Music notes: Wynonna Judd making a suburban stop

Country-music Christmas

Country superstar Wynonna Judd will make a stop in the suburbs this weekend with her band, the Big Noise. Judd, who rose to worldwide success with her mother in the group the Judds, will perform a variety of Christmas songs during the evening, and she'll probably pull out a few of her own country hits, too.

8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, at the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles. Tickets start at $29 Go to oshows.com.

Rising star

Brad Anderson, a country-music newcomer whose self-titled debut record has received strong reviews, will perform this weekend in the suburbs. Saving Savanna will open.

9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, at Austin's Fuel Room, 481 Peterson Road, Libertyville. $7. Go to austinsaloon.com.

A Breed apart

The Breeders burst onto the scene in the early 1990s, right at the beginning of the alternative-rock era. The band was a side project for Kim Deal, then the bassist for the legendary underground rock group the Pixies. (Deal formally left the Pixies earlier this year.) The Breeders hit it big with the 1993 record “Last Splash,” which included the key alternative hits “Cannonball” and “Divine Hammer.” The band's bristly mix of punk and pop brought them widespread acclaim and shot them to the top of the alt-rock heap. The Breeders have undergone multiple personnel changes since, but the “Last Splash” lineup, which includes Deal's sister, Kelley, re-formed this year to celebrate the album's 20th anniversary. The band arrives in Chicago this weekend. The opener will be Speedy Ortiz, an acclaimed noise-pop band whose debut, “Major Arcana,” came out earlier this year.

9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at Metro, 3730 N. Clark, Chicago. $28. Go to metrochicago.com.