Vagabon (aka Laetitia Tamko) will support the band Crumb on tour this October. The shows begin in California—Santa Cruz, Oakland, and Sacramento—then head to Salt Lake City and Denver and on to Texas—Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso—and Albuquerque and back to California to close out the tour in Santa Ana, San Diego, and Los Angeles.

The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, who kick off their International Players tour in Manchester, England, on Saturday, are on Sound Opinions to talk about their new album, Ohio Players, with hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, who call them "one of the greatest rock acts to emerge in the 21st century." You can hear their conversation here. The hosts also review Hurray for the Riff Raff's new album, The Past Is Still Alive, calling it "one great tune after another."

Composer/guitarist Yasmin Williams—whose first song on Nonesuch, "Dawning," was released late last year ahead of her label debut album, due later this year—will support Brittany Howard and Michael Kiwanuka on their North American fall tour. The shows begin at The Met in Philadelphia on September 29, and include stops in Boston, New York, Saint Paul, Denver, Boise, Portland, Vancouver, Seattle, Berkeley, Los Angeles, and more.

The Staves' Jessica and Camilla Stavely-Taylor stopped by for the Nonesuch Selects video series, in which artists visit the Nonesuch office, pick some of their favorite albums from the music library, and share a few words on their choices. They chose music by The Gipsy Kings, Emmylou Harris, Joachim Cooder, Steve Reich, and Nickel Creek. You can watch it here.

Following more than a dozen sold-out shows across the US this spring, Hurray for the Riff Raff (aka Alynda Segarra) has announced a US summer tour. Beginning in early July, a new leg of headline dates will stop in cities that have yet to experience the live show of The Past Is Still Alive, the acclaimed album that has Vulture calling Segarra “one of America’s best songwriters." Upcoming performances also include Hurray for the Riff Raff’s Red Rocks debut and other amphitheater appearances with Norah Jones, as well as a homecoming set at New Orleans Jazz Festival, a return to NYC for a free concert in Battery Park, and more to be announced.

The Black Keys have secured the No. 1 Current Rock Album and No. 1 Current Alternative Album in US sales following the release of their new album, Ohio Players, last week. The album also is the highest debut of the week on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums Chart and Top Alternative Albums Chart, at No. 5 on both charts, and has reached No. 4 on Overall Current Album sales and No. 26 on the Billboard 200. Internationally, Ohio Players is the band’s sixth consecutive top 20 album in the UK, as well as top 20 in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Switzerland, among others. 

Congratulations to Kronos Quartet, whose acclaimed 1992 Nonesuch album Pieces of Africa has been named one of twenty-five recordings to be inducted into the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress for 2024. "It planted a seed for our work," Kronos founder and violinist David Harrington says of the album. "It's flowered so beautifully."

Kronos Quartet has announced its ninth-annual Kronos Festival, to take place at SFJAZZ Center, June 20–23, 2024. The festival marks the ensemble’s milestone 50th Anniversary year and the farewell performances of John Sherba and Hank Dutt, members of Kronos Quartet for more than 45 years. It will feature a slate of world and Bay Area premieres commissioned as part of the KRONOS Five Decades season; several guest artists; and the final performance of A Thousand Thoughts, a live documentary chronicling the quartet’s career, written and directed by Sam Green and Joe Bini.

Hurray for the Riff Raff (aka Alynda Segarra) returned to CBS Saturday Morning to perform a Saturday Sessions set of three songs from their new album, The Past Is Still Alive: "Alibi," "Hawkmoon," and "Buffalo." You can watch all three performances here.

Congratulations to Rhiannon Giddens, who will deliver the keynote address at Oberlin College and Conservatory’s Class of 2024 Commencement ceremony on Monday, May 27, which will be livestreamed. Giddens, who studied opera at the Conservatory and graduated in 2000, will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music degree. "A consummate musician, equally noteworthy for her accomplishments as a performer, composer, scholar, lyricist, and more, Rhiannon Giddens stands as one of the most important creative and artistic voices of our time," Dean of the Conservatory William Quillen says. 

In celebration of Nonesuch Records' 60th anniversary, the label has partnered with photographer Michael Wilson—who has exquisitely captured dozens of Nonesuch artists over the past quarter-century—to produce Michael Wilson / 25 Years: A Nonesuch Collection, an extremely limited quantity of 100 box sets containing newly created prints from his Nonesuch archive, due September 13. Designed by the Grammy-winning team at SMOG Design, each box will comprise twenty 12" x 12" prints, numbered and signed by the photographer. Artists featured are Allen Toussaint, Ambrose Akinmusire, Audra McDonald, Bill Frisell, The Black Keys, Brad Mehldau, David Byrne, Dr. John, Emmylou Harris, Frederic Rzewski, Jeremy Denk, Kronos Quartet, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Manuel Galbán and Ry Cooder, Philip Glass, Randy Newman, Rhiannon Giddens, Stephin Merritt and Lemony Snicket, Steve Reich, and Timo Andres, who wrote a note for the box.

The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are on the latest episode of SPIN's Sonic Impact podcast to discuss the story of the band and their music, on the release of their twelfth studio album, Ohio Players. "Despite reaching the heights of rock stardom," says the show, "the iconic rock duo from Ohio have stayed true to their raw roots, while at the same time expanding their sonic palette ..." You can hear their conversation here.