The Big Gigs: Shows and highlights of the upcoming entertainment week

Marilyn Manson has lost his shock value over the years, even though he tried his damnedest on his latest ho-hum CD, "Eat Me, Drink Me." Perhaps acknowledging as much, he is at least upping his musical credibility on his current tour by reuniting with bassist and chief collaborator Twiggy Ramirez. The duo co-wrote most of Manson's big hits, including "The Beautiful People" and "Dope Show," before Ramirez went off and toured with A Perfect Circle and Nine Inch Nails. Thus, look for plenty of old material this time around. Opener Ours is the latest metal band championed by mega-producer Rick Rubin. (8 p.m. today, Myth. Sold out.) (C.R.)

The 2005 documentary "The Devil & Daniel Johnston" demonstrated that there's nothing cutesy or cool about Daniel Johnston's very real bipolar disorder, but there is something uniquely charming about his obtuse, fantastical bedroom folk-pop music. The cult-loved Texas songwriter -- whose long list of fans/supporters has included Kurt Cobain, David Bowie, Tom Waits and Sonic Youth -- plays his first Twin Cities show since his story became an arthouse-hit film. He has a new self-released album, "Lost and Found." Johnston's gigs are never sure things, but on the right night they can be quite uplifting. (9 p.m. today, First Avenue. 18 & older. $15.) (C.R.)

Did you discover Sissel serenading at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer or in 1997's blockbuster "Titanic" or in December's PBS special "Northern Lights" with Jose Carreras? The versatile Norwegian superstar has sung with Celine Dion, Placido Domingo, the Chieftains and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, with whom she is nominated for two Grammys for their Christmas album. For her Minneapolis debut, the ethereal, multilingual soprano will be accompanied by a six-piece combo. (8 p.m. today, Pantages Theatre, $32-$52.) (J.B.)

Sort of a cross between the Moldy Peaches and Papas Fritas, Boston area boy/girl duo Drug Rug had a breakout run at New York's CMJ Music Festival with its joyous, juvenile fuzz-pop, as heard on its blogger-buoyed self-titled debut. Local ambient rockers the Alpha Centurai open. (9 p.m. today, 400 Bar. 18 & older. $8.) (C.R.)

Joining Joanna Newsom in the fight to make the harp hip again (or for the first time?), Canadian indie-folk singer Basia Bulat has also earned comparisons to Joni Mitchell since her debut, "Oh, My Darling," was issued last summer. A dramatic, strings- and piano-laden collection produced by Arcade Fire cohort Howard Bilerman, the disc had its U.S. release Tuesday. (9 p.m. Sat., 7th Street Entry. 21 & older. $10.) (C.R.)

A hidden gem of the local bar scene, singer/songwriter Nikki Matteson delivers pining folk, acoustic blues from the 78-rpm era and rockin' throwbacks to the acid-laced 1960s. This week her RueMates band, led by iconoclastic guitar vet Rich Rue, adds Jim Tollesfrud of the Liquor Pigs plus an "old-fashioned psychedelic light show" for a night of all-electric fun. (9 p.m. Sat., Hat Trick Lounge. $5.) (T.S.)

While ex-bandmate Gary Louris is about to release his first solo album, Mark Olson capped off his decade-old post-Jayhawks career last year with his best collection of songs since "Hollywood Town Hall," the poetic and often heartbreaking album "Salvation Blues." Olson returns to promote the disc following a tour with Mary Gauthier. This time, another former bandmate, Marc Perlman, will join him as opener with his new duo Janey & Marc. (7:30 p.m. Sun., 400 Bar. 21 & older. $12.) (C.R.)

Six Organs of Admittance is the hippie-trippy, Syd Barrett-meets-Califone solo folk project by Comets on Fire guitarist Ben Chesny, who also tours in Bonnie "Prince" Billy's band. He's on tour supporting his Drag City release, "Shelter From the Ash," with opener Mick Turner, the Australian guitarist of Dirty Three fame. (9 p.m. Sun., 7th Street Entry. 18 & older. $10-$12.) (C.R.)

It should be an evening of hip, ethereal mellowness as two previous headliners share a bill at the Cedar Cultural Center. Keren Ann is the Israeli/Dutch singer/songwriter who (sometimes) sings in French and lives in Iceland, Paris and New York. Her fragile folk-pop repertoire includes Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" and calming originals that evoke Norah Jones. Dean & Britta are an L.A. husband-and-wife duo who used to perform in the band Luna. As a duo, they favor whispery indie pop with a 1960s vibe, including a Beatles-like treatment of Lee Hazelwood's "You Turned My Head Around." (7:30 p.m. Mon., Cedar Cultural Center, $18 advance, $20 door.) (J.B.)

Forced out of his beloved New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, songwriting/producing legend Allen Toussaint has rebounded better than anyone could have predicted, blossoming into a belated concert star with the same "And then I wrote..." tour through his magical past that he has performed sporadically for years. Toussaint still has neighborly storytelling charm and the piano skills that the hipster set has known about since those Crescent City glory days when Lee Dorsey, Irma Thomas, Ernie K-Doe and Dr. John were all making radio hits fueled and guided by Toussaint. A casual American treasure. (7 & 9:30 p.m. Wed., Dakota Jazz Club. $40-$50.) (T.S.)

