It’s Your First Complete Concert Calendar of 2024: Jan. 2-10

January is, as ever, a slow month for touring acts here in the usually much colder north. But there are plenty of locals onstage. Take a chance on someone you haven't checked out yet.

Tuesday, January 2

International Reggae All Stars @ Bunkers

St. Dominic's Trio @ Driftwood

Karaoke With On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34

Bill Simenson Orchestra @ Jazz Central

Bluewater Kings Showcase @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Afro House with DJ Vegan Water and Friends @ Palmer's

All Nighter Tuesdays @ ROK Music Lounge

Gross Motor All Stars (Album Release), Gnaw, UNTURNED, Haze Gazer, and Fuss @ 7th St Entry

Industrial Strength with DJ Sin @ Terminal Bar

Worker’s Playtime: Jeff Ray@ 331 Club

January Conspiracy Series featuring Ben Cook-Feltz, Vonnie Kyle @ 331 Club

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

Pure Shifter (Tuesday Residency) with Dog Gamn & Mild Manner @ White Squirrel

Wednesday, January 3

MN Songwriter Showcase hosted by Nick Hensley @ Aster Cafe

Dylan Salfer @ Bunkers

• Laura Jane Grace, Mya Byrne @ Cloudland—Don't get your hopes up—both the early and late shows are sold out. But the fact that this new southeast Minneapolis club is already drawing acts of Grace's caliber is such a good sign I felt it couldn't go unremarked upon.

Maggie's Wednesday: Mia Dorr @ Crooners

Tim Sparks Trio (Album Release) @ Dakota

The Outcats @ Driftwood

Miss Myra and the Moonshiners @ Eagles 34

Miss Shannon's Swing Night @ Eagles 34

Trent Romens Band (Residency) @ Green Room

Luke Peterson Quartet + Jake Baldwin Quintet @ Icehouse

Ethan Ostrow Band @ Jazz Central

The Craig Clark Band @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Karaoke Crime Scene @ Palmer's

• Dilly Dally Alley (Single Release) with Floodwater Angel, full catholic and The Confused @ 7th St Entry—The single that horn-driven local sextet Dilly Dally Alley spotlights tonight is "Same Damn Door," a punky change of pace with singer Sophia Spiegel showing amazing breath control.

Harold’s House Party on KFAI with Josh Quinn @ 331 Club

Lars-Erik Larson & The 2nd Stringers @ White Squirrel

Thursday, January 4

DJ Vegan Water @ Acadia

Martin Devaney, Mary Cutrufello, Mike Gunther, Daguerreotypes @ Cloudland

Pretty Good People @ Crooners

The ACME Jazz Company @ Crooners

One World – The Best of Sting & The Police @ Dakota

Down on Curfew @ Driftwood

Karaoke with On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34

LGBTQ+ Twin Cities Latin Dance @ Eagles 34

Snapped: Live Band Open Mic @ Green Room

Derecho Rhythm Section @ Icehouse

Young Relics @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Lowdown Dirty Fools @ Minnesota Music Cafe

DJ Bootsy Ballins @ Palmer's

Anarky, Oath, Bad Kitchen, Avery Seed @ Pilllar

Sleepy Eye, Wyatt Avery, Bryn Battani @ ROK Music Lounge

Anarchist Bachelor Party @ 7th St Entry

Northeast Invitational @ 331 Club

Rhythm & Ruckus @ Turf Club

Broken Vow, Mile End @ White Rock Lounge

• A David Berman Celebration @ White Squirrel—I was one of the last people to interview the late, great David Berman. As I wrote in a Q&A published the day after the Silver Jews/Purple Mountains mastermind died in 2019 by suicide at 52: “In both his songs and his poems, Berman snugly fit dazzling imagery, razor-sharp wordplay, effortless humor, and world-weary melancholy into deft couplets, all delivered through his drawling, unmistakable deadpan growl. The musical arrangements that showcased his lyricism ranged from cowboy shuffles to mournful twang to herky-jerky psychedelia… losing [him] hurts like hell.” Almost five years later, fans still miss the hell outta the singular singer-songwriter/poet, as this tribute showcase featuring Twin Cities musicians makes clear. Among the locals tipping their caps to Berman via his timeless songs: Emmy Woods, Dot Operator, Stressica, the Cottonwood Shivers, Cara Lillian, New Seven, and Gabe Berkovski.—Jay Boller  

