Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway: White Rabbit Live Cover
A song built on tension and release meets a band that thrives on feel. The result is a live cover that creeps in slow, then blooms into color. This performance of White Rabbit is a study in mood, restraint, and lift, and it shows a band in sync at every turn.
The Magic of the Performance
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway take the stage at Suwannee Hulaween in Live Oak, Florida, and pull the crowd into a slow burn. The arrangement is tight, the pacing unhurried, and the sound carries the drama the song deserves. It drifts in on a pulse, then climbs, step by step, toward that famous peak.
At the center is Molly Tuttle on guitar and lead vocals. The band around her is a perfect fit for this song’s vivid imagery and shadowy corners: Shelby Means on bass and harmonies, Kyle Tuttle on banjo, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes on fiddle, and Dominick Leslie on mandolin. Each voice and instrument takes a small share of the spotlight, then blends back into the whole.
Filmed by Jay Strausser at Suwannee Hulaween, the clip feels alive from the first notes. The setting suits the song’s shape. Lights and crowd noise flicker at the edge, and the band rides a steady build that never rushes.
The camera catches the group in close focus, and it heightens the song’s eerie rise and hypnotic sway. Small details in the playing land with weight because the pace leaves space for them. It is the kind of live take where the room becomes part of the sound.
White Rabbit carries vivid images that trace back to Alice in Wonderland. Even in a live setting, those lines still bite. The performance leans into the story and lets each phrase hit, then breathe. The pauses, the hush between lines, and the controlled climb all add to the tension.
Those lines, paired with a bluegrass-adjacent band, could feel unusual on paper. In practice, they lock in. The band’s string textures draw out the song’s stark rhythm and chanting cadence, while Molly’s vocal shapes the arc. Instead of copying the original’s storm, the group channels it through their own mix of precision and vibe.
The arrangement also keeps the narrative front and center. The verse phrasing stays crisp, the band lifts under key words, and the instrumental passages do not crowd the storytelling. Listeners can feel the lyrics move the music, not the other way around.
The sound centers on a steady, almost heartbeat-like motion that expands in layers. Every instrument brings a distinct color, and the parts fit like puzzle pieces.
Molly has shared that each band member brought ideas to this arrangement, and that shows. The mix of tones and the balance of space feel like a group design. By letting the strings simmer instead of sprint, the band gives White Rabbit a new frame without losing its bite.
This choice comes from a personal place. Molly grew up with Alice in Wonderland, even playing the Queen of Hearts in a school play. She also shares a hometown connection with Grace Slick, who is from Palo Alto, California, just like her. That tie, paired with early love for the story, gives the song an extra spark.
There is also the journey behind the recording. Molly chose to cover this song in fall 2020 for a live stream of music by San Francisco Bay Area artists. From there, she moved it into full-band form. She has described this as the first song she arranged, produced, and recorded from the ground up with the band that she has been on the road with all year. After nearly 100 shows together, the group had a shared language, and that unity shaped the final sound.
Pulling those threads together, the cover feels both personal and forward-looking. Pieces that matter most to her appear in small, sharp details: the poised vocal, the slow lift, the careful use of harmony. The performance reflects the book’s strange beauty and the original song’s intensity, while still sounding like Golden Highway.
This live version honors Jefferson Airplane’s classic while standing on its own. The structure still rises like a spiral staircase, and the payoff lands with force. The applause and thanks at the end seal the moment and tip the hat to the source.
For the studio version from Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, listeners can stream White Rabbit across platforms. The recorded cut deepens the live mood with the clarity of the studio, while keeping the core tension that makes the song so gripping.
Molly Tuttle is a guitarist, singer, and bandleader with roots in the San Francisco Bay Area. She fronts Golden Highway, a road-tested group that blends drive, clarity, and feel. Her approach pairs precision with storytelling, and her band elevates both.
In this lineup, each player is more than support. Shelby Means anchors the groove on bass and lifts choruses with harmony. Kyle Tuttle shapes the rhythmic frame on banjo. Bronwyn Keith-Hynes brings lyrical lines on fiddle that shade the mood. Dominick Leslie adds quicksilver detail on mandolin. Together, they build dynamics that serve the song first.
Molly’s path with White Rabbit began in 2020 with a live-streamed set of music by Bay Area artists. That spark set the stage for a deeper dive. When she brought the song to Golden Highway, the group carried it from an idea to a fully realized arrangement.
She has shared that this was the first track she arranged, produced, and recorded from scratch with the same band she toured with all year. That continuity matters. After almost 100 shows together, the band had a shared sense of timing and tone, and they trusted each other’s instincts. You can hear that in the choices they make, like when to hold back and when to push.
The result is a cover that feels lived in, not just learned. It echoes the band’s growth and their willingness to stretch. Recording this track pushed them into new territory, and that curiosity fuels the performance here.
Live shows at festivals can be chaotic, yet this video feels focused. Jay Strausser’s filming captures the intensity without losing the human side. The frames linger on faces and hands at the right times, and the sound breathes with the crowd.
Suwannee Hulaween is a natural home for a song like White Rabbit. The set glows, the air hums, and that slightly surreal edge fits the source material. The camera lets the viewer feel close, even through a screen.
Part of the power of this cover is the careful use of space. The band resists the urge to rush. Gaps between phrases let images like chessboards and mushrooms bloom in the mind. It is cinema for the ears, carried by a sparse, steady engine.
Color comes from the strings. The fiddle sustains over the pulse, the mandolin adds staccato points of light, and the banjo keeps tension in the pocket. The bass rounds out the lower end, and the guitar locks it all together. The band treats silence and sound as equal partners, and that balance keeps listeners hooked.
Fans who enjoy this performance will likely enjoy more session and live clips on the Molly Tuttle channel. The mix of energy and detail carries through her work with Golden Highway. For a studio take on this song, head to the link to stream the band’s version of White Rabbit. It pairs well with the live video and shows how the arrangement translates offstage.
Those curious about the band dynamic can listen for how parts interlock across other live cuts. The same care with rhythm, space, and harmony shows up again and again, which speaks to the trust they built on the road.
Conclusion
White Rabbit lives on because it invites bold choices. Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway accept that invitation and answer with a version that feels both personal and precise. The live take at Suwannee Hulaween builds like a whisper that turns into a wave, and the band’s touch makes every step count. Watch the video, then spin the studio track, and hear how a classic can find new life in the hands of a group that listens as hard as it plays.
