MIGUEL: Cosmic, sexy Los Angeles R&B star Miguel piled on the grooves for his new album, "War & Leisure," maybe the most fun, buoyant record released so far this year. Rappers J. Cole, Rick Ross and more spike songs such as "Sky Walker" with a decent amount of hip-hop edge, but mostly the album shows the 32-year-old singer to be an old-school psychedelic soul that Prince and Curtis Mayfield would've loved. (8:30 p.m. Fri., Palace Theatre, $43.50, eTix.com.)
Tune-Yards: Merrill Garbus and her experimental, worldly, New York dance-pop band of "Gangsta" fame added a little more nightclub-ready electronic flavor to their fourth album, "I Can Feel You Creeping Into My Private Life," and are now promising some visual theatrics on their first tour in four years. It should be an extra lively First Ave set this time around, in other words. Opener Sudan Archives is a 23-year-old violinist/singer from North Africa with a strong buzz. (9 p.m. Fri., First Avenue, $26.)
The Von Tramps: Fun-loving frontwoman Jenna Enemy and her hard-pumping, Green Day/Runaways-flavored Minneapolis band are touting their full-length debut, "The Future Is Female," produced by the Ataris' Dustin Phillips. They'll celebrate with loads of special guests, including Claudio Rivera of Motion City Soundtrack as their drummer, and with a fundraiser for the domestic violence victims organization BWJP. (8 p.m. Fri., Southern Theater, 1420 S. Washington Av., Mpls., $15-$35.)
MGMT: After giving one of the dullest headlining performances ever at Rock the Garden in 2010, the electro-pop duo born out of an Wesleyan University dorm room finally sound like they're having fun again on their well-received new album, "Little Dark Age." Their fourth LP piles on more of the candy-coated hooks and nerdishly sexy dance whir heard in early hits like "Electric Feel" and "Time to Pretend." This is their tour kickoff. (8 p.m. Fri., Myth, 3090 Southlawn Dr., Maplewood, all ages, $45, eTix.com.)
Sunny Sweeney: Her fourth album, 2017's "Trophy," is another winner, a retro country effort etched with vivid details, hard truths and deeply felt emotion. She is particularly effective on ballads like "Pass the Pain," a double entrendre request of a bartender, and "Unsaid," about pride that left words unsaid before someone died, and the slow waltz "I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight," about needing certain music for certain moods. (8 p.m. Fri. Turf Club, $15-$20)
Carnaval Brasileiro: The gold standard of local Carnaval events returns for its 16th year with guitarist/singer Robert Everest and his 10-piece band Beira Mar Brasil at the helm, and with a masquerade ball, samba dancers, a drum troop and capoeiristas (martial artists) part of the colorful, mad-whir mix. (7 p.m. Sat., Cedar Cultural Center, all ages, $22-$30.)
Okee Dokee Brothers: Minnesota's Grammy-winning kids duo of Justin Lansing and Joe Mailander knows how to create folk/bluegrass/roots music that's entertaining and nourishing for the entire family. (11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sat. Ordway, $16-$20, $5 for "lap passes," ordway.org)
Lee Brice: Before the term bro country was coined, he became a Twin Cities favorite on the strength of hits like "I Drive Your Truck" and "Parking Lot Party." Now he's wearing a fedora instead of a backward ball cap and singing valentines to his son on the single "Boy." (8 p.m. Sat. Myth, $29.50-$39.50)
Belfast Cowboys: The soulful Twin Cities band steeped in Van Morrison music will play his most lauded and influential album in its entirety, 1968's "Astral Weeks," complete with Vic Volare's horns and a couple other sets of Van the Man tunes. (7:30 p.m. Sat., Hook & Ladder Theater, $7-$10.)
Väsen: The Swedish acoustic folk trio with the dazzling string work returns to the Cedar once again as part of its Global Roots series, a tradition that's uniquely Minnesotan. (7:30 p.m. Sun., Cedar Cultural Center, $20-$25.)
Vince Staples: Last seen in town with Damon Albarn's Gorillaz, the Los Angeles rapper is back delivering his own electronically experimental tunes from last year's buzzed-about sophomore Def Jam album, "Big Fish Theory." Like his cohort Kendrick Lamar, he too has turned into a compelling live performer. (7 p.m. Mon., First Avenue, all ages, $30-$35.)
Lila Downs: Lucky for us, the Grammy-winning Mexican American singer and genre-blender is the daughter of a University of Minnesota professor and comes here more often than most major Latino artists. Her new album, "Salón Lágrimas y Deseo," offers a modern feminist theme alongside her usual vibrant whirl of ranchera, norteño and folkloric Mexican music. She's always a theatrical entertainer with a stunning voice in concert. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Ordway Music Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, $22-$58, ordway.org.)
G-Eazy: After a surprise appearance at the Jingle Ball and a high-buck Super Bowl gig, the bro-flavored Top 40 rapper is back in town for the third time in four months, this time touting last year's album "The Beautiful & Damned," and enjoying another pop hit at the moment with his rumored squeeze Halsey, "Him & I." Trippie Redd and Phora open. (7 p.m. Thu., Roy Wilkins Auditorium, $35.)
Southside Johnny: A longtime pal of Steve Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen, Mr. Lyons still plies gritty New Jersey horn-fueled, barroom rock 'n' soul with panache and passion. (7 p.m. Mon.-Tue. Dakota, $45-$65)
Cecile McLorin Salvant: As her brilliant young career continues, the 28-year-old just picked up her second Grammy for best jazz vocal album for only her third project. Part live and part studio recording, the double-disc "Dreams and Daggers" talks about romance and heartbreak as Salvant sings with slyness, restraint and beauty, at turns sounding girlish and mature. She's supported by a top-notch ensemble, led by expressive pianist Aaron Diehl. (7 & 9 p.m. Wed. Dakota Jazz Club, Mpls., $30-$42, dakotacooks.com)
Why Don't We: After barely having time to walk across the stage at the KDWB Jingle Ball, the burgeoning boy band with will get to stretch out and sing all of its YouTube-buoyed pop hits in the hometown of elder member Jonah Marais, age 19. (7 p.m. Tue., First Avenue, sold out.)
Mat Kearney: One of Cities 97's favorite tender, lovelorn pop-rock strummers is on the road previewing his fifth album, "Crazytalk," which lands next month. (8 p.m. Tue., Myth, Maplewood, $30.)
Ty Dolla $ign: The singer/rapper from South Central L.A. is known from guesting on innumerable tunes by other acts, from Fifth Harmony to Jason Derulo, but last year's album "Beach House 3" earned him good marks for his own sexed-up, heavily Auto-Tuned tracks. (8 p.m. Wed., First Avenue, $29.50.)
Charles Lloyd: The jazz saxophone giant will celebrate his 80th birthday with a four-night residency at the Dakota Jazz Club working with three different ensembles. Sangam (Thursday) features Zakir Hussain on tabla and Eric Harland on drums. The Marvels (March 9-10) include guitarists Bill Frisell and Greg Leisz plus vocalist Lucinda Williams, among others. Lastly, it's Lloyd's New Quartet (March 11), starring Jason Moran on piano. It should be four fabulous nights. (Thu.-Sun., Dakota Jazz Club, Mpls., prices vary, dakotacooks.com)
