7 can't-miss November concerts in Columbia: Indigo Girls, American Aquarium and more

Musically speaking, November offers some real riches, with rising pop stars, folk legends and ace country-rock bands on their way to Columbia. Before the holiday season brings the concert calendar to relative stillness, here are seven shows to circle, then catch.

Nov. 11: Pokey LaFarge at Rose Music Hall

Forever putting the true in troubadour, the former St. Louisan continues to unite folk, jazz and blues sounds from across the decades to craft songs that speak to our present moment. His latest, "In the Blossom of Their Shade" from last year, "takes his musical timelord skills to new heights, concocting a vintage-inspired rock & roll sound deep with decade-bending influences, that somehow remains stylistically coherent," AllMusic's Matt Collar writes. "It's also one of his most buoyant albums, playing like a balmy pool-side party." Tickets are $20 to $25. https://rosemusichall.com/

Nov. 13: Bill Charlap Trio at Murry's

An often-moving presence at the piano, Charlap graces the ongoing "We Always Swing" Jazz Series season drawing on a catalog of originals and deep dives into the music of Gershwin, Bernstein, Gerry Mulligan and more. Charlap's trio includes bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer Lewis Nash. Tickets for this two-show engagement are $20 to $47. https://www.wealwaysswing.org/season/2022-2023/

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Nov. 15: Modeling at Cafe Berlin

The Fayetteville, Arkansas, band builds cinematic landscapes out of synthesizers and drum machines. Bold and crackling yet shot through with moments of clarity, Modeling's songs deliver both grand and intimate delights. You can imagine these songs stoking a dance club or settling over a David Lynch-directed scene. Dream Squeeze shares the bill. Tickets are $5. https://www.cafeberlincomo.com/

Nov. 17: Chelsea Cutler at The Blue Note

Just 25, Cutler has released several gold- and platinum-selling singles, collaborated with the likes of Noah Kahan and Quinn XCII, and played major festivals such as Coachella. The Connecticut native brings an adaptable voice — able to float lovely, lilting notes and dig into deeper melodic phrases — to songs that travel the spectrum of pop. Ayokay and Arden Jones share the bill. Tickets are $27 to $40. https://thebluenote.com/

Nov. 19: Indigo Girls at The Blue Note

Rescheduled from a May date, this show sees the return of an Americana duo that's never lived anywhere but the height of their combined powers. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers continue creating lived-in songs that tether folk and rock while affirming the beauty and pain of everyday living. On their most recent album, 2020's "Look Long," the pair "do their best to rinse the salt out of a few wounds, gently dress others and also attempt some preventive care," Pablo Gorondi wrote for The Associated Press. Tickets are sold out.

Nov. 26: The Last Waltz at The Blue Note

Each year, in a cathartic Thanksgiving tradition, local musicians recreate The Band's classic 1976 send-off, later turned into one of our great concert films by Martin Scorsese. Area band The Fried Crawdaddies lead the way, with plenty of special guests recreating the all-star cast The Band welcomed on stage. Tickets are $10 to $20.

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Nov. 30: American Aquarium at The Blue Note

Singer BJ Barham and the American Aquarium crew wrestle with the Old South and seek to recreate something new in its country-meets-folk-meets-rock sound. The band's latest, "Chicamacomico," hit this summer and is named for "a former life-saving station built in 1874 on the Outer Banks of North Carolina," a place that feels representative of the band's current work, its website notes. Superlative songwriter David Ramirez opens, forming a terrific double bill. Tickets are $20 to $25.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. Find him on Twitter @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Indigo Girls, American Aquarium among 7 can't-miss November concerts