The Black Keys will tape a performance for Austin City Limits on Monday, November 17, for the program's 40th season. The band is making its second appearance on the PBS series, having made their ACL debut around the release of their 2010 album Brothers. For information on how to get free passes about a week before the taping, visit acltv.com. The Black Keys are currently on tour in North America; the Calgary Herald, reviewing last night's show at the Saddledome, says the band "deliver[ed] in a big, big way."

Conor Oberst, who recently closed out another US leg of his world tour, has announced a tour of Australia for February and March of 2015. The tour kicks off at The Triffid in Brisbane, includes multiple stops in Melbourne and Sydney, and culminates in a set at the Golden Plains Festival. Oberst will be joined on the tour by special guests The Felice Brothers.

Chris Thile and Brad Mehldau begin a duo tour of Europe in Ludwigshafen, Germany, tonight, followed by stops in Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Austria, France, Spain, and Ireland, where the tour comes to a close at Dublin's National Concert Hall on November 9. "Strictly speaking, mandolinist Chris Thile is a bluegrass musician and pianist Brad Mehldau is a jazz musician," says the Boston Globe. "But genre categories disappeared when the two met [in concert]."

Jeremy Denk begins as Artistic Partner of Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra with five concerts in the Twin Cities ... John Adams’s The Death of Klinghoffer continues at The Met ... Sam Amidon concludes US tour in Cambridge ... Laurie Anderson is in California ... Timo Andres is in Chicago ... The Black Keys resume North American tour ... David Byrne joins Here Lies Love cast in NYC ... Carolina Chocolate Drops are in Ohio ... Richard Goode plays Schubert in California ... Emmylou Harris pays tribute to Everly Brothers ... Gidon Kremer, Kremerata Baltica tour Middle East ... Natalie Merchant is in Westhampton ... Brad Mehldau solos in France ... Pat Metheny Unity Group closes out Australia tour ... Nico Muhly piece premieres in Liverpool ... Joshua Redman Trio is in Boston ... Wilco plays sold-out anniversary show in Raleigh ... and more ...

The Black Keys will perform at The Concert for Valor to honor America’s veterans and their families this Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11. The concert will take place on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and will be broadcast live on HBO, which will offer its affiliates the opportunity to open the signal, allowing nonsubscribers to view the special.

Alarm Will Sound, Kronos Quartet, Carolina Chocolate Drops all perform in Missouri this weekend ... John Adams leads Yale Philharmonia in New Haven and NYC ... Sam Amidon, Bill Frisell are in Philadelphia, Brooklyn ... Devendra Banhart kicks off California tour with Andy Cabic ... Shawn Colvin tours Northeast ... Jeremy Denk makes NY Phil debut ... Emmylou Harris supports dog adoptions in Nashville ... Pat Metheny makes China debut ... Joshua Redman holds court in DC ... Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer are in Chicago ... Sara Watkins hosts Family Hour in LA ... and more ...

Devendra Banhart and longtime friend, musical collaborator, and fellow singer-songwriter Andy Cabic (Vetiver) kick off a tour of California at the Berkeley Art Museum Friday, performing both individually and together in a casual mix of older and newer material. The tour continues with stops in Sonoma, Grass Valley, Chico, Felton, and Big Sur. Banhart is featured on the new collection Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell to benefit the Red Hot Organization's fight against AIDS.

The New Yorker Festival features talks with Randy Newman, Jeremy Denk, Laurie Anderson, Stephen Sondheim ... Anderson and Kronos Quartet perform Landfall in Ohio ... Sam Amidon kicks off Lily-O tour in Seattle ... Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sara Watkins play LA Bluegrass Situation ... Richard Goode performs at Duke ... Jonny Greenwood joins LCO in Manchester to play his film scores, Reich's Electric Counterpoint; Reich joins Colin Currie Group in London ... Gidon Kremer, Kremerata Baltica tour the Baltics with Martha Argerich ... Pat Metheny tours Japan ... Conor Oberst is in Mexico ... Robert Plant gives a TimesTalk ... Joshua Redman is in Seattle ...  Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer bring their bass & mandolin to NYC and Boston ... Rokia Traoré talks at Barbican's Observer Ideas Festival ...

Robert Plant was the guest on The Colbert Report last night. He joined his host for a conversation about his new album, lullaby and... The Ceaseless Roar, his endless musical quest, and more. Plant and his band, The Sensational Space Shifters, then gave an on-air performance of the new album's first single, "Rainbow," plus a web-exclusive take on "Little Maggie." You can watch the interview and performances here. Plant and the band closed out their North American tour with a late-night show at Brooklyn Bowl last night. Following their recent tour stop in LA, the LA Times concludes: "The singer and his Shape Shifters succeeded in fusing an untouchable legacy with a passion for experimentation."

Sam Amidon's new album of reimagined folk songs, Lily-O, was released last week to critical acclaim. Now, the New York Times' Nate Chinen adds his praise, calling it "hauntingly beautiful." He cites the take on Rosa Lee Watson's "Your Lone Journey" as the song that "brings out the album’s most moving performance. Mr. Amidon sings in a muted voice, trusting the lyrics to make their own impression. The song arrives near the album’s close, so its heavenward glance doubles as a seamless transition." Amidon kicks off a fall tour of US and Europe this Saturday, October 11. 

Kronos Quartet has been named Artists-in-Residence at the 2015 Big Ears Festival, which will be held in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, March 27–29, 2015. Throughout the festival weekend, Kronos will weave an array of performances, presenting classic contemporary works and a multi-faceted array of musical collaborations with other festival artists. A limited number of specially priced Big Ears weekend passes go on sale tomorrow, October 8. The initial Big Ears Festival 2015 lineup will be unveiled on Tuesday, November 4, with passes going on sale November 7.

Some 800 lucky fans will have the chance to see Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters in one of their most intimate gigs to date. This Thursday, October 9, 2014, they will play a late-night set at the Brooklyn Bowl. Heading straight to the venue after an appearance on The Colbert Report that night, they will take the stage just after midnight. The special event will feature a DJ set from Questlove to start off the night. Tickets will go on sale this Tuesday, October 7, at 3pm ET.