Let’s Get Autumnal With Your Complete Concert Calendar: Sept. 19-25

No way around it—fall finally arrives this week. Enjoy what many are calling "the best season in Minnesota" and go enjoy some music while you're at it.

Tuesday, September 19

International Reggae All Stars @ Bunkers

Dennis Spears @ Dakota

St. Dominic's Trio @ Driftwood

Karaoke With On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34

• The Used with Sleeping in Sirens and Dead American @ Fillmore—Did you know that the Used put out a new record this year? Toxic Positivity? I didn’t until I set out to blurb this show, so let’s cue it up now. …OK that’s enough of that! Look, the Used’s biggest hits are behind them—you don’t see a lot of “Bert Is My Homeboy” shirts these days—but as bands who peaked in the mid-aughts go, you could do a lot worse than tracks like “The Worst I’ve Ever Been,” even if they’re more produced and more predictable than the songs that made Bert McCracken & Co. famous. They’re certainly not enough to tarnish the legacy of the Utah screamo pioneers, who had back to back to back bangers between their 2002 self-titled debut, 2004’s In Love and Death, and 2007’s Lies for the Liars. The Used have released new music more or less consistently for the last 20-plus years, and it’s a career most bands of their era would be proud to have—one that’ll no doubt be a lot of fun to celebrate.

Terror Reid with Lu, Domsta, and NOGOOD @ Fine Line

Peelander–Z with Dog Party @ First Avenue

Vic Volare @ Granada

FRENCH POLICE, Closed Tear, and Lesser Care @ Green Room

Rabeca (Residency) with Willow Waters, Full Catholic @ Icehouse

Explosion Big Band Open Rehearsal @ Jazz Central

Miss Myra & The Moonshiners with The Good Time Gals and Average Joey @ KJ's Hideaway

River City Jazz Orchestra @ Minnesota Music Cafe

• Herb Alpert & Lani Hall @ Ordway—It's rude, I know, to say "Herb Alpert's still alive?" but will you allow "Herb Alpert's still touring?" Well, at 88, he's not just still on the road but sharing the stage with his wife of nearly 50 years, singer Lani Hall. Dude outsold the Beatles in 1966 (along with his Tijuana Brass), founded powerhouse independent label A&M Records, and supplied the beat that Puff sampled for Biggie's "Hypnotize." That's not nothing.

The Tallest Man On Earth with Andrea von Kampen @ Palace Theatre

DJ Bottle Service @ Palmer's

Judy Walks, 1947, Longwinter, Blood Driver @ Pilllar

MALINDA with Lizzie Weber @ 7th St Entry

Industrial Strength with DJ Sin @ Terminal Bar

Worker’s Playtime with Theyself @ 331 Club

September Conspiracy Series featuring Mike Munson @ 331 Club

Sun Room @ Varsity Theater

Trevor McSpadden & Mary Cutrufello & Dan Lowinger @ White Squirrel

Mary Jam (Tuesday Residency) with Mystery Meat, Atomic Lights @ White Squirrel

Wednesday, September 20

Johnny Manchild @ Amsterdam

MN Songwriter Showcase hosted by Nick Hensley @ Aster Cafe

Dylan Salfer @ Bunkers

Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band @ Cedar Cultural Center