Friday, January 5

Luke LeBlanc + Sarah Morris @ Aster Cafe

Alex Rossi @ Bunkers

PRGRPHS, Radiator Girl, Sidewalk Diamonds, Crash Cuddle @ Cloudland

The Peter Kogan Quintet @ Crooners

Kimberly Michaels @ Crooners

Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken @ Dakota

Ausgang City, Michael Rendahl @ Driftwood

Katia Cardenas Quartet @ Eagles 34

Sigcell, Sunsets over Flowers, 1947 @ Eagles 34

Resolutions ⏤ A New Year’s Dance Party with Michael Grey, JEN-E and DJ HNDRXX @ Fine Line

• Shrek Rave @ First Avenue—“It’s dumb just come have fun.” So reads the promotional pitch for Shrek Rave, a dance night themed around everyone’s favorite Scottish ogre. For irony-soaked millennials who spend too much time online (hello!), the 2001 animated film has sprouted a cottage industry of memes and in-jokes, a phenomenon that L.A. host/artist Jordan Craig first translated into a dance night few years ago. By 2022, the Grey Lady was writing about his lime-green party. “When people say there’s a Shrek rave, where else are you going to go?” Nick, a 28-year-old raver, told the New York Times. “I found out about this a day and a half ago. I wish I knew earlier, I would have brought earwax.” In what trippy, bass-throbbing ways will Shrek, Donkey, Lord Farquaad, and the gang manifest in the Mainroom, which’ll be rebranded as “The Swamp,” tonight? You gotta see for yourself. (P.S. Did you know the late, great Chris Farley was originally planned to voice Shrek? Check out these fantastic early recordings.)—Jay Boller 

Beemer Presents: A New Year's Pageant @ Icehouse

Toivo Band @ Jazz Central

Cain & Co. @ KJ's Hideaway

Splash! & Paper Chain @ KJ's Hideaway

Dirty Audio X Pierce @ The Loft

Kathleen Johnson Presents Park Cafe @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Open Rehearsal @ Orchestra Hall

Søndergård Conducts Enigma Variations @ Orchestra Hall

Punks for a Cause Presents~Sanctuary Supply Depot Benefit & Supply Drive @ Palmer's

Twin Citizen with Colin Bracewell, Jon Berg and Pullstring @ 7th St Entry

Ghostlands @ Terminal Bar

The Haws, the Beavers @ 331 Club

Collections of Colonies of Bees and Dosh with Max and Jeremy Ylvisaker @ Turf Club

Rogue Royal, Trigger Armada, Leaving Hope @ White Rock Lounge

New Year's Celebration with easeupkid and Friends @ Underground Music Venue

The Matt Arthur Contraption @ White Squirrel

Saturday, January 6

The High 48’s Bluegrass Brunch @ Aster Cafe

Frog Leg @ Bunkers

Hazelcreak with Walker Rider, Rosie, and Dark Bunny @ Cedar Cultural Center

Curve, Murf, Gay Witch Abortion, Greg Wheeler and the Poly Mall Cops @ Cloudland

Minnesota Guitar All Stars @ Crooners

River: The Music of Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carlly Simon @ Crooners

Maggie's Afterglow: Geoff Jones and Rick Carlson @ Crooners

The Belfast Cowboys @ Dakota

The Wreck, the Hamm Sammies @ Driftwood

Jonger, Amateur Hour, Movie House, Little Lizard @ Dusty's

Waar Party, Ashes From Stone, and Slag @ Eagles 34

Shatter, Skimask, Kaldeket, Ruin Dweller @ Eagles 34

Flavor World Experience ft. Ozone Creations, Purple Funk Metropolis, creeping charlie, and Kwey @ Fine Line

RaveQuest ⏤ A Medieval Dance Night @ First Avenue

ELOUR, Juniper Fly, FLOWTUS @ Green Room

The Eclectics @ Icehouse

• Why Khaliq (EP Release) @ Icehouse—This prolific St. Paul rapper hasn’t headlined a show in five years, but he’s been plenty busy during that time. His new eight-track EP, Road Runner, dropped at the end of September, just a year after he released the album NORTH BABY, a collaboration with producer Smokey Visions. On his latest release, Khaliq remains smooth as ever without being slick, and the vibey tracks match his sensibilities, with synths washing unobtrusively over the beats. Album highlights include “Brodies,” with its ping-ponging “wassup”s, and the fast-paced “Speed Bumps,” with an assist from fellow MN MC Knucky.

