Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 11:20 PM AUGUST 2008 The stars have aligned just enough to bring me a lap steel of my own over eBay! I was borrowing Steve Kirkman's for awhile, but now I have my very own "mother-of-toilet-seat" Harmony lap steel. Steve helped me clean it up and even stuck a strap peg in it so I can stand up and play (so much for the "lap" part, eh?). The big news is that Anthony and I were selected as FINALISTS in the Independent Music World Series and will be competing against five other acts on August 14th at Crash Mansion in NYC. Whoo hoo! I intend to bring my new toy (the lapsteel) and we've also invited Emily Price to join us, the woman who played such beautiful cello on Bad Nights/Better Days. We've also got a house concert in Asbury Park this coming Sunday 8/10. It's the last full duo gig we've got scheduled for the year (so far), so if you wanna hear these songs live come on down. Here's a fun picture of me playing lap steel with Daisy Cutter at New Bedford Summerfest in July!  Thanks to Dennis Santoro, photographer. Monday, July 7th, 2008 4:00 PM JULY 2008 So, in June I literally "stage dived" for the first time ever. The Lockhaven concert, floating stage gig was just too tempting! At the end of the first set I climbed over the railing, had the audience count to 3 and jumped in the water, swimming out the boats lined up behind the stage. I know, it's a little silly. But it made me feel like a rock star and sometimes I need to do things like that. Just JUMP IN! I did a similar thing at the New Bedford Summerfest this past weekend. I sat in with a rock band thrown together for the festival, playing lap steel (standing up, no less) through a very large amp, doing Led Zeppelin songs and other crazy stuff. It was my 4th set in exactly 24 hours, starting with Red Molly on the main stage at 6:30pm Friday and ending on the same stage at 6:30pm with Daisy Cutter (the rock band). Pretty intense! I'm trying to get used to the sound of an amp. I like it loud, but it's just so different and with my constant concern of covering up the vocals I get a little shy. But yeah, learning to just JUMP IN. That's where I'm at. I'm gonna try to expand that to learning & writing new songs, jumping into jam sessions at festivals and whatever else my heart wants to do and my head holds me back. Before I get any more philosophical, I should mention some pretty cool stuff that's been happening too! Red Molly's new record is: #1 on Folk DJ for June #3 on Root's Music Report in June #15 on R&R Americana Charts 6/30/08 Bad Nights/Better Days is: #11 on Folk DJ for June I'm also a semi-finalist in the Independent Music World Series in Red Molly and separately as a duo with Anthony da Costa. Maybe I'll compete against myself? Fun! Thursday, June 12th, 2008 9:16 PM JUNE 2008 Well, it's officially been one year since I retired as an Occupational Therapist and became a musician full time. And I know how lucky I am. I know that these days good things can slip away very easily, despite your best efforts, so I am grateful for every gig and every time I get to wake up with some strong coffee and practice Dobro. In May I got to go to Kerrville, TX for the first time. What an amazing festival they have there. I got about 8 hours of sleep over 4 nights, but it was worth it to be in those starlit jams and song circles with my friends, new and old. There's a little scratch now on my Dobro, from a rough and rowdy jam, but I don't mind it because it reminds me of Texas. Lots of outdoor shows for Red Molly this month, including the infamous floating stage gig where they threw jello shots at us! HA! Also, on June 27th I'll be at the Black Cow in Croton, NY with Anthony, doing a true duo show. We'll be trading songs back and forth all night in this low key little place (with awesome coffee, I might add). Remember, sometimes a whisper is the best way to be heard. Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 1:53 PM MAY 2008 Whoo hoo! The flowers are blooming and both of my new CDs are out in the world! My place looks like a shipping warehouse, with boxes upon boxes of CDs, padded envelopes and cute little stationary to match each CD. The first official Red Molly CD release show was a big hit, complete with a cake that had our faces on it! The official Bad Nights/Better Days CD release doesn't happen until July 6th, but that's probably good. I'm working on playing lap steel standing up (a girl's gotta boogie!), so by then I'll hopefully be able to really rock out on it. This month Red Molly's doing the first gig we'll have to fly to (Madison, IN) and then the following week I'm headed to the Kerrville Folk Festival solo to hang out and jam around the campfires. It's my first time going, so I hope to make a lot of friends and see some old ones too. My Oma taught me that flowers = love. So I'm going to start growing some today. I love you Oma. Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 12:51 PM APRIL 2008 It's still cold up here in NY. Cold and rainy and the trees have those little reddish buds on them, but nothing's poking through just yet. And that's ok by me. Spring isn't here, everything is still sleeping. I'm not sure I'm ready for flowers yet anyway. Much as I love the warm weather and summer festivals, it's like a tornado of excitement and this is more like the calm before the storm. I'm headed down to southern NJ to pick up my two brand new CDs in less than 2 weeks. I'm so proud of both of them, Red Molly's "Love and Other Tragedies" and my own "Bad Nights/Better Days." Part of me can't wait for people to hear them. They're what I've poured my heart into over the winter. But right now they're like the flowers, still kind of secret. And there's something special about that for me. The secrets will be out: April 19th at the Golden Apple Coffeehouse in Mt Kisco, NY (Bad Nights/Better Days) May 2nd at the Minstrel Coffeehouse in Morristown, NJ (Love and Other Tragedies) Monday, March 3rd, 2008 2:31 PM MARCH 2008 Today is the third day of the third month and I'm turning 33! YAY! Maybe this will be a magical year for me. I'm hoping to release 3 records, so that's a good start! The Red Molly CD, Love and Other Tragedies, is being shipped off for duplication this week and we started accepting pre-orders online. Follow that link to see the cover art and song list. My new original song, The Mind of a Soldier, is on the CD and I got to play some mean Dobro on Wayfaring Stranger and Sentimental Gentleman from Georgia. So fun! My duo CD with Anthony da Costa, Bad Nights/Better Days, is being mixed this week and we're starting to compile all the videos and pictures. Recording a whole CD in three days was a challenge, but it forced us to keep everything real, live and raw. I think we captured some really special performances. Most of the songs are new and really different from what I've done in the past, so I'm very excited for people to hear it. Stay tuned for the posting of my solo podcast at Acoustic Long Island. I'll be recording another podcast there with Anthony, doing some songs from Bad Nights/Better Days, on March 26th. Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 1:17 PM FEBRUARY 2008 A month later and the new Red Molly record is pretty much done! We worked really hard in January, gigs on the weekends and then studio on the weekdays... times like that I find myself just going out and buying new socks at the drug store instead of doing laundry. Ah, such a rock and roll lifestyle... heh. Before the dust even settles on recording the new Red Molly CD, I'll be back in the studio to record a duo CD with Anthony da Costa. We're going for a Ryan Adams meets Damien Rice kinda vibe, except neither of them have a Dobro player. The songs are all pretty raw and new, heartbreakers mostly... I honestly don't know how it's going to turn out, but it makes me excited to get back in the hot seat and see what happens. I'll also get to play around a little more with the lap steel and Capt. Kirkman's effects and amps. YAY! One more thing... french press coffee + 20 minutes of steeping = heaven. Thursday, January 10th, 2008 2:33 AM JANUARY 2008 I started off the year singing "May I Suggest" (by Susan Werner) with Red Molly. Well, that is, after making a really pointless toast (hee hee). Maybe by next year I'll have learned one of those old Irish toasts that brings a tear to your eye and leaves you laughing too. I guess I just don't drink enough. Anyway... yes, starting off the year with that song was a good thing. Red Molly's already putting in long days at the studio working on our new album. This will be the first full-length studio record we've made together. Pretty exciting!! We're working with producer Ben Wisch in NYC and even hired upright bassist Mike Weatherly, who played on my "Craziest Dream" album. We're also getting to know the local Japanese takeout place pretty well. Nothing helps you get over "headphone head" like raw fish. As for the solo side of things, well, I'm happy to say I have a new Wechter Scheerhorn model dobro, complete with a pickup! She's basically a twin of my other reddish one, but looks sorta chocolaty and can go electric too. Just for fun I had her shipped to my old day job. Something really satisfying about picking up a new instrument there. :) Sunday, December 2nd, 2007 10:54 PM DECEMBER 2007 What a fun month I had! Red Molly hit the road to North Carolina where I renewed my love of grits and I got to hang out with the coolest Dobro players on the planet in Nashville at the ResoSummit Conference. I was the vocalist for the "backing up a singer" workshops, so I got to sing while Mike Auldridge, Cindy Cashdollar, Rob Ickes, Michael Witcher, and Phil Ledbetter backed me up! Talk about a thrill! I managed to sneak in a few solo gigs and ended the month with a sold-out show at Irvington Town Hall Theater with Red Molly and The Kennedys. Whew! December started out with a bang already- I got to open for Cheryl Wheeler, who is simply amazing. And I found out I'll be included in a book called The Jazz Singers- the top 525 jazz singers of all time (to be published in 2008 by Hal Leonard). Red Molly will taking a break until New Year's Eve to prepare for recording our first full length studio album in January! YAY! In the meantime, I have a handful of solo shows with Anthony and a Swing Dance Gig at the end of the month in Poughkeepsie too! Pictures from some recent shows here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbiegardner/ Wednesday, November 7th, 2007 6:25 PM NOVEMBER 2007 I'm hitting the road this month! This week I'm headed to the ResoSummit Dobro Conference in Nashville, then I'll be back in NY for a day before Red Molly's North Carolina tour, and then it's up to New Hampshire for a big ol' family Thanksgiving! At the end of the month I have a big solo show as part of WFUV's Under The Radar Series at The Turning Point. Then Red Molly and The Kennedy's are splitting our biggest show yet at The Irvington Town Hall Theatre! We'll be collaborating a bunch and have thought up some names for the group... the Red Kennedy's, Strange Molly... well, whatever you call us, it's bound to be a lot of fun. You can get a taste of it by listening to us collaborate on WFUV Sunday morning 11/18. Tuesday, November 27th, 2007 7:00 PM The Turning Point 468 Piermont Ave. Piermont, NY (845) 359-1089 "Under the Radar" Series with Arlon Bennett and Anthony da Costa Friday, November 30th, 2007 8:30 PM Irvington Town Hall Theater 85 Main St. Irvington, NY 914.591.6602 $25 The big time! Join us at this 430-seat theater, built in 1902, with great sound, and the intimacy of a living room. Produced by Mainstage Entertainment. Split bill with The Kennedys. John Platt's Sunday Breakfast on WFUV, 89.1FM Sunday, November 15th with Red Molly and The Kennedy's Sunday, November 25th with Anthony da Costa Monday, October 1st, 2007 3:33 AM OCTOBER 2007 Two big things to tell ya: First- I'm on TV!  