Thursday, July 14
1. Mitski: About the only thing that could've made this visually evocative New York electro-pop singer's sold-out show at the Palace Theatre in March more alluring was for it to be taken outside to add a little nighttime shimmer. Thus, she was a great pick to kick off the First Ave-run summer concert series outside the Surly Brewery. The 31-year-old Japan native has been edging on pop stardom of late via TikTok and other viral traction for her ironic and infectious singles like "Washing Machine Heart," "Nobody" and "Me and My Husband." Hence, it's an all-ages show at a brewery. North Carolina rocker Indigo De Souza opens. (7 p.m. Surly Festival Field, 520 Malcolm Av. SE, Mpls., $50, axs.com)
Also: St. Paul hip-hop vets Heiruspecs take over the Lowertown Sounds series fresh off making a new album, with underrated rap wiz Longshot opening backed by Lazerbeak (6:30 p.m., St. Paul's Mears Park, free); Dessa drops in for Cities 97's Oake on the Water series with Sonja Midtune (4 p.m., Freight House in Stillwater, free); the Bacon Brothers dropped their 10th studio album, "The Way We Love," in 2020 between acting gigs for Kevin Bacon and teaching by music professor Michael Bacon (7 p.m. Dakota, $90-$130); Wisconsin bluegrass band Chicken Wire Empire returns with the Big Wu's Chris Castino (9 p.m. Icehouse, $12-$15); Dan Newton's Cafe Accordion Orchestra hosts a special Bastille Day party (6:30 p.m. Crooners Tent, $25-$35); you never know what siblings Jearlyn & Fred Steele are going to sing but you know it's going to be soulful (7:30 p.m. Crooners inside, $35-$45).
Friday, July 15
2. Lutsong Music Festival: One of the most scenic getaways in Minnesota is hosting some of the best acoustic, folk, roots and neo-twang musicians from Minnesota and beyond for one weekend along the North Shore under the guidance of St. Paul guitar guru Molly Maher. Friday's lineup includes the Big Wu's Chris Castino backed by bluegrass band Chicken Wire Empire, plus Turn Turn Turn, Bump Blomberg and the promising-sounding Caribou Campfire Guitar Pull. Saturday features Erik Koskinen, Sarah Morris, Mary Bue, Dusty Heart, Fire Good and more. (4 p.m. Fri., 1 p.m. Sat., Lutsen Ski Resort, $45-$80, lutsongmusicfestival.com)
Also: RiverSong is a two-day annual festival in Hutchinson featuring a commendable lineup of Minnesota artists including Jon Wayne & the Pain, Kiss the Tiger, Annie Mack, Pert Near Sandstone, Faith Boblett (6 p.m, also noon Sat. Masonic/West River Park, Hutchinson, $30-$40, riversongfestival.org); golden-voiced Iowa folk-rocker Lissie is driving upstream to perform for the concert series outside the fancy, new, Minnesota-law-escaping distillery just across the St. Croix River in Wisconsin. (7 p.m. Tattersall Distillery, River Falls, $20-$25); Steve Cole Super Band features the jazz/R&B sax man with Twin Cities all-stars including Ricky and Paul Peterson, Kirk Johnson and Adam Meckler (7 p.m., also Sat., Dakota, $25-$35); soul-rock/R&B powerhouse Jaedyn James is putting on a "witch party" as a pre-party to the Roots, Rock & Deep Blues Fest with Tabah and Superior Siren (7 p.m. Hook & Ladder Under the Canopy, $15-$20).
Saturday, July 16
3. International Day of Music: A daylong, free multistage music fest is back at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis. It's not a full 24 hours like happened for eight years in the '00s, but this year's event will feature 20 acts over 12 hours on four stages inside and outside the symphony hall. The diverse lineup includes Salsa Del Soul, VocalEssence Singers of This Age, soul siren Lady Midnight, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, K Pop Cover Crew, Duniya Drum and Dance, a screening of the 2013 movie "Music for Mandela," Jennifer Grimm singing the music of Judy Garland, the Minnesota Orchestra outdoors and so much more. (noon-midnight Sat., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., free, minnesotaorchestra.org).
