The Carolina Chocolate Drops kicked off their West Coast tour earlier this week at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles and performed last night at the Fillmore in San Francsico, opening for Josh Riter. The Drops continue to make their way through California this weekend, with a show every night. Tonight they're at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, Saturday evening they play the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma, and Sunday night they hit Frank's Place at the Warnors Center for the Performing Arts in Fresno. Check out the Carolina Chocolate Drops Facebook page for the chance to win the beautiful limited-edition West Coast tour poster pictured at left, designed by Rich Kelly.

Santa Cruz Weekly previews tonight's show with a profile of the band and its music. "Their latest release, Genuine Negro Jig, has been raking in the raves and has roots music enthusiasts taking another look at the string bands of old," writes the Weekly's Cat Johnson. "The album is rich with traditional soul, evident in tunes like 'Cornbread and Butterbeans' and 'Your Baby Ain’t Sweet Like Mine,' and also illuminates the more introspective side of roots music with the hauntingly beautiful instrumental tune 'Snowden’s Jig.'”

What's more, writes Johnson, "Committed as they are to preserving the string band tradition, however, the Chocolate Drops ... make a point of not simply reenacting the past. They’ve taken the string band style of old and given it a giant heave-ho into the 21st century."

Read the complete article at news.santacruz.com.

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Alarm Will Sound made its London debut at Wilton's Music Hall last night, performing works by Aphex Twin, Autechre, and the Beatles. The ensemble joins Dirty Projectors to perform the latter group's Getty Address at Barbican Hall tonight. Dirty Projectors also performs songs from its 2009 album Bitte Orca. The events are part of the Barbican's London Blaze festival.

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The Black Keys appear twice this weekend in two different European countries: Saturday night they play Le Rock dans Tous Ses Etats festival at the Hippodrome in Evroux, France, and Sunday afternoon they're at Goffertpark (that's Rockin' Park in English) in Nijmegen, Netherlands.

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Also appearing twice this weekend is the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, featuring Omara Portuondo and both new musicians and veterans of the original Buena Vista Social Club, like trumpeter Guajiro Mirabal and laoud virtuoso Barbarito Torres. Though visa delays kept the performers from their tour opener in Brooklyn last night, their show at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois, is still set for Saturday evening. The festival boasts "The World's Largest Lawn Party," complete with a massive dance floor (made of grass, of course) and a dancing contest. Sunday night, the performers play the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, sharing the bill with Goldfrapp.

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Bill Frisell continues his Canadian tour this weekend, playing tonight and Saturday night at the Studio of the National Arts Centre as part of the Ottawa Jazz Festival, and Sunday night at Maclab Theatre as part of the Edmonton Jazz Festival. Tonight and on Sunday, he will play with his Beautiful Dreamers band, made up of Eyvind Kang and Rudy Royston; the Saturday show is with the 858 Quartet, consisting of Kang, Hank Roberts, and Jenny Scheinman.

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Philip Glass will be in Ireland this Saturday, playing his chamber music with cellist Wendy Sutter and pianist/percussionist Mick Rossi as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival. A limited number of tickets are available for the festival's Closing Gala Event, which includes a balcony seat for the show and a post-show reception with Glass, where refreshments will be served.

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Emmylou Harris's show tonight at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens is officially sold out; she'll be appearing, amidst the fragrant flora of the gardens, with special guest Tift Merritt. Saturday night Harris plays the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the venue's Jubilee benefit performance.

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Fernando Otero plays Sunday Brunch at the Blue Note in New York City this weekend. He will appear with his regular sextet of Nick Danielson (violin), Juan Pablo Jofre Romarion (bandoneon), Martin Moretto (guitar), Pablo Aslan (bass), and Marcelo Woloski (drums).

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Punch Brothers follow their hometown performance earlier this week at Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg and on WNYC's Soundcheck by headlining Garden & Gun magazine's Soul of the South Weekend, at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee, tonight. The event will feature appearances by a wide array of literary and culinary personalities, along with the finest in food and wine.

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Joshua Redman makes two Canadian appearances this weekend with his new James Farm project, featuring longtime collaborators Aaron Parks, Matt Penman, and Eric Harland. Tonight they open up the Vancouver International Jazz Festival at the Centre for Performing Arts there; tomorrow night they're at the Royal Theatre in Victoria, British Columbia. Both nights they share a bill with the dueling pianos of Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes.

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Allen Toussaint headlines Norfolk, Virginia's Bayou Boogaloo & Cajun Food Festival this Sunday afternoon in the downtown-area Town Point Park. In keeping with this weekend's (de facto) theme, there will be plenty of Cajun culinary delights for concertgoers (and concert-performers) to sample.

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Sara Watkins kicks off a two-week tour opening for folk singer-songwriter Dar Williams. The pair has a busy weekend ahead with three performances in the South. Tonight they're at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina; Saturday they play the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta; and Sunday night they hit The Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina. The Southern leg of the tour wraps up this week, when the two performers head to the Midwest.