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

HAPPY NEW YEAR. Hi everyone let's kick off the new year with the launch of The Melodic's single "Runway" It's been an incredible and busy 2013 for the Melodic folk, spending much of it touring overseas in North America but they are pleased to be back on home soil once more and we wanted to let you all know about their first headline show in London for over 6 months! They will be celebrating the release of the new single "Runaway" on Thursday January 9th at the Old Queens Head, Angel. Support comes from the spectacularly talented Cosmo Sheldrake who is certainly not to be missed, so get on down and join the party! Tickets can be purchased by clicking here . Runaway is being released on ANTI Records and is available to download on iTunes now, it's already getting championed by BBC's Music legend Steve Lamacq and receiving glowing reviews on his Roundtable show as well as plays on "Whispering" Bob Harris' Radio 2 show. Early 20

Introducing Laura McGhee, the Scottish/Americana singer/songwriter/fiddler/guitarist who hails from Dundee and has now made her home in Nashville. She was raised on Celtic roots, folk and country music and has been hailed by the London Times as the "Musical Heroine of the Y Generation". She first hit the American roots scene while performing with Pete Seeger in New York. Since that time, she has performed with the great Odetta, Ricky Skaggs, Jim Lauderdale, the Pogues & Shane McGowan, Oscar Brand, Ian Hunter, Josh White, Jr., David Amram, and Runrig. Her album Celticana , recorded in Nashville, garnered rave reviews and strong airplay on both sides of the ocean and stayed for ten solid weeks on the Americana Top 40 Chart from May to July of 2010 (unprecedented for a Scottish artist). Laura recently toured with John Carter Cash & John McEuen of  Nitty Gritty Dirt band on the 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken Tour-songs of the Carter family', to pay homage to th