The big gigs

POP/ROCK Music lovers know that Matisyahu is a Hasidic Jew, so he won't perform after sundown on Fridays. But sunset isn't until 9 p.m., so the highly entertaining, thought-provoking, reggae-loving rapper will start his show early tonight. (7:15 p.m. today Weesner Family Amphitheater, Minnesota Zoo, $34.) (J.B.)

Fresh from opening dates with fellow one-name Canadian singer Feist, Hayden sounds like a happier, laid-back Nick Drake. His new album, "In Town & Field," is full of sweetly sung, softly played ballads and story songs that are light on the ears, but heavy with imagery and poetry. He is touring with Minneapolis' own hip indie balladeer, Haley Bonar, who just released her fourth album, "Big Star." (8 p.m. today, Cedar Cultural Center. All ages. $13-$15.) (C.R.)

Best known for his long stint in Willie & the Bees and more recently with singer Bruce Henry, guitarist/songwriter Joe Demko re-emerges as a latter-day romantic crooner on the CD "Endings and Beginnings," produced by another longtime scene pro, Scott (Scooter) Nelson, who also played drums. Don't expect driving funk or classic swing; this is jazzy pop a la Kenny Rankin or Harry Connick Jr. -- martini-sipping sounds for a quiet Vegas lounge, away from all the neon. (9 p.m. today, Hat Trick Lounge. $5.) (T.S.)

Natasha Bedingfield has scored with fans of "The Hills" (her "Unwritten" is the show's theme song and her current hit "Pocketful of Sunshine" was used for this year's finale) and the laddies (she's No. 72 on Maxim's Hot 100 list). The British songbird has a pleasing voice, affable presence and sunny if generic material that suggests Colbie Caillat with soul. Opening are the Veronicas, twin punk sisters from Australia. (6 p.m. Sat., Fine Line, $22-$25.) (J.B.)

After 2005's Memphis-grooved "Master of Disaster," John Hiatt has stripped down for "Same Old Man," another stellar rootsy collection of well-crafted tunes that are by turns warmly sentimental and mordantly funny. Highlights include the plain-spoken "Ride My Pony," the loving "Cherry Red" and "Old Days," wherein Hiatt humorously relives early gigs with the likes of Mose Allison, John Lee Hooker and Gatemouth Brown. (8 p.m. Sat., Pantages Theatre, $47.50.) (J.B.)

Since the untimely demise of her beloved Selby Tigers, local punk scenester Arzu Gokcen has fronted a couple of other acts (So Fox, Half-Fiction) that were as short-lived as some of her hair styles. She seems to be sticking to her new one, though, and for good reason. The three-quarters-female Strut & Shock, featuring former Bleeding Hickeys guitarist Christina Schmitt and members of Spider Fighter and the Deaf, is a refreshingly classic-styled punk band with a heavy base of '60s garage-rock and a little doo-wop-ish candy coating. They're celebrating their seven-song debut, "Damn You Devil, Let Me Go," which sounds as devilish and tormented as the title suggests. France Has the Bomb, Baby Guts and Black Audience open. (10 p.m. Sat., Hexagon Bar. Free.) (C.R.)

A wellspring of roots/Americana music, Bill Geezy has produced another scraggly gem: the mandolin- and dobro-heavy EP "Exit Wounds." As one might gather, it's not exactly a party album, but it confirms Geezy's growing rep as a songwriter who at his best is reminiscent of John Prine. "I've never been a hobo, but sometimes a bum," he sings on the instant country classic "100 Times a Day," which is jaunty and upbeat compared with the devastating "Sweet Evangeline," a sordid story song of child sex abuse that ends in murder. (8 p.m. Sat., Acadia Cafe. $5.) (T.S.)

Fresh from opening for John Mellencamp at Milwaukee's gigantic Summerfest, Americana queen Lucinda Williams returns to the Minnesota Zoo's intimate amphitheater. She is still touring behind her first-rate but underappreciated 2007 album "West," and maybe she'll preview the CD expected this fall. Opening is Buick 6, a Delta blues trio from London. (7:30 p.m. Mon., Minnesota Zoo, $34.) (J.B.)

Minneapolis singer-songwriter Keri Noble is moving on to the next chapter. She has signed with Telarc, divorced producer/guitarist/husband Jeff Arundel and switched to a darker hair color. Musically, she's still playing introspective piano pop. She plans to release two EPs this year (one of Christmas tunes) and a full-length on Telarc next year. Opening is strikingly talented Judith Owen, who is aptly described as a female Randy Newman -- and is still married to Harry Shearer of "Spinal Tap" fame. (7:30 p.m. Mon., Guthrie. $25.) (J.B.)

Piano pop star Gavin DeGraw has a certain ladies-pleasing, shaggy-dog charm, but his long-awaited second CD is too aggressive musically and lyrically (lowlight: the make-you-cringe "Medicate the Kids"). At least, he can rely on his 2004 hits "I Don't Want to Be" and "Chariot." Opening is Marie Digby, who turned a YouTube cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella" into a career. (7 p.m. Tue., Epic, $26.50-$28.) (J.B.)

With a trip-poppy electro-rock sound and a female singer, local trio Aviette is bound to be compared to such '90s mainstays as Garbage and the Sneaker Pimps. Its second CD, "The Way We Met," coproduced by Darren Jackson, has a more bubbly and buoyant sound. Singer Holly Muñoz steps up with her Jenny Lewis-like, soft-but-powerful voice in songs such as the opener "Why Do We Stop" and the city-life lament "Ghost Town." Jackson's Kid Dakota headlines a CD party, with the Alarmists and Glad Version opening. A lineup like that deserves an equally stellar beer special: $3 Surly pints all night. (10 p.m. Sat., Triple Rock. 21 & older. $7.) (C.R.)

