The music of Red Molly is full of joy. In the words of the Boston Globe, “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.” Laurie MacAllister sings and plays bass, banjo, and guitar. Abbie Gardner sings and plays guitar and Dobro. Molly Venter sings and plays guitar. The point is, they all sing – and sing beautifully, with gorgeous harmonies and soaring solos. They sing bluegrass traditionals and jazz classics, contemporary folk masterpieces and their own graceful originals. Their fourth and most recent album, Light in the Sky, includes songs by Robert Johnson, Buddy and Julie Miller, and Mark Erelli, as well as a rollicking ragtime number composed by Abbie and her father, pianist and trombonist Herb Gardner, and a grown-up lullaby by Molly.

The original group came together in 2004 at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and quickly gained a large following. Molly joined the band this year after the departure of Caroleann Solebello. Their albums have been mainstays on the Americana charts. They played on Mountain Stage this year, and will soon tour Australia. Give their music a listen, and you’ll soon be hooked. As they sing on their red hot version of “Fever,” the classic by Otis Blackwell and Eddie Cooley, “what a lovely way to burn.”

Ann & Pete Sibley are a husband and wife duo who won the “Great American Duet Sing Off” on A Prairie Home Companion a few years back and have released five albums, including their most recent, Coming Home. With Ann on guitar and Pete on clawhammer banjo, these two are what Bluegrass Now Magazine calls “one of the sweetest, most soulful and hauntingly beautiful duets in the business.”

Visit Red Molly's website

Visit Ann & Pete Sibley's website

Listen to a track from Red Molly:

Red Molly photo by Annabel Braithwaite

Ann & Pete Sibley photo by Flo McCall