New York City has earned its reputation as the entertainment capitol of the world, though it doesn’t have that same status on the bluegrass beat. But that hasn’t slowed the efforts of Abby Hollander, bassist/vocalist and leader of The Abby Hollander Band, who earn their bones in the city from a home base in Brooklyn.
We haven’t heard much from them since their debut album in 2015, but it turns out that they have been hard at work during the quarantine shutdowns recording a second, Letters, which is set for release early in March.
A first single, one called Mary Ann, is available now and Abby has agreed to share it with Bluegrass Today readers as a tease for the album’s release on March 4.
She tells us that this song is bittersweet for her to sing.
“Mary Ann means a lot to me; my brother, NYC banjo player Jonah Bruno, wrote it as a tribute to our late aunt. Singing about someone dear to you is the best way I know of to keep a memory alive, and this band really helped me make it special.”
Abby is supported by Ellery Marshall on banjo, Jacob Tilove on mandolin, and Jason Borisoff on guitar. Julian Pinelli served as guest fiddler on the record. But the focus of their music is Hollander’s pure and plaintive voice, perfectly suited to this song.
Enjoy…
Mary Ann is available now from the group’s bandcamp site, where pre-orders for the full album can also be placed.