Ha!  Yeah, back in August I got a call to audition for a commercial on TVLand.  They were looking for a "quirky" 30-something singer-songwriter to sing about the wonders of TVLand.com.  So I went to the MTV building in NYC and played my Caffeine song for 3 people and a video camera at 10 am on a Monday (wow that was surreal).  To my surprise, they picked me!  Over the next few days I recorded guitar and vocals, then got all gussied up and danced around in front of a green screen for the camera.  I went home and back to my usual Red Molly business.  It sort of felt like a weird dream, so I didn't really expect the commercial to air and didn't tell too many people about it.  HA!  This weekend I saw it more than a few times!  It's so weird to see myself dancing around with a digital Andy Griffith by my side.  Here's a link to the short version of the commercial. And the second thing is lap steel.  Oh I'm so in love!!  I've been loving the Dobro for a good three years or so now, but discovering the lap steel in September was like finding out my boyfriend had a hot twin brother.  Wow.  I got a distortion pedal and a volume pedal and have been totally rocking out (mostly at home right now).  You can hear my first lap steel recording here (click on Anthony da Costa's track "Ain't Much of a Soldier"). Come see me and Anthony performing live in NYC this weekend: Saturday October 6, 2007 3pm Madison Square Park- Studio Series 5th Avenue & 23rd Street NY, NY 212-538-6667 Abbie plays songs from her 2006 release "Honey on My Grave" with Anthony da Costa. Split bill with Cephas & Wiggins. Bring a blanket and a picnic lunch!  Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 7:34 AM SEPTEMBER 2007 What a great summer.  I've been a full-time musician for about 2 months now and I can't imagine my life any other way.  I traveled from Maryland to Massachusetts with my girls in Red Molly, with some time in between to explore Block Island.  It was so nice to be without a car for a few days there!  I wish I could ride a bike to every gig, but to do that in NY I might have to go back to playing piccolo or something. The first of many duo shows with Anthony da Costa was a blast.  He is currently working on his new CD and managed to write a slew of brand new songs for it.  The boy could easily write a song per day.  I got to record Dobro and harmonies for him and all of this has inspired me to write some new songs of my own!  YAY!  I debuted a few of them in August and will have more for our next show. Anthony will be joining me at my next big solo show: Saturday October 6, 2007 3pm Madison Square Park- Studio Series 5th Avenue & 23rd Street NY, NY 212-538-6667 Abbie plays songs from her 2006 release "Honey on My Grave" with Anthony da Costa. Split bill with Cephas & Wiggins. Bring a blanket and a picnic lunch!  I'll also be joining Hope Machine this month: Sunday September 23, 2007 2pm HOPE MACHINE at New Bedford First Night Benefit at Keith Middle School New Bedford, MA This will be a "Woody Guthrie" show, featuring some of Woody's "family/ kids" songs and some of Hope Machine's other Woody favorites.... with Steve Kirkman and Fred Gillen Jr. Tuesday, August 7th, 2007 12:34 PM AUGUST 2007 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival was a total blast. I got to play on the main stage as part of the Most Wanted Song Swap with Pat Wictor, Cheryl Prashker and Ellis. Double slide solos with Pat are so fun and Ellis never fails to make me cry (in a good way!). Then Red Molly did two sets on the workshop stage, a bluegrass set with the Lovell Sisters and the Rowan Brothers, and then a harmony set with Lucy Kaplansky, Richard Shindell and Eddie From Ohio. Wah-hoo! I also got to sit in on the blues workshop Sunday afternoon, just for fun, and somehow ended up on the main stage at the end of the festival helping to sing the final goodbye song! The late night campfire jams were incredible, as was the spontaneous jam in front of the Tastebuds Coffee booth! We managed to get members of at least 5 different bands to join in- Jason Spooner Trio, We’re About Nine, Red Molly, Beaucoup Blue, Anthony da Costa and more! Speaking of my new best friend Anthony da Costa… we had so much fun playing together around the campfire that we decided to book some shows as a duo. The first one is just a few weeks away on August 31st at Coffeelabs in Tarrytown, NY.  Remember, August = Italian Ices     Tuesday, July 24th, 2007 9:35 AM JULY 2007 So, retirement is sweet! And busy... I've been playing so many shows I almost forgot it was a new month! In just a couple weeks, I get to play the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival on 7/26- 7/29 with Red Molly. Three years ago we formed the band there, so being on the main stage will be something special for us! And the week before I get to just hang and do some campfire picking at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival with my family. There's nothing like it. I've been listening to Jason Spooner's new record The Flame You Follow. Wow. I'm completely obsessed with it. Not because I'm a guest Dobro player on one track, but because the songs, musicianship and production are simply phenomenal. Go listen to it to see what I mean. Ok, off to see the new Harry Potter movie. (Hey, I always said I was a nerd!)

