A Sunny Kickoff with Maygen & The Birdwatcher at Minnesota Yacht Club Festival

A Whimsical Afternoon on the Mississippi

Imagine stepping into Harriet Island Regional Park on a golden July afternoon in 2025, the Mississippi River lapping gently at the shores of St. Paul, and the air alive with the promise of live music. It’s the kickoff of the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival’s first day, July 18, and as noon approaches, a seven-piece band from the Twin Cities takes the main stage. Maygen & The Birdwatcher—names I’d only heard whispered in local music circles—emerge with an easy smile, instruments gleaming under the sun. This is my first time catching them live, and from the opening notes, it’s clear they’ve got a knack for turning a sprawling festival crowd into a backyard gathering of old pals.

Maygen Lacey, the band’s warm-voiced leader, strums her guitar and launches into “Dominé,” a lively tune that hooks you with its rolling rhythm and tales of life’s unexpected turns. The audience—a blend of families unpacking picnics and early-bird fans staking out spots—starts to lean in, feet tapping on the soft grass. By the second song, “Take It To The Garden,” the full band’s magic unfolds: fiddles weaving through banjo plucks, harmonies layering like a cozy quilt. It’s that quintessential Americana sound—rooted, joyful, and full of heart—that makes you forget the heat and just sway along.

Then comes a delightful pause between the second and third songs. Lacey fishes a small bird whistle from her pocket, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “If we’re going birdwatching today,” she says with a grin that draws chuckles from the crowd, “let’s do it right.” She demonstrates the proper technique—puckering her lips just so and blowing a soft, trilling note that echoes like a sparrow’s call across the park. A few fans mimic her, adding their own warbles, and the moment transforms the stage into an interactive haven of whimsy. It’s these unscripted bits of charm that make the performance feel intimate, even amid thousands. Energized, they dive into “Full Moons,” carrying that playful spirit forward.

The set rolls on with unhurried grace, blending fresh tracks from their upcoming album with crowd-pleasing staples. Clocking in at about 45 minutes, it’s a breezy Americana showcase that primes the pump for the day’s bigger acts, leaving everyone humming and ready for more. As they wrap, Lacey waves with a promise to spot more birds next time, and the crowd erupts in appreciative cheers. What a way to start the festival—rooted in local pride and soaring with simple joy.

Band History

Maygen & The Birdwatcher is a Minnesota progressive folk-rock-country sextet. In late 2021, they released their debut full-length album, Moonshine, which earned Midwest Country Music Awards for Album of the Year and Americana Artist of the Year. This led to opportunities to join festival stages with bands like Old Crow Medicine Show, Paul Cauthen, Grace Potter, and Travis Tritt. In late 2022, they released the companion EP, Bootleggin’ At The Flower Shoppe, which won 2023 Album of the Year and Americana Artist of the Year at the Midwest Country Music Organization’s awards.

The band blurs sounds of country, bluegrass, folk, and blues, with lead singers Maygen Lacey and Noah Neumann drawing on different musical influences and vocal styles. In October 2023, they hosted and curated the inaugural Amerigrass Fest at The Hook and Ladder Theater & Lounge in Minneapolis. That year, they teamed up with the South Dakota Grasslands Coalition to release the song “Where Good Things Grow,” which earned the 2023 Video of the Year award and Entertainer of the Year from the Midwest Country Music Organization. In 2024, they released two single tracks—“Full Moons (Leap Year Session)” and “Jericho”—from their forthcoming Leap Year EP, available August 2, 2024. Their second full-length album, The Americana Dream, is set to release on October 10, 2025.

Current Members

• Maygen Lacey: lead vocals, guitar
• Noah Neumann: lead vocals, guitar
• Nik Pellinen: banjo, lap steel, electric guitar, harmonies
• Chase Rabideau: bass
• Jesse Moravec: mandolin, vocals
• Evin Haukos: fiddle
• Peter Anderson: drums, percussion

Most Likely Setlist

Note: A verified setlist for this specific performance is not available; the following is a most likely setlist based on the band’s recent shows around that time.

1. Dominé
2. Take It To The Garden
3. Full Moons
4. Jigsaw
5. Ophelia
6. Right Where You Belong
7. All I Know
8. Jericho
9. Where Good Things Grow
10. Gunflint Lake
11. Old Dreams

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