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Tonight, St. Paul gets a taste of country-tinged Americana with a rock ‘n roll bent. The solid local lineup at the Turf Club (one of the best places to see a rock show in the Twin Cities, in this writer’s humble opinion) kicks off with John Swardson’s outfit Get Gone, hot off a CD release earlier this month. Swardson’s vocal style is somewhere between Patterson Hood and Social Distortion’s Mike Ness, with the music having a sort of Drive-by Truckers vibe with heavy, fuzzy guitars and sung-spoken, simple lyrics.

Grant Cutler

Second on the lineup is Grant Cutler & the Gorgeous Lords, an acclaimed local band from the former half of electro duo Lookbook. With his solo material (and backed by a venerable band that includes former members of Plastic Constellations and Askeleton), Cutler takes a surprisingly moody, low-key cue from the likes of balladeer Scott Walker and Leonard Cohen with baritone vocals and soaring melodies. Highly recommended.

The Western Fifth

Rounding out the night are Western Fifth, a band operating within the alt-country genre while subtly reinventing the idea of what that means. Obviously bred on Uncle Tupelo, Whiskeytown and the Twin Cities’ own Jayhawks, the band stays true to the character and songwriting at the heart of country while drawing more heavily on the “alt” side of the equation, thanks largely to singer Ryan Holweger’s J. Mascis-esque whine.

9 p.m., $6, 21-plus, Turf Club, 1601 University Ave. W., St. Paul, 651-647-0486, www.turfclub.net

New Year’s Eve may be over, but the weekend still holds a few reasons worth leaving the house in zero-degree weather for in St. Paul.

Jake Rudh

Jake Rudh gives St. Paul guilty pleasure
Tonight, Jake Rudh of Transmission fame makes a rare St. Paul appearance – and a rare Saturday night gig – tonight at O’Gara’s. If you dig the Transmission “Guilty Pleasures” night, the set list should be right up your alley – expect early ’90s booty-shakin’ hits from the likes of Salt N Pepa and Bel Biv Davoe. (10 p.m.-2 a.m. Sat. Free. 21-plus. 164 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul. 651-644-3333.) It’s the official after party for the Minnesota RollerGirls‘ home season kick-off game at Roy Wilkens Auditorium. The game itself begins at 7:30 p.m., and costs 13 bones for entry.
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