JUNE 2007

Hey Folks!

Come celebrate with me at my "retirement party!" My last day of work is June 28th and that night I plan to whoop it up, going headfirst into my career as a full-time musician!  YAHOO!  Here are the details:

June 28th 7pm
Montvale Library
Red Molly outdoor show
two 45-minute sets
family & picnic friendly- bring food, blankets and lawn chairs
12 Mercedes Dr.
Montvale, NJ 07645
201.391.5090

Lots of Red Molly gigs this month and a solo gig coming up that I'm super excited about. I get to split a show with the amazingly talented Anthony DaCosta.  We plan to do a night of duets, so it should be a really special night.  Plus, they have some serious cookies at this place.

Abbie Gardner and Anthony DaCosta
Friday, July 06, 2007
7:30 PM
Taste Budd's Cafe
Red Hook, NY
40 West Market Street
http://www.tastebudds.com

Hope you can make it!

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MAY 2007

For me, May is all about the Falcon Ridge Preview Tour!  I'm on tour right now with Red Molly, Ellis, and Pat Wictor (with Cheryl Prashker on drums).  The first leg of the tour was a blast, probably more fun that is technically allowed in folk music!  Free tickets to Falcon Ridge are being given away at each show and we've had several packed houses with standing ovations already.  I can't wait to see what the rest of the tour will bring. Playing slide solos in harmony with Pat Wictor is awesome and Ellis manages to make me cry every single night (with her songwriting & singing, that is!).  By the time the festival gets here we'll have quite a show to put on together.

The countdown to retirement continues... I come from a family of artists, musicians, and photographers. When I went to school for occupational therapy and spent a brief period in pre-med courses, I remember my mom being worried that I was leaving my music behind me. I'm in one of the only families that would consider going into medicine as a form of rebellion!  Don't worry mom, I'll be a musician and nothing else very soon.

Above right photo by Jake Jacobson. Abbie at The Falcon Ridge Preview Tour Show at Fox Run.

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APRIL 2007

Took a nice break to Italy at the beginning of the month and by the end of a week had Italians asking me for directions! HA!  But now I'm back and very excited about a few things. 

First- the OPEN MIC DIRECTORY is in the process of being automated! That's right, you no longer have to wait for me to manually add your open mic listings... just go fill out the forms and see your open mic listed right away! I'm happy to get the information out there quicker and have it off my hands.

Second- I've decided to leave my day job as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist and be a full-time musician!  YAHOO!  That won't happen until July 1st or so, but I'm already counting the days.  It's been a long time coming and I'm ready to share that story with you.  In seventh grade I went to band camp for the first time, waking up every morning and working hard at practicing flute all day long.  I came home after the first day and told my dad that I wanted THAT to be my job. So, I took lessons every week, practiced hard and auditioned for classical music schools, but sadly didn't get accepted. My heart broke a little, but it made me start singing and then playing guitar. I got into one of the best health career schools in the country at Boston University, knowing that I could work part time and still have time to build up a music career.  I graduated summa cum laude and gradually went from full-time to part-time over the past 7 years.  Now the time has finally come to make my dreams come true!  That seventh-grader had a vision and I'm not going to disappoint her!  Of course, I'll miss being able to help little babies with their jobs of eating, crawling and smearing Playdoh into the carpet!  But my dream is finally coming true and I couldn't be happier about it.

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MARCH 2007

It's my birthday this month! YAHOO! And I've been celebrating by eating chocolate cake and spending ridiculous amounts of time with my Cindy Cashdollar instructional DVD.  What can I say, I'm a nerd, but I love it.

