Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway
If you’ve ever seen Molly Tuttle perform live, you know that her band Golden Highway is one of the best in the game, bluegrass or otherwise. Over the past several years, the singer-songwriter and virtuosic guitarist has logged some serious miles with her band, a talented group of players with a natural, easy chemistry and chops for days.
It’s fitting, then, that Tuttle would record her new album City of Gold, out Friday, with the band she knows so well. What’s surprising about the move is that it’s the Grammy-winning artist’s first time bringing the band into the studio, allowing Tuttle and co-producer Jerry Douglas more room to capture the ensemble’s electric live energy in recorded form.
“In a way, it’s a lot more challenging [to record that way], because we’re so used to putting on the show,” Tuttle tells the Scene, calling during some downtime in Missoula, Mont. “But it’s completely different than when you get into the studio and everything’s under a microscope. You’re working totally different hours. You’re hyperfocused on these songs. It made us grow a lot as a band. I think it made us a better band.”
It’s hard to imagine Tuttle and Golden Highway becoming any better than they already were, particularly given the accolades they’ve racked up in recent years. Tuttle’s 2022 release Crooked Tree took home Best Bluegrass Album at this year’s Grammy Awards, while she was also nominated in the coveted all-genre Best New Artist category. These honors come after strings of International Bluegrass Music Association wins — including Tuttle’s historic win for Guitar Player of the Year, a first for a woman artist — and Americana Music Association honors, among other awards.
City of Gold is Tuttle’s best work yet. Where Crooked Tree veered more into traditional bluegrass territory than Tuttle’s previous releases, the new LP showcases the full spectrum of Tuttle’s talents and influences, which — as hinted on her lockdown-era covers EPs …But I’d Rather Be With You and …But I’d Rather Be With You, Too — span not just bluegrass but folk, pop-oriented rock and even country. Douglas’ production lends itself well to this blend, as the dobro master and roots-music fixture knows a thing or two about approaching traditional music in nontraditional ways. Tuttle says Douglas helped the group “fine-tune the music even more.”
The record opens with “El Dorado,” an almost-titular track as the phrase is the Spanish name for the mythical City of Gold. Tuttle, who was born and raised in California, first found inspiration in the El Dorado story as a child on a field trip. The sense of wonder lingered, and she and co-writer Ketch Secor channeled it into the song — a dusky, rollicking, rambling story of snake oil and fortune seeking.
“We just started coming up with all these interesting characters that we imagined might have come to California during the Gold Rush and tried to strike it rich in all these different ways,” says Tuttle. “For me, music is my city of gold. And I’m always kind of chasing the next song, the next wave of inspiration. I’m not doing this to get rich, per se, but I think we all have something like that, that we’re chasing after.”
Tuttle co-wrote all of City of Gold’s songs with Secor, their shared narrative sensibilities and individual predilections fusing into a vivid, image-rich collection of quirky characters, intriguing locales and sharp observation. “Where Did All the Wild Things Go?” puts a face on the concept of gentrification, lamenting the loss of character that often happens when cities grow.
Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway at Bonnaroo 2023
“We were riffing on that book, Where the Wild Things Are, and started talking about Nashville,” she says. “Everyone who lives in Nashville, you hear a lot about the ‘old Nashville.’ I’ve lived here eight years, so I don’t think I was around for most of the ‘old Nashville’ days. But I still feel the echoes of that. And I grew up near San Francisco. That’s a good example. When I was a kid, and when my mom was growing up in the area, it was really this wild place. Everyone was experimenting with new ideas. Now that character’s changed, as well.”
Other highlights on City of Gold include “Down Home Dispensary,” a catchy, playful plea for legalized marijuana in the South, and “When My Race Is Run,” a poignant and nuanced exploration of mortality. Closer “The First Time I Fell in Love” is a nostalgic, melodic waltz with an unexpected message, one worth discovering while listening.
With a new album to tour and an overflowing trophy case, Tuttle has much to look forward to in the remainder of 2023. She’ll headline a number of her own dates in addition to supporting Dave Matthews, Dierks Bentley and Charley Crockett. Tuttle and Golden Highway’s next gig in town is Sept. 8 at Cheekwood; a few weeks later, they’ll perform with Jerry Douglas as part of IBMA Bluegrass Live in Raleigh, N.C..
“It’ll be great to get to play the songs with Jerry for the first time outside of the studio,” she says. “And then we’re gonna be announcing some headlining tours all through the fall. It’ll just be a great way to celebrate the record and round out the rest of the year.”
