Dobro slide guitarist, singer and songwriter Abbie Gardner will kick off an evening of string instrument wizardry at the Jeanne Rimsky Theater when she joins bluegrass legends Hot Rize on Friday, June 15 at 8 p.m., the final show in Landmark on Main’s 2017-18 season.
Back in April, Gardner stole the show when Red Molly and Ellis Paul rocked the theater at one of the season’s most memorable shows. Now, she returns to open for Hot Rize in a season-ending concert that will have the audience on its feet.
Gardner, who toured with Red Molly for eleven years, grew up studying the classical flute, but eventually made the switch to Dobro, a type of American resonator guitar. After familiarizing herself with the Dobro, Gardner wrote her first full-length track in 2004. The track, called “My Crazy Dream,” earned her a spot in Hal Leonard’s 2009 book “The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide.”
In the years since the release of the song, Gardner has put out four successful CD albums of her own: Honey On My Grave (2006), Bad Nights and Better Days (2008), Hope (2011), and Wishes On A Neon Sign (2018).
“Abbie Gardner shows her prodigious writing chops in her album, Hope,” said Richard Cuccaro, a publisher for Acoustic Live. “Tales of love and loss, both gritty and sweet, ride the back of her by now familiar, formidable slide guitar licks.”
Since the release of her CD albums, Gardner has filled her trophy case with a number of distinct recognitions, including a second place finish at the 2006 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase, the 2008 Lennon Folk Award for her song “The Mind of a Soldier,” and the 2008 American Songwriter Magazine Grand Prize Lyric for her song “I’d Rather Be.” Now, Gardner tours on her own, teaming up with other bands at different shows or dazzling audiences at her own gigs.
Meanwhile, Hot Rize will bring some heat of their own. The band has no shortage of accomplishments since their formation in 1978, winning the International Bluegrass Association’s inaugural Entertainer of the Year Award in 1990, being tabbed as a Grammy nominee for the Best Bluegrass Album in 1991, and taking home IBMA Song of the Year at one point.
Since the band’s retirement in 1990, Hot Rize has taken the stage at occasional reunion shows, producing the culminating recording of “So Long of a Journey” (2002) in the process. No group in the history of the bluegrass genre has maintained the same members for as long as Hot Rize did from 1978 to 1998. Simply put, Hot Rize is a piece of musical history. Today, 21st century Hot Rize aims to deliver traditional bluegrass music to two generations’ worth of fans.
Tickets for Hot Rize are available through Landmark’s box office by calling 516-767-6444 or going to www.landmarkonmainstreet.org.
Landmark on Main Street is located at 232 Main St. in Port Washington.