Rhoda Anderson Habedank @ The Commons

Maggie's Wednesdays: Linda Peterson and Jason Peterson DeLaire @ Crooners

Pedrito Martinez @ Dakota

Senor Blues, the Whistles @ Driftwood

Miss Shannon's Swing Night @ Eagles 34

Dutchman's Breeches, Malamiko, Clidesfeld @ Eagles 34

Lena and the Lovekills @ Eagles 34

Swans with Norman Westberg @ Fine Line

The Disco Biscuits @ First Avenue

High Pulp with Brandon Commodore's NRG @ Icehouse

JCS: Creative Collaborations @ Jazz Central

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Rudegirl @ Mortimer's

The Smitty Pit @ Northrop

Front Row Paul Appreciation Party @ Palmer's

Swamp Poppas @ Schooner Tavern

Lovehouse with Mineral Man and Emma Jeanne @ 7th St Entry

Harold’s House Party on KFAI with Sarah Morris @ 331 Club

Trevor McSpadden & Mary Cutrufello @ 331 Club

Califone with Setting @ Turf Club

David Kushner @ Varsity Theater

Valdrin with Nothingness and Aberration @ White Rock Lounge

Saint Paul Mudsteppers Monthly @ White Squirrel

Leonard Cohen Tribute Night @ White Squirrel

Thursday, September 21

Durand Jones @ Amsterdam

MNAKED Curated by Nick Hensley Featuring Zacc Fricke + Ira Haze @ Aster Cafe

Jay Bee & the Routine @ Bunkers

Lipa Carpatho-Rusyn Slovak Dancers @ The Commons

Tom Paxton and the Donjuans @ Cedar Cultural Center

Duo Libra Presents: The Many Moods of Carmen McRae @ Crooners

The Urban Classic EWF Tribute @ Crooners

Joyann Parker Presents: Classic Ladies of Country Music @ Crooners

Zacc Harris Group @ Dakota

The Customers, Nick Leet @ Driftwood

Polivon @ Driftwood

Karaoke with On Call Entertainment @ Eagles 34

LGBTQ+ Twin Cities Latin Dance @ Eagles 34

ZZ Ward with Jaime Wyatt @ Fine Line

Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors with Josiah and the Bonnevilles @ First Avenue

Drag Me With a Spoon @ Granada

Confused Thursdays feat. KG3, Confused, Fairy Boat @ Green Room

Who Are They?, Electric Warrior @ Hook and Ladder

Twin Tribes with Panic Priest and DJ Gwiingwans @ Icehouse

Kate Voss and the Hot Sauce @ KJ's Hideaway

Young Relics @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Jazzicality @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Atreyu and Memphis May Fire @ Myth Live

Søndergård Conducts Alpine Symphony @ Orchestra Hall

Riddim Driven with DJ I Roach and Friends @ Palmer's

The Right Here, Voice of Addiction @ Pilllar

Forever 31 and Fauna Sauna @ ROK Music Lounge

Yev @ Schooner Tavern

Kid Quill with Pertinence and Ice God the Macgyver @ 7th St Entry

Cross Pollination: Awful Offal @ 331 Club

Zippo Man, Odd Prospect, Popstar, and Movie House @ Turf Club

Jake Owen @ Uptown Theater

Devaney & Friends with Martin Devaney, Rank Strangers, Bootcut @ White Squirrel

Friday, September 22

Wing Beaver, Civil Decline, Virginia's Basement, The Tossups @ Acadia

Tiesto @ Armory

Annie Fitzgerald Trio (Single Release) @ Aster Cafe

The 70's Magic Sunshine Band @ Bunkers

The Birthday Club: Dan Chouinard and Dane Stauffer @ Crooners

Mistress Ginger Presents: Looking for Liza @ Crooners

Maggie's Afterglow: Maurice Jacox @ Crooners

Veronica Swift @ Dakota

Pogo Ballet @ Driftwood

Bakermiller Pink @ Driftwood

Deep End Series @ Eagles 34

Mechanix @ Eagles 34

Durand Bernarr with JeRonelle @ Fine Line

Undeclared ⏤ Dance Night Orientation @ First Avenue

Yohannes Tona Ethio-Jazz with Dibekulu @ Green Room

The Belfast Cowboys @ Hook and Ladder

• Clem Snide @ Icehouse—Clem Snide's Eef Barzelay waited about a decade longer than he should have to make the Fleet Foxes record that nobody but producer Scott Avett suspected he had in him. But the two linked up (after Barzelay endured a series of truly harrowing emotional and financial disasters) and, in 2020, Clem Snide released Forever Just Beyond. If Barzelay's slightly nasal quaver is more plainspoken and less prettified than any of Avett’s brothers, something in his timbre suggests a sweetened harmony even when his vocal is unaccompanied. And even his more cosmic musings shade significantly more sardonic than any turn of the twenty-teens’ indie-folkies, none of whom would quip “It’s easy to say you would never sell out/When nobody’s made you an offer” or “You will never make anyone better by shouting them down at the mall.” More than two decades after his first LP, Barzelay can’t resist pulling on loose threads, which is why this works best when the music that’s been tailored to suit him still ain’t a perfect fit.

Jeffrey Merrill @ Jazz Central

Madtown Mannish Boys @ KJ's Hideaway

Ray Covington @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Laberinto y Fiera de Ojinaga @ Myth Live

Søndergård Conducts Alpine Symphony @ Orchestra Hall

Teddy Swims with Matt Hansen @ Palace Theatre

Luke Callen with Goatroper @ Palmer's

Sammie Jean Cohen, Wild Lyre, and Pony Folk @ Palmer's

• Emily Wells @ The Parkway—A minimalist composer with pop affinities, or a tasteful synthpop practitioner with a knack for textured repetition? On her latest, Regards to the End, Wells splits the difference between those identities, as she ruminates on responses to the AIDS crisis as a means of exploring how art can confront climate change.

