Punch Brothers guitarist Chris "Critter" Eldridge is on the Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast to talk with host Jason Verlinde about the band's new album, Hell on Church Street, a reimagining of, and homage to, the late bluegrass great Tony Rice’s landmark solo album Church Street Blues. You can hear their conversation here. Rice was a hero to all the Punch Brothers, but perhaps to no one more than Eldridge, who, as a college student, had worked out a deal where he could study one-on-one with the notoriously reclusive guitarist in exchange for school credit. 

Laurie Anderson is on the Chatter podcast to talk with host Shane Harris about her work, particularly as it relates to the podcast's focus on the intersection of art and national security, including her piece Habeas Corpus, her surprise 1981 hit single "O Superman," and her 2015 film Heart of a Dog. You can hear their conversation here. Nonesuch Records reissued Laurie Anderson's debut album, Big Science, which features "O Superman," on red vinyl last year. Remixes of two tracks from the album were recently released: the title track, remixed by Arca, and "Sweaters," by Sam Gendel.

David Byrne is the guest on the latest episode of the SmartLess podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. "I am truly starstruck," Arnett says in the introduction of his surprise guest. "This person's music has played a huge role certainly in my life and lots of people's lives ... This person is, quite honestly, it's rare that you get to say, living legend." You can hear their conversation here.

Ben LaMar Gay is on the latest episode of BBC World Service's Music Life, joining Angel Bat Dawid in conversation with Qur'an Shaheed and Dr. Adam Zanolini about the importance of not conforming and recognizing one's own gifts. You can hear it here.

The Magnetic Fields are guests on the latest episode of the Sonos podcast Music Is Everything! hosted by Elia Einhorn. Stephin Merritt, Claudia Gonson, and Sam Davol perform several songs and chat with Einhorn, who says: "I'll admit, dear listener, I was glad to be wearing a mask in the studio, not just for my safety, not just for their safety, but because my face absolutely crumbled a couple of times at the power of Stephin Merritt's lyrics and emotional delivery." You can hear the session here. The band will tour the US and Canada in April.

Mandy Patinkin was on The Economist's The Economist Asks podcast. He talks with host Anne McElvoy about his performing career, being an activist, and his becoming a social media sensation at home with his family during lockdown. "The difference between working with a gifted person and working with a genius. A genius opens the doors to everyone else's thoughts and opinions, asks questions," Patinkin says of working with Stephen Sondheim. "What he did, similar to Shakespeare in my opinion, is he turned darkness into light," You can hear their conversation here.

Vagabon (aka Laetitia Tamko) is the guest on the latest episode of the podcast Seek Treatment with Cat & Pat. She talks with hosts Catherine Cohen and Pat Regan, who ask three simple questions—"Who were you? Who are you? Who do you want to be?"—the answers to which lead the hosts to reply: "She contains multitudes." You can hear their conversation in the episode below.

Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and the members of Mountain Man—Amelia Meath, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, and Molly Sarlé—talk with each other on the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast. "Somehow as if by magic," Talkhouse Executive Editor Josh Modell says of Mountain Man in his introduction, "their voices perfectly intertwined." You can hear the conversation here.

Jonny Greenwood is on the podcast Penderecki in Memoriam to talk with host Max Horowitz about his compositional work and his connection to that of the late Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, with whom Greenwood released an album on Nonesuch in 2012. "What I responded to is the rule-breaking, partly," Greenwood says of Penderecki's music. "It was seeing that just because music is written on paper, it doesn't necessarily have to fit within the confines of written limitations. And suddenly you realize, anything is possible." You can hear the conversation here.

"One of my first dream guests was Rhiannon Giddens, who is one of my favorite musicians, a fantastic singer," Mark Bittman says of his guest, with Francesco Turrisi, on the podcast Food with Mark Bittman. "Her mission is to lift up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been erased or ignored and to work toward a more accurate understanding of America’s musical origins. I’m giddy about Giddens’ music (sorry)." You can hear their conversation here.

Caroline Shaw is the guest on the latest episode of the podcast Conversations on Dance. She spoke with hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden, former Miami City Ballet dancers, at the 2021 Vail Dance Festival, about her music and composing for dance. You can hear their conversation here.

Devendra Banhart was the special surprise guest on the Halloween Spooktacular episode of Office Hours Live with Tim Heidecker. Once the Halloween costume comes off, they discuss some recent and favorite concert-going experiences, and Banhart—whom Heidecker calls "a genuine legend of the new millennium"—closes out the hour with a performance of "Weatherman," a song by Heidecker's group Heidecker & Wood. You can watch it here.