Today marks the release of the debut Nonesuch album from Rhys Chatham: the outdoor version of his piece A Crimson Grail—featuring 200 guitarists, 16 bassists, five conductors, and one percussionist—performed at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival in 2009. The BBC says: "It's a remarkable, engrossing work that plays against rather than panders to expectations ... [It] achieves an immersive, exultant sense of the sublime." Audiophile Audition gives the album four stars, exclaiming: "Go immerse yourself!"

T Bone Burnett will premiere The Speaking Clock Revue, a multi-artist concert event, in Boston and New York this October. Punch Brothers will perform, as will Elton John & Leon Russell, John Mellencamp, Elvis Costello, Gregg Allman, Ralph Stanley, Jeff Bridges, Karen Elson, The Secret Sisters, Neko Case, and Jim James. The events will benefit The Participant Foundation, supporting music and arts education programming in public schools.

Congratulations to The Black Keys, winners of the Breakthrough Video Award at last night's MTV Video Music Awards for their video to "Tighten Up." The band was on the road on tour with Kings of Leon and The Whigs; more group shows and headlining sets are scheduled for this week in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida.

Steve Reich is composer-in-residence at the Numusic Festival in Stavanger, Norway ... The Black Keys continue tour with Kings of Leon ... Carolina Chocolate Drops play MA and NY ... Rhys Chatham plays Boomslang Fest ... Philip Glass talks at Philadelphia's Live Arts Fest ... Wanda Jackson plays Lexington ... The Low Anthem, Philip Selway, Wilco hit the End of the Road ... Punch Brothers are in Austin ... Sara Watkins closes out the Prairie Home Companion Summer Love Tour ... and more ...

As The Black Keys continue their tour with Kings of Leon on the East Coast this weekend, their music will be well represented at Sunday night's 2010 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles. The video for "Tighten Up," off The Black Keys' album Brothers, has been nominated for Breakthrough Video. MTV says, while it's up against some heavy hitters, "it was the Black Keys' clip that made the biggest impression." Watch it here.

The Low Anthem's summer tour of Europe comes to the end of the road as the band plays the End of the Road festival this weekend and a sold-out show with Iron and Wine at Union Chapel next week. Their next scheduled US date is with Josh Ritter in October. During their tour with The Avett Brothers earlier this year, the band was captured on stage and backstage at the Egyptian Room in Indianapolis for an 11-minute video you can watch here.

Third Man and Nonesuch Records announce the release of the new album from Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Wanda Jackson on January 25, 2011. The Party Ain’t Over, produced by her friend Jack White, is a retro modern collection of music that showcases Jackson, now in her seventh decade and sounding as wickedly charismatic as ever. Jackson, credited with being the first woman to ever record a rock and roll song, will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Americana Music Awards in Nashville tonight.

The Americana Music Festival & Conference kicked off yesterday in Nashville. The festival's capstone event, the Americana Honors & Awards show, takes place tonight at the famed Ryman Auditorium and will be streaming live online at NPR.org. The Carolina Chocolate Drops are up for Duo/Group of the Year and will perform; Emmylou Harris will perform as well, as will Wanda Jackson, who will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.

On November 4, Punch Brothers and Steve Martin will perform together on The Late Show with David Letterman. Additional upcoming highlights include tour dates with the Dave Matthews Band and Dierks Bentley, as well as a special performance alongside T Bone Burnett at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Moreover, Jon Brion, who produced Punch Brothers' new album, Antifogmatic, will play a special opening set at the band’s LA show in October.

The video for "By Some Miracle," the opening track to Philip Selway's solo debut album, Familial, premiered on MySpace last week. It has now been posted to Selway's YouTube channel and can be seen here. The Miami New Times says of the video: "While it incorporates some Radiohead elements, we can't help but think the plot resembles a dark indie film: Filled with beautiful people, with psychological problems that aren't so pretty.

Nonesuch Records wishes to congratulate Punch Brothers' Noam Pikelny, who has been named the winner of the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. "Noam is the extraordinary banjoist for the Punch Brothers," Martin said in announcing the award, "playing not only traditional bluegrass, but classical, rock and jazz oriented music. He is a player of unlimited range and astonishing precision"

Rhys Chatham's A Crimson Grail is due out on Nonesuch next week, but Chicago audiences can celebrate early, as the Rhys Chatham Trio performs at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art tonight. The concert is named a Top Live Show by Time Out Chicago and a critics' choice of the Chicago Reader, which calls A Crimson Grail "gorgeous" and "monumental." Record Collector describes A Crimson Grail as "imaginative, bold and successful."