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

1. Lucius: You may have seen them elegantly singing behind Brandi Carlile or Roger Waters at recent shows, but those who heard Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig’s uncannily tight vocal harmonies a decade ago in their 7th St. Entry debut with their dramatic rock group Lucius knew they were already soaring. They’re on tour again marking the 10th anniversary of the band’s first album, “Wildewoman,” and playing two nights in a row next door to the Entry. The first night is their own show with New York strummer Jeff Taylor opening, and the second is to celebrate the Current’s 19th anniversary with local indie-popster Ber and Texan Abraham Alexander. (7:30 p.m. Thu. & Fri., First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $40 Thu., sold out Fri., axs.com)

2. The Callisto Quartet: The Lakes Area Music Festival isn’t just a summertime thing, nor just a Brainerd thing. The festival also hosts a Twin Cities series that brings internationally renowned musicians to the Woman’s Club beside Loring Park to perform chamber music, including this young string quartet, which has picked up prizes at several of the world’s most esteemed chamber music competitions. In addition to string quartets by Mozart and Maurice Ravel, it will perform a 2016 piece, Paul Wiancko’s “Lift.” (7:30 p.m. Woman’s Club of Minneapolis Lounge, 410 Oak Grove St., Mpls., free-$50, lakesareamusic.org.)

Also: Shelby Lynne, the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter of dark, painful tunes, wraps up her two-night stand interpreting the songs of Dusty Springfield (7 p.m. the Dakota, $65-$75); Minneapolis folk picker/alt-twanger John Louis sings whimsically and movingly about city life and mid-life on his new album “For Everyone (Especially You),” whose release he’s celebrating with Bad Posture Club and Jon Rodine (7:30 p.m. Hook & Ladder, $12-$17); New Standards vibraphonist Steve Roehm will join the Vic Volare Orchestra’s Music for Martinis lounge show (7:30 p.m. Crooners, $30-$40); stellar Twin Cities vocalist Gwen Matthews pairs with pianist Dan Chouinard for In Their Living Room (6:30 p.m. Dunsmore Room at Crooners, $25-$35); Carolyn Young hosts a birthday tribute to Lucinda Williams (6-8 p.m., White Squirrel Bar, free).

3. Drone Not Drones: A bumper-sticker slogan that became an annual live tradition now in its ninth year, the fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders will once again feature 28 hours of nonstop free-form/improvisational music. The sounds typically range from soothing and hypnotic to manic and madcap, but the overall effect can be literally awesome. That is, if you don’t fall asleep; many attendees have been known to do that while sprawled out with sleeping bags on the “dance” floor. Performers this year include Low’s Alan Sparhawk, Native music innovator Joe Rainey, Charlie Parr’s Portal III, Liz Draper’s Chama Devora, Paul Metzger, Dosh, American Cream, Jeremy Ylvisaker and Claire Rousay. Look for a final schedule day-of. (7 p.m. Fri. to 11 p.m. Sat., Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., $35-$40, thecedar.org)

Also: Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin, the stellar Grammy-winning singer-songwriters and good friends, make good after an October postponement (8 p.m. Pantages Theatre, $60-$115); Lucius tops off the lineup for the Current’s 19th birthday party with Ber and Abraham Alexander (7:30 p.m. First Ave, sold out); Outstanding Achievements in the Field of Excellence are rocking again with Little Man (8 p.m. Cloudland Theater, $15); it’s Saturday Is Instrumental night at the White Squirrel Bar with Big Trouble (6-8 p.m., free); psychedelic rockers Manias and the Flavor Crystals are teaming up (10 p.m. 331 Club, free).

4. Digable Planets: Using a jazzy sample of Fred Wesley and the J.B.’s and a sly boy/girl vocal interplay, Digable Planets carved a new path for hip-hop in the pop mainstream in 1993 with their Grammy-winning sleeper hit “Rebirth of Cool (Cool Like Dat).” The New York trio only issued two albums before splitting in 1995, and co-leader Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler went on to do innovative work with the duo Shabazz Palaces. He and Mariana “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira and Craig “Doodlebug” Irving have been sporadically doing Planets gigs again since 2015 and are out now marking the 30th anniversary of their debut album, “Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space).” (8 p.m. Varsity Theater, 1308 SE. 4th St., Mpls., $53.50, ticketmaster.com)

5. The Blue Note Quintet: The venerable jazz-oriented Blue Note Records will celebrate its 85th anniversary with a variety of activity in 2024. There will be a series of new albums by Charles Lloyd, Norah Jones and Ethan Iverson, among others. There will be vinyl reissues of classic albums by Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter and others. And the label is dispatching an all-star collective on a 35-date tour. The lineup is pianist/musical director Gerald Clayton, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, drummer Kendrick Scott and bassist Matt Brewer. (6:30 & 9 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $40-$55, dakotacooks.com)

Also: Brandin Lea of the Texas alt-rock band Flickerstick, famous from the early-’00s VH1 competition TV series “Bands on the Run,” is playing a special solo gig paired with Junk FM’s Chris ‘Mo’ Mochinski (9 p.m. Aster Cafe, $15); a country singer with a rock edge, Allie Colleen is one of those Nashville singers who uses her middle name as a surname but she has good reason because her dad is kind of famous: Garth Brooks (8 p.m. Fine Line, $20-$40); “Modern Day Cowboy” rockers Tesla are still out rocking with the same singer and other members from their ’80s heyday (8 p.m. Mystic Lake Casino Showroom, resale only); Miami dance-pop groovers Magic City Hippies are taking on the Mainroom (8 p.m. First Ave, $25); the last night of Iowa rocker Lissie’s January residency will feature her band again along with opener/pal Chris Koza (8 p.m., sold out); for the 19th annual re-creation of the Band’s Last Waltz, keyboardist Rob Hilstrom has enlisted special guest blues guitar Bob Margolin, who played at the original 1976 event in Muddy Waters band, as well as an all-star local cast including Demetri Rallis, Adam Levy, Nicholas Davis and Terry Walsh as Van Morrison (7 p.m. Fitzgerald Theater, $25 and up); semi-local late-’80s alt-pop band the Ocean Blue is revisiting its first two albums for Sire Records (8 p.m. Icehouse, sold out).