Red Molly's truckin along, doing gigs along the east coast.  The WUMB members concert on March 2nd was incredible, the biggest crowd we've ever played for (as a headliner anyway). We're taking a few weekends off this month, too, just to recharge. Ah...  then begins the countdown to becoming a FULL-TIME musician.  I'll tell you more about it in April.  YAY!

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FEBRUARY 2007

Ok, so I finally NAMED the swing band I play with! I used to call them "The Abbie Gardner Five" for lack of a better name. But from now on they are "The Craziest Dream Band." Yup, the band that played on my CD "My Craziest Dream." Seems obvious, but I guess some ideas need more marinating than others!

Besides the usual excitement of sold out shows and standing ovations with Red Molly (no that never really gets old!), I've been doing more studio recording work on Dobro. This past month I recorded with a new, modern British artist named Lettie and fiddle player Sara Milonovich.  The jazz gigs were a blast this month.  I learned some new swing dance moves and made lots of new friends in Poughkeepsie and Philadelphia.

In February, I'll be with Red Molly in MD, PA, MA, NJ and Memphis, TN!  Then I'll end the month with a solo acoustic gig at the Parkside Lounge on Wednesday 2/28 at 8-9pm.  I'll be playing some of the new tunes I've been writing and some from my "Honey on my Grave" CD. Trading songs with me will be my buddy Fred Gillen Jr..

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JANUARY 2007

What a great year 2006 has been for me!!

I was a finalist in the Northeast Independent Music World Series and a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Folks Song Contest. I was lucky enough to  study Dobro with Rob Ickes and Sally Van Meter. I got reviewed in Sing Out! and Performing Songwriter Magazine.  I released my first CD of original music, Honey on My Grave, and Red Molly's first full-length CD, Never Been to Vegas. Red Molly broke into the top 30 on the Radio & Records Americana Chart and won the Emerging Artist Showcase at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.  Also, we were featured in Bicycling Magazine's Annual Buyer's Guide and got our butts into the Naked Folk Calendar!  Whew!  I can't wait to see what 2007 brings...

I'm starting the month with a bunch of Red Molly gigs and finishing it off with some Swing Jazz gigs with the Craziest Dream Band.

PS- Santa was generous with the Dobro instructional DVDs!  Thanks Santa!

PPS- Come be my friend!! www.myspace.com/abbiegardner

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DECEMBER 2006

Abbie has been running around like a chicken without a head. Not like a chicken with its head cut off, but more like a chicken born WITHOUT a head, if you can imagine such a thing. No sense of direction, no motor function, no sense of smell... I guess, technically, a chicken born without a head would probably not make it at all, but you get the idea. She been nuts. So, her loyal webmaster was given the task of updating her news page for December and, as she said, “Anything goes.”

First off, I would like to share with you the original proposed cover art for Abbie’s latest solo CD (Honey On My Grave). This was created by renowned cover artist Neal Wexler (his previous work includes the debut EP from Father Nagila, and 2004’s Roger Dodger box set) and obviously was drafted before the title of the album was chosen.

I still don’t get why she didn’t use it.

In actual news, Red Molly is playing at The Towne Crier in Pawling, NY on New Years Eve. For details, go to www.redmolly.com. Abs also has a bunch of jazz and swing gigs scheduled for early next year. Click here to check ‘em out.

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NOVEMBER 2006

Wow, the Independent Music World Series was a blast! Click here for photos from the show.  I didn't win the grand prize, but walked away with lots of goodies: guitar strings, bass strings, a tuner, a TAXI membership, a Sonicbids membership, 30 compilation CDs, a huge discount on CD duplication at Discmakers, and (this is the best part)...  a 16" crash cymbal!!  Yup, I walk around my house banging on it with the remote control, scaring the cats. Tons of fun, but I'm sure it'll end up at eBay eventually!

I have a solo gig in Woodstock this month on Sunday, November 12th.  Come check out the Colony Cafe writer's night.  I'm bound to play the new evil Christmas song I just co-wrote with Mark Berube.  Also, if you are headed to the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference, I'll be playing a solo set in the coveted Thursday night Folk DJ Showcase, as well as tons of Red Molly showcases throughout the weekend.

Oh, and yes, this is our month!! Red Molly is Ms. November in the 2006 Naked Folk Calendar!  HA! Check it out here.

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OCTOBER 2006

I'm a finalist in the Independent Music World Series!! YAY! On September 26th I get to perform at the World Cafe in Philly. Every IMWS showcase features the top six independent acts as chosen by TAXI and Billboard magazine from the thousands of submissions received. Get on the guest list by clicking here: and you and up to four guests can get into the showcase for free! Doors open at 8 pm, first act starts at 8:30, and the winner is announced at midnight.

