On a cold and snowy night this past winter, Sierra Hull and her band brought bluegrass to Washington, D.C. Despite the frigid temperatures outside, barefoot fans danced as if at a summer music festival. Ever since she first picked up the instrument at a young age, the mandolin virtuoso has captivated audiences; it's no surprise that she still owns the stage two decades later.

At the Tiny Desk months later, her set features four songs from A Tip Toe High Wire, her latest album. "Boom" and "Lord, That's a Long Way" showcase her incredibly fast, fingerpicking abilities. Before performing the third song, Hull tells the audience, "My granny lived such a crazy life in her 80 years that we got to have her. I didn't get to play this song for her before she passed, but I did tell her I was writing a song for her called 'Spitfire.' " Hull's granny experienced the Great Depression in rural Tennessee, was widowed twice and buried a son — she lived a life of hardship, but remained resilient and rebellious in the face of it all.

Hull digs deep in her songwriting, admitting that sometimes she doesn't know what a song's about until it's done. That's the undercurrent of "Muddy Water," which encourages its listener to show yourself as you truly are; Hull now knows that she needs to hear that wisdom as much as us.

SET LIST

• "Boom"

• "Lord, That's a Long Way"

• "Spitfire"

• "Muddy Water"

MUSICIANS

• Sierra Hull: vocals, mandolin, guitar 

• Shaun Richardson: guitar, background vocals

• Avery Merritt: fiddle, guitar, background vocals

• Erik Coveney: bass

• Mark Raudabaugh: drums

TINY DESK TEAM

• Producer: Kara Frame

• Director: Joshua Bryant

• Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell

• Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter

• Video Editor: Maia Stern

• Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Sofia Seidel

• Audio Engineer: David Greenburg

• Production Assistant: Dhanika Pineda

• Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez

• Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

• Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

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