Local funk rock band May Be Fern’s star is on the rise. Over the past few years, they’ve become one of the most prolific and visible bands in Denver. This is for good reason. Their music is the kind that hits you in the very soul, kaleidoscopic in it’s melding of the entire emotional spectrum with songs that bury themselves in you, become a part of you and join you with all those who hear them. In this way, the band has been able to turn their own personal camaraderie into a community that reaches its arms around the city and holds it tight, letting all involved know that they will always have a home within the music. Featuring stunning guitar work, virtuosic keys parts and soaring vocals, it’s the kind of music that heals, unabashed in its handling of complex emotional issues, at times dark and brooding, bright and soul-affirming at others. No matter what the specific mood of each individual song is, each one radiates a distinct sort of love that emanates from the band members themselves, their love for one another palpable in each passing note. As such, May Be Fern is one of the most unique and interesting bands this city has to offer.
May Be Fern released their second album, Three of Swords, on September 13th. It’s a bold, confident collection of complexities, the band’s signature emotional and musical intricacy on display as never before. They’ll be celebrating the release with a party at Globe Hall on September 20th that’s sure to be the kind of show that reminds those in attendance just how beautiful it is to be alive. 303 Magazine recently spoke with May Be Fern guitarist Madi Spillman, keys and vocalist Hannah May and bassist and lead vocalist Kate Fern about the album, the show, the band’s long history with each other, turning music into community and much more.
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Each member of May Be Fern has been involved in music since they were very young. May was born into it, her father the founder and owner of beloved local music store chain Sound Town. As such, she’s been immersed in music since she can remember. She grew up watching her father and other family members play in bands while also spending time around the store. When she was old enough, she started learning the ukulele and guitar before discovering the keys. Given this upbringing, May describes her life in music as “bound to happen,” her multi-instrumentalist background lending her playing a virtuosity that comes through every time she’s on stage.
Fern’s interest in music began in the theater. She said she “was in productions since [she] was three,” and started getting paid to perform when she was seven. The theater carried her almost to adulthood, performing in productions at the Denver Center for Performing Arts, local productions in Aurora and Boulder and even spending time dabbling in dinner theater until she turned 18. “I’ve always been performing, always been singing,” she said and her theatrical background still comes through with her powerhouse vocal abilities piercing the hearts of all who hear them.
Spillman also originated in the theater, which actually was where she first met Fern when they were around 10 years old. Similarly to May, she was born into a musical family, learning guitar while playing in a family band since she was a kid. This allowed her to develop into the “incredibly talented, powerful player” as Fern put it that Spillman is today.
The first hints of May Be Fern’s earliest iterations began to form when Fern and May first met. Fern had become somewhat disillusioned with music after being so overtaken by it for so much of her life and she had decided to take a break from performing. It was during this period that she first met May. They both were working at Starbucks in Evergreen at the time, Fern being May’s supervisor. The two hit it off due to May’s father and Fern’s grandfather knowing each other from the local music scene and it wasn’t long before they got to talking about making music themselves. Fern asked May if they wanted to try something together and they launched into it almost immediately. At this time, Fern also wanted to learn another instrument on top of singing and May began to teach her how to play the bass, which Fern has become incredibly accomplished at over the years.
It wasn’t long before the two’s friendship solidified and the first tentative iteration of May Be Fern was born. The duo began posting songs they were making together and eventually Spillman took notice in 2021. She was just graduating college and had always wanted to be in a band of her own outside of her childhood family band. “I hit Kate up after not talking for a long time asking if they wanted any guitar in the band,” she said. Fern said she immediately told May, “We need to take this bitch seriously” and it wasn’t long before the three got together and May Be Fern was truly born.
After being joined by a drummer who has since moved on from the band — they now feature a rotating lineup of guest drummers pulled from other players that call the Front Range home —, they described May Be Fern as emerging “fully formed,” their sound pulling from pieces of each member’s interests and backgrounds. Since then, their relationships have grown incredibly deep and “intimate.” Fern and May are now roommates while Fern and Spillman have been dating for the past few years. They described this relationship as akin to a marriage and a community in that they find they each communicate incredibly well with one another. This also allows them to “share a vision” and work quite quickly when it comes to the songwriting process.
It bears mentioning that the love these people share for each other radiates from them, the respect and care they have for one another evident every time they are on stage but also just in talking to them and seeing them talk to each other. It’s no wonder they and their music have resonated so deeply with Denver audiences. It really does feel like bearing witness to something truly special not found in much modern music these days.
