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

Anti-Records have just announced the signing of Saintseneca, a young band from Columbus, Ohio led by singer-songwriter and multi instrumentalist Zac Little. According to their Bio, the group utilizes a wide range of instruments including violin, mandolin, dulcimer, Turkish Baglama, floor percussion with the more contemporary elements such as synthesizers and electric guitars to create a unique merging of rustic and modern. Folk and country motifs converge seamlessly with soaring vocals and a vibrant post-punk energy. While the group formed in Columbus Ohio,  songwriter Little hails from the rural hills of Appalachia. It is a solitary and dramatic landscape that has infused the band's songs with a sense of introspection and some striking narratives. “I was raised on farms in Appalachia,” Little explains, “And I think that my perspective on music was shaped by where I grew up. It was twenty minutes to see the nearest person. Being so isolated forced me to be introspective a

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

The Melodic are an English afro-folk-pop ensemble , their debut album Effra Parade is the follow up to the band's acclaimed EP On My Way. The Observer described The Melodic as "Incredibly beautiful, with harmonies and rich instrumentation that make you want to dance and cry at the same time," while in the US the band has drawn comparisons to indie darlings Beirut and The Decemberists. The group's members came of age in the South London neighborhood of Brixton amidst bustling streets and open air markets reverberating with a rich assortment of musics from around the world. In the distinctly English tradition of sonic assimilation, they found influence in the sounds they were hearing. As band member Huw Williams explains, “Brixton is a real melting pot of different people so it doesn’t feel inappropriate for us to introduce sounds from around the world into our music, there was South American and African music around us all the time, as well as reggae a

23 year old rising star John Newman follows his massive number 1 single “Love Me Again”, and equally rousing follow-up “Cheating” with the release on October 14th of his hotly anticipated debut album ”Tribute”. The album, co-produced by Newman, confirms his class as a songwriter, peerless power as a vocalist and offers conclusive proof that the UK has a singular new talent in its midst. “Love Me Again” which has achieved Gold Status in the UK for sales in excess of 500,000, has hit the No1 spot on iTunes in a staggering 16 countries across the globe and follows John’s previous anthem and chart-topper “Feel The Love”, which he co-wrote and fronted with Rudimental. October is going to be a very busy month for the young Yorkshireman who releases his new Island Records single ”Cheating” on October 7th , and played a special homecoming show at the Grade 2 listed Victorian Music Hall in Settle, on October 3rd. The Settle gig, which sold out in less than 2 minutes, will be a taster of what’