SIERRA FERRELL

Sierra Ferrell

 Photo courtesy of CONCORD MUSIC GROUP

CLEARWATER — Singer-songwriter Sierra Ferrell takes the stage Tuesday, May 30, 8 p.m., at the Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, 405 Cleveland St. 

Tickets start at $24.50. Visit www.rutheckerdhall.com or call 727-791-7400.

A multi-instrumentalist who grew up in West Virginia, Ferrell in her early 20s travelled the country with a troupe of musicians, playing everywhere from truck stops to alleyways to freight-train boxcars speeding down the railroad tracks. Then, after years of living in her van and busking on the streets of New Orleans and Seattle, she moved to Nashville and soon landed a deal with Rounder Records on the strength of her magnetic live show.

Now, on her label debut “Long Time Coming,” Ferrell shares a dozen songs unbound by genre or era. Co-produced by Stu Hibberd and 10-time Grammy Award-winner Gary Paczosa, “Long Time Coming” embodies a delicate eclecticism fitting for a musician who utterly defies categorization. 

"I want my music to be like my mind is — all over the place," said Ferrell, who recorded the album at Southern Ground and Minutia studios in Nashville. "I listen to everything from bluegrass to techno to goth metal, and it all inspires me in different ways that I try to incorporate into my songs and make people really feel something." 

In sculpting the album, Ferrell joined forces with guest musicians including Jerry Douglas, Tim O'Brien, Chris Scruggs, Sarah Jarosz, Billy Strings and Dennis Crouch. Her most cherished moments in the album's production include the recording of the soul-stirring choir-like harmonies of “West Virginia Waltz,” as well as Rory Hoffman's impromptu whistling on “Bells of Every Chapel.” At the same time, the making of “Long Time Coming” fully affirmed her affinity for lifers like Strings. 

"Billy's in it for the music, which is something we have in common," Ferrell said. "We're just going to keep playing ’til we're not on this Earth anymore."

While the wayward sound of “Long Time Coming” is in many ways a perfect echo of Ferrell's free-spirited nature, there's also a much deeper intention — to expand her listeners' capacity for wonder.

"A lot of us are taught to wake up, go to work, make money, eat, sleep, rinse, repeat," said Ferrell. "It's so easy to get caught up in that 9-to-5 routine and end up numb and dulled-down to everything. I want my music to help people break away from that — to get lost in their imagination and start seeing how magical the world can be if you just pay attention."