Thursday, Feb. 23
New Primitives, who used to have regular weekly Northeast Minneapolis gigs at Nye's and then Shaw's, celebrate reggae god Bob Marley (7:30 p.m. Crooners, $30-$40); psychedelic soul-rocker Thomas Abban is back living in Minneapolis and celebrating his tender new EP, "Deep Winter" (7 p.m. the Dakota, $15-$20); Canadian singer/songwriter Forest Blakk is out touting his Atlantic Records debut, which sounds like mellower Imagine Dragons (8 p.m. 7th St. Entry, $15).
Friday, Feb. 24
1. Cécile McLorin Salvant: Now for something completely different from the precociously brilliant jazz singer. She's created an original story, "Ogresse," that started as a song cycle and will eventually become a full-length animated feature. Having performed the work as a theater piece in New York and Washington, D.C., Salvant is premiering "Ogresse" with animation, which she helped create, in Minneapolis. The Grammy-winning jazz vocalist will be the narrator and portray all the characters, accompanied by a 13-piece chamber orchestra. Read an interview with Salvant in Friday's Star Tribune. (8 p.m., also Sat., Walker Art Center, 725 Vineland Pl., Mpls., $36-$45, walkerart.org)
2. Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew: Forty-three years after they first paired up for Talking Heads' groundbreaking "Remain in Light," Heads guitarist/keyboardist Harrison and King Crimson guitar hero Belew are back on the road together celebrating that Afrobeat-infused album and its subsequent tour. They are joined by bassist Julie Slick and members of the Harrison-produced New York funk band Turkuaz, who also play in the night's opening band, Cool Cool Cool. Reviews from their high-energy festival sets sounded ecstatic. (8:30 p.m. First Avenue, $35, axs.com)
Also: Popular jam-grassers Greensky Bluegrass are supporting last year's "Stress Dreams" (7:30 p.m. Palace Theatre, $30-$65); local blues rocker Dylan Salfer and his band step out from their usual weekly Bunker's gig (10 p.m. Icehouse, $12); poppy young strummers Caleb Dee, TYSM and Grayson DeWolfe try out Uptown's new music venue (8 p.m. Green Room, $15-$20).
Saturday, Feb. 25
3. Chapel Hart: The female country trio from Poplarville, Miss., made a splash last summer on "America's Got Talent." Along the way, they've received praise from Dolly Parton and Tanya Tucker. Darius Rucker enlisted them to harmonize on his single "Ol' Church Hymn," and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons appeared in Chapel Hart's video for "Jesus & Alcohol." Sisters Danica and Devynn Hart and their cousin Trea Swindle sing traditional country like the Dolly retort "You Can Have Him Jolene," displaying Gretchen Wilson-like moxie, Pistol Annies-like humor and Chicks-like harmonies. Even without a record deal, these bold indie artists have undertaken a 60-city nationwide tour that brings them to the Upper Midwest in the heart of winter. Read an interview with Chapel Hart in Saturday's Star Tribune. (11 a.m. Mall of America meet-and-greet, CD purchase required, and 8 p.m. Mystic Lake Casino, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd. NW, Prior Lake, $29-$49, ticketmaster.com)
4. Viagra Boys: Yep, there's a lot of pep in this American-fronted Swedish punk band, just as their name suggests. Mixing Gang Of Four post-punk grooves with Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds gutter poetry, gothic twang and dark humor, they're out touring for their third album, "Cave World," after making strong impressions at many festivals last year, including Coachella and Primavera Sound. Southern Cali sibling duo the Steens open. (9 p.m. First Avenue, $25, axs.com)
Also: After returning strong with last year's tender album "Real Heart," Twin Cities indie-folk vet Mason Jennings is playing three solo shows over two nights at his hometown jazz haven, promising to use the venue's grand piano a lot (6:30 & 8:30 Sat., 7 p.m. Sun., the Dakota, $40-$45); soap star-turned-rocker Rick Springfield still pines for "Jessie's Girl" (8 p.m. Fillmore, $79 and up); Bad Plus co-founder Ethan Iverson, the polymath pianist who is always up for a jazzy musical adventure, teams up with the top-shelf Twin Cities rhythm section of bassist Anthony Cox and drummer Kevin Washington (6:30 p.m. Crooners, $20-$30); it's time to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Saturday night jazz at KJ's Hideaway with Steve Kenny Quintet and opener Banh Mi, a jazz ensemble from Southwest High School (8 p.m., $20); in honor of what would have been George Harrison's 80th birthday, the Dark Horse Revue, featuring local stalwarts Noah Levy, John Eller, Steve Price and Randy Casey, salutes the Quiet Beatle (8 p.m. Parkway Theatre, $25-$33); tribute maven Mick Sterling offers "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" in his Boz Scaggs salute, Silk & Soul (8 p.m. Crooners, $30-$40); piano rocker Mark Mallman is the midst of making a promised "disco" album and stepping out to have some fun with Cult Vibes (9 p.m. Icehouse, $15-$18).
