Joachim Cooder releases a cover of Steve Earle’s timely “Christmas in Washington” today. Recorded two weeks ago in Los Angeles, the single features Cooder, who produced the track, on vocals, array mbira, and percussion; Rayna Gellert on fiddle; and Juliette Commagere on backing vocals. "Since Steve Earle released ‘Christmas in Washington’ in 1997," says Cooder, "I’ve been listening to it year in and year out. After the election and the last four years we’ve been through, and with Christmas approaching, I thought it was time we all checked back in with Steve. Now more than ever, it seems all a man can do is call out for Woody Guthrie to rise again."

Mountain Man has shared a live video of its performance of Kacey Musgraves' "Slow Burn," from the third and final set of its streaming concert series Live From the Garden, which you can watch here. The trio had previously recorded "Slow Burn" for Mountain Man Sings Kacey Musgraves, part of its series of covers songs.

Just in time for the holidays, The Staves have released an intimate live performance video of their 2018 holiday tune "Home Alone, Too," which you can watch here. The original recording can be heard at the close of the Christmas Eve episode of the new Netflix series Dash & Lily.

Mountain Man has shared a live video of its performance of Wilco's "You and I," from its streaming concert series Live From the Garden, which you can watch here. The third and final concert takes place this Thursday, December 17. The band filmed the three shows in North Carolina: in the woods, at home, and by the fire. Each night has a different set list.

The Staves' Camilla and Jessica Staveley-Taylor in London spoke with The Current's Jill Riley in St. Paul, Minnesota, about the upcoming Staves album, Good Woman, due February 5. You can watch the conversation, which touches on life, loss, renewal, and, well, Dawson's Creek, plus a live performance of the new album's title track here.

Mountain Man has shared a live video of "Moon," a song from its 2018 Nonesuch debut album, Magic Ship, performed for the second of its streaming concert series, Live From the Garden, last night, which you can watch here. The third and final concert takes place next Thursday, December 17. The band filmed the three shows in North Carolina: in the woods, at home, and by the fire. Each night has a different set list.

"I can't overstate the tremendous beauty and mastery glimmering here," says Simon Rentner, host of WGBO's The Checkout, about Brad Mehldau's new album, Suite: April 2020. Mehldau discusses the album, which he wrote while sheltering at home with his family and recorded during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, with WBGO's Nate Chinen on the latest episode of the show, which you can hear here.

Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider has released a video for 'Credo' from her critically acclaimed new album, Mass for the Endangered. The video by CandyStations, aka Deborah Johnson, is the fourth in the series for the album from the visual artist, following 'Alleluia,' 'Kyrie,' and 'Sanctus/Benedictus.'

Nonesuch Records releases its second album from Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Caroline Shaw, Narrow Sea, on January 22, 2021. The title piece was written for Sō Percussion, Dawn Upshaw, and Gilbert Kalish, who perform it on this recording: five parts, each a new setting of a text from The Sacred Harp nineteenth century collection of shape-note hymns. Also on the album is Sō Percussion's performance of Shaw's Taxidermy, which she wrote for the ensemble. A video for Part 2 of Narrow Sea can be seen here.

A remastered, expanded edition of the 2005 benefit album Our New Orleans will be released for the first time on vinyl on January 29, 2021. The two-LP set, also available then digitally, includes five previously unreleased tracks by Davell Crawford, Buckwheat Zydeco and Ry Cooder, Dr. Michael White, Dr. John, and The Wardell Quezergue Orchestra featuring Donald Harrison. A video of the late Dr. John recording the added track “Walking by the River” in 2005 can be seen here. To date, $1.5 million has been raised from the 2005 release to benefit the New Orleans Habitat Musicians’ Village.

Rob Mazurek is on the latest episode of Kreative Kontrol with Vish Khanna, who says this "tremendously gifted" artist has created "one of the finest and most vivid albums of 2020" in the new Exploding Star Orchestra album, Dimensional Stardust. You can hear their conversation here.

Mountain Man has shared a video of its performance of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads," from the first of its streaming concert series, Live From the Garden, which you can watch here. The performance comes from last Thursday's event; the second concert takes place this Thursday, December 10, at 9pm ET, followed by a final set on December 17. The band filmed the three shows in North Carolina: in the woods, at home, and by the fire. Each night has a different set list.