A shakeup in Mollywood: Carolann is leaving Red Molly, a fan favorite at The Minstrel in Morris Township

carolann solebello
Carolann Solebello, seen here at The Minstrel in March, is leaving Red Molly after six years in the popular trio. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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If you had to sum up the folk trio Red Molly in a word, it might be “chemistry.”

carolann solebello
Carolann Solebello, seen here at The Minstrel in March, is leaving Red Molly after six years in the popular trio. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Laurie MacAllister, Abbie Gardner and Carolann Solebello look and sound great together. Their comedic timing between songs is impeccable, like the female answer to the Marx Brothers. And when they get down to business, singing around a single microphone, they create a sister-like vocal blend that defines harmony.

And so, after six years of musical magic,  it’s hard to imagine this charismatic threesome without each of its complementary parts.

Yet that is what devoted “Red Heads” at The Minstrel in Morris Township, The Sanctuary in Chatham, and the rest of the acoustic circuit must do.

Carolann Solebello is calling it quits.

Websites for Red Molly and Carolann dropped the bombshell last week. The trio’s last gig together is next month at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, where the ladies first met around a campfire a half-dozen years ago.

Carolann is married, with a young son, and the Mollies’ increasingly heavy touring schedule is tough, she told us via email.

“Our lifestyles just differ,” she said. “Abbie and Laurie are both single, and eager to tour for weeks at a time, whereas that’s just not possible for me.  Being separated from my husband and son for even a few days is difficult for me.  A few weeks just might make me a miserable human being.  And nobody wants a miserable Molly…I know this is the right thing to do, but I’m still sad.”

“Summertime”

MOLLY IS A MOLLY

Carolann said everyone is on friendly terms, and she endorses her replacement, who just happens to be named Molly.

Molly Venter, a singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas, has opened for Red Molly on occasion. She officially joins the band in August, after Falcon Ridge.

Outwardly, at least, the Mollies seemed to be in synch at The Minstrel in March, when they celebrated their third CD, “James.”

molly venter
Molly Venter is joining Red Molly. Photo by Sheri O'Neal

Molly Venter  was pondering a teaching career when Laurie MacAllister called in April, to say Carolann was leaving and would she like to join the group?

“I started to cry,” Molly wrote on her MySpace blog. “I didn’t let on of course!”

Laurie  is banking on Red Heads to close ranks behind the new lineup.

“Our fans have always been so supportive, and even though it’s certainly a big change, the essence of the band is not changing.  So we’re confident that most fans will understand, and will even be excited about the new configuration,” Laurie told MorristownGreen.com via email.

Carolann, a former stage actress and English teacher, said she is planning a solo CD and solo gigs close to home.

Can fans hope for any Red Molly reunions or joint recordings?  Laurie and Carolann said it’s too soon to know.

red molly march 2010
Red Molly at The Minstrel in Morris Township in March. L-R: Abbie Gardner, Laurie MacAllister and Carolann Solebello. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

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