The Big Gigs: Our critics' music picks

POP/ROCK Advertised as "the excuse to finally get away from your family," Staraoke With Arzu has become a Christmas tradition of the ugliest, best kind. The Strut & Shock and ex-Selby Tigers punk songstress -- who snarled her way through "Gary's Got a Boner" at last month's Replacements tribute -- sets an anything-goes standard for audience members to take a shot at a list of mostly Gen-X standards, at once mocking conventional karaoke and highlighting its most wonderful attributes. (9 p.m. Fri., Triple Rock. 21 & older. Free.) (C.R.)

After starting the year playing to soldiers in Iraq and beyond, polished pop-rock bands Quietdrive and Catchpenny are pairing up for one last 2009 gig on the home front. Quietdrive has been playing hometown holiday gigs for five years now, and this time fans will get a copy of the group's new self-released EP if they bring books, DVDs or CDs (used or new) for the Books for Soldiers program. Take Cover and All the Right Moves open. (5 p.m. Sat., Varsity Theater. 18 & older. $15.) (C.R.)

Still best-known for the warm hockey anthem "(I Wanna Drive the) Zamboni" -- actually a hidden track on the 1990 album "Billy's Live Bait" -- the Gear Daddies played country-rock with bright-eyed heartland flavor and blue-collar wiseacre sensibility. They called it quits before the formula got old, and thus the fans of the Austin, Minn.-reared quartet still love 'em dearly enough to fill the Fine Line this time every year. (9 p.m. Sat., Fine Line. $31-$36.) (C.R.)

Local guy James Loney stopped gigging about 15 years ago, but he didn't stop making music. He wrote songs for the Kirsten Dunst flick "Luckytown Blues" and Jeremy Piven's "Just Write." And he's worked backstage as a roadie and runner for many big-time concerts. Loney is returning to action in a small way, with a little help from once-famous friends Jim Riley (the Phones) and Robert Wilkinson (Flamin' Oh's). (8:30 p.m. Sat., Driftwood Char Bar.) (J.B.)

What's this? A holiday show after Christmas? Connie Evingson's "Holiday Songbook" includes an educational twist. Not only will the superb Twin Cities jazz thrush interpret some familiar and lesser-known seasonal fare, but she will share back stories about the tunes. Many selections will come from her commendable "The Secret of Christmas," from 2003. (4:30 & 7:30 p.m. Sun. Jungle Theater, $25.) (J.B.)

Named after Nebraska's state motto, Omaha band the Good Life is a loose, experimental but still deeply lyrical side project of Cursive frontman Tim Kasher. Other members include bassist Stefanie Drootin (Bright Eyes, She & Him) and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Fox ('89 Cubs). The group issued four well-received albums for the Saddle Creek label but has mostly been inactive of late. Anticipation for a hometown show led to four more Midwest bookings. Openers are Kansas' Old Cranes , a homemade indie-folk project of Appleseed Cast's Chris Crisci, plus Chicago's Where Astronauts Go to Hide. (9 p.m. Mon., Triple Rock. 18 & older. $12.) (C.R.)

Cities 97 plays "Bittersweet" by Big Head Todd and the Monsters so often, you'd think it was a current song. It's from 1993. Go for the song, but stay for Todd Park Mohr's monstrous guitar work. (8 p.m. Tue., First Avenue, $25-$27.) (J.B.)

Since he ended his 23-year post-Christmas concert run at Orchestra Hall, Michael Johnson has taken his "Bluer Than Blue" repertoire to various venues around town. Now the former Twin Citian has landed at the perfect place to appreciate his underrated, classically trained guitar work and his always appreciated warm voice. (7 p.m. Tue., Dakota, $16-$20.) (J.B.)

HIP-HOP More local acts are plugging into the power of live, instrument-driven hip-hop, but none has yet topped the bombastic chemistry that Heiruspecs formulated over its decade-long, marathon-like run. Members of the St. Paul-bred sextet -- vets in their late 20s -- have been less active over the past two years while letting real life get in the way, but they recently started working on a new album and should have plenty of spark to drive their usual pair of year-end gigs. Both shows feature Desdamona and Carnage's duo Ill Chemistry and Minneapolis Dub Ensemble. (5 & 9 p.m. Sat., Triple Rock. Early show is all ages, late show 21 & older. $10) (C.R.)

JAZZ Just like St. Nick himself, the Bad Plus can be counted on to show up every Christmas, bringing their bag chock full of musical tricks and treats. Ornette Coleman, Yes, Aphex Twin, Gyorgy Ligeti, ABBA, Nirvana, Igor Stravinsky, Black Sabbath, Milton Babbitt, Burt Bacharach, Blondie, Irving Berlin -- everything's fair game for a Bad Plus makeover, except Juice Newton's "Queen of Hearts," which pianist Ethan Iverson once wanted to tackle, but got loudly outvoted. Add in dozens of oddly named, often gripping original tunes and Iverson's droll, disarming song introductions, and you've got an ever-evolving, always satisfying, often explosive live show. (7 & 9:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun., Dakota Jazz Club. $30-$40.) (T.S.)

Back from a European tour, the often brilliant pianist and composer Bill Carrothers returns for a Boxing Day one-nighter. The veteran of 16 CDs as a leader is known for his catholic approach to repertoire, incorporating Civil War and World War I songs, children's ditties, hymns and anthems, along with compelling originals and more typical jazz bar fare (Monk, Miles, Ornette). (9 p.m. Sat., Artists' Quarter. $10.) (T.S.)

Leader of Dan Cavanagh's Jazz Emporium Big Band down in Texas, where he teaches, pianist, composer and St. Olaf grad Dan Cavanagh has collected a slew of awards for his prolific big band writing. But the young University of Texas prof is also comfortable in small-group settings, having recorded a trio CD ("Last Look") back in 2005 with Minneapolis' own Adam Linz and Jay Epstein. His homecoming features the smallest group possible: a duo with his old St. Olaf teacher, vibes virtuoso Dave Hagedorn. Expect lively musical conversation. (9 p.m. Wed., Artists' Quarter. $5.) (T.S.)

If experience truly is the best teacher, revelers should learn a lot bringing in the new year with savvy pros Carole Martin and Irv Williams. Martin is a splendid, swingin' singer of standards with a résumé going back before the British Invasion, when jazz was still sort of popular. And "Mr. Smooth" was blowing his beautiful tenor sax a few decades before that. Now in its 15th year, no "Auld Lang Syne" show is comfier than this St. Paul shindig, which includes a free food spread. (9 p.m. Thu., Artists' Quarter. $35-$45.) (T.S.)

Guy Lombardo's long gone, but big bands and New Year's Eve still go together well, as dancers get to work off good old holiday overindulgence with fox trots, jitterbugs and horn power. The Bellagalla Big Band, led by Don George, invades a cool revived space with their reams of Les Brown and Sinatra charts. The band includes trumpet firebrand Larry Foyen, ace drummer John Lund, sax vet Russ Peterson, excellent trombonists Jim ten Bensel and Dave Graf, pianist Ron Seaman and singer Bob Glenn, who does the Ol' Blue Eyes numbers. (8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., Christos Union Depot, 214 E. 4th St., St. Paul. 612-805-1270. $30-$40.) (T.S.)

Contributors: Staff critics Chris Riemenschneider and Jon Bream and freelancer Tom Surowicz.