Molly Thomas

In nautical jargon, a “tumblehome” is a design feature on a ship that provides stability. Singer-songwriter Molly Thomas had referenced the term in a song on her latest album; however, when she was T-boned at an intersection and incapacitated for five months during the recording of the album, “tumblehome” took on a darker connotation.

Making the album proved to be the biggest challenge and accomplishment in Thomas’s 30-year music career. Many of the songs were written before the accident, and their messages of resilience, hope, and self-revelation proved to be just what she needed to get through. Now, healed and with her wit intact, Thomas calls her latest album, Tumble Home.

“The accident taught me a lot,” the Fairhope, Alabama-based artist says. “It taught me patience, and to trust the healing process. I also felt the love and support of my husband, and my music community, including my co-producer and co-writer Ken Rose.”
Thomas’ cinematic folk sensibility melds Americana earthiness with symphonic grandeur. She’s a prodigiously gifted violinist who sees the big picture with her songs, bringing forth her heartfelt narratives with richly expressive instrumentation from her background as a string player. Thomas is also a dynamically expressive vocalist who can effortlessly sweep up from the dreamy to the dramatic. To date, she has released three critically-acclaimed albums, including two solo records and an EP, and one record with her band, Molly Thomas and The Rare Birds.
As an in-demand sideperson, Thomas has worked with Todd Snider, Will Kimbrough, Matthew Ryan, Guster, Will Hogue, Amelia White, Mando Saenz, KS Rhoads, Blue Mother Tupelo, Wilco’s Pat Sansone, The White Buffalo, Atom Orr, Abe Partridge, and Tommy Talton, among others. She’s performed on the Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Imus In The Morning, and SXSW. She’s also performed at venues such as The Ryman Auditorium, El Rey in LA, and Irving Plaza in NY.
Thomas’ violin playing has been featured in the Edward Burn’s crime drama, Ash Wednesday (2002), the Nick Stagliano thriller, Good Day For It (2011), and the Steven R. Monroe romantic mystery MoniKa (2012). She plans to compose for film in the future, and is building a profile as an artist producer.
Thomas was born in Mississippi, and spent several years working in Nashville before making Fairhope her home. She came up a musically-gifted child who played in many youth symphonies and earned several scholarships.
When she discovered her gifts as a singer-songwriter, she found her experiences as a violinist to be a great asset. “Strings add emotion and depth to songs. In movies they help the storylines progress along, and I definitely use this approach in my songs,” she details.
The narrative on Thomas’ fourth record is poignantly enhanced by her filmic use of strings. Thomas and producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Ken Rose (Marianne Faithfull, Tony Carey, Kip Winger, Kasia Kowalska, Roch Voisine, and Teitur) wrote the album’s ten songs in two weeks. The duo were deep into tracking the songs when Thomas had the accident.

“I didn’t know if I would be able to finish the record. I was dealing with head trauma—I had double vision,” she recalls. The unplanned break, however, gave Thomas time to digest the album, and write the songs “Crash” and “Tender Girl,” which boasts a cameo from Todd Snider.
Tumble Home’s themes of resilience inspired Thomas during the healing process. The boldly vulnerable, “Even The Strong Need Somebody Sometimes,” features lush strings, soulfully weary vocals, soaring hooks, and achingly beautiful lyrics. Thomas sings: It takes strength to stay above the punch/Hurts like forever/When you’ve taken too much/The past creeps in from time to time defenseless and wide, wide open.

Thomas’ career has been defined by her diverse skillset, and she shows her breadth with “Sorry,” an indie rock song featuring sumptuous harmony vocals, chunky guitars, and a breathtaking string section outro. The song explores Thomas’ self-deprecating habit of apologizing, and her words here are unflinchingly candid.

The 10-song album concludes with the gorgeous chamber-folk song, “I Am a Wave.” This is a beautiful example of Thomas’ ability to metaphorically utilize ocean imagery to explore the human condition. “I Am a Wave” tells a love story of two waves moving through the ocean, detailing their crashes, separations, and reunions.
Making Tumble Home instilled in Thomas patience, discipline, and a feeling of being loved and supported by her friends and family.“When I listen back to it, I am so proud of it—it’s my best work so far,” she says. “These songs got me through one of the hardest times in my life.”