"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 garnered a devoted
regional fan base, and has begun laying the groundwork for national
touring. These ladies have a lot of fun on stage, and it’s contagious.
Red Molly consistently brings concert-goers to their feet with stunning
three-part harmonies, crisp musicianship, and a warm, engaging stage
presence.
The magic of Red Molly stems partly from the richness and diversity
of each member’s “pre-Molly” experiences. Laurie (vocals,
guitar, banjo) 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 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 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 newest 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.