Caetano Veloso and many other celebrated Brazilian musicians, inspired to protect the rainforest of their native Brazil from further destruction, came together in Rio de Janeiro’s Floresta da Tijuca to create a music video and original composition in celebration of today, Earth Day 2014. The project supports the Rainforest Alliance, which works in partnership with Brazilian nonprofit Imaflora—as well as farmers, forest communities and cattle ranchers—to protect Brazil’s magnificent and ecologically fragile natural heritage.

Nonesuch Records marked Kronos Quartet's 40th anniversary year with two releases this month: the Kronos Explorer Series five-CD box set and a new album, A Thousand Thoughts. As a highlight of its anniversary season, Kronos was in NYC to perform at Carnegie Hall late last month and was the subject of a marathon stream of music and tributes on Q2 Music, the online new-music station from WQXR. The event culminated in a live, performance by Kronos Quartet from The Greene Space at WQXR, which you can watch here.

Conor Oberst performed seven songs from his forthcoming album, Upside Down Mountain, live at the Greene Space in NYC last Wednesday night as part of Gigstock, a mini festival from WNYC's Soundcheck. You can watch Oberst's performance here. "If the songs he played at Gigstock are any indication," says CMJ, "Upside Down Mountain is going to be a hell of a record."

Nickel Creek celebrated the release of its new album, A Dotted Line, earlier this month with a number of TV and radio performances, including WNYC's Soundcheck, on which the band performed three tracks from the album—"Destination," "21st of May," and "Rest of My Life." You can hear the full show and watch the three song performances here. "Remarkably, while each member's distinctive musical voice comes through, the chemistry between Thile and Sara and Sean Watkins when they play together has never felt stronger," says the show. "While A Dotted Line documents a more mature Nickel Creek than it once was, yet that joyfully rebellious spirit that so many of us fell for still shines through." 

Natalie Merchant's new self-titled album is due May 6. The video for the song "Giving Up Everything," directed by Dan Winters and featuring the first music to be heard from the album, has premiered on NPR's First Watch. "Rarely is an artist as honest and revealing as Natalie Merchant in her new video and song, 'Giving Up Everything,'" says NPR Music's Bob Boilen. "Watch the video, let it settle in your bones, and watch again." You can do so here.

There are just two weeks to go before the release of Nickel Creek's new album, A Dotted Line, on April 1. The band previously unveiled two tracks from the album, "Destination" and "Love of Mine," and has now revealed a third, "21st of May," which you can hear here. Sean Watkins wrote the song on May 20, 2011, the day before the supposed rapture as predicted and advertised by Bay Area pastor Harold Camping, whose point of view he sings it from. Download all three tracks now with album pre-orders in the Nonesuch Store, at nickelcreek.com, and on iTunes. All Nonesuch and Nickel Creek pre-orders are also automatically entered to win weekly prize drawings.

Timo Andres is the subject of the latest episode of Q2 Music's Q2 Spaces, which looks inside the homes and studios of composers and performers in the new-music world. Andres welcomes viewers into his Brooklyn home for a conversation about Beethoven, Ingram Marhsall, Edward Gorey, and much more. Watch it here. He gives the world premiere of a new piece, Work Songs, in New York City this Wednesday as part of the Ecstatic Music Festival. Andres wrote the piece especially for fellow composers and multi-instrumentalists Gabriel Kahane, Ted Hearne, Becca Stevens, and Nathan Koci, who will perform it in the concert. The concert will be hosted by WNYC’s John Schaefer and webcast live on Q2 Music.

Audra McDonald was a special guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC last night. The five-time Tony Award winner stopped by the studio to help Fallon out on a Suggestion Box request to give voice to some sage Yahoo! Answers in her own inimitable way. Watch the segment here. McDonald returns to Broadway this spring to take on the role of legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. Tickets are on sale now.

Inside Llewyn Davis, the new film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, and Justin Timberlake, is out now on Blu-ray and DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Both formats include "Inside Inside Llewyn Davis," a 40-minute making-of documentary offering insights from the filmmakers, cast, crew, and musicians, and are available now in the Nonesuch Store.

Randy Newman was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC last night. He spoke with Fallon about the show's return to NYC, offering the perfect segue to Newman's performance of his classic tune, "I Love L.A." He was joined by The Tonight Show's house band The Roots for the performance, which you can watch here, along with a web-exclusive performance of another Newman classic, "My Life Is Good." Newman tours Colorado this month and returns to NYC for a concert performance of his Faust July 1.

Musician-activist Natalie Merchant has directed a short documentary film titled SHELTER: A Concert Film to Benefit Victims of Domestic Violence that shines light on a group of women living in the Mid-Hudson region of New York State responding to the crisis of domestic violence in their community with compassion and creativity. Musicians, advocates, criminal prosecutors, victims and survivors all take to the stage, illuminating the darkness surrounding this public health epidemic. Shelter was inspired by One Billion Rising, a global campaign calling for an end to violence against women. Watch the film here.

Mehliana: Taming the Dragon, the debut album from the electric duo of Brad Mehldau and Mark Guiliana, is due out from Nonesuch Records on February 25, 2014. During a Mehliana show at Largo in LA last fall, the duo performed songs from the album, including "Just Call Me Nige," a video of which you can now watch here. The duo performs at the Highline Ballroom next Wednesday, January 22. Mehliana: Taming the Dragon is available to preorder on CD and vinyl (due March 18) in the Nonesuch Store with an instant download of the album track “Hungry Ghost.”