k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang are heading Down Under this week to celebrate this Friday's Australian release of their new album, Sing it Loud, due out in North America on April 12. Fans in Australia can catch lang and the band on TV starting release day and throughout April. They'll be able to watch them live in concert later this year on k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang's just-announced tour of Australia this November. Watch an excerpt of their recent performance at the John Varvatos 8th Annual Stuart House Benefit here.

While at SXSW last week, Emmylou Harris performed songs from her forthcoming album, Hard Bargain, at the IFC Crossroads House. "The legendary singer's crooning countrified voice swirled over the scene like a cloud," says IFC, "entrancing everyone who heard it." The show will be broadcast soon on the IFC cable channel. In the mean time, IFC.com has posted three videos from the event, including an interview with Ted Leo and a performance of a song off Hard Bargain, all of which you can watch here.

The Low Anthem, currently on tour in Europe, brought its winter US tour to a close earlier this month with an unforgettable gathering at the Rhode Island pasta sauce factory where the band recorded its new album, Smart Flesh. ABC News was there, capturing an up-close look at the space for the latest episode of Amplified, in which Matt Pinfield talks with the band about the new record and more. Watch it here.

As Japanese recovery efforts continue, people from all walks of life and countries around the world have responded in support of those efforts. One such response came from SXSW last weekend: SXSW 4 Japan, a 12-hour telethon, organized by the band Hanson and streamed live online, which raised more than $100,000 for the Red Cross. Ben Folds performed via his home in Nashville. You can watch his performance here and donate at redcross.org.

The 2011 SXSW Music Conference, which brought more than 2,000 bands to Austin, Texas, is now a thing of the past, but its stand-out performances will continue to resonate for some time to come. Among the performers to make such lasting musical memories happen were Emmylou Harris, Jessica Lea Mayfield, and Wanda Jackson. Here, in video, photos, and reviews, we look back at some of the highlights from their time at SXSW.

k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang performed what Variety calls "a sublime set" outside the John Varvatos boutique in West Hollywood on Sunday for some 1,500 attendees at the John Varvatos 8th Annual Stuart House Benefit. Last month, lang and the band were in San Diego to give a performance at Sunset Sessions, which included five songs from their forthcoming album Sing it Loud, as well as some classic hits. The complete set was captured on video, which you can watch here.

Stephen Sondheim spoke with playwright Tony Kushner at New York's Public Theater last fall, upon the publication of Finishing the Hat, Sondheim's first-ever collected lyrics. The evening, part of the Public Theater's Public Form discussion series, was hosted by NEA chairman Rocco Landesman. You can now watch excerpts from the event in a new video from the Public, posted here. Sondheim will receive the Olivier Special Award in London this Sunday.

Dan Auerbach's song "Going Home," off his debut solo album, Keep It Hid, provides the musical setting for a new short documentary video released today from the United Nations that calls attention to the crisis of internally displaced people in Eastern Congo. Today's video release coincides with the visit of UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos to the Congo. Watch the video here.

Jessica Lea Mayfield was the musical guest on the Late Show with David Letterman Friday night, marking her network television debut. She performed "Our Hearts Are Wrong," off her Nonesuch debut album, Tell Me. "That was great," Letterman said. "I enjoyed that considerably." To that, Paul Shaffer added: "I loved it." Watch the performance here. Mayfield is in the UK this week, where she can be heard on BBC Radio 6 on Wednesday and seen live at Fopp in London on Thursday.

Laurie Anderson was the musical guest on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night. She performed an excerpt of "Another Day in America," off her latest album, Homeland, accompanied by Colin Stetson on saxophone and Rob Burger on accordion, with her male alter ego, Fenway Bergamot, contributing vocals. Watch the performance here, along with an excerpt from the Homeland DVD about the making of the album.

Norwegian Wood, director Anh Hung Tran's adaptation of the Haruki Murakami novel, will hit UK theatres on March 11. The soundtrack, out on Nonesuch March 7 in the UK and March 8 in the US, features an instrumental score by Jonny Greenwood performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Emperor Quartet, as well as three tracks written and performed by CAN, and is now available for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store. Watch the film trailer here.

Randy Newman continues his US tour with two stops in the Midwest this weekend. Last weekend, Newman received a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for the film Toy Story 3. He's been nominated for an Academy Award for the song "We Belong Together" from the film and will perform it at the Oscars next weekend. Newman recently spoke about his scoring and songwriting on PBS's Tavis Smiley, which you can watch here.