Red Molly
When: Friday, February 19th, 2010
Doors Open at 7PM, Performance Time 8PM
Where: FINCH Coffeehouse @ Unitarian Church Parish Hall
26 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA
On a July evening in 2004, at their campsite at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Laurie MacAllister, Abbie Gardner and Carolann Solebello harmonized for the very first time. As they sang their campmates off to sleep, they knew they had stumbled into something extraordinary. Audiences seem to agree. Since that summer night, Red Molly has consistently brought concert-goers to their feet with stunning three-part harmonies, crisp musicianship and a warm, engaging stage presence. They have earned a devoted and ever-widening fan base, and have begun to tour nationally. These ladies have a lot of fun on stage, and it's contagious.
The magic of Red Molly stems partly from the richness and diversity of each member's "pre-Molly" experiences. Laurie (vocals, banjo, bass, guitar) left a career in psychology to pursue her love of singing. She worked for several years as a backup singer, and also released two solo albums, These Old Clothes (1999) and The Things I Choose To Do (2004). Abbie (vocals, Dobro, guitar) has a background in jazz, bluegrass, classical and a cappella music. She released two solo albums, My Craziest Dream (2004), a collection of swing standards featuring her father Herb Gardner on piano, and Honey on My Grave (2006), a collection of acoustic originals. In May 2008, she released a duo album, Bad Nights/Better Days, with Anthony da Costa. Carolann (vocals, guitar, bass, mandolin) spent several years as a professional theater actor before releasing her first solo album, Just Across the Water (2000). She went on to release two albums with power folk quartet CC Railroad, Smile Whatever (2001) and Black Horse Motel (2004). In 2009, Carolann released a new solo acoustic recording, Glass of Desire.
In July 2006, Red Molly's first full-length CD, Never Been to Vegas (2006), was released. Recorded on a December evening before a studio audience of fans and friends, Never Been to Vegas is a collection of fourteen carefully-chosen songs that span more than a century of great American songwriting. Never Been to Vegas quickly climbed into the Top 30 on the Radio & Records Americana chart, a rare accomplishment for an independent album. And listeners of WUMB radio Boston voted the CD one of the Top 10 CDs of 2006.
Red Molly's latest release, Love and Other Tragedies (2008), is their first full-length studio album. Produced by Ben Wisch, it finds the women of Red Molly adding a little spice to their winning recipe. The new album features a fuller, more "polished" sound than their previous releases, due in part to the contributions of guest artists Mike Weatherly (upright bass), Duke Levine (mandola, lap steel), and Jake Armerding (fiddle). In addition, the ladies incorporated more original songs into the mix this time. Songs written by Laurie, Abbie, and Carolann mingle admirably with songs by well-known contemporary writers Gillian Welch and Susan Werner, up-and-coming artists Amy Speace and George Wirth, traditional American gospel tunes, and standards from the bluegrass and jazz worlds. "Beaumont Rest Stop" and "Honey on My Grave" were both featured in Sing Out! Magazine and "The Mind of a Soldier" won the 2008 John Lennon Songwriting Contest (Folk). "Summertime" was the #1 song on Folk DJ in July 2008. Love and Other Tragedies was listed in the Top 100 Albums for 2008 by the Americana Music Association, spent ten weeks in the TOP 15 on the Radio & Records Americana chart, reached #3 on the Roots Music Report chart (June 2008), and entered the Folk DJ Top Albums list at #1 (July 2008).
Red Molly is currently touring in support of Love and Other Tragedies, while planning a new CD, for release in early 2010.
Doors Open at 7PM, Performance Time 8PM
Where: FINCH Coffeehouse @ Unitarian Church Parish Hall
26 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA
Everything Red Molly sings is delivered with tick-tight arrangements, crystalline vocals, and caramel harmonies. But what is most striking is the ardor they bring to everything they do, whether snuggling into the sweet parochialism of an old spiritual, or the gritty pathos of a Gillian Welch tune. They come on less like stars strutting for their minions than pals sharing their favorite songs. In the friendly world of the coffeehouse, that remains a starmaking quality." - Scott Alarik, The Boston Globe
On a July evening in 2004, at their campsite at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Laurie MacAllister, Abbie Gardner and Carolann Solebello harmonized for the very first time. As they sang their campmates off to sleep, they knew they had stumbled into something extraordinary. Audiences seem to agree. Since that summer night, Red Molly has consistently brought concert-goers to their feet with stunning three-part harmonies, crisp musicianship and a warm, engaging stage presence. They have earned a devoted and ever-widening fan base, and have begun to tour nationally. These ladies have a lot of fun on stage, and it's contagious.The magic of Red Molly stems partly from the richness and diversity of each member's "pre-Molly" experiences. Laurie (vocals, banjo, bass, guitar) left a career in psychology to pursue her love of singing. She worked for several years as a backup singer, and also released two solo albums, These Old Clothes (1999) and The Things I Choose To Do (2004). Abbie (vocals, Dobro, guitar) has a background in jazz, bluegrass, classical and a cappella music. She released two solo albums, My Craziest Dream (2004), a collection of swing standards featuring her father Herb Gardner on piano, and Honey on My Grave (2006), a collection of acoustic originals. In May 2008, she released a duo album, Bad Nights/Better Days, with Anthony da Costa. Carolann (vocals, guitar, bass, mandolin) spent several years as a professional theater actor before releasing her first solo album, Just Across the Water (2000). She went on to release two albums with power folk quartet CC Railroad, Smile Whatever (2001) and Black Horse Motel (2004). In 2009, Carolann released a new solo acoustic recording, Glass of Desire.
In July 2006, Red Molly's first full-length CD, Never Been to Vegas (2006), was released. Recorded on a December evening before a studio audience of fans and friends, Never Been to Vegas is a collection of fourteen carefully-chosen songs that span more than a century of great American songwriting. Never Been to Vegas quickly climbed into the Top 30 on the Radio & Records Americana chart, a rare accomplishment for an independent album. And listeners of WUMB radio Boston voted the CD one of the Top 10 CDs of 2006.
Red Molly's latest release, Love and Other Tragedies (2008), is their first full-length studio album. Produced by Ben Wisch, it finds the women of Red Molly adding a little spice to their winning recipe. The new album features a fuller, more "polished" sound than their previous releases, due in part to the contributions of guest artists Mike Weatherly (upright bass), Duke Levine (mandola, lap steel), and Jake Armerding (fiddle). In addition, the ladies incorporated more original songs into the mix this time. Songs written by Laurie, Abbie, and Carolann mingle admirably with songs by well-known contemporary writers Gillian Welch and Susan Werner, up-and-coming artists Amy Speace and George Wirth, traditional American gospel tunes, and standards from the bluegrass and jazz worlds. "Beaumont Rest Stop" and "Honey on My Grave" were both featured in Sing Out! Magazine and "The Mind of a Soldier" won the 2008 John Lennon Songwriting Contest (Folk). "Summertime" was the #1 song on Folk DJ in July 2008. Love and Other Tragedies was listed in the Top 100 Albums for 2008 by the Americana Music Association, spent ten weeks in the TOP 15 on the Radio & Records Americana chart, reached #3 on the Roots Music Report chart (June 2008), and entered the Folk DJ Top Albums list at #1 (July 2008).
Red Molly is currently touring in support of Love and Other Tragedies, while planning a new CD, for release in early 2010.