Bird Bass, Precedented Times, Disposable Days, Atomic Lights @ Pilllar

ZAND with Lucy Loone and Surly Grrly @ 7th St Entry

Erin McCawley's Harrison Street Band @ Schooner Tavern

Midnight Tyrannosaurus @ Skyway Theatre

Scarlet Tangerines, WAAR Party, Suburban Muscle @ Terminal Bar

Daisychain, Is Thing On?, Wish Wash @ 331 Club

Oracle Sisters with Ryder the Eagle @ Turf Club

Native Tongues Tribute with DJs Ms. Lakesha & Greenery @ Uptown VFW

Peso Pluma Nights @ Varsity Theater

The Collaboratory 4th Fridays @ White Squirrel

Saturday, September 23

Field Medic with Olivia Barton @ Amsterdam

Ava Levy + Indigo Koonce @ Aster Cafe

Swag @ Bunkers

Hot Times at Zona’s Cabaret and Blues Joint @ Capri Theater

Patty Peterson Presents: In The Moment with Kavyesh Kaviraj @ Crooners

The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Presents: Agatha Christie Night @ Crooners

Maggie's Afterglow: Maurice Jacox and Rick Carlson @ Crooners

• Musiq Soulchild @ Dakota—This Philadelphia neo-soul smoothie is more than a quarter-century into his recording career, and the days of R&B smashes like "Halfcrazy" and "Dontchange" are probably behind him. But he still has a gift for basking in pure vocal sensation, and seems willing to try new things. His latest,Victims and Villains, is a collaboration with Hit-Boy, better known as a hip-hop producer. (He's been Nas's go-to partner in the rapper's well-received middle-aged.) On this three-night stand at the Dakota, Musiq will have time to stretch out a little.

Stone Arch Rivals @ Driftwood

Mid-Seral @ Driftwood

Bryan Casey and ELL @ Dusty's

Boywithuke with Naethan Apollo @ Fillmore

Gus Dapperton with Sarah Kinsley @ Fine Line

Explosions in the Sky with Dosh @ First Avenue

• Dua Saleh @ Franconia Sculpture Park—You never need an excuse to take a drive out to the Franconia Sculpture Park, but here’s a great one: Dua Saleh. As part of Franconia’s 27th Annual Art and Artists Celebration, the Twin Cities rapper/R&B singer will perform at the Earthen Amphitheater surrounded by all the site’s weird and wonderful contemporary sculpture art. With three sharp, concise EPs, the Sudanese-born Saleh has crafted a bassy, seductive sound while molding language like the poet they are. They haven’t released new music since the deluxe version of Crossover last year rounded out their clubby 2022 EP (their first without St. Paul production whiz Psymun handling beats), but they’ve been keeping busy, especially with their recurring role as Cal Bowman on Netflix's Sex Education.

Grayson DeWolfe, Caleb Dee, Creeping Charlie @ Green Room

Run Westy Run with Scott Yoder and Coma Club @ Hook and Ladder

Retrofizz @ Icehouse

Parisota Trio @ Icehouse

Noche Chingona @ Icehouse

• Francis Fest @ Indeed Brewing Company—The gang’s all here at this epic vegan food fest where you can try all kinds of plant-based eats in one spot. Eleven different businesses will be serving up eats, including sweets from cake creators Seymour Munchmore, Revival (try the nachos if they have them), Lyndale Avenue's vegan stoner care Hi Flora!, Plant Bar Cafe, and MN Nice Cream. There will also be over 20 local makers on hand; shop from jewelry artists Larissa Loden, Everyday Ejiji, Ghost Owl, and enjoy music from Monica LaPlante, Carnage the Executioner, and Scrunchies. 

