Regular listeners of NPR may have come to notice that the signature sound of Bill Frisell's guitar can often be heard between segments of the public radio programming. In a profile of the guitarist/composer on this weekend's All Things Considered, NPR suggests that the "evocative, powerful, and often moving" nature of Frisell's work makes it a natural fit, and his latest, Disfarmer, "is no exception."

Christina Courtin will be the guest on today's episode of NPR's World Cafe. Christina will chat with host David Dye about what the show describes as "the beautiful pop style of her self-titled debut," and perform songs from the record, which was released on Nonesuch this spring. Listen online at xpn.org beginning at 2 PM ET today.

"You Never Know," off Wilco's latest release, Wilco (the album), has made its way to No. 1 on the Triple-A radio chart, a career first for the band. Wilco first appeared on the chart with "Outtasite (Outta Mind)" off 1996's Being There. That album, along with the band's two other '90s releases, Summerteeth and A.M., are now being reissued on vinyl, for the first time, by Nonesuch.

The Low Anthem stays close to home in Rhode Island this weekend to play the state's most famous musical gathering, the Newport Folk Festival, in its 50th year. NPR has series of features on the festival and will be broadcasting from Newport all weekend long. Ben Knox Miller tells the band's hometown paper, the Providence Journal, that of all the summer festivals the band finds itself playing, Newport is "the one I’m probably most looking forward to."

Wilco brought its US tour to a close last night, headlining the 10,000 Lakes Festival's Thursday run, and begins its European tour at Oslo's Oya Festival on August 13. NPR's Fresh Air reviews the band's recent Nonesuch release, Wilco (the album), describing it as an album about an acceptance that allows one to feel "at once humbled and emboldened ... Acceptance, but not complacency. Jeff Tweedy is suggesting how you can make stability sound like a tough artistic challenge and a grand adventure."
 

Allen Toussaint recently rounded out some concert dates in Europe with a set at the Jazz Cafe in London this past Sunday. He and his recent Nonesuch debut album, The Bright Mississippi, are the focus of an encore broadcast of Words & Music from Studio-A, from New York NPR member station WFUV. "There is no separating Allen Toussaint from New Orleans or the Crescent City from his music," says WFUV's Claudia Marshall her introduction to the episode, "and on his latest album, Allen looks even further into his hometown history, paying tribute to the forefathers of jazz."

Sara Watkins celebrated her birthday in style this year: on June 7, the night before her 28th, Sara joined the legendary singer-songwriter Steve Earle and bluegrass masters Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver in a live concert performance at the Chuck Mathena Center in Princetown, West Virginia, for public radio's Mountain Stage. Now you can hear Sara's birthday-eve performance, with brother Sean on guitar, streaming online at npr.org.

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen made an appearance on All Things Considered to discuss his favorite songs from the past six months. First on his list was The Low Anthem’s “Charlie Darwin,” from their recent Nonesuch release, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin. “I get chills the moment I hear this guy’s voice,” said Boilen, referring to band member Ben Knox Miller. 

Tune in to NPR's World Cafe today to hear a rebroadcast of Sara Watkins's May 26 appearance on the show. She talks discusses her self-titled Nonesuch debut, produced by Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, and performs three songs from the new album: "All This Time," "Long Hot Summer Days," and "Any Old Time." "Watkins's self-titled solo debut is a charming mix of new songs and covers," says NPR. "It puts her great instrumental breadth on display as she plays the guitar, ukulele and fiddle in addition to her sweet-voiced singing."

Today is release day for Christina Courtin's self-titled Nonesuch debut. To mark the occasion, Christina will appear on WNYC's Soundcheck to talk about the new record and perform a few songs from it. The Washington Post's Express Night Out says: "Courtin's voice is effortless adaptable, weaving in and out of the instrumentation, constantly playing with texture and volume, never particularly anxious about how it sounds, but never perfectly content, either ... It may only be her debut album, but considering her confirmed songwriting and singing abilities, Courtin already sounds like a veteran."

Sara Watkins will be a special guest on this week's episode of A Prairie Home Companion, airing a live national broadcast performance from the Ravinia Festival Pavillion in Ravinia, Illinois, on hundreds of public radio stations across the US beginning Saturday at 4:45 PM CT. Joining Sara and the show's host, Garrison Keillor, as special guest is Oklahoma blues man Elvin Bishop.

The Low Anthem's Nonesuch debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, is set for release tomorrow. The album's first track, "Charlie Darwin," opens this week's episode of NPR's All Songs Considered. "If you listen to just one song today," insists the show's host, Bob Boilen, "make it this opening track to the new CD by The Low Anthem. It all starts off with a sound that at times feels Gospel and then at the very same time feels agnostic. Those two ideas seem at odds with one another, but then the title of the record's called Oh My God, Charlie Darwin."