The Big Gigs

FESTIVAL Cedar Cultural Center's 10th and final Nordic Roots Festival features several heroes of fests past. Sounds of Sweden dominate, with sets by traditional music trio Väsen (8 p.m. today), hard-hitting electro-folkies Hedningarna (8 p.m. Sat.), energy-packed quintet Hoven Droven (8 p.m. Sun.), the sometimes stark and haunting Triakel with vocalist extraordinaire Emma Hardelin (2 p.m. Sat.) and the power duo Hurdy Gurdy (opening on Sun.). Also from Sweden come fun-loving newcomers Detektivbyrån (opening Sat.), who groove and charm with their strange lineup of glockenspiel, accordion, synths and drums. Rounding out a most enticing weekend are two fiddlin' supergroups, both with great new CDs. Finnish/Norwegian septet Frigg (2 p.m. Sun.) reaches for the sky and brings it into your living room on the ambitious "Economy Class." Just as impressive, Norway's Hardanger fiddle queen AnnbjØrg Lien, and U.S. bow all-pro Bruce Molsky are a perfect cross-cultural match in the new band Waltz With Me. (8 p.m. today). See Nordicroots.org for full details. (T.S.)

POP/ROCK The Jonas Brothers should be so lucky to survive teen stardom as well as their '90s counterparts Hanson. Sure, the Oklahoma brothers behind "MMMBop" are no longer a platinum-selling act, but they've maintained a devoted following into their 20s and even garnered a decent smattering of praise for last year's mature pop-rock CD, "The Walk." L.A. trio Everybody Else, named after the Kinks song, opens along with the Veronicas. (9 p.m. today, First Avenue. 18 and older. $25-$30.) (C.R.)

This show has the ponderous title "The Original Stars Live From Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater." That's a long-winded way of saying Minnesota's own Bobby Vee, the voice behind "Take Good Care of My Baby," "Rubber Ball" and other hits, will headline a benefit for a Cradle of Hope. Also appearing: the Chiffons ("He's So Fine," "Sweet Talkin' Guy") and Fabian ("Turn Me Loose," "Tiger"). (7:30 p.m. Sat., O'Shaughnessy Auditorium, St. Paul. $30-$85.) (J.B.)

Louisiana soul man Marc Broussard's "Keep Coming Back," released last week, is a smokin' soul workout that captures the excitement of his live show. He serves up Southern soul, sassy funk, swamp rock and Stevie Wonder-like R&B with affection and enthusiasm. The highlight is "When It's Good," a duet with LeAnn Rimes that suggests Delaney & Bonnie. (8:30 p.m. Sun., Varsity Theater, $22-$25.) (J.B.)

Versatile keyboardist Robert Walter, a jazz and jam-band favorite, has some stellar Crescent City company in his latest Robert Walter Trio. Legendary drummer and bon vivant Johnny Vidacovich, who's worked with everyone from Professor Longhair to John Scofield, is the special attraction -- let's hope he gets to sing and spout a little poetry -- along with New Orleans bass great James Singleton. This is gonna be funky. (9:20 p.m. Sun., Cabooze. $14-$16.) (T.S.)

This is a rare chance to see well-traveled singer/songwriter Shawn Colvin in a small club. Best known for her Grammy-winning "Sunny Came Home," she is one of the quickest and wittiest between-song commentators in concert. She might get political or she might get silly. She often stretches out musically, too, as evidenced by her distinctive 2007 remake of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy." (7 p.m. Tue-Thu., Dakota Jazz Club, $40.) (J.B.)

Beck is nothing if not clever, a point that's obvious in concert but seems to be missing on the "Loser" hitmaker's latest album, "Modern Guilt." The Danger Mouse-produced record sounds a bit dense and drab, following what seems like a set pattern of one serious album coming after one silly album. He fared better on the last silly one, 2005's "Guero." He returns to the Wilkins two days after headlining the Austin City Limits fest. His opening act is Brooklyn's MGMT, whose bouncy and whirring singles "Time to Pretend" and "Electric Feel" have been all over TV and the Current, but whose live shows have been extremely spotty. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul. $37.50.) (C.R.)

Kansas-bred husband/wife duo Mates of State (Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel) are having a breakthrough year, earning strong reviews for their fifth album on Barsuk Records, "Re-Arrange Us," which tastefully added extra instrumentation to their bubbly, piano-pounding pop sound. They earned more raves from the summer festival dates they played with their expanded four-piece lineup. Charming local indie popsters Now Now Every Children open. (8 p.m. Mon., Fine Line. 18 and older. $14-$16.) (C.R.)

