Natalie Merchant's summer tour of the United States brought her and her band to California last week for a number of concerts, performing songs from here recent Nonesuch debut album, Leave Your Sleep, throughout the Golden State, including stops at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles and the Spreckels Theatre in San Diego over the weekend.

Earlier in the week, Merchant had spent a few days further north, performing three concerts in the Bay Area and stopping by 826 Valencia, writer Dave Eggers' non-profit writing program for students aged 6–18, in San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle described the event as "a kind of 'master class' for high school kids."

Merchant (pictured in the photo, at left, by Maya de Paula Hanika), accompanied by two of her band members, performed songs from Leave Your Sleep, which led to a discussion of the poetry featured as the album's lyrics and the poets who wrote them. Students from 826 Valencia then read poems and lyrics of their own and spoke with Merchant about the process of songwriting and performance. Read more about the day's event at sfgate.com and at the 826 Valencia web site, 826valencia.org.

The tour heads next to Phoenix, Arizona, for a performance at the Dodge Theatre Tuesday night. For more information, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour. To pick up a copy of Leave Your Sleep with the album included as high-quality, 320 kbps MP3s at checkout, head to the Nonesuch Store.