Podcast: Abbie Gardner with Big News from Red Molly
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By Kevin Coughlin
They say all good things must come to an end. But we sort of hoped it might be otherwise for Red Molly.
Alas, the winds of change are a’blowin’.
The Mollies — Abbie Gardner, Laurie MacAllister and Molly Venter — are about to go on “indefinite hiatus,” ending 11 years of touring and recording.
What, exactly, do they mean by “indefinite”? Abbie explains in this podcast, peering into the future while sharing some memories and music.
“It was a mutual decision,” Abbie says of that H-word.
“We’ve done really well, and we’re continuing to do well, which is the perfect time to stop, to get out while the getting’s good, and we still all like each other.”
Mark your calendar for Aug. 22, 2015. Red Molly’s last New Jersey concert is scheduled for The Sanctuary series in Chatham.
In the meantime, you can catch Abbie singing jazz standards with her dad, the pianist and trombonist Herb Gardner, on May 4 at Herb Gardner’s Groundhog Day in May at the Bickford Theatre in Morris Township.
Abbie also will sing at Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair on May 15, with Jesse Terry, Tracy Grammar and Rebecca Loebe.
The Mollies first sang together around a campfire in 2004, and quickly became huge favorites at The Minstrel Acoustic Concert Series in Morris Township, among many other venues.
We’ve had the privilege of watching the Mollies almost from the start, when Carolann Solebello was with the band. (Molly Venter succeeded her in 2010; Molly and her husband are expecting their first baby in September.)
These ladies sing like they invented harmony … and, contrary to all the wicked paybacks in their done-me-wrong songs, they also happen to be really friendly people.
Let’s hope that their future paths, separately or together, always include a stop in Greater Morristown. We’ll be waiting with open ears.
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Nice story, Kevin. We managed to get one of the very last shows, at The Sanctuary Concerts series in Chatham on Saturday, August 22nd. Fans of the band call themselves “Redheads,” and one of the true redheads in the form of Pat Wictor will be the opening performer. We watched Red Molly grow up, and we hope to give them a great send-off.. We wish Molly great joys with her new baby, and we plan to keep in touch with Laurie and Abby with opening sets at future shows.