The Carolina Chocolate Drops perform a free concert at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland this evening, launching the Hall's Summer in the City series of free concerts. Fans outside of Cleveland can enjoy a bit of the band's live sound tonight as well, as Seattle radio station KEXP airs an in-studio performance the trio recorded during their recent tour stop in the Pacific Northwest.

Laurie Anderson brings the music of Homeland back home to New York City. Anderson performs a song from the album on the Late Show with David Letterman Wednesday night. The Washington Post picks her concert at The Birchmere this Friday as the must-attend concert this week. Interview says "Anderson proves that time has only sharpened her critical eye," calling Homeland "harrowing and hilarious ... a gift of perspective."

Genuine Negro Jig, the Nonesuch debut album from the Carolina Chocolate Drops, is now available on 140-gram vinyl, with the complete album included on CD. Nonesuch Store orders also include instant downloads of all the album tracks as MP3s, plus seven exclusive live bonus MP3s. The band's recent appearance on PBS's Tavis Smiley show is now online. Next up on tour is a free show at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Ben Folds and Nick Hornby appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today show, the station's flagship news and current affairs program, this morning. They discussed their songwriting collaboration, which resulted in the forthcoming Nonesuch album Lonely Avenue. The BBC describes it as "a series of short stories on subjects ranging from awkward relationships to the isolating process of writing itself."

Performances of the Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music resume on Broadway, with Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch taking on the roles originated in the revival by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. The San Francisco Chronicle describes the play as "an irresistible waltz through some of Sondheim's most memorably melodic songs" and gives "wild applause" to the cast album featuring Zeta-Jones and Lansbury, calling it "a treasure."

Natalie Merchant launches an extensive summer tour across the United States, performing songs from Leave Your Sleep and throughout her career. "At the root of her success are two qualities," says The Guardian, "an unwillingness to compromise, and total sincerity. In a world of glib, heavily produced pop stars, Merchant stands out."

Laurie Anderson has began a short tour of the East Coast with music from her new album, Homeland, in two shows at Philadelphia's World Cafe Live, one at New York's (Le) Poisson Rouge, and one at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia. She was recently featured on PRI's Studio 360 and appears on PRI's Echoes today. The Philadelphia Inquirer says Anderson's "current projects suggest that, at 63, she's at a late-middle-age creative peak."

Punch Brothers follow the success of their recent Caramoor appearance with three shows in Michigan later this week. The Associated Press says their new album, "Antifogmatic, has more range than your average bluegrass album. There’s an old-time feel to some songs. But several songs have a progressive feel that rises above genre limitations." Spinner looks at producer Jon Brion's role in bringing the band's unique acoustic sound to disc.

Ben Folds and Nick Hornby, whose music and words, respectively, come together on the forthcoming Nonesuch release Lonely Avenue, appeared on the Saturday edition of BBC Radio 2's Jonathan Ross show. Folds and Horby discussed the new album and perform their song "From Above," with Ben on acoustic guitar, and Hornby helping out on the singing—undoubtedly a world exclusive event.

Emmylou Harris performs at Lilith Fair ... Laurie Anderson live on World Cafe and in NYC ... Carolina Chocolate Drops play the Sugar Grove Festival in NC ... Pat Metheny, Joshua Redman, Rokia Traore, and Caetano Veloso hit the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam... and more ...

Metacritic.com has released its mid-year report of "The Best Music of 2010 So Far"—and three Nonesuch releases have made the cut: Ali Farka Touré's collaboration with kora player Toumani Diabaté came in at #2, and Laurie Anderson's first studio album since 2001, Homeland, followed it at #3. The Black Keys recent album, Brothers, followed up at #27. John Schaefer of WNYC's Soundcheck picks Anderson's Homeland, Ali and Toumani, and Timothy Andres' Shy and Mighty as his best of the year so far.

On the latest edition of NPR's All Songs Considered, host Bob Boilen and his regular cast of contributors sort through the "crush of great new music" coming out this summer, choosing "some of the upcoming albums they're most looking forward to." Robin Hilton, the show's producer, chooses Familial, the forthcoming debut solo album from Philip Selway.