Chris Thile performs solo at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City on Saturday, not far from where Punch Brothers worked out the songs on their album Antifogmatic. Acoustic Guitar magazine calls the album "their Sgt. Pepper’s ... Draped in densely woven musical and thematic tapestries, this richly detailed album is filled with quirky, engaging, compelling, and dazzling music that will keep listeners coming back time after time to see what they hear next."

Philip Selway's debut solo album, Familial, can now be heard streaming in its entirety, featured as NPR's First Listen, at npr.org. "As a member of one of the most accomplished rock bands in the world, the bar is set pretty high," says NPR's Robin Hilton. "But when you listen to the beautifully produced pieces Selway came up with on Familial, it's easy to see him not as a percussionist, but as a genuine singer-songwriter." Hilton continues: "Selway can sing, and he's got a wonderfully nuanced voice ... And the songs Selway wrote sound heartfelt and inspired."

Natalie Merchant's US tour brought her to Texas for three shows, including Thursday night in Dallas. The Dallas Morning News says Merchant's voice "sounds as pure and powerful now as it did 20 years ago" and calls the show "one of the year's most assured performances. Natalie Merchant proved to be nothing less than pure poetry in motion." In Florida, where the tour heads next, the Sun Sentinel says her "voice is simply timeless."

Happy Birthday to Brad Mehldau, who turns 40 years old. Mehldau celebrated a few hours early when he joined John Mayer on stage at the Hollywood Bowl last night. Mehldau's next performs with his Trio at the Chicago Jazz Festival over Labor Day weekend, the last Trio date before the November premiere of Highway Rider with Joshua Redman, Matt Chamblerain, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Kronos Quartet plays the Edinburgh International Festival ... Shawn Colvin plays Denver Botanic Gardens with Loudon Wainwright ... Richard Goode performs a BBC Prom ...  The Low Anthem tours Europe's festivals ... Natalie Merchant does Texas two-stop ... Jeff Tweedy headlines Philadelphia Folk Fest ... Dawn Upshaw joins BSO at Tanglewood ... Sara Watkins continues Summer Love tour with A Prairie Home Companion ... and more ...

Familial, Philip Selway's debut solo album, is due out in just over a week, on August 31. You can now listen to four tracks off the album here. Selway is the subject of a feature profile in the Irish Independent, which calls Familial "a gentle, comforting, whisper-in-the-ear sort of album with pleasing echoes of Nick Drake." The BBC says the album is "full of sweet sentiment and honest meditations."

Natalie Merchant's performance at the Cambridge Folk Festival earlier this month will be featured on the UK's Sky Arts TV Saturday night, which also includes interviews with Natalie and with Carolina Chocolate Drops, plus performances from the Drops and Rokia Traoré. Merchant's US tour stops in Texas this weekend. The Arizona Republic says: "Her ambitious touring and recording project shows an artist who continues to evolve and push herself."

Punch Brothers performed two songs off their latest album, Antifogmatic, for Relix magazine, now available online at Relix TV. Today's Sun gives the album four stars, saying, "You’re left thinking this is a new and thrilling form of music. Jazzgrass, anyone?" Maverick magazine also gives it four stars: "Notes buzz like a bee in a jar, scales leap from high to low like a crazed man on a cliff top, and a visceral drama exudes from every playful flourish."

Laurie Anderson will be the guest on NPR's World Cafe today to talk about her latest album, Homeland, which the show describes as "hard-hitting yet humorous," and perform songs from the album. Listeners around the world can tune in online at 2 PM ET on xpn.org.

Carolina Chocolate Drops are featured on the latest episode of BBC Radio 2's The Mike Harding Show, which includes songs off the album Genuine Negro Jig and an interview with the band from the Cambridge Folk Festival. "The Carolina Chocolate Drops went on an absolute storm at the Cambridge Folk Festival this year," Harding reports, "with their blend of banjo, jug, and fiddle and their fire and showmanship."

Rhys Chatham's A Crimson Grail, due out September 14, is now available for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store. This outdoor version of the piece—featuring 200 guitarists, 16 bassists, five conductors, and one percussionist—was performed for the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival. As with almost all Nonesuch Store CD orders, A Crimson Grail includes downloads of the complete album as high-quality, 320-kbps MP3s, starting release day.

Though Punch Brothers have a few weeks off from their tour, Chris Thile takes the stage for a solo set at New Yorks' Rockwood Music Hall this Saturday. The band was featured on the BBC World Service's The Strand. Noam Pickelny tells host Mark Coles, "We really are just trying to create something new and bring all of our favorite styles and influences to the table and just throw them into a melting pot."