Apr 21
An Interview With Sierra Hull
Sierra Hull on stage during a showcase at Edgehill Studios Cafe in Nashville, TN March 31, 2008. Photo by Travis Tackett. 
Sierra Hull & Clay Hess on stage during a showcase at Edgehill Studios Cafe in Nashville, TN March 31, 2008. Photo by Travis Tackett.
Sierra Hull “Secrets” (Rounder) due out May 6, 2008Website:
www.SierraHull.com
Upcoming Dates
- Apr 25 - MerleFest - Wilkesboro, NC
- Apr 26 - MerleFest, Wilkesboro, NC
- Apr 27 - MerleFest, Wilkesboro, NC
- May 14 - The Station Inn - Secrets CD Release Party, Nashville, TN
- May 17 - Bellbrook Bluegrass Jamboree with Ron Block, Bellbrook, OH
- May 25 - Silver Dollar City, Branson, MO
- May 30 - Graves Mountain of Music, Syria, VA
Small town girl. Sweet 16, in fact.
A stellar student, judging by her membership in the Beta Club, a national organization for the cream of the crop among America’s youths.
All that, and a bluegrass recording artist to boot. Rubbing elbows and picking in studios with some of the genre’s hottest picker,
And now, filming scenes in a movie. Not to mention, being part of its soundtrack.
That’s the whirlwind life of Sierra Hull, a Tennessee teenager with all the makings of becoming a bluegrass mandolin master. She is on the verge of releasing her first CD for Rounder, titled “Secrets.”
BluegrassJournal.com had an opportunity to hear her skills and visit with her during an industry showcase for “Secrets” at Edgehill Studios Cafe in Nashville, Tenn.
The interview follows:
Bob Dieterlen - With your upcoming album “Secrets” on the Rounder label due out on shelves May 6, what has 2008 been like for you?
Sierra Hull - It has definitely been a whirlwind, that’s for sure! I’m still in high school and with classes and my music, it gets pretty crazy.
Bob Dieterlen - So, you’re still in a public school, no home school or private tutors while your on the road?
Sierra Hull - Yes, I still go to public school. Actually, I have been off for a week attending the Beta Club convention in Nashville this week. ( The National Beta Club is a club that recognizes academic achievement, promotes character, develops leadership skills, encourages service involvement, and provides technological advantages to students in grades 5-12.)
Bob Dieterlen - Your 16 now. What grade are you in?
Sierra Hull - I’m a junior in high school. So, I have a whole other year before graduation, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Bob Dieterlen - Some in the profession get out of school early to pursue their music. Do you think that’s something you would be interested in?
Sierra Hull - No, I don’t have any plans on quitting or getting a GED or anything like that. I plan on finishing what I started and toughing it out. I really like school and it is important for me to finish. But, it’s hard when I am missing so much school to try to stay caught up. I do look forward to getting out though so I can concentrate fully on playing my music.
Bob Dieterlen - Where are you originally from?
Sierra Hull - I’m from a town about two hours north east of Nashville called Byrdstown in Tennessee. It’s a small town where I still live.
Bob Dieterlen - How did you get into playing bluegrass?
Sierra Hull - My dad always liked bluegrass, but it was not unusal to hear a rock station playing on the boom box. Actually, when he started getting into bluegrass, it was kind of a shocker for my mom because he went from listening to rock to buying tapes of Larry Sparks. Larry is pretty hardcore traditional bluegrass, so I guess that was a pretty big jump! My brother and I also sang in church, but it was when I was eight that my dad bought a mandolin for himself and started taking lessons that really sparked my interest in playing bluegrass.
Bob Dieterlen - You also have a band, right?
Sierra Hull - Yes, Sierra Hull & Highway 111.
Bob Dieterlen - Will you be touring this summer promoting your new album “Secrets”?
Sierra Hull - Yeah as much as possible, with school still going on it’s kind of hard, because I feel like I have to try to promote a record in half the time that most people get because of my schooling. But, we are going to try to tour as much as we can. Actually, we are going to Japan to play, around the end of July. It should be real fun and interesting. I have never had the chance to do anything like that before, so I’m really looking forward to it.
Bob Dieterlen - Ron Block (AK & Union Station) produced your album, and played banjo and guitar with you tonight. Because Union Station is not touring this summer, will Ron be playing with your band?
Sierra Hull - Well Ron’s doing his own shows this summer, and sometimes if one of us is not busy, we will sit in together, but no, Ron will not be touring with us. Actually, Corey Walker plays banjo in my band Highway 111. He also did most of the banjo work on “Secrets”. Corey is 18 years old and from Florida. He is a great, great banjo player, and I’m not just saying that! He truely is one of the best on the scene today. I’m lucky to get the opportunity to play with him.
