Maygen & the Birdwatcher, High & Rising, James Eugene Russel

×

Expand

Tom Smouse

A six-piece band on stage.

Maygen & the Birdwatcher

$15 ($10 adv.).

media release: Americana-folk band Maygen & The Birdwatcher released “Bootleggin’ At The Flower Shoppe,” their 5-song follow-up to their award-winning 2021 debut full-length “Moonshine.”

DittyTV featured the music video for the band’s second single, “He Ain’t Me” in their DittyDozen, which went out on their website, social media, and newsletter. Earmilk also wrote a feature for the release of the “He Ain’t Me” music video.

With a total of 6 players, Maygen & The Birdwatcher have set out to explore the limits of Americana music. The offering produces a diverse array of sounds, from heartwarming fiddle lines, to raggedy banjo licks, all the way to gained-up electric guitars. They’ve whipped up all of these ingredients into an interesting kaleidoscope of sound that will satisfy music experts and easy-listeners alike. You will find two very different lead vocalists surrounded by an interplay between the best in string sound across each of the different songs on their new EP “Bootleggin’ At The Flower Shoppe,” available on all streaming platforms today.

Coming off of the successful Oct ’21 release of their “stunning” (Americana UK) debut full-length album, Moonshine, which earned them Midwest Country Music Awards for both Album of the Year and Americana Artist of the Year, Maygen & The Birdwatcher have had a big year of growth and recognition. You may think that the awards and opportunities were what fueled their fire to get back in the studio and quickly write more songs. On Bootleggin’ at the Flower Shoppe, the band leans into the more country side of their sound and delivers a whirlwind of 5 toe-tapping tunes. In reality, these “energetic and good-timin’ songs,” as they call them, were written around the same time as the material on Moonshine, which featured a more contemporary sound, folk-rock touches, and introspective lyrics. Hence their adamant notion, “what’s Moonshine without Bootleggin?” :)

Released only one year from Moonshine, Bootleggin’ is intended as a companion, providing listeners with another side to the band and showcasing the diversity of their talents and musical interests. It also continues their theme of not quite knowing what you’re going to get from these two (Maygen and Noah). Is it Moonshine from the moon, or Moonshine from a bottle...are they Bootleggin’ songs or Bootleggin’ moonshine...? ;)

The first single – “No, Joe!” – comes out swingin’ with Lacey’s sassy lead vocals backed by members of local Minneapolis all-female band, The Foxgloves. The addition of harmonies and giggles from the feisty guest group helps make the bluegrassy “No, Joe!” a galloping, gleeful take-down of men who won’t take no for an answer from women. “Who raised you anyway?” the ladies shout together at the end of one of the verses. Lacey likes to say it’s her song that shows sometimes her “go-to approach of ‘being nice’ isn’t always the best way to get things done!”

The creation of each song is cultivated between Lacey and Neumann; a process to define the unique aspects of each song while tying it back to the project as a whole. Next, the songs are presented to the rest of the band to fill out its sound and add their own special sauce to each tune. Nik Pellinen on banjo, dobro and the occasional electric guitar sprinkles in some traditional bluegrass and dark folk spice to rough them up and add just the right amount of moodiness. Ethan Moravec creates the low-end undercurrent on standup bass for which each song has a platform, as well as rounding out the vocals. Jesse Moravec on mandolin and fiddle throws in a dash of contemporary and pop to bring out a song's life and beauty. All capped off by the legendary Peter Anderson on drums and percussion, adding the guiding light our tunes need.

The group’s latest music grows from the light given by their individual inspirations like Brandi Carlile, Waylon Jennings, Nathaniel Rattliff, and Jason Isbell, to name a few. Rather than distill each track down into one, formulaic brew, the band instead works to melodically express something new in each song they release. Each new tune is a new outlet to highlight an untapped idea; something that only a tightly knit, seasoned band could accomplish.

Neumann says about how the 2nd single, “He Ain’t Me” came into being: “My wife and I were joking about all the small things and idiosyncrasies that make us lovable and worthy of attention.” With "He Ain't Me", Noah sings to his love interest all the ways he is better and different than her current boyfriend. Fun-loving lyrics include, "He won't take you dancing / He can't grow his beard long / He can't play a lick on his guitar."

Musically, "He Ain't Me" is a guitar-heavy bluegrass-infused country song. With upbeat banjo, layered melodies and Noah's whisky-drenched vocals, "He Ain't Me" is an epic roots rock revival. Maygen adds her own vocal touch with delicious harmonies overlapping thumping upright bass. The comedic visuals show Noah and band drinking diet grape juice as if it is fine wine, writing a tattoo with a sharpie and even putting on a ridiculous fashion show. The video mirrors all the silly things that make us who we are and how embracing these quirks makes us unique.

Though the group is led by Maygen and Noah, all the songs on “Bootleggin’ At The Flower Shoppe” showcase a band that truly enjoys playing music together. They all bring such unique and individualized talents to the mix, and deliver a wonderfully enjoyable EP to follow up their equally enjoyable Moonshine debut album. Though the duo came out with an EP (The People We Don’t Choose) in 2018, prior to adding the other 4 members to the band, it’s clear that this is the lineup that works best for them. “These are the folks we want to continue to make music with moving forward,” says Lacey. “That’s not to say we’ll always play live together because we do like to play different configurations from duo all the way up to 6-piece. But our ideal sound (and most fun) includes everyone.”

While receiving their award for Americana Artist of the Year at the Midwest Country Music Awards, Maygen Lacey said something that remains true “You know, making music with Noah has been so rewarding, but the opportunity to make music with all of you guys is a total game-changer. It feels so good to have a BAND.”

As its title suggests, “Bootleggin’ At The Flower Shoppe” was recorded independently while the band was still signed with the indie label that put out Moonshine. They felt like they were being pretty sneaky to record new songs that would not be coming out under the label, while they were still under contract. The “flower shoppe” part of the title pays homage to Flowers Studio, where they were recording - as it truly was an old flower shop back in the 1950’s. This EP needed to come out when it did, so quickly after the release of Moonshine. It’s a perfect rounding and addition to the band’s versatile sounds. Taken together you get everything they are made of: beauty to grit, sadness to silliness, polish to power.

As Noah puts it: “After all we’ve had to go through in recent years, nothing feels better than finally putting all of our current music out for the world to enjoy”