Punch Brothers make their headlining debut at NYC's Town Hall in a sold-out show tonight. "They are an all-star bluegrass band, five virtuosos led by Chris Thile, the mercurial mandolin player, but their songs smash the three-chord harmonies and blazing march rhythm of bluegrass," says the New York Times. "It is restless music, by musicians so preternaturally talented they get bored easily with fiddle tunes." The New York Daily News says they "have not only turned a rural sound urban, they’ve achieved that most rare of musical feats—to create something genuinely new." Listen to their complete performance on WNYC's Soundcheck here and watch them perform three songs from the show.

Cal Performances at the University of California, Berkeley, has announced its 2012–13 season, which will feature Kronos Quartet as the season's Artists in Residence; Philip Glass's groundbreaking work with Robert Wilson, Einstein on the Beach; Fatoumata Diawara's debut; a Sérgio & Odair Assad concert with Paquito D'Rivera; and the return of the Mark Morris Dance Company with the holiday favorite Hard Nut. Subscription sales begin on Friday.

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.

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.

Stay tuned for details on Record Store Day to come tomorrow ... Emmylou Harris performs on a live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion from Nashville ... Laurie Anderson premieres new work at UK's Sensoria festival ... The Black Keys headline Coachella, round two ... Carolina Chocolate Drops celebrate Johnny Cash in Austin ... Jeremy Denk joins Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra ... Richard Goode plays Winston-Salem benefit ... Wanda Jackson plays the Pacific Northwest ... Kronos Quartet marks Earth Day ... Cheikh Lô plays Carnegie Hall ... Jessica Lea Mayfield kicks off tour in Knoxville ... Audra McDonald sings in Newark ... Punch Brothers tour the South ... Joshua Redman concludes Village Vanguard residency ... Stephen Sondheim talks in NYC ... Dawn Upshaw joins Australian Chamber Orchestra in Florida and Toronto ... Sara Watkins tours the Midwest ... and more ...

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.

Punch Brothers have launched the second leg of their North American tour. Having kicked things off with a live broadcast performance of A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor at New York’s Town Hall, the band recorded a show for NPR's Mountain Stage and set out from there for headlining shows in Pittsburgh and Lexington. The Lexington Herald Leader notes the band's "virtuosity and stylistic cunning" and finds them at their "most exciting and inventive" yet. Punch Brothers' upcoming performances include stops in Knoxville, Nashville, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, DC, and a set at MerleFest.

The Joshua Redman Trio, featuring bassist Matt Penman, a member with Redman of the band James Farm, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson, kick off a week’s residency at the Village Vanguard in New York City tonight. "Joshua Redman has lately put his tenor and soprano saxophone to work in the context of James Farm, a superarticulate postbop quartet, with strong direction from all four of its members," says the New York Times. "He returns to a more ostensibly hierarchical trio format here ... The results should be sleek and full of silvery digression." James Farm has a four-night run at the Blue Note in Tokyo next month. Redman and Brad Mehldau conclude their own duo tour next week.

The Black Keys, after selling out arenas all throughout the US, Canada, UK, and Europe, announce their long-awaited return to Australia this October. Their new album, El Camino, has already been certified Platinum there. The band made their headlining debut at an unseasonably chilly Coachella festival Friday, helping to "conquer the cold," Reuters reports. MTV says the weather "was no match for the heat of the Black Keys," and the OC Register says their set "was pure bliss." The band joins Anthony Bourdain for some Kansas City BBQ on No Reservations tonight on The Travel Channel.

The Black Keys headline Coachella tonight, with all the musical magic streaming live via Coachella's YouTube channel ... Punch Brothers are on A Prairie Home Companion live from NYC; How To Grow a Band, the documentary about the band, opens in NYC ... Billy Bragg joins Frank Turner at Wembley ...Carolina Chocolate Drops play Phoenix ... Shawn Colvin is in Maine ... Dr. John concludes three-week BAM residency with New Orleans showcase ... Cheikh Lô plays Ann Arbor and Chapel Hill ... Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau take duo tour to Chicago and Toronto ... Dawn Upshaw joins Australian Chamber Orchestra tour ... Sara Watkins launches US tour in Texas ... and more ...