The Huffington Post declared Cork a must-see in its recently published list of ‘overlooked’ cities. The People’s Republic is indeed a fine spot to visit not least for its musical output.

Local gal Nicole Maguire has just released debut album What You Really Mean to much fanfare. She recorded it with Grammy award-winner Mitchell Froom who was so impressed with Nicole he persuaded an elite band of musicians to record with her: drummer Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello), bassist Bob Glaub (Crosby, Stills & Nash), guitarist Val McCallum (Sheryl Crow, Lucinda Williams), with Vonda Shepherd providing backing vocals.

And Ms Maguire counts Damien Dempsey and Nanci Griffith amongst her fans. One to watch methinks!

Another Cork resident, Ian Whitty, has put out his latest long-player, Birds Carry Souls, which follows on from well-received collection The Lucky Caller No.9. The opus-yielded several top singles, including ‘Not On Your Side’ and ‘Houndstooth Shirt’. Esteemed director Lenny Abrahamson used one of the tracks, ‘City Friend’, in his film What Richard Did. Ian will be announcing live dates soon. We’ll keep you posted….

Fellow Corkonians Jon Blek and the Rats hit Dublin for their first show of the year in the capital on April 5. The troupe had a busy 2013 gigging extensively throughout Ireland and the UK on the back of the excellent Leave Your Love At The Door. The upcoming date sees them air a wealth of tunes from the aforementioned gem, in addition to a bevy of new ones from the next long-player! Support comes from Hidden Highways...

The Certain Three Tour returns for its fifth year this April with another eclectic lineup of Hot For 2014 acts including Cork’s The Altered Hours, New-York/Dublin-based literary pop artist Myles Manley and Manchester shoegazers Patterns.

The Altered Hours have been gaining traction since the release of their latest EP, Sweet Jelly Roll. The nugget was recorded with Mr Nina Hynes, Fabien Lesure in Berlin and released through Anton Newcombe’s label A Recordings. See Gig Guide for The Certain Three tour details…..

Dundalk’s finest Jinx Lennon is out on the road in May supporting Hammell On Trial as well as doing a sprinkling of his own shows. Check hotpress.com for details. Jinx is working on his next self-help guide titled Keep Sane In The World Of Eager Smiling Pricks. A must-listen for anyone wishing to retain their marbles I’m sure…

Northern rockers The Answer release their ‘New Horizon’ single on April 7. It's jam-packed with delights, including cover versions of Rory Gallagher’s ‘Cradle Rock’, Danzig’s ‘Snakes Of Christ’, plus acoustic renditions of the accompanying tour’s namesake track, ‘Road Less Travelled’….

Meath indie four-piece Youth Mass unleash debut album Morning Run/Evening Sun on April 4, with latest single ‘Dream On’ serving as a taster. The guys created much buzz with previous outings, the fine EP Misanthropy and download ‘Tony Don’t You Worry’, which appeared on the soundtrack to the Christian Slater film Playback. The official launch is in Whelan’s, Dublin on April 10……