The last time singer, guitarist and songwriter Molly Tuttle was in the Upstate, she performed twice in the same day. She played a packed, in-store show at Horizon Records during the afternoon, and then opened for Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit at a sellout show at the Peace Center that evening.

“It was kind of a nice surprise, because we hadn’t played in that area that much before. That was really cool to meet a bunch of people somewhere I hadn’t been before who knew my music.”

For many local music fans, it was the first time they’d experienced Tuttle live, and both performances were stunning. Which makes sense, because she’s an International Bluegrass Music Award-winning guitarist who can handle bluegrass, Americana, folk and pop with ease, and her first full-length album, 2019’s “When You’re Ready,” was a critically-acclaimed, blissfully melodic collection of acoustic music that blended all of those styles into a seamless whole.

“I think both crowds were really warm, but the in-store show was really fun,” Tuttle says. “And it was kind of a nice surprise, because we hadn’t played in that area that much before. That was really cool to meet a bunch of people somewhere I hadn’t been before who knew my music.”

The Upstate must have made an impression, because Tuttle is returning on Friday for a show at The Spinning Jenny in Greer, with upright bassist Sam Howard and drummer Nicholas Falk. The trio format should give the audience a chance to see Tuttle cut loose on the guitar and show off her dazzling six-string skills.

“I find it really fun because I’m playing out a lot more and taking more risks with my guitar playing because there’s more space for me to solo,” Tuttle says of the trio format. “I tend to get a little looser and improvise more with a trio because there’s a lot more space to fill.”

If she feels more like improvising and taking risks onstage these days, it might be because the praise Tuttle has received for both her recordings and her playing has made her feel more self-assured.

“When I won the IBMA, it really encouraged me a lot,” she says, “and it even helped my playing because I felt a lot more confident. It was nice knowing that people really enjoyed my guitar playing. Part of the battle for me as a musician is feeling confident in what I do, and sometimes praise can really help my music. I feel more comfortable taking risks and opening up more about who I am as a musician.”

It’s surprising to hear Tuttle say that she struggles with confidence, because the 27-year-old has been playing guitar since she was a child. Her father was a bluegrass music fan who introduced her to the genre, and she fell in love with it somewhat unexpectedly.

“I don’t think I would’ve naturally listened to bluegrass if it wasn’t for my dad playing it around the house all the time,” she says. “But I liked the songs a lot, and I liked traditional bluegrass because it was kind of rough around the edges and people were really putting their hearts into the songs. And I really liked the jams and getting to meet people. Everyone has a common repertoire of songs, and it’s really easy to jump in, so that’s kind of what made me navigate towards that style.”

As it happens, though, the instrumental part of playing acoustic music was less difficult for her than becoming a performer.

“Part of the battle for me as a musician is feeling confident in what I do, and sometimes praise can really help my music. I feel more comfortable taking risks and opening up more about who I am as a musician.”

“I feel like I still have a lot to figure out in terms of how to present myself because who I am kind of changes over time,” she says. “I think it took a while to get comfortable as a frontperson onstage. It took a couple of years of just playing shows and trying to figure it out.”

Whatever Tuttle figured out, though, the crowds at her in-store show, at the Peace Center and around the country are responding to it.

“This last year when my album came out and lots of shows were sold out on the tour, that was exciting,” she says. “It was great to start feeling people really being excited about what I do.”

• What: Molly Tuttle with Oliver Hazard
• When: 8 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday, March 6
• Where: The Spinning Jenny, 107 Cannon St., Greer
• Tickets: $18 in advance, $20 day of show
• Info: https://thespinningjennygreer.com/tickets

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