This hot female trio hails from New York, offering bluegrass and old time music spiced with lush three-part
harmonies, exceptional musicianship, and apparently boundless energy. Laurie MacAllister and
Abbie Gardner, plus newest member Molly Venter, have a lot of fun on stage, and it’s contagious. The
Boston Globe commented that “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.”

The dynamic female trio that began as a happy accident around a campsite (at the 2004 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival) is now drawing invitations from renowned historic national events like Merlefest, and is winning over audiences around the country. Spurred onward by an ever-growing and devoted fanbase, and the desire to commit themselves to touring farther from home, Red Molly is at the start of a new and exciting musical chapter. After six years of touring, the band announced that guitarist/bassist Carolann Solebello will leave the group in August 2010 to spend more time with family and pursue solo opportunities. Remaining founding members Laurie MacAllister (bass, banjo) and Abbie Gardner (Dobro, guitar) welcome the newest “Molly”, Austin-based singer/songwriter Molly Venter, to fill out their lush, distinctive three-part harmonies. Over the last month of rehearsals and impromptu live performances in Hamilton Park, near their rehearsal space in Jersey City, the three women quickly nailed the essence of the Red Molly sound, while hinting at inspiring new musical possibilities in the months of touring that lie ahead. “We are busily reinventing fan favorites from our current recordings, while adding new material and collaborating on songwriting for the first time,” says Gardner. “This is an exciting time for the band; we’re so thrilled that Molly has joined us,” adds MacAllister.

This engagement of Red Molly is a Virgin Islands Presenters Initiative project, a partnership
between the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts and Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, funded by the
Foundation in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program.