Molly Tuttle knows how to write an earworm.
But the catchiness of her songs doesn’t indicate a lack of depth: Her lyrical prowess and relatability are what make audiences want to sing along (it also helps that she’s a kickass guitarist and banjoist). The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter shares both vulnerability and confidence on her latest album, So Long Little Miss Sunshine, which released in August, and it’s imbuing listeners with the same. “I’m proud of it,” she says. “I’ve been working on these songs for a long time, and it was definitely the most I’ve ever put into a record that I’ve made. I’m just really happy it’s out in the world, and it’s been so much fun playing the new songs out on the road and translating them to the live setting.”
Tuttle will be bringing her new music to Denver on Saturday, October 25, with a show at the Ogden Theatre, where she’ll be joined by openers Joshua Ray Walker and Cecilia Castleman. Unsurprisingly, Tuttle has a large following in the Mile High City, which has a solid appreciation for bluegrass, especially the modern movement for which Tuttle has been a pioneer alongside such artists as Billy Strings, with whom she’s collaborated. And those going to the Ogden are in for a treat: Her live shows can include on-the-spot improvisations that flesh out her recorded material, making each concert unique.
“Sometimes when you’re making a record, less is more, and then in the live setting, more is more,” she says. That means supplementing sets with “a longer solo, a bigger crescendo,” she notes. “Maybe making a three-and-a-half-minute song into five minutes in the live setting by adding instrumental sections [that] people can get lost in during the show.”
The twelve tracks on So Long Little Miss Sunshine provide lots of textures and layers to work with, making it almost as though the band is building on a painting at concerts, adding highlights and deeper dimensions. “There’s five of us on stage and we do our best to recreate the sounds on the record, but sometimes there is a different translation that has to happen, like, what’s the most important part of the song that we want to showcase live?” Tuttle says. “That’s an ongoing discussion, too, where things change over time and we experiment with different stuff. That’s what I love about live music: No two performances are the same.”
One of her favorite songs to perform is “Old Me (New Wig),” which is about finding freedom and independence through self-confidence. Tuttle, who has alopecia, has worn wigs since she was fifteen, and she recognizes she is in a unique position. “I do have a platform, and I want to use it to show that I’ve been able to turn this struggle into something positive and hopefully inspire others to feel comfortable in their own skin, as well,” she says.
“It became a song about reclaiming who you are and becoming a new, brighter, more confident version of yourself,” she continues. “It’s about breaking up with the old version of yourself, so it’s kind of a song about reinvention. For me, that encapsulated a lot of the record as a whole, because it is kind of stepping into new territory for me.”
Indeed, So Long Little Miss Sunshine sees Tuttle taking new sonic directions. While it is still rooted in bluegrass sounds, the record also blurs genre lines, taking influence from progressive Americana roots music, from a smooth, slowed-down cover of IconaPop’s “I Love It” to the rock-infused, bluesy “Old Me (New Wig).” The lyrical throughline of finding yourself and trusting instincts is also heard on such songs as “Easy,” a reflection on a breakup, and “No Regrets,” which affirms that sometimes the hardest moments open doors to the best.
“I felt with this record, I was returning more to feeling free to explore, to push my songwriting and music in new directions and not feel any rules or confines,” Tuttle says. “I do love writing in a way where I feel like I have a set of parameters around it, but with this record I wanted to expand them and see what happened in the studio.”
She’s now touring the album with the new bandmates she met while living in Nashville; one of the first shows they played together was a few months ago in Vail, and Tutle says the sound has “developed a lot since then.” And throughout the weeks of touring, she’s been particularly looking forward to the Ogden show.
“Colorado is one of my absolute places to tour,” she says. “Of all the places we go, there’s just consistently such a great audience for the type of music that I play. The crowds, they just know how to be great music fans: They genuinely seem to appreciate and love live music. I’ve been playing in Colorado for so many years now, and it’s always something I look forward to a lot.”
Molly Tuttle, 7 p.m. Saturday, October 25, Ogden Theatre, 935 East Colfax Avenue. Tickets are available at ogdentheatre.com.
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