Jam in the Van has released a new live session featuring bluegrass virtuoso Sierra Hull performing trio renditions of songs from her new album, A Tip Toe High Wire, with her bandmates Shaun Richardson (acoustic guitar and vocals) and Avery Merritt (fiddle and vocals).
Recorded at Castoro Cellars in Templton, CA during Whale Rock Music Festival, the session features three songs, starting with “Boom”, the album’s groovy lead single, followed by the more energetic “Let’s Go” and a beautiful harmony-driven “Muddy Water”. The performance culminates with “Lord, That’s a Long Way”, an impressive, high-speed bluegrass journey.
The video was recorded before the album’s release date, but unlike previous albums, Hull said this album was her first to feature songs that she’d already performed live and honed on the road with her touring band.
Far from traditional bluegrass, the set exemplifies Hull’s eclectic approach to songwriting, combining country, jazz, folk, and funk in a unique blend. Though her band typically includes Mark Raudabaugh on drums—again setting Hull’s sound apart from the traditional string band sound—these versions feature a stripped down trio instrumentation.
Hull said in a recent interview with L4LM that having drums in her band was a very deliberate choice, and that she enjoys how it frees her from having to always hold down the rhythm with the percussive sounds of her mandolin, “Mandolin usually fills the role of the drums in bluegrass,” she said.
“Adding drums allows a little bit of flexibility to move into some different territory. It’s been really fun over the last few years to explore how I can use my instrument in a different way. It’s kind of freeing as a singer too. It’s freeing that my instrument can sometimes be more of a color instrument or a more thematic instrument. It doesn’t always just have to be me supplying the rhythm.”
In this session, though, Hull proves she can anchor the groove with masterful precision.
Watch Sierra Hull’s Jam in the Van session below.
Hull is currently on the road with a packed schedule of headlining shows, festival appearances, and a string of high-profile dates on the Outlaw tour alongside Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and Billy Strings. Find a full list of her upcoming tour dates and ticketing information here.
Sierra Hull – Jam In The Van