Molly Tuttle at Liberty Hall, Lawrence KS (2025-10-11)

“The highway knows” and now anyone left still unaware in Lawrence, knows about this hidden gem performer-

Grammy Award-winning Americana roots musician Molly Tuttle returned to Liberty Hall in downtown Lawrence on her The Highway Knows Tour for a rewarding and empowering performance, in support of new album, So Long Little Miss Sunshine (released August 15 via Nonesuch).

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Just prior to Tuttle’s headlining set, was one from an artist who very nearly died–

Texas singer/songwriter Joshua Ray Walker took to the barstool at center stage for songs and stories, in support of his newest and fourth full-length, ‘Stuff’ (via East Dallas Records / Thirty Tigers) due out this coming Friday. Following a misdiagnosis of cancer, Walker threw all caution to wind, composing songs for the new record (with songs recorded in a single take), and even held his own estate sale.

It’s a bit of a departure of Walker’s previous honky-tonk/dancehall leaning records but is still rooted in the classic Texas-style Country of Strait, Jones, Shaver, and more. He’s been on the Tonight Show and played the Opry four times, as well as regularly gigs near his Dallas home base, so is seasoned and comfortable on stage. His “Lot Lizard,” lyrically originated at a Kansas truck stop where he overheard a conversation between a trucker and a (possibly illicit) woman.

“Boat Show Girl” takes inspiration from tagging along as a youth with his motorsports show -promoting mom and seeing all the bikini-clad women convincing dumbstruck men to buy a boat. “Tropicana” took that beach-like pop-ish turn (as many Country singers seem to do) and “Voices” culminated in Walker holding an extended falsetto note to conclude the song’s chorus. His humor was on display for “Sexy After Dark” and the grateful, “Thank You for Listening” was of course based on the title, the ideal closer.

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Like her newest record, the live show from Molly Tuttle and band showed a diverse palette of pop, rock, and bluegrass country, described as her most vulnerable and self-defined to date. The lead single, “That’s Gonna Leave A Mark” already hit #1 on the Americana Radio charts and the 2023 Grammy-nominated Best New Artist proved how you can stretch any perceived boundaries of a musical genre, and ‘color outside the lines’ with great results.

Her ninety-minute headlining set (which flew by like a refreshing breeze) began joyously with the first two tracks from her newest album, “Everything Burns” and “The Highway Knows”, the latter of which the tour was named after and where Tuttle lyrically confesses, “You’re my destination, you’re the mountain top, and the highway knows I’m gonna love you.”

From there, a left turn into the psych-pop of vintage Rolling Stones for a cover of their 1967 song, “She’s a Rainbow,” complete with some impressive bluegrass picking and a song first released before most in the audience were born.

Tuttle mentioned an affection for Lawrence and finding time to re-visit some downtown shops prior to the show, even changing the lyrics on the new album’s lead single, “That’s Gonna Leave a Mark” to mention Kansas instead of Tennessee, to crowd roars.

Tuttle’s four piece backing band was solid, notably mandolin and multi-instrumentalist MaryMeyer, who also plays in Sister Sadie and her own project, Mair, and Tuttle taught the crowd to sing backing vocals for her and the band on “Where Did All The Wild Things Go?”, which was fun.

A single mic was set on center stage as Joshua Ray Walker returned to the stage to help on Tuttle’s 2023 song, “Yosemite” which featured Dave Matthews on the recording- some big shoes to fill, but Walker was up to the task. The following two songs were performed intimately by a trio- Tuttle, Meyer, and bassist Vanessa McGowan, before the full band returned for 2023’s “El Dorado.”

After a stirring extended “Dooley’s Farm” with the instrumental might of the band on display in full force, Tuttle, empowered by the momentum launched into the new “Old Me (New Wig)” confidently flinging her own wig off mid-verse, to rave applause. Reveling in the moment, she brought Cecilia Castleman back out to duet on “Crooked Tree,” explaining we’re all imperfect branches of one, which Lawrence (a town ‘weird’ in the sense that Portland and Austin are) loved to hear, and cheered even louder.

The encore began with that same trio taking the stage for “White Freightliner,” a song she originally collab’d on with Dan Tyminski (of O Brother Where Are Thou and Union Station fame) and then the set and evening would end with her cover of the Icona Pop x Charli XCX dance hit, “I Love It”, from the new record, re-imagined in a slow and dreamy style.

Any artist that can successfully pull off multi genres and throw in covers from The Stones and Icona Pop in the same set (probably the only one ever to do that) has our attention right there, but Molly Tuttle is doing what’s needed to make her own way (and more on her terms, per the themes of the new record), so it’s more than just ‘the highway knows that she’s in this for the long term.

MOLLY TUTTLE at LIBERTY HALL, LAWRENCE KS (2025-10-11)

JOSHUA RAY WALKER at LIBERTY HALL, LAWRENCE KS (2025-10-11)