Natalie Merchant kicked off her US tour over the July 4 holiday weekend. In advance of the tour start last week, she discussed the tour, her new ablum, and much more on public radio's The Diane Rehm Show, which calls the new album "the fullest expression of her songwriting voice to date," the CBC's Q with Jian Ghomeshi, and FUV Live from New York public radio station 90.7 WFUV.

This July 4 holiday weekend, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Punch Brothers, Bombino perform at California's High Sierra Music Fest ... Sam Amidon is in Iceland ... The Black Keys, Robert Plant play festival sets in France ... Jonny Greenwood performs Reich in Manchester, UK ... Gidon Kremer, Kremerata Baltica's own festival continues in Latvia ... Brad Mehldau, Mark Guiliana bring Mehliana to Europe ... Natalie Merchant kicks off US tour in Northeast ... Conor Oberst rounds out US tour in Midwest ... Joshua Redman Quartet tours Europe ... and more ...

Singer-songwriter k.d. lang is featured on a new stamp to be released by the Canada Post later this month. Each stamp features a photo of lang taken by Jeri Heiden, whose art direction can be seen on lang's many iconic album designs. The stamp is one of five in the Post's Country Legends stamp series and part of Canada Post’s larger 2014 stamp program, which aims to demonstrate Canada's diverse combination of achievement, progress, and culture.

The legendary producer John McClure passed away at his home in Vermont recently. McClure produced countless recordings for Columbia Records, including many famed recordings with Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Igor Stravinsky; led the Columbia Masterworks label; and produced or engineered several albums for Nonesuch Records, working with John Adams, Dawn Upshaw, Mandy Patinkin, Audra McDonald, and others. Nonesuch President Bob Hurwitz offers this remembrance.

Natalie Merchant begins a three-week US tour in support of her new, self-titled album at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston, NY, this Thursday, followed by stops along the East Coast and in the Midwest. "The collective feel of the music on the album still leaves room for Merchant’s trademark intimacy and honesty: no small feat," writes Hudson Valley Almanac Weekly in advance of Thursday's show. "Expect similar wire-walking brilliance when Merchant takes the show on the road." Merchant kicks off the tour as a guest on public radio's The Diane Rehm Show Wednesday and CBC's Q with Jian Ghomeshi Thursday.

David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's musical Here Lies Love, currently playing at NYC's Public Theater, will open in London this autumn. The National Theatre is producing the musical, which will be the first production in its Dorfman Theatre. Previews begin 30 September; the official Opening Night is 14 October. Performances are scheduled to run through 8 January, 2015. "I’ll be there, on the floor, for most of the rehearsals and previews," says David Byrne. "Probably singing along (to myself—though sometimes I get carried away). I suspect Norm [Cook (Fatboy Slim)] will be there sometimes, as well."

Robert Plant and his band the Sensational Space Shifters gave the Glastonbury Festival crowd "one of the most musically diverse sets of the day," says the BBC, including songs from his new album, lullaby and... The Ceaseless Roar. They "concoct a fascinating hybrid of dub, jazz, afrobeat and blues well suited to such an eclectic festival," says the Telegraph, "and an appreciative audience swayed in the setting sun to blissful world groove ... Plant's still got the vocal chops and stadium charisma." The Guardian calls him "hero." Metro says "Plant still very much has the voice and all of the cool." Watch them perform a song off the new album here.

The Black Keys, who are currently touring Europe on the first leg of the Turn Blue world tour, have added several new dates to the tour in February 2015, in Zurich, Munich, Berlin, Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Düsseldorf. The Guardian gives four stars to the band's set at Glastonbury last night, saying "the Black Keys have got better as they've got bigger, revealing a talent for fiendishly catchy classic rock." Watch their Glastonbury performance of "Fever" here.

John Adams's new album, City Noir, which comprises the title piece and the debut recording of his Saxophone Concerto, has been named among NPR Music's 25 Favorite Albums of 2014 (So Far). "Soloist Timothy McAllister is simply outstanding," says NPR Music's Anastasia Tsioulcas. "Meanwhile, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and conductor David Robertson are born naturals for this music, turning in fresh, dynamic and invigorating performances."

Ruthie Ann Miles, who plays Imelda Marcos in David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's musical Here Lies Love, and her co-star Conrad Ricamora, who plays Ninoy Aquino, were joined by a few of their fellow cast members to perform "I Am a Child of the Philippines" on Fox 5's Good Day NY this morning. Miles and Ricamora also spoke a bit about the musical, which is now playing at the Public Theater in New York City. You can watch the segment here.

The Glastonbury Festival continues through the weekend with set from Robert Plant, The Black Keys, Toumani &Sidiki Diabaté ... Bombino begins North American tour in Michigan ... Shawn Colvin concludes weeklong songwriting camp ... Jeremy Denk plays Bach & Ives in Massachusetts ... Iron and Wine plays close to home in North Carolina ... Brad Mehldau, Mark Guiliana kick off Mehliana tour in Toronto ... Pat Metheny Unity Group closes out European tour in Spain ... and more ...

Nickel Creek has unveiled a new video for "Hayloft," its cover of the Mother Mother song, off its Nonesuch Records debut album, A Dotted Line. The video, directed by Steven Mertens, premiered on The A.V. Club, which says: "The album, A Dotted Line, captured everything great about the acoustic trio without missing a beat. One song stuck out, though," and that's "Hayloft." Watch it here. NPR's Heavy Rotation has named another album track, "Destination," among its 10 Favorite Songs of the Year (So Far).