I thought this list might be interested in this unusual bit of new
mechanical music.  Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny is apparently about
to start his "Orchestrion" tour, in which his backing band is a set
of mechanical music instruments.  You can see a teaser video and
read his comments here: http://www.patmetheny.com/orchestrioninfo/ 

The "robots" are designed by LEMUR (The League of Electronic Musical
Urban Robots), and include a variety of mechanisms, some that look
pretty similar to the "old-fashioned" orchestrion, and others that
are a little stranger.  It will be interesting to see where this goes.

I've already seen some discussion online about whether these
instruments are more "live" or "high-fidelity" than recordings or
synthesized sounds, and this coming from people who've never heard
before of the original orchestrion!  Let's hope that this at least
raises some interest in mechanical music.

Best,
Nick Seaver