Rhiannon Giddens recently stopped by the Last.fm studios to discuss her new solo debut album, Tomorrow Is My Turn, and perform three tracks off the album. You can watch the interview and hear her discuss and perform the songs—"Don't Let It Trouble Your Mind," written by Dolly Parton; Hank Cochran's "She's Got You," famously recorded by Patsy Cline; and "Shake Sugaree," by Libba Cotton—here.

The Staves' new Justin Vernon–produced album, If I Was, is out now on CD and digitally in the US on Nonesuch Records, with vinyl due April 21. The trio brings "angelic harmonies" to the "consistently daring" album, writes the New York Times' Jon Pareles. "[T]he songs are illuminated from within." "This entire record is essential listening," raves Stereogum. "The Staveley-Taylor sisters possess the kind of voices that make able-bodied writers lose control of their capacity to avoid terms like ethereal, angelic, and otherworldly." The album earns four stars from the Guardian, Sun, MusicOMH, and Daily Mirror, which calls it "ravishing and inspired ... with astonishing vocals ... an unfailingly tender touch, freshness and natural warmth."

Pat Metheny will be the 2015 Detroit Jazz Festival Artist-in-Residence, including different music incarnations at this year's festival Labor Day Weekend—sets from the Pat Metheny Trio with Antonio Sánchez and Scott Colley and special guest Detroiter Kenny Garrett; an intimate acoustic duo with Detroiter Ron Carter; a reunion with the Gary Burton in a special quartet put together just for this festival; and a large ensemble with the Detroit Jazz Festival Orchestra—as well as education and mentorship activities throughout the year.

Big Ears Festival takes place in Knoxville with Kronos Quartet, Rhiannon Giddens, Sam Amidon, Laurie Anderson, Tyondai Braxton ... NY Phil performs new John Adams ... Jeremy Denk tours Northeast ... Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell perform at Tennessee benefit ... James Farm tours Brazil ... Audra McDonald sings outside DC ... Natalie Merchant performs in Connecticut ... Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters finish Latin American tour at Lollapalooza Brazil ... Punch Brothers perform in Portland ... and more ...

Rhiannon Giddens kicks off her spring tour, featuring music from her new debut solo album Tomorrow Is My Turn, with two performances at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, this weekend. The tour continues through June, with stops in cities and at festivals along the way, including New York City (April 9 at The Town Hall), Chicago (April 23 at The Vic), Los Angeles (May 9 at El Rey Theatre), and the Bonnaroo and Telluride Bluegrass festivals in June. Giddens’ bandmates from Carolina Chocolate Drops—multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins, cellist Malcolm Parson, and multi-instrumentalist Rowan Corbett—are part of the touring band.

Newly formed Congolese seven-piece band Mbongwana Star releases its debut full-length album, From Kinshasa, on May 19 via World Circuit, distributed in North America by Nonesuch Records; vinyl follows on July 31. The band features members of a new generation of Kinshasa musicians embodying the concept of “mbongwana,” or “change.” Along with Parisian producer Doctor L, the band has created a sound that embodies the “smashed-together” nature of the surroundings from which it was born—fusing traditional Congolese rhythms with European post-punk bass and busted electronics from recycled and reconstructed instruments miked and distorted in unexpected ways. Pre-orders include an instant download of the album track "Malukayi (feat. Konono No.1)."

Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell's new album, The Traveling Kind, will be released May 12 on Nonesuch Records. Rolling Stone has premiered the title track, which may be downloaded with pre-orders of the album at iTunes and in the Nonesuch Store, where CD and vinyl orders also include an exclusive, limited-edition autographed print. Produced by Joe Henry, The Traveling Kind follows the longtime friends' first duet album, 2013's Grammy Award-winning Old Yellow Moon, and comprises 11 duet tracks, including six new songs written by Harris and Crowell with co-writing by Mary Carr, Cory Chisel, Will Jennings, and Larry Klein. Harris and Crowell will play a series of intimate shows in support of the record this May, including shows in San Francisco, Napa, Chicago, NYC, and Nashville.

The 2015 Big Ears Festival takes place in Knoxville, Tennessee, this weekend including performances from artists-in-residence Kronos Quartet, Laurie Anderson, Rhiannon Giddens, Sam Amidon, and Tyondai Braxton. Big Ears is held in venues throughout downtown Knoxville. Click here for a schedule of the Nonesuch artists' events at this weekend's festival. 

John Adams's latest work, Scheherazade.2, receives its world premiere in performances by the NY Philharmonic, led by Alan Gilbert, at Avery Fisher Hall in NYC this Thursday through Saturday, March 26–28. This "dramatic symphony" for violin and orchestra was written for the violinist Leila Josefowicz, who will perform the piece with the Philharmonic. In the piece, Adams reflects on the hardship and unfair treatment of women throughout history, with the violinist representing the legendary Scheherazade. Also on this week's program are Lyadov's The Enchanted Lake and Stravinsky's Petrushka. Each performance will be preceded by a pre-concert talk with the composer.

The Staves' Nonesuch debut album, If I Was, produced by Justin Vernon, is due out next week in the US. But you don't need to wait till then to hear it: the album is streaming in full all this week via Stereogum. "This entire record is essential listening," raves Stereogum. "The Staveley-Taylor sisters possess the kind of voices that make able-bodied writers lose control of their capacity to avoid terms like ethereal, angelic, and otherworldly. They are simply astonishing in tone, harmony, precision, their ability to weave in and around one another like birds dipping and flitting through the sky."

Punch Brothers kick off the spring leg of their North American tour at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver on Wednesday featuring music from their new album, The Phosphorescent Blues. This leg of the tour includes stops in Seattle, Portland, Denver, and Salt Lake City; four dates in California; three in Texas; and two in Arizona. Gabriel Kahane supports along the way. This summer, the band plays several summer festival dates, like Bonnaroo and Telluride, and shows with Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn.

Conor Oberst has announced a number of US tour dates for this June. The shows start at 40 Watt in Athens, Georgia, on June 3, followed by stops in Wilmington and Boston, all with support from Larkin Poe; a set at The Governors Ball in NYC; concerts in Maquoketa, Iowa, his hometown of Omaha, and Lincoln, Nebraska, all with support from The Felice Brothers; and culminating with a set at Rock the Garden in Minneapolis. See below for the complete list of June shows. Tickets are on sale now for the two festivals and go on sale Friday for the rest.