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

1. “Broken Ice:” Part of the Great Northern Festival’s mission to celebrate winter-born culture, this multimedia concert — the full name is “Broken Ice: Indigenous Sonic Salve From the North” — will showcase innovative Native music makers from northern states. The lineup was curated by Nicholas Galanin, a renowned Alaskan visual artist who’s also a recording artist for Sub Pop Records. His electronic-wired band Ya Tseen (“be alive”) tops out a roster that includes Bizhiki, a trio featuring powwow-inspired Wisconsin Ojibwe singers Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings and Joe Rainey with Bon Iver collaborator S. Carey. Iñupiaq poet and performance Allison Akootchook Warden, aka Aku-Matu, and filmmaker Jaida Grey Eagle will also be featured. (7 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $30, axs.com)

2. Roe Family Singers: Fresh off celebrating their 20th anniversary at the 311 Club — the place where it all started and continues every Monday night — one of the best mountain-music bands from the flatland plains defies being taken for granted on its first album of all new songs in more than a decade, “Sisters and Brothers.” Bandleaders Quillan and Kim Roe use traditional, Carter Family-style folk to ruminate on modern times in songs like “Little Trouble” and “On the TV Today,” many rife with Minneapolis’s recent woes. There’s fun stuff, too, including the Women’s-March-ready “Loretta Lynn Blues,” one of a handful to feature drums — a newfangled Roe addition that will also be part of the expanded lineup for this ambitious release party. (7:30 p.m. Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls. $15-$22, theparkwaytheater.com)

Also: Liverpudlian rocker Joey Molland, a longtime Minnesota resident because he married one, brings Badfinger to downtown Minneapolis for “Come and Get It,” “Baby Blue” and “Day After Day” (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, $25-$35); powerhouse vocalist Thomasina Petrus joins Stablemates, the veteran Twin Cities jazz trio, for a program of standards (6:30 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35).

3. Jovonta Patton: While a lot of Twin Cities music lovers consider First Avenue a church, it’s been very rare to hear actual church music inside the 53-year-old rock hub. It’s about time this gospel music star from north Minneapolis is given the chance to headline there. The honor comes after the singer, producer, choir director and church leader landed his sixth No. 1 in Billboard, “Always,” which topped the Gospel Airplay singles chart last summer. He’s going all out for this show with a large ensemble, guest singers including Melissa Bethea and Jabari Johnson, and songs from throughout his 16-year recording career. “Trap evangelist” Maya Marchelle will open. (7 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $18-$25, all ages, axs.com)

Also: Between earning an Oscar song nomination last week and heading to the Grammy Awards on Sunday, Twin Cities music fixture Dan Wilson of Semisonic fame returns home to make up his two postponed gigs in Sue McLean & Associates’ Words & Music series (7:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Woman’s Club of Minneapolis, sold out); Texas twangers Flatland Cavalry are touring behind their fall release, “Wandering Star,” and the single “Wool” from the soundtrack to “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” (Fillmore, ); Jay Young & Lyric Factory offer a program of songs by “women who changed the game” featuring standout Minneapolis vocalists Ginger and Ashley Commodore (7:30 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35); Minnesota-via-Chicago rustic bluesman Jake LaBotz is kicking off a month-long Friday night residency at Icehouse (8 p.m., $20); well-traveled L.A. guitarist Adam Levy, who has played with Norah Jones and Rufus Wainwright, performs with the local rhythm section of JT and Chris Bates (7:30 p.m. MetroNome, $20).

4. Lisa Fischer: After joining Grammy-winning Gullah revivalists Ranky Tanky last year, this wondrous vocalist returns with her simpatico group, Grand Baton. A former backup singer for the Rolling Stones and Tina Turner (and a star of the Oscar-winning doc “20 Feet From Stardom”), Fischer combines the emotionalism and grace of R&B, the energy and abandon of rock ‘n’ roll, the warmth and intimacy of folk, the artfulness and grace of jazz, the pain and liberation of the blues, and the drama and soaring highs of opera. Always highly recommended. (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $35-$60, dakotacooks.com)

5. Dylan LeBlanc: Son of Muscle Shoals studio guitarist James LeBlanc, this Louisiana singer-songwriter has dropped an ambitious concept album, “Coyote,” his fifth full length. It’s a semi-autobiographical story of a man who’s running from his impoverished past and finds himself entrenched in a Mexican drug cartel. With LeBlanc’s hushed but high-pitched voice and mostly dark, ominous sounds, “Coyote” becomes an atmospheric, suspenseful tale, framed by Muscle Shoals studio players including the singer’s father. (9 p.m. Turf Club, 1601 University Av. W., St. Paul, $20-$25, axs.com)

Also: The unforgettable Twin Cities trio of Kimberly Michaels, Kendra Glenn and Krishwana Sade team up for a tribute to Natalie Cole (8 p.m. Crooners, $30-$40); alt-twanger Becky Kapell and her tight band the Fat 6 take on the Schooner Tavern (8 p.m., free); in the 100th week of jazz at this revamped St. Paul night spot, the Steve Kenny Quintet plays its John Coltrane show (8 p.m. KJ’s Hideaway, $20); the Trios Trio, featuring Twin Cities pianist Larry McDonough, bassist Jim Bierma and drummer Jimmy Olson, make their debut at Jazz Central (8 p.m., $15); explosive rockers Haters Club and grimy swingers Whiskey Rock ‘n’ Roll Club MPLS are together again (9 p.m. Palmer’s Bar, $10).

6. Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro: Veteran actor/singer Cumming (“The Good Wife”) and journalist Shapiro (NPR’s “All Things Considered”) team up for a show they call “Och and Oy: A Considered Cabaret.” They sing and tell stories and jokes. Shapiro’s résumé includes performances with the super-eclectic band Pink Martini, and Cumming has released a couple of albums and snagged a Tony for playing the Emcee in the Broadway revival of “Cabaret.” Between their cheeky raconteuring, the duo has included tunes associated with Bette Midler, Judy Garland and Kristin Chenoweth. (7 p.m. Pantages Theatre, 710 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., $65-$125, ticketmaster.com)

7. VocalEssence: It’s been 55 years since Philip Brunelle called up composer Aaron Copland and asked if he could present a concert of his choral music. That was the birth of VocalEssence, one of America’s most decorated choral organizations, and now Brunelle is pausing for a bit of nostalgia, celebrating his 80th birthday with a concert full of his favorite works. Among them are pieces by Benjamin Britten, Dominick Argento, Eric Whitacre, John Rutter and Stephen Paulus. (4 and 7 p.m. Larson Hall, American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Av. S., Mpls., $19.50-$35, vocalessence.org)

8. Mayer Hawthorne: When he’s not busy DJ-ing for the Kardashians or serving as a Doja Cat collaborator, this stylish, Michigan-reared, Motown-rooted singer is still making his own cool, retro-groove records. Last year’s album, “For All Time,” boasted heavy tinges of Curtis Mayfield-style psychedelic soul and enough romantic falsetto to charm Medusa. He’s touring with members of the gender-non-conforming Chulita Vinyl Club. (7:30 p.m. Fine Line, 318 1st Av. N., Mpls., $30-$45, axs.com)

9. Tribute to R.E.M.’s “Murmur”: Oscar-nominated actor Michael Shannon (”The Shape of Water,” “Knives Out”) has been teaming with Bob Mould Band bassist and Split Single leader Jason Narducy to perform classic albums in their entirety over the past decade in Chicago bars, mostly for fun. Their recent staging of R.E.M.’s 1983 debut for the Metro nightclub’s 40th anniversary was such a hit they’ve taken it on the road, with Shannon trying to decipher Michael Stipe’s mumbly words and fellow Mould member and Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster and other indie-rock vets in tow. They round out the sets with other early cuts from the sorely missed Athens, Ga., legends. (8 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1st Ave. N., Mpls., $25, axs.com)

Also: Acoustic string masters John McAndrews, Billy McLaughlin and Michael Monroe team up as the 3Ms (6:30 p.m. Parkway Theater, $30-$50); indie-pop singer/songwriter Jeremy Messersmith is recording a live album over two shows at Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater (3 and 6 p.m., sold out); the Sunday matinee jazz series at Cloudland Theater continues with sets featuring George Cartwright, Patrick Marschke and more (2 p.m., $15); backed by a 10-piece big band, Erin Livingston presents her salute to Helen Reddy (6:30 p.m. Crooners, $35-$45); no longer on duty for her Sunday night radio gig at WCCO, Jearlyn Steele steps out to perform with brother and Fred Steele (7 p.m. the Dakota, $30-$35).

St. Louis Park native Peter Himmelman, a deep and creative thinker and literate singer-songwriter, always has surprises when he returns for hometown performances (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$40).

10. Joshua Redman: Like his late tenor saxophonist father Dewey Redman, saxophonist Redman is a prolific jazz adventurer. In 30 years, he has released 16 albums (including one with the Bad Plus). The latest, 2023′s “Where We Are,” offers a travelogue of sorts, including a version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia,” Jimmy Webb’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and John Coltrane’s “Alabama.” The album opens with “After Minneapolis (face toward mo(u)rning),” that starts with Redman’s sax playing “This Land Is Your Land” before building into a mournful screech followed by beguiling vocals by Gabrielle Cavassa about fear and freedom braided with piano chords. The 2021 co-winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, 28, sings throughout the album and will join Redman in concert with pianist Paul Cornish, bassist Philip Norris and drummer Nazir Ebo. (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $50-$65, dakotacooks.com)

As the title of his sixth album, 2023′s “The Deep & the Dirty” suggests, New Orleans singer/guitarist Eric Johanson gets down and dirty, delivering alternately noisy, bluesy, swampy and Delta-y sounds (7 p.m. the Dakota, $20-$35); the Riffin’ Trio, a jazzy instrumental trio led by Cactus Blossoms guitarist Jake Hanson, gets the honor of breaking in the stage at the new North Loop hangout Berlin (7-10 p.m., 204 N. 1st St., Mpls., free).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.