On a cold and snowy night this past winter, Sierra Hull and her band brought bluegrass to Washington, D.C. Despite the frigid temperatures outside, barefoot fans danced as if at a summer music festival. Ever since she first picked up the instrument at a young age, the mandolin virtuoso has captivated audiences; it’s no surprise that she still owns the stage two decades later.
At the Tiny Desk months later, her set features four songs from A Tip Toe High Wire, her latest album. “Boom” and “Lord, That’s a Long Way” showcase her incredibly fast, fingerpicking abilities. Before performing the third song, Hull tells the audience, “My granny lived such a crazy life in her 80 years that we got to have her. I didn’t get to play this song for her before she passed, but I did tell her I was writing a song for her called ‘Spitfire.’ ” Hull’s granny experienced the Great Depression in rural Tennessee, was widowed twice and buried a son — she lived a life of hardship, but remained resilient and rebellious in the face of it all.
Hull digs deep in her songwriting, admitting that sometimes she doesn’t know what a song’s about until it’s done. That’s the undercurrent of “Muddy Water,” which encourages its listener to show yourself as you truly are; Hull now knows that she needs to hear that wisdom as much as us.
SET LIST
- “Boom”
- “Lord, That’s a Long Way”
- “Spitfire”
- “Muddy Water”
MUSICIANS
- Sierra Hull: vocals, mandolin, guitar
- Shaun Richardson: guitar, background vocals
- Avery Merritt: fiddle, guitar, background vocals
- Erik Coveney: bass
- Mark Raudabaugh: drums
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Kara Frame
- Director: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
- Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
- Video Editor: Maia Stern
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Sofia Seidel
- Audio Engineer: David Greenburg
- Production Assistant: Dhanika Pineda
- Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton