• Tim O'Brien & Bryan Sutton with Mollie O'Brien & Rich Moore
• 8:00pm

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READ A NEW REVIEW OF TIM'S and MOLLIE'S NEW ALBUMS

ABOUT TIM O'BRIEN

Tim O'Brien is one of the spearheads of contemporary bluegrass. As co- founder and lead vocalist of Hot Rize and Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers, O'Brien served as a bridge between the traditional sounds of the hill country and the modern styles of bluegrass in the 1980s. Since the band's breakup, O'Brien has continued to expand the music's borders as a soloist, a duo partner with his sister Mollie, and with his band, the O'Boys. O'Brien's songs have additionally been recorded by Kathy Mattea, the Seldom Scene, New Grass Revival, and the Johnson Mountain Boys.

In Tim O’Brien’s music, things come together. The uncanny intersection of traditional and contemporary elements in his songwriting, his tireless dedication to a vast and still-expanding array of instruments, and his ongoing commitment to place himself in as many unique and challenging musical scenarios as possible has made him a key figure in today’s thriving roots music scene – and well beyond it.

O’Brien’s presence – be it as a bandleader, songwriter, mentor, instrumentalist, or vocalist – has been strongly felt not only in his own rich music, but in the many recordings of his songs by such artists as the Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks, Dierks Bentley, Nickel Creek, Kathy Mattea, the New Grass Revival, and the Seldom Scene, and in his recorded collaborations with Steve Martin, the Chieftains, and innumerable others.

Most recently, O’Brien has been performing before capacity crowds in the band of Mark Knopfler, who described O’Brien as “a master of American folk music, Irish music, Scottish music – it doesn't matter; a fine songwriter and one of my favorite singers.”

ABOUT BRYAN SUTTON

Bryan Sutton seemed to come out of nowhere as part of Ricky Skaggs' return to bluegrass in 1997. Bluegrass Unlimited's review of "Bluegrass Rules!" took special note of his "spellbinding solos...[which] establish him as a musician who bears close scrutiny," while an appearance on Tina Adair's "Just You Wait And See" (Sugar Hill) led another reviewer to call him "a guitarist to be reckoned with." All in all, it was a remarkable welcome for a young musician.

Born near Asheville, NC, guitarist Bryan Sutton picked up the guitar at the age of eight and immersed himself in rock and jazz playing, but the rhythms and melodies of bluegrass pickin' held his attention the strongest. After high school, Sutton toured for two years backing gospel artist Karen Peck before joining the contemporary country/gospel band Mid South.

Landing in Nashville, he found plenty of studio work playing not only guitar, but fiddle, mandolin, and banjo as well, which led to a meeting with Ricky Skaggs and a subsequent spot on Kentucky Thunder's roster. His years with Skaggs kept the rising star busy, but he still found time to work with Aubrey Haynie, Jerry Douglas, Don Rigsby, Bobby Hicks, and Melic.

Sutton parted ways with Kentucky Thunder in early 1999 and found session work with Rhonda Vincent, the Dixie Chicks, and Dolly Parton, and was honored by the International Bluegrass Music Association as 2000's "Guitar Player of the Year." Acoustic label Sugar Hill Records was more than happy to release his solo debut, 2000's "Ready to Go" (featuring guest appearances by collaborators Douglas, Skaggs, and Parton), and its follow-up, the more subdued and appropriately named "Bluegrass Guitar".

ABOUT MOLLIE O'BRIEN

Mollie O’Brien sings. Does she ever. Jazz, R&B, blues, gospel, southern mountain traditional — you name it. And she approaches each with an ease that makes you think she was steeped in the style since the first time a note left her throat.

Growing up in Wheeling, West Virginia, one of five children, Mollie was exposed to music of every stripe, from performances by the Wheeling Symphony to concerts by Count Basie, Ray Charles, and the Beatles. She listened to singers — Joni Mitchell and Judy Collins, Bonnie Raitt and Dinah Washington, Streisand, Sinatra, and Betty Carter — and took voice lessons. Later, with her brother, Tim, she performed in church and at coffeehouses. All the while she dreamed of heading to New York to sing and act on Broadway and make a big splash in show business. After her sophomore year of college, she set out for the Big Apple, but the auditions were discouraging and gigs were few. She stuck it out for four years — long enough to discover the irresistible pull of swing music and the stylistic stretches required for jazz. Eventually she moved to Colorado, where brother Tim O’Brien had already staked out territory in the booming music scene.

So there’s the story — at least the first part. Mollie moved to Boulder in 1980, worked as a duo with Tim, and formed her own R&B band. Now, a couple of decades later, she’s married with two teen-aged daughters and a firmly established singing career. She has been called one of roots music’s best interpreters and singers, and her voice described as “smooth,” “smoky,” “powerful,” and “bright and bold as sheet lightning.” Once you’ve heard it, you’re hooked.

Mollie’s recordings are a tribute to the variety of her taste and the versatility of her performance. On her solo CDs — Every Night in the Week and I Never Move Too Soon (on Resounding Records) and Tell It True, Big Red Sun, and Things I Gave Away (on Sugar Hill) — she moves without hesitation from style to style, dipping into the songs of Lennon and McCartney, Percy Mayfield, Memphis Minnie, Chuck Berry, and the Subdudes.

Showcasing her old-time, folk, blues, and gospel chops are three albums with Tim O’Brien (Take Me Back, Remember Me, and Away Out on the Mountain — all on the Sugar Hill label).
There have been any number of collaborations, most notably the Grammy-winning True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe (Sugar Hill) with a stellar bunch of bluegrass greats. For the past few years, Mollie has worked with Garrison Keillor and Robin & Linda Williams as the Hopeful Gospel Quartet, with her own five-piece band, and as a duo with husband Rich Moore.

ABOUT RICH MOORE

Rich Moore is well-known and well-loved in Colorado's acoustic music family and has lived and performed here for over 25 years. He made his reputation early on as bassist and guitarist with stellar local outfits like The Solid Senders, and in recent years has been the rhythmic bedrock for Pete Wernick's Live Five, Celeste Krenz, and with ensembles fronted by his wife, the internationally-esteemed vocalist Mollie O'Brien. He is guitarist of choice for folk legend Tom Paxton, who invariably requests Moore as a sideman for his Colorado shows.

Known primarily as a bass player, Moore showcases his formidable guitar chops on his solo recording "Steady State." His approach to the guitar might be thought of as “solo guitar ensemble”, though many of the album’s selections employ a wealth of Colorado talent including stand-out contributions from John Magnie and Brian McRae. He is a consummate picker -- meticulous, elegant, warm and witty. After years of collaborating with other musicians, he found that he was writing more and more of his own tunes, and required a solo project to contain his burgeoning catalog of originals -- the CD contains seven of Moore's compositions along with three tasty covers, including a Ray Charles-inspired "You Don't Know Me."

Legendary songwriter Tom Paxton says of Rich’s playing:

"Whenever I'm trying to work out a guitar arrangement I inevitably come to a point where I ask myself, 'How would Rich play this?' Then I laugh at my pretensions to greatness and go back to my usual plunk, plunk style. Fact is, Rich plays the way I hear it in my head. I just wish my hands heard it that way, too.

Rich’s shows are a combination of fine playing and first rate performance. His audiences are treated not only to his excellent guitar styling, but also to his quick wit and humorous observations. Don’t miss him.