The May North

The music of The May North could simply be condensed down to one genre, bluegrass, but that wouldn't do the band any justice. Coming together from many bands to form a Frankenstein -- in a good way --like band, the group are set to release their debut album, Songs From The North Country.

With music and lyrics drenched in poignancy and life, The May North's music communicate the simplistic beauty of the North Country, leaving us dazzled, surprised and thrilled.

The band spoke with Gimme Noise before their CD release on Saturday at the 331 Club.


Band Members:
George McCorkell: guitar/vocals
Stephanie McCorkell: fiddle/guitar/vocals
Justin Smith: upright bass
Matthew Byrnes: banjo/vocals
Chris O'Brien: dobro/vocals

Gimme Noise: It seems like bluegrass has been finding its way into the Twin Cities music scene more and more in recent years. How and why do you think this progression came about?

There have always been good bluegrass musicians in the Twin Cities, but we agree that it does seem like the genre has gained popularity in recent years, particularly with younger people. Part of the reason might be that some younger, less traditional artists have emerged and brought the music to a larger, more diverse audience. In a lot of cases, you have musicians who have played in rock and funk and blues bands bringing their approach to bluegrass music, and the audience seems to follow.

Where does the name The May North come from?

The North Shore of Lake Superior is a favorite getaway spot for the two founding band members, George and Stephanie. Getting away from the city into the wilderness and quiet of the north country is relaxing and creativity-inducing. Camping, hiking, skiing, the lake, you name it. One summer day two summers ago they were throwing out expedition ideas, and thought, "Hey, maybe we should go north?" After all, it didn't really matter where, just as long as it was north and towards the North Shore -- and thus became the name, The May North.

What were your previous projects before The May North? How did performing in these groups influence how the music came together in this current project?

Our songwriter, lead guitarist, and vocalist, George McCorkell, along with Stephanie McCorkell, founded the band in the fall of 2010. George performed electric guitar and sang in area rock band Seven Corners for the last seven years, which mainly had played the cover band circuit at festivals, bars, and wedding receptions. He also performed in a partly cover-band, partly original group called George and Tim for about two years. For the last several years George had been writing his own music, and through his experiences in these other groups, decided he was called to pursue his original music with a band, thus, the band George and The Generous Thieves was born.

The George and the Generous Thieves project was also driven by songwriter, cahon player, and photographer Micah Kvidt with Stephanie on violin/fiddle and backup vocals. The band had a groovy acoustic rock feel to it; George and the Generous Thieves recorded one album, called Diamonds in the Rough (2008), before band member Micah moved south to warmer country. Stephanie and George continued playing in a classical guitar and violin duo, but they both looked to start another original band for the music they were now writing together. Thus began The May North in 2010. While George had always been interested in bluegrass, folk, and acoustic related music, he does not play traditionally in a bluegrass style (which uses a flat pick), but instead chooses to play finger style because he feels "it creates different ideas than playing with a flat pick."

Stephanie McCorkell, fiddle player and vocalist, started the band with George in 2010. Stephanie performed primarily in many classically styled groups over the last several years, including the Southern Crescent Symphony Orchestra, Allemande String Quartet, Romanza String Quartet, and the Northe - Youa Vang, City Pages