The Mollys

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The Mollys
OriginTucson, Arizona
GenresFolk-rock
Years active1989–2004, plus occasional subsequent reunions through 2012
MembersNancy McCallion, Catherine Zavala, Kevin Schramm, Dan Sorenson, Gary Mackender
Past membersKaren Falkenstrom, Danny Krieger, Marx Loeb, Linda Winkelman
WebsiteOfficial web site

The Mollys were an American folk-rock quintet, influenced by Celtic and Tejano music, and based in Tucson, Arizona. For most of their run, their members were Nancy McCallion, Catherine Zavala, Kevin Schramm, Dan Sorenson and Gary Mackender.[1] They self-released several albums between 1992 and 2011.

History[edit]

Before The Mollys[edit]

Three of The Mollys - Nancy McCallion, Catherine Zavala, and Dan Sorenson - had previously performed in the Tucson band Nadine and the MoPhonics, which also included McCallion's siblings Lisa and Neil.[2][3]

The Mollys[edit]

In the Village Voice in 2000, Don Allred wrote that "Tucson, Arizona’s Mollys ARE TexMexistential Celtic Country Polka - which...has usually added up to 'Rock’n’Roll by Other Means.'"[4] Craig Harris of Allmusic called them "one of the contemporary folk music's most eclectic bands."[5] In the Washington Post in 1996, Greg Himes wrote that "[Nancy McCallion] rivals Lucinda Williams and Iris DeMent as one of the finest Americana songwriters of the '90s and she deserves a comparable reputation...".[6]

Nancy McCallion and Catherine Zavala started The Mollys in Tucson in 1989. They were influenced by Celtic and Tejano music, and by The Pogues.[citation needed] In the beginning, Linda Winkelman and Karen Falkenstrom briefly joined on winds and percussion, respectively.[7][8] For most of their run, the Mollys were Nancy McCallion (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, tin whistle, songwriting), Catherine Zavala (lead vocals, mandolin), Kevin Schramm (since 1994 - accordions, guitar, vocals), Dan Sorenson (bass, tour blogger), and Gary Mackender (drums, vocals).[1][9] The Mollys toured across the United States frequently, and also in Canada, Italy, Australia and New Zealand.[3][6][10][11] Circa 2000, Zavala and Mackender, having tired of touring, left the band, and Danny Krieger (guitar) and Marx Loeb (drums) joined.[12][4]

Between 1989 and 2004, The Mollys self-released seven albums, under the publishing name "Apolkalips Now".[9][6][4] Nancy McCallion was the band's primary songwriter.[11] The Mollys' album Hat Trick was given 4.5/5 stars by Allmusic,[13] while Tidings of Comfort and Joy in 1992 was given 4/5 stars.[14]

McCallion and the other remaining members nominally closed The Mollys down in 2004.[15] However, through 2012, the band's longest-serving five members tended to perform an annual reunion concert in Tucson, typically around St. Patrick's Day or on Halloween, one of which resulted in an additional (live) album.[16][17][9]

Beyond The Mollys[edit]

As of 2020, all of the former Mollys remain in the Tucson area.

Circa 2005-2016, the Last Call Girls, including Kevin Schramm, Nancy McCallion, and her sister Lisa McCallion, performed around Tucson and released one album.[18][19][20][21][22] During the first decades of the 21st century, Kevin Schramm continued to perform with several other groups,[23][24] and Dan Sorenson continued his journalism career while also performing occasionally.[25][26] Linda Winkelman played in the jazz quartet Flambe.[7]

As of early 2020, most of the former Mollys continued to perform locally, and some have also released recordings. Nancy McCallion performs more than once a month, leading several ensembles, some of which include her husband, and former Molly, Danny Krieger and/or her brother Neil McCallion, as of 2024.[27][28] Nancy McCallion has also self-released several recordings, and continues to work as a schoolteacher.[29][30][3] Since 2012, Zavala leads Minute2Minute, which occasionally performs and records.[31][32] In March 2024, to celebrate both St. Patrick and the late Shane MacGowan of The Pogues, McCallion organized several performances of Irish music in Tucson, which included herself, Catherine Zavala, Dan Sorensen, and others.[33]

Gary Mackender, now on accordion instead of drums, has led performances and recordings with The Carnivaleros through 2024. As of 2021-2022, Mackender had been performing in The Tirebiters (a.k.a. Sky Island Ramblers) and the Morpholinos, and by 2024, also in Dropped By Birds. Mackender also continues to work in the visual arts.[34][35][36][37][28]

As of 2020, Marx Loeb continued to drum with a variety of other Tucson musicians, occasionally including Nancy McCallion.[38][39] Karen Falkenstrom continued to drum with Odaiko Sonora and with Eldritch Dragons.[8]

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

(all albums self-published)

