Red Molly is a folk trio consisting of Laurie MacAllister (vocals, bass), Abbie Gardner (vocals, guitar, Dobro, lap steel guitar), and Molly Venter (vocals, guitar). They perform original works composed by each of the group members as well as other songwriters, such as

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

Gillian Welch Gillian Howard Welch (; born October 2, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style, which combines elements of Appalachian music, bluegrass, countr ...

, Richard Thompson,

Mark Erelli Mark Erelli (born June 20, 1974) is an American singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist,Chilton, Martin''The Telegraph'' (UK), November 22, 2011. and touring folk musician from Reading, Massachusetts who earned a master's degree in evolutionary ...

, Jake Armerding,

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams left ...

and

Amy Speace Amy Speace is a Nashville-based folk/ Americana American singer-songwriter and essayist from Baltimore, Maryland. National Public Radio described her voice as "velvety and achy" and compared her to Lucinda Williams. She lives in Nashville, Tenn ...

. Their fans are known as "Redheads".

History

Red Molly was formed late one night at the 2004

Falcon Ridge Folk Festival The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival and dance festival held at Dodds Farm in Hillsdale, New York. History The first festival was a two-day event in 1988, held at a ski slope. In 1991, the festival mo ...

. MacAllister, Gardner, and Carolann Solebello, three solo singer-songwriters, were the last ones left at a song circle. They liked the way they sounded together and decided to form a band. The name Red Molly is taken from a character in the Richard Thompson song "

1952 Vincent Black Lightning "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" is a song by guitarist Richard Thompson from his 1991 album '' Rumour and Sigh''. It tells the story of a thief named James and the girl Red Molly whom he charms with a ride on his 1952 Vincent Black Lightning motor ...

."Extended Bio (accessed March 7, 2011)
from redmolly.com Their career started to take off in 2006. They were the top vote getters in the 2006

Emerging Artist Showcase.

WUMB WUMB-FM (91.9 FM) in Boston, Massachusetts, is the radio station of the University of Massachusetts Boston. It broadcasts an Americana/Blues/Roots/Folk mix hosted by its staff weekdays. On weekends the station concentrates on traditional folk, ...

in Boston named them Top New Artist of the Year and picked their Album ''Never Been to Vegas'' as one of their Top Albums of 2006.Top 10 Albums of 2006

.org (accessed ???) In 2007 they toured with

Pat Wictor Pat Wictor (born 1966, Caripito, Venezuela) is an American blues and folk musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and recording artist. Known for his ethereal style, he was nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year in 2006 by the Folk Allian ...

and Ellis, the other winners of the Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist showcase, on the Falcon Ridge Preview tour and performed with them in the Most Wanted Song Swap at the Festival itself. Their album ''Love and Other Tragedies'' reached number 15 on the Americana Charts on June 30, 2008.AMA Radio Chart

Americana Music Association The Americana Music Association is a not-for-profit trade organization advocating for American Roots Music around the world. It is a network for Americana artists, radio stations, record labels, publishers, and others with the goal of developi ...

''James'' reached number 4 on the same chart in May 2010. ''Light in the Sky'' was released on October 4, 2011. On June 15, 2010, Red Molly announced that Carolann Solebello would be leaving the group and replaced by Molly Venter. On July 24 Solebello told the crowd at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival it was her last show with the band and concluded: "I know about 75% of you by face, and I wanted my last show to be with my friends here at Falcon Ridge, not at some small club in some country I didn't know anybody." Solebello continues to perform as a solo artist and released her fifth solo album ''Shiver'', in 2018. Molly Venter's debut with the trio was on August 6, 2010, at the Lunenburg Folk Festival. On March 26, 2015, Red Molly announced that the band would take an extended hiatus after the conclusion of the 2015 tour on August 25, 2015. The band members have since pursued solo projects. They re-formed in 2017 with a tour that includes appearances in Seattle, Virginia, and New York City.

Discography

Albums

;Studio albums ;Live albums *2006: ''Never Been To Vegas'' Live Album

EPs

*2005: ''Red Molly'' (4 song EP) *2018: ''One for All & All for One'' (6 song EP)

External links

Band's Homepage

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Molly American folk musical groups All-female bands American bluegrass music groups 2004 establishments in New York (state) Musical groups established in 2004