No matter which way she ended up going, the bluegrass world would have always regarded Molly Tuttle as part of our community. We watched her grow up in her family band – initially as a banjo player – and ultimately emerged as a flatpicking guitarist of note while studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
After a collaboration with The Goodbye Girls and session work on a number of projects, she launched her own group after graduation called The Molly Tuttle Band, who toured in support of her debut solo EP, Rise. It offered a very modern, bluegrass/Americana sound, and her next two albums were of a more Americana, singer/songwriter vibe.
But the release last spring of Crooked Tree marked an enthusiastic return to mainstream bluegrass, with a new group, Golden Highway, featuring a who’s who of young bluegrass artists. Working with Compass Records the album saw both critical and chart success, and the band toured all over the US to large and enthusiastic audiences. Crooked Tree was named Best Bluegrass Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards in January, with Tuttle seeing her strongest reaction to date from her return to bluegrass.
Signed now with Nonesuch Records, Molly’s next project will likewise be with Golden Highway, featuring Bronwyn Keith-Hynes on fiddle, Kyle Tuttle on banjo, Dominick Lesie on mandolin, and Shelby Means on bass. City of Gold is slated for a July 21 release, and a single and video are available today for Next Rodeo.
Tuttle says that she thinks they captured the spirit of their road life in the music video.
“My song Next Rodeo is all about traveling from show to show and chasing down a dream, so I wanted to showcase my band members and give the audience a glimpse of the personalities that make up Golden Highway. I love how this video captures the sense of friendship and camaraderie that is woven into our new album, City of Gold. We had so much fun filming this video and hope you enjoy coming along for the wild ride!”
Actors Seth Clarke and Morgan Watkins join the group for this short film, and it truly is a fun romp. Check it out…
Next Rodeo is actually the second single from City of Gold, the first being the quasi-title track, El Dorado, which also has a music video. It finds Molly and Golden Highway in the studio on this song with an old west theme.
Both singles are available now from popular download and streaming services online. Pre-orders for the album are enabled now as well.
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway are touring through the end of the summer, with a UK trip scheduled for early in 2024. You can see all the tour dates online.
