k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang are heading Down Under this week to celebrate this Friday's Australian release of their new album, Sing it Loud, due out in North America on April 12. Fans in Australia can catch lang and the band on TV starting release day and throughout April. They'll be able to watch them live in concert later this year on k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang's just-announced tour of Australia this November. Watch an excerpt of their recent performance at the John Varvatos 8th Annual Stuart House Benefit here.

The complete lineup for the 2011 Newport Folk Festival won't be revealed till Wednesday, and tickets won't go on sale to the general public till the following day, but we can now reveal that Emmylou Harris, Wanda Jackson, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops will be performing at the Newport Folk Festival on Sunday, July 31, and fans now have access to special pre-sales and discounts starting right now through an exclusive promo code.

Emmylou Harris, Sara Watkins join Garrison Keillor for A Prairie Home Companion ... Jessica Lea Mayfield kicks off US tour in Nashville ... Timothy Andres performs in Brooklyn ... Bill Frisell brings Disfarmer to France ... Philip Glass discusses his work in Newark ... Wanda Jackson tours Midwest ... The Low Anthem is in Europe ... Brad Mehldau plays Spain and Portugal ... Pat Metheny Trio performs in Mexico City ... Randy Newman heads from Long Island to Toronto ... Dawn Upshaw performs with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra ... and more ...

Steve Reich's 75th birthday year is being celebrated around the world in 2011. Cité de la Musique in Paris has now announced details of its plans for a week of concerts in October to mark the occasion. Dubbed Steve Reich, Pulsations, the festivities features works from throughout Reich's career and even a performance by the composer himself. Reich discusses his career in a new short film from his publisher, an excerpt of which can be seen here.

k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang will perform “I Confess,” from their album Sing it Loud on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on April 11, the eve of the record's release. Appearances are also confirmed for Good Morning America and The View. lang and the band will perform Sing it Loud in its entirety at sold-out shows in LA and NYC that week and will kick off an extensive North American tour in June. On March 29, Amazon.com will kick off a countdown leading up to the album’s release, streaming a new track each day.

Wanda Jackson, hot off the heels of her stellar SXSW performances, is set to kick off the latest leg of her US tour at Lincoln Hall in Chicago tonight. The Chicago Tribune says it's a show that "should not be missed." Later in the tour, Jackson will headline the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's Spring Benefit Concert, along Cyndi Lauper, both of whom are featured in the museum's new exhibit, Women Who Rock; tickets go on sale next week.

The 2011 SXSW Music Conference, which brought more than 2,000 bands to Austin, Texas, is now a thing of the past, but its stand-out performances will continue to resonate for some time to come. Among the performers to make such lasting musical memories happen were Emmylou Harris, Jessica Lea Mayfield, and Wanda Jackson. Here, in video, photos, and reviews, we look back at some of the highlights from their time at SXSW.

Emmylou Harris, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Wanda Jackson continue the music-making at SXSW ... Kronos Quartet premieres Steve Reich's WTC 9/11 in culmination of Duke University residency ... Bill Frisell brings Disfarmer to Germany, Italy ... The Black Keys sell out Heineken Hall in Amsterdam ... Carolina Chocolate Drops play three sold-out shows in Maine ... Michael Daves performs in NYC ... The Low Anthem launches European tour ... Brad Mehldau tours Scandinavia ... Punch Brothers play two shows in northern California ... Joshua Redman concludes European tour ... and more ...

Steve Reich and Kronos Quartet are in the midst of their artist residency at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, which will culminate in the world premiere of Reich's latest work, WTC 9/11, on Saturday. Reich wrote the piece for Kronos, as he has his two previous quartets, which are also on Saturday's program. While Kronos may be a string quartet, "they are also like a rock group," Reich tells the Duke Chronicle, "and that’s an incredible accomplishment."

Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, John Zorn, and Lou Reed will be among the artists performing at the Concert for Japan, a 12-hour event on April 9 presented by NYC's Japan Society to benefit organizations that directly help people affected by the earthquake and tsunamis that struck Japan. Additional activities will be available for all ages, including making paper cranes and washi lanterns for good luck, basic Japanese language classes, and access to the exhibit Bye Bye Kitty!!!. All proceeds will go to Japan Society's Japan Earthquake Relief Fund.

SXSW is in full swing today in Austin, with countless showcases, performances, parties, events, and radio broadcast on tap. Emmylou Harris and Jessica Lea Mayfield are among today's SXSW performers who can be heard around the world when their sets stream live online: Harris via NY public radio station WFUV, Mayfield on the Waterloo Records site. "Our Hearts Are Wrong," off Mayfield's album Tell Me, has been named NPR Song of the Day.

Bill Frisell launches an 11-city European tour featuring the music of his last Nonesuch album, Disfarmer, in Hamburg, Germany, tonight. Joining him on tour are steel-guitar player Greg Leisz, bassist Viktor Krauss, and violinist Carrie Rodriquez. In the multimedia piece, inspired by the life, work, and subjects of eccentric photographer Mike Disfarmer, projected images of Disfarmer's portraits illuminate Frisell's musical perspectives on this fascinating character.