As Thanksgiving approaches, why not express your gratitude for our bustling local music scene by getting out to some live shows? Thanksgiving Eve and Black Friday are especially loaded with events, so best to start mapping out your game plan now.

For even more events, check out the Current's concert calendar.
 

Monday, November 19

Patches and Gretchen
Black Dog Cafe, St. Paul
8 p.m., free, all ages
One-of-a-kind performer Gretchen Seichrist brings her freewheelin' freak-folk to Lowertown St. Paul for this Monday night gig. Music will wrap up by 10 p.m., making it a good choice for a school night.

Prof
7th St. Entry, Minneapolis
5 p.m., $15, all ages
Notorious party-rapper Prof kick-starts the week with an early, all ages gig.
 

Tuesday, November 20

Crooked Saws
Lee's Liquor Lounge, Minneapolis
9 p.m., free, 21+
Blues duo Crooked Saws make their live debut, a few months after finishing their debut full-length Mo'Fi. As guitarist and vocalist Jesse Damien Revel tells it, "we were to release our first album this past summer, but I almost died and spent a couple months in the hospital. This is our 'We Live' show!"
 

Wednesday, November 21

Drinksgiving with E.L.nO. and Hookers & Blow
Lee's Liquor Lounge, Minneapolis
9 p.m., $12, 21+
The title just about says it all. Two of the Cities' best cover bands converge to ensure your Thanksgiving is as hungover as possible.

Communist Daughter and Actual Wolf (opening for Ike Reilly)
First Avenue, Minneapolis
7:30 p.m., $15, 18+
The Ike Reilly Assassination returns to Minneapolis to ring in Thanksgiving Eve for the 10th consecutive year, and this time around he'll be joined by a pair of ace local acts.

Bloodnstuff
Hell's Kitchen, Minneapolis
9 p.m., $5, 21+
This one goes up to 11. Bloodnstuff headline a Thanksgiving Eve gig with openers Red Daughters and Hardcore Crayons.

Mark Mallman
Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis
9 p.m., $8, 18+
Back home from a tour in support of his latest album, Double Silhouette, piano-rocker Mark Mallman headlines a night that also features A. Wolf and Her Claws and National Bird.

Transmission's Greatest Hits
Varsity Theater, Minneapolis
9 p.m., $5 adv/$8 door, 21+
Jake Rudh takes dancers on a tour of his favorite songs, decade by decade, starting with the '60s and leading up to today.

Black Blondie
Memory Lanes, Minneapolis
10 p.m., free, 21+
Funky R&B/pop band Black Blondie celebrate "Dranksgiving" with their third annual Thanksgiving Eve show. With UP ROCK and Rodeo Night.

All Tomorrow's Petty
Red Stag, Minneapolis
10 p.m., free, 21+
Another free option, this one featuring a spread of Tom Petty covers performed by a cast of familiar faces from the local scene.
 

Thursday, November 22 (Thanksgiving)

The Big Wu
Cabooze, Minneapolis
9 p.m., $10 adv/$12 door, 18+
Only a few venues in town host gigs on Thanksgiving Day. Long-running jam band the Big Wu holds it down at the Cabooze for this annual event, which also offers concertgoers a free Thanksgiving dinner with admission.
 

Friday, November 23

A Tribute to the Replacements
First Avenue and 7th St. Entry, Minneapolis
7 p.m., $8 adv/$10 door, 18+
It's baaaack. This time around, the annual tribute to one of Minneapolis's most seminal rock bands will feature a front-to-back performance of the Replacements' Pleased to Meet Me, featuring guest vocals from musicians like Curtiss A, Gabe Douglas, Orion Treon (Phantom Tails), Eric Pollard (Actual Wolf), and many more. In the Entry, the Mad Ripple will host a hootenanny for Slim Dunlap, and proceeds from the event will go toward Dunlap's recovery as he continues to receive treatment altering suffering a stroke earlier this year. Keep an eye on the blog for a full rundown of all the special guests expected at this event.

Mayda
Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis
9 p.m., $5, 18+
R&B powerhouse Mayda brings her band to the Triple Rock for a show that also features Latin/ska band Rocksteady Breakfast, JT and the Sloppy Seconds, and LadyBoi.a
 

Saturday, November 24

Rogue Valley (Vinyl-Release Show)
Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis
7 p.m., $10 adv/$12 door, all ages
In the span of just a year, Rogue Valley wrote, recorded, and distributed four full-length albums, each tied to a specific season. This week, they'll celebrate the completion of a vinyl LP that comprises the best tracks off those four releases. With Joey Ryan and the Inks and Mereith Fierke.

Paul Metsa (CD-Release Show)
Palmer's Bar, Minneapolis
9 p.m., $3, 21+
On the heels of Paul Metsa's memoir, Blue Guitar Highway, comes a collection of new solo and duo songs (with Sonny Earl) called Blues, Ballads & Broadsides. Metsa will play an all-ages in-store performance at the Electric Fetus at 2 p.m. leading up to his official release show at Palmer's Saturday night.

Trailer Trash's Trashy Little Xmas Kick-Off Party
Lee's Liquor Lounge
9 p.m., $10, 21+
Is it that time already? Trailer Trash kick off the holiday season with their first of several Christmas-themed shows. You've never heard holiday classics quite like this. Sample song titles: "Santa's a Spy," "All I Get for Xmas is Lonely."

S M M N R (Tape-Release Show)
Hexagon Bar, Minneapolis
10 p.m., free, 21+
A new collaboration between Hollow Boys' Ali Jafaar and MC/VL's David Hansen, S M M N R finds the duo exploring analog synth soundscapes in a style that should appeal to fans of CLAPS and Food Pyramid. CLAPS will perform at S M M N R's debut cassette tape release show along with Vats and Dust Buns.

The Pines
Sacred Heart Music Center, Duluth
7:30 p.m., $10 adv/$15 door, all ages
Duluthians, don't miss out on this chance to catch one of Minnesota's finest roots bands in the reverent Sacred Heart space. With Actual Wolf.