Today marks the start of the Carolina Chocolate Drops' tour of the United States with music from the band's Nonesuch debut, Genuine Negro Jig, which landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart and at No. 7 on the Heatseekers chart its first week out. The tour will bring the band through the Midwest and Northeast before heading home to North Carolina for the Black Banjo Gathering in late March and a show at Cat's Crade in Carrboro on April 1. It all kicks off tonight at the Royal Theater in Danville, Indiana. For more information, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.

With Genuine Negro Jig, the band honors a rich cultural heritage of Piedmont string-band music while remaining far from being mired in the past. "To paraphrase Rakim’s immortal words," writes Paste magazine's Corey duBrowa, "these Drops ain’t no joke: Their enthusiasm for the tradition is obvious," even as they make what they do all their own.

"Several generations removed from the origins of their chosen idiom," duBrowa concludes, "the Carolina Chocolate Drops are nonetheless the genuine article."

Read more at pastemagazine.com.

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Yes! Weekly out of Greensboro, North Carolina, has an interview with band members Justin Robinson and Dom Flemons. Writer Ryan Snyder spoke with them after their return from their recent tour of the UK. The three discuss the band's joining the Nonesuch roster, working with producer Joe Henry on Genuine Negro Jig, and what to expect on the current tour. You can read the Q&A at yesweekly.com.

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Speaking of the recent UK tour, the Carolina Chocolate Drops' session with BBC Radio 3's World on 3 program aired late last week. You can listen online at about 27 minutes into the episode at bbc.co.uk.

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To order your copy of Genuine Negro Jig with seven exclusive live bonus tracks, visit the Nonesuch Store.