Gorgeous three-part harmony, stellar musicianship and a warm, engaging stage presence have earned Red Molly a place among elite female trios such as the Dixie Chicks and the Wailin’ Jennys. After pulling in packed houses for past performances in Harrisburg, these three talented ladies will be returning for a concert at the Abbey Bar on May 19.
Red Molly formed nine years ago and, since then, has brought their repertoire of rootsy Americana music to venues across the United States, including major festivals such as the Philadelphia and Falcon Ridge folk festivals and Merlefest, a huge roots music event where they have played three times. The band includes Laurie MacAllister (bass, banjo), Abbie Gardner (dobro, banjo) and Molly Venter (guitar).
Since they played Harrisburg last, Red Molly has been busy working in Venter, the newest member of the group.
“Molly had just joined the band when we did that gig at Stage on Herr back in 2010,” recalled Laurie MacAllister. “It was a challenging time for us because we weren’t really sure how our fans would react to the idea of having a new band mate.”
As it turned out, the group needn’t have worried. “Our fans were as nice about this as they are about everything,” MacAllister said. “They accepted Molly wholeheartedly, and everyone agrees that she’s the perfect fit. “
During the past several years, the trio has been able to check off quite a few things on their “wish list.” They played the RockyGrass Festival in Colorado, which is something they’ve always wanted to do, and they also got the chance to perform for some huge crowds by opening several times for Willie Nelson. They even made their first overseas foray, a month a long tour of Australia.
“We were there during festival season, which was just at the right time,” said MacAllister. “We played four different festivals and lots of smaller shows. All told, I think we played for at least 25,000 people, which is a lot to do in a month.”
The upcoming summer and fall months bring a heavy tour schedule for Red Molly. “We have a bunch of really enjoyable shows,” said MacAllister. “We’ve played many of them before so we know that we are going to have a good time.”
In August, they will be returning to the main stage of the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, where they had met nine years ago and decided to form a band. Later in the month, they will play at Denmark’s Tønder Festival, which will be their first gig in Europe. In the fall, they will play at several large, soft seat venues, which is moving up to a new level for the band. “We’re really looking forward to visiting old friends and playing some of the places that we’ve played at before,” said MacAllister. “But branching out to performing arts centers will allow us to really expand our audience.”
Those not familiar with Red Molly should expect to hear a sound that is reminiscent of country music, but with more of a rootsy feel. The group writes some of their own songs, but they also do covers recorded by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch, Doc Watson and Dolly Parton.
“One thing that really distinguishes us is our three-part harmony vocals,” said MacAllister. “Plus Abby plays the Dobro, the resonator guitar, and that’s been sort of our signature sound from the beginning.”
The three ladies are really good friends and like to have a lot of fun on the stage. “We all love each other, and we love good music and love to play it,” said MacAllister. “Basically, people can expect to have a really nice evening, a lot better than if they stayed home and watched TV.”
The Red Molly show is sponsored by the Susquehanna Folk Music Society and Greenbelt Events and is one of several shows that these two organizations have presented in recent months. Both look at working together as a way to broaden an audience for folk music.
“Susquehanna Folk has brought a wide variety of Celtic, folk and world music to The Abbey Bar,” said Sarah Staub, manager of Greenbelt Events. ”While Greenbelt Events tries to diversify its music as much as possible, Susquehanna Folk has helped by breathing new life into the Abbey Bar’s folk scene by providing such acts as Le Vent Du Nord, John Hammond and Red Molly.”
To learn more about the band, visit www.redmolly.com and check out the
official video of the Red Molly original, “Hello Goodbye.” The concert with
Red Molly will be held on May 19 at 4 p.m. at the Abbey Bar of the Appalachian Brewing Co., 50 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg. For tickets and information, visit susquehannafolk.org.
Jess Hayden is executive director of the Susquehanna Folk Music Society.