One Moment in Time: A Tribute to Whitney Houston by Julia Wheaton @ KJ's Hideaway

INVDR + Friends @ The Loft

The Roxxy Hall Band @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Søndergård Conducts Enigma Variations @ Orchestra Hall

HAPPY INSURRECTION DAY #2: The Day Our Nation Betrayed Us @ Palmer's

Lissie's Midwinter Residency @ The Parkway

Goodbye Mordecai, The Symptones, Uncle Jesse's Comb, Time Room @ Pilllar

FLOW STATE: DJ Tiberius, OD4, DJ Turnstyle @ ROK Music Lounge

Daphne Jane and Bloodline with Chutes and Lana Leone @ 7th St Entry

Chad Erickson & the Untimely, Handsom Midnight, July Fighter @ Terminal Bar

Valors, Butter Boys, Shrimp Olympics @ 331 Club

Willow Creek Brothers, Poolboy, Blue Red Roses, and Gladden @ Turf Club

Superfloor, High Tiny Hairs, and Rank Strangers @ White Squirrel

Confucisaurus with Sunshine and the Night Walkers @ White Squirrel

Sunday, January 7

Swing Brunch with Patty & the Buttons @ Aster Cafe

Dr. Mambo’s Combo @ Bunkers

Mary Scott, Nelson Devereux @ Cloudland

Kieran and Zach’s Rock and Roll Call @ Crooners

Pat Frederick and Low Company @ Crooners

• Martin Dosh Presents: The Larry Schaefer Memorial Orchestra @ Dakota—Dosh has gathered an incredible lineup here: Bryan Nichols and John Keston on electric piano and synth; Jeremy Ylvisaker and Dee Kesler on guitars; Erik Fratzke on bass; Peter Goggin and Chris Thomson on saxophones; Jake Baldwin on trumpet; Joey van Phillips, Martin Dosh, and Umar Malik on drums and percussion. Their music draws from electric Miles Davis, early Weather Report, Can, James Brown, and Fela Kuti, In other words, this is going to be A Lot.

Phine Friends, Shotgun Ragtime @ Driftwood

Country Doctors @ Eagles 34

Twin Cities Country Dancers @ Eagles 34

Karaoke with Reina Starr @ Eagles 34

John Swardson @ Icehouse

Mother Banjo + Two Rivers @ Icehouse

Miss Myra & The Moonshiners with the Southside Aces @ KJ's Hideaway

The Good, the Bad, & the Funky @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Classics with Thomas Søndergård @ Orchestra Hall

Church of Cornbread @ Palmer's

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

• Radio K's Frostbite Residency @ 7th St Entry—Everyone’s favorite umm-ing DJs are taking over the Entry for two Sundays of local music to kick off the new year. This week, that means TABAH, Carnage The Executioner, student 1, and SoulFlower; next week, it’s Gramma, RiGBY, Mold, and Psylo. And hey: We’ll take any chance to re-share last year’s excellent, extra-long Racket oral history on Radio K in honor of its 30th anniversary.—Em Cassel

Corpse Reviver @ 331 Club

Brass Messengers @ 331 Club

Bejalvin's 1 Year Birthday Bash, Identity Crisis, Falling With Scissors, Mace @ White Rock Lounge

Threads Electric, Lightkeeper, A Sunken Ship Irony @ White Squirrel

Monday, January 8

House of the Serpents (EP Release) @ Amsterdam

Stronger Than Pride: The Passionate Songs of Sade @ Dakota

Acoustic Jammers @ Driftwood

Tango Desperados Practilonga @ Eagles 34

Twin Cities Queer Contra Dancers @ Eagles 34

Other Country Ensemble @ Eagles 34

Auto-Tune Karaoke @ Mortimer’s

Cowaoke with Ben Moooker @ Palmer's

Open Mic @ Terminal Bar

The Cactus Blossoms with The Riffin' Trio @ Turf Club

Tim Robinson Roundup @ 331 Club

Matt Arthur Contraption @ 331 Club

Mumblin’ Drew’s Oldfangled Orchestrators Monthly Residency @ White Squirrel

The Oh Boys with Jared McCloud, Taylor James Donskey @ White Squirrel