Skip to Content
Music

A Reminder That the Thursday Show Is Actually on Wednesday in Your Complete Concert Calendar: Jan. 30-Feb. 5

Pretty much all the live music you can catch in the Twin Cities this week.

Photos provided|

Thursday; Jovonta Patton

That's right—Thursday (the band) is playing on Wednesday (the day). Hope that clears things up.

Tuesday, January 30

International Reggae All Stars @ Bunkers

Travis Anderson Trio: The Music of Studio Ghibli, Disney & Pixar @ Dakota

St. Dominic's Trio @ Driftwood

Karaoke With On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34

Young Gun Silver Fox with Luke Enyeart and DJ Jake Rudh @ Fine Line

  • DJ Shadow with Holly @ First AvenueDo you kids even know what a giant this crate digger was back in the ’90s? Does anyone under 30—and I’m asking sincerely—ever rock Endtroducing…, or its less celebrated but even warmer follow-up The Private Press? At a time when we’re supposed to accept the duplicitous jumble of our culture as a postmodern inevitably, maybe Josh Davis’s method of reassembling a cohesive world of sound from the scraps he collected feels like a quaint exercise, foolish or even suspect rather than heroic. Your loss. Shadow’s 2023 album, Action Adventure, isn’t just his best since his heyday; it may also be his most personal, constructed from “all my records and tapes,” as one sample on this primarily word-free album puts it. Not that he reveals much of himself, except by referencing the music he loves: 808s and boom-bap, rockabilly guitar and chopped choral voices dah-dah-ing and a husky R&B plaint. What does it all mean? That question is beside the point when something unique has been crafted with such loving care.

Colonel Mustard's Mechanical Orchestra @ Jazz Central

Machine Head @ Lyric

Big Woods Brass @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Víkingur Ólafsson @ Ordway

Sammie Jean Cohen @ Pilllar Forum

All Nighter Tuesdays @ ROK Music Lounge

Joey Valence & Brae with SLOE JACK @ 7th St Entry

Industrial Strength with DJ Sin @ Terminal Bar

Worker’s Playtime: Emmy Woods @ 331 Club

January Conspiracy Series featuring John Swardson, Bev @ 331 Club

Jaime Wyatt with Joshua Quimby @ Turf Club

The New Havoline Supremes! feat. Mary Cutrufello, Dan Lowinger @ White Squirrel

Pure Shifter (Tuesday Residency) with E.T. & Little Lizard @ White Squirrel

Karaoke @ Zhora Darling

Wednesday, January 31

MN Songwriter Showcase hosted by Nick Hensley @ Aster Cafe

Dylan Salfer @ Bunkers

McKnight Composer Fellows Spotlight @ Cedar Cultural Center

Another Heaven with Mx Lonely and Linus @ Cloudland

Mother Banjo @ Como Zoo Conservatory

Maggie's Wednesday: Tom Hunter @ Crooners

Albert Lee @ Dakota

Señor Blues, Pogo Ballet @ Driftwood

Southside Aces @ Eagles 34

Miss Shannon's Swing Night @ Eagles 34

  • Thursday with Rival Schools and Many Eyes @ First AvenueContrary to popular belief, 2003’s War All the Time was not intended to protest the Iraq War. It was, perhaps unsurprisingly coming from a screamo band like Thursday, about the internal warring inside every twentysomething in post-9/11 America. To call this New Jersey group “screamo,” however, sells ‘em a bit short; Geoff Rickly & Co. were always more indebted to Joy Division than Hot Topic, and that artistic depth permeates their whole discography, which holds the hell up. On War, their major-label debut, Thursday screamed a little less, grew more musically muscular, and trended in more complex directions than their peers. (That didn’t stop an Island Mercury label boss from publicly commenting on Rickly’s cute lil butt at the time.) It remains a visceral wallop of Bush-era malaise, and it’ll get the 20th anniversary front-to-back treatment tonight in the Mainroom.—Jay Boller
  • Klezmer on Ice: Lea Kalisch & JEWBALAYA @ Hook and LadderDon’t take the title of "Klezmer on Ice" too literally—this festival isn’t a week of wailing clarinet players on skates. (It’s not like there’s a lot of ice to go around this winter anyway.) But it is offering plenty of great Jewish music, kicking off today at the Hook and Ladder and concluding with a performance by FORSHPIL at the Cedar on Sunday. In between are events in collaboration with the Art Shanty Projects and the City of Lakes Loppet, as well as a screening of new film The Klezmer Project, a klezmer workshop, and a “KlezmerKabaret” at Eagles 34. If you’re even a tiny bit curious about this elastic musical tradition, which has historically incorporated countless outside styles while retaining its essence, now’s your chance to learn more

