When Sierra Hull and Justin Moses took the stage last Friday night, they didn’t waste any time. After a brief hello to the crowd, Sierra said, “Well let’s get picking.” From the first note, their effortless virtuosity was on display. For most of the evening, Justin played guitar and Sierra played mandolin. However Sierra also played guitar brilliantly, and Justin showed off his range by also playing mandolin and dobro. Sierra was the 2022 IBMA mandolin player of the year; Justin is the reigning IBMA dobro player of the year. Needless to say, this is a couple who push and stretch and encourage each other to new musical heights with each song.

Most of the songs on the setlist were from Sierra’s catalog or were traditional bluegrass songs that they have reimagined. One of my favorite bluegrass classics was, “Bound to Ride,” which featured jaw-dropping solos back and forth between Justin and Sierra.

Before they played, “Ceiling to the Floor,” Justin mentioned that it had been nominated for a Grammy. With a wry smile, Sierra said, “Yes, this is my Grammy losing song,” but acknowledged that she had lost to John Prine–pretty good company. “Ceiling to the Floor” was achingly beautiful. The personal connection between Sierra and her father as she learns to find her own way is written in perfectly restrained and heartfelt lyrics. It reflects a relationship that is deeper than can be articulated, but can certainly be felt. Another standout was “Beautifully out of Place,” a song Sierra said was inspired by a conversation with Justin. Every song featured incredible musicality, but when Sierra sang her most vulnerable lyrics, you could feel the room moving closer together. 

They also featured a few of Justin’s songs during the set, including “Fall Like Rain,” and “Taxland.” My favorite, though, “In the Sweet By and By,” an instrumental song featuring Justin on the dobro. The melody is so evocative and I closed my eyes and felt completely at peace.

I would be remiss if I did not shout out Joseph Decosimo for opening the show with Libby Rodenbough on fiddle and organ, and Matthew O’Connell on percussion. Joseph was so charming, playing, among other things, the banjo that he got in 7th grade called the Aluminum Wonder. What struck me was Joseph’s dedication to intergenerational music, learning songs from Dee Hicks, Clyde Davenport, and others from Fentress County, Tennessee, where Joseph is from. His teachers of traditional music, some of whom were illiterate, have given him, and us, a gift that cannot truly be measured.

Earlier in the week, I had the pleasure of hearing Rhiannon Giddens speak about the history of the banjo–an instrument from Africa brought to America by enslaved people. The banjo was a critical cultural connection for enslaved Africans. For Rhiannon, when she set out to learn banjo, she did so from Joe Thompson, in Mebane, NC. It was an apprenticeship, she said, and that is exactly what I thought of as Joseph shared his stories of Clyde Davenport, who said, “I’ve never learned a song,” meaning that he’d always feel his way through. Even though we currently have an unprecedented myriad of ways to listen to, learn, and discover music, I can’t help but feel that Rhiannon and Joseph are onto something much richer: the idea that music is handed down, not downloaded. 

This was a very special evening. The rest of the Pinecone Down Home Concert Series is stellar and you should get out to a show!