Andrew Bird
@ Bryant Lake Bowl

A lot of artists are tagged with the “eccentric musical genius” label but few live up to the billing like Andrew Bird. A restless creative spirit who has toured and collaborated with everyone from the likes of the Magnetic Fields and Lambchop to My Morning Jacket and Ani Difranco, Bird and his unconventional take on the electric violin are guaranteed to pique the interest of any music fans in search of something new. In the live setting Bird plucks and samples his violin, layers beats below it, whistles above it and damn near reinvents the wheel when it comes to live concert performance. He’s currently putting the finishing touches on his 2003 release Weather Systems, so expect plenty of new songs. 7:30 p.m. $12 adv/ $14 door. All Ages. 810 West Lake Street, Mpls. 612-825-8949. Rob van Alstyne

Little Brazil
@ The 7th St. Entry

Landon Hedges’ face is already familiar to those with a hankering for all things Saddle Creek (which, judging by the numbers, must be some 75 percent of current college rock afficionados), as he’s logged time as a touring member in both Conor Oberst’s spaz-rock band Desaparecidos and Tim Kasher’s Cure acolytes the Good Life. Now he’s setting out to conquer the young and earnest masses with his own band, Little Brazil. Judging by the strength of the three songs on his band’s debut EP, he’s got a good shot at pulling it off. Mixing a pleasant low-key singing voice with both Prom-styled piano pop and more visceral tuneage in the vein of Nebraskan forebears like Cursive it seem there’s plenty to look forward to on the debut full-length, You & Me, due out early next year. With Paste and Mark These Words. 9 p.m. $5. 21+. 701 First Ave. N., Mpls. 612-338-8388. van Alstyne

KFAI Live Broadcast
@ In The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre

For more than 25 years, KFAI Radio (90.3 FM in Mpls./106.7 FM in St. Paul) has provided diverse programming to the Twin Cities, offering a voice to diverse communities seldom heard from in the homogeneous mainstream media. This week the station is taking its program “Centro” on the road and into the heart of Minneapolis’ Latino community for a special live Spanish and English language broadcast. For the first part of this two-hour program, host Marlon Ferrey will delve into voter registration and education issues, getting to the bottom of the ballot by looking at House races and the Minneapolis School Board contest. During the second hour, Minneapolis School Board candidates will take the stage, making statements and answering questions from a moderator and audience participants. Oct. 13, 7 – 9 p.m. In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, 1500 E. Lake St., Mpls. Nancy Sartor

The Tragically Hip
@ The Quest Club

R.E.M. and the Rolling Stones were secretly commissioned by the Canadian government to donate their stem cells some twenty-odd years ago for the purposes of creating a world-conquering group—and thus the Tragically Hip was born. OK, so maybe that’s not quite the “true” origin story for Canada’s finest, but “the Hip” (as they’re affectionately known in Canada where they routinely sell out arenas) are a band of super-powered enough proportions that they deserve a comic book-styled back story. The Tragically Hip’s recently released tenth proper album, In Between Evolution, presents a potent distillation of all the things that make the group special. Vocalist/madman Gordon Downie spouts off a set of free-associated politically motivated tunes that break down the current state of world affairs (“taking care of each other from one bullet to another”) without getting up on a pulpit (Bono should take notes). Meanwhile his crack band of childhood friends alternates between bluesy guttural rock swagger (“Gus: The Polar Bear from Central Park”) and piquant twinkly pop (“It Can’t Be Nashville Every Night”). Should make for a truly fiery live show. With Sam Roberts. 6:30 p.m. $25 adv/ $27 door. 18+. 110 N. Fifth St., Mpls. 612-338-3383. van Alstyne

Heavy Sleeper
@ The Triple Rock Social Club

Heavy Sleeper has arrived and they are here to bring the rock. The new-ish project led by Hang Ups keyboardist Marcel Galang with aid from Arch Stanton members Matt Alexander and Drew Herder is about to unleash its debut long-player, The Gifted Curse, and I’ve got a sneaking suspicion the Twin Cities music scene will never be the same. Eleven songs cooked up with ace local producer Bryan Hannah (The Orange Peels, The Waxwings), The Gifted Curse comes out swinging with a bona fide arena anthem in the form of “Home.” One could be forgiven for expecting Heavy Sleeper to shift gears into more sedate terrain from there, but it turns out that “Home” is merely the first in a series of massive crescendo-laden guitar-snarling struts that blast forth from my speakers with a sense of urgency that’s got me by the throat. I’ve yet to catch Heavy Sleeper live, but I’m prepared to bring earplugs and be on guard for Pete Townsend-style guitar windmills. With Valet, The Life and Times (ex-Shiner), Blackhearted Force. 10 p.m. $6. 21+. 629 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-333-7399. van Alstyne

