Sierra Ferrell: Tiny Desk Concert

Ann Powers | August 14, 2024
Sierra Ferrell is the May Queen of American roots music — no matter what month it is. For her summertime stop at the Tiny Desk, the West Virginia native adorned herself in garb befitting Florence Pugh’s star turn in Midsommar, a trail of cloth pansies encircling her eyes. Ferrell, whose 2024 album is appropriately called Trail of Flowers, quickly showed that her finery wouldn’t get in the way of a stellar musical performance; her fiddling in this set’s first song “I Could Drive You Crazy” anchored both the band and the entire performance in the technically challenging yet boisterous, bluegrass-meets-old-timey sound that’s made Ferrell a fast-rising star alongside friends like Billy Strings and Zach Bryan. Focusing on the music, only pausing for some whimsical banter about the legendary city of tunnels that lies beneath Washington, D.C., Ferrell showed how her blend of warmth, chops and inventiveness is remaking Americana music.

A former busker who learned roots music during her itinerant twenties, Ferrell shows no fealty to any one style while honoring many in her sparkling, insightful songs. For “Dollar Bill Bar” she switched to guitar and sang with the sexy ease of a young Bonnie Raitt as Oliver Bates Craven spooled out some Beatles-esque guitar licks. (He and mandolinist Josh Rilko have played with Ferrell off and on since she first wowed Nashvillians a decade ago on hipster nights at the American Legion Hall.) Then the band shifts to a Spanish stroll for “In Dreams,” throws in a bluegrass breakdown, and ends the set with the beautiful “American Dreaming,” a ballad that Linda Ronstadt might have recorded in her early days. No circus hoop descended for Ferrell to grab and levitate — as she did at her last Nashville New Year’s Eve show — but she’d still managed to fill the Tiny Desk with sparkle and joy.

SET LIST
“I Could Drive You Crazy”
“Dollar Bill Bar”
“In Dreams”
“American Dreaming”

MUSICIANS
Sierra Ferrell: lead vocals, acoustic guitar, fiddle
Josh Rilko: mandolin, octave mandolin, acoustic guitar, vocals
Oliver Bates Craven: fiddle, electric guitar, vocals
Geoff Saunders: bass, vocals
Matty Meyer: drums

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Lars Gotrich
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Neil Tevault
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Mitra I. Arthur
Audio Engineer: Carleigh Strange
Production Assistant: Elle Mannion
Photographer: Elizabeth Gillis
Tiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Kara Frame, Ashley Pointer
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

#tinydesk #nprmusic #sierrafarrell

[SierraFerrell]

Thank you so much for having us! It was a magical morning. Hope to be back again soon 🧚

[zamfriend]

I remember being a dirty traveling kid with her. If she ever sees this, Sierra we are so proud of you, you did it.

[maestra_mia]

Sierra is one of those incredibly rare and magical artists who actually sounds better live. It’s like her essence can’t be fully captured in a studio.

[clevelandcorncob]

An absolute American treasure. Not many modern Americana artists that have actually walked the walk rode the train and lived the life. A true diamond of West Virginia.

[kdilli]

Her voice scratches an itch in my brain I didn't even know I had.

[dorkmagnet]

She's been around forever, glad she is finally getting some recognition.

[lenac]

she’s so deserving of this!!! the brightest star in country music right now!

[acgreene]

this music feels like coffee on a rainy morning before the sunrise

[captainalpaka]

You can see how casual she performs, which means she did that many many many times before, she's not only a great artist but also a seasoned performer and professional musician. She and her band deserve every bit of praise.
I'm an instant fan.

[crazygnomebrewery]

Back during Covid, Sierra was a regular in our taproom. She sported a custom unique (but appropriate) mask and an incredible spark of personality. We had no idea who she was or what she did, she was just a ray of sunshine that came bouncing in every now and then.

It's been so fun watching her rise, and this concert is just another step!

[BonzoKilbourn]

Today Tiny Desk has reached its full potential.

[abee]

There's something special about seeing former travelling street buskers finally get their well deserved moment in the spotlight 🙌 Such a talent, you can just tell that shes been doing this forever and loves every moment. Got to see her and Nick Shoulders perform live in Vancouver last week and it was great! If you haven't heard of Nick Shoulders you should absolutely check him out too.

[JamesBaleLA]

Sierra Ferrell is the best thing happening in music right now.

[LouiePGallo]

As a poor boy from a broken home in a broken WV trailer park, I gotta say, I love this.

[connorchavez]

Me yesterday: “I wonder when Sierra will be on Tiny Desk”

Me at 2am today: 🤠🤠🤠

[kamranzafar]

Last May I bought a ticket to her show in a tiny theater in Clearwater, FL without knowing much about her. I went alone, and to this day was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. Raw talent that doesn’t come around often.

[justinpalacios]

This truly was one of the greatest Tiny Desks ever. Sierra has been blowing up, rightfully so. Modern Dolly Parton. Appalachia forever.

[alanpettibone]

Seeing Sierra on Tiny Desk is like finding a $100 bill in the washing machine… just makes my day🥰. Her band just tops it all off.

[abaneyone]

I love how there no limit of genres presented on Tiny Desk. Sierra Ferrel is great with all her strings and crew!

[alohaXamanda]

To see a traveller kid make it this far, even farther than Profane Sass made it I think, is so heartwarming. So many amazing musicians in that community never get to be heard by wider society and their memory exists only in the minds of people who knew them. Sierra truly represents that subculture and the pain and joy we experienced or experience as we seek freedom.