The Big Gigs: 10 best concerts to see in the Twin Cities this week

1. Beausoleil: After celebrating their 50th anniversary last year, Michael Doucet and his Cajun band are showing no sign of slowing down. The rootsy group from Lafayette, La., has a strong following on the north end of the Mississippi River thanks to frequent appearances on “A Prairie Home Companion” and a strong contingent of local French Americans. The fiddle- and accordion-led troupe is renowned worldwide, too, not just for its encyclopedic adherence to Cajun traditions but also because it just plain ol' swings. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $50-$60, dakotacooks.com)

Also: England’s Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats are performing their new album, “Nell' Ora Blu‚” which mixes the band’s signature psychedelic metal with Italian cinema bombast (8 p.m. Fitzgerald Theater, $37.50 and up); in a nod to an older album, Larry McDonough Trio performs Bill Evans' 1961 LP “Live at the Village Vanguard” (4:30 p.m. Berlin, free).

2. Subtronics: If there’s any snow on the roof of the Armory in downtown Minneapolis, you can bet it will have all been rattled off by Sunday after three nights with this heavy-bass-loving dubstep star. The Philadelphian producer/DJ (aka Jesse Kardon) — whose remix of Minneapolis hip-hop duo Atmosphere’s “GodLovesUgly” with Zeds Dead is among his top tracks — rose toward the top of EDM fest rosters in recent years. He has been creating his own festival-like multi-night stands in different cities touting his latest album, “Tessaract.” The run here has been dubbed Cyclops Armory and will purportedly feature ultra-hi-fi audio mix, plus different opening sets each night. (9 p.m. Fri-Sun. the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., 18 & older, $82 or $172/three-night, ticketmaster.com)

3. Sweethearts Show: Politics may make strange bedfellows but musicians who perform together often harmonize at home, too. Five Twin Cities musical couples, who also are romantic partners offstage, are sharing a bill for Valentine’s Day. You may not know that they’re married (or coupled) but the lineup is singer Aimee Lee and guitarist Boyd Lee; singer Jennifer Grimm and guitarist Joe Cruz; singer Deb Brown and keyboardist Brian Ziemniak; vocalist Maud Hixson and keyboardist Rick Carlson, and singer/actors Dennis Curley and Jim Robinson. (5 & 8 p.m. Crooners, 6161 Hwy 65, Fridley, $43.47 -$54.63, Eventbrite.com)

4. Erik Koskinen Band: January is not the only month when residency gigs are a thing in town. Gravel road-rooted Americana specialist Koskinen and his gritty and groovy neo-twang band have settled back into a Friday night rotation at Minneapolis’ coolest supper club for the month of February. Especially after issuing two excellent and at times quite moving albums in 2024, " “Down Street / Love Avenue” and “Burning the Deal,” the Upper Peninsula-reared, story-driven songwriter has a trove of songs deep enough to keep it fresh over four weeks. These are “evening with” shows, too, meaning no opener and usually two long sets. (8 p.m. Icehouse, 2528 Nicollet Av., Mpls., $20-$27, icehousempls.com; also: every Thu. in February at the Cedar Lounge in Superior, Wis.)

Also: With their 2010 hit “Pumped Up Kids” now a viral favorite for TikTokers, Los Angeles pop-rockers Foster the People are enjoying a renewed career and have a new album to promote, “Paradise State of Mind” (7 p.m. the Fillmore, sold out); Faroe Islands musician Eivør, beloved for her Nordic drumming and throat singing, lands at Cedar Cultural Center touting her latest record, “ENN” (8 p.m., $33); after opening up for Zach Bryan at Target Center, West Virginian country tunesmith Charles Wesley Godwin is pulling a two-nighter at the Uptown Theater, the first night of which is sold-out (8 p.m., also Sat., $56); French chanteuse Cyrille Aimee, a Dakota regular whose “à Fleur de Peau" was a finalist for this year’s Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album, does Valentine’s Day at the Parkway Theater (7:30 p.m. $35-$45); prolific Wycliffe Gordon, who has won the DownBeat’s Critics Poll as top trombonist an unmatched six times, joins Minnesota Music Educators Association’s All-State Jazz Band, which has 21 players from 17 high schools (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, $20-$25); more for the brokenhearted, Twin Cities rockers Kiss the Tiger are putting on another tribute to Lucinda Williams for Valentine’s Day (8 p.m. Turf Club, $15-$20); Minnesota storyteller extraordinaire Kevin Kling gathers some musical pals for “The Love Show” (7:30 p.m. the O’Shaughnessy, $5-$33).

