Article Contributed by Gabriel David Barkin
Published on 2026-07-18
Sierra Hull | Novato, California | July 17th, 2026 - photos by Gabriel David Barkin
It’s a Friday night in July, and there’s no better place to be in Northern California than the Target parking lot in suburban Novato.
That’s no joke. Sierra Hull headlined at the HopMonk Tavern Novato on a breezy summer evening this week. The HopMonk just happens to be located in the midst of a sprawling suburban mall anchored by a Costco on one end and a Target in the middle.
But inside this musical backyard oasis, there was no hint of the retail behemoths in shouting distance. Just the sweet sounds of Hull and her top-notch band delivering a raging set of newgrass.
(Full disclosure: it’s not entirely true that the retail emporiums were completely shut out of the event. Hull mentioned on stage that everyone in the band went shopping before the show, and she pointed out guitarist Shaun Richardson was dressed in new pants and fiddler Avery Merritt showed off a plaid shirt that suited him to a tee.)
The HopMonk made headlines in the local news just a few days before Hull’s show—but unfortunately, not for the stellar talent at this summer’s monthslong Cookout Concert Series produced by KC Turner. A car plowed through the parking lot, accelerated up the curb, and drove through a wall smack-dab into the HopMonk’s inside music venue.
Fortunately, there were no injuries. Equally fortunately, the Cookout Concerts are held in the tavern’s backyard area on the other side of the building.
With that preface, it’s time to talk about the music.
Hull is one of the premier mandolin players on the national scene these days. Her bandmates—Richardson, Merritt, bassist Erik Coveney, and drummer Mark Raudabaugh—are no slouches either. The current tour setlist is comprised mostly of songs from each of her last three albums, including Weighted Mind from 2016, 25 Trips from 2020, and last year’s Grammy-nominated album A Tip Toe High Wire.
From the latter, show opener “Boom” kicked off the night. Later, she introduced “Spitfire” as an homage to her grandmother. The 2025 record takes its name from one of the lyrics in this bouncy tribute: “She’s a spitfire, spitfire, queen of a tip toe high wire.”
A smashing centerpiece of the show, roughly midway through the 90-minute set, was a performance of “The Movements,” an instrumental suite in three parts that Hull characterized as a “bluegrass concerto.” This song cycle—released as an EP earlier this year—rolls seamlessly through sections that evoke bluegrass, classical, and jazz and showcases the compositional mastery of Hull. We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto, nor does this feel like Target parking lot music. “The Movements” has roots sunk deep in Hull’s hometown Byrdstown, Tennessee, borrows moodily from David Grisman’s dawg style, and shreds with licks reminiscent of Mozart piano pieces (“Too many notes”? Hell no, just right!)
A tip of the hat too for Richardson’s lengthy and tasty guitar solo on “Black River.” Dude’s got chops!
(Author’s note: I use a service