Big K.R.I.T.: Equal parts André 3000 and T.I., the Mississippi rapper showed off his deep southern soul and fiery lyrical prowess on last year's sprawling double album, "4eva Is A Mighty Long Time." The ambitious project follows a two-year break to achieve sobriety and find a new label following a two-album run on Def Jam run marked by widespread acclaim but modest sales. As his 2012 Soundset set proved, he's a powerhouse in concert. (10 p.m. Fri., Cabooze, 913 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., $25, Ticketfly.com.)
Indigo Girls: Perhaps to accommodate a better summer schedule with their young children, Emily and Amy are eschewing their usual zoo gig locally for a rare club gig. There's no new album to promote, which probably means a deep-reaching set list. Lucy Wainwright Roche opens. (8 p.m. Fri., Varsity Theater, sold out.)
Oak Ridge Boys: It's the same quartet that's been around for decades, touring behind their "17th Avenue Revival" album, a collection of country-gospel tunes. Produced by hot Nashville producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell), the project includes songs written by Brandy Clark, Jamey Johnson, Vince Gill and Ashley Monroe. Of course, the Oaks will sing "Elvira," "Bobbie Sue" and other career-defining hits. (8:30 p.m. Fri. Medina Entertainment Center, tickets start at $40)
Boombox Cartel: Though they met as kids living in beautiful Monterrey, Mexico, dance-music producers/DJs Americo Garcia and Jorge Medina didn't form their hypersonic, dubstep-flavored electronic duo until 2012 after they started taking classes at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul. Newly based in Los Angeles, the B.C. partners are now working with the label Mad Decent and have a slew of new singles and remixes to tout on a U.S.-Canadian club tour that kicks off in their old hometown. (9 p.m. Fri., Skyway Theatre, 711 Hennepin Av., Mpls., $20, SkywayTheatre.com.)
Franz Ferdinand: The U.K. band of "Take Me Out" fame made a strong creative comeback on last year's fifth album, "Always Ascending," which proved indie-rockers don't need electronic beats to get crowds dancing. Blondie-esque openers Priests are worth an early arrival. (9 p.m. Fri., First Avenue, sold out.)
Charley Pride: At 84, the Country Hall of Famer is still touring, offering a sampling of the 40 No. 1 Nashville hits that made him a big name in the '70s. And he's still recording, delivering "Music in My Heart," his 47th studio album, last year. (8 p.m. Sat. Treasure Island Casino, Red Wing, tickets start at $33)
Lisa Fischer: When you see her with Grand Baton, you'd never guess that she was a backup singer for the Rolling Stones for 25 years. Gone are the glamazon wigs, high heels and "Gimme Shelter" screams. Instead she has an Earth-mother persona as she weaves organic, mystical interpretations of songs by Led Zeppelin, Luther Vandross, the Stones and other classic rockers, with new material added to her repertoire after a recent gig with a symphony orchestra. Fischer also dusts off her own 1991 hit, "How Can I Ease the Pain," in a way that hits you where your heart aches. She's an extraordinary experience. (7 and 9 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Dakota Jazz Club, Mpls., $40-$60, dakotacooks.com)
Bon Jovi: A mere two weeks after Howard Stern inducted them into the Rock Hall of Fame with — what else? — a bunch of penis jokes, these Jersey boys will return to St. Paul to prove that 100 million fans can't be wrong. "Don't bore us, get to the chorus," Stern said of the motto of Jon Bon Jovi, who responded with a long, boring acceptance speech. "Livin' on a Prayer," "Wanted Dead or Alive" or even the new "When We Were Us" won't bore anyone at the X. Local contest winners Missing Letters open. (7:30 p.m. Sat. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, $29.50-$149.50, ticketmaster.com)
Mary Bridget Davies: The Tony-nominated star of "A Night With Janis Joplin," who appeared in the show at the Ordway, is touring with her own band singing original tunes and other covers alongside Janis classics. (8 p.m. Sat., Cedar Cultural Center, $22-$25.)
Eliane Elias: This Brazilian pianist has been a regular Dakota visitor for years. Now she has something completely different: her brand-new album "Music from Man of La Mancha." Actually, the recording was made in the 1990s but released only this month. (7 & 9 p.m. Tue. Dakota, $20-$45)
X-Ambassadors: After enduring a frigid set during the Super Bowl Live series on Nicollet Mall, the Ithaca, N.Y., pop-rockers of "Renegades" fame deserves a warmer reception on tour previewing their probably aptly named follow-up album, "Joyful." (7:30 p.m. Tue., Minneapolis Music Hall, $31.)
Ike Reilly: With his slashing band the Assassination, this Illinois rocker has had a regular presence in the Twin Cities for two decades. Now he's about to get intimate and conversational with four solo gigs in May showcasing his May 18 release "Crooked Love," a sharp collection of shambling folk-punk blues with Dylanesque echoes. "Took It Lyin' Down" recalls how Reilly, then a Chicago hotel doorman, got stiffed tip-wise by Donald and Ivana Trump when he showed them to their penthouse. (9 p.m. Weds. in May, Icehouse, Mpls., $20, icehousempls.com)
Kevin Morby: Not to be confused with similarly buzzing Kevin Mobley, this Brooklyn-based psychedelic-folkie left the band Woods to craft two solo albums steeped in echoes of Syd Barret and Sun Kil Moon. (8 p.m. Wed., Cedar Cultural Center, $15.)
Jonathan Davis: Korn's lead singer is about to drop his first solo album next month, "Black Labrynth," led by the moodier and more melodic but still thundering single "Everyone." Nope, his band isn't playing any tunes by his other band on tour. (7:30 p.m. Wed., Myth, all ages, $22-$29.)
Corky Siegel and Howard Levy: It's a blues harmonica feast with these two veterans. Chicago's Siegel emerged with the Siegel-Schwall Band in the mid-'60s and has led his Chamber Blues group for three decades. Levy, a versatile multi-instrumentalist, has played with Paul Simon, Dolly Parton, Styx, Paquito D'Rivera and Bela Fleck, among many others. (7 p.m. Wed. Dakota, $20-$30)
Naked Giants: One of our favorite discoveries at last month's SXSW fest, the Seattle trio looks like it came off a Grand Funk Railroad tour from the '70s, sounds like a punky "Nuggets"-style '60s garage-rock band and performs like a bunch of spazzy 14-year-olds. Fury Things open. (9 p.m. Thu., 7th Street Entry, $12-$14.)
Kitten Forever: Minneapolis' heirs apparent to the great riot-grrrl movement and now one of its best punk bands of all time, Kitten Forever will reclaim the Loring for the artistic community to celebrate the release of their fourth album, "Semi-Permanent." Another hard-blasting, wryly feminist collection featuring only bass, drums and a heavily shared and abused microphone, it's as brash and fiery as it is boisterous as it is fun, and it's available digitally and on cassette via the trio's own new label, Rat Queen Records. (9:30 p.m. Thu., Loring Bar & Restaurant, 327 14th Av. SE, Mpls., $9, eventbrite.com.)