One of the best Big Starry/Beatles-esque pop-rock bands today, Chicago quartet the Redwalls survived a botched deal with Capitol Records and just put out a new self-titled collection that has more hooks than a Mille Lacs ice-fishing village. These guys are truly a blast live. Catfish Haven opens. (9 p.m. Thu., Triple Rock. 21 & older. $10-$12.) (C.R.)

FOLK The concert is billed as "Monsters of Folk." That's hyperbole but Dave Alvin, Tim O'Brien and Chris Smither are stars in their own right. Alvin rocked with roots-rock masters the Blasters and pioneering punks X before enjoying a solid solo career; his "Public Domain: Songs From the Wild Land" earned a Grammy for best contemporary folk album in 2001. O'Brien, who is a gifted storyteller ("Kelly Joe's Shoes" is my favorite), has been a force in modern bluegrass since the early '80s, especially with the group Hot Rize. Smither has been making folk-blues recordings since the early '70s; he's best known for writing the Bonnie Raitt favorite "Love Me Like a Man." (7:30 p.m. Sun., Cedar Cultural Center, $25 advance, $30 door.) (J.B.)

For those who care more about the "coveted Holliwood waffle iron" than those little Grammy statuettes being handed out Sunday night, it's time for the Battle of the Jug Bands, that well-oiled annual West Bank event, with 20 combos playing 15-minute sets, and Fritz Richmond and Gus Cannon smiling down from Jug Heaven. Hump Night Thumpers, from Chicago, return to defend their 2007 victory, playing the final set at roughly 7:20 p.m. (1 p.m. Sun., Cabooze.) (T.S.)

JAZZ Minnesota master drummer Eric Kamau Gravatt has spent a lot of time on the road lately with McCoy Tyner, reviving a fruitful association that dates to the 1970s. But this weekend the often intense trap-set great, also known for his work with Weather Report, shows off his own fine band, Source Code, co-starring vibraphonist Dave Hagedorn, sax vet Dean Brewington, bassist Ron Evanuik and trombonist Dave Leigh. (9 p.m. today-Sat., Artists' Quarter. $12.) (T.S.)

The Jazz Vocalists of Minnesota, a co-op group, gets listeners in the Valentine's mood with a program dubbed "Songs of Love" by 11 singers, including Dorothy Doring, Lucia Newell and Vicky Mountain, and a first-class rhythm section featuring pianist Phil Aaron, drummer Jay Epstein and youngster Graydon Peterson on bass. (7 p.m. Sun., Artists' Quarter. $5.) (T.S.)

In December, the jazz St. Nick brought last year's finest homegrown vocal CD: Maud Hixson and Rick Carlson's beautiful duets collection, "Love's Refrain." Now the lovey-dovey duo returns for a St. Valentine showcase. Piano + voice + Great American Songbook = romance. (9 p.m. Thu., Artists' Quarter. $5.) (T.S.)

CLASSICAL Implausible though it seems, Steve Reich and Philip Glass are both past 70. The pioneers of minimalism are now among the elder statesmen of American music, and their compositional tool kit has become a pillar of mass culture. But what was minimalism, and what did it say about us? The latest edition of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's "engine408" new-music series invites us to pose these questions anew; the program comprises Glass' String Quartet No. 2. Reich's "Different Trains" and "Road Movies" by their younger colleague, John Adams. (8 p.m. Sat., SPCO Center, 408 St. Peter St., St. Paul. $10. 651-291-1144 or www.thespco.org.) (L.F.)

Joshua Bell is no stranger to Twin Cities audiences, but he's more familiar as a soloist with orchestra than as a recitalist. His upcoming concert, part of the Schubert Club's star-studded 125th season, will sharpen our image of this iconic violinist. The program includes sonatas by Tartini, Saint-Saëns and Prokofiev. The pianist is the excellent Jeremy Den, also an entertaining blogger (see jeremydenk.net/blog). (8 p.m. Sat., Ordway Center, 345 Washington St., St. Paul. Sold out.) (L.F.)

Preserved in the grooves of old records are performance styles far removed from those we encounter in today's concert halls. In "Listening Back," three two-hour sessions at the new MacPhail Center, Minnesota Orchestra concertmaster Jorja Fleezanis and musicologist Michael Steinberg -- the Twin Cities' foremost musical power couple -- survey this neglected, ear-opening legacy. An earlier program was devoted to singers; coming sessions will treat string players and pianists, including a fistful of legends. (10 a.m. Mon. & March 3, Antonello Hall, MacPhail Center for Music, 501 S. 2nd St., Mpls. $20. 612-321-0100 or www.macphail.org.) (L.F.)

Contributors: Staff critics Jon Bream and Chris Riemenschneider and freelancers Tom Surowicz and Larry Fuchsberg.

Indie-rock heroine Cat Power (Chan Marshall) has reportedly come out from depression and substance abuse -- not to mention her stage fright of old -- to finally do her albums justice onstage. The smoky-voiced rock balladeer sounds more confident and content on "Jukebox," a spotty but fascinating sequel to 2000's "The Covers Record." She is touring with her Dirty Delta Blues, featuring the Dirty Three's Jim White, Delta 72's Gregg Doreman and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's Judah Bauer. In other words, the Power should truly be there. Appaloosa opens. (9 p.m. Mon., First Avenue. 18 & older. $25.) (C.R.)