The Jannelle Burrell Band @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Víkingur Ólafsson @ Ordway

Garden Street, The Grieving Pines, and Red Lovely @ Palmer's

AJ Stone (Album Release) @ Rok Music Lounge

BZ3 Organ Trio @ Schooner Tavern

Val Son, Kansas Plates, and St. Anthony Mann @ 7th St Entry

Mac Lethal @ NEMS @ Studio B

Harold’s House Party on KFAI with Paul and Sam Bergen and Friends @ 331 Club

Twin Town Strings @ 331 Club

Lanue and Ryan Necci and The Buffalo Gospel with Molly Brandt @ Turf Club

Minds On Fire Live presented by Conduit Books & Ephemera @ White Squirrel

Sammie Jean Cohen with Gently Gently, The Old Smugglers @ White Squirrel

Thursday, February 1

DJ Vegan Water @ Acadia

Threads Electric, Wish Wash, Night Job @ Cloudland

Stablemates with Thomasina Petrus @ Crooners

Sue Scott's Island of Discarded Women with Alison Young and Katie Dahl @ Crooners

Badfinger feat. Joey Molland @ Dakota

Tango Night, Johnnyboback Messager @ Driftwood

The Roasters @ Eagles 34

LGBTQ+ Twin Cities Latin Dance @ Eagles 34

Karaoke With On-Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34

Broken Ice ⏤ Indigenous Sonic Salve from the North @ First Avenue

"Snapped" Live Band Open Mic @ Green Room

Derecho Rhythm Section @ Icehouse

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow: An Evening of Amy Winehouse & Carole King @ KJ's Hideaway

The Young Relics @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Cellar Dwellers @ Minnesota Music Cafe

The Sphinx Virtuosi @ Orchestra Hall

Throwback Thursdays with DJ Bootsy Ballins @ Palmer's

The Roe Family Singers (Album Release) @ Parkway

Garden Street, Cretin Avenue Hop, NaN, Stevie Mora @ ROK Music Lounge

Dirtbike Boyfriend @ Schooner Tavern

Devon Worley Band and Russ Parrish & The Lone Oaks with The Samuel John Band @ 7th St Entry

Northeast Invitational @ 331 Club

Luke Callen (Album Release) with Pleasure Horse and Goatroper @ Turf Club

Lucinda Williams Birthday Tribute with Carolyn Young and West Seventh Band @ White Squirrel

Michael Gay with Rachel Bearinger @ White Squirrel

Friday, February 2

The Boot R&B and High Tiny Hairs @ Aster Cafe

Alex Rossi @ Bunkers

Sunsets Over Flowers, Barnacle, Damned Bountiful Vows @ Caydence Records & Coffee

Alash @ Cedar Cultural Center

Jeffrey Robert Larson (Album Release), the 241s, Hilltop Pines @ Cloudland

Weisberg/Pilhofer/Kadidlo @ Crooners

Jay Young and the Lyric Factory @ Crooners

Maggie's Afterglow: Thomas Bruce and Rick Carlson @ Crooners

Davina and the Vagabonds @ Dakota

Man Down, Ryan T Email, Indecent Proposal @ Driftwood

We Can Ride Benefit feat. Morpheus @ Eagles 34

Flatland Cavalry @ Fillmore

One Direction vs. Harry Styles @ Fine Line

  • Jovonta Patton with Maya Marchelle @ First AvenueNorthsider Patton may be the biggest Minneapolis music star you've never heard of. Unless you follow gospel, that is—he first topped Billboard's gospel album charts in 2016, landed at No. 1 on the singles chart in 2023 with "Always," and has spent plenty of time on both in the seven years in between. He also hosts services at The Wave, a "pop-up church" in north Minneapolis that he started with his wife Symone. Not your typical First Ave show, to say the least.

