The Molloy Family Album borrows its name from a story, part of a trilogy by late acclaimed Irish author and play write Samuel Beckett entitled Molloy, in which the protagonist wanders aimlessly, enduring many ridiculous and heart-rending circumstances in search of the forgotten town in which he was raised and the mother who presumably still inhabits it; in the end, to no avail.
What started as a solo endeavor by lead vocalist/songwriter Drew Renault in 2004, bloomed soon after into a band of multi-instrumentalists totaling six, a family assembled out of the thriving yet disparate music talent of his adopted home, San Francisco. The group officially disbanded soon after completing their debut album entitled “The Wound, The Blade,” leaving a sparse cast of musicians accompanying Renault intermittently during live shows, ensuring no two performances would be the same.
The songs of The Molloy Family Album have become stories themselves. Or, as the last word in the appellation implies, a sort of audio picture book of memories associated with loss and the unassailable mark it leaves on the human heart. With a sound both dark and yet undeniably hopeful, the music found on “The Wound, The Blade” serves as a cathartic means to an end, the cello, violin, and hauntingly ephemeral lap steel serving as a vessel for these narratives to be born into the world, often ending in raucous instrumentals that swing and careen like ship on a troubled sea before finding resolve, and even a measure of peace, in the final notes.
"The Wound, The Blade" - solo in Portland, OR 8/3/09
"Thy Darkness," performed live at The Hotel Utah in San Francisco
"The Distance Between Us," live at Adobe Books, San Francisco
we loved playing with you guys too. that show was perfect. i'm sorry we didn't get to meet up with you to hang out after the show. let us know if you're headed up to maine or michigan. we'd love to return the favor.
Thank you Molloy's for coming down and playing with us last night/this morning. We are playing together again in Santa Cruz soon, whether you like it or not.
