The Big Gigs: 10 best concerts to see in the Twin Cities this week

Thursday, Dec. 12

1. Tina Schlieske's VaJamma Party: She brilliantly used menopause as inspiration for her punk band Genital Panic, and now the hard-howling Twin Cities rock star of B-Sides fame is turning demand for menstrual products and diapers at local women's shelters into a riotous and communal holiday party. Schlieske will perform with her all-star band Quatro with Molly Maher, Mary Bue and Becky Kapell, while also welcoming a long list of guests, including Lizz Winstead, Leslie Vincent, Jaedyn James and Twins of Franklin. Bring your donations, and wear PJs or anything else cozy. (7:30 p.m. Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., $25-$35, theparkwaytheater.com)

Also: Led by esteemed fiddler Darol Anger of the Turtle Island String Quartet, Mr. Sun, a jazzy bluegrass quartet, will interpret Duke Ellington's classic "Nutcracker Suite" (7:30 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $25-$30); capping a year that saw his remarkable life story told beautifully in Andrea Swensson's book on him, "Deeper Blues," Twin Cities piano legend Cornbread Harris always shows his deep gratitude for still being able to perform at 97 in his annual Cornbread & Friends Holiday Blues Show (7:30 p.m. Hook & Ladder Theater, $20-$25); elegant experimenters the Orange Goodness and the Nunnery are putting on their Winter Retreat show next door to Cornbread (7:30 p.m., Hook & Ladder Mission Room, $15-$20); Postmodern Jukebox singer Gunhild Carling, Sweden's swing star who sings and plays multiple instruments, returns to the Dakota (7 p.m., $45-$60); St. Paul pianist Steven C continues his tradition of holiday concerts at the Capitol City's stateliest church, showcasing a new piece, "Cathedral Christmas Fanfare," composed by Adi Yeshaya (7 p.m. Thu. & Fri., 11 a.m. Sat., Cathedral of St. Paul, $12); soulful Twin Cities veterans Gwen Matthews and Robert Robinson pair up for the second night of a joyful Christmas program (&:30 p.m. Crooners, $38-$48); singer/actor Drake Bell of Nickelodeon's "Drake & Josh" fame who appeared on "The Masked Singer" this year, is touring behind his new indie release, "Non-Stop Flight" (8:30 p.m. Cabooze, $25); Abbie Betinis annually combs through the recent output of her fellow Minnesota-based composers for the best new Christmas carols and songs of winter called Songs of the Season (noon & 6 p.m. Landmark Center, free).

Friday, Dec. 13

2. Wilco: Wilco's response to Metallica's two-night no-repeat weekend in August: Hold our dad-brand IPA beers. Chicago's experimental Americana rockers are making the same pledge to play entirely different set lists over three nights, and they're promising to go long each night, too. No opener is scheduled for any of the shows. This is the latest in a long tradition of Jeff Tweedy and his tastefully jammy band having fun with their longtime Twin Cities base, 30 years after their 7th St. Entry coming-out gig. They've issued 13 albums and lots more in the interim to pull from, including a vibrant new EP, "Hot Sun Cool Shroud." (8 p.m. Fri.-Sun., Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $65 & up, axs.com)

3. José James: The hip-hop-embracing jazz crooner is once again coming home for the holidays. The Minneapolis native, who now lives in Los Angeles, invariably arrives with a standout pianist. On recent visits, he was accompanied by Julius Rodriguez and Christian Sands. This time, James has tapped Chicago-born Jahari Stampley, who last year won the Herbie Hancock International Jazz Institute Piano Competition, to join him for some Christmas nuggets as well as his own should-be-a-classic "Christmas in New York" with its Nat King Cole/Mel Tormé vibe. (7 p.m. Fri. & Sat. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $40-$55, dakotacooks.com)