Drive-by Truckers gigs at First Ave have become a ritualistic high point of the concert calendar, as the Alabama/Georgia-reared country-rockers tear through 2 1/2-hour-plus sets, one bottle of Jack Daniels and a wide array of the downers, uppers and in-betweeners from their ever-enlarging discography. There are 19 songs on the newest one, "Brighter Than Creation's Dark," including three that bring bassist Shonna Tucker to the front for the first time and several from co-leaders Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley that rank among their best. The openers, Athens, Ga., classic-styled garage-rockers Dead Confederate, have been raved about by both DBT and R.E.M. (8:30 p.m. Wed., First Avenue. 18 & older. $20.) (C.R.)

Two of the biggest names in ska-punk (not saying a whole lot these days), Less Than Jake and Goldfinger, are sharing a co-headlining tour. LTJ pays tribute to its hometown of Gainesville, Fla., on the new CD "GNV FLA." Goldfinger welcomed back guitarist Charlie Paulson before making its new one, "Hello Destiny." Big D & the Kids Table open. (5:30 p.m. Thu., First Avenue. All ages. $20-$22.) (C.R.)

JAZZ The Twin Cities Jazz Festival wraps up with three days of free shows at Peavey Plaza (11th St. & Nicollet Mall, Mpls.). The "don't-miss-it" act is the impressive Amina Figarova Sextet, a Dutch band concluding a two-week U.S. tour and making its Twin Cities debut. Originally from Azerbaijan, Figarova is a splendid composer/pianist well-known in Europe. Her group, which includes hubby Bart Platteau, a terrific flutist, recently issued an all-original CD, "Come Escape With Me" (7 p.m. Sat.). Also catch the reunion of Jack McDuff's smokin' Heatin' System band, with organist Tony Monaco (9 p.m. today); Northfield-based vibist/composer Dave Hagedorn (1 p.m. Sat.); New Orleans nightclub favorite Charmaine Neville (9 p.m. Sat.); the college-kids combo Neoteric (4 p.m. today); perennial crowd-pleasers Moore by Four (5 p.m. Sat.), and for big-band fans, the Skyway Jazz Orchestra with trumpeter Kelly Rossum (3 p.m. Sat.) (T.S.)

COUNTRY At 71, Merle Haggard -- like Willie Nelson and George Jones -- is reminding traditionalists what real country music is. Last year he released "The Bluegrass Sessions," introducing some great new songs ("Learning to Live With Myself") and reimagining old favorites ("Big City"). Of course, the Poet of the Common Man has enough classics to fill a boxed set (check out 2007's "Hag: Studio Recordings: 1968-76") and arguably the best touring band in the history of country music, the Strangers. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Mystic Lake Casino, $36 & $46.) (J.B.)

R&B You'd never know it from his fashion sense, but Bootsy Collins played behind James Brown from 1969 to '71. Now the wildly entertaining bass star has put together a tribute to the Godfather of Soul featuring his brother, guitarist Catfish Collins, drummers Clyde Stubblefield and Jabo Starks and many other JB alums. It will be a funky good time. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Minnesota Zoo, $37.) (J.B.)

CHORAL
Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus celebrates GLBT Pride with "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," an evening of wall-to-wall love songs. The program features music from Broadway musicals and romantic movies to Top 40 and popular hits from the past. Justin Leaf of James Sewell Ballet and David Schmidt of Ballet Minnesota will dance a pas de deux to a medley of three favorite love songs. An evening to share with that special someone. (8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 S. 4th St., Mpls. $23-$43. 612-624-2345.) (W.R.B.) AFRICAN Senegalese big band Orchestra Baobab has issued the year's most acclaimed African album: "Made in Dakar," full of sun-baked Afro-Cuban grooves and playful, soukous-style guitar. The 12-member ensemble originally lasted from 1970 to '87 and was revived in 2001 by the same guy behind the Buena Vista Social Club. Hey, hipsters: These guys just played Bonnaroo and are the kind of real-deal act that David Byrne and Vampire Weekend freely lift from. (7 & 9:30 p.m. Mon., Dakota Jazz Club. $35-$50.) (C.R.)

Dwayne Dopsie is one of several sons of Louisiana legend Rockin' Dopsie to follow dad into the business but the only one to pick up his instrument of choice, the accordion. Dopsie, 29, sticks close to his father's hard-boogieing, R&B-heavy style. His aptly named Zydeco Hellraisers played for a solid three hours at Famous Dave's in March, including loads of bayou classics and some of his own feisty originals. (9 p.m. Sat., Famous Dave's Uptown. $5.) (C.R.)

Hip-Hop

Two of the most innovative hip-hop acts in town, P.O.S. and Kill the Vultures, are on a stacked triple bill opening for Dosh, the aurally mesmerizing, loop-juggling solo act of Martin Dosh, who has been in Andrew Bird's band for the past couple of years. The Minneapolis drummer/keyboardist just issued a somewhat more subdued, but no less sublime, CD of ambient soundscapes and bubbly digi-romps titled "Wolves and Wishes." (9 p.m. today, First Avenue. 18 & older. $10-$12.) (C.R.)