GARY LOURIS Monday & Tuesday: When illness caused Texas twang-folk vet Nanci Griffith to cancel her gigs at the Dakota, the club's staff came up with a pretty terrific remedy: Hometown alt-country hero Gary Louris of the Jayhawks will play both nights, headlining the downtown music haven for the first time. They'll also be his first hometown shows since canceling a tour last fall for chemical dependency treatment. He sounded great at the recent South by Southwest music fest and has been working on his second solo album. He might preview a few of those songs alongside Jayhawks and Golden Smog staples and who-knows-what-else. (7 p.m. Mon.-Tue. $30. Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls. 612-332-1010 or DakotaCooks.com.)
Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.
chrisr@startribune.com612-673-4658