Critics’ picks: The 15 best things to do and see in the Twin Cities this week

One of rock’s most visually stunning and musically impactful artists of the past decade and a half, Annie Clark’s tour reportedly puts aside the high concepts and clever production of recent outings in favor of a relatively straight-ahead, no-nonsense rock show. She’s even playing up her oft-underplayed guitar-god talent. Sounds great. The Texan innovator’s newest album, “All Born Screaming,” is full of grandly rocking, topsy-turvy tunes that are a show unto themselves, including the killer single “Broken Man.” We’re one of the few cities to get a two-nighter, timed to an appearance at Chicago’s Riot Fest on Saturday. Houston electro-rocker Dorian Electra opens. (8 p.m. Thu. & Fri., Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $55-$75, sold out Fri., axs.com)

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Only two years since it played First Avenue riding a modest viral buzz, the ultra-chill dream-pop trio from the desert town of El Paso, Texas, already has ascended its way to arena-headlining status. Credit mostly goes to the heavy TikTok and YouTube play for its naturally cinematic songs such as “Apocalypse” and “Cry,” each anchored by singer Greg Gonzalez’s soft and tenderly dramatic voice. The band’s zoned-in, hypnotic, albeit mellow live shows also have won it further attention, a trait that will be greatly tested this time out. (8 p.m. Tue., Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $40-$130, ticketmaster.com)

C.R.

Big in the Twin Cities! That was Soul Coughing’s boast. The New York quartet, which created a captivating bohemian hybrid of jazz, hip-hop and rock, was popular in the Twin Cities in the 1990s, thanks to heavy airplay on the then-hip radio station Rev 105. By 1997, Minnesota accounted for one out of every eight Soul Coughing recordings sold. The group was so popular here that it played four consecutive nights at First Avenue. Since the original Soul Coughing lineup split up in 1999, frontman Mike Doughty has been a fixture at Minnesota clubs. Now Memphis-based guitarist/singer Doughty, L.A. bassist Sebastian Steinberg, NYC keyboardist Mark degli Antoni and Jerusalem-based drummer Yuval Gabay have reunited for a 17-show tour and, of course, the Twin Cities is included. (8 p.m. Tue., Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $45-$75, axs.com)

JON BREAM

No other music event in the Twin Cities offers you lovingly curated music makers from Pakistan, Palestine, Sweden, Catalonia and other far-off locales all under one roof in under one week — and all for free. The three-night international affair’s 12th run in 15 years kicks off Monday with the 12-piece Balkan Paradise Orchestra and Swedish acoustic quintet Fränder. Tuesday features Colombian tropical dance groover Ramon Chicharron and Pakistan’s Pitchfork Music-endorsed Ustad Noor Bakhsh, a maestro of the dulcimer-like benju. Wednesday features Toronto’s Trinidad-rooted calypso band Kobo Town and Palestinian folk singer Mona Miari. No passport required. (7:30 p.m. Mon., Tue. and Wed., Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., free, RSVPs suggested, thecedar.org)

C.R.

The esteemed jazz guitarist John McLaughlin declared that Bhattacharya is “the master of the slide guitar […] he has no equal.” The Indian master is arriving in the United States with stringed instruments of his own design: the Chaturangui, a 26-string slide guitar; Pushpa Veena, a 25-string hybrid of the sarod and slide guitar; and the Anandi, a four-string slide ukulele. Accompanied by his daughter, vocalist Anandi, and his younger brother, percussionist Subhasis, Bhattacharya will pay tribute to the pioneering Indian recording artists of the early 1900s, playing Hindustani classical ragas and popular songs. (7:30 p.m. Sun., Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., $30-$35, thecedar.org)

J.B.

The season opens with a collection of baroque-era concertos that engage two or more soloists in musical conversation, including J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. Then, on Sunday, set sail on the Mississippi for a concert aboard the Minneapolis Queen. (Concerts: 7 p.m. Wed., Bethany Lutheran College Trinity Chapel, 730 Luther Drive, Mankato; 7 p.m. Fri., Central Lutheran Church, 259 W. Wabasha St., Winona; 7:30 p.m. Sat., Augustana Lutheran Church, 1400 S. Robert St., West St. Paul; free-$25. River cruise: 11:15 a.m. Sun., Bohemian Flats Park, 2150 West River Pkwy., Mpls., $125. bachsocietymn.org)

ROB HUBBARD

For the past two years, the classical music world has been abuzz about South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim. At 18, he became the youngest winner of America’s foremost piano competition, the Van Cliburn, clinching it with a spectacular performance of a Sergei Rachmaninoff piano concerto. He’ll solo on another as he opens the season with music director Thomas Søndergård and the orchestra. The program is something of an Italian musical travelogue, featuring works by Hector Berlioz, Andrea Tarrodi and Ottorino Respighi (“The Pines of Rome”). (8 p.m. Fri., 7 p.m. Sat., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $56-$131, 612-371-5656 or minnesotaorchestra.org)

R.H.

