Mae Simpson at The Aquarium

The Mae Simpson band is pure energy and soul. The singer-songwriter Mae who hails from South Carolina, has a huge voice and stage presence. She has brought together a collective of seven musicians who each bring a unique flavor to this powerhouse group. Formed in the fall of 2017, Mae Simpson Band have built a broad collection of original music that refuses to fall neatly into a single genre. Blistering funk and dance music mixed with soul, blues, country, calypso, jazz, rock, and even a little hip hop -- bringing the crowd to their feet every time. In the spring of 2018 the band won the Battle of the Blues Bands at Famous Dave's and opened the Lowertown Blues Festival. Since that time Mae has been a Nominee for City Pages "Best New Band and Best Live Concert" . Going on to WIN City Pages Reader's Choice Best New Band. From playing at First Avenue to Dakota Jazz the band can also be seen at a range of music festivals and venues in the region. The band features: Mae Simpson. Drummer- Aaron Silverstein. percussionist- Ricardo J. Romero, Trumpet - Paul Pederson, bass- David Kellermann. guitar- Jorgen Wadkins.

"it's impossible to stand still during a Mae Simpson Music set. Simpson's raspy, dynamic voice is larger than life -- but not as large as her uncontainable energy that radiates from the stage". - Helen Teague (MPR)

"Mae's powerful voice has remnants of Janis Joplin and Ella Fitzgerald, tied together with a rasp of Joan Jett. Brought together by an extremely talented and passionate band, Mae Simpson Music is a ticking time-bomb for breaking into the national array of local artists to make it " big." - Richard Dollarhide (Music in Minnesota)

What I really enjoyed about this band is how they blend different styles into their songs and make it feel natural. There were moments reminiscent of James Brown, there were hip hop elements, and good old fashioned funk. - Markus Akre (Twin cities Media)

w/ Jessica Vines

Fargo's Jessica Vines wraps her way around the listener's attention. Swinging from soul to jazz to pop, Vines' distinctive vocals bop their way above the whimsical wind instruments, bubbly bass and relentless riffs in her self-penned debut album Moving Too Fast. Sounding well beyond her 24 years, Vines' slows things down when it fits the mood and speeds things up at all the right times. Released in early 2020, Moving Too Fast varies from the jazz-funk fused title track to the tantalizing "What They Say" to the jammin' "Never Again".

"I grew up listening to many styles of music, including rock, funk, jazz," Vines, who earned a jazz studies degree at Minnesota State University Moorhead, said. "When I started writing, I wanted the polished sound to be a combination of getting people to dance and taking them to a headspace where they can escape. At first people might feel like I sound like an old soul, and that's because I have such a strong appreciation for early jazz. I wanted to modernize that sound and share my passion."