Parmalee, the country trio with four No. 1 Nashville songs, has a new single, “Cowgirl,” from its forthcoming eighth album (8 p.m. Varsity Theater, $45 and up); New York’s electro-pop duo Phantogram of “Mouthful of Diamonds” fame is still churning out vibrant and innovative albums, including the new one they’re on tour promoting, “Memory of a Day” (7:30 p.m. the Fillmore, $64); poet-turned-rapper Mustafa is a fixture in the Toronto hip-hop scene that also birthed Drake and the Weeknd (8 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, all ages, $25); wiry Toronto pop-rock Good Kid has gained a following with “Fortnight” players and other gamers (7 p.m. First Avenue, all ages, $30-$35); Minnesota twang-rock vets the Gear Daddies head out to the Medina Entertainment Center with the Belfast Cowboys (8 p.m., $31-$47); harmonious Americana trio Turn Turn Turn returns to the Dakota with Twins of Franklin (7 p.m., $20-$30).

6. Mary Bue: The “wildness” referenced in this poetic Minnesota rocker’s new album, “The Wildness of Living and Dying,” could allude to the scenic natural settings she often escapes or to life in the busy and problematic city where she has hustled her way into becoming one of the scene’s most celebrated singer/songwriters. Produced by the Suburbs’ Steve Price with an all-star Twin Cities crew, it’s a dramatic and often urgent-sounding record as was forecasted by the fiery early single “Bones and the Marrow.” Other songs such as the neo-twangy “After the Disaster” and the seething “Draw Blood” are tinged with tales of personal trauma and world calamity that we can all related to, but especially women. Soul-rocker Mae Simpson will play a stripped-down set to open. (7 p.m. Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $20-$35, theparkwaytheater.com)

7. Benjamin Booker: Remember him? The scruffy, raw-powered, New Orleans-based singer/guitarist put out a couple of acclaimed albums in the 2010s and earned radio and TV play with songs like “Violent Shiver” and the Mavis Staples-accompanied “Witness” but then truly went on hiatus even before the pandemic. He’s back with his first album in eight years, “Lower,” recorded with indie-rap producer Kenny Segal and laced with electronic beats and experimental sonic elements, but with results that still rawwwk. Segal is on tour with him and playing an opening set. (8 p.m. Turf Club, 1601 University Av. W., St. Paul, $20-$25, axs.com)

8. Hauser: While “classical crossover” generally refers to classical musicians who choose to explore pop-flavored material, this Croatian cellist has headed in the opposite direction. Yes, he’s been classically trained since an early age, but he went viral as a member of the pop duo, 2Cellos. And it helped to be part of Elton John’s touring ensemble. Yet, since the pandemic took hold, he’s returned to performing and recording classical fare, albeit often in slightly popped-up arrangements and with a liberal dose of film music. (7 p.m. Mystic Lake Casino Showroom, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd., Prior Lake, $80-$216, mysticlake.com)

Also: Minneapolis' groundbreaking rapper Dua Saleh, who earned an international buzz with their early EPs before gaining further attention acting in the Netflix series “Sex Education,” has a rare-of-late hometown gig touting a new album, “I Should Call Them” (7 p.m. Fine Line, $25-$30); folky favorites the Okee Dokee Brothers return to the Cedar Cultural Center for two family-friendly shows (11 a.m. & 2 p.m., sold out).

New York chanteuse Kat Edmonson, a Dakota regular, just dropped a new single “Keep Movin',” a melancholy, jazzy twanger that could have been in a David Lynch soundtrack (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$40).

9. Cecile McLorin Salvant: The Grammy-winning jazz vocalist never fails to surprise and mesmerize. She can get boldly adventurous as she did with her chamber opera “Ogresse” at Walker Art Center two years ago. She can have an intimate conversation as she has done in several Dakota appearances with pianist Sullivan Fortner. She can show up with a combo and dazzle with musical alchemy and theatrical presence. This time, Salvant comes with a new pianist, Glenn Zaleski, but always with a penchant for turning familiar pop and jazz tunes inside out with her formidable interpretive powers. (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $35-$45, dakotacooks.com)

10. Cymande: The 1970s U.K. soul band disbanded after only four short years, and frontmen Steve Scipio, a bassist, and Patrick Patterson, a guitarist, went on to became lawyers in the Caribbean. But Cymande’s sounds lived on as hip-hop producers began sampling such tracks as “Bra” and “Dove.” De La Soul, Sugarhill Gang, Wu-Tang Clan and Fugees were among the artists who reimagined Cymande sounds. In 2012, Cymande regrouped, and this year the nine-man band dropped its first wide release in 41 years, “Renasance,” a chill but soulful Afrobeat/jazz/R&B groover filled with socially conscious lyrics and guest Jazzie B of Soul II Soul. (8 p.m. Varsity Theater, 1308 4th St. SE, Mpls., $19 and up, ticketmaster.com)

Also: Gary Rue, who is equally at home in a theater and a rock ‘n’ roll setting, gets to exercise both muscles with his Buddy Holly revue in the month that the music (and Holly) died (5:30 p.m. Crooners, $30-$40); the New Jersey digi-pop band called Arizona, which has toured with Panic! at the Disco, is calling its current run of dates its farewell tour (7:30 p.m. First Ave, $35-$40); Marijuana Deathsquads line up for another of their Wednesday residency gigs at Icehouse (10 p.m., $5-$10).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.