Slimabration: A bunch of Bob "Slim" Dunlap's friends and admirers are making sure the former Replacements guitarist and cult-loved singer/songwriter know we're still singing his songs and cherishing his presence, five years since he suffered a debilitating stroke. Dan Baird of Georgia Satellites fame, who toured with Dunlap, is coming to town for the occasion and will be joined by a local cast including Slim's former bandmate Curtiss A, Frankie Lee, Eleganza!, John Eller and Whale in the Thames, the latter featuring Dunlap's daughter Emily. There's talk the man himself might be there, too. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Hook & Ladder Theatre, Mpls., $20 suggested donation, TheHookMpls.com.)
Pert Near Sandstone: The Twin Cities' well-established neo-bluegrass quintet is a mainstay of summer festivals, including their own Blue Ox Fest in June in western Wisconsin. Like all of us, they need to get out in winter, too. They're hosting another of their two-night Winter String Band Gatherings this weekend, featuring Montana's award-winning newcomers the Lil' Smokies on Friday and Portland, Ore., buskers Fruition on Saturday. Pert Near has a strong new album to promote each night, "Discovery of Honey," produced by Trampled by Turtles fiddler and PNS alum Ryan Young. (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Cedar Cultural Center, all ages, $17-$20, or $26-$30 two-night, TheCedar.org.)
House of Dosh 3: Multi-instrumentalist improv wiz Martin Dosh's six-week residency continues with guests including Mike Lewis, Andrew Broder, Claire de Lune and Joey Van Phillips. (10:30 p.m. Fri., Icehouse, $7.)
Overkill: Part of the same New Jersey/NYC thrash metal scene that gave us Anthrax, howler Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and his resilient band have a new album, "The Grinding Wheel," and can still tear through their '80s catalog. (5:30 p.m. Sat., Cabooze, $25-$30.)
Hip-Hop for Autism: Local rap vets Carnage the Executioner, Maria Isa, the SP Style crew, St. Paul Slim and Big Wiz and more throw down to benefit the Autism Society of Minnesota. (6 p.m. Sun., Amsterdam Bar & Hall, all ages, $6-$8.)
Os Mutantes: After big-name American fans including David Byrne and Kurt Cobain discovered its collectible 1966-1974 albums, this psychedelic Tropicalia garage-rock band from São Paulo, Brazil, reformed in the mid-2000s and has been going strong ever since under original co-leader Sérgio Dias. Their first U.S. tour in four years is behind a wild new album, "Fool Metal Jacket," and includes the opening party for the Art Institute of Chicago's "Hélio Oiticica" exhibit right after Minneapolis. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Cedar Cultural Center, Mpls., all ages, $22-$25, TheCedar.org.)
Valerie June: This undefinable but soulful singer made a splash with her 2013 disc, "Pushin' Against a Stone," produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. On record and in concert, she established herself as an idiosyncratic but irresistible music maker of various styles of American music, from Appalachian to gospel. On March 10, she'll drop the follow-up album, "The Order of Time," which is generally sparser in sound but the lead single, "Shakedown," is a head-bopping, foot-stomping blues rocker. (7:30 p.m. Wed. Cedar Cultural Center, Mpls., sold out, thecedar.org.)
