Americana songwriter and country artist Molly Brandt know hows to tell a story. You can hear that in her first releases “Union Man”, “My Mind”, and the child turned into hunter song “Revenge”. The song demonstrates how our childhood experiences help influence our later years in life. Now, I’m not saying Molly Brandt is destined to become a man-hunter, but it’s easy to connect a few moments from growing up that have bloomed into her adult years.
The start of that reservoir of memories was in second grade while sitting in the after school program. She found herself drawing pictures of pretty girls wearing outfits for hours on end. She was obsessed with clothing. It wasn’t anything she as going to wear, but the dream to become a fashion designer felt real. So while other kids were playing games, Molly would be drawing pictures of dress after dress, outfit after outfit. She remembers shopping at Limited Two with her mother. Her mom would buy what she felt was okay but Molly was always trying to push against those options, wanting something maybe considered too revealing. Much of what Molly was drawn to came from looking at Seventeen magazine and seeing what other girls in school were wearing, from Ugg Boots to cool yoga pants.
It wasn’t until high school that Molly really started to care more about what she was wearing, knowing that she was going to see her crush in third period. Even as a soccer player she learned to wear the athletic uniform slightly different by tucking it in a certain way.
Finding small things to experiment and discover her own identity.
One memory that still carries residual effects is getting her ears pierced back in second grade. Her mom had the pediatrician do it with a gun instead of a needle. The hack job became infected and irritated her all the time. She was wearing hoops all the time and they would get yanked. This meant dipping her ears in hydrogen peroxide every night and turning the situation into a traumatic memory. It’s the reason why she only wears clip-on’s to this day.
“A pediatrician put a gun up to my head. You can quote that.”
Now emerging onto the music scene in Minneapolis, her musical influences are also inspiring some fashion choices for stage. By following Instagram accounts of Americana artists, going to music festivals, and observing supreme fashionistas Nikki Lane and Margo Price, Molly is curating a closet filled with statement Western wear. She’s even visited Nikki Lane’s vintage store in Nashville, finding a nice cowhide purse. Her trip to Nashville also uncovered the history of the Nudie Suit, which is now a dream article of clothing that she’s hoping to find a resource in having her own made.
Nudie Cohn was a legendary tailor that many of country music’s biggest stars wore. These made to measure outfits had extreme flair. The character of a Nudie Suit comes from the amount of hand-sewn rhinestones designed to add more pizzazz to country western clothing. It quickly caught on with inventive advertising by driving around the “Nudie Mobile”. Stars from Elvis Presley, Elton John, Gram Parsons, Cher, and John Lennon among many others, have donned the special hand crafted suits.
Although her favorite local place is Corner Store Vintage on West Lake Street, Molly admits that she’s terrible at shopping in general. Coincidentally, great clothing have found ways to find her. The long brown leather fringed jacket was given to her by a woman named Jacquie that came up to her after a show she played. She praised Molly and took the jacket off stating that it belongs to her now because of how amazing the set was. The brown fur coat was found by her mother at an estate sale in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The red polyester pants were a gift from her friend Abbey Janii of Goatroper, who sings backup in her band. Even the boots found her when wandering a festival alone. Molly was at Hinterland Music Festival when a vendor from Oklahoma spotted her and said they had the perfect boots for her.
Molly doesn’t really shop, she collects stuff. That means stopping at garage and estate sales, or random thrift stores. This scattered way of finding clothes for the stage means it needs to feel like the right piece at the right time. Fate and budget have to align together to get a place in her closet.
“When I’m on stage that gives me the permission to be this kind of character, a different version of myself. I’m trying to develop my own Molly Brandt image, that comprises of stuff that I feel beautiful and hot and sexy in.”
-Molly Brandt
As mentioned, the black leather boots are from the vendor from Oklahoma called Stone River Snaps. The red polyester pants from her band mate goes perfectly with the black leather fringe jacket she found at garage sale.
The black leather top came from Express on a Mall of America trip. The rhinestone vintage clip-on earrings and white fringe gloves were found at Corner Store Vintage. The gloves were purchased for her “Surrender to the Night” song and fits perfectly into the all white, running away from a wedding theme of the song.
When she’s not performing, Molly loves being comfortable with sweatshirts and sweatpants. As a piano teacher, she raises that level to a utilitarian level of comfy for classes. Being glamorous is not in her day to day repertoire. This leaves her time on stage and performing as a special category for finding her mojo pieces that embody her personality.
“I don’t think I spend that much time shopping for clothes at all. I don’t spend that much time caring about it. I feel like the clothes find me.”
-Molly Brandt
Molly is old enough to know the shift of country music from traditional country to new country, to country pop. Artists like Reba McEntire, George Strait, Johnny Cash, and Merle Haggard were pillars in the raise of country music. While new country saw Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, and Tim McGraw that focused more on two-step and waltz rhythms. Then came the optimistic themes, auto-tune, and sheen of country pop artists like Shania Twain and Keith Urban.
Here’s where Molly has creatively found a balance in her music. Some of her songs like “Union Man” are very classic country honky-tonk sounding, while there’s elements of 90’s new country like in “Old Northern Woman”. But then you have songs like her newest release “Rhinestone Teardrops” that falls farther back into the vein of Reba meets Margo Price. This ability to mix in all three generations of country music, while adding a bit of rock and roll, is ingenious. Her intonation and lyrics also honor the nostalgia from these different country genres, singing about disillusioned love, serial killer revenge, and keen self awareness.
It aligns seamlessly with Molly’s mojo. As her songs are rooted in imagery like rhinestone teardrops and running away from a marriage in a wedding dress, you can see perform live with rhinestones glued onto her face or wearing white fringed gloves. Those visuals complete the stories she creates and sings on stage. It’s part of that character and fashion that supports her music. Her clothes also are an homage to classic country with the Nudie Suit, embossed leather jacket with new country, and flashy fringe from the country pop era.
Stepping on stage each time, Molly wants that first impression to be one of fascination, not knowing what’s going to come out of her mouth. The stage is where she gets to shine and snag some attention for the work put into making music.
“This is what everyone wants, we wanna look amazing, but not like we tried too hard for it. I’m just trying to keep it chill, make a statement, and feel hot up on stage. I’m the main character right now. I’m the center of attention and I designed it that way,” shares Molly.
As we approach the release of Molly’s debut album Surrender to the Night with a show at the Turf Club, we can wholly expect the visuals and stories to expound. It’s a chance to celebrate American country music in it’s entirely as well. Molly Brandt is that timeless voice and talent that makes you appreciate the abundance of country musics’ legacy.
Check out the links below for ways to follow Molly Brandt and all the things we mentioned above.
Molly Brandt website - Instagram - Album Release Show - YouTube - Nudie Suits - Corner Store Vintage - Stone River Snaps - New Country vs Country Pop