As for their songwriting process, the band said the way they approach creating new songs hasn’t changed much since they first started, saying it “has always been so collaborative.” Fern said “Every song we write comes from all three of us.” They said they tend to sit down and one of them will have an idea for the kind of song they want to write. They’ll then work together until they crack it, each contributing musical lines and lyrics until they’re happy with what they have.
Though they describe their music as “funk rock,” the truth is really a bit more complex than that. They draw from so many genres, from blues to punk to grunge to jam to New Wave and more. Spillman described funk rock as being “where [they] all meet in the middle.” They also like to place emphasis on making music that “sounds sweet,” bright and reflective of the love they share. This allows their sound to be incredibly eclectic, refusing to be put into one specific box.
After playing in the city for some time, May Be Fern released their debut album Okay Grandma, Your Turn in 2023. It was then that they really began to hold Denver’s attention, the album a mature, diverse effort that still felt rather DIY, raw but authentic. The album led to them playing more and more shows including major spots at the Underground Music Showcase, a monthly residency at Bar 404 that also features lesser known local acts and so much more. They’ve risen to become one of the most prolific live bands in the city, with multiple shows a week all over town.
When asked if the amount they play ever leads to feelings of strain or burnout, each member said they don’t really ever experience those emotions regarding purely playing. They each mentioned feeling at home on stage, like it’s where they are meant to be. That and their personal relationships keep them going even if they do at times become frustrated with the business side of the industry.
In regard to the Denver music scene and their place within it, they feel grateful to be apart of such a vibrant, inclusive community. May said, “We really work to foster the community around us.” This is what led initially to their monthly Bar 404 residency with which the band makes a pointed effort to include younger, almost brand new bands, giving them a shot to get in front of people and actually share their music rather than fight to be heard. May mentioned sharing the bill with some of these bands later on and finding this distinct feeling of joy from being some part of these other bands’ journeys.
All these experiences, their ever-deepening relationships and just being focused on always trying to grow both musically and as human beings have led May Be Fern to their latest album, Three of Swords, recorded by Loren Dorland of Mighty Fine Records. May described the band as having a certain philosophy of always staying true to themselves, never concerning themselves with what they might think audiences want to hear and instead focusing on making the music they want to make. This comes through beautifully on Three of Swords, a confident, eclectic collection of songs that each feels like its own standalone story.
Spillman said that while many of the songs on the album are quite different musically, they each share a through line of the idea of healing. Fern elaborated on this saying that building the songs allowed them to process certain experiences and emotions that have arisen over the years, allowing the three of them to collectively heal from the past and look towards the future and see that it’s so very bright. This can be felt on songs such as “Old Ways Die,” which Fern said came from an experience she and May shared. The song comes off like a rumination on the idea of nostalgia, letting the past go to make way for the future. That song is followed by the slightly more brooding “The Tower” which deals with ideas of sorting through that which hasn’t served you in the past, tearing it all down and building it into some great tower, a monument to the strength it takes to build something anew. Then there’s the bright “The Way We Do” which celebrates the love the band members have for each other and serves as a pledge of sorts to never leave each other behind. The album ends with “Surprise Me,” a ballad of sorts that could very well be referring to personal relationships and still finding new things about one another but also seems to refer to life itself, that there’s still wonder and mystery to be found in this world, surprises still to be had. It’s a beautiful album showcasing a young band at the top of its game.
The band hopes that their fans “each get something different” out of the album while also recognizing that May Be Fern feels more sure of itself than ever before. This is sure to be on display during their album release show at Globe Hall on September 20th. Featuring openers The Galentines and Leashy, the band says the show will feel “alive.” In addition to Spillman, Fern and May, the band will also share the stage with four other players: Spillman’s younger brother, Ian — who also played drums and percussion throughout the album —, Adam Darby on percussion, Julia of Queen Frog on vocals and Fern’s younger sister on vocals as well. With live plants adorning the stage, the love is sure to flow that night and you really shouldn’t miss it.
May Be Fern is the kind of band that doesn’t come around that often. Their energy is quite unlike anyone else working in Denver today. Theirs is the kind of music that takes your wounds and closes them gently, allows you to look ahead to the rest of your life and feel the future caress your cheek like warm sunshine drifting down from the horizon. The world is a better place because May Be Fern exists within it. We are all in this together.
Stream Three of Swords here!
Get tickets to the album release party on September 20th here!