The Big Gigs

ROCK/POP

After seven albums, Boston singer/songwriter Dar Williams decided to put together a hits collection of sorts. "Many Great Companions" has one CD of fan favorites and another featuring acoustic treatments of 12 of her tunes (co-produced by Minneapolis' Gary Louris). This collection reminds us what a witty and wise writer she is. (7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Guthrie's Dowling Studio, $45.) (J.B.)

Whether or not you rate Andrew W.K. a mad genius or a hokey nut, you have to admit that his latest gig offering is pretty clever. New York's motivational pop-metal star is performing for free with a carnival-like entourage that includes an escape artist, illusionist and acrobats on the so-called "Most Interesting Show," part of a Dos Equis beer advertising campaign. (9 p.m. Wed., Cabooze. 21 & older. Tickets free via Facebook.com/DosEquis.) (C.R.)

Like Phoenix and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros before them, British folk-rock pickers Mumford & Sons leveraged their Current-buoyed Twin Cities fame into a packed and elated Varsity Theater show five months ago, and now they're easily selling out First Avenue. Unlike those other two acts, Marcus Mumford and his banjo-plucked crew already offered up several strong new songs at the Varsity in May, suggesting they're ready to keep moving past "Little Lion Man." Thankfully, the Current finally moved past it, too. Bluegrassy Texans Cadillac Sky open with a new lead singer in tow. King Charles also performs. (9:30 p.m. Fri., First Avenue. Sold out.) (C.R.)

Veteran Twin Cities songwriter/producer Jeff Arundel drops it all on "Bomb," a new album chronicling his divorce from ex-wife and former collaborator Keri Noble in not-so-veiled terms. "She let someone inside her bed," is just one of the lines in the CD-opening title track. Despite its dark moments, the disc ends with the hopeful "Corner of My Heart," a sweet duet with Ashleigh Still. In between, Arundel blends bluesy pop and soulful folk in ways that merit comparisons to Lyle Lovett, Daryl Hall and James Taylor. He's throwing two release parties. (9 p.m. Fri., Aster Cafe in Minneapolis, and 8 p.m. Sat., 318 Cafe in Excelsior. $10, includes CD.) (C.R.)

After burying the forever-cursed American Head Charge, bassist/co-creator Chad Hanks is using Halloween to bring to life his new hard-thrashing band, Wrecking Day. He plays guitar alongside AHC guitarist Chris Nelson and vocalist Chazz DeMoss, who's also the publisher of Cryptic magazine. They head up a five-band metal fest with Dying Euphoria, Pinwheel and more. (4:30 p.m. Sat., First Avenue. All ages. $10-$13.) (C.R.)

A lot of indie bands falsely wear the "experimental" tag these days, but not the Books. The New York duo of singer/guitarist Nick Zammuto and cellist Paul de Jong are collage artists who sample everything from self-help gurus and Gandhi to voice-mail messages and fighting siblings on their new album, "The Way Out." While playful at times, the record is a rather serious and enlightening riff on human behavior that makes for fascinating albeit bizarre listening. San Diego's dark wizards the Black Heart Procession open. (8 p.m. Sat., Cedar Cultural Center. All ages. $20-$22.) (C.R.)

The whiz kid of the ukulele, Jake Shimabukuro almost single-handedly inspired a revival of the four-string instrument outside his native Hawaii (where ukes are nearly as common as pineapples). Shimabukuro quickly went from YouTube sensation to global touring star. At 33, he's serenaded the queen of England, and played with everybody from Yo-Yo Ma to Cyndi Lauper. His latest Internet "hit" is a solo "Bohemian Rhapsody" that's both amazing and amusing. (8 p.m. Tue., Cedar Cultural Center, $22-$25.) (T.S.)

One of three bands from the Sunset Strip's hair-sprayed heyday performing around the metro area this week -- also: L.A. Guns at Jerseys in Inver Grove Heights on Friday and the GNR offshoot Adler's Appetite at Dibbos in Hudson, Wis., on Saturday -- Faster Pussycat is the only one that still boasts the singer behind its hits, which included "Bathroom Wall" and "House of Pain." Taime Downe has kept the Russ Meyer-derived band name and the sleaze alive with a new lineup, following a venomous dispute with his former bandmates. (8 p.m. Wed., Station 4. $10-$13.) (C.R.)

If you missed getting tickets to Mumford & Sons and/or you want a similar fix, Horse Feathers have issued two albums on the Kill Rock Stars label full of dramatic, banjo-fied indie-folk music. Justin Ringle has a Damien Rice-like folksinger howl, and his Oregonian quartet piles on some richly romantic string work, including cello and fiddle. Vermont folkie Anaïs Mitchell opens. (8 p.m. Wed., Cedar Cultural Center. All ages. $10-$12.) (C.R.)

One of the best new artists at last weekend's CMJ Fest, according to Spin magazine, Pomegranates are a haze-inducing but upbeat psychedelic buzz band from Cincinnati with a couple of strong Twin Cities connections: Both their manager and record label are based here. The label, Afternoon Records, is issuing their third album Tuesday, a charming collection called "One of Us" and co-produced by TJ Lipple, who has worked with MGMT. They're playing with Texans Oh No Oh My. (8 p.m. Thu., Whole Music Club, Coffman Union. 18 & older. $3-$5.) (C.R.)

Years before Zac Brown's deserved ascent, Pat Green was blurring the line between mainstream country and middle-America rock music with his rowdy brand of violin-spiked twang-rock, equal parts Mellencamp and Hank Jr. The Texas vet is one of the more high-profile bookings at the Twin Cities' new country megaclub. (9:30 p.m. Thu., Toby Keith's. $12.) (C.R.)

CHILDREN'S A favorite for nighttime dancing at the Cedar, the Sweet Colleens will try out their eclectic Celtic/Cajun/gypsy-folk sounds for the venue's great daytime family music series. The local quintet issued a fun and refreshingly not-dumb kids CD this summer called "Monkey Dance," and they're using it as the basis for their first-ever Halloween show. The concert will include a costume contest and an appearance by a madrigal choir from Minneapolis' Field Middle School; hopefully the dancing will be potent enough for the audience to burn off ample amounts of this weekend's sugar intake. (11 a.m. Sat., Cedar Cultural Center. $5 for ages 2-12, $10 older.) (C.R.)

COUNTRY Lee Brice has become a Twin Cities favorite thanks to airplay on K102 and being the first national artist to perform at the new Toby Keith's. The South Carolina newcomer is known for two things: His backwards ball cap and "Love Like Crazy," a tale of a love that has lasted from teen years till 70-something. The tune set a record in September by staying on Billboard's country singles chart for 56 weeks. Lost Highway opens. (9:30 p.m. Sat., Toby Keith's, $12.) (J.B.)

This year, Don Williams was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in recognition for his 17 No. 1 singles in the 1970s and '80s, including "I Believe in You" and "Tulsa Time." In fact, a case could be made that Williams' deep-voiced, laid-back country was as much an influence on Eric Clapton's early solo career as J.J. Cale's laid-back rootsy music. Warming up will be local honky-tonk heroes Trailer Trash, who are a bit more energetic than the headliner. (8 p.m. Thu., Medina Entertainment Center, $29-$52.) (J.B.)

BLUES Even though she didn't start singing until she was 40, Janiva Magness has compiled an impressive résumé: seven strong albums and several awards, including Blues Awards entertainer of the year in 2009. On this year's splendid "The Devil Is an Angel Too," she shows terrific taste in material (tunes associated with Nick Lowe, Julie Miller, Nina Simone, Ann Peebles, Percy Sledge, Marvin Gaye) and deep passion in a variety of styles -- Southern soul, gospel, vintage R&B, gritty blues, standards. (8 p.m. Sat. & 7 p.m. Sun. Dakota Jazz Club, $20 & $15.) (J.B.)

After exploring Delta blues on her debut, Mississippi piano woman Eden Brent ventured to New Orleans for this year's nifty "Ain't Got No Troubles." Producer Colin Linden made sure that these songs are drenched in Crescent City flavors, from the jazzy horns to various piano styles (boogie-woogie seems to be her forte). A sly, distinctively Southern singer who evokes a sober Janis Joplin, Brent wrote almost all the tunes on "Troubles" and shows keyboard chops that justify her winning the Blues Foundation's Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year prize for 2010. (7 p.m. Mon., Dakota, $15.) (J.B.)

JAZZ A favorite of jazz guitar enthusiasts around the globe, Paul Bollenback returns to show what you can do with six strings, 10 fingers, and more than a little imagination. Best known for his 16 years with organ hero Joey DeFrancesco, he's a guitarist's guitarist endorsed by George Benson and John McLaughlin and welcomed as a duet partner by legends Herb Ellis and Charlie Byrd and former Jack McDuff sideman John Hart -- he's that good. (9 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Artists' Quarter. $15.) (T.S.)

MacArthur genius grant winner Regina Carter returns to play music from her Afrocentric recent release "Reverse Thread." It finds the cheerful violin queen doing jazz versions of folk tunes from Uganda, Madagascar and other African nations, with her band augmented by Malian kora player Yacouba Sissoko. It's a groovy, enthralling back-to-the-roots session, and promises a winning live show. (7 & 9 p.m. Tue., Dakota Jazz Club. $25-$40.) (T.S.)

CLASSICAL Think of "Future Classics," the consummating concert of the Minnesota Orchestra's decade-old, Aaron Kernis-led Composer Institute, as an annual opportunity to sample what some of music's most promising 20-somethings are cooking up. Among this year's crop of seven are composers born in China, Russia and Thailand; the program includes four world premieres. The American Composers Forum and American Music Center are partners in the proceedings; Osmo Vänskä (a bit of a composer himself) conducts. Dust off your ears and go. (8 p.m. Fri., Orchestra Hall, Mpls. $12-$40. 612-371-5656 or minnesotaorchestra.org.) (L.F.)

Contributors: Staff critics Jon Bream and Chris Riemenschneider and freelancers Larry Fuchsberg and Tom Surowicz.