Clay Fulton & The Lost Forty, Jillian Rae and Maygen & The Birdwatcher at Turf Club

Clay Fulton & The Lost Forty are a roots rock band based out of Rochester, MN. They recently released their sophomore album entitled, Positive Numbers. Clay draws his inspiration from classic American folk singers up to modern indie rock bands. The lineup is: Clay Fulton (he/him) on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Carly Hornstine (she/her) on vocal harmonies, Allan Palmer (he/him) on bass guitar, Mike Bentele (he/him) on lead guitar, Peter Laack (he/him) on keyboards, and Nick Novotny (he/him) on drums.

Lauded as a “triple threat on vocals, fiddle and composition” (Star Tribune), Jillian Rae is a fiercely unique spirit who cares more about making authentic music than about conforming to expectations. The Minneapolis-based, classically trained violinist turned country fiddler has become a commanding international presence— writing powerful genre-bending songs, heading up her own critically acclaimed indie rock band, and backing up Grammy-winning acts like The Okee Dokee Brothers. Although she got her start playing with folk and country bands, Rae’s album, I Can’t Be the One You Want Me to Be (2019), took a decided turn into pop and rock with unflinching, hard-hitting songs. It also showcased her skills as a multi-instrumentalist and orchestrater with layered violin tracks saturated in heavy grooves and moody arrangements.

The Americana band Maygen & The Birdwatcher adventurously blurs the sounds of country, bluegrass, folk, and blues. Lead singers Maygen Lacey, and Noah Neumann intentionally work to draw on their vastly different musical influences and vocal styles to bring a fresh and unexpected mix of songs to light. From beauty to grit, sadness to silliness, the common thread is that this crew loves music, and playing it together, and it shows.