Focus Music Notes. "Out of the Blues". Popular music through the decades

Hawaii native and international superstar Jack Johnson, who has sold over 18 million albums in his 11 year recording career, will be doing a live performance and Q&A on Tuesday April 10th at 9.30 pm UK Time (2:30 PM PST) . Jack, John Cruz and Paula Fuga will also perform a few songs, so get your questions ready, mark your calendar and follow Jack at Livestream . Jack’s brand new Brushfire album Jack Johnson and Friends - Best of Kokua Festival is released on April 16th. The album features a 13-track compilation of live performances from Jack Johnson’s benefit concert for the Kokua Hawaii Foundation. In support of the release, Johnson will also tour the Hawaiian Islands for an intimate seven-date all acoustic tour. Proceeds from Jack Johnson and Friends - Best of Kokua Festival and the tour will benefit the Kokua Hawaii Foundation. Culled from six years of his eco-minded music festival, Jack Johnson and Friends - Best of Kokua Festival, highlights onstage collaborations with lege

A top 5 album, three top 10 singles, No.1 collaborative single with Olly Murs, a sold out headline UK tour, a certified gold selling debut album and a BRIT award nomination; Rizzle Kicks have well and truly cemented themselves at the top of the UK charts . Landing on the music scene in 2011 the duo instantaneously shook things up with their very own nu school hip hop sound. With DIY beats and killer hooks, effortless swag and an abundance of charm the band breathed a breath of fresh-air into the airwaves. Rizzle Kicks represent a new breed of UK artists, self-created with unruly imaginations, the bands care-free lyrics and fun loving attitude has propelled them to the forefront of the UK music scene picking up a wealth of fans and support from fellow artists along the way. ‘ Traveller’s Chant ’ is a laid-back melodic track full of contemplative anecdotes; it perfectly reflects the humbling journey of coming of age. The track follows a succession of hits from the debut album ‘Stereo Ty

January 2012 saw the eagerly awaited release of Tribes debut album ‘Baby’, critically acclaimed across the board the LP went straight into the UK’s Top 20. The Camden quartet are pleased to announce the release of n ew single and stand-out album track ‘Corner of an English Field’ on April 2nd through Island Records. A sure-fire Summer festival anthem in the making, the track is already a massive hit live. Currently on the UK live circuit with Two Door Cinema Club, Metronomy and Azealia Banks for the NME Awards Tour, the band will be back in Europe for another stint this month, followed by a pre-SXSW US tour. Its non-stop touring for them when they land back on British soil for their own headline tour of the UK throughout April and May. (full dates below). With tickets already going fast, the Manchester date has already seen a venue upgrade due to popular demand. Watch Video HEADLINE TOUR 21/04 - Brighton, The Haunt 22/04 – Norwich, Arts Centre 24/04 – Portsmouth, Wedgewood Room

Steel Panther have confirmed the release of the single “17 Girls In A Row” to coincide with their almost sold out UK tour this Spring. The single will be released via Universal Records on 2nd April 2012. The track is taken from the bands acclaimed second album, BALLS OUT, which was released in October. Steel Panther will be returned to the UK in March 2012 for a headlining tour. The March 2012 dates are as follows: TUESDAY 27 MARCH O2 ACADEMY BIRMINGHAM – SOLD OUT WEDNESDAY 28 MARCH O2 ACADEMY GLASGOW FRIDAY 30 MARCH MANCHESTER ACADEMY – SOLD OUT SATURDAY 31 MARCH O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON The band comprise of Michael Starr (vocals), Satchel (guitar), Lexxi Foxxx (bass) and Stix Zadinia (drums). 2011 saw the band release their second album and embark on a UK arena tour with Motley Crue and Def Leppard to a rapturous reception. 2012 sees the band about to embark on their first trip to Australia (Soundwave 2012), return to the UK for another tour and play the highly coveted main stage at

Mayer Hawthorne, one of the most exciting artists in the new soul movement , played an amazing SOLD OUT headline show at The Scala earlier this month. Mayer releases a new version of ‘The Walk’ featuring chart-topping duo Rizzle Kicks, on May 7th. Watch video ere; Mayer’s debut album ‘How Do You Do’ is released on May 14th .· Check out the original video, watched by over 1 million people, here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmfcYli6vV4 - Do you recognize any of these fans? - www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF6qZBJo0YU Get ready to meet Mayer Hawthorne and say “How Do You Do”. www.mayerhawthorne.com  Loved by Justin Timberlake, John Mayer and Snoop Dogg, who features on the album, has declared him as his “favourite new artist”.

Nicki Minaj, one of the hottest artists on the planet, and indisputably the biggest breakthrough artist of 2011, has announced that she will be returning to the UK this June for the ‘Pink Friday’ Tour. She will perform in London, Birmingham and Manchester. Nicki Minaj tickets are available from www.livenation.co.uk 2011 was an incredible year for Nicki, with her multi-platinum selling debut album PINK FRIDAY boasting the most charted singles by any female rap album in Billboard history. Nicki also became the first artist to have 7 singles on the Billboard HOT 100 chart simultaneously. She criss-crossed the US playing to massive sell-out audiences with friend and mentor Lil Wayne on the sold–out “I Am Music II” tour and then slayed audiences as the special guest on Britney Spear’s US tour. In addition to winning Best Hip Hop Video at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards along with Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album and Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Artist at the 2011 American Music Awards, Nicki was recentl

Florence + the Machine are set to release ‘Never Let Me Go’ as the follow up to ‘No Light, No Light’ on April 2. This emotionally charged huge song is suffused with an elegantly weary grandiloquence, gospel chords shine the way for a multi-tracked flock of Florences to soar in free flight. “The gospel thing comes from my obsession with hymns. I’m drawn to anything that has a hymnal quality, be it Spiritualized or dusty old albums by Georgian choirs.” In the two months since the release of ‘Ceremonials’, love for Florence’s second album continues apace, a mainstay of the UK and US chart top10s with worldwide sales now in excess of 1.5 million. Fresh from a non-stop globe-spanning jaunt of live shows (the US, Brazil and a first visit to Japan), Florence has just returned to the UK where she performed at the Brit Awards & The NME Awards before embarking on her biggest UK tour to date in March. All 120,000 tickets for the spring tour were snapped up by her ever expanding army of fans u