The New Standards: Those Alaska earthquakes may have canceled one of the two New Standards holiday shows last week in Anchorage. So the jazzy trio will be happy to be ensconced in the embracing arms of a hometown winter this weekend for their 12th annual Twin Cities Yule concerts. Chan Poling, John Munson and Steve Roehm never announce their special guest in advance but you can count on Rupert the devilish dancer, for sure, along with entertaining tunes from their seasonal and pop catalogs. (8 p.m. Fri. & 2 & 8 p.m. Sat. State Theatre, $25-$110)

Sunny Sweeney: This Texan isn't your K102 kind of country. She's brilliantly clever and unabashedly old-school as witnessed on her classic 2010 honky-tonk single "From a Table Away" and her holiday nugget "One More Christmas Beer." In her second local appearance this year, she brings her Dysfunctional Family Christmas Show with Brennen Leigh and Ward Davis. (9:30 p.m. Fri. Cabooze, $20-$100)

Middle Kids: After putting on one of the best Entry touring shows of recent memory last year, the youthfully cute and energetic but maturely lyrical and refined Australian band is back touting its full-length album for Domino Recordings, "Lost Friends." The LP lives up to all the buzz generated by the trio's slow-bursting 2016 single "Edge of Town," with frontwoman Hannah Joy adding a little more Matt Berninger-like brooding ambience to the band's spit-fiery, spirited '90s-indie-rock sound. Highly recommended. (9 p.m. Fri., 7th Street Entry, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $15-$18, first-avenue.com.)

Third Coast Percussion: In the latest installment of St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's adventurous Liquid Music Series, minimalist icon Philip Glass' first piece for a percussion ensemble will be featured along with a new work composed by hip pop innovator Dev Hynes, aka Blood Orange. (7 p.m. Sun. Ordway, $25-$30)

Haley: What's one of the most richly voiced, poetically lyrical singer/songwriters in the Twin Cities (aka Haley McCallum, née Haley Bonar) doing issuing an instrumental album? Finding her muse, it seems. There's a lot of heart, beauty, subversiveness and even a little playfulness on "Pleasureland," a vocal-less new LP fueled by Haley's classical-tinged piano and guitarwork by her Gramma's Boyfriend bandmate Jeremy Ylvisaker, plus a little of Mike Lewis's sax and bass by Low's Steve Garrington. Her hometown release party features must-see grade-school rock duo Loki's Folly for openers. (8 p.m. Sat., Cedar Cultural Center, $20.)

Travis Scott: Rolling Stone's review dubbed the Houston rapper's first major arena-headlining tour "the greatest show on earth," and Twin Cities fans now get to see if that's only because of its ambitious, amusement-park-themed stage production or because Scott has grown into a more dynamic and compelling showman than the one who topped off the 2017 Soundset fest. He has certainly grown in stature, with his album "Astroworld" returning to No. 1 on the Billboard chart this week after the Drake-accompanied single "Sicko Mode" broke big, and with all the gossip-site write-ups around his new daughter with Kardashian family member Kylie Jenner. "Mo Bamba" hitmaker Sheck Wes, Trippie Red and Gunna open. (7:30 p.m. Sat., Target Center, 600 1st Av. N., Mpls., $36-$77, axs.com.)

Middle Kids play the 7th Street Entry on Friday.

Halestorm: Still one of the too-few women to garner success fronting a hard-rock band, Lizzy Hale of "I Miss the Misery" fame continues to put most of today's metal singers to shame as both a fiery vocalist and compelling stage performer. She and her blue-collar Pennsylvania band also have another mighty if a tad formulaic new album, "Vicious." In This Moment and New Year's Day open. (6:45 p.m. Sat., the Armory, Mpls., all ages, $57.)

Trailer Trash: For their annual Trashy Little Xmas Party, Nate Dungan and these Twin Cities honky-tonkers bring their toe-tapping, rib-tickling, dance-inducing holiday fare back to their original haunt. Be sure to shake the "Jingle Stick." (8:30 p.m. Sat. Lee's Liquor Lounge, $20-$25)

Melissa Etheridge: The raspy-voiced, Grammy- and Oscar-winning rocker promises to visit chestnuts from her 2008 album, "A New Thought for Christmas," plus some of her hits including "I'm the Only One" and "Come to My Window." (8 p.m. Sun. Pantages, $66-$89)

Richard Thompson: The highly influential British folk-rock legend and guitar master is still best-remembered for his '80s and '90s albums "Rumor and Sigh" and especially "Shoot Out the Lights," whose songs have been covered by the likes of R.E.M., Sleater-Kinney, Bob Mould and even Bob Dylan. But he's still making great records here and now, too, including the tempestuous and live-sounding new one "13 Rivers," which he's touting with an electric trio at the similarly resilient local venue he's played often before. Their set list include lots of oldies, too. (8 p.m. Tue., First Avenue, $25-$30.)

Bob Seger: Thirteen months after postponing his Twin Cities farewell gig because of back problems, he is coming to prove that he's still the same, a heartland rocker whose hits, including "Night Moves" and "Rock and Roll Never Forgets," still resonate after all these years. It's been 50 years since his first triumph, "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," and he released a creditable new album last year, "I Knew You When." Now the Detroit­er is ready to turn the page. (7:30 p.m. Wed. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul. Sold out, ticketmaster.com)

Sheila E: Introduced to the masses by Prince in 1984 with the hit "The Glamorous Life," she has since fashioned an impressive career as a drummer, singer, bandleader, philanthropist and champion of Latin-infused music. This will be her third Twin Cities appearance this year — after heating up a frigid Super Bowl stage, and stirring the Purple faithful at the Celebration at Paisley Park in April. Last year, she released "Iconic," featuring her spirited interpretations of rock and soul classics with a message. (8 p.m. Wed. First Avenue, Mpls. $45-$150, etix.com.)

Larkin Poe: Last seen in a cameo with Keith Urban in October at Target Center, this sister duo of Rebecca and Megan Lovell explores roots music with a penchant for some swampy Delta sounds. (8 p.m. 7th Street Entry, sold out)

Midland: Last seen locally opening for Little Big Town at Target Center, this Austin-area band named after a West Texas town plays harmonious, Eagles-flavored twang-rock with a polished-pop sheen and a little bro-country flavor, as evidenced by their 2017 hit "Drinkin' Problem." (8 p.m. Thu., Varsity Theater, $70.)