The Suburbs: Chan Poling, Hugo Klaers and the remade lineup of their beloved dance-rock band — with local guitar aces Steve Brantseg and Jeremy Ylvisaker — are returning to the scene of last year's release party for "Hey Muse!" The lyrically nostalgic but musically forward-leaning album was a nice cap to the group's surprisingly fortuitous 2010 era. Punk vet Greg Norton's Porcupine and theater star Meghan Kreidler's Kiss the Tiger open. (8 p.m. Fri., First Avenue, $25.)
Becky Kapell: This late-bloomer Minneapolis country crooner fell in with esteemed local twang vets Paul Bergen and Erik Koskinen to craft her debut album, "That Certain Ache." Her smoky but tender voice recalls Jeannie C. Riley while her songwriting has a Lucinda Williams-like balance of down-and-out grit and hopeful beauty, with standout cuts including the bittersweet, slow-waltzing title track and the cool-rambling "Capable Man." (8 p.m. Fri., Hook & Ladder Theatre, $10-$12.)
Ranky Tanky: Thanks to a report by Terry Gross on NPR, this rootsy South Carolina quintet has found an audience and a national tour. Like the Carolina Choclate Drops, Ranky Tanky takes traditional regional music and fuses it with elements of jazz, gospel, funk and R&B. (7 p.m. Fri. Dakota Jazz Club, $30-$42)
Jason Moran: This jazz pianist can play like a man possessed, but yokes his powerhouse technique to just as formidable an intellect — as proven in his first-ever solo art exhibition at Walker Art Center. After tearing it up at Charles Lloyd's birthday celebration in March, he brings his longtime trio the Bandwagon (bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits) to the Walker for two multimedia shows dubbed "The Last Jazz Fest." Visual artists Lizzie Fitch and Ryan Trecartin and DJ Ashland Mines add to the already kaleidoscopic palette of the Bandwagon, which has been reinventing jazz for nearly 20 years now. (8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. $35. walkerart.org.) — Tim Campbell
Freddy Cole: The late Nat King Cole's younger brother plays piano with a casual elegance and sings with throaty expressiveness. He may be 86 but he's been consistently prolific in his autumnal years, releasing nearly an album a year since 1991. Here's hoping in the intimacy of the Dunsmore room that Cole and his jazzy combo perform his 27-year-old tune "I'm Not My Brother, I'm Me," which is not about Nat but rather has a clever twist to it. (5 & 7 p.m. Sat. Dunsmore Room at Crooners, Fridley, $45-$65, croonersloungemn.com)
Joey Bada$$: On break from filming his recurring role as Leon in the hit USA Network series "Mr. Robot," the 23-year-old Brooklyn rapper is back on tour touting last year's sophomore album, "All Amerikkkan Bada$$." The record found the real-life Jo-Vaughn Scott getting more serious and topical, with such songs as the hit "Devastated" and the disenchanted "Land of the Free," released the day of the Trump inauguration. It should be fun to see him meld the old and new in his First Ave headlining debut. (9 p.m. Sat., First Avenue, $25.)
Sum 41: After reuniting to drop a new album in 2016, Deryck Whibley and his poppy '90s punk band are on tour marking the 15th anniversary of their sophomore album, "Does This Look Infected?," which was less a commercial hit than its predecessor but generally more favored by devoted fans. (7:30 p.m. Sat., Varsity Theater, sold out.)
Wye Oak: One of the bands rumored to be on the under-wraps lineup for this summer's Eaux Claires fest, the slow-burning Baltimore-reared synth-rock duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack just dropped a vivid new video helmed by local filmmaker Dan Huiting for their haunting single "It Was Not Natural," one of many ethereal gems from "The Louder I Call the Faster It Comes," their fifth album for Merge Records. (9 p.m. Sat., Turf Club, $17-$20.)
Kid Dakota: After a lengthy hiatus pursuing a PhD and healing up from a bike accident, Twin Cities indie-rock savant Darren Jackson is following up the release of his intense new album "Denvervation" with a vinyl reissue of his best-loved album, 2002's roller-coastery "So Pretty." Low's Alan Sparhawk, who issued the original CD on his Chairkickers label, will open the release party. (11 p.m. Sat., Icehouse, $10-$12.)
Davu Seru: It's been a stellar six months for this avant-jazz polymath — a Minnesota Book Award nomination for "Sights, Sounds, Soul"; a Zeitgeist composing residency that yielded the beautifully provocative piece "Dead King Mother" — and now the drummer/Hamline professor celebrates the debut album by his great new No Territory Band, "There's a Hole in the Wall in the Bucket." (8:30 p.m. Sat., Black Dog, 308 E. Prince St., St. Paul, no cover.) — Tim Campbell
Caitlin Canty: The Vermont-raised folkie/alt-twanger headed to Nashville for her latest album, "Motel Bouquet," produced by Punch Brothers banjoist Noam Pikelny with a serene, rootsy vibe that falls somewhere between Gillian Welch and Laura Veirs. (8 p.m. Sun., 7th Street Entry, $12-$14.)
Judy Collins: Taking a break from her tour with Stephen Stills (who wrote "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" about her), the folk-launched siren, 79, returns to the Dakota with her crystalline voice and backstories behind her songs, whether written by Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan or herself. (7 p.m. Wed.-Thu. Dakota Jazz Club, $60-$75, sold out)
Slayer: Wrapping it up while they still have the power to bowl fans over, the thrash-metal heroes are tearing through songs from throughout their 35-year career on a farewell tour that kicked off last week in California. The goodbye trek was turned into something of a traveling mini-fest, with fellow '80s pioneers Anthrax and Testament both in tow along with Ozzfest-era favorites Lamb of God and Polish openers Behemoth. The long, harrowing lineup will be a good test for the newly remade Armory's resilience. (5 p.m. Thu., the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., 18 & older, $63-$96, Ticketmaster.com.)