On Sept. 1, 1894, an apocalyptic inferno scorched over 400 squares miles of timber country in central Minnesota halfway between Minneapolis and Duluth. The fire, Minnesota’s second deadliest, took the lives of more than 400 people. Now the Great Hinckley Fire is being marked with a theatrical commemoration by Bucket Brigade theater. Hinckley native Jeremiah Gamble wrote the script and Jeff Miller directs a music-infused show whose cast includes Peyton Dixon, Joy Donley, Michael Pearce Donley and Vanessa Gamble. (7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Oct. 12. Art House North, 793 Armstrong Av., St. Paul. $20-$50. bucketbrigadetheater.com)

ROHAN PRESTON

Patrick Scully, now a veteran performer, was once a blithely clueless young man. In this solo retrospective, he looks at his teenage years that culminate with his coming out in 1980. His life story interweaves with setbacks and achievements around LGBTQ rights. Illusion Theater co-leader Michael Robins directs this solo show that kicks off Illusion’s 50th season. (Sept. 20-Oct. 6: 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. $35 or name your price. Center for Performing Arts, 3754 Pleasant Av. S., Mpls. 612-339-4944, www.illusiontheater.org)

R.P.

Murder mysteries are all the rage, with true-crime stories animating stages large and small in the Twin Cities. Subtitled “A Hilarious New Murder Mystery,” this new play by Tyler Mills and director Tyler Michaels King centers on high school buddies who gather for a game night. Then the host gets murdered. The cast includes Sasha Andreev and Janely Rodriguez. (7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 12. Gremlin Theater, 550 Vandalia St., St. Paul. $22-$43. trademarktheater.org)

R.P.

Jennifer Glaws’ company Jagged Moves explores ways that we live our emotions physically in this piece. Four dancers inhabit the immersive world of the work, with elements that include a sculpture/set, sound design, videography, lighting and spoken stories. An earlier iteration of “It’s Physical,” was saturated with colors, textures and ideas. This work continues Glaws’ unpacking of how we communicate and how our feelings live in our bodies. (7:30 p.m. Thu. & Sat.,10:30 a.m. Fri., 2 p.m. Sun., Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Av. S., Mpls. $22 advance, $25 door, southerntheater.org)

SHEILA REGAN

This year marks the 20-year anniversary of “Solo,” a performance featuring artists chosen for the McKnight Fellowships for Dancers. On the docket are an array of enticing projects, like Sam Aros-Mitchell’s performance of a restaging/reconstruction of two original pieces by José Limón. Among them is a solo from “Danzas Mexicanas,” which was created using inspiration from Mayan and Aztec sculptures, as well as “The Deer solo” from Limón’s “The Unsung.” Dante Puleio, director of Limón Dance, is restaging the work. Also performing is Leila Awadallah, who spent five days in Lebanon with choreographer Alexandre Paulikevitch to create a piece about memory that reflects on the experience of being Palestinian-American. In addition, “Solo” includes works by Demetrius McClendon/ImagineJoy, ballet dancer Yuki Tokuda, and Sharon Picasso. Cheng Xiong, who won’t be performing because of an injury, will share footage from his process of working with Denden Karadeniz in Amsterdam. (7:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat., O’Shaughnessy, 2004 Randolph Av., St. Paul, $25. 651-690-6700, oshag.stkate.edu)

S.R.

Get outside and see some art all weekend before winter creeps in. This annual fall art crawl in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis showcases artists’ work at more than 60 locations, including artist studios at the Ivy Arts Building, Milkweed coffee shop and Squirrel Haus Arts, to name a few. (10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. & Sun., various locations, see lolaart.org for complete map)

ALICIA ELER

The annual Minnesota Center for Book Arts prize recognizes new work from a variety of international book artists. This year there were 150 entries from 16 countries. This exhibition showcases the original artworks by 20 semifinalists and five finalists. Don’t miss Sophie Wang’s book “Do You Speak Second Gen?” — a 12-page bound book printed on transparencies — and Bangalore-based Ravikumar Kashi’s poetic “Echoes of Loss: Remnants of a Mother Tongue,” made entirely of cotton rag fiber pulp. Ends Oct. 12. (10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thu., Minnesota Center for Book Arts, 1011 Washington Av. S., Suite 100, Mpls., free, mnbookarts.org or 612-215-2520)

A.E.

This lakeside festival fuses art and music. The weekend kicks off with performances by Ragtown and FlashMob on Friday. Attractions throughout the three-day event include more music, craft booths, food vendors, history tours and a wine and beer garden. Local bakers will compete in apple pie contests. (5-10 p.m. Fri.; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat.; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun., Water Street, downtown Excelsior, excelsiorlakeminnetonkachamber.com)

MELISSA WALKER