Mandolinist Sierra Hull showcased all the reasons she’s a rising international bluegrass superstar with her sold-out show at Nashville’s beloved The Basement East on Saturday night. Though she has speed to burn and chops for days on her ten-string weapon of choice, it’s her equally impressive skills at songwriting and stage and crowd management that make her a talent beyond her scant 32 years on the planet. Watching how gracefully she shares stage time, lead lines, credit, and stories with the audience is a wonder to behold. Special guest Jeff Coffin wasn’t the only player she enthusiastically shared the spotlight with, though Sierra Hull certainly gave the longtime Dave Matthews Band saxman and Flecktone plenty of space to shine.
Every member of Hull’s crackerjack backing band was enthusiastically encouraged by their leader to take centerstage and lead lines that a less stage-sure bandleader and instrumentalist would, justifiably, keep to themselves. Hull’s name is, ostensibly, on the ticket for a reason. Her fine-as-wine vocals, ability to jump genre and tempo, and fierce mandolin picking sell plenty of tickets. That said, by surrounding herself with talents like Shaun Richardson on guitar, Erik Coveney on upright bass, Avery Merritt on fiddle, and Mark Raudabaugh on drums for this show Hull had the luxury of knowing the talents on the stage with her were more than capable of the task at hand.
The packed crowd in The Basement East, AKA “The BEast,” was with her every step of the way. Nashville knows how to come correct when it comes to audience behavior. Quiet during softer numbers like the mournful show opener “How Long” to wildly enthusiastic in appreciation of musicianship like those on the second song instrumental “Beautifully Out of Place”. They were rewarded for their collective maturity with the impressive array of ups and downs the setlist provided from tunes like the Hull-penned “The Last Minute” and covers like Del McCoury‘s “I Feel The Blues Movin’ In”.
Hull seemed effortlessly at ease in her banter as well, whether mindfully giving thanks to songwriting partners as she did after tunes like “Escape” and ”Poison” or giving humorous backstory tidbits on song origins. “Poison”, for example, was—according to the diminutive Hull—an attempt to capture what a Britney Spears and William Shakespeare collaboration might sound like. Through it all Sierra Hull balanced her own note-laden outbursts and vocal duties with wildly ranged frills and chills by her band in turn.
By the time Jeff Coffin arrived, apparently straight from the airport, for his two-song sit-in, the stage and audience couldn’t have been more primed. Coffin and his soprano sax were put at ease with his welcoming number, trodding well-known ground on Béla Fleck & The Flecktones number “Stomping Grounds”. After that warm-up, Coffin broke out his tenor sax and was given the space to introduce the show-highlight cover of The Impressions’ classic “People Get Ready”, stretched out to melt the minds and hearts of all in earshot.
After set-closer “Long Way”, Hull reappeared with show-opener and guitar wonder Gabe Lee for a single-mic duet on John Prine tearjerker “Summer’s End”. In one last bit of bravado, Hull took her entire band fully acoustic out into the crowd, letting them surround her as they would any campfire for the last two tunes of the evening, “Haven Hill” and “Best Buy”. An artist with an iota less confidence would balk at such a risky move but Hull clearly knew she and her fellow players were up to the challenge.
The bluegrass world is experiencing a renaissance of sorts with artists like Billy Strings selling out arenas and jamgrass bands like Greensky Bluegrass pushing the envelope in terms of what roots music can be. Meanwhile, Sierra Hull is expanding her own musical world by defying expectations as an uber-talented yet humble picker, song crafter, and live performer. While one could easily forgive a generational talent like Hull for demanding the spotlight, Sierra is setting herself up for a long career as an artist that will be truly enthralling to watch and treasure for years and decades to come.
Check out some videos from Sierra Hull at The Basement East below. nugs subscribers can stream the entire show on-demand. To sign up for a seven-day free trial to nugs head here. [Editor’s Note: Live For Live Music is a nugs affiliate. Ordering your nugs subscription or purchasing a download via the links on this page helps support our coverage of the world of live music. Thank you for reading!]
Sierra Hull — The Basement East — Nashville, TN — 3/23/24 — Preview
Sierra Hull, Gabe Lee — “Summer’s End” (John Prine) — 3/23/24
[Video: Jrodconcerts Media]
Setlist: Sierra Hull | The Basement East | Nashville, TN | 3/23/24
Set: How Long, Beautifully Out of Place, The Last Minute, I Feel the Blues Moving In (Del McCoury), What Do You Say?, Bombshell, Escape, The In-Between, Boom, Ceiling to the Floor, Movement 3, Poison, Muddy Water, Out of My Blues, E-Tune, Middle of the Woods, Stomping Grounds (Béla Fleck and the Flecktones) [1], People Get Ready (The Impressions) [1], Long Way
Encore: Summer’s End (John Prine) [2], Haven Hill [3], Best Buy [3]
[1] w/ Jeff Coffin on saxophone
[2] Duet w/ Gabe Lee on single mix, Sierra on octave mandolin
[3] Full band unplugged in the audience
The post Sierra Hull Welcomes Jeff Coffin To The Basement East For Nashville Bluegrass Masterclass [Videos] appeared first on L4LM.
