This slightly disreputable looking crew are not your waiting staff for the evening, no this is Maygen & The Birdwatcher a Minnesota based country tinged Bluegrass outfit. Maygen Lacey is the band’s singer/songwriter, and The Birdwatcher is Noah Neumann the guitarist in the duo. “Duo?” you say incredulously. Well, yes it is true that the duo is a five piece but that’s because during the lockdowns the sound was expanded somewhat by the addition of Ethan & Jesse Moravec (formerly of Sawtooth Brothers) on upright bass, mandolin, fiddle and vocal harmonies, as well as Nik Pellinen (of Sawed Off String Band) on banjo and lead guitar.
‘Jigsaw‘ is also a pandemic song – but one that takes a look at the enforced lengthened family “good” times. Yes, the pandemic meant many many hours of shared activities – and the 1,000 piece jigsaw is a metaphor for how a family links together: “your puzzle piece is all straight lines / mine’s just left of centre / our baby girl’s is twisted to the right / she’s got trouble in acknowledging her little blue eyed brother has any claim to any piece at all / well we just left our therapist – but thank God for that angel.” It’s a functional dysfunction – or as some have it a family.