September brought me to Nashville for the Americana Conference where I met a gaggle of new friends and brought home a new Scheerhorn Wechter resophonic guitar (aka Dobro).  Yee haw.  This one's even a big RED!

Ok, gotta go practice for the IMWS.  Come check out a Red Molly show in NY or Maryland this month!

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SEPTEMBER 2006

Photos by Tim Benko

YAY! I came in 3rd at the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival Song Contest! As you can tell from the pictures, I was thrilled to be on that beautiful stage.  Playing with Amy Speace and Ian Campbell Smith was a real highlight of my trip. Also, big hugs to all my new friends in Colorado.

Honey On My Grave was reviewed in this month!! Look in the DIY section. Here's a highlight, "The twang of a Dobro is your first indication that Abbie Gardner is not your typical New York-based folksinger. Leaning heavily on bluegrass sounds and instruments, Gardner yodels and mourns with the best of them. She’s a former John Lennon Songwriting Contest winner, and her craft and skill are evident throughout the record."  The full review should be at www.performingsongwriter.com soon, and the current issue (Sept./Oct. 2006, with Paul Simon on the cover) is available now at places where magazines are sold (Barnes and Noble, Tower Records, etc.).

Great radio news...  Honey On My Grave got top spins at WUMB in Boston, MA last week!  Never Been to Vegas was named "Top 5 Most Added Americana" two weeks in a row, debuted at #20 on the 8/28 Roots Music Report's Folk Chart, named "This Week's Picks" on WFMT's Midnight Special, came in #13 on WRUV's Top 35 and has been nominated for a "Hemi Award" for "Favorite Cover Song" (She's Got You) at WIVK (Knoxville, TN). Whew!!

You can cast your "Hemi Award" vote for Red Molly at www.americanahighway.com . Every vote counts!!

In September I'm looking forward to gigs in PA, NJ, NY, and MA.  Check the Red Molly site for details. I'm also headed down to the Americana Music Conference in Nashville, where I may be spending some of my prize money from the Rocky Mountain Song Contest on a brand new Dobro!!  Yippee!!

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AUGUST 2006

NOTE: The Open Mic Directory is back! Sorry for the delay!

Big news!  I've been selected as a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Song Contest! The 10 finalists (out of almost 900 entrants!) get to play on the main stage of the festival on August 18th!! I also get to play a songwriter in-the-round set at the Wildflower tent during the festival. After studying Dobro with Rob Ickes there last week at the Rockygrass Academy, I'm psyched to go back and play my songs with the new skills I've learned.

Red Molly's Never Been to Vegas cd is now available online at CDBABY as are the brand new matching Vegas Molly T-shirts.  The CD has been sent out to over 250 radio stations this month, so feel free to contact your favorite DJ and request a song.

What's in my cd player- The Wood Brothers, Ways Not to Lose.  Awesome, simply awesome. This record is stripped down and funky as can be, just the way I like it.

Stay cool everybody!

Abbie with Rob Ickes

Rob Ickes & Andy Hall

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JULY 2006

Hey Everybody!

Crazy busy with festivals this month, headed to Grey Fox to see Jerry Douglas and Tim O'Brien (my favorites!), and then off to Falcon Ridge Folk Festival to play the EMERGING ARTIST SHOWCASE with Red Molly!!  This will be my first time on the stage at Falcon Ridge! This month is also the release of Red Molly's first full-length CD, the live record, called "Never Been To Vegas."  We even got some stylin' new T-shirts to go with the CD.  Then I sneak out to Colorado's Rocky Grass Academy to study with Rob Ickes from Blue Highway!! It's going to be an awesome month.

"Honey On My Grave" has been out for a little over a month and it's already being played by these radio stations!

WFDU in Teaneck, NJ 
WPRB in Princeton, NJ
WAER in Syracuse, NY
WUSB in Stony Brook, NY
WFCR in Amherst, MA
WTJU in Charlottesville, VA
KPFK in Santa Barbara, CA
WLRN in Miami, FL
WLUW in Chicago, IL
WFMT in Chicago, IL
WBGU in Bowling Green, OH

YAHOOOIE! Please call and request any songs you might like...

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JUNE 2006

NOTICE: The Open Mic Directory has been updated with ALL submissions from 2005 and 2006. It has been a long time coming... if any submissions are outdated or missing, please re-submit them.

Hey everybody! "Honey On My Grave" has been out for a little over a month and it's already being played by these radio stations!

WFDU in Teaneck, NJ 
WPRB in Princeton, NJ
WAER in Syracuse, NY
WUSB in Stony Brook, NY
WFCR in Amherst, MA
WTJU in Charlottesville, VA
KPFK in Santa Barbara, CA
WLRN in Miami, FL
WLUW in Chicago, IL
WFMT in Chicago, IL
WBGU in Bowling Green, OH

YAHOOOIE!

