Dr. John hits the road with a four-piece band and The Blind Boys of Alabama for the Spirituals to Funk tour, starting tonight in California. Based on the legendary Carnegie Hall Spirituals to Swing concerts of the 1930s, Spirituals to Funk features an integrated show that explores the connections between jazz, blues, and gospel, all under Dr. John's musical direction. "Musical pairings don’t come much more inspired," says the San Diego Union-Tribune. The tour will visit 30 cities and towns in 14 states across the US.

Emmylou Harris and Sara Watkins perform at the 12th annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the free festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park ... The Black Keys play two nights at LA's Staples Center ... Carolina Chocolate Drops launch European tour in Galway ... Fatoumata Diawara closes out US tour in North Carolina ... Gidon Kremer & Kremerata Baltica play Esterházy Palace in Austria ... Kronos Quartet opens for Amon Tobin, joins Santa Rosa Symphony ... Jessica Lea Mayfield is in Birmingham ... Brad Mehldau has four solo sets at NYC's Jazz at Lincoln Center ... Pat Metheny's Unity Band tours the South ... Punch Brothers are at The New Yorker Festival ... and more ...

Carolina Chocolate Drops, who gave a pair of rapturously received sold-out shows in Glasgow and London at the start of the year, are bringing their exhilarating live show back to the UK and to Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany as part of a European tour that kicks off with shows in Galway, Dublin, and London and closes out at the end of the month with three special shows in Germany with label mates Punch Brothers.

The Black Keys launch an arena tour of the western US in Fresno, California, tonight, including stops at the famed Santa Barbara Bowl, the Staples Center in LA, and in Arizona and New Mexico. Tegan and Sara open. Just announced: The Black Keys will headline Lollapalooza Brazil and Lollapalooza Chile next year. At the Global Festival this past Saturday, the band "tore through a set of searing, hard-riffing rock," raves MTV, "one that had the 60,000 who packed Central Park's Great Lawn losing their collective minds."

The Black Keys, Neil Young, and Foo Fighters headline The Global Poverty Project's Global Festival concert in NYC's Central Park, streaming live online ... Laurie Anderson talks happiness in NYC ... Shawn Colvin is in the Midwest and can be heard on HBO's Treme ... Fatoumata Diawara makes her NY headline debut ... Richard Goode plays at Smith College ... Kronos Quartet joins Fall Free for All at Berkeley ... Lianne La Havas opens for Alicia Keys at London's iTunes Festival ... k.d. lang closes out Sing it Loud tour in Montreal ... Pat Metheny's Unity Band is out West ... Punch Brothers head from Toronto to upstate NY ... and more ...

Punch Brothers, who launch their North American tour in Montreal tonight, are celebrating the occasion by offering a free download of three songs recorded live at The Fillmore in San Francisco, including their songs "New York City" and "Don't Get Married Without Me" and Chris Thile's "Song for a Young Queen." The New Yorker's Alec Wilkinson, who will be chatting with the band at The New Yorker Festival on October 5, says that each band member "plays with grace, thoughtfulness, and force to a degree that is not duplicated by any band I am aware of."

Jessica Lea Mayfield will tour in the US this November and December in support of her highly acclaimed Nonesuch Records debut album, Tell Me, playing with her brother David Mayfield on their Sibling Rivalry Tour. Growing up in Kent, Ohio, the Mayfields were surrounded by bluegrass and folk music; both David and Jessica first performed with their family band One Way Rider, traveling across the country in a 1956 tour bus once belonging to Bill Monroe, Kitty Wells, and Ernest Tubb.

Dr. John, who spent the spring and summer on tour following the release of his acclaimed new album, Locked Down, is set to hit the road again this fall, this time with a four-piece band and The Blind Boys of Alabama for the Spirituals to Funk tour. Based on the legendary Carnegie Hall Spirituals to Swing concerts of the 1930s, Spirituals to Funk features an integrated show that explores the connections between jazz, blues, and gospel, all under Dr. John's musical direction. The tour will visit 30 cities and towns in 14 states across the US, from October 10 to November 18.

Timothy Andres, Sara Watkins perform at the "magnificently enlightening" (Los Angeles Times) Carlsbad Music Festival ... Laurie Anderson alights in Austin and Albuquerque ... Billy Bragg joins Woody Guthrie Brooklyn birthday bash ... Carolina Chocolate Drops play from Raleigh to MASS MoCA ... Fatoumata Diawara is a "must-see" (Sun-Times) at Chicago's World Music Festival ... Einstein on the Beach concludes run at BAM ... Kronos Quartet performs Steve Reich in Düsseldorf ... k.d. lang plays three-night run in Toronto ...Pat Metheny concludes Yoshi's residency, plays Monterey Jazz Fest ... Chris Thile, Michael Daves headline Brooklyn Bluegrass Bash ... and more ...

Fatoumata Diawara kicks off her US tour, featuring music from her debut album, Fatou, at the Cityfolk Festival in Dayton, Ohio, tonight, followed by stops in Bloomington, Chicago, New York City, Boston, Washington, DC, New Hampshire, and North Carolina. Her new album is "a joyous mix of vibrant songs about love, politics and empowerment," says the Chicago Sun-Times. "Fatou is a rare gift of a record for fans of African pop, female vocalists and generally outstanding music," raves PopMatters. "Prepare to be smitten." Diawara has just been nominated for a MOBO Award for Best African Act.

Punch Brothers have announced a 2013 New Year's Eve Three-Night Extravaganza to take place at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC, December 29–31. In addition to single show tickets, there are three-night passes available, which include a limited-edition silkscreen poster. A limited pre-sale is underway now. The shows will come at the end of a three-month international tour that includes stops at venues across North America, Europe, and the UK; a New Yorker Festival event; ACL Festival set; and much more.

Kronos Quartet closes out Kraków's Sacrum Profanum festival with a celebration of Polish composers and a double bill with Sigur Rós ... Laurie Anderson brings Dirtday! from Uppsala to Portland ... Billy Bragg celebrates Woody Guthrie in the UK ... Carolina Chocolate Drops tour the Northeast ... Rhys Chatham gives A Crimson Grail its UK debut ... Shawn Colvin is in Texas ... Einstein on the Beach opens at BAM ... Adam Guettel performs in London ... k.d. lang plays the Pantages in Winnipeg ... Pat Metheny's Unity Band is in residence in Seattle ... Joshua Redman tours Ireland ... Chris Thile solos in NYC ... Sara Watkins presents the Watkins Family Hour in LA ... and more ...