4. The Mavericks: It's hard to believe that extraordinary lead singer Raul Malo could up his game, but he did with 2020's "En Espanol," the first Spanish language album for the Miami-launched Mavericks. In concert last summer in Mankato, he enraptured on the Spanish ballads and on an orchestral treatment of Willie Nelson's "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground." Part Tex-Mex, part vintage rock, part country, part jazz, part Americana and fully exciting, the Mavericks are America's best dance band for baby boomers — indoors or outside. (8 p.m. Mystic Lake Casino Showroom, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd NW, Prior Lake, $29-$69, ticketmaster.com)
5. Lowertown Blues Festival: The ninth annual event isn't being held in St. Paul's Lowertown but rather in the Midway area. As always, they have a tasty lineup, headlined by fiery blues force Shemekia Copeland, who addressed racial issues on 2020's "Uncivil War" and will drop "Done Come Too Far" in August. Also appearing are rising blues slinger Selwyn Birchwood and longtime Twin Cities bands, Lamont Cranston and Crow. (2:30 p.m. Dual Citizen Brewing, 725 Raymond Av., St. Paul, free, $100 for VIP pit, lowertownbluesfestival.com)
6. Roots, Rock & Deep Blues Fest: Scaled back last year coming out of lockdown, this 11th annual hodgepodge of raw, rustic blues, punk and twang music will once again feature multiple stages and several bands from Down South, including Left Lane Cruiser, Kent Burnside (R.L.'s grandson) and the Flood Brothers along with Chicago's Jake LaBotz and local vets the Mood Swings, Cornbread Harris and Wain McFarlane's Dreadlock Cowboy. In the headlining slot, Greg Norton's new band UltraBomb will make its live debut following the Hüsker Dü bassist's recent cancer diagnosis. Should be "deep," for sure. (3 p.m. Hook & Ladder, 3010 Minnehaha Av. S., Mpls., $20-$25, thehookmpls.com)
7. The Thalea String Quartet: Among North American chamber music groups, this one is a rising star, having found success at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and taken up residences at some prestigious halls and universities. They'll be part of Brainerd's Lakes Area Music Festival later this month, but will first make a stop in Minneapolis for a free concert of music by Gabriella Smith, Alex Vittal (his "Abbey Road Suite"), Daniel Bernard Roumain and Antonin Dvorak. (7:30 p.m. Woman's Club of Minneapolis, 410 Oak Grove St., Mpls.; free; lakesareamusic.org.)
Also: Colorado electronic jazz-rock duo Big Gigantic is playing clubs between its many festival gigs (8:30 p.m. the Fillmore, $38.50 and up); local psyche-rockers Muun Bato play outside with Butter Boys (7 p.m. Palmer's Bar, $15); Butter Boys are also part of the Alive Inside II lineup with Muja Messiah, d'Lakes, the Great Went, Lazenlow and more (1-10 p.m. Falling Knife Brewery, free); hard-rocking rockabilly mainstays Jack Knife & the Sharps (9 p.m., Shaw's Bar & Grill).
Sunday, July 17
8. DakhaBrakha: Since the war in Ukraine, this vital Ukrainian folk quartet has become increasingly popular in the United States. Wearing strikingly tall, furry folkloric headgear, these musicians deliver a distinctive sound they call "ethno-chaos." The instrumentation is an enthralling blend of cello, accordion, percussion, electric piano and didgeridoo with otherworldly vocals and polyphonic harmonies. Leader Marko Halanevych will offer commentary and perspective on the situation in Ukraine, advocating for peace and solidarity, as he did in an April performance at the Dakota. (8 p.m. Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $65-$75, also livestreamed for $20, dakotacooks.com)
9. Dave King/Jeff Parker/Chris Speed: Irrepressible Minneapolis percussionist King — who plays with the Bad Plus, Happy Apple, Leo Kottke, Julian Lage, to name a few — has another new ensemble with experimental L.A. guitarist Jeff Parker and saxophonist/clarinetist Speed, who joined the Bad Plus last summer and plays in several avant-garde groups. The trio makes its Minneapolis debut as part of Walker Art Center's Summer Social Series in an evening dubbed Free Jazz on the Walker Hillside. (7 p.m. Wurtele Upper Garden, Walker Art Center, 725 Vineland Pl, Mpls, free, walkerart.org)
Also: Celebrate Bastille Day once again — aka Fredstock in memory of longtime popular pub greeter Freddie Manton — with snarly British singer-songwriter Graham Parker and the Belfast Cowboys, who pay tribute to the mercurial Van Morrison (6 p.m. Brit's Pub roof, free); elegant indie strummer Chris Koza of Rogue Valley plays the Sunday Sessions Rooftop Series (7 p.m. Hewing Hotel, $30);
Monday, July 18
The eclectically jazzy Squirrel Nut Zippers are touring behind 2020's "Lost Songs of Doc Souchon," a nod to a vintage New Orleans guitarist (7 & 9 p.m. the Dakota, $30-$50).
Tuesday, July 19
The kick-off party for the six-night, multi-venue Original Music Festival in St. Peter, Minn., features Mankato-reared electro-groovers Good Night Gold Dust, Chris Bertrand and Mal Murphy (7 p.m., Patrick's on Third, mnomf.org); Canadian band Cola makes its local debut, featuring former members of Ought and U.S. Maple (8 p.m. 7th St. Entry, $15).
Wednesday, July 20
10. The Drive-By Truckers: Singer/guitarists Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley remain as prolific as ever writing epic Southern tales, sordid rock sagas and progressive anthems with their elegantly gritty rock band, which is one reason it's easy to overlook how great their latest album, "Welcome 2 Club XIII," really is. After numerous First Ave and Palace gigs, it will be great to hear the new songs and old classics on an outdoor stage this time at one of the best and biggest breweries in town. (7 p.m., Utepils Brewery, 225 Thomas Av. N., Mpls., sold out, utepilsbrewing.com)
Also: Spirited Serbian-born blues singer-guitarist Ana Popovic returns (7 & 9 p.m. Dakota, $30-$40); the Rolling Stoners tribute band will spend the night together with Rhythm on the Rails attendees (6-9 p.m., downtown Shakopee, free).
Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.
