Paste Studio “On The Road” rambles on, this time to Wilkesboro, N.C., for the 36th annual MerleFest! The festival was founded in 1988 in memory of Doc Watson’s son Merle, and features “traditional plus” music, described by Doc Watson himself as, “the traditional music of the Appalachian region plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play.” Molly Tuttle’s session here turned an intimate session stage into an acoustic masterclass.
Full Session
With her guitar for accompaniment, Tuttle started with “Alice in the Bluegrass,” a Tuttle original weaving folklore with her bluegrass roots. She transitioned from “Alice” into Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit,” infusing the psychedelic rock staple with her own vibe, Tuttle’s and Grace Slick’s rebellious spirits resonating together in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. One of the most rewarding aspects of these studio sessions is watching artists adapt and evolve their performances to fit the session environment. During her main stage set later that night, Tuttle had her band Golden Highway with her to play the spacey bits during the medley between “Alice” and “Rabbit.” In this session, we get to see her figure out how to play the transition on her acoustic guitar in real time.
“Alice in the Bluegrass” / “White Rabbit”
For her closing act Tuttle played “Evergreen, OK,” named for Golden Highway mandolinist Dominick Leslie’s hometown of Evergreen, Colo., mashed up with the fact that the song is mostly about Oklahoma. Evergreen, Okla., doesn’t exist on a map, but it exists in the hearts of everybody in attendance during Tuttle’s session, and we are over the moon to share it with the whole internet now.
“Evergreen, OK”
Watch Molly Tuttle’s previous Paste Studio sessions:
2022 DelFest – Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway w/ Jerry Douglas
2020 Nashville – Molly Tuttle solo
2019 New York – Molly Tuttle with her band