Just gonna use this space here to applaud the Cedar on its bookings lately. They always do a great job over there, but lately they're on fire.
Tuesday, November 1
International Reggae Allstars @ Bunkers
St. Dominic’s Trio @ Driftwood
- Alex G with Hatchie @ First AvenueI’m losing confidence that I’ll ever hear what this indie hero’s fans do in his artful but shambling arrangements of melodic scraps, but God Save the Animals is a pleasant enough listen except when he’s singing in funny voices, especially if all you ask from songwriters are vibes. Me, I like songs.
Real Friends and With Confidence @ The Garage
Miguel Espinoza Fusion with Dave Hagedorn @ Parkway
Field Medic with Sadurn @ 7th St Entry
November Conspiracy Series featuring Bob Rue and the Thousandaires, Robin Kyle,
Workers Playtime, John Louis @ 331 Club
Trevor McSpadden & Mary Cutrufello @ White Squirrel
Ice Climber Tuesday Night Residency with Malamiko, Datura Dread, Vod Sinclair @ White Squirrel
Wednesday, November 2
MN Songwriter Showcase hosted by Nick Hensley @ Aster Cafe
Leslie Vincent & Dane Stauffer @ Crooners
Tha Ma Muz with Kathleen Johnson @ Crooners
John McEuen & The Circle Band @ Dakota
Trailer Trash, Trevor McSpadden @ Driftwood
Kevin Morby with Coco @ Fine Line
Dayglow with Ritt Momney @ Palace Theatre
Palmer’s Songwriting Showcase @ Palmer’s
Joan with Love You Later and Silence Marsh @ 7th St Entry
KFAI House Party Presents Ray Barnard and Friends @ 331 Club
Bosso Poetry Company with Special Guests @ 331 Club
Whitmer Thomas with Al Menne @ Turf Club
Trench Size Trio @ White Squirrel
Thursday, November 3
Spencer Crandall with Avery Anna @ Amsterdam
Kid Dakota (November Residency) with Dosh @ Aster Cafe
Jay Bee & the Routine @ Bunkers
DJ Paul and Dizzy Wright @ Cabooze
- Chicago Farmer with Hemma @ Cedar Cultural CenterI’ve never caught one of his shows, but having heard his live album, Quarter Past Tonight, I can absolutely vouch for the ability of Cody Diekhoff, the Cook County agriculturalist in question, to entertain a crowd. He's opened for Todd Snider, which should give you some indication of his style of humor and brand of politics.
Tim Sparks with Phil Heywood @ Crooners
The Disappointments, Kaylee Kitzman, Izek Rose @ Driftwood
Too Many Zooz with Yam Yam @ Fine Line
Dark Star Orchestra @ First Avenue
Candlelight: Sci-Fi and Fantasy Scores @ Granada
The Steepwater Band @ Hook and Ladder
Anna Tivel + Christopher Porterfield @ Icehouse
A Tribute to Whitney Houston by Julia Wheaton @ KJ’s Hideaway
MT Foyer, CNSP, Prismatic Spray @ Mortimer’s
Riley Coyote & The RTZ, Timbre Ghost, and the John Olson Trio @ Palmer’s
The Brevet with Flip Rushmore and Cryote @ 7th St Entry
Northeast Invitational: DJ Still Phresh, Jayoo @ 331 Club
Chris Forsyth and Meg Baird @ Turf Club
The Gated Community (Album Release) @ Uptown VFW
St. Paul Songwriter Rounds @ White Squirrel
Friday, November 4
Caleb Caudle with Nick Leet @ Amsterdam
The Neighborhood Quartet @ Aster Cafe
Intrinsic with Ysilik, Timberiver, Phase Meridian @ Cabooze
Maggie's Afterglow with Rick Carlson and Katie Gearty @ Crooners
Tina Schlieske Sings Sinatra to Simone @ Dakota
Woodlawn Blvd, Dirty Bottles @ Driftwood
Music 4 Shelter with Tank and the Bangas @ Fillmore
Magdalena Bay with BAYLI @ Fine Line
FLETCHER with Chappell Roan @ First Avenue
Noche de Baile! Dos Coronas @ The Garage
Gothess 5 Year Anniversary @ Hook and Ladder
Vision Video @ Hook and Ladder
Dan Israel (Album Release) @ Hook and Ladder
Miss Naomi (EP Release) with DiaToti + Anjybey @ Icehouse
Joyann Parker Band @ KJ’s Hideaway
Tommy Bentz Band @ KJ’s Hideaway
- The Silos @ Mortimer’sWell, here’s an unexpected treat. Before we knew what to call alt-country or Americana (cowpunk? heartland rock?), these fellers were rocking out rootsily. Tonight they’ll be playing their terrific 1987 album Cuba in its entirety. Top-tier nostalgia for the olds and a history lesson for the youngs.
