Northfield, Minn., has a poet laureate, Rob Hardy, who recommends an interactive musical experience: The Musical Portraits of Northfield. Landmarks throughout town are posted with QR codes that, when scanned with your smartphone, play songs by Louis and Dan and the Invisible Band. Hardy compares their upbeat sound and kid-friendly lyrics to the band They Might Be Giants.

With their clever lyrics and rhymes, each song tells the story of a different Northfield landmark. Together, they make a techie scavenger hunt for families. Hardy says the song about Bridge Square always gets stuck in his head: “Bridge Square, it’s not a real square. It’s a trapezoid / you should not avoid.”

Archie Barbier of St. Paul discovered the music of DJ Ariesfirebomb over the pandemic, watching their Friday night dance parties on Twitch. “They are someone that's going to get the party started no matter where you are,” said Barbier.

Blending music of different styles across the decades, Ariesfirebomb creates “a black, queer, safe environment within their music, and within all of their performances.” In addition to Twitch, they are active on Instagram, where Barbier says he’s learned so much about the cultural history of music.

Ariesfirebomb has a live show Friday at the Fine Line in Minneapolis. The 9 p.m. show is for audiences 18 and over.

President of the Twin Cities Cabaret Artists Network, Jennifer Eckes  is excited about a Friday show by jazz vocalist Katia Cardenas. Cardenas sings jazz infused with R&B and pop.

Cardenas suffered a vocal injury three years ago. Over the pandemic, she strengthened her voice and wrote original songs.

Eckes calls Cardenas a vibrant performer and an up and coming musician to watch. The concert is at 8 p.m. at the Granada Theater, the renovated former Suburban World in Uptown.