Crazy Broke Asians @ Cedar Cultural CenterIn case you haven't noticed, some of the big movers and shakers in local music these days are Asian-American. Now some of the sharpest artists among them have put this event together to make sure you notice. Among those are rockers Kiss the Tiger, with powerhouse lead singer Meghan Kreidler, funk-popper Mayda, and rapper/Current DJ Diane. Also on the bill (and below my personal radar—for now): D'Lourdes, Vulgar Tongue, and Tekk Nikk.

Mick Sterling Presents: The Wild Swing of Louis and Keely @ Crooners

Moore By Four @ Crooners

Patty Peterson: Memories – The Music of Barbra Streisand @ Dakota

Them Dots, Love Train, Milton’s Playhouse @ Driftwood

Lee Fields with Daniel Villarreal @ Fine Line

Dessa with Open Mike Eagle @ First AvenueDessa... well, we'll presume you're acquainted with her by now. Nice to have her back on the Mainroom stage. So let's take this space to spotlight Open Mike Eagle, one of the most consistently brilliant MCs in—uh, what are we calling smart rappers with modest fanbases these days? Alt-rap? Underground? Surely not backpackers? After a previous turn inward on Anime Trauma Divorce, his latest album, Component System With the Auto Reverse, gets off on pure rapping, with plenty of witty references for old heads to nod to. As for younger listeners—what, you afraid you'll learn something?

Orquestra La Clave @ Granada

Jake LaBotz @ Hook and Ladder

Trench Size Trio @ Icehouse

Swear Jar with SYM1, shadingthesun, Palmbutta @ IcehouseI'll have more to say about SYM1 later this week (foreshadowing!) but you advance planners already scheduling out your week deserve to know more about this showcase of local alt-pop. The first edition of Swear Jar, last August, was billed as a "MySpace X TikTok Alt Dance Series" but Vol. 2 has the more cryptic subtitle of NEO_MASQUERADE.EXE. (Be careful downloading that file.) In addition to the cyborg headliner, tonight will feature gothy new-wavers shadingthesun and DJ Palmbutta. Guests are instructed to "Be Something Ur Not," and to expect a cyber-dystopian-but-fun vibe.

Miss Myra and the Moonshiners @ KJ’s Hideaway

Catfish Troy Band @ KJ’s Hideaway

Chief Kaya X Prophet @ The Loft

Drunk Drivers, Whiskey Rock 'n' Roll Club, Deep Dark Lake, Riggs Calvero @ Mortimer’s

The Rank Strangers, Leslie Rich & The Rocket Soul Choir, and The Silverteens @ Palmer’s

DJ Nanobyte Presents Byte Nyte @ Palmer’s

Papa Mbye with Mike Kota and RIOTGRRRLDARKO @ 7th St EntryPapa Mbye is high on my list of "where's this guy going next?" locals. In the wake of his 2021 EP, Mang Fi, the Senegalese-born, north Minneapolis-raised Mbeye has released two singles "Pixels" and "Passenger," that accent the pop-rock elements that have always been part of his sound, with little rap or even R&B to them. A new direction? A slight refinement? We'll just have to wait and see.

Ryan Adams @ State Theatre

Amanda Standalone (album release) Red Eye Ruby (solo) @ 331 Club

Trash Catties (EP Release) with Lunch Duchess, Butter Boys, and Wish Wash @ Turf Club

Emma Jeanne (EP Release) with Lapdogs & Present Company @ Underground Music Cafe

HIPSHAKER MPLS: Funky Soul Dance Party @ Uptown VFW

Eli Gardiner Band with James Eugene Russell Band @ White Squirrel

Saturday, October 22

Capital City Cabaret’s UNCOVERED @ Amsterdam

Slander @ Armory

Chandler + Muja Messiah @ Aster Cafe

The Good, the Bad, and the Funky @ Bunkers

Jennifer Grimm and Joe Cruz @ Crooners

Summer of Soul with Ginger Commodore @ Crooners

Jearlyn Steele with The Pianist Knows Best featuring Fred Steele @ Crooners

Tyrone Wells @ Dakota

Team Larry House Band, the Skalectric Company @ Driftwood

Becky and the Fat 6 @ Dusty’s

Voxtrot with Yellow Ostrich @ Fine Line

Judah & the Lion with The National Parks @ First Avenue

The Belfast Cowboys @ Hook and Ladder

Cornbread Harris Ensemble @ Icehouse

Tarli + Afrogeode & the Gemstones + Graydon Francis @ Icehouse

AG and Friends @ KJ’s Hideaway

American Straight 8th’s Quintet with U of M Jazz Combo @ KJ’s Hideaway

Izzy Vadim @ The Loft

Throw the Fight X 3 Pill Morning @ The Lyric

Captured! By Robots @ Mortimer’s

Monchy, Karlos Rose, Jiory @ Myth Live

Marcus Mumford with The A's @ Palace Theatre

The Right Here, Sparrowhawk, and Petty Larcenists @ Palmer’s

The High 48s and Frog and the Bog @ Parkway

Dirtwire with Vincent Antone and Banjolectric @ 7th St Entry

Blunts & Blondes @ Skyway Theatre

Wardruna @ State Theatre

UH2BT Kpop Night @ Studio B

Night Jobs, Getting By, Warcake @ 331 Club

The Chills with Unwed Sailor @ Turf ClubFor 19 years, this New Zealand institution, while still actively touring, held off from releasing a full-length album of new material. But with Silver Bullets in 2015, bandleader Martin Phillipps got back on track, and he/they have released two equally fine albums since, most recently Scatterbrain in 2021. They're a long way from their '90s peak with the gorgeous, righteous, even transcendent eco-pop of Submarine Bells. But hell, time passes. What's impressive is how they've preserved their sound and style: an even-keeled, yet slightly anxious tone, with keyboards and guitars equally ornate without being fussy and occasionally indistinguishable, and moments of beauty woven into longer stretches of modest attractiveness.

Bloodline, MINKA, Bobby Rethwish, Lower Automation, Loon Booster @ Underground Music Cafe

Alexander Craig (Album Release) with Red Eye Ruby & Cat Tales @ Uptown VFW

Upright Forms w/ VAZ & 1055 @ White Squirrel