LOLOS GHOST: The James Loney-fronted, Twin Cities roots-rock band celebrates its new EP, "The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Stars," featuring a cover of Warren Zevon's "Keep Me in Your Heart" and five smartly crafted, low-key originals. (7 p.m. Fri. Harriet Brewing, $5.)
BETH HART: She is a throaty, vibrato-loving Los Angeles blues-rocker who has worked with Slash, Joe Bonamassa and Jeff Beck. "Fire on the Floor," the title track of her album due Oct. 14, is a smoldering tune that just about catches fire. No doubt she will rock you, as she proved on 2015's fully arranged album "Better Than Home." Imagine if Melissa Etheridge wanted to be Etta James — and you've got Hart. (8 p.m. Sat. Fitzgerald, $51-$80.)
Drive by truckers: The Alabama-bred twang-rockers have given us a grim look at the modern South going back to their 2001 opus "Southern Rock Opera," but their new thematic collection, "American Band," is the most dire-sounding yet. Steeped in post-Trayvon Martin racial tensions and the current election cycle, it's unabashed about choosing sides. "We're standing on the precipice of prejudice and fear," co-leader Patterson Hood sings in "What It Means." It should mean an extra fiery night at the band's favorite Midwestern venue, especially with Lydia Loveless opening. (9 p.m. Sat., First Avenue, $25, eTix.com.)
FLAMINGO AND THE FLAMIN' OH'S: The Minneapolis new-wave band with two monikers from different eras celebrates its 40th anniversary, playing "I Remember Romance," "I'm the Gun" and other favorites with three original members — singer Robert Wilkinson, guitarist Johnny Rey and bassist Jody Ray. Then Wilkinson's current incarnation of the Flamin' Oh's hits the stage, with new material from last year's commendable EP, "Here and Now." (9 p.m. Sat. Famous Dave's, $12.)
KT TUNSTALL: After making a name a decade ago with the acoustic soul of "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" and the buoyant pop of "Suddenly I See," this Scottish singer-songwriter is trying to find her mid-'10s inner pop star on the new "Kin," her sixth album. (9 p.m. Sat. Fine Line, $30-$45.)
MIKE PETERS: With the Alarm in the 1980s, the big-haired singer blasted punk anthems filled with big sounds and big ideals. He still has a big voice and big ideas as he promises to present "The Alarm: Spirit of '86" — plus the three-time cancer survivor is campaigning for Love Hope Strength, his nonprofit to promote cancer awareness and outreach. (7 p.m. Sun. Icehouse, $15-$20.)
DANNY BROWN: The Detroit rapper has dropped three singles so far from his fourth album, "Atrocity Exhibition," due Sept. 30. "Really Doe," with its fast flow, features Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and Earl Sweatshirt. Brown is also heard on the theme song to the TV series "Fresh Off the Boat." (8:30 p.m. Sun. First Avenue, $25-$28.)
Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman: Last time he was in the Twin Cities, adventurous jazz pianist Mehldau collaborated with mandolin master Chris Thile, the new host of "A Prairie Home Companion." This time Mehldau is teaming with saxophonist Redman, in whose quartet he cut his teeth in the 1990s. Considered one of the more influential jazz pianists of this century, Mehldau usually works with his own trio. However, he's doing a three-city duo collaboration with Redman, who, like Mehldau, is a masterful improviser. (7 & 9 p.m. Sun.-Mon. Dakota Jazz Club, $25-$50, dakotacooks.com.)
PAT METHENY: A recent inductee into Downbeat's Hall of Fame (only the fourth guitarist enshrined), the guitar hero has hand-picked a band that can play a wide range of his repertoire: Drummer Antonio Sanchez, bassist Linda Oh and pianist Gwilym Simcock. (7:30 p.m. Mon. Guthrie, $45-$95.)
LEON BRIDGES AND LIANNE LaHAVAS: Both of these 27-year-old fresh voices on the soul scene have given winning performances in the Twin Cities and together they make an enticing bill. Bridges, from Fort Worth, Texas, is a throwback soul man who seems to be cut from the same cloth as Sam Cooke. LaHavas, from London, has impressed with her gauzy, gently breezy, enticingly sexy soul/jazz/pop. Prince admired her so much that he enlisted her to record on his "Art Official Age" album in 2014. (7:30 p.m. Wed. Orpheum, sold out.)
CAR SEAT HEADREST: One of the most talked about new bands of the year, this brainchild of Will Toledo released "Teens of Denial," an inspired lo-fi stream-of-consciousness discourse on angst and anxiety. The song "Fill in the Blank" has earned Toledo lots of airplay on 89.3 the Current and his second Twin Cities gig this year. (7 p.m. Wed. Cedar Cultural Center, sold out.)
KARLA BONOFF: The veteran L.A. singer-songwriter is probably best known for writing songs for Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt, among others, but she also scored her own hit, "Personally," in 1982. (7 p.m. Wed. Dakota, $30-$40.)
SIGUR ROS: The magical, mystical Iceland group trimmed to a trio before releasing "Kveikur" in 2013. The sound was darker than the previous six albums but just as mesmerizing. With no new album to promote on its U.S. tour, the band has promised a "spirit of adventure" with some new unreleased songs. "We can only ask you to trust us on this one," Sigur Ros says on its website. We do. (8:30 p.m. Thu. Orpheum, $53.50-$83.50.)
Jon Bream • 612-673-1719
@JonBream