Bob Dieterlen - What’s coming up for you as far as professionally?
Sierra Hull - Well actually, I recently was asked to be a part of a new movie being made about the life of Billy Graham. It’s a movie being directed by Robbie Benson. Anastasia Brown from Nashville Star called me about a small part in the movie. I am playing Billy Graham’s sister, Catherine Graham. The movie is called “Billy Graham, The Early Years.”
I also just recorded for the (soundtrack) album at John Carter Cash’s studio. He’s kind of producing the music side of the movie. I was in the studio with Ronnie Bowman, John Cowan, Ronnie McCoury and two or three others. It was a blast. I recorded “Just As I Am”. It was kind of Billy’s theme song. I’m real excited about the whole thing.
Bob Dieterlen - Have you filmed anything yet?
Sierra Hull - Not yet. I go in April and in May for the filming, so I have’nt got to do all that yet. It should be a very interesting experience!
Bob Dieterlen - Do you listen only to bluegrass or have other types of music had an influence on you?
Sierra Hull - I think it’s good not to be closed minded to just one type of music. Some people get caught up into saying “bluegrass, that’s the only type of music there is.” and I understand where they are coming from, cause bluegrass is really where my heart and sole lie. I love bluegrass and I love playing it, but I think it’s good to pull influences from every kind of music.
It kinda helps you (as a musician) to find your own voice, find you. I’m really still working on that some, still workin on me. I mean I’ve listened to everything, Journey, Air Supply, Def Leppard, and things like that. Even one of dad’s favorites, ZZ Top! In the same breath, I listen to people like Larry Sparks and Doyle Lawson.
We used to drive to and from church listening to Doyle sing gospel on the car radio. My brother and I always tried to sing like Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver in the car. I feel like I’m just now finding my singing voice. I mean, I’ve been playing mandolin for eight years, and I have always been thought of and thought of myself as just a mandolin player. I did sing harmonies with my brother, but mostly worked on mandolin. In the last couple of years, I have really tried to work more on my singing because it has totally become a big part of me and a big part of what I want out of my music. I really want people to be able to think of me as a singer who can also play mandolin, rather than a mandolin player that can sorta sing! (Laugh)
Bob Dieterlen - You’re a heck of a guitar player to, let’s not forget that!
Sierra Hull - Well thanks! I’ve been playing guitar a little less time than mandolin.
Bob Dieterlen - Anything else in the arsenal?!
Sierra Hull - No not really. Well actually fiddle really was the first instrument I tried to learn to play, but I had a full size and it was too big for my hands. But because my dad was learning to play mandolin, he showed me a couple of tunes on the mandolin. Because the mandolin and fiddle are tuned the same, he thought that would help me learn the fiddle. I’ve been playing mandolin ever since! I still play fiddle a little bit, but I would not consider myself a fiddle player.
Bob Dieterlen - I noticed by your style of picking that you must have listened to alot of Adam Steffey. What others are your biggest influences?
Sierra Hull - Yeah definitely Adam. I listened to alot of Chris Thile of course. He’s really turned some heads and made people say “wow, you really can do that, you can do that on a mandolin?” Andy Leftwich is another, Sam Bush, Wayne Benson, Alan Bibey, and of course Doyle Lawson. But I would have to say influence-wise definitely Adam Steffey and Chris Thile.
Bob Dieterlen - Have you ever had the chance to play with Chris Thile at all?
Sierra Hull - Yeah, I met Chris the first time at MerleFest. See I was and still am a huge Allison Krauss fan. She, hands down, has had the biggest influence on my music. My parents found out Allison would be at Merlefest, and decided to take me. We had no idea how big the festival would be. We had never been to a festival like that before.
Bob Dieterlen - Let me interrupt, how old were you at the time?
Sierra Hull - I was 10 and really hadn’t done much traveling to festivals or anything at that point. I remember how big the festival was and thinking there is no way I will ever get to meet Allison.
My parents and I ended up running into Chris Thile right after he got off stage, and I asked him to sign my mandolin strap. Afterward, another little girl that was there asked me to play a song for her, so I started playing a song and Chris walked over and knelt down to listen to me, and said “holy crap your good, do you want to play?!” He was really great! He jammed with me for almost two hours the first time meeting me. He was just really nice. It was really cool that someone like Chris would take the time out to stop what he is doing and sit and play that long with a little kid. What was really cool was he ended up taking me backstage to meet Allison. It was a dream come true! It is a great memory.
Bob Dieterlen - What is it about bluegrass that you love the most?
Sierra Hull - There’s just something about bluegrass and the people involved that makes it such a great environment to learn music and play. I would never have gotten as far as I have, had it not been for all the people I have met along the way. I feel so blessed to be a part of this music.
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