If you have the CD and dig it, you can post your own review at www.cdbaby.com/abbiegardner3.  That's also where you can get your copy, if you don't have one yet.

The Red Molly full-length CD is DONE!  It's at the printer's right now, so stay tuned for pre-ordering information. It's a live CD, with 3 additional tracks recorded in the studio, for a total of 14 songs! YAY! I can't wait to share it with you. If you were at the taping of this CD, check your email for a special note.  (shhh...)

Meanwhile, the summer festival season has begun. Red Molly played the Spring Gulch folk festival in Pennsylvania and we're looking forward to June 24th at the Forksville Folk Festival where I'll be doing a set with Red Molly AND a set with We're About Nine. 

New York City Folks can see us at the Triad on June 3rd and peeps from NJ can join us at the Sanctuary Concert Series for their ice cream party on June 17th. Mmmm ICE CREAM!  Unfortunately I can't have milk products, so I'll be enjoying a very large bowl of chocolate chips, sprinkles, M&Ms, strawberries, and peanut butter cups!  Hee hee...

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MAY 2006

Whoo hoo!! So the album is out!  Readily available!  Hear it and get yours at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/abbiegardner3

People seem to dig it, so that's super cool too!

Check out my first review...

http://poeticleanings.blogspot.com/2006/04/honey-on-my-grave-abbie-gardner.html

You can write your own review here:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/abbiegardner3

Red Molly is back in action, gigging all over the place again, from The Outpost in the Burbs (Friday 5/4) to the Hoboken Music and Arts Fest (5/6) and beyond!  It's so nice to have my girls back! More shows listed http://www.redmolly.com/calendar.html and photos from our gigs are making their way up on our gallery, too. There will be some cool library shots of us singing around one mic (bluegrass style baby!) coming soon. Although I'm sticking my tongue out in one shot...  I thought only drummers do that while they play! Anyway...  cool pics if you can ignore my tongue.  hee hee...

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APRIL 2006

UPDATE: The new album is in stock and ready to ship! Click here to order!

The wait is over!  My new CD, “Honey On My Grave,” will be released April 15th. Click here to pre-order and for more information on the album. My newest solo release is all-acoustic, featuring my vocals, Dobro, and guitar with a bunch of special guest musicians, including Laurie MacAllister, Pat Wictor, Matt Munisteri, Peter Carr, and Benny Reitveld. The album features 11 songs (8 originals, 3 covers).

Other great news...

Red Molly returns with our first CT show on 4/15 at the Sounding Board (www.folknotes.org) and continues on for some library gigs in Long Island (4/23) (www.wantaghlibrary.org) and Old Bridge, NJ (4/29) (http://lmxac.org/obpl/events.htm)

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MARCH 2006

It's my birthday this month and I expect to eat lots of chocolate. That's what birthday's mean to me- cake, balloons, random people singing to me... it's just wonderful!!  Besides the birthday, this month is extra special because I sent in my solo CD to be duplicated TODAY!! I'll soon have news on how to pre-order it for the release in April.  I would say April 1st, but to be safe I'd expect it by tax day, April 15th.  I'm very excited about this new project and can't wait to share it with all of you!!

GIGS!  I'm playing with Fred Gillen Jr. on March 3rd (my birthday!!) in Tarrytown and then down to Maryland to join We're About Nine (www.wereaboutnine.com) for a show at Moore Music in the House (www.mooremusic.org) on March 18th. I'm happy to sit in the with Moonshine Creek for some bluegrass music at Bodles Opera House (www.bodles.com) on March 31st and will be doing a solo show with some special guests at the Peekskill Coffeehouse on March 24th (www.peekskillcoffee.com). All fun music! YAY!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Poughkeepsie Tennis Club last month for the swing dance- what an amazing night that was!!  I can't wait to go back.  What incredible dancing!!

Next month- the return of Red Molly!!  Whoo hoo!!

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FEBRUARY 2006

This month I'll be doing some solo gigs to promote my upcoming solo full-length release, including a sold-out house concert down in Wall, NJ.  The CD will include mostly original acoustic songs, incorporating blues, jazz, bluegrass and Americana.  You'd be surprised how well all of those genres melt together, actually.  I get to play a ton of Dobro on it and even threw in some cover tunes, though I do them completely different than the original recordings.

For fans of my jazz swing record, My Craziest Dream, I will be doing a swing dance show with the band from that cd!!  These guys can seriously play and I feel very lucky whenever I'm able to get them all in one place for a show.  A swing dance lesson is included in the cover charge, so come on down for a hot night out.  You'll be dancing by the end of the night even if you've got two left feet! Friday Feb 24, 2006, 7:30pm at the Poughkeepsie Tennis Club in Poughkeepsie, NY.

