Wed.-next Sat., Dakota Jazz Club. $40-$28.) (J.B.)

Contributors: Staff critics Jon Bream and Chris Riemenschneider and freelancers Tom Surowicz and William Randall Beard.

The year ain't over until the skinny rocker with the droopy pants and stringy hair sings. Soul Asylum winds down a decently active 2007 -- weekend festival dates were its mainstay -- with another home-for-the-holidays gig at the club it rode in on. Guitarist Danny Murphy promises a few nuggets from the catalog just for this show. The quartet has old-acquaintance value nowadays, even with new bassist George Scot McKelvey in tow, but it remains as powerful a live band as in its early-'90s commercial heyday. The Evening Rig and Mayda open. (9 p.m. today, First Avenue. 18 & older. $16-$18.) (C.R.)