Maygen Lacey says she comes from a different go-to regarding the kind of music she grew up on than her musical partner, Noah Neumann. “I was drawn to pop and catchy tunes. He listened to 90’s country. I guess Brandi Carlile got me into listening to more bluegrass.”
Noah says they met in 2016 at a mutual gig where Maygen sang and he played guitar. “We discovered we had common interests, and we just went from there.”
The Minnesota-based musicians formed a band and released their debut full-length album, Moonshine, in 2021. The album received Album of the Year at the Midwest Country Music Awards and was named Americana Artist of the Year. That opened the doors to opportunities to play on festival stages with acts like Old Crow Medicine Show, Paul Cauthen, Grace Potter, and their childhood favorite, Travis Tritt.
“After we won the Midwest Country Music Award at an arena in Duluth, Minnesota, Travis invited us to open for a show,” says Maygen. “It was so surreal for us.”
In late 2022, they continued the momentum with Moonshine’s companion EP, Bootleggin’ At The Flower Shoppe. Their winning streak continued. The album was the 2023 Album of the Year at the Midwest Country Music Awards, and they were once again named Americana Artist of the Year.
In October 2023, Maygen & the Birdwatcher leaped into producing an event – they hosted and curated the inaugural Americana Fest at The Hook and Ladder Theatre in Minneapolis. “There is such a special community of artists here,” Maygen says. “Music is our love language, and we enjoy playing Amerigrass with such talented artists.”
It’s hard to put Maygen & the Birdwatcher in a box. They have been considered Americana artists, as well as folk and bluegrass, with some country and blues added to the mix. “We draw on our different musical influences and vocal styles to bring fresh and unexpected songs to light,” Maygen says.
The band loves music, and it shows. Nik Pellinen (banjo, lap steel, electric guitar), Jessie Moravec (fiddle, mandolin), Chase Rabideau (bass) and Peter Anderson (percussion) round out the tightly knit band’s lineup. “Evin Haukos also joined us on fiddle on the Leap Year EP,” says Noah.
Noah says that Leap Year is a metaphor for what’s happening in their lives. Inspired by the celestial symbolism of 2024, the EP was released in August, with three single-track releases since early February. “The musicianship is so tight and lovely in this album. In this leap year, we are leaping forward, taking our music to the next level.”
Leap Year includes two reimagined tracks, “Full Moons/Leap Year Session” and “Antidote/Leap Year Session,” both appearing on the band’s Moonshine LP. “Noah and I wanted to re-release these two tracks in a more stripped-down style, really emphasizing the acoustic renditions and harmonies in its purest musical arrangements. We always dreamt of what ‘Antidote’ would sound like on piano, so this was a very fitting record to explore that vision.”
Noah added that the album shows another side of the band. “It’s more intimate, a bit more pulled back and introspective. It was recorded in the dead of winter. We had done some of the songs before, but we recorded them in a different light. This project was a bit more relaxed. It was kind of like using a different muscle in a way. The tendency is to add more and do more, but the challenge is to pull back. It was an odd experience.”
Maygen says they wound up building songs a little. “We added a build-up with drums and a bridge, which worked out beautifully. I’m really happy with it.”
The band is now actively working on their new album. “We have been doing it in between gigs,” Noah says. “We try to do as many festivals as we can, then we’ll settle in and finish it before the end of the year.”
In 2023, Maygen & the Birdwatcher partnered with the South Dakota Grasslands Coalition, a non-profit organization, to save its native grasslands – North America’s most threatened ecosystem. The song/video “Where Good Things Grow” was released to raise public awareness about the importance of grassland ecosystems and generate support for programs to encourage farmers, ranchers, and public officials to preserve and restore the health of America’s grasslands. The song was awarded the 2023 Video of the Year from the Midwest Country Music Association, along with Entertainer of the Year.
Maygen is a busy wife and mom when not busy with the band. “I also do studio work in my home studio, doing vocals for demos and such.” Noah is the father of an active one-year-old and works as a special ed teacher. In his off time, his passion is (you guessed it) birdwatching.
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