6. Cecile McLorin Salvant: She is a modern-jazz marvel. The most esteemed jazz vocalist of her generation, the triple Grammy winner, 34, is a brainy, playful adventurer. In 2023, Salvant released “Melusine,” an eclectic concept album (sung primarily in French, Haitian Creole and Occitan) about being a hybrid of cultures, that’s led to two Grammy nominations. Last year, she premiered at Walker Art Center “Ogresse,” an ambitious original chamber opera accompanied by her own hand-drawn animation and a 13-piece orchestra. Previously, she’s captivated with her vocal-and-piano dialogues with Sullivan Fortner at the Dakota. Always a must-see live performer, Salvant returns to downtown Minneapolis with a trio featuring drummer Savannah Harris, bassist Yasushi Nakamura and Fortner. (6 & 8 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $30-$45, dakotacooks.com)

Also: A Twin Cities transplant with roots in Arizona, Seattle and South Africa, folk singer Jaspar Lepak sings about women’s rights and motherhood with deep conviction and sticktoitiveness on her new album “So Strong,” which she’s promoting via a release show with Haley Rydell (5 p.m. Icehouse, $17); indie-rock songwriter Mary Bue is pairing up with Dan Murphy’s and Jeff Arundel’s band the Scarlet Goodbye at Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater (8 p.m., $15); BluLuna is a new quartet formed by Twin Cities jazz vets with Dean Magraw on guitar, Rick Carlson on piano, Steve Pikal on bass and Jay Epstein on drums (5;30 p.m. Dunsmore Room at Crooners, $20-$30); Jazz Women All-Stars will go for a Brazilian touch with Lucia Newell and Patty Peterson (8 p.m.. Crooners, $30-$40).

Robert Robinson, the Twin Cities gospel great who’s outstanding in any style he essays, returns to the Dakota (7 p.m., $15-$20); the Cactus Blossoms finish off their January residency with opener Clare Doyle (8 p.m. Turf Club, sold out).

7. DJ Shadow: One of the all-time most influential turntablists in hip-hop, the California mix master set the bar high with his 1996 debut album “Endtroducing…,” which was built entirely around a wild array of funk, soul and jazz samples alongside drum machines. He has continued to do innovative work in the quarter century since then, with highlights including 2016′s hit Run the Jewels collaborative track “Nobody Speak” and his aptly named latest instrumental album, “Action Adventure.” His first big tour in years behind the LP promises to be a fun dance party. (8 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1st Ave. N., Mpls., $35, axs.com)

8. Vikingur Olafsson: This Icelandic pianist is currently as hot as the lava that periodically oozes from the ground of his volcanic homeland, with albums that have garnered over 600 million streams. In 2022, he gave Twin Cities audiences a taste of his masterful way with J.S. Bach, and now he returns to spend each of two concerts exploring one of that composer’s magnum opuses, the complex and deeply involving “Goldberg Variations.” (7:30 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. Jan. 31 Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, $36-$75, schubert.org.)

9. Jaime Wyatt: The rising outlaw country singer hooked up with Black Pumas’ Adrian Quesada to produce “Good Time,” her third album. They head in a rootsy, soul-infused Americana direction with an emphasis on the grooves. Her lyrics are pointed and personal, whether discussing gun violence, climate change or the power of love, queer or any kind. The California-reared, Nashville-based Wyatt mentions her stint in a L.A. county jail prison (for robbing her drug dealer) and covers the Grateful Dead’s “Althea” because her dad was pals with the Dead’s Bob Weir. (8 p.m. Turf Club, 1601 University Av. W., St. Paul, $20-$25, axs.com)

10. Klezmer on Ice: It’s the second annual festival celebrating Eastern European Jewish music and culture with activities spread over five days at various locations. The festivities kick off with performances by Jewbalaya, a Twin Cities group that offers a stew of Klezmer and New Orleans sounds, and Swiss shtetl-pop entertainer Lea Kalisch (7 p.m. Hook and Ladder Theater, $22-$28). Other events include a dance party at Art Shanty Projects (noon Sat. at Lake Harriet, free), KlezKabaret (9 p.m. Sat. Eagles Club, $10-$20) and Forshpil, which mashes up traditional Yiddish music with modern rhythms and instruments (7:30 p.m. Sun. Cedar Cultural Center,$20-$25). A festival pass is $59 at klezmeronice.com.

Also: British ex-pat Albert Lee, a stellar Grammy-winning guitarist who has worked with the Everly Brothers, Eric Clapton and Emmylou Harris, is back at the Dakota (7 p.m., $40-$50); Minneapolis’ Mother Banjo mixes bluegrass and folk among the flowers (4:30 p.m. Como Conservatory, free); emo-affiliated New Jersey rockers Thursday are playing their 2003 album “War All the Time” on tour (7 p.m. First Ave, $30-$35); the Cedar Cultural Center is showcasing new work by McKnight Fellowship-winning composers Mychal “MMYYKK” Fisher, Heiruspecs’ DeVon Russell Gray with LaAerial, and Troy Rogers aka Robot Rickshaw (7:30 p.m., $17).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.