La Clave Orchestra @ Granada

The Jones Gang, Via Chisago, and Tommy Bentz @ Hook and Ladder

Tha Throwback @ Hook and Ladder

Jake La Botz @ Icehouse

Pierre Lewis @ Jazz Central

Surge and the Swell @ KJ's Hideaway

Jordan Johnston & The Elevation @ KJ's Hideaway

The Lowdown Dirty Fools Band @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Ashes Swing @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Careful Gaze, Lovely Dark, Popstar, and Unstable Shapes @ Mortimer's

The Sphinx Virtuosi @ Orchestra Hall

Express Concert: Haydn’s Midday Symphony @ Ordway

The Slow Death, Constant Insult, and Visual Learner @ Palmer's

Dirtbike Boyfriend, Roadside Casino, Squanchy, Dog Gamn @ Pilllar Forum

RATIO: Beab x Allen Hz x Xminus1 x Erlaab x Atrevido @ ROK Music Lounge

Thunderheads @ Schooner Tavern

Borgeous @ Studio B

Jonger, Small Animal Hospital @ Terminal Bar

Tiger Blue, Cult Sequence, Bad Idea @ 331 Club

Not Quite Brothers with Rebel Queens @ Turf Club

Deterioration, Traffic Death, Electric Assault, Stern Look @ White Rock Lounge

The Collaboratory 4th Fridays @ White Squirrel

Words and Music by Dan Wilson @ The Woman's Club of Minneapolis

Y2K Dance Night! Shannon Blowtorch and Sophia Eris @ Zhora Darling

Saturday, February 3

Michael Rendahl @ Acadia

Taylor Fest @ Amsterdam

The High 48’s Bluegrass Brunch @ Aster Cafe

Dylan Hicks & Small Screens @ Aster Cafe

The Level Set, Mikel Wright & the Wrongs @ Bunkers

Souled Out @ Capri Theater

Until Apocalypse @ Caydence Records & Coffee

Making Movies with Alma Andina @ Cedar Cultural Center

Deb Brown Presents Love Will Keep Us Together @ Crooners

Sophisticated Lady: A Tribute to the Music of Natalie Cole @ Crooners

Maggie's Afterglow: Thomas Bruce and Rick Carlson @ Crooners

Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton @ Dakota

Hay Bale, Short Pay Riders, Down on Curfew @ Driftwood

The Brothers Almanac with Steeling Dan @ First Avenue

OVRFWRD (Album Release) with Orthe @ Green Room

‘A Hard Day’s Night’ ~ The Day the Music Died 65th Anniversary @ Hook and Ladder

Jeff Ray @ Icehouse

Brendan Abernathy with Dylan Owen @ Icehouse

Powerpuff: A Queer Dance Party @ Icehouse

Trios Trio @ Jazz Central

Jared Justin @ KJ's Hideaway

Steve Kinney Quintet @ KJ's Hideaway

The Original Westside Band @ Minnesota Music Cafe

The Sphinx Virtuosi @ Orchestra Hall

Haters Club, Whiskey Rock N Roll Club and Scott Hefte and the Bury 'em Deep @ Palmer's