  • Moon Over the Interstate expanded version, with additional tracks from previous albums, originally packaged only to carry and sell during the Mollys' tour of Australia and New Zealand (1999)[41][citation needed]

Further reading[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Zucker, Robert E., ed. (August 1, 2015). "Entertaining Tucson Across the Decades, Volume 3: The 1990s: An Entertainment Magazine Compilation". Entertainment Magazine. BZB Publishing. ISBN 9781939050090. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  2. ^ Samoy, S. Castillo (April 1985). "Nadine and the MoPhonics: Singing for Success". Entertainment Magazine. reprinted in book "Entertaining Tucson Across the Decades, Volume 1: 1950s-1985", pp. 224-225, compiled by Robert E. Zucker, BZB Publishing, Inc. (2014). ISBN 1939050065. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  3. ^ a b c "Nancy McCallion". Paolo Freire Freedom School. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  4. ^ a b c Allred, Don (August 15, 2000). "A Clockwork Piñata". Village Voice. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Harris, Craig. "The Mollys". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  6. ^ a b c d Himes, Geoffrey (February 9, 1996). "Mollys' Original Celtic-Chicana Mix". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  7. ^ a b "Flambe". Reverbnation. 2012. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  8. ^ a b "Eldritch Dragons: The Band". Eldritch Dragons. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  9. ^ a b c The Mollys (2012). "The Mollys". The Mollys. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  10. ^ a b Pratka, Rosemary (February 14, 1997). "A hatful of Irish/Tex-Mex music from the Mollys". Morning Call. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  11. ^ a b c Kasten, Roy (August 25, 1999). "The Mollys with One Fell Swoop". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  12. ^ Hankins, Dewayne (Aug 30, 2000). "Celtic, Tex-Mex band gains momentum". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  13. ^ Gottlieb, Bob (1997). "Hat Trick". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  14. ^ Meyer, Richard (1992). "Tidings of Comfort and Joy". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  15. ^ "After 15 years, jig is up for Mollys". Arizona Daily Star. March 12, 2004. p. 57. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  16. ^ Review at Your West Valley
  17. ^ a b The Mollys. "'Live' at the El Casino Ballroom". CD Baby. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  18. ^ Messina, Irene (November 23, 2006). "Pick of the Week: Never Too Late". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  19. ^ Vining, Bonnie (July 7, 2011). "Last Call Girls band plays high-energy show". Tucson Week. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  20. ^ "The Last Call Girls, in Tucson, December 18, 2016: The Boondocks Lounge". Eventful. 2016. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  21. ^ "The Last Call Girls". Allmusic. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  22. ^ The Last Call Girls (2006). "It's Never to Late to Get Lucky". CD Baby. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  23. ^ Lerner, Ronald (November 29, 2019). "Kevin Schramm". Tucson Musicians Museum. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  24. ^ "Nathan McEuen CD Release Concert". Tucson Happenings. November 2015. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  25. ^ Sorensen, Dan (September 26, 2014). "Garage Start-up – Now Flying High". BizTucson. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  26. ^ Retallick, Martha (2012). "Dan Sorenson plays acoustic guitar in the Blue Desert Band's concert at the 2012 Tucson Folk Festival". Tucson Event Photography. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  27. ^ Nancy McCallion (March 2020). "Nancy McCallion: Shows". Nancy McCallion. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  28. ^ a b "Calendar". Neil McCallion. January 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-02-06. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  29. ^ "Nancy McCallion". Allmusic. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  30. ^ McCallion, Nancy (2019). "Nancy McCallion". CD Baby. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  31. ^ Minute2Minute (March 1, 2020). "Minute2Minute...and you're in it!". Minute2Minute. Retrieved 2020-03-06.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ "Obituary: Corkill, Brian Lee". Arizona Daily Star. November 24, 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  33. ^ "Nancy McCallion: Events". Nancy McCallion. March 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  34. ^ Mackender, Gary (2024). "The Carnivaleros: Dates". The Carnivaleros. Archived from the original on 2024-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  35. ^ Mackender, Gary (2021). "Mackender". Gary Mackender. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  36. ^ "Art & Life with Gary Mackender". VoyagePhoenix. September 11, 2018. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  37. ^ Burch, Cathalena E. (July 26, 2021). "From twangy country to a funky free-for-all, Tucson stages will be active". Tucson.com. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  38. ^ Lipson, Jim (November 14, 2019). "Musical Feast: The Tucson Musicians Museum whips up a jam with the Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  39. ^ Lerner, Ronald (May 30, 2016). "Marx Loeb". Tucson Musicians Museum. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  40. ^ a b c d e McCallion, Nancy. "The Mollys: CDs and downloads". Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  41. ^ a b c d e "The Mollys". CD Baby. Retrieved 2020-02-25.

External links[edit]

External links[edit]

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