The guitar skills Molly Tuttle has been honing since her early childhood are jaw-dropping, and she’s made history with them. In 2017, the California-born, Berklee-educated, Nashville-residing flatpick champion was the first woman to be nominated for the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Guitarist of the Year award. She won, and won a second time in 2018. Her technical prowess is all the more impressive because she pairs it with an acute sensitivity to what makes songs work. You can hear that in her developing voice as a songwriter, showcased on her 2017 EP Rise and 2019 full-length When You’re Ready. It’s also crucial to her new covers LP ...But I’d Rather Be With You, featuring her nuanced takes on songs as diverse as FKA Twigs’ smoldering slow jam “Mirrored Heart,” Rancid’s country-kissed punk sing-along “Olympia, WA” and the yearning late-period Grateful Dead tune “Standing on the Moon.” Over the next few weeks, you’ve got an opportunity to watch Tuttle put those skills to work in a live setting via her streaming series ...But I’d Rather Stream With You, performed live at The Basement. The inaugural set on Nov. 19 features songs by artists from Tuttle’s native Bay Area, the second set on Dec. 3 highlights songs advocating for social change, and the final show on Dec. 17 is an old-school pickin’ party with some guests to be announced. See mollytuttlemusic.com or the page for the event on the streaming platform Mandolin for ticketing options. 7 p.m. on Nov. 19, Dec. 3 & Dec. 17 via The Basement STEPHEN TRAGESER
Watch Molly Tuttle’s Series ...But I’d Rather Stream With You
