Coffee With Conscience Concert Series

The Coffee With Conscience Concert Series continues its TWELVTH season by presenting the acclaimed female trio, Red Molly, in concert! The concert will take place on Saturday, January 21st, at the First United Methodist Church of Westfield, 1 East Broad Street (corner of North Avenue) in Westfield. Doors will open at 7:30 PM and the concert begins at 8 PM. Admission is $19.00 on line and $23.00 at the door.

This Concert will benefit the The Keith Knost Special Needs Fund.

Tickets can be purchased online in advance by going to:
redmolly3.eventbrite.com

Red Molly came into being in the wee hours of a summer night, at a hilltop campsite at the 2004 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. Not yet ready to sleep, these women, who had long admired each other’s solo work, began sharing favorite songs by other songwriters. Before long, Laurie MacAllister, Abbie Gardner and Carolann Solebello were singing in three-part harmony on songs by contemporary writers, bluegrass standards, old-time southern gospel, and classic American tunes. By sunrise, Redy Molly was born!

Since that pivotal night, Red Molly has performed at a number of excellent venues in the northeast and is steadily garnering a devoted regional fan base. They have opened shows for artists such as Aztec Two-Step, Catie Curtis, Jonathan Edwards, Jeffrey Gaines, John Hammond, Johnsmith, Michael Smith, Bill Staines and David Wilcox.

The magic of Red Molly likely stems from the richness and diversity of each member's "pre-Molly" experiences. Laurie (vocals, guitar, banjo) left a career in psychology to pursue music.  She worked for several years as a backup singer, and also released two solo albums, These Old Clothes (1999) and The Things I Choose To Do (2004). Abbie (vocals, Dobro, guitar) studied classical flute as a child and directed/arranged a cappella music at Boston University.  In 2004, she released her first solo album, My Craziest Dream, with her father (jazz pianist Herb Gardner), and is influenced by her mother’s longtime love of bluegrass music.  In 2006, Abbie released a second solo album, Honey on My Grave.  Carolann (vocals, guitar, bass, mandolin) spent several years as a professional theatre actor before releasing her solo album, Just Across the Water, in 2000.  She went on to release two albums with power folk quartet CC Railroad, Smile Whatever (2001) and Black Horse Motel (2004).

Scott Alarik, of the The Boston Globe writes:

"Everything Red Molly sings is delivered with tick-tight arrangements, crystalline vocals, and caramel harmonies. But 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. They come on less like stars strutting for their minions than pals sharing their favorite songs. In the friendly world of the coffeehouse, that remains a starmaking quality."

For more info about this concert and the featured artists, please visit redmolly3.eventbrite.com

The Coffee With Conscience Concert Series is a seven-show series running from October through May at the First United Methodist Church of Westfield. The Series supports the following charities: Contact We Care (Westfield), Homefirst (Plainfield), Habitat for Humanity (Plainfield), the Community Food Bank of NJ (Hilside) and the Keith Knost Special Needs Fund (Mountainside). Each beneficiary has at least one concert dedicated to it during the season.

The Coffee With Conscience Concert Series is sponsored by Ahrre’s Coffee Roastery at 104 Elm Street in Westfield and is further supported by a generous grant from the Westfield Service League, and a few other private donations – which are enthusiastically encouraged!

For more information about the Coffee With Conscience Concert Series, the upcoming performance, or ways in which to get involved with the series, please visit www.coffeewithconscience.org. You can also call the Concert Hotline at 908-412-9105 or send an e-mail to ahrre@ahrre.com. Volunteers are always appreciated!