Sunday, Feb. 26
5. Muse & Evanescence: Minneapolis is only the second stop on this tour following a kickoff Saturday in Chicago, so it's impossible to say what the arty, Rush-channeling British rockers in Muse have up their sleeves. Their cultish Twin Cities fans know to expect songs from last year's roller-coaster-y album "Will of the People" and the usual big wall of visual effects. Amy Lee's hair-raising vocals are still the big wow in Evanescence, and she continued to reach dramatic heights in her Arkansas goth-metal band's 2021 record "The Bitter Truth." Japanese band One Ok Rock opens. (6:30 p.m. Target Center, 600 1st Av. N., Mpls., $30-$115, axs.com)
6. Loki's Folly album release: Like the Twin Cities answer to Los Angeles' teen punk band the Linda Lindas, this similarly fast and furious underage sibling group from south Minneapolis has heavily charmed audiences in recent years opening for the likes of Haley and Soul Asylum. No surprise, then, they landed some storied Twin Cities mentors such as late producer Ed Ackerson and S.A.'s Dave Pirner and Ryan Smith to help make their long-gestating debut album, "Sisu," which arrives this week via "Johnny, Are You Queer?" cult singer Josie Cotton's Kitten Robot Records. Singer/guitarist Annie, 21, and her sister/drummer Nissa, 16, are now joined by their kid brother Oskar on bass on the LP, and there's an obvious kindred sense of humor and love of mayhem in such giddy blasters as "Little Mermaid" and "Beaches and Peaches." Porcupine and Tragic Hands open the release party. (6:30 p.m. 7th St. Entry, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $12-$15, axs.com)
7. VocalEssence: The best local classical performance of 2021 was "Voices Rising: A Choral Affirmation of Black Lives," featuring an all-star choir conducted by VocalEssence's G. Phillip Shoultz III and the powerful poetry and funky grooves of Joe Davis and his band. VocalEssence's annual "Witness" concert is usually a celebration of Black history, but this collaboration with Davis and the Poetic Diaspora called "Reawakening Love" promises to be very much about the present, as it looks at modern life through the lens of West African traditions. (4 p.m. Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $25-$45, vocalessence.org.)
8. Los Tigres del Norte: The first in a series of concerts this year by popular Mexican regional acts at downtown Hennepin Avenue theaters — see also: Los Ángeles Azules on March 24, Los Temerarios on April 21 — this one finds the veteran norteño group of "Contrabando y Traicion" storytelling fame from California-via-Sinaloa on its Siempre Contigo Tour. Jorge Hernandez and his Grammy-winning band of brothers and cousins returned to the road last year on La Reunion Tour and are living up to the "northern" part of their name by coming to Minnesota in February. (8 p.m. State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Av. S, Mpls., $73-$203, ticketmaster.com)
Also: Nashville-based folk-pop serenader Stephen Sanchez is starting to cross over to Top 40 radio with his swooning hit "Until I Found Her" (7 p.m. Fine Line, $17-$20); Texas rock healers/howlers Blue October of "Hate Me" and "Into the Ocean" fame are touring behind an ambitious new triple-album project, "Spinning the Truth Around" (7 p.m. the Fillmore, $125); innovative, R&B-infused Alaskan drum group Pamuya takes inspiration from Inuit culture (7 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $17-$22); with its salsa with strings approach, the Twin Cities own Charanga Tropical presents A Night in Havana (8 p.m. Crooners, $20-$30); Southside Aces, continue their New Orleans series with a salute to the great NOLA piano man Fats Domino of "Blueberry Hill" and "Ain't That a Shame" fame (4 p.m. Crooners, $20-$30); rootsy folkie Mother Banjo is hosting a gospel matinee show (2 p.m. KJ's Hideaway, $10); should be a fun alt-twang twofer with the Sapsuckers and Jack Klatt following Cornbread Harris' usual afternoon slot (8 p.m. Palmer's Bar, $10).
Monday, Feb. 27
Veteran Louisiana bluesman Tab Benoit brings the bayou swamp party to Mankato (7 p.m. Hooligan's, $25-$30); twang-tinged Twin Cities singer/songwriter Sarah Morris takes on the Dakota (7 p.m., $10-$15).
Tuesday, Feb. 28
Reggae-infused Los Angeles hippies Iya Terra top off a groovy, good-vibey bill with Artikal Sound System and SunDub (8:30 p.m. Turf Club, $22-$25); Japanese punk blasters Otoboke Beaver are working across America ahead of Austin's South by Southwest, with local power trio Scrunchies opening (8:30 p.m Fine Line, $22); frontman of the Kansas City roar-core band Shiner, Allen Epley is out promoting his debut solo album, "Everything" (9 p.m. Icehouse, $12).
9. Afro-Cuban All Stars: In 1996, the wonderful American guitarist/musicologist Ry Cooder tapped Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, leader of the Afro-Cuban All Stars, to help create the Buena Vista Social Club in Havana. The spectacularly rewarding group made an album and performed in Amsterdam and New York City, which led to an Oscar-winning documentary by Wim Wenders. Like Buena Vista, the All-Stars explore a variety of styles, including bolero, salsa, rumba, son and danzon. The membership has evolved to a multi-generational lineup, but guitarist Gonzalez is still the leader. (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $45-$55, dakotacooks.com)
Wednesday, March 1
10. Bob Weir & Wolf Bros.: Time for a Grateful Dead fix. Hey, it's always time for a Dead fix. This will be the first Twin Cities appearance by Weir & Wolves — Dead singer/guitarist Weir, bassist Don Was, drummer Jay Lane and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti — since a few days before everything shut down in March 2020 at the San Francisco-inspired Fillmore Minneapolis. This time, it's an expanded ensemble with the Wolfpack, a string and brass quintet. Weir and company have been doing high-profile Dead tunes like "Dark Star" and "Truckin'" as well as deeper tracks like "Victim or the Crime." Occasionally, they throw in a cover like "What's Going On" or "Big River," which is always a good bet in St. Paul. (7:30 p.m. Wed. Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Pl., St. Paul, $60-$100, axs.com)
Also: Colorado country-folk singer-songwriter Emily Scott Robinson hooked up with John Prine's Oh Boy Records thanks to her masterfully melancholy single "The Time for Flowers" (8 p.m. 7th Street Entry, $20); escape from Minnesnowta with Masters of Hawaiian Music featuring Grammy-winning slack key guitar master George Kahumoku Jr., lap steel guitar ace Sonny Lim and ukulele virtuoso Herb Ohta Jr (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$45).
Classical critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.
