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

1. Leo Kottke: He’s a Minnesota musical treasure, a post-Thanksgiving institution and an inductee in the Guitar Player Hall of Fame. Kottke’s adventures on 6- and 12-string guitars are riveting, seasoned with occasional baritone vocals and spontaneous idiosyncratic stories. His humor, quirky as it may be, is as captivating as his guitar playing, mesmerizing as it is. As is his tradition of 40-some years, Kottke prefers an opening act that might be as eccentric as he is. He’s landed on Nellie McKay, the charming New York cabaret artist with the disarming wit and expansive musical palette. (7 p.m. Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, $59-$95, Ordway.org)

2. Kiss the Tiger’s December residency: After another bustling summer filled with rowdy outdoor gigs — including well-paired opening sets with Lucinda Williams and Joan Jett — Meghan Kreidler and her hard-charging throwback Twin Cities rock band are getting down to business gearing up for a 2025 album and trying out new songs, including their just-released blaster of a new single “This Night Is Killing You.” Their last album, “Vicious Kid,” came out back in 2021 and landed the local hit “I Miss You” on the Current. They’re playing four Thursdays in a row with different kindred openers each week, starting with Big Salt this week, followed by (in order) the Controversial New Skinny Pill, Ahem and Laamar. (8 p.m. every Thursday in December, Icehouse, 2528 Nicollet Av., Mpls., $15-$22, icehousempls.com).

3. Minnesota Orchestra: You seldom find the music of J.S. Bach at a Minnesota Orchestra concert, as post-1800 works are more the specialty of the house. But mandolin virtuoso Avi Avital will help them cut into the deficit with a program chock-full of Bach, including transcriptions of works originally written for violin and harpsichord. There also will be orchestral versions of Bach organ pieces and Bach-inspired works by Gustav Mahler, Arvo Part, Betsy Jolas and Paul Hindemith. Making his local debut is Canadian conductor Jordan de Souza. (11 a.m. Thu., 8 p.m. Fri. Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls. $36-$111, minnesotaorchestra.org)

Also: Toronto’s high-energy and highly meaningful, Ukrainian-rooted folk-punk troupe the Lemon Bucket Orkestra is back in town and pairing up with our local ambassadors the Ukrainian Village Band (7:30 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $30-$35); melodic and poetic folk-pop strummer Lucy Michelle’s band Little Fevers heads up a fun bill with Pleasure Horse and Betty Won’t (7:30 p.m. Turf Club, $12-$15); the Bands for Banned Books fundraiser will feature Dad Bod, Chutes and L.A. Buckner with Thomas Abbas (7:30 p.m. 7th St. Entry, $15); fuzz-rocker Monica LaPlante returns to Palmer’s Bar with Milwaukee’s Sex Scenes and more (8:45 p.m., $10); thanks to Twin Cities cartoonist Charles Schulz, we love our Charlie Brown Christmas so much that there are competing tributes by local pianists on the same night: Travis Anderson (7 & 9 p.m. the Dakota, $15-$20) and Tanner Taylor (6:30 p.m. Thu. & Fri. Crooners, $28-$38); local crooner Vic Volare offers his Rat Pack holiday show (8:30 p.m. Granada Theater, $20-$45).

4. The New Standards: There are many long-standing Twin Cities musical traditions during the Yule season: Lorie Line, the Steeles, the Blenders, Bing & Andy Christmas and Simple Gifts featuring Billy McLaughlin, to name a few. But, for many, the unofficial season kickoff is the New Standards Holiday Show. For three shows over two days, Chan Poling, John Munson and Steve Roehm bring joy to the world with a cavalcade of guests, delightful banter, festive outfits, the incomparable Rupert, loads of surprises and a few seasonal nuggets including the originals “Snow Days” and “Christmastime Next Year.” (8 p.m. Fri. and 2 & 8 p.m. Sat. State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., $50-$130, ticketmaster.com)

