Black Violin: If you still think a hip-hop/classical hybrid group sounds like a joke, then you should see this Florida duo in action. Violin- and viola-playing partners Kev Marcus and Wil B — who perform over slamming beats and throw in a little rapping, too — are following up some well-received local appearances at the Dakota with a meaningful bump up to St. Paul's renowned performance hall, after hitting both the classical and R&B charts with its Universal Music Classics debut "Stereotypes." Too bad ticket prices are more classical than they are rap. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, $42-$78, Ordway.org.)
Children of Bodom: The Finnish death-metal band is out celebrating its 20th anniversary and promising to stick to tunes from its early albums. Ghoulish Dutch band Carach Angren is among the openers. (7 p.m. Fri., Cabooze, $25.)
American Roots Revue: Folk music do-gooder Larry Long's joyous musical hybrid with powerhouse gospel/soul vocalists Tonia Hughes, J.D. Steele and Robert Robinson returns to the Dakota with another in a line of well-known local guest singers in tow, Adam Levy of the Honeydogs. (7 & 9 p.m. Sat., the Dakota, $30-$40.)
St. Vincent: She's a gifted songwriter and underrated guitar wiz, and on her new tour it looks like Annie Clark has become quite the provocative visual artist, too. The Grammy-winning, Texas-born pop experimentalist is bringing along an innovative, costumed stage production with interactive video accompaniment, all thematically tied to her newly released fifth album, "Masseduction." However the show comes off, the record offers a captivating, dizzying blur of noise, beats and hooks with echoes of Bowie, Grace Slick and her former tourmate David Byrne. (8 p.m. Sat., Palace Theatre, sold out.)
Halsey: Falling somewhere between Taylor Swift and Lorde stylistically, this New Jersey synth-pop singer crossed over to the Top 40 world in a big way last year with her Chainsmokers-produced No. 1 hit "Closer." She followed with a slickly produced new concept album, "Hopeless Fountain Kingdom." The 23-year-old is making quite an ambitious leap booking an arena headlining tour but has experience in the big roms opening for Imagine Dragons and the Weeknd. (7 p.m. Sat., Xcel Energy Center, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $27-$185, Ticketmaster.com.)
Lee Brice: The Nashville native got his start writing hits for Garth Brooks and Jason Aldean but has landed his own string of yahoo-flavored hits such as "I Drive Your Truck" and "Drinking Class." (8 p.m. Sat., Treasure Island Casino, $52-$62.)
Noname: After her dynamic local appearances at the Soundset festival and as Lauryn Hill's opener, Chicago hiop-hop star Noname makes her well-deserved debut as a mainroom headliner, a big step also buoyed by her affiliation with Chance the Rapper. Like Chance, the real-life Fatimah Warner has a charmingly cool-headed, off-the-cuff but deep-thinking lyrical style that touches on the hard times around her hometown. She also has a terrific live band behind her, though her instrumentation is jazzier in tone than Chance's. Highly recommended. (8 p.m. Sun., First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $20, eTix.com.)
Tower of Power: The Bay Area's veteran funk-and-soul rock institution has earned ample raves off its Dakota gigs in recent years, so no surprise they're settling in for a three-night, six-set feast for Thanksgiving week with new, Memphis-reared singer Marcus Greene. (7 & 9 p.m. Mon.-Wed., the Dakota, $40-$70.)
Liam Gallagher: His unending barbs to and from his brother Noel in the press helped hype the first-ever solo album by the frontman of '90s Brit-rock revivalists Oasis, but really the record itself is good enough to garner attention on its own. Titled "As You Were," it ventures off the Oasis path a little farther than his outings with his interim band Beady Eye, with some rich ballads and more paisley-hued rockers. He's rounding out sets on tour with about a half-dozen Oasis favorites. (8 p.m. Mon., First Avenue, 701 1st Av N., Mpls., sold out.)
Ike Reilly Assassination: It's the 15th annual installment of Ike's Thanksgiving Eve marathon, a rowdy but passionate tradition that started following the rabid local reception for the Libertyville, Ill., rocker's 2001 album "Salesmen & Racists." This year includes two opening acts with twice as much history at the club, the Twilight Hours and the Flamin' Ohs. (8 p.m. Wed., First Avenue, $20.)