South Arts Jam Session with Drew Tucker @ Jazz Central

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

Abinnet Berhanu’s Ahndenet አንድነት @ KJ's Hideaway

Nostalgix @ The Loft

Roxxy Hall Band @ Minnesota Music Cafe

Søndergård Conducts Alpine Symphony @ Orchestra Hall

All The Pretty Horses, Elour, and noise @ Palmer's

Laura Hugo, Old Smugglers, and Turbo Pastel @ Palmer's

The Shabby Road Orchestra @ The Parkway

A Sunken Ship Irony, Shuge, Juniper Fly, The Staboteurs @ Pilllar

Telae @ ROK Music Lounge

Vallis Alps with Izek Rose @ 7th St Entry

Seventh Street Shuffle @ Schooner Tavern

Trey Songz @ Skyway Theatre

The Hunny Pot @ Studio B

$uicideboy$ with Ghostemane, City Morgue, Sematary, and Ramirez @ Target Center

Destroy the Planet, Jake Searl, FOXBY @ Terminal Bar

1000mods with Valley of the Sun and Wizzerd @ Turf Club

killusonline, ROT, Out4Blood, Why Not @ Underground Music Venue

Daft Punk Night @ Varsity Theater

Raw Breed, Candy Apple, Identity Crisis, Self Abuse @ White Rock Lounge

The Mentors, Cock ESP, Mommy Sez No, Penis @ White Rock Lounge

Jon Elconin @ White Squirrel

Cole Diamond @ White Squirrel

Room 3 with Cyrus, Jada Lynn @ White Squirrel

Sunday, September 24

Sons of the East @ Amsterdam

• The Postal Service & Death Cab for Cutie @ Armory—Ben Gibbard had himself a helluva 2003. That year his flagship band, Death Cab for Cutie, dropped their O.C.-core indie classic, Transatlanticism, while his side project, the Postal Service, released its first and only LP, Give Up. Tonight, Mr. Gibbard will dangle irresistible millennial catnip by performing both of those records in their entirety. Just take our money, Ben! Transatlanticism holds up as one of Death Cab’s best, an artifact of ‘00s indie-rock perfection that led a generation to question why, exactly, the glove box is called what it’s called. It’s easy to forget how novel the Postal Service origins were in ‘03; the project had Gibbard mailing bleepy/bloopy indie-pop songs across the country to electronic musician Jimmy Tamborello, resulting in an electro-pop masterpiece that blew up so big the USPS called its lawyers. Based on my Instagram reporting, it seems the always wonderful Jenny Lewis will be part of the Postal Service’s live band, which adds yet another pull factor to turn out for this twofer at the Armory. Here’s hoping you’ve climbed the corporate ladder since spinning these albums on your first-gen iPod in high school—ticket prices are decidedly 2023. 

Swing Brunch with Patty & the Buttons @ Aster Cafe

John Swardson @ Aster Cafe

Dr. Mambo’s Combo @ Bunkers

John Craigie with Taylor Rae @ Cedar Cultural Center

Pat Donohue and Honky-Tonk Jump! @ Crooners

Co-MingL Presents: The Soul Of September @ Crooners

The Brian Grivna Quartet @ Crooners

• Musiq Soulchild @ Dakota—See Saturday's listings.

Phine Friends, Shotgun Ragtime @ Driftwood

d'Lakes, Pescatarian at Best, Larry Wish, Anita Velveeta @ Eagles 34

Johnny No Cash Band @ Eagles 34

TC Ramblers @ Eagles 34

Twin Cities Country Dancers @ Eagles 34

Karaoke with Reina Starr @ Eagles 34

Jalen Ngonda @ Fine Line

Bishop Briggs and MisterWives with Raffaella @ First Avenue

Johnny Sincerely Orchestra @ Granada

Wanaku @ Icehouse

Twin Cities Flamenco Collective @ Icehouse

Crosstown Open Jam @ KJ's Hideaway

Church of Cornbread: Cornbread Harris and His Band @ Palmer's

Black Widows' Greatest Open Mic Ever @ Palmer's

Paradox @ The Parkway

Fame on Fire with Kingdom Collapse @ 7th St Entry

Mikkel, Charlie Parr, Dave Hundrieser @ 331 Club

The Real Chuck NORAD @ 331 Club

Alfredo Rodriguez @ Turf Club

Everclear with the Ataris @ Uptown Theater

Cali vs. Everybody Dance Party @ Uptown VFW

Lonesome Dan Kase (solo), Kismet Roundezvous @ White Squirrel

St. Paul Songwriter Rounds @ White Squirrel

Monday, September 25

Ana Everling and House of Waters @ Cedar Cultural Center

• Musiq Soulchild @ Dakota—See Saturday's listings.

Tango Desperados Practilonga @ Eagles 34

World Music Monday @ Eagles 34

Babymetal and Dethklok @ Fillmore

No Resolve and Halocene with The Haunt and Hooked Like Helen @ Fine Line

Nothing But Thieves with Kid Kapichi @ First Avenue

LA Buckner (September Residency) with Kennadi Hurst and DJ Yhaaanté & GGdrumz. @ Icehouse

Auto-Tune Karaoke @ Mortimer’s

Cowaoke with Ben Mooooker @ Palmer's

Claud with Lutalo @ 7th St Entry

Open Mic @ Terminal Bar

Pop Wagner's Honky Tonk Ranch @ 331 Club

The Roe Family Singers @ 331 Club

Matt Arthur Contraption @ 331 Club

Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners with Evan Honer @ Turf Club

Chef Sounds (DJ Night) @ White Squirrel