Joe Lencioni
You can totally believe that Sufjan Stevens used to work in children’s book publishing. The Detroit-born singer-songwriter epitomizes a certain kind of twee whimsy that can either enchant or give you a sugar headache. Think of him as the Christian indie-rock Wes Anderson. And, like film director Anderson, he can dazzle you with his sense of arrangement, attention to small details and unexpected detours — a five-CD box set of Christmas music here, a symphonic tribute to NYC’s Brooklyn-Queens Expressway there. If the always-searching Stevens has yet to duplicate the majesty (and songcraft) of his epic album Illinois, 10 years old this year, neither has anyone else. Stevens will go into the mystic at the Altria Theater on May 6. $32.50 to $40. (800) 514-3849 or altriatheater.com.