4. A Tribute to the Replacements: Of all the rock acts to be celebrated with tribute shows, the 'Mats are one that requires the perfect balance of rock 'n' roll imperfection and irreverently delivered reverence. The large hometown cast behind this annual-again event knows how to toe those lines. Fresh off a long fall tour with Soul Asylum, Ryan Smith and his band the Melismatics will helm the show's centerpiece, a live performance of the 40-year-old "Let It Be" album and more classics with rotating guest vocalists, including Curtiss A, Jeremy Messersmith, Cindy Lawson, Christy Costello, Mary Bue, the Shackletons' Colin Campbell and many more. Jim Walsh will host the Mad Ripple Hoot for Slim, spotlighting Slim Dunlap's cult-loved solo work. Emma Jeane and Jøur also play down in the Clown Lounge. Consider it a birthday party for lead Replacement Paul Westerberg, too, who turns 65 on New Year's Eve. (7:30 p.m. Turf Club, 1601 University Av. W., St. Paul, $25, axs.com)

5. Exultate: Founded with the focus of performing large-scale masterpieces for vocal soloists, choir and orchestra, this Twin Cities-based group does much of its best work with the music of J.S. Bach. So much so that it's been invited to perform in June 2025 at the world's largest Bach festival — the International Bachfest in Leipzig, Germany. This year's Christmas concerts blend Bach with contemporary carols. (7 p.m. Fri. Normandale Lutheran Church, 6100 Normandale Road, Edina; 7 p.m. Sat. St. Paul's United Church of Christ, 900 Summit Av., St. Paul; 3 p.m. Sun. Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church, 5011 31st Av. S., Mpls. $10-$35. exultate.org)

6. A Prairie Home Companion Christmas: Fifty years after he launched his little Grand Ole Opry-inspired radio program, Garrison Keillor returns to his old home base for a holiday show. He promises stories, sketches, songs and the same old sponsors. He's enlisted some familiar folks to join him including Ellie Dehn, Christine DiGiallonardo, Maria Jette, the Radio Acting Company, Fred Newman, Richard Dworsky and the Guy's Shoe Band as well as Guy Noir. (7:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat. Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange St., St. Paul, $59.50 and up, first-avenue.com)

Also: The Blenders, the Fargo-launched, Minneapolis-based quartet, resurface for their annual Holiday Soul Tour, now in its 24th year (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Pantages Theatre, $52-$62); after her VaJamma Party, Tina Schlieske will stick around for two more nights at the Parkway Theater under the Tina & Friends Holiday Get-Together banner, featuring a lot of her own tunes, seasonal songs and sets by Dylan Salfer and Davina (8 p.m., $35-$45); Minnesota's best classic honky-tonk band Trailer Trash is in the midst of its annual "Trashy Little X-Mas" run, which continues over two nights at the Hook & Ladder Theater (8 p.m., Sat. also, $30).

Saturday, Dec. 14

7. Tower of Power: After more than 50 years together, the brassy Oakland R&B band has issued its first holiday album, "It's Christmas." The group has a one-two punch of vocalists, with high-tenor newcomer Jordan John and gravelly voiced co-founder Emilio Castillo. TOP starts with a jazzy instrumental take on "The Christmas Song" before getting into the gospelly "O Holy Night," the funky "Silver Bells," the gritty "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," the Hanukkah number sung in Hebrew "Maoz Tzur"cq and the original "It's Christmas (A Long Way From Home)," which sounds like a classic Tower of Power ballad with a hint of Mel Tormé. (8 p.m. Mystic Lake Casino showroom, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd., Prior Lake, $39 and up, ticketmaster.com)

Also: Touring behind the new EP "Loads of Remixes" featuring new versions of "Glycerine" and other '90s faves, Gavin Rossdale and Bush return (7 p.m. Fillmore, $90 and up).