5. Jeff Arundel: The Twin Cities entrepreneur and St. Anthony Main mainstay has been so busy opening another new restaurant/music venue, Aster House, that it’s easy to forget that he’s a singer. Of late, he’s been heard in the Scarlet Goodbye with Dan Murphy, formerly of Soul Asylum. But, as he has done for 20 years now, Arundel will perform a holiday show with a bunch of friends — Molly Maher, See Change Treble Choir, the Foshays, Farm Girl, Esti Beliz and the Hammsmen — in St. Anthony Main’s longtime event space. Costumes are invited. (8 p.m. Aster River Room, 125 SE Main St., Mpls., $10, astercafe.com)

Also: Another Twin Cities band from way back in the Cabooze’s early days, Robert Wilkinson’s Flamin’ Ohs returns to the reborn venue to help celebrate its 50th anniversary, with Faith Boblett opening (8 p.m., $18); YouTube-popularized teen yodeler turned twang-pop crooner Mason Ramsey is out promoting his first full-length album, “I’ll See You in My Dreams” (7:30 p.m. 7th St. Entry, $20-$25); surf-punk favorites the Black Widows have a special noontime gig at the Minnesota Record Show to promote their new instrumental EP, “Swamp Rock City” (noon, the Hook & Ladder, free); Eau Claire-reared indie-folk strummer Hannah Hebl, who performs as Hemma, headlines with Trash Date to preview her new album, “Abalone Sky,” co-produced by Bon Iver associates S. Carey and Brian Joseph (8 p.m. Icehouse, $11-$18); Minnesota-launched a cappella champs Home Free harmonize for the holidays (8 p.m. Jackpot Junction, Morton, Minn., $40-$70).

6. Dillinger Four: Wait, is D4 a full-time band again? It’s really starting to look like it. The Twin Cities’ most riling and exciting punk band of the past quarter century hasn’t put out a record in 16 years and went many years without gigging. Over the past couple years, though, the four feisty fellas have pushed back at middle age by pushing themselves back on stage more often, including a Riot Fest set in September and a short string of East Coast dates last weekend. They’re gearing up for an even more active 2025. First, though, they return to the Mainroom to help celebrate Extreme Noise record store’s 30th anniversary with a stacked lineup featuring Home Front, Canal Irreal, Condominium and Buio Omega (6 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $30-$35, axs.com)

7. Meshell Ndegeocello: The intrepid and suddenly prolific musical adventurer last year delivered “Omnichord Real Book,” an intimate, heartache-filled collection that captured the first Grammy for best alternative jazz album, and this year she’s dropped two albums. “Red Hot & Ra: The Magic City” is a tribute to intergalactic music maker Sun Ra, and “No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin” is inspired by the writings of the great author. In fact, his words can be heard in some songs as well as Ndegeocello’s own lyrics and spoken word from Jamaican poet Staceyann Chin. The sounds may seem gentle but the words penetrate to the heart. (6:30 & 9 p.m. Walker Art Center, 725 Vineland Pl., Mpls., $25-$45, walkerart.org)

8. Miryana Moteva: This Bulgarian pianist is a teaching artist at Minneapolis’ MacPhail Center for Music who has curated a program full of new music for three instruments by Puerto Rico’s Ivan Rodriguez, Bulgaria’s Lora al-Ahmad and Spain’s Marc Migó, each piece focused on a journey from darkness into light. Joining her will be two fellow MacPhail faculty members, pianist Irina Elkina and clarinetist Nina Olsen, as well as two musicians from the Minnesota Orchestra, violinist David Brubaker and cellist Sonia Mantell. (7 p.m. Antonello Hall, MacPhail Center for Music, 501 2nd St. S., Mpls. $5-$25. MacPhail.org)

