Punch Brothers perform at the Carson Four Rivers Center in Paducah, Kentucky, Saturday night. The band is sure to play songs from its forthcoming album, the follow-up to its 2008 Nonesuch debut, Punch. Chris Thile, who recently celebrated his 29th birthday, told the Paducah Sun: "I’m in celebration mode still (about the album) ... It turned out better than I could hope for."

The band recently joined Fiona Apple and producer Jon Brion for a recording of a different sort, contributing a track to the benefit album Chickens in Love. Proceeds from album sales go to 826LA, a non-profit creative writing program for students ages 6 to 18. Apple and Punch Brothers cover the song "So Sleepy," written by students in the program. To listen to a clip from the track and offer a donation, visit 826la.org/chickensinlove.

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Alarm Will Sound is scheduled to join Dirty Projectors for a performance of the latter band's album The Getty Address at Walt Disney Concert Hall Saturday night. The first half of the program features the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing works by Ligeti, Wagner, and Ravel. As of this morning's report via Twitter, Alarm Will Sound was waiting for its flight from New York to clear the city's latest winter storm.

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Laurie Anderson brings her latest multimedia performance piece, Delusion, to the '62 Center for Theater + Dance at Williams College in Western Massachusetts tonight, with a post-concert discussion to follow. There will be an encore performance there Saturday night. Following the piece's recent world premiere in Vancouver for the 2010 Cultural Olympiad, Georgia Straight said, "Delusion ranks with Anderson’s best ... smart, funny, emotionally engaging, and flat-out beautiful—in short, everything you’d expect from an artist of Anderson’s stature and reputation."

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Carolina Chocolate Drops' US tour, which got under way yesterday in Indiana, continues through the Midwest this weekend with performances at the Saint Louis Art Museum tonight; Fitzgerald's in Berwyn, Illinois, on Saturday, and Schubas in Chicago on Sunday.

The Other Paper, out of Columbus, Ohio, says the band's concert there last year "was one of the best surprises of the entire year." And now the band's recently released Nonesuch debut, Genuine Negro Jig, "completely takes me back to that magical night," says reviewer John Petric. "If you give one-half of a hoot and holler about true Americana," he exhorts, "you absolutely must check it out."

"It’s easy to enthusiastically recommend Carolina Chocolate Drops," says Time Out Chicago. "They’re extremely talented and original musicians, proving that youthful old-time music is not an oxymoron. The virtuoso mix of fiddle, banjo and voice (with occasional kazoo) found in CCD’s vibrant Southern string music is still richer, more engaging and more vital than 90 percent of contemporary tunes."

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Christina Courtin continues her tour of the Southwest with former Soul Coughing front man Mike Doughty, making two stops in Arizona this weekend. They'll be at Tucson's Club Congress tonight and the Cave Creek Coffee Co. in Cave Creek on Saturday

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Bill Frisell revisits a familiar combo as he, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Paul Motian settle in for this week's residency at the Blue Note in New York City. Back in 2006,  Nonesuch released a self-titled album from the three musicians New York Times music critic Nate Chinen calls an "all-star triumvirate." They'll play multiple sets at the Blue Note through Sunday.

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Richard Goode performs works by Byrd, Bach, Chopin, and Schubert at Teatro dei Rozzi in Siena, Italy, tonight.

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Kronos Quartet plays the second of four nights of performances at Z Space @ Artaud in San Francisco tonight and Saturday, in which the Quartet will play Jon Rose’s Music from 4 Fences and works by Terry Riley each night, and by a composer from the Kronos: Under 30 Project, as well as other commissioned works. Tonight's program includes works by Clint Mansell and Dan Visconti; Saturday's by Bryce Dessner and Aviya Kopelman.

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The Low Anthem's tour with the Avett Brothers got under way earlier this week and continues with performances each night this weekend: the State Theatre in Ithaca, New York, tonight; House of Blues in Cleveland, Saturday; and the Egyptian Room at the Murat Centre in Indianapolis on Sunday.

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The Magnetic Fields head to the Bay Area this weekend for the Noise Pop festival. The band plays a sold-out set at The Fox Theater in Oakland Saturday night. On Sunday afternoon at 2 PM, Stephen Merritt will DJ and sign albums at Amoeba Records in San Francisco. Later that night in San Francisco, Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields, a new documentary feature about the band, will be given a sneak preview Sunday night at Mezzanine.

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Pat Metheny's European Orchestrion tour continues with a shows tonight at Incheba Expoarena in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Saturday at Hala Stulecia in Wroclaw, Poland, where the Orchestrion album has just been certified gold.

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Mandy Patinkin joins fellow Broadway legend Patti Lupone for An Evening with Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin at EJ Thomas Hall in Akron, Ohio, Saturday night. They'll next head to Mandy's hometown of Chicago for a week's run at the Cadillac Palace Theatre starting Tuesday.

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Bay Area native Joshua Redman performs works by Ellington, Monk, Shorter, and Coltrane at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral for the SFJazz: Sacred Space concert. The show helps kick off the SFJazz spring season.

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Wilco continues its TransCanada (a.k.a. Tundra) Tour with two performances in the province of Quebec this weekend: Imperial de Quebec in Quebec City tonight and the Olympia in Montreal on Saturday, both with Bahamas opening. The mayor of Duluth, Minnesota, recently named the band an honorary band of his city, prompting calls for Madison, Wisconsin, where the band played the Overture Center the following night, to follow suit. Not to be outdone, the Wisconsin capital's City Council responded by proposing a measure to declare the band members honorary citizens of Madison. For the complete text of the proposed resolution, which includes such suppositions as "WHEREAS, at least one member of the Common Council attended the [Overture Center] show and can attest to its excellence," visit The Cap Times at madison.com.