Sunday, Dec. 15

8. Los Lobos: Like Wilco, Los Angeles' culturally rich and musically electrifying Mexi-Cali rock legends have gone from playing 7th St. Entry their first time in town (1983) to hitting a long list of other Twin Cities venues since then. About time they gave Minneapolis' renowned jazz club a try — a nice, intimate contrast to the large outdoor setting of their heated and thrilling gig this past summer at St. Louis Park's ROC. Still boasting all four original members, plus longtime utility player and producer Steve Berlin, the "La Bamba" hitmakers just marked their 50th anniversary as a band and the 40th anniversary of "How Will the Wolf Survive?" widely ranked as one of the best albums of the 1980s and just the beginning of what's now a large canon of classic songs. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $100-$135, dakotacooks.com)

9. Brother Ali: The Minnesota hip-hop scene has lost some of its stars to Los Angeles and the Bay Area over the years, but Ali is the only one who could have not surprisingly wound up living in Istanbul. Ever the seeker, traveler and devoted Muslim, the booming-voiced Rhymesayers Entertainment warrior proves he hasn't lost any of his sharp lyrical edge or deep love of the music that saved him a few times in a strong and bountiful new batch of music, including a new album called "Love & Service" with Oakland, Calif., beatmaker Unjust, plus the first batch of digitally released tracks from a new album with the producer behind his best-loved work, Ant of Atmosphere. Ant is out on the road backing Ali to preview the new songs after also just dropping first-ever solo album, "Collection of Sounds, Vol. 1." New Orleans rapper Dee-1 opens along with local mainstay Mally, who also just dropped a new one. There' a lot to celebrate here. (8 p.m. First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $28-$32, axs.com)

Also: Darnell Davis, the Minneapolis gospel singer/composer/keyboardist, leads a gospel brunch (1 p.m. Icehouse, $25-$30); for more than 40 years, Sherwin Linton and his wife Pam Linton have been offering a country-music holiday program featuring his novelty single "Santa Got a DWI" (5:30 p.m. Crooners, $30-$40).

Monday, Dec. 16

The Petersons, Minnesota's first family of jazz, do their annual, multi-generational Twas the Jam Before Christmas (7 p.m. Mon. & Tue. the Dakota, $30-$40); award-winning Minnesota guitar pickers Phil Heywood and Tim Sparks team up for some seasonal tunes (6:30 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35).

Tuesday, Dec. 17

Monroe Crossing, the Minnesota bluegrass stalwarts, celebrate a bluegrass Christmas at Crooners (7:30 p.m., $30-$40); St. Paul-reared pianist Will Kjeer, who recently earned his master's degree in jazz at Juilliard, teams with the veteran Twin Cities rhythm section of drummer Kenny Horst and Billy Peterson (6:30 p.m. Crooners, $28-$38).

Wednesday, Dec. 18

10. Ashely DuBose: Fresh off a spirited turn in the New Standards Holiday Show that reminded folks she's one of Minnesota's greatest R&B singers of the day, St. Paul native DuBose is putting her own playful spin on the seasonal concert formula. The former NBC "The Voice" contestant, who has also sung with Dessa and been a mainstay of the hip-hop scene, is unveiling her Jingle Bell Jukebox, featuring a wide range of modern and classic tunes and – like those TNS shows — unnamed surprise guests. Shavunda and DJ Digie will open. (7:30 p.m. Icehouse 2528 Nicollet Av., Mpls., $18-$25, icehousempls.com)

Also: At 85, folk icon Judy Collins is still charming with conversation and song, bringing holiday tunes, hits and maybe winter favorites like "The Blizzard" and "River" (7:30 p.m. Wed. Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, $37 and up, and 7:30 p.m. Thu. Parkway Theater, Mpls., $79 and up); fedora-wearing smooth jazz/R&B saxophonist Boney James is back (8 p.m. Fitzgerald Theater, $45 and up); Esera Tuaola, the former Vikings player and "The Voice" contestant, offers his Mr. Aloha Holiday Show (7 p.m. the Dakota, $35-$60).

Classical music critic Rob Hubbard contributed to this column.