After opening for Megadeth at the Myth in May, Children of Bodom return to the Maplewood megaclub on their own headlining tour. The Finnish thrash-metal band, named after a notorious serial killer, has been kicking around Europe for more than a decade and recently cultivated a U.S. audience, too. Two other death-obsessed groups open, Black Dahlia Murder and Between the Buried and Me. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Myth. All ages. $23-$25.) (C.R.)

Portland, Ore., newcomers the Builders and the Butchers sound as fixated on death as any death-metal band, with songs like "The Gallows" and "Bottom of the Lake." But their instruments are all acoustic, including banjo, cello and trumpet, resulting in a sea-chantey-meets-Arcade-Fire kind of frantic sound. (9 p.m. Tue., 400 Bar. 18 and older. $8.) (C.R.)

New Zealand music heir Liam Finn (son of Crowded House's Neil Finn) has a great gimmick at his live shows, wherein he bounces between guitars and drums and loop machines to create a full band sound. But the Beatles-esque songs on his debut album for Yep Roc Records, "I'll Be Lightning," stand up well even without the madcap antics. British folk-rock openers the Veils sound like a lighter Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. (9 p.m. Wed., 7th Street Entry. 18 and older. $12-$14.) (C.R.)

Now we know why piano popster Rachael Yamagata's second album has been nearly four years in the making. "Elephants ... Sinking Teeth Into Heart," due Oct. 8, is a double album. The "Elephants" part has been described as darker and more vulnerable while "Sinking Teeth" is guitar-driven and grittier. Sounds as though she has been through some changes since 2004's promising debut "Happenstance." Maybe she'll explain the album's title when she previews the material in concert. Kevin Devine opens. (9 p.m. Thu., Fine Line, $13-$15.) (J.B.)

EOTO (pronounced "ee-oh-toe"; it's Japanese for "good sound") features String Cheese Incident drummers Jason Hann and Michael Travis doing an electronica thing. They don't have songs; they just improvise. What would you expect from two jam-band veterans on hiatus? The Histrionic opens. (9:45 p.m. Thu. Cabooze, $12 advance, $14 door.) (J.B.)

BLUES Minnesota Zoo mainstay Robert Cray steps inside this time around. Hard to believe that it's been 35 years since the smooth bluesman formed his first band. He has won five Grammys and thousands of fans thanks to "Strong Persuader," "Smoking Gun" and "Twenty," the antiwar title song of his most recent studio album. (8 p.m. today, Fitzgerald Theater, $42-$44.) (J.B.)

Gritty Chicago bluesman Byther Smith just added "DVD star" to his long résumé -- the guitarist, singer, songwriter, machinist and ex-boxer is showcased on the live disc "Blues on the Moon," on fabled Delmark Records. (9 p.m. Sat., Famous Dave's Uptown. $5.) (T.S.)

JAZZ Local trumpet dynamo Kelly Rossum celebrates his latest CD as a leader. "Family" has nods to Broadway and Miles Davis ("If I Were a Bell"), Willy Wonka ("Pure Imagination"), Sesame Street ("Somebody Come and Play") and Wynton Marsalis-style swing (the charming original mute-and-growl groove, "Mr. Blueberry"). It may be Rossum's most mainstream release yet, but be advised that "A Word From Our Sponsors" sounds indebted to Ornette Coleman, and "Pure Imagination" seems as close to Anthony Braxton as Anthony Newley in Rossum's surprise-filled rendition. (9 p.m. today-Sat., Artists' Quarter. $10.) (T.S.)

"A Tribute to Leigh Kamman" gets the dulcet-toned radio vet -- hard at work on a book about jazz broadcasting -- out of the house to share music memories. Expect sundry musical guests (or "messengers," as he would dub them) to join the band led by adroit pianist Laura Caviani. (7 p.m. Sun., Artists' Quarter. $10.) (T.S.)

ROOTS One of the best-known female band leaders down in bayouland, Donna Angelle made her mark with the '90s single "Old Man's Sweetheart," wherein she proudly pledged her love for the late Boozoo Chavis and any man mature enough to handle her with care. The singer from St. Martinsville, La., has two local shows in fun locations, booked by local Cajun/zydeco organization Krewe de Walleye, which is offering dance lessons before each gig. (8 p.m. Sat., Hopkins VFW, 100 Shady Oak Rd.; 8 p.m. Sun., Half-Time Rec, 1013 Front Av., St. Paul. $15 or $25 for both shows.) (C.R.)

It'll be a night of cowboy songs, stringband music, Appalachian dance numbers, storytelling and memorable mustaches when longtime pickin' pals Bob Bovee, Gail Heil and Pop Wagner get together in the cozy side room of the Minneapolis Eagles Club. (8 p.m. today, 2507 E. 25th St., Mpls. $10-$12.) (T.S.)