World-Class Musician, Songwriter, And Performer Molly Miller Releases New New Album
Molly Miller who is one of the most respected and sought-after studio and touring musicians has released The Ballad of Hotspur, her third album with the Molly Miller Trio available today on all digital platforms, in addition to multiple physical formats all available HERE .
The Molly Miller Trio is Molly Miller on guitar, Jennifer Condos (Don Henley, Steve Nick, Bruce Springsteen) on bass, and Jay Bellerose (Robert Plant, Allison Krauss, Elton John) on drums. The Ballad of Hotspur is the trio’s third album and draws its name from a character in Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1, based on the 14th-century English knight Sir Henry Percy, who fought in numerous battles against the French in the Hundred Years War. He was given the nickname “Hotspur” as a tribute to his speed in advance and readiness to attack. The album was written remotely over two years at the height of the pandemic, with members exchanging ideas and tracks back and forth before coming together at LA’s Valentine Studios to record the album in just two days.
The album is a journey of genre-defying instrumentation that showcases not only the unbelievable level of musicianship the trio possesses as individuals but also highlights their incredible knack for collaboration. The album is a stunning concoction of genres from surf rock, jazz, and country western to afrobeat, all the while retaining a cohesive sound. All the songs on the album conjure vivid imagery, from the western-inspired “Orchid and Cowboys,” which sets the tone of vast western skies, and tumbleweeds blowing through an abonon town. ““66 West” elicits sonic landscapes that would be right at home on an Ennio Morricone score for a Quentin Tarantino-style western, to “Blues to Greens,” which paints a sonic picture of lush green hills, and serene waterways. Americana Highways described the album as “ music that inspires writers & motivates the mind with images that conjure reflective moments & subtle moods.”
Music is everything to Molly, who has played guitar since age seven. She started off performing in a family band with her four siblings and drew inspiration from artists like Jimi Hendrix, Mickey Baker, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. In high school, she got into jazz, an obsession that continued into her years at USC, where she eventually earned her BA, MA, and Doctorate in Musical Arts. A few weeks after graduating in 2016, Jason Mraz asked Molly to play with him. The same year, she became the Guitar Department Chair at the Los Angeles College of Music. Since then, Molly has balanced performance and teaching, becoming a professor of studio guitar at USC in 2022. Along with Mraz, she’s played with artists such as the Black Eyed Peas, Zayn, Scary Pockets, Sin Bandera, and Pomplamoose at the Hollywood Bowl, Royal Albert Hall, and Coachella, and Molly Miller Trio has toured as an opening act for Mraz and performed at Monterey Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s at Lincoln Center, and SF Jazz. Most recently Molly has been playing with Zayn Malik supporting several promotional engagements including a performance on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon that will air later this month.
Molly is currently on tour through the rest of May and into June playing these new songs live on select solo dates before heading off on tour with Jason Mraz where she will be doing double duty, as his opening act in addition to playing in his band.
You can keep up with Molly Miller through website mollymillermusic.com, Facebook @Molly Miller, YouTube @mollymillermusic and Instagram @moodymill