Wrinkle T, Concentual, 40 Watt Bulb
@ The Fine Line Music Cafe

In hearing Wrinkle T play, one might conclude that this five-piece band has been rockin’ together for years. Turns out this is only their second gig since they packed the house at the Fine Line last month. The band has a solid lineup—from the professional keyboard stylings of Anita Cracauer (who also provides sweet back-up vocals), to the energetic and youthful stage presence of front man Cory Cater (who sounds an awful lot like Gary Louris from The Jayhawks). Wrinkle T will woo you with blues/rock originals and surprise you with well-performed covers they adopt as their own. With the local and harmonious pop/rock curiosities Concentual, and St. Cloud’s gritty roots rockers 40 Watt Bulb. 9 p.m. $5. Fine Line Music Café, 18 N. 1st Ave., Mpls., 612-338-8100. Aaron Neumann

Christopher Shillock
@ Terminal Bar

Christopher Shillock, the last remaining beat poet with politics as tough as whipcord and steel, will perform poetry and songs with Erin Muir and members of Michael Quinn and the Virgin Suicides. Fri. Oct. 15, 10 p.m. $5. Terminal Bar, 405 E. Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-623-4545. Ed Felien

Denison Witmer, The Original Mark Edwards
@ Bryant Lake Bowl

This double bill features talent from far away (Denison Witmer hails from Philadelphia) and right in our own back yard (Edwards has been a long-time fixture on the local scene since his days fronting the Domo Sound). Despite being a “two guys in a theater” gig, the show should provide an interesting contrast in styles. Witmer is a top flight straightforward singer/songwriter with a classic streak that’s had critics quick to compare him with early Jackson Browne, whereas Edwards is a mischief-heavy tape-looper. A knack for melody and clever lyricism ties the two otherwise greatly differing acts together. Witmer’s currently on tour in support of the first release with his new backing band, the River Bends, and it should be interesting to see how he translates the fuller sound of that material to the stage alone. Edwards is presented with an equally steep challenge as he’ll somehow have to scale down the wide-lens cinematic studio pop of his well-received solo debut, Rewind Tomorrow, into the one-man band live setting. I’m betting they’re up to the task. 9:30 p.m. $6 adv/ $8 door. 810 West Lake Street, Mpls. 612-825-8949. van Alstyne

Rock for NE Green Party Candidate
@ Mayslacks

After last week’s powerful Xcel show, you might think only Democrats can rock—but you’d be wrong. Green Party candidate for State Representative Tom Taylor is rocking NE Minneapolis by challenging Wal-Mart, toxic waste sites and corporate welfare. Local luminaries will take the stage at the venerable Mayslacks bar to keep this grassroots campaign rolling. Join The Larpenters, ‘Ol Yeller, Felonius Bosch, Sir Cuss, Baby Grant Johnson, Paul Metsa and more. And, for only the second time in history, Mayslacks will hold a beet raffle! 8 p.m. $10. Mayslacks, 15th Ave. NE & 4th St., Mpls., 612-788-4252, http://www.votetomtaylor.org. Lydia Howell


Wellstone!
@ Heights Theatre

Wellstone! Wellstone! Wellstone! What would Wellstone do? He wasn’t a plaster saint. He was a real guy with fierce passions who loved his wife and about 10,000 other people in Minnesota that he hugged and met in kitchens and coffee shops. He was always running about four-and-a-half miles per hour above the speed limit: fast enough to cover the ground, but not so fast he’d get arrested. Many people on the left thought he wasn’t radical enough, but he was just moderate enough to get 50.1 percent of the vote in two U.S. Senate elections. He probably would’ve won the 2002 election, too, if fate hadn’t intervened. This documentary about his and Sheila’s lives opens the Central Standard Film Festival. It’s not a weepy, sentimental portrait, it’s a call to action. It echoes what Joe Hill said before being executed by a Utah firing squad: “Don’t mourn, organize!” Thu. Oct. 14, 7 p.m. & Sat., Oct. 16, 12 p.m. $35 festival All Access Pass to attend film and party that follows on opening night. Heights Theatre, 3951 Central Ave., Mpls. 612-343-3390. Also showing Sun. Oct. 16 – Thu. Oct. 28, U Film Society, Bell Museum, 17th & University Ave. SE, Mpls., 612-331-3134. Felien

Karate
@ The Triple Rock Social Club

Loads of indie-rock musicians pay lip service to jazz; few know what the hell they’re talking about or bear any trace of jazz’s influence on their own music. Karate, a Boston-based trio, provides a notable exception. Their lengthy sonic excursions blend elements of typical indie-rock, seductive funkiness, and jazz-styled time structures into the kind of rock music one could picture Mingus nodding at in approval (unsurprisingly, NPR loves these guys). Their latest, Pockets, reigns in the jammy nature of its predecessor, but retains a jazzy sensibility even as the cuts are kept close to the four minute mark, letting more of Farina’s light voice and impressionistic lyrics take the spotlight than usual. The understated yet-still-virtuosic nature of Farina’s supporting cast rhythm section (bassist Jeff Goddard and drummer Gavin Mcarthy) comes to the fore in the live setting, so be ready to bop. With Chris Brokaw, Grickle-Grass. 10 p.m. $8. 21+. 629 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-333-7399. van Alstyne