Flow Session: 1 ft. Tarryn Necole @ ROK Music Lounge

Becky Kapell & the Fat 6 @ Schooner Tavern

Too Much Love @ 7th St Entry

Dion Timmer @ Skyway Theatre

The Hazy Phase, Climbing Trees, Micro Planet @ Terminal Bar

Lulu & the Shoe, Poison Ivy, d’Lakes @ 331 Club

Dylan LeBlanc with Jarrod Dickenson @ Turf Club

Partyup! Prince and the MPLS Sound Dance Party @ Uptown VFW

The Mesmerists' Minnesota Matinee @ White Rock Lounge

Martin Devaney @ White Squirrel

Sunday Is Instrumental with Big Trouble @ White Squirrel

Anothernight with A Sunken Ship Irony, Red Lovely @ White Squirrel

Words and Music by Dan Wilson @ The Woman's Club of Minneapolis

Sunday, February 4

HUNNY BEAR with Pandelion and Emery Snow & the Flakes @ Amsterdam

Swing Brunch with Patty & the Buttons @ Aster Cafe

Jeremy Messersmith @ Bryant Lake Bowl

Dr. Mambo’s Combo @ Bunkers

Bluegrass Jam @ Caydence Records and Coffee

Andrea Lyn @ Como Zoo Conservatory

Joyann Parker Presents: Acoustic Gospel Roots @ Crooners

I Am Woman: The Music of Helen Reddy @ Crooners

Jearlyn & Fred Steele @ Dakota

Phine Friends, Shotgun Ragtime @ Driftwood

Country Doctors @ Eagles 34

Twin Cities Country Dancers @ Eagles 34

Karaoke with Reina Starr @ Eagles 34

Mayer Hawthorne with Chulita Vinyl Club @ Fine Line

  • Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy @ First AvenueThere was a time when Murmur was generally (and correctly) acknowledged as REM's finest moment, though as youngsters began preferring "their" REM, Automatic for the People has become the dubious consensus pick. Did you "have to be there," as they say, to hear the beauty and mystery and striving for connection in Peter Buck's jangling guitar, Michael Stipe's gauzy incantations, and the snap of the underrated Mike Mills/Bill Berry rhythm section? Tonight, versatile indie vet Narducy and yes, that Michael Shannon will make their case for Murmur as they cover REM's debut front to back, and toss in some of the band's other material to boot.

Ethan Buckner with Poolboy @ Green Room

Leslie Vincent @ Icehouse

Charanga Tropical @ Icehouse

Nina Luna with League Two @ KJ's Hideaway

Vocalessence: Philip's Favorites @ Orchestra Hall

Church of Cornbread @ Palmer's

1st Sundays Eclectic Collective: Thinkers, Thumpers, Wailers & Baby Makers @ Palmer's

Minnesota Music Masters: McLaughlin/Monroe/McAndrew @ Parkway

Music Jam @ Schooner Tavern

Ryan Mack @ 7th St Entry

Corpse Reviver @ 331 Club

Brass Messengers @ 331 Club

Lonesome Dan Kase, Kismet Rendezvous @ White Squirrel

Saint Paul Songwriter Rounds @ White Squirrel

Monday, February 5

Cat Tales @ Acadia

Peter Himmelman @ Dakota

Tango Desperados Practilonga @ Eagles 34

World Music Monday @ Eagles 34

Auto-Tune Karaoke @ Mortimer’s

Vocalessence: Philip's Favorites @ Orchestra Hall

Cowaoke with Ben Moooker @ Palmer's

Surly Grrly, Social Cig, jonger, and Amateur Hour @ 7th St Entry

Open Mic @ Terminal Bar

Soul Trouvere @ 331 Club

Roe Family Singers @ 331 Club

Matt Arthur Contraption @ 331 Club

Enter the Void Further with American Cream, New Confusion, Michael Moore @ White Squirrel

Bryan & the Haggards @ White Squirrel

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Racket

A Tribute to ‘Brownie Mary,’ the Florence Nightingale of Medical Weed

Plus meet Steven the Ice Guy, buy a couple of summer camps, and catch up with Big Al in today's Flyover news roundup.

December 20, 2024

Restaurants, Venues, Parks: 2024’s Biggest Union Headlines

Recapping the year's labor news, with updates aplenty.

December 20, 2024

The Year In Music 2024: Accepting Sadness as a Gift in the Age of the Oligarchs

In 2024, my favorite music didn't always prepare me for the fight ahead, but it always reminded me what was at stake.

December 20, 2024

The 40 Best Songs of 2024 (More or Less)

Plus 200 other songs from Minnesota and elsewhere on the year's final playlists.

December 20, 2024

Inside the Lab With Minnesota Dairy Lab

We talked shop with the buzzy local ice cream makers—and left with our very own Racket-themed flavor.

December 20, 2024
See all posts