Ben Harper is rallying behind his old friend Tom Freund . The singer/guitarist recently produced Freund’s new album, Collapsible Plans, and has made the disc available for only $1 for a limited time through his own Inland Emperor Records. In addition to Harper,  Collapsible Plans also features contributions from Jackson Browne.

In a open letter, Harper said, “I have been moved by Tom's music since the first note we played together in my family's music store after closing time -- just he and I with two guitars until the morning hours. He was the first person I had ever heard that was my age, writing songs of his own, and they were amazing. Tom is an extraordinarily soulful multi-instrumentalist, making my role as producer that much easier, enabling us to complete recording for Collapsible Plans in under ten days. A few of the songs on this record have been previously released, but I felt the record would be best served with not just new material, but also some of Tom's strongest material from the past… These are songs that deserve the entire world as an audience, and I didn't want to let the potential of that chance get away with Collapsible Plans. I appreciate and thank everyone at .net for checking this out, and for making this site what it is.”

Sonic Youth will take the honors as the final band to play Brooklyn’s McCarren Park Pool. The influential indie-rock band will perform at the venue on August 30, shortly before the land is turned back into a working pool as part of Major Michael Bloomberg’s current greening initiatives. McCarren Park Pool officially closed in 1983, but began hosting live music in 2006. Sonic Youth has played three shows at McCarren Park Pool since then, including two gigs in 2006 and an encore appearance in 2007. Other acts who have played the pool since 2006 include Gov’t Mule, the Shins, the Disco Biscuits, Umphrey’s McGee, Of Montreal, Feist, Broken Social Scene, the Slip, Apollo Sunshine, TV on the Radio, the Hold Steady, Devo and Tom Tom Club, among others.

JELLYNYC has also recently confirmed another McCarren Park Pool show at part of its free Pool Party. The free event will take place on series on August 10, boasting performances by The Felice Brothers, Langhorne Slim, Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves & Deer Tick. The Pool Parties kicked off on June 29 with a high-profile performance by The Hold Stead and will run every Sunday through August. Bonnaroo veterans MGMT will headline this Sunday’s Pool Party.  

Trey Anastasio will unveil his latest orchestral work, “Time Turns Elastic,” at Nashville, TN’s Ryman Auditorium on September 27. A note on the guitarist’s homepage describes the work as “a new piece co-written for electric guitar and orchestra with long-time collaborator Don Hart.” The guitarist will perform “Time Turns Elastic” with Orchestra Nashville (formerly the Nashville Chamber Orchestra) under the direction of conductor Paul Gambill. Anastasio previously worked with both Hart and Gambill on his 2004 Bonnaroo performance.

Anastasio wrote most of “Time Turns Elastic” in Saratoga Springs, NY during his year-long performance hiatus and describes the style as in the same vein as “Divided Sky,” “Guyute” and “You Enjoy Myself.” Tickets for this debut performance will be available through a real-time presale at http://treytickets.rlc.net, as well as conventional ticket outlets.

Billboard.com reports that Crosby, Stills & Nash are working on an album of well-known covers with producer Rick Rubin. The album will be the trio’s first release since 1994’s After The Storm, though Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released Looking Forward in 1999.

CSN is currently in the midst of a summer tour, while Crosby and Nash will pair off for a round of club dates this fall. The group recently received a jolt of interest thanks to the new documentary CSNY: Deja Vu, which follows Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 2006 Freedom of Speech Tour. The politically-charged outing found the longtime collaborators mixing staples with selections from Young’s Living With War album.