The May North: “Walkin’ Blues”

There’s a restless spirit flowing through the North Country that’s hard to define, and sometimes a good song is the only way to put it into proper perspective. The May North has a rare knack for doing just that—making sense of love, loss, long winters, longer highways and the shifting lines between urban and country living. With a sound that’s part folk, part bluegrass and a bit of breakneck blues, The May North pays tribute to these forms while carving its own path.

The members of The May North converged around St. Paul, MN in 2010 and quickly found a home in the blossoming Midwest acoustic music scene. Prior to that, these diverse musicians honed their skills jamming in bluegrass and blues circles and performing in various rock, folk and symphony ensembles. The May North released their most recent album, By a String on November 8th 2014. The album was engineered and produced by Ryan Young of Trampled By Turtles. Their previous two original albums were released in 2012 and are available on iTunes and CDBaby.

The band is careful not to define themselves as strictly “bluegrass” as the music finds its influences, lyrics, and keys deviate away from the norms of the genre. However, they do employ the time-honored instruments of acoustic guitar, upright bass, banjo, dobro and fiddle to create an earthy and intricately-woven soundscape. With evocative ballads and hard-driving foot-stompers, their engaging songs bring live audiences from quiet reflection to howling jubilation within the course of an evening.

This is bluegrass without boundaries, folk without pretense, honest storytelling without apology.

The May North is:

George McCorkell, acoustic guitar/vocals
Stephanie McCorkell, fiddle/vocals/acoustic guitar
Chris O’Brien, roundneck dobro/vocals
Jeff Swanner, upright bass