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

North Carolina’s kitschy but killer rockabilly/surf-rock vets Southern Culture on the Skids are back out and are paring up with Kinda Fonda Wanda here (8 p.m. Fine Line, $25); one of the heaviest rock duos around, U.K. blasters Royal Blood are touting their latest album, “Back to the Water Below” (8 p.m. the Fillmore, $51); Sophia Eris, Jaki Blue, Andrew Broder and We are the Willows all perform to celebrate late Twin Cities violinist and songwriter Leah Ottman and raise money for the Lott Foundation, which her family started in her honor (8 p.m. Icehouse, $20 donation).

1. Portugal. The Man: After working with producers Danger Mouse and Mike D of Beastie Boys on 2017′s “Woodstock” and the surprise Grammy-winning hit “Feel It Still,” the Alaska-born, Portland-based collective took a hiatus from the studio. Last year, the group turned to Jeff Bhasker, who has worked with Kanye West, Harry Styles and Mark Ronson, for “Chris Black Changed My Life,” their ninth studio release. Named for the late filmmaker who had been a hype man on Portugal’s tour, the taut, 34-minute album is another shape-shifting collection with psych-pop, dance-pop, jazz, soul and hip-hop influences, with guests Black Thought, Edgar Winter and Paul Williams. Recent set lists indicate that Portugal is drawing material from several of its albums. (8 p.m., also Sat., First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $53.50 and up, axs.com)

Also: Art-A-Whirl kicks off around northeast Minneapolis with 2024 highlights including Gully Boys at Indeed Brewing, Black Widows at Sociable Cider Werks and Creeping Charlie at Elias Metal Studio (4-10 p.m., free); if Dallas big band Ghost-Note, led by Snarky Puppy percussionists Robert “Sput” Searight and Nate Werth, is half as funky live as its jazzy, hip-hop infused funkathon new double LP “Mustard n’Onions,” then we’re in for a delectable treat (6:30 & 9 p.m. the Dakota, $30-$35); Prateek Kuhad, one of India’s most popular singer/songwriters, just dropped a new single, “No Complaints,” following his fall EP, “Mulaqat,” sung entirely in Hindi (8 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $25-$30); British shoegaze/whirl-rock darlings Ride were riveting at First Ave two years ago and are back with a new album, “Interplay” (9 p.m. Fine Line, $30); top-notch Twin Cities singer/songwriter Mary Bue previews her ninth album, “The Wildness of Living & Dying,” with openers Dandy L. Freling and Molly Maher (8 p.m. Icehouse, $15-$25); the Fierce Mothers of Minneapolis is a show put together by pianist Lori Dokken featuring some top-notch Twin Cities women singers including Mary Jane Alm, Aimee Lee, Ginger Commodore, Patty Peterson, Judi Vinar and Rachel Holder (7:30 p.m. Woman’s Club, $40-$75); veteran Twin Cities saxophonist/percussionist José James, father of the jazz singer of the same name, leads a tribute to the jazz-soul of Grover Washington Jr. (8 p.m. Belvedere tent at Crooners, $25-$35); Canadian country singer Tenille Townes, known for the 2018 hit “Somebody’s Daughter,” is back (8 p.m. Turf Club, $20 and up); bandoneonist Charles Gorczynski brings his tango quartet to the North Loop (8 p.m. Berlin, $15); Van Morrison-channeling locals the Belfast Cowboys play their annual Under the Canopy gig with Linda Ronstadt-covering openers the de’Lindas (7 p.m., Hook & Ladder, $20-$35); Tina & the B-Sides, mainstays in Twin Cities clubs in the ‘80s and ‘90s, resurface in Red Wing (7:30 p.m. Sheldon Theatre, $21-$39); New Jersey-bred, Twin Cities-based John Gorka, the intelligent troubadour, settles into the Parkway Theater (7:30 p.m. $25-$35).

