Hull & Co. wow OK crowd

Published 12:35 pm Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Sierra Hull, the 27-year-old mandolin master, accompanied by her crack band, opened the 2019 OK Theatre season with a stunning set of mostly originals. She and her band spent nearly two hours at the resplendent theater on Thursday, March 21, showing the packed-house audience the fruits of dedication to her instrument.

After a stellar set from her opening act, Hull flowed onto the stage in a gold lame skirt and leotard and wasted no time getting right down to business, backed by saxophone player Eddie Barbash as well as electric guitarist Mike Seal and Geoff Saunders on cello/bass. Opening act Sam Reider also joined in on the fun with accordion and piano.

An accomplished performer and secure in her own abilities, Hull had no issues making sure each musician got plenty of solo time. The fleet-fingered Hull also made sure the audience got their share of her talent, even twice doing solo performances on the octave mandolin, an instrument resembling an f-hole guitar and tuned an octave lower than its mandolin little brother. And she also played the “Mandocaster,” a four-string mandolin-size electric guitar made by the Fender company.

Hull, with her voice from the celestial realm, accompanied by sparkling runs on her instrument, showed the audience that a musician dedicated to expanding her horizons can take her audience on a musical journey to explore and even create other genres while still keeping a foot anchored in traditional bluegrass. Hull’s genuine interaction with her joyful audience, who understood and appreciated the odyssey, stayed with her through the entire adventure.

This was Hull’s second OK appearance. She arrived the day of the performance, and despite limited time, agreed to an interview with the the Wallowa County Chieftain. Hull has no star pretensions and came across as funny and genuinely down-to-earth, befitting a girl raised in Byrdstown, Tennessee, a town about the size of Joseph. Although she didn’t have time to tour the Wallowa Valley, she remembered it well from her first appearance and spoke of coffee at the Red Horse in Joseph and the beauty of Wallowa Lake.

Although she started playing mandolin young, she did children’s activities such as school sports or watching cartoons on TV, but her priority was music. Her parents did not discourage her.

“Music was the thing I became most passionate about,” she said. “Music was always the thing I wanted to invest my time into over the weekends. I pretty much knew I wanted to do this for a living from the time I picked up the instrument.” She stated she learned mandolin on her father’s instrument and her mother’s singing and the music at church also influenced her.

“I heard Allison Krauss when I was nine, and people like Tony Rice or all these bands, and I would stare at their album covers and think, ‘Man, this is what i want to do,’ and I was really fortunate to have parents that would encourage that.”

At the age of nine, she became aware of legend Alison Krauss, the first musician she idolized. Hull sent a copy of her first album to Krauss’s guitar and banjo player, which resulted in the young artist realizing one of her dreams.

“I was 11 when she called me to come play the Grand Ole Opry,” Hull said. “She knew I was a big fan. It was such a big risk, I think, for her to call and do something like that — it was on national television and never having heard me play in person. What a generous offer to make to a young person.”

Hull and Krauss forged a strong bond with the elder musician becoming a family friend. The two play together on occasion, and Hull considers Krauss a mentor. Hull said she’s never considered any other career.

“Thankfully, I’ve never had to.”

Hull’s eventual foray into other genres of music helped propel her to add the non-traditional instruments to her band.

“As I branched out and started writing music that wasn’t exactly traditional bluegrass, it left open possibilities of what instrument might fit,” she said. “I’ve tried to make an effort over the last couple of years to try to surround myself with musicians that inspire me — not by the instrument they play, but the way in which they play them. These guys have an understanding, and they’re connected to the world I come from.”

The artist also had advice for young people thinking of learning a musical instrument:

“In order to become good at anything, sports or art, you have to put in the work and the practice hours,” she said. “I’m of the belief that the only way you’ll get those practice hours in is to really love it. If someone is excited about playing an instrument, make sure it’s an instrument you’re inspired by. Try to find an instrument or style of music that really gets you excited.”

After two OK performances, Wallowa County has left its mark on the musician.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I really love the mountains. I grew up in a really small town in Tennessee, so especially being here in Enterprise, it has that feeling of community and small-town feel that is so close to home for me.”

She also noted the OK itself, remarking how the community has come together to support the Theatre with Brann and his family, allowing artists like herself a place to play.

“In small towns, you don’t always get that,” she said.

OK owner Darrell Brann also briefly went onstage between the opening acts and Hull’s performance to point out not only the theater’s new decor, but also the heating system and the theater’s new ADA compliant bathrooms. Brann was impressed by the show and the musicians.

“Man, we had a great time, and what a group of musicians,” he said. “How often do you see a mandolin, accordion, electric guitar and sax together? It was a fun night overall with a full crowd like that. We love all the artists that come through, but Sierra holds a special place.”

Brann also said that his daughter, Meredith, has a concert and CD release party coming on June 14, but the theater’s Centennial Celebration is coming right on its heels on July 12 and 13.