A fan once lovingly stated that Molly brings the orchestra to the live rock show, and it’s a descriptor that has stuck over the years. As a longtime fiddle player for the Ozark Mountain Daredevils who morphed into a powerhouse experimental songwriter, Molly Healey began her solo career in 2015 after buying a simple looping pedal. She immediately found a passion for blending her strings and voice together into atmospheric and experimental orchestral folk songs, and her first compositions were featured on her debut solo album, Nightbirds. She has since recorded 3 more albums, each growing in intensity and instrumentation, and the most recent of which, Lotus, was released in 2022. She has grown from the stripped-down looping solo set, to a roster of original music and choice covers that she often performs with a full electric band. She plays a dazzling variety of instruments: cello, violin, guitar, and piano, all while experimenting with various other sounds looping in Ableton Live.
Influenced by artists such as Radiohead, Andrew Bird, Agnes Obel and more experimental cello-driven acts like Zoe Keating and The Avett Brothers, her music is heavily laden with her lush string arrangements, unconventional use of the orchestral instruments, and infectious beats. And all instruments aside, Molly’s strongest asset might be considered her voice, as she has been singing on various stages since her early childhood years.
She has opened for Victor Wooten, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, among many more, and has played sets at Burning Man, Roots N Blues Festival in Columbia, ReKinection Festival, and for the Missouri Contemporary Ballet. Her band, called the Molly Healey String Project, features the following members: Zach Harrison on electric guitar, Kyle Day on bass, and Danny Carroll on drums. Molly also continues to play violin for The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, The Lacewings, and guests with such acts as Ha Ha Tonka and many others. She frequently does session work for various bands across the state. Molly is also the co-organizer of Earth Day: The Festival, an annual music festival that raises funds for local environmental organizations. She is in the studio recording new music to be released in 2025 and 2026, including a new project, ODM, aka Orchestral Dance Music.
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