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2. BJ the Chicago Kid: After first making his mark in gospel music and then collaborating with a constellation of hip-hop stars including Kanye West, ScHoolboy Q and Anderson Paak, BJ the Chicago Kid decided to explore neo-soul on his 2023 album “Gravy.” Recording at Memphis’ Royal Studios (where Al Green cut his classics), the always collaborative BJ found a cool Silk Sonic-like sound, with the help of a parade of guests including Cory Henry, Robert Glasper, Freddie Gibbs, Andra Day, Coco Jones, Chlöe and Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire. (6:30 & 9 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $40-$45, dakotacooks.com)

3. Minnesota Chorale: If you’ve been suitably wowed by this choir bringing a sparkling interpretation to some large-scale masterpiece in the company of the Minnesota Orchestra, you should hear how they sound a cappella. The choir closes its season with a celebration of all of its choral programs, from the grade-school-age Prelude to the Minneapolis Youth Chorus to the retirement-aged Voices of Experience. But the main attraction is the opportunity to hear the chorale step out from the orchestra’s shadow, conducted by its longtime leader Kathy Saltzman Romey. (7:30 p.m. St. Olaf Catholic Church, 215 S. 8th St., Mpls., free-$10, mnchorale.org)

Also: Buzzy Brit Holly Humberstone, who toured with Olivia Rodrigo two years ago, is back, in support of her debut album “Paint My Bedroom Black,” the follow up “Work in Progress” EP and her new single with Muna, “Into Your Room” (7 p.m. Fine Line, $25-$50); Chicano Batman, the Los Angeles synthesizers of funk, soul, rock, Tropicália and other Latin flavors spiked with psychedelia, opt for more of an electronica sheen on this year’s “Notebook Fantasy” after the departure of drummer Gabriel Villa (8 p.m. Uptown Theater, $43 and up); Gear Daddies drummer Billy Dankert, who’s a visual artist and literary singer/songwriter on the side of his best-known gig, celebrates the release of a long-in-the-works new solo album, “All Eight,” in a dual release party with Matt Caflisch (8 p.m. Schooner Tavern, free); today’s Art-a-Whirl lineup across northeast Minneapolis includes the Cactus Blossoms at Eastside Food Co-op, the Zoo Animal reunion gig and Nur-D at Bauhaus, and Curtiss A and Becky Kapell at Twin Ignition Garage (noon-10 p.m., mostly free); Twin Cities tenor saxophonist Lucia Sarmiento plays tunes from this year’s “Escape” album (8 p.m. Berlin, $15); New York alt-rockers X Ambassadors have hit the road again behind their fourth album, “Townie,” issued last month (8 p.m. Varsity Theater, $44 and up).

4. The Decemberists: Nine albums and nearly a quarter-century into their quirkily impressive run, Colin Meloy and his wistful and folkloric folk-rock band from Portland, Ore., are riding as high as ever with their new double-album, “As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again.” The adventurous collection includes their catchiest hit to date, “Burial Ground,” and a 19-minute prog-rock epic, “Joan in the Garden,” that shows these bookish rockers can raise hell. Expect to hear both at this excellent pairing with can’t-miss nervy Chicago openers Ratboys. (8 p.m. Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $45-$75, axs.com)

5. Secret Sisters: Having Brandi Carlile produce their last album, “Saturn Return,” helped bring attention and a Grammy nomination to this sister act from the legendary music town of Muscle Shoals, Ala. Their even stronger follow-up, “Mind, Man, Medicine,” should earn them a long-term career. Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle hone their sibling harmonies like torches throughout the soulful and twangy collection, produced with Civil Wars’ John Paul White and featuring Ray LaMontagne in the stirring single, “All the Ways.” (7:30 p.m. Sun. & Mon., Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., resale tickets only, theparkwaytheater.com)

6. Jalan Crossland: The idiosyncratic left-handed six-string banjoist from tiny Ten Sleep, Wyo., is a real character. The so-called trailer park troubadour specializes in blues and folk tales that recall early Bob Dylan, John Prine and Tom Waits with their flair for detail and wryness. “Hoboerotica” tells the story of a tramp tramp, and “Big Horn Mountain Blues” is country blues peopled with offbeat mountain folks (“my ex-girlfriend was a stripper/ I was the only guy that didn’t tip her”). Accomplished enough to be named runner-up in the 1997 National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship, Crossland has issued four solo albums and four with his now-defunct band. (6:30 p.m. Belvedere tent at Crooners, 6161 Hwy 65, Fridley, $25-$35, croonersmn.eventbrite.com)

