Concert Review: Sierra Hull (Cat's Cradle)

Sierra Hull
BY MARK DOLEJS

Sierra Hull and her band ventured into Carrboro to the Cat’s Cradle to a full house of fans on Tuesday night. This is the first week of her tour, with a new album, A Tip Toe High Wire, coming out on Friday, March 7th.

Sierra Hull with her band
The night started out strong with “How Long,” “Movement 3,” and one of the songs off the new record, “Boom.”

Sierra Hull with her band
New songs were sprinkled throughout the set, including “Truth Be Told” and instrumental “E Tune.” At one point, Stephanie Lambring, who opened the show, joined Hull on stage for “Muddy Water.”

Sierra Hull
Even though the new album debuts later this week, Hull has been playing several of the songs during her shows for the last couple of years. This is her first album in five years, since her 2020 release of 25 Trips.

Sierra Hull
Hull is a crazy talented musician, playing mandolin, guitar, and octave mandolin throughout the night. She plays with such precision and makes it look effortless. And this pint-sized bluegrass queen has the perfect matching vocals that stand the test of time.

Sierra Hull
Whether she is playing her own songs or songs like Bill Monroe’s “Old Dangerfield” or Béla Fleck's “Stomping Ground,” Hull is on fire and lights up the stage.

Shaun Richardson, Sierra Hull, and Avery Merritt
Hull switched out the mandolin and played guitar for a song called “Spitfire.” She described the song as being about her Grammy, and talked about her resilient spirit. When introducing the next song, “Red Bird,” Hull recollects that this song also makes her think of her Grammy, since she really liked red birds.

Shaun Richardson on guitar with Sierra Hull
Supporting Hull on stage were guitarist Shaun Richardson, Erik Coveney on upright bass, Mark Raudabaugh on drums and Avery Merritt on fiddle.

Erik Coveney on bass and Sierra Hull
“Best Buy” was written by Hull one day while killing time in a Best Buy parking lot, finishing the song by the time she returned home. The song features breakouts from each band member, highlighting their impressive skills.

Erik Coveney and Avery Merritt
The night ended with a beautifully haunting rendition of Tears For Fears’ “Mad World.” The combination of fiddle and mandolin worked as if the song was written for these instruments. But, more importantly, the song was a perfect commentary on the state of this world and Hull’s vocals were silky smooth and gave me chills.

This was a really fun night, not only for me, but the grateful fans who sang along and jammed with her throughout the evening.

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MARK DOLEJS

Photography is an avenue that Mark Dolejs uses to learn about the people and places that cross his path. After more than 30 years as a photojournalist, Mark enjoys concert, macro, and roadside photography. Follow Mark on Instagram at @solidrockpix.

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