M. Shanghai and Francesca Blanchard
Francesca Blanchard (photo by Sarah Kjelleren, PR)
M. Shanghai took their name from a Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn, but they could just as easily have called themselves Jalopy, after the Red Hook club which is the hub of NYC's old-time music scene. Although M. Shanghai is a string band with the requisite guitar, banjos, and fiddles, there's not a lot of twang in their music, and their songs are more sophisticated than standard bluegrass fare, as their brand new album, Bedlam, demonstrates.
Francesca Blanchard spent her childhood in the south of France with her French father and American mother. Thirteen years ago, she moved to Charlotte, Vermont. Weaned on Norah Jones, Tracy Chapman, and Carla Bruni, she started writing songs as a teenager. Her debut album, Deux Visions, reflects her duality and quest for identity, with sensitive songs in both French and English.
Two very different artists who are part of the April 12 "On Your Radar," M. Shanghai and Francesca came into Studio A to give us a preview of what they'll be performing.
