Rocktoberfest preview: Saintseneca

Rocktoberfest, Alive's annual fall concert extravaganza, is going down Friday at The Bluestone. You can get a quick overview of all the incredible performers in this handy preview, but this week we'll also be spotlighting each performer individually, one per day, leading up to Friday's big bash.

We begin with Saintseneca, which I described like this for the Facebook event: "A floorboard-clattering folk band marked by sweet, searing harmonies and a homespun aesthetic." Since forming in 2007 in a tiny campus apartment, they've been rousing crowds everywhere from basements to nightclubs to under bridges, sharpening their distinct take on folk music. It's rowdy and reflective at equal turns, with a knack for personal contemplation and spiritual probing without stumbling into rehash. That evolution has also been marked by recent lineup changes; with three of four original members now departed, singer-strummer Zac Little performs with Maryn Jones and The Sidekicks' Steve Ciolek (the people in quadrants three and four in the above photo). Judging from a recent show at Columbus Commons, the new lineup is just as adept at tingling spines.

Saintseneca kicks off Rocktoberfest at 9 p.m. sharp this Friday. (RSVP here.) Below, find two songs from the group's awesome 2011 LP "Last" and a two-part documentary about the recording of the album. UPDATE: And a new four-song EP!