By Stevie Connor.
Sierra Ferrell invites listeners to join her on a beautifully untamed and time-bending journey through the Trail of Flowers. Out March 22nd on Rounder Records, the new LP has already been hailed as one of the "most anticipated albums of 2024" (Variety), from one of "the most exciting country musicians in all of America" (Paste).
Following her 2021 debut, Long Time Coming – which turned the West Virginia-born, Nashville-based Ferrell from train-hopping, hitchhiking vagabond to a viral sensation and "rising star" (Rolling Stone) – Trail of Flowers reveals the wealth of wisdom and wild imagination behind her inimitable voice, shapeshifting sound and wondrous inner-world.
Across the record's 12 songs, Ferrell blends boldly new ideas and old-time music to tell spellbinding stories about her struggle to build a life in a culture consumed by capitalism. Between dive bar romances, murder ballads and feverish tales of fending for food, the words and emotions are informed by her nomadic and ragged upbringing, busking everywhere from truck stops to alleyways, boxcars and the streets of New Orleans with a group of young, itinerant musicians.
Watch the video for brand new single "Dollar Bill Bar," featuring backing vocals from Nikki Lane and Kristen Rogers. "Dollar Bill Bar," illustrates a swinging and wistful cycle of longing, regret and recklessness, as Sierra Ferrell fills the song with intricate poetry, fleeting lust and scenes of broken-down dreams. In addition to Nikki Lane and Kristen Rogers, Trail of Flowers features contributions from illustrious musicians like Lukas Nelson and Chris Scruggs. It was primarily recorded at Nashville's Sound Emporium Studios and produced by Eddie Spear (Zach Bryan, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton) and Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, Dwight Yoakam, Gillian Welch).
On making the album, merging classic musicianship with decidedly modern concerns, and fulfilling her longstanding mission to transcend the barriers of time, Sierra Ferrell says:
"With Trail of Flowers, I wanted to make a fuller sound with bigger drums, but still stay true to the stripped-down feel of old-time music whenever it felt right. I wanted to create something that makes people feel nostalgic for the past, but excited about the future of music. I'm just trying to put words and melodies together and build it into something people can pour their feelings into, all their happiness and sorrows, so that it changes their reality a little bit and gives them some comfort. To me music is like medicine. Whenever I write a song and it feels healing to me, I know it can heal other people too."
While she has drawn comparisons to "Loretta Lynn's holler-raised twang, Dolly Parton's effortless melodiousness, Bessie Smith's confident rasp" (Pitchfork), Trail of Flowers is completely and distinctly Sierra Ferrell: unconventional, unbreakable, and unforgettable.
Since the release of her 2021 album Long Time Coming, Sierra Ferrell earned Emerging Artist of The Year at the 2022 Americana Honors & Awards, and sold out every one of her live shows in 2023. She has become one of Nashville's most in-demand musicians, collaborating with Zach Bryan, Diplo, Margo Price, Shakey Graves and The Black Keys, sharing stages with Lana Del Rey, The Avett Brothers and Nathaniel Rateliff, being covered by Kelly Clarkson, and enchanting every audience through her eccentric and enthralling performances.
Before the arrival of Trail of Flowers, Sierra Ferrell will begin debuting more of the new music on her cross-country Shoot For The Moon Tour, including sold-out shows at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium and DC's 9:30 Club, as well as multiple nights at LA's Fonda Theatre and Chicago's Thalia Hall, stops at NYC's Webster Hall and dozens of other venues, ahead of a stadium run with Zach Bryan and newly added dates with The Avett Brothers.
TOUR DATES
3/1 - West Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom !
3/2 - Omaha, NE - The Admiral !
3/3 - Steamboat Springs, CO - WinterWonderGrass Colorado
3/4 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up Aspen w/ East Nash Grass
3/7 - Monterey, CA - Golden State Theatre $
3/8 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield $
3/9 - Del Mar, CA - The Sound At Del Mar $
3/10 - Santa Barbara, CA - Campbell Hall
3/20 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium w/ Nikki Lane
3/21 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium w/ Vaden Landers
4/3 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre &
4/4 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre &
4/6 - Olympic Valley, CA - WinterWonderGrass Tahoe
4/9-4/12 - Puerto Aventuras, QR - The Avett Brothers At The Beach
4/17 - Kansas City, MO - The Truman #
4/18 - Oklahoma City, OK - Tower Theatre #
4/19 - Fayetteville, AR - JJ's Live #
4/20-4/21 - Georgetown, TX - Two Step Inn
4/23 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall #
4/24 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall #
4/26 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue #
4/27 - Milwaukee, WI - The Pabst Theater #
4/28 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant #
5/9 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern %
5/10 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Music Hall %
5/11 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz %
5/12 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Charlotte %
5/14 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer %
5/16 - New York, NY - Webster Hall %
5/17 - Forest Hills, NY - Forest Hills Stadium^
5/18 - Boston, MA - The Stage at Suffolk Downs^
5/21 - New Haven, CT - Westville Music Bowl^
5/22 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club %
5/23 - Albany, NY - MVP Arena^
5/23-5/26 - Cumberland, MD - DelFest
5/24 - Canandaigua, NY - Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts^
6/4 - Los Angeles, CA - Crypto.com Arena*
6/7 - Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena*
6/8 - Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena*
6/14 - Denver, CO - Empower Field at Mile High*
6/15 - Denver, CO - Empower Field at Mile High*
6/20-6/23 - Telluride, CO - Telluride Bluegrass Festival
6/27-6/29 - Eau Claire, WI - Blue Ox Festival
7/12-7/14 - Whitefish, MT - Under The Big Sky Festival
7/26-7/28 - Floyd, VA - Floydfest
!w/ Two Runner
$w/ Dinosaur Burps
&w/ Sierra Hull
# w/ Cat Clyde
%w/ Jake Kohn
^w/ The Avett Brothers
*w/ Zach Bryan
FOLLOW SIERRA FERRELL
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