In other news, I’ve been having a blast playing jazz swing standards on Dobro with a little trio in my living room.  It’s my dad on keys, Craig on upright and little old me.  Keeping up with these pros with this type of music is a great challenge.  Here in the comfort of my living room there’s no pressure to play anything perfectly, so I’m able to take chances and discover new licks…  all while having a blast.  I have a feeling we’ll end up doing some gigs down the line, but for now I’m psyched to do it just for fun.

If you can’t make it tonight, I have another solo show at the end of the month with Fred Gillen Jr on May 25th in Peekskill, NY.

Abbie

I wanted this year to be about learning and growing as a musician and it’s certainly happening, even in ways I didn’t expect.  After a sore throat didn’t go away,  I got to take a look at my vocal cords with the help of a great doctor in Westchester County.  It’s all treatable stuff, nothing serious, but being on vocal rest (no talking or singing!) has forced me to become a better listener.  For the first time I’m really looking at my vocal technique and how taking good care of myself in all ways can impact my music.  Not just the performance side of things, but enjoying the process of learning, writing and listening in my daily life.  I’m happy to be part of a new songwriting “hang” in Brooklyn with some of my favorite people and doing a lot of work on metaphors… while on the Dobro front, trying to use more dynamics and not play too hard.

Hope to see you at my next solo gig:  May 6th at The Turning Point, Piermont, NY w/ Marc Douglas Berardo and Craig Akin.

Abbie

On 3/25 I’m excited to play an unplugged show at Rosie’s Cafe.  Craig Akin will be joining me on upright bass and we might even convince Jon Paul to play a few tunes, too!  This is always one of my favorite places to play, hosted by some of my favorite people and somehow always creating a vibe where I’m not quite sure what will happen.  I hope to see you there.

Until next month…

Abbie

I am so grateful to find out that my CD “Hope” landed at #15 on the 2011 Folk DJ Chart!  Red Molly landed at the #10 spot and snagged the #5 artist of the year slot too! For me, 2011 was the year for recording and releasing new material, both with the band and on my own.  2012 will be the year to practice my buns off, learn new techniques, practice, write a slew of new songs, and practice some more.  Let’s get to it!

Reso-summit was the perfect inspiration to setup a regular practice routine at home.  I’ve been working on ear training, scales all over the neck of my Dobro, figuring out melodies of my favorite songs, and trying to make my Dobro sound like a real voice.  Today I even got back in the saddle for a little writing.  Though I think I may have to write a dozen or more clunkers before the good ones come along.

I’ve got a few really fun solo shows coming up in January- including an unplugged NYC house concert that is always a blast (with Pete Kennedy and Craig Akin!), opening for Lori McKenna up in Franklin, MA, and doing my part at Winterjam 2012 in Westchester, NY.   Hope to see you there!  Happy Holidays everyone!

I’ll mark the end of my touring season with one final solo show at Perks & Corks in Rhode Island, the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  Marc Douglas Berardo and I split this show last year and had so much fun we decided to make it a tradition!  Craig Akin will be joining us on upright bass this time and I’m hoping our favorite squeezebox player will show up too!  I’ll never forget playing “Too Soon” with him last year- it gave me chills.

Abbie

In other fun news, my solo CD Hope is now on Pandora!  I hope you’ll add my name to your station there.  Just for fun, I made a station with just my name, to see what other kinds of artists out there have similar music.  It’s really amazing what those Pandora people come up with and I’ve already found several albums I need to get my hands on (like Kevin Welch’s You Can’t Save Everybody).  How they manage to keep it free, I have no idea, but I’m grateful.

Abbie

We can’t list Abbie Gardner in the local section any longer – she’s fast becoming a national treasure. Here’s yet another bluesy, soulful original set featuring her mellow yet terse vocals, amazing, world class dobro and lapsteel playing, and true roots sensibility. Gardner has used her time with Red Molly well, and she’s every bit as edifying on her own; the best part about this artist’s personal style is that she seems to not give a care about album deals or pop trends; she’s her own woman, making music that pleases her – and in turn, pleases everyone else in the process. That’s the very definition of soul. Don’t miss “Liar,” the type of bluestorch song that could send a priest out for bottle of scotch – it’s that joyously depressing.

– Bob Smith

http://www.goodtimesmag.com/

Abbie Gardner- Hope

by Eli Petersen in Reviews

5 Years, 3 Red Molly records, a duo record with Anthony da Costa, and a passel of tour dates have passed since Abbie Gardner’s last solo record, the comparatively sparse Honey On My Grave. Hope represents the maturation of one of the best artists in Americana music today. With a confidence that can only be earned, Gardner bursts out with a national steel guitar and a ballsy blues on the opening cut “Break It Slow.” It’s an unprecedented romp, fully of gnarly guitar lines and lyrics reminiscent of Lucinda Williams or Bonnie Raitt.

An engaging rhythm section and frequent cameo’s by Herb Gardner (Abbie’s jazz piano playing father), propel Hope forward at a roaring pace (in comparison to most “folk” records). Gardner herself claims virtuoso status with not only the dobro, but lap steel and national steel guitars (can you spell badass?). With her ability to write lines like “forget the mistletoe, because you’re the whole damn Christmas tree” (“Its Always You) and a pop sensibility that is frequently uncanny, Gardner displays a range and flexibility that stretches from old school folk, to jazz, to pop, to rock ‘n’ roll.

My favorite track on the record, however, is the title cut and its classic Gardner.

“my hope is a floosie/ she’s drunk and unruly/ dancing up on top of the bar/ she falls like a hammer/ and glasses that shatter/ like broken little pieces of stars/ I can’t stop/ I can’t choose/ I love/ I lose/ clear my head/ clear my sight/ it’s a curse/ it’s a fight/ I got no cause to believe/ but my hope just won’t leave/ oh I know I can’t win/ I give up/ I give in”

The song is a killer and recalls her best ballads with both Red Molly and Anthony da Costa. Featuring some gorgeous fiddle and the kind of subtle backing from the rhythm section that is simultaneously riveting and barely noticeable, “Hope” is a tour de force.

Abbie can be caught touring with Red Molly, pretty much everywhere in the U.S., so keep your eyes open and on this site. Also, check out Gardner’s solo site as well.

http://twangville.com