Also: Joyann Parker, one of the area’s finest singers still touting last year’s release “Roots,” shares a bill with Jackie Venson, the Austin, Texas, guitar slinger still promoting last year’s “Evolution of Joy” (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$45); Sierra Hull, the esteemed mandolinist/singer last seen touring with Minnesota guitar hero Cory Wong, brings her bluegrass-rooted Americana sounds (8 p.m. Hopkins Center for the Arts, $38-$48); Twin Cities singer/songwriter Haley continues her residency at Berlin with Duluth’s Alan Sparhawk (7 p.m., $10); the final day of Art-A-Whirl in northeast Minneapolis features Kevin Washington & RA Spirit, Laamar and Cornbread Harris all at Indeed Brewing and more (noon-5p.m., free); Cornbread is also playing his usual gig at Palmer’s Bar afterward (5-7 p.m., free).

7. Gregorian: Germany’s Frank Peterson has found classical crossover success by digging further down into the roots of Western music than most. Seeing that ancient choral styles like Gregorian chant would periodically find a place on the pop charts, he decided to combine modern pop with the old-school style and formed Gregorian. The vocal octet dons medieval monk garb (both musically and sartorially), and performs echo-laden, monastery-ready takes on hits by such rock folks as U2, Peter Gabriel and Pink Floyd. They’ll bring a cathedral vibe to the Fitzgerald. (8 p.m. Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange St., St. Paul, $49.50-$160, first-avenue.com)

Also: Metal-loving experimentalists Mr. Bungle, starring Mike Patton, reunited in 2019 and a year later dropped “The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo,” material from which is denominating recent set lists that also feature 10cc’s “I’m Not in Love” and Olivia Newton-John’s “Hopelessly Devoted to You” (8 p.m. First Avenue, $42 and up); the Dakota Combo pairs MacPhail faculty with some of Minnesota’s top high school musicians including Seth Ziemniak, Anna Golikova, Kai Sartin, Dominic Cudd and James Antón (7 p.m. the Dakota, $15).

8. Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble: He’s a Grammy-winning producer, known for his work with Bonnie Raitt, the Rolling Stones and so many others. As a bassist, he’s recorded with Bob Dylan and toured with Bob Weir & the Wolf Bros. And he has a day job as president of Blue Note Records, the jazz label celebrating its 85th anniversary. Was has put together his dream band of Detroit musicians, including saxophonist Dave McMurray and keyboardist Luis Resto, to play a mix of jazz, funk and tunes from his Was (Not Was) group. The Pan-Detroit Ensemble has been rehearsing, but its first ever gig will be in Minneapolis. (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $40-$65, dakotacooks.com)

9. Billy Strings: The Grammy-winning, metal-loving acoustic guitarist with the flying fingers is respected in bluegrass circles, beloved by jam band fans and admired by guitar aficionados. Named artist of the year in 2022 and ‘23 at the Americana Music Awards, he and his acoustic, drummer-less band deliver marathon concerts, typically divided into two sets, filled with original tunes, bluegrass favorites and unexpected covers of everyone from Pink Floyd to Cheech & Chong. The aptly named Strings is a marvel in concert. (7:30 p.m. the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., resale only, ticketmaster.com)

Also: Southern Californian punk hero Mike Ness is back out after a cancer bout with his ever-revving band Social Distortion of “Ball and Chain” fame and grade-A power-soul openers the Bellrays (8 p.m. Palace Theatre, $40-$50).

10. LCD Soundsystem: Between three-night stands in Seattle and Chicago, James Murphy and his hipster-adored New York dance-rock troupe are returning to the Twin Cities for one night only. At least they’re not playing Roy Wilkins Auditorium again, site of their last three shows in town. The groove grinders behind sly party jams such as “North American Scum” and “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House” have been gradually working their way back from a long pandemic hiatus with big-city residency runs and festival gigs. They have at least one excellent new song, “New Body Rhumba,” to light up dance floors in town. (7:30 p.m. the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., $77-$170, ticketmaster.com)

Also: French guitar master Stephane Wrembel, who has recorded 17 albums under his name and the nom de guitar the Django Experiment, does his salute to Django Reinhardt (7:30 Parkway Theater, $30-$40).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.