Steve Reich makes a rare visit to Australia for the launch of a new series at the Sydney Opera House called The Composers. The House will stage The Composers: Steve Reich in Residence, a program that will celebrate Reich's work through a number of events, culminating in a Sunday night performance of some of the highlights of his musical repertoire by Synergy Percussion, eighth blackbird, and others. On Monday, Reich heads down to Melbourne for a conversation and concert at the Melbourne Recital Centre with eighth blackbird and members of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Carolina Chocolate Drops joined The Chieftains for a performance on Later ... with Jools Holland on BBC Two last night, marking the legendary Irish band's 50th anniversary and the UK release of its new album, Voice of Ages, on which Carolina Chocolate Drops perform "Pretty Little Girl" with The Chieftains. The two bands performed the song together live on the Later. Watch it here. Then tune in to Later on Friday for a song from the Chocolate Drops' new album, Leaving Eden. The band resumes its US tour in New Orleans this weekend.

Punch Brothers are guests on today's episode of Soundcheck from WNYC. Today's special edition of the show will take place before a sold-out audience in the Greene Space in downtown Manhattan and broadcast live on 93.9 FM and online at wnyc.org, where you can also watch a live webcast, all starting at 2 PM ET. Also on today's show is guitarist/composer Kaki King. Punch Brothers perform at New York's Town Hall tomorrow night as part of their US headlining tour.

Randy Newman will join Larry Mantle, host of KPCC's AirTalk, for a live broadcast event from The Crawford Family Forum in Pasadena, California, this evening at 6:30 PM PST. The event is an in-depth discussion about the state of contemporary film music and how the business is changing. Joining the discussion are fellow composers Michael Giacchino, David Newman, and Trevor Rabin. Watch it streaming live at scpr.org. Randy Newman's film work has garnered two Academy Awards and 20 Oscar nominations.

Carolina Chocolate Drops join The Chieftains as the legendary Irish band marks its 50th anniversary and the UK release of its new album, Voice of Ages, on which Carolina Chocolate Drops perform. The bands play together on Later ... with Jools Holland tonight on BBC Two; the Chocolate Drops will also perform a tune of their own on Friday's show. Also on this week: Jack White, Norah Jones, Alabama Shakes, and Grimes. The Guardian calls "Pretty Little Girl," the Carolina Chocolate Drops' tune on Voice of Ages,"a romping collaboration."

Natalie Merchant and a group of fellow New York–based artists will participate in a rally and concert event in Albany on Tuesday, May 15, regarding the dangers of hydraulic fracturing and to call on Governor Cuomo to ban the controversial natural gas drilling process in New York State. Also participating are Medeski Martin & Wood, Citizen Cope, The Felice Brothers, Joan Osborne, Tracy Bonham, Toshi Reagon, Dan Zanes, Ida, The Horse Flies, and The Ahkwesasne Women Singers. Actors Mark Ruffalo and Melissa Leo will host. The rally will take place on The West Capitol Lawn, followed by the concert at The Egg.

The Black Keys were the subject of a feature profile on CBS Sunday Morning. Band mates Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney return to their home town of Akron, Ohio, to take a tour of their old neighborhood, visit with family, take a spot on their high school's Wall of Fame, and discuss their rise to being what the show says "may be the hottest rock band in the country." While headlining Coachella on Friday, they were joined by John Fogerty to honor Levon Helm with a performance of The Band's "The Weight." The Los Angeles Times says "the night belonged to the Black Keys—and to Helm." Watch it here.

The schedule for the 2012 season of Central Park SummerStage free concerts has been announced, and among the performers taking to the stage in the heart of New York City's Central Park this summer are Amadou & Mariam, on August 4, and Carolina Chocolate Drops, on August 11. Theophilus London, a contributor on Amadou & Mariam's recently released new album, Folila, joins the Malian duo for their SummerStage concert; Buckwheat Zydeco and Abigail Washburn join Carolina Chocolate Drops for theirs.

Happy Record Store Day! Nonesuch Records has made a series of special releases available today in honor of the fifth annual Record Store Day, a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA and hundreds of similar stores internationally. Among the artists releasing albums and singles today are The Black Keys, Dr. John, Billy Bragg & Wilco, Sara Watkins, and Carolina Chocolate Drops. A limited quantity of each Record Store Day title is also available on the Nonesuch Store now.

Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions, a three-CD-plus-DVD set featuring the lyrics of Woody Guthrie set to music by Billy Bragg and Wilco, is out this Saturday, Record Store Day. American Songwriter gives it four-and-a-half stars, calling the project an "amazing and unique collaboration" featuring Guthrie's "mesmerizing wordplay." Rolling Stone gives it four stars. The A.V. Club gives it an A-."Guthrie gained a new generation of listeners when the original Mermaid Avenue became a surprise hit, and the box set," says the A.V. Club, "promises to do the same. But Mermaid Avenue was even more crucial to Bragg and Wilco, producing some of the best (and best-known) songs of the artists’ careers."

Jessica Lea Mayfield launches a spring tour of the United States with a performance at the Rhythm 'N' Blooms festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, this weekend. Mayfield's set will take place Saturday evening at the John Black Studio. From there, the tour heads throughout the South, making stops in Jackson, Shreveport, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Little Rock, Nashville, and Louisville, as well as two festivals in Mayfield's home state of Ohio: at the Nelsonville Music Festival and Appalachian Uprising.