HOT GIG ALERT (01.24): Sierra Spirit brings Coin Toss to Boston, Interview in Post

(photo credit: Pierce Pyrzenski)
It’s the weekend in Boston, and the perfect way to shake off the winter blues could be the debut show of David Gray’s North American run that kicks off tonight! Going down at MGM Music Hall tonight, it will be kicked off with a main support slot by Indigenous artist Sierra Spirit! The tour serves as the first tour for this pandemic-developed act, and as Sierra shared with me in our chat yesterday, the set will be serving up every track off her recent debut EP release, coin toss, as well as several unreleased tracks. This is your chance to say you were there when her first show in Boston went down, and it’s something you don’t want to miss! Doors are at 7 pm, with Sierra hitting the stage at 8. It’s a sold-out gig for good reason, but there are limited reasonably priced re-sale tickets out there!
You can find our chat below where Sierra shared about coin toss, the essential items she’s made sure to pack, and much more!
New England Sounds: Then you start this tour tomorrow. Is this the first tour ever for you?
Sierra Spirit: Yah, it is!
NES: Maybe to start this off soft, the three essential things you needed to pack, like the three things you really wanted to have with you?
Sierra: Ooh, I brought plenty of of my own snacks. That’s kind of an essential. I brought some sage from Oklahoma. And, ooh, what’s a good last one? Just as many pairs of socks and underwear as I could possibly fit. Because I have no idea when, and if ever, I’ll be able to do laundry.
NES: Then, not to scare you, but you know you are playing some really big venues on this tour. Which is exciting. I know that the MGM tomorrow is around 5,000. Maybe the final preparations you’ve been making for this tour as main support to David Gray? You are the main support, and you’re going to have a good amount of time on that stage. Maybe final preperations you’ve been making, if any?
Sierra: So I just got off four days of rehearsal in New York. Just running everything through a sound system. And I’m actually packing up to move out of my apartment because our lease is up in the middle of this tour. So it’s like packing up my life, cramming as much of it as I can into a suitcase. But yeah, we just ran the show as many times as we could stand.
NES: Then coin toss is your only release so far. But it came out in October, you’re going to have plenty of time to play all the songs. I’m sure you don’t want to give too much away, considering it is the tour’s first show. But is it kind of the plan to have every song be a part of it? Or maybe road-test some new material, some covers? Maybe just a little hint to what’s to come.
Sierra: So, yeah! I’ll be playing all the way through the EP, and there are a couple of extra unreleased tracks in there.
NES: Then coin toss is obviously something really important to you. Growing up in Oklahoma, and being a member of two tribes, being an Indigenous artist. I’m sure it was really therapeutic for this move to the East Coast. I know you’re out here now. But when did you kind of start writing coin toss? When did coin toss start coming together for you? This collection of songs.
Sierra: I’d say we started writing for this EP almost exactly a year ago when my first song was released. I lived in Oklahoma my entire life and moved to Connecticut about five years ago. And so, a lot of it manifested and came to fruition from being kind of homesick and being in a bit of a culture shock. And it definitely gave me a lot of closure and a lot of time to process a lot of the things that I was writing about, which was cool. I truly don’t know if I would have pushed myself to write about some of this stuff if I wasn’t kind of craving that connection to home.
NES: Then, with this EP being your first release, when was that pivotal moment where you decided music was something you wanted to pursue? Like when did that decision come together? Have you always been kind of writing songs in notebooks and journals?
Sierra: Yeah, I’ve always been a writer, and I really loved music. And writing music didn’t really click for me until quarantine. When I started learning how to play guitar and learning to play guitar, everything kind of suddenly made sense. I’ve always been a writer, and I love to write, and suddenly, that connection with being able to play an instrument kind of just fell into place. It’s something I always wanted, and had a hard time with. But being able to learn to play an instrument and start writing my own stuff, and being happy with it, was kind of a huge pivotal moment for me; that it could actually be a possibility (laughs).
NES: Then from looking at what you’ve spoken of, I interviewed another Tulsa artist in Wilderado a little while ago. Obviously, a little band named Hanson came out of Tulsa, but you talked a little bit about your time, exploring the venues in Tulsa and when you started high school, being in all those venues. Maybe bands for you, acts that you really liked out of Tulsa that you’d recommend, or other Indigenous artists as well. Or friends of yours.
Sierra: I have a friend out of Tulsa who plays a simliar genre-Charlotte Bumgarner, she’s probably one of my favorite artists out of Tulsa. There’s an amazing native artist called Kayln Fay out of Tulsa as well. Who’s kind of in a similar genre of kind of the indie-folk. Really incredible writer.
NES: Then, as I said, the tour starts tomorrow with David Gray. You’re playing some massive rooms. We kind of know what’s going on for these next few months. But maybe hopes or goals as you do this tour, as you start meeting with David Gray, and seeing how this rides out. Maybe hopes or focuses for you, I’m sure you can’t share too much.
Sierra: I think it’s just going to be a really cool thing to, because this EP was something very close and special for me, and kind of details a lot of very intimate and hard moments in my life. And I think it’s just going to be really cool to connect with people on that scale. Because I’ve never played rooms like this before, and this music is so dear and special to me, I think it’s just going to be a really cool thing to connect with that many people at one time.
All remaining North American dates (supporting David Gray):
1.24: MGM Music Hall, Boston, MA
1.26: The Anthem, Washington, D.C.
1.28: Beacon Theatre, New York, NY
1.29: Count Basie Center for The Arts, Red Bank, NY
1.31: Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario
2.1: Masonic Temple, Detroit, MI
2.2: The Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL
2.6: Keller Auditorium, Portland, OR
2.7: The Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA
2.8: The Center for Performing Arts, Vancouver, BC
2.10: Fox Theater, Oakland, CA
2.13: Yaamava Theater, Highland, CA
2.14: The Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
2.15: Harrah’s Resort So Cal, Valley Center, CA
2.17: Delta Hall at Eccles Theater, Salt Lake City, UT
2.18: Temple Hayne Buelle Theatre, Denver, CO
2.20: ACL Live at The Moody Theater, Austin, TX
2.21: Majestic Theatre, Dallas, TX
2.23: Coca-Cola Roxy, Atlanta, GA
2.24: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN