Red Molly is a folk trio consisting of Laurie MacAllister (vocals, guitar, … Read Full Bio ↴Red Molly is a folk trio consisting of Laurie MacAllister (vocals, guitar, banjo), Abbie Gardner (vocals, guitar, Dobro, lap steel guitar), and Carolann Solebello (vocals, guitar, precision acoustic bass, mandolin). They perform original works composed by each of the group members, as well as covers of other songwriters including Hank Williams, Gillian Welch and Ryan Adams. Their fans are known as Redheads.

Red Molly was formed late one night at the 2004 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. Abbie, Carolann, and Laurie, solo singer/songwriters, were the last ones left at a song circle. They liked the way they sounded together and decided to form a band. The name Red Molly is taken from a character in the Richard Thompson song "1952 Vincent Black Lightning."

On June 15, 2010 Red Molly announced that Carolann Solebello would be leaving the group and replaced by Molly Venter. On July 24 Solebello announced to the crowd at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival it was her last show with the band and concluded: "I know about 75% of you by face, and I wanted my last show to be with my friends here at Falcon Ridge, not at some small club in some country I didn't know anybody." Solebello continues to perform as a solo artist and released her third solo album "Threshold", in June 2011.

Molly Venter's debut with the trio was on August 6, 2010 at the Lunenburg Folk Festival.

Their career started to take off in 2006. They were the top vote getters in the 2006 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase. WUMB in Boston named them Top New Artist of the Year and picked their Album Never Been to Vegas one of their Top 10 Albums of 2006. They appeared in John Platt's Under the Radar series in New York a showcase for up and coming musicians.

In 2007 they toured with Pat Wictor and Ellis, the other winners of the Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist showcase, on the Falcon Ridge Preview tour and performed with them in the Most Wanted Song Swap at the Festival itself.

In 2010 they have played Merlefest and have been invited back to the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival as a headliner.

Their album "Love and Other Tragedies" reached number 15 on the Americana Charts on June 30, 2008.

Their next album "James" reached #4 on the Americana charts in May of 2010 and # 1 on the Folk DJ chart.

The recording, "The Red Album", the group's second since the departure of founding member Carolann Solebello, is their freshest and edgiest to date. After immersing themselves in songwriting, the Mollies made a conscious decision to record more original songs than on any previous album, making their choice of specific covers all the more significant. With their arsenal of new songs and select favorites at hand (including a very long-awaited cover of the song that is their namesake) "1952 Vincent Black Lightning", the band traveled to Nashville to work with producer Ken Coomer (drummer for Uncle Tupelo and Wilco), and the result is a darkly percussive, wildly cool, and powerfully different collection of songs than you'd expect from a ladylike folk trio.

"The Red Album", realized on May 27, 2014, was featured in USA Today and CMT Edge. It spent 16 weeks on the Americana Radio Top 40 chart, reaching #10, and it was #1 on the Folk DJ Radio Chart for all of 2014.

A 6-song EP, "One for All & All for One," was released in 2018.

Willow Tree
Red Molly Lyrics

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Innocent as first light of the morning
We swore our hearts together with a kiss
And you were down on bended knee and underneath that willow tree
I was delivered from my loneliness

Eager as the summer buds the flower
We planned and dreamed of seasons still to come
And nearby to that willow tree we raised ourselves a family

Years flew by but days went on and on

I was born underneath the weeping willow tree
That is where I swore my love to thee
I was born underneath the weeping willow tree
The only thing I know for certain is one day I'll be free

Sudden as a cold front in September
A sleep came on from which you did not wake
I laid your body finally beneath that weeping willow tree
In my dreams I reach out for your face

I was born underneath the weeping willow tree
That is where I swore my love to thee

I was born underneath the weeping willow tree
The only thing I know for certain is one day I'll be free

Overall Meaning

The song "Willow Tree" by Red Molly tells a story of a couple who fell in love under a weeping willow tree, raised a family together, and faced the sorrowful passing of one partner. The first verse describes the beginning of their love story, where they swore their hearts together with a kiss under the willow tree. The imagery of "innocent as first light" and "bended knee" signifies the purity and devotion of their love for each other. The willow tree serves as a symbol of their love and the beginning of their journey together. The second verse continues with their planning and dreaming for the future, and how they became a family under the very same tree. However, as time passed, the years went by, and the days seemed to go on forever. Despite the change, their foundation and bond remained steadfast and true.

The third verse takes a sudden and melancholic twist, where the singer recounts their partner's passing - "sudden as a cold front in September." The imagery of autumn is used to symbolize the passage of time and the finality of death. The singer lays their partner to rest under the same willow tree where they began their journey. The final lines of the song, "The only thing I know for certain is one day I'll be free," suggest a longing for the release from the pain and grief that comes with the loss of a loved one. The willow tree, which represented their love and family, now represents a place of mourning and remembrance.

Overall, "Willow Tree" is a poignant and bittersweet ballad that explores the themes of love, family, and loss. The song reminds us of the beauty and fragility of life and the importance of cherishing the moments we have with the people we love.

Line by Line Meaning

Innocent as first light of the morning
When we first fell in love, it was pure and innocent, like the first light of day.

We swore our hearts together with a kiss
We made a promise to each other and sealed it with a kiss.

And you were down on bended knee and underneath that willow tree
You proposed to me on one knee, under the willow tree.

I was delivered from my loneliness
Being with you made me no longer feel lonely and brought happiness to my life.

Eager as the summer buds the flower
We were full of excitement and anticipation for the future, like the eager blooming of summer flowers.

We planned and dreamed of seasons still to come
We made plans and dreamed of a future together.

And nearby to that willow tree we raised ourselves a family
We built a home and raised a family close to the willow tree where we fell in love.

Years flew by but days went on and on
Time passed quickly yet the days seemed to never end.

I was born underneath the weeping willow tree
The willow tree is significant to me because I was born under it.

That is where I swore my love to thee
It was under that tree where we made a promise of love to each other.

The only thing I know for certain is one day I'll be free
The only thing I am certain of is that one day, I will be free from the pain of losing you and this life.

Sudden as a cold front in September
Your passing was sudden and unexpected, like the arrival of a cold front in September.

A sleep came on from which you did not wake
You fell into a deep sleep from which you never woke up.

I laid your body finally beneath that weeping willow tree
I buried your body under the tree that held so much meaning for us.

In my dreams I reach out for your face
In my dreams, I long to see your face and feel your presence once again.

Writer(s): MARY VENTER, EDEN PARISER

Contributed by Adalyn V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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