Mae Simpson Music

Someone once said that you have to shuck a lot of oysters before you find a pearl, and today was no different. Meritage Restaurant in St. Paul held their annual Oyster Fest right outside its main entrance. As usual, the masses were slurping down oysters from both coasts, enjoying beer and wine, all while wearing layers of clothing to maintain warmth from the first freezing day of fall.

As an attendee of this bi-valve celebration of the past few years, the music always seemed to be white noise as the festival goers would eat, drink, and chat amongst themselves. However today, one could not help but be caught moving to the music coming from insulated-clothing-wearing musicians. When Mae Simpson started singing, the crowd immediately stopped talking to listen to the powerful voice which the music was backing.

In a time when people pay hundreds of dollars, filling an arena to see a guy on his laptop, Mae Simpson’s voice seems to come from another time. The time when sounds, words, and passion mattered most in music.

Mae has a vocal range that immediately made me feel like I was watching a young Janis Joplin take control of a crowd and the keyboards, drums, bass, and the saxophone were reminiscent of Van Morrison.

I attained a copy of their EP, Feel It Coming and gave it a whirl on the way home. Fearing that the cold weather may have affected my hearing, I was nervous to listen, thinking it might not sound as phenomenal as what I had witnessed live. I could not have been more wrong.

The Mae Simpson Band are the real deal: band filled with insight and soul that gives life to the airwaves.