Luke Callen, Tommy Goodroad, and Molly Brandt @ Palmer’s
The Paranoyds with Bad Waitress and Zilched @ 7th St Entry
Sorry for Party Rocking @ Studio B
The Dead Century (Album Release), Zippo Man @ 331 Club
The Jungle Giants with Tim Atlas @ Turf Club
Haute Dish (A Dance Party) @ Uptown VFW
Silent Treatment with Barker, Lifestyle Shakes @ White Squirrel
The Smashing Pumpkins @ Xcel Energy Center
Saturday, November 5
BAYNK with Cosmo’s Midnight and obli @ Amsterdam
Zach Pietrini Band + Michael Gay @ Aster Cafe
Student1 with DJ Nanobyte, Timmyt, Chase Vibe, RZ Shahid, Love Ulysses, Riotgrrldarko @ Cabooze
Ukrainian Village Band @ Cedar Cultural Center
Natania and Ticket to Brasil @ Crooners
Arne Fogel Presents: Johnny Mercer Birthday Special @ Crooners
Billy McLaughlin with Nathan Wilson @ Crooners
I Honestly Love You – A Tribute to Olivia Newton-John & Anne Murray @ Crooners
Maggie's Afterglow with Rick Carlson and Ginger Commodore @ Crooners
Shabby Road Orchestra @ Dakota
The Driftless Area @ Driftwood
Green + Blue, Ethers @ Dusty’s
Noah Kahan with Adam Melchor @ First Avenue
Rock Party with The 99ers, The Silverteens & Cindy Lawson @ Hook and Ladder
Muun Bato, Products, High Tiny Hairs @ Hook and Ladder
Tony Cuchetti, Blair Krivaneck @ Icehouse
DJ Shannon Blowtorch Presents Y2K: That’s What I Call the 2000s @ Icehouse
Sightless Quartet with Shawn Wang Quartet @ KJ’s Hideaway
Silt, Daughters of St. Crispin, Warcake @ Mortimer’s
John Swardson and Bad Blood, BEV and Lakewood Cemetery @ Palmer’s
Mama Digdown's Brass Band & Southside Aces @ Parkway
Jack Kays with Tom The Mail Man @ 7th St Entry
Casting Crowns @ Target Center
Lovely Dark, whispered the rabbit, Aesha Minor @ 331 Club
Kitchen Dwellers and Daniel Donato @ Turf Club
The Skalectric Company @ White Squirrel
Keith Urban @ Xcel Energy Center
Sunday, November 6
Swing Brunch with Patty & the Buttons @ Aster Cafe
- Marc Ribot with Anna Garana @ Cedar Cultural CenterYou’ve maybe heard Ribot’s versatile as all get out session guitar work with Tom Waits or Elvis Costello. When it comes to his band-leading, I’m partial to his Prosthetic Cubans work, just gorgeous re-imaginings of and tributes to Cuban music. But his more ornery recent recordings with Ceramic Dog do more aptly fit the world's current mood and needs, living up to titles like “Fuck La Migra” and “Muslim Jewish Resistance.” And you never know what noises to expect from his guitar.
Dennis Spears and Ginger Commodore @ Crooners
Uncharted! with Dean Magraw and Rick Carlson @ Crooners
Dynamic Duos: Erin Schwab and Dane Stauffer with Jay Fuchs @ Crooners
Six Strings, Many Visions: The Beatles @ Crooners
Sonny Landreth and Cindy Cashdollar @ Dakota
Super Duty, Shotgun Ragtime @ Driftwood
Mezerg with DIE/ASPORA @ Fine Line
- Tegan and Sara with Tomberlin @ First AvenueCrybaby, Tegan and Sara's first album of new material since 2016, suggests their romantic lives (or at least their imagined versions of them) have gotten no less dramatic with age. The once-folkie confessional sisters “went pop” a decade ago and never looked back; they love synths-or-is-that-a-guitar and big drums for the sheer whomp of it all, and write broad lyrics to match. “Fucking Up What Matters” sums up the personal flaws that are their artistic strength; “this bruise ain’t black it’s yellow” is a raw, perfect metaphor for sidling up to an old lover to get hurt again.
IV and The Strange Band with Pleasure Horse @ Hook and Ladder
Colores: A Service Industry Dance Night @ Icehouse
Airlands + Ben Noble @ Icehouse
Ghost Town Blues Band with Joyann Parker Duo @ KJ’s Hideaway
Baumgardner, Tangles, and Full Catholic @ Mortimer’s
Cornbread Harris: Church of Cornbread @ Palmer’s
Michael Gay’s Old Country Buffet @ Palmer’s
Jean Dawson with Junior Varsity @ 7th St Entry
Madi Diaz with John-Robert @ Turf Club
Friday I’m in Love: A Stranger Things Dance Party @ Uptown VFW
Monday, November 7
- Amanda Shires @ AmsterdamShires has catapulted from “fiery session fiddler who writes pretty good” to among the sharpest pens in country, with a voice to match—big but with ragged hints of vulnerability. On her latest, Take It Like a Man, she mixes expressions of fierce sexual obsession ("Call it bad behavior/Maybe I like strangers") and sharply detailed reporting on domestic dissatisfaction verging on breakups ("You slammed the door so hard I still hear rattling spoons").
Death From Above 1979 with THE OBGMs @ Fine Line
First Avenue’s Annual Halloween Party and Costume Contest @ First Avenue
What’s That Sound?: Curated by Chris and Ivan Cunningham @ Icehouse
Auto-Tune Karaoke @ Mortimer’s
DJ Nanobyte Presents 'Nightmare On The West Bank' with Betty Won't, Stressica @ Palmer’s
Tenci with Sass @ 7th St Entry
The Roe Family Singers @ 331 Club
Matt Arthur Contraption @ 331 Club
Bartees Strange with Pom Pom Squad and They Hate Change @ Turf Club
