Laurie Anderson has began a short tour of the East Coast with music from her new album, Homeland, in two shows at Philadelphia's World Cafe Live, one at New York's (Le) Poisson Rouge, and one at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia. She was recently featured on PRI's Studio 360 and appears on PRI's Echoes today. The Philadelphia Inquirer says Anderson's "current projects suggest that, at 63, she's at a late-middle-age creative peak."

Ben Folds and Nick Hornby, whose music and words, respectively, come together on the forthcoming Nonesuch release Lonely Avenue, appeared on the Saturday edition of BBC Radio 2's Jonathan Ross show. Folds and Horby discussed the new album and perform their song "From Above," with Ben on acoustic guitar, and Hornby helping out on the singing—undoubtedly a world exclusive event.

Punch Brothers follow the success of their recent Caramoor appearance with three shows in Michigan later this week. The Associated Press says their new album, "Antifogmatic, has more range than your average bluegrass album. There’s an old-time feel to some songs. But several songs have a progressive feel that rises above genre limitations." Spinner looks at producer Jon Brion's role in bringing the band's unique acoustic sound to disc.

Emmylou Harris performs at Lilith Fair ... Laurie Anderson live on World Cafe and in NYC ... Carolina Chocolate Drops play the Sugar Grove Festival in NC ... Pat Metheny, Joshua Redman, Rokia Traore, and Caetano Veloso hit the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam... and more ...

Metacritic.com has released its mid-year report of "The Best Music of 2010 So Far"—and three Nonesuch releases have made the cut: Ali Farka Touré's collaboration with kora player Toumani Diabaté came in at #2, and Laurie Anderson's first studio album since 2001, Homeland, followed it at #3. The Black Keys recent album, Brothers, followed up at #27. John Schaefer of WNYC's Soundcheck picks Anderson's Homeland, Ali and Toumani, and Timothy Andres' Shy and Mighty as his best of the year so far.

On the latest edition of NPR's All Songs Considered, host Bob Boilen and his regular cast of contributors sort through the "crush of great new music" coming out this summer, choosing "some of the upcoming albums they're most looking forward to." Robin Hilton, the show's producer, chooses Familial, the forthcoming debut solo album from Philip Selway.

The film I Am Love features the music of John Adams, which plays an important role in the "sumptuous, operatic, and swooning" film, says NPR's Fresh Air. Director Luca Guadagnino "suffuses everything with beauty, be it Yorick Le Saux's fluid cinematography, the richly textured music by John Adams or the outfits especially designed for Swinton by Jil Sander and Fendi." Variety features an article about the director's love of Adams's music. The Epoch Times praises the soundtrack as a "collection of some powerful music by an important voice in American music."

The Black Keys have been chosen as MTV's "Push Artist of the Week"; the video for "Tighten Up" from the band's new album, Brothers, is featured on mtv.com, along with exclusive interviews with Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney.

The Punch Brothers played the "American Roots, New Shoots" series at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, New York, this past weekend, in a mini-festival showcasing "new perspectives on traditional American music." The New York Times describes the "supremely entertaining" show as "cleverly splintered and episodic, with touches of breathless emotion and ... humor."

Tune in to PBS's Tavis Smiley show tonight to watch the Carolina Chocolate Drops perform live from their album, Genuine Negro Jig.

Nonesuch Records releases A Crimson Grail—Rhys Chatham’s work for large electric guitar orchestra—on September 14, 2010. Written in 2005 as a commission for the city of Paris, A Crimson Grail premiered at the basilica of Sacré-Coeur. It was created to work with the specific architecture of the basilica, making use of its natural 15-second reverberation time. Scored for as many as 400 guitarists, an orchestra of approximately 125 musicians performed the premiere, to great acclaim. The Dallas Observer said of a recording of that concert, “Beautifully intricate and harmonically dense, A Crimson Grail is nearly ambient in tone while pursuing a beauty that never seems beyond its scope.”

Punch Brothers' recent Tonight Show spot airs again; quintet plays Caramoor ... Laurie Anderson improvises with Lou Reed, John Zorn at Montreal Jazz Fest; Allen Toussaint brings Bright Mississipi there ... The Black Keys hit the European festivals ... Carolina Chocolate Drops play two sets at High Sierra Fest ... Brad Mehldau plays Traumzeit and Montreax Fests ... Pat Metheny Group tours Poland and Germany ... Joshua Redman plays Ottawa Jazz Fest ... Jeff Tweedy solos in Spain ... Sara Watkins tours Midwest with Dar Williams ... and more ...