Today, the Minnesota-based group Maygen & The Birdwatcher announce that their sophomore LP The Americana Dream will be released on October 10 via Yellow House Music Collective / Missing Piece Records. It reimagines the traditional definition of the American Dream, shifting away from the aspirational nature of the concept itself and moving towards a full embrace of the literal definition of Americana – the vast geographical, historical and cultural expanse that reflects Maygen & The Birdwatcher’s roots as well as this country as a whole. Alongside the album’s announcement, the band is releasing cathartic new single “Elizabeth,” which pairs Maygen Lacey’s soft voice with a high energy banjo and a bouncy fiddle to sing about someone who is unequivocally magnetic but is perhaps concealing something more ominous.
The group will continue touring through the summer and into the fall with a variety of headline and festival dates. They will also travel South later this year for a series of performances at Americana radio stations such as Nashville’s WMOT and Louisville’s WFPK who have invited them to play on-air sessions. See below for a full list of dates.
“‘Elizabeth’ is the North Star of our next musical chapter,” shares Lacey. “She’s the one that is helping us break down some genre barriers while also bringing along our favorite parts of where we’ve already musically been. Elizabeth is the one that you let take too much from you. The one you let dishevel all your hard lines in the sand. And maybe you’re ok with that, because she has that certain charm and confidence about her that keeps you wanting to stay within reach. Only through time can you make sense that her confidence and insistence on the limelight was her mask for self-consciousness.”
The band has already shared the first taste of the LP last month with “Feel Good,” which finds Lacey and co-songwriter Noah Neumann reflecting on the comfort of home and the need to go back to your roots after times of strife and hardship. The track was featured at Glide Magazine who exclaimed, “the versatile musicians deliver top-notch musicianship that evokes comparisons to the likes of Tedeschi Trucks Band, Lake Street Dive, and Alison Krauss & Union Station. Led by the twangy and soulful vocals of Maygen Lacey, the band will surely be a festival favorite for years to come.”
The record’s expansive sound, firmly rooted in the band’s bluegrass and folk roots, is the result of a new recording process where Lacey and Neumann worked with co-producer John Fields (Brandi Carlile, Soul Asylum, Miley Cyrus). In contrast to their first LP on which they recorded all instruments together live, on The Americana Dream, MBW recorded vocals and acoustic separately before adding the stringed instruments, which were all recorded together live and created a sound that’s impossible to replicate. Thematically, the record tells the stories of all the people you may encounter on a trip through the vast expanse of the country, while gesturing towards a future that is fairly uncertain.
On the new album, Lacey reflects: “The new music started with traveling. We found ourselves driving through beautiful landscapes and interesting towns, meeting all kinds of people who had all kinds of life experiences. It slowly evolved into being more of us reflecting on what it means to be American in this past decade.”
Bursting onto the scene with their sparkling bluegrass in 2021, Maygen & The Birdwatcher has a lot to show over the course of just a couple of years. They’ve shared stages with fellow genre luminaries like Sierra Ferrell, Old Crow Medicine Show and Grace Potter and had songs featured in Spotify’s Indie Bluegrass and New Grass playlists, Minnesota Monthly, and 89.3FM The Current. They’ve also won Album of the Year, Americana Artist of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year from the Midwest Country Music Organization. Now, they’re gearing up for a busy year ahead with new music and tour and festival dates.
2025 Tour Dates
July 10 – Sandwich, IL – Roberts Family Farm
July 11 – La Crosse, WI – Popcorn Tavern
July 13 – Corcoran, MN – Gladiola Fields
July 18 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota Yacht Club Festival
July 22 – Bismarck, ND – Laughing Sun Brewing
July 23 – Billings, MT – Craft Local
July 24 – Helena, MT – Lewis and Clark Brewing
July 25 – Bozeman, MT – The Jump
July 26 – Kemmerer, WY – Oyster Ridge Music Festival
July 27 – Spearfish, SD – Spearfish Public House
July 31/August 1 – Appleton, WI – Mile of Music Fest
August 5 – Thief River Falls, MN – Thief River Falls Music in the Park
August 7 – Harris, MN – Common Ground Concerts at North Folk Winery
August 8 – Shell Lake, WI – The Potter’s Shed
August 9 – Baraboo, WI – Tumbled Rock Brewing
August 14 – Eagan, MN – Viking Lakes
August 15 – Center City, MN – Nordic Harbor
August 18 – Louisville, KY – WFPK In-Studio Session
August 19 – Nashville, TN – WMOT In-Studio Session
August 20 – Knoxville, TN – WDVX Blue Plate Special
August 22 – Charlottesville, VA – WNRN In-Studio Session
August 31 – Shakopee, MN – Music on the Porch
September 5 – Saint Cloud, MN – Granite City Folk Society Kickoff Fest
September 6 – Zimmerman, MN – Sandhill Crane Music Festival
September 11 – Hillsboro, WI – BoogieDown at Driftless Music Gardens
September 13 – Minneapolis, MN – 56 Brewing @ Brewgrass Fest
September 19 – Batavia, IL – Sidecar Supper Club
September 20 – Plymouth, IN – Wild Rose Moon
September 25 – Winona, MN – Boats & Bluegrass Fest 2025
October 3 – Saint Joseph, MN – Milk & Honey Ciders
October 11 – Durand, WI – Brews on the Chippewa Festival
November 8 – Holmen, WI – Bluff View Concerts
November 15 – Lanesboro, MN – St Mane Theater
November 22 – Minneapolis, MN – AMERIGRASS @ Hook and Ladder Theater
