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

1. Eric Mayson: A versatile sideman and co-vocalist for the likes of Dessa, Lizzo and Your Smith, Mayson left the Twin Cities to become a pilot but has landed back in town and returned to making music, too. The St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists-educated keyboardist is celebrating the cassette and online release of his new album, “Rerun,” which started out as a series of one-minute song clips that he expanded into sexy, fun, playful, full-length tunes that range in tone from Silk Sonic-style romps to more wildly orchestrated, Toro y Moi-like showpieces. He has a fine lineup of similarly experimental openers for his party with Tabah, 26! Bats and LaSalle. (8 p.m. Turf Club, 1601 University Av. W., St. Paul, $15, axs.com).

Also: Fresh from doing his Dr. John thing as part of the Last Waltz tribute at the Fitzgerald, soulful St. Paul piano man Nicholas David presents his fourth annual Songs of Love and Loss accompanied by fellow dads Dylan Nau from Apollo Cobra and Demitri Rallis from Frogleg (7 p.m. Crooners, $32.31-$43.47); rootsy bluesman Jake LaBotz wraps up his January residency at Icehouse (8 p.m., $20-$27).

2. The Cedar Commissions: Looking for something new and/or cheap among live music options? This 14th annual series is a sure bet in both cases. It draws on a grant from the Jerome Foundation to showcase up-and-coming composers and musicians who are paid to debut new work, with an eye for diversity and innovation. Night 1’s lineup includes meditative Apache musician Phillip Saint John, Pakistan-rooted lyricist Hibah Hassan and interdisciplinary artist A.P. Looze. Night 2 features Hmong music-inspired pop act Yeej, electronic musicmaker May Klug and bluesy Afrocentric singer John Jamison II. (7:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat. Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., $15 or $25/two-night pass, thecedar.org

3. First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2024: And here’s another great low-buck roundup of highly talented up-and-comers. The annual tradition — which dates back to weekly New Band Night gigs in the newly opened 7th St. Entry in the 1980s — features seven acts who caught First Ave staff’s attention last year. That includes three collegiate indie-rock acts, Kiernan, Porch Light and the Dalmation Club; Ojibwe-rooted experimental trio Bizhiki; Ethiopia-born rapper Mati; jazz-funk combo Room3, and the newly solo Christy Costello, formerly of Pink Mink and Ouija Radio. Look for our separate write-ups on Mati and the rest of the performers. (7 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $15, axs.com)

Read our separate write-ups on Mati and the rest of the Best New Bands lineup.

Also: Uptown’s most consistent venue of late, the Green Room is celebrating its second anniversary this weekend starting with a stacked and rowdy all-local lineup featuring the Shakletons, Megasound, Dark Pony and Katacombs (8 p.m., $20); Twin Cities folk/Americana favorite Chastity Brown is diving into 2025 working toward a new album and starting with a two-night stand (7 p.m., Sat. also, the Dakota, $30-$40); Chris Koza hosts the seventh annual Mpls. SongSlam Competition for a $1,500 prize (8 p.m. Icehouse, $25-$40); garage-rock trio the Boot R&B pairs up with Tim Casey & the Martyrs (9 p.m. Palmer’s Bar, $10); it’s an album release party for St. Paul’s Martin Devaney’s “Blueprint for a Ghost,” his 10th project (7 p.m. Barely Brothers Records, free); gritty Texas twangers Treaty Oak Revival land at the Armory, where they opened for Koe Wetzel last year (8 p.m., $42 and up); British guitarist Mike Dawes showcases his finger-picking skills (8 p.m. Fine Line, $30-$55).

4. Folsom Prison Experience: Relive Johnny Cash’s historic 1968 performance at Folsom Prison in California in this dramatic musical starring Jay Ernest, from the top-notch Twin Cities tribute band Church of Cash, in the title role. Kat Perkins portrays June Carter, and there’s a warden, prison guards as well as Carl Perkins and the Statler Brothers. The repertoire includes all the tunes from the classic album “At Folsom Prison” as well as material from Cash’s other prison project, “At San Quentin.“ (7:30 p.m. Ames Center, 12600 Nicollet Av. S., Burnsville, $42.80, ticketmaster.com)

5. Guster: After celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album last year, the Boston-launched band has undertaken its We Also Have Eras Tour in 2025. The quartet has been playing selections from nine different albums, including last year’s “Ooh La La,” their first project in five years. It’s a grandly melodic pop collection, produced mostly by Josh Kaufman (the National, Hold Steady) with Ron Aniello (Bruce Springsteen) and Rich Costey (Death Cab for Cutie, Of Monsters and Men) also involved. (8:30 p.m. State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., $46 and up, ticketmaster.com)

Also: Minnesota fave Martin Zellar of Gear Daddies fame is visiting from Mexico for a gig with his other band, the Hardaways, which means rock with long-timer Nick Ciola on bass and guitarist Wilson Zellar (5:30 & 8 p.m. Crooners, $43.47-$54.63); Miami’s funky and jammy groovers Magic City Hippies just dropped a new album two weeks ago, “Enemies,” and feel strongly enough about it to play Minnesota in January (8:30 p.m. First Avenue, $25); Marijuana Deathsquads headline Night 2 of the Green Room’s second anniversary weekend (8 p.m., $20); California’s vintage twang and rockabilly stalwarts Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys are back in town (7 p.m. Uptown VFW, $20-$25); Dylan Marlowe, a country singer from Statesboro, Ga., made some noise last year with his duet with Dylan Scott, “Boys Back Home,” before dropping his debut album ”Mid-Twenties Crisis” (7:30 p.m. Fine Line, $20-$40).

6. Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah: Formerly known as Christian Scott, this New Orleans musician made his mark primarily as an adventurous jazz trumpeter who invents his own instruments. However, on 2023’s “Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning,” he abandoned trumpet in favor of a West African n’goni as well as a bowed string instrument he created. Moreover, he explores a different vibe, mixing Western African sounds with Black American music elements, especially from NOLA. With mostly chanted vocals, the music on his 14th studio project is innovative, often hypnotic but in a different realm from his earlier genre-blending modern jazz works. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $45-$50, dakotacooks.com)

7. Schubert Mixology: There once was something called a “Schubertiade,” a combination of party and recital, often with a heavy dollop of music by proto-romantic Austrian Franz Schubert. Beloved Twin Cities baritone Bradley Greenwald revives the tradition with a twist: He’s invited an assortment of local musicians from the realms of jazz, rock, classical and other to put their own spin on some of Schubert’s voluminous catalog of songs. Among the performers are rockers Kiss the Tiger, classical mezzo Clara Osowski, jazz singer Thomasina Petrus and a reunion of the experimental cello duo Jelloslave. (3 p.m. Amsterdam Bar & Hall, 6 W. 6th St., St. Paul, $33, schubert.org)

8. David Gray: After doing a 20th anniversary tour for his hit “White Ladders” album and its massive single “Babylon” in 2020-22, the British singer/songwriter went back in the studio with his longtime producer Ben de Vries and crafted “Dear Life.” Released this month, Gray’s 13th studio album collects detailed short stories about relationships from both the male and female perspectives, prompting Gray to call this his “Blood on the Tracks” album (in reference to Bob Dylan’s 1975 album). Gray’s 50-city Past & Present Tour kicked off last week. (7:30 p.m. State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., $75 and up, ticketmaster.com)

9. Lauren Mayberry: Live shows by Mayberry’s globally popular synth-pop band Chvrches have always centered around her charismatic, glitter-pixie stage presence and disarming voice. So it’s not much of a leap for her to be going solo for the first time. The Scottish singer’s new album, “Vicious Creature,” does take her in new musical directions, though, most significantly in a more overtly poppy, radio-hooky sound that’s part ABBA and, yep, part Taylor Swift. Looks like she’s mostly sticking to songs from the one album on tour. (8 p.m. Fine Line, 318 1st Av. N., Mpls., $35, axs.com)

Also: It’ll be an evening of songs and stories with Albert Lee, the Grammy-winning guitarist who toured with Eric Clapton and Emmylou Harris, and Jeremy Clyde of Chad & Jeremy, the 1960s British pop star (“Yesterday’s Gone”) and more recently actor on “Downton Abbey” (7 p.m. the Dakota, $45-$55); Ross Hutchens, Pat Keen and Toby Ramaswamy will play a couple sets of improv jazz on keys, bass and drums (7 p.m. Berlin, free).

10. Tyler, the Creator: It’s hard to know what to expect from Los Angeles rap ace Tyler Okonma on any given day, but that’ll be especially true Tuesday. The former Odd Future teen star — who’s become a top draw at festivals and on Spotify at age 33 — is kicking off his Chromakopia Tour in St. Paul. His new album of the same name is a surprisingly serious and emotional effort that riffs on his estranged relationship with his dad and prominently features his proud mom. Will the show be similarly dramatic? Or will it offer more of the cartoony mega-production of his 2022 Target Center gig or the punky mayhem of his previous First Ave and Soundset appearances? Probably a little of all of that. Lil Yachty and the duo Paris Texas open. (7:30 p.m. Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $153-$357, ticketmaster.com)

Also: TikTok star Nessa Barrett has been open about her mental health issues in such songs as “Die First” and “I Hope Ur Miserable Until Ur Dead” (7:30 p.m. Fillmore, $52 and up); country singer Paul Cauthen, a good buddy and collaborator of Cody Jinks, brings his baritone voice to Minneapolis (8 p.m. Varsity Theater, $45 and up).

Campy, cultish, YouTube-viral Australian sex-machine groover Donny Benét could be quirky fun and has Al Church opening (8 p.m. Amsterdam Bar & Hall, $25); R&B singer Eric Bellinger, who won a Grammy for writing songs for Chris Brown, is out behind his new album “The Rebirth 3: The Party & the Bedroom” (8 p.m. Varsity Theater, $45 and up); guitarist Tab Laven, who has toured with Art Garfunkel, teams with guitarist Jeff Dayton, longtime music director for Glen Campbell, and Eddie K., who cowrote songs for Barry Manilow, for a program called Music of the Masters (7 p.m. the Dakota, $50-$60).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.