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It’s an acoustic weekend in St. Paul, with national heavyweights Jason Mraz and Dar Williams, along with local favorites Haley Bonar, who is back with her first local show since moving to Portland earlier this summer, and Michael Rossetto and Nicholas Lemme of Spaghetti Western String Co. Other highlights: The Nightowl Classic Bike Ride makes its way from Minneapolis to St. Paul; Jazz Implosion at the Clown Lounge; and local calypso music at the Minnesota History Center’s 9 Nights of Music.

Jason Mraz

THURSDAY: Jason Mraz, K’Naan, G. Love & Special Sauce + Bushwalla at Xcel Energy Center
Sure, Jason Mraz is a huge star, finding success with his blues-pop sound that only seems to be expanding with last year’s We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The Virginian singer-songwriter will try his hand on putting his intimate sound in the colossal Xcel, with a slew of energetic openers, K’Naan being the most intriguing of which. The Somali-born Canadian hip-hop artist blends an African folk influence into his songs about poverty, injustice, and of course, Somali pirates. (7 p.m. $25-45. All ages. 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul. 651-265-4800.)

Also Thursday: Music in Mears features Latin hip hop band Maria Isa and a screening of “Field of Dreams”; Ghostband turn up the volume with their difficult-to-categorize trippy electro sound at Big V’s.

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This weekend and early next week, St. Paul’s got loads of options to keep your nightlife buzzing. Local psychedelic rockers Vampire Hands have their LP release at the Turf, while Tracy Chapman delivers her stripped-down, bluesy acoustic act at the O’Shaughnessy, Christians rock Harriet Island, and Blink-182 reunite at Xcel.

40 Oz. To Freedom

THURSDAY: 40 Oz. To Freedom at Station 4
Sublime tribute band 40 Oz. To Freedom, named for the band’s most only album, has developed a following in its own right. The San Diego four-piece have been on the road for years, giving the popular reggae punk-rock band’s catalog of much-loved tracks like “What I Got” a fresh twist. It doesn’t hurt that frontman Dane Scott shares a striking resemblance in both vocals and appearance to Bradley Nowell, who died of a drug overdose in 1996 shortly before the band released its debut album. (8 p.m. $12-15. 201 E. 4th St., St. Paul. 651-298-0173.)

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If you work or live near Downtown Saint Paul, why not treat yourself to a lunch-time musical excursion to the Landmark Center? At noon, each Wednesday through the end of August, visitors to the Center will be treated to sweet sonic stylings from some of the Twin Cities’ favorite tunesmiths — for free, no less!  You can even make an afternoon of it, with a delightful lunch at Anita’s Cafe, located in the atrium where the performances occur. Feast on a wide variety of sandwiches, wraps, salads, and entrees while you tap your feet to the tunes and marvel at the exquisite architecture of the Landmark Center.

If you’re not due back at work, you can continue your afternoon exploration of the Center with a visit to the new exhibit, Public Enemies: A Retrospective, which opens July 10th. Featuring intriguing artifacts from the St. Paul Police Historical Society, as well as from numerous regional collectors, you’ll be privy to rarely seen items such as John Dillinger’s “hit list”  and Dillinger henchman Homer van Meter’s straw brim hat, worn when he was gunned down in St. Paul.

UPCOMING MUSIC IN THE CAFE PERFORMANCES:

July 15th: Molly Maher
July 22nd: Joey Ryan
July 29th: Davina and the Vagabonds
August 5th: Jenny Dalton
August 12th: Redpath
August 19th: James Allen and Vicky Mountain
August 26th: Michael Rossetto & Nicholas Lemme

Musical performances run from Noon to 1 p.m., Wednesdays in July and August. Look to www.landmarkcenter.org for more details.

Landmark Center is located in downtown St. Paul at 75 West 5th Street, facing Rice Park, next to the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and The Saint Paul Hotel.  For more information call 651.292.3276 or visit www.landmarkcenter.org