Also: Grateful Dead tribute band Joe Russo’s Almost Dead is led by a former drummer of Furthur, which featured Bob Weir and Phil Lesh (8 p.m. Palace Theatre, $50-$85); Dave Wakeling leads the English Beat in a reprise of the ‘80s hits “Save It for Later” and “Mirror in the Bathroom” (7 p.m. the Dakota, $65-$75); Wayzata piano maven Lorie Line dresses up the holidays once again (3 p.m. Ames Center, $68); Ann Hampton Callaway, the Broadway vet who has become a regular at Crooners, does her Yule show (4:30 & 7:30 p.m., $45-$55); New Age piano man Jim Brickman, who has released 12 Christmas albums, returns for his annual December gig (8 p.m. Pantages Theatre, $50-$80); Sounds of Blackness alums Geoff and Chreese Jones team up for a Motown-themed Christmas program (6 p.m. Crooners, $28-$38); performed annually since 1995, “Tales From the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log” is Twin Cities superb storyteller Kevin Kling’s holiday show with piano man Dan Chouinard, vocalist Simone Perrin and the Brass Messengers (7:30 p.m. the O’Shaughnessy, $5-$33); beloved singer/songwriter Claudia Schmidt is back at Gingko’s Coffeehouse (7 p.m., $25); Trailer Trash’s always riotous, always twangy Trashy Little Xmas Show rocks the Parkway Theater (7 p.m., $30-$35).

9. Curtiss A’s John Lennon Tribute: It shouldn’t be needed, but there’s a little extra incentive this year to catch this marathon mega-performance of songs by the biggest rock band of all time, which has been a tradition at Minnesota’s Mainroom almost every year since Lennon’s murder in 1980. It starts earlier than usual, for starters. It coincidentally coincides with the release of the new Martin Scorsese-produced documentary on Disney+, “Beatles ’64,” which is strong enough to reignite the Beatlemaniac in most of us. And it’s a nice, round year anniversary-wise: 45. The songs are timeless, and there’ll be some fresh faces this year to help Curt and his large crew bring them to life again, from the early-’60s hits to Lennon’s solo canon, with extra emphasis and firepower in the wilder late-’60s material. (6 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $25-$30, axs.com)

Also: Rootsy piano man Ben Cook-Feltz is putting on his fourth annual, kid-friendly holiday shindig for families with a cast of guests including Haley E Rydell, Leslie Rich and Nikki Lemire to benefit the health research org Rein in Sarcoma (2 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $15-$20); Katy Vernon will host the Rock ‘n Roulette 2024 fundraiser party featuring bands born out of the She Rock She Rock camp/school and a performance by Annie & the Bang Bang (6 p.m. Hook & Ladder, $20-$25); St. Paul soul man Nicholas David offers his 11th annual St. Nick’s Day show (7 p.m., $35-$40).

JazzMN Orchestra’s Swinging in the Season show will feature top-shelf vocalists Connie Evingson and Bruce Henry (7:30 p.m. Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, $44 and up).

10. Girl in Red: Last seen in town playing to 60,000 very excited Swifties at U.S. Bank Stadium as an opener on last year’s Eras Tour, Norwegian electro-pop star Marie Ulven has generated plenty of excitement on her own since going viral as Girl in Red via the ultra-charming 2021 breakout hit “Serotonin.” She graduated to Columbia Records for her latest record, “I’m Doing it Again, Baby,” a rockier and at times snarkier collection led by the single “You Need Me Now?” featuring another pop diva as a guest singer, Sabrina Carpenter. We have her last 2024 tour date behind the album with U.K./L.A. hybrid trio Sunday (1994) opening. (7:30 p.m. Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $45-$75, all ages, axs.com)

Also: Ace New England Americana singer/songwriter Jeffrey Foucault is out trumpeting “The Universal Fire,” his new live album dedicated to his late former touring partner, Owatonna-reared drummer Billy Conway (7:30 p.m. Parkway Theater, $25-$35); Grammy-nominated Twin Cities folk strummer Ondara, aka JS Ondara, is playing the second installment of his December residency with a backing band and opener Courtney Hartman (8 p.m. Icehouse, $25-$32); Detroit trumpeter Solomon Parham, an alum of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, pays tribute to Miles Davis in a special Blue Tuesday gig that includes a three-course meal (6 p.m. Berlin, $15).

Two of “American Idol’s” recent country-music finalists Will Mosely and Colin Stough are out on tour together (7 p.m. Varsity Theater, $40, all ages); St. Louis Park crooner Arne Fogel does his Bing Crosby holiday show with pianist Rick Carlson (6:30 p.m. Wed. & Dec. 12, Crooners, $25-$35); Kathleen Johnson’s Holiday Hang features a collection of stellar Twin Cities voices including Cornisha Garmon, Lamont Keten and Len Jones (7 p.m. the Dakota, $25-$35).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.