I'm also happy to be sitting in with the folk-pop band We're About Nine (www.wa9.org) for a few gigs in New York on 2/18 & 2/19. They have great harmonies and killer original tunes. Check their website for show details.

Next month is my BIRTHDAY!!! YAY! It comes early in the month, on the 3rd, so I figure I'll give you all a friendly early reminder just in case.

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JANUARY 2006

Happy New Year!! I ran in the new year by playing up in the frigid Northeast with Red Molly, at a lovely place called The Towne Crier.  The Debbie Davies Blues Band also played- great to see another female guitar player tearing it up.  The woman can PLAY! Now if I could just run into Bonnie Raitt...

This is the month for sowing my wild Dobro oats, it seems! I started doing some recording studio work- playing Dobro on the upcoming CDs of some great artists, including Fred Gillen Jr., Sharron Goldman, and Steve Chizdmadia.

Looking forward to talking to WFDU's Carol Beaugard on 1/20/05 (listen online at www.wfdu.org) and spilling all of Red Molly's secrets! heh heh...

Also, it only happens ONCE a year, and it's coming soon! January 30th is the 4th Annual Groundhog's Day Jam!  I get to sing my favorite jazz tunes with the Underground All-Stars (featuring world -famous jazz musicians, Randy Reinhart, Dan Levinson, Robbie Scott, Joe Hanchrow, Bruce McNichols, and my own father, Herb Gardner) at the Bickford Theatre in Morristown, NJ. 

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DECEMBER 2005

Wow, what a great month this is already starting out to be!  The Red Molly Live in Studio recording was a blast and went off without a hitch. We set up mics in a circle, so we could face eachother. Then had 50 of our nearest and dearest right there in the studio with us to cheer us on after each song and even sing along a bit! Dae Bennett was the engineer for the day and from what we've heard so far, the man knows what he's doing!  We're hoping to have that album out in April 2006.

Just out this month is the 2006 Naked Folk Calendar. Yup, Red Molly happens to be November.  You'll have to see it to believe it.  Go to nakedfolkcalendar.com.  Makes a great X-mas present for your in-laws.

As for my solo record- I added 2 brand new songs and recorded them live with guitar pro Matt Munisteri.  Yup, live is my favorite way to record these days!  This month I'll add one last extra special bonus track to the CD (with special guest Pat Wictor) and then start mixing. I guess I'll have to come up with a name for it too! :)

Now that the Red Molly's live record is "in the can" I can work on that dern Open Mic Directory.  And finally get to clean my house too! Strange how everything takes a back seat when you've got a record on your mind!

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NOVEMBER 2005

YAY November!  The leaves are a-changing up here in NY.  This month has already held some big surprises, including a few photo shoots for print.  Seems everyone wants to take pictures of Red Molly. We head to the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference on the 10th for a formal showcase and tons of late night jamming. Red Molly will also travel to Philly this month for a cozy little house concert.  

I’m still working on that solo record, writing some last minute new tunes for it and learning how to play Dobro solos over tunes like Ain’t Misbehavin!  A whole different world from the usual folk tune. The likely release date of this project is March 2006. My dad has a steady booked at Charley O’s in Time Square, NY every Monday and Tuesday night. Check out www.herb-gardner.com for details & tell him I sent ya’ if you end up there! We also booked some swing dance gigs for the winter, as well as the annual Groundhog’s Day show on January 30th, so stay tuned.

Open Mic’ers- thanks for being so patient. I’m feverishly updating and getting it together for you. Hopefully still by 11/15!

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OCTOBER 2005

Hey Everybody!!  I'm having a great time working on the new record.  It's pushing me to write some new tunes for Dobro, which is becoming a serious obsession!!  Playing Dobro over my own solo tunes has been a trip! Red Molly has some great shows coming up this month too, all the way from Maryland to NYC.  Our most important gig is on 10/11 at Satalla in NYC. But my personal favorite is the Postcrypt at Columbia University (10/22) because it has natural acoustics (no microphones in my face!) and with the stone walls, brownies and dripping candles it tends to feel like a warm & fuzzy cave, if that makes any sense!

OPEN MIC'ers- We are hoping to have a launch date of November 15th for the NEW Open Mic Directory! So, send in your updates now. Thanks so much for your continued patience.

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SEPTEMBER 2005

WELCOME to my brand-spanking new web site!! YIPPEEE!!!!  Here you'll find information on all of my many musical endeavors!  From Red Molly to my swing dance band and my own solo acoustic projects!  Click around to see all the new sections of my site.

A special note to all you OPEN MIC'ers:  I'm currently going through each and every entry in The Open Mic Directory, updating them one-by-one to compile the new, easier to use, easier to update, version 2.0! YAY! Thanks for your patience and all the submissions/corrections from around the country! The old Directory will still accessible during the upgrade.

All contents© Abbie Gardner.