Sam Amidon has released his take on Taj Mahal's "Light Rain Blues," the second track from his forthcoming, self-titled album, due October 23 on Nonesuch Records, and an accompanying video, directed by Will Miller. You can watch it here. Amidon performs in concert from Kings Place in London this Saturday, streaming live.

Lake Street Dive has released a new song, "Making Do," and an accompanying video, which you can watch here. "'Making Do' is about the world that future generations are inheriting," says the band. "We are all concerned about what is happening to our planet, so the song explores what arises when we consider both our role in it and our responsibility to address it. Hopefully it comes through as a rallying cry to do the best you can with what you have." The video comprises clips from fans and a cameo by Senator Ed Markey, a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal.

Rhiannon Giddens has teamed with composer Michael Abels (Get Out) and members of the Met Opera Chorus and Nashville Ballet for a new interpretation of her song "Cry No More," which she first wrote and released in the wake of the 2015 Charleston church shooting. Following the murder of Breonna Taylor, Giddens re-recorded the track to emphasize its timeliness with added fervor, as she makes a plea for unity against injustice. You can watch the new video here.

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joachim Cooder has released "Over That Road I'm Bound to Go," the latest track from his forthcoming Nonesuch debut album, Over That Road I'm Bound, due October 2. You can watch a video here and download the track with pre-orders of the album, along with the previously released tune "Come Along Buddy."

Yola was on Late Night with Seth Meyers last night, for a special performance of Nina Simone’s "To Be Young, Gifted and Black," recorded from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. You can watch the performance here.

"I started thinking about old-time music, because I was bringing my kids to see my parents, and my dad was playing the banjo in his chair, playing these old songs," Joachim Cooder says in a new video about the making of his upcoming album, Over That Road I'm Bound. "I started playing along with him, and slowed it down a little ... and thought, 'This would make a really great record.'" You can see what else he has to say about the album, including working with his band Ry Cooder, Rayna Gellert, Juliette Commagere, Sam Gendel, and others, here.

Tigran Hamasyan, whose new album, The Call Within, was released on Friday, has released a video for the album track "The Dream Voyager." The video features collages by Nanuka Tchitchoua and animation by T. Wade Ivy. You can watch it here. "This song is dedicated to my father, who has an ability to see places in his dreams where he has never been before," Hamasyan says. "Every once in a while, he visits these places following the memory of the details of his dreams."

Yola gave an NPR Music Tiny Desk Home Concert outdoors in Nashville accompanied by guitarist Jordan Tice of Hawktail, performing songs from her debut album, Walk Through Fire, and more. You can watch it here. "Yola is an electrifying performer," says NPR's Bob Boilen. "This is a rare Yola moment in her temporary quarantine home, so put the whiskey aside, grab a glass of iced tea and chill."

Tigran Hamasyan, whose new album, The Call Within, will be released on Nonesuch Records this coming Friday, has released a video of him performing the album track "New Maps" at the piano, set to the other elements from the album recording, featuring Evan Marien on electric bass and Arthur Hnatek on drums. You can watch it here.

David Byrne’s American Utopia will debut October 17 at 8pm ET/PT on HBO and HBO Max. The special event, directed by Spike Lee, presents a one-of-a-kind, dynamic film that gives audiences access to Byrne’s critically-acclaimed Broadway show that played to sold-out, record-breaking audiences. The filmed version was recorded during its late 2019 to early 2020 run at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre in New York City. You can watch a first look from it here.

Composer/multi-instrumentalist Jeff Parker and drummer Jamire Williams performed the inaugural concert of With Love From LA, a new monthly online series for which they recently participated in a conversation. You can watch the masked, socially distanced, outdoor concert here.

Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider has released 'Kyrie,' the opening movement on her upcoming album, Mass for the Endangered, due September 25, along with a video for it by CandyStations, aka Deborah Johnson, who is making a video for each track on the album. The 'Kyrie' video features original artwork and hand-drawn animations by Nathaniel Bellows, who also created the libretto for Mass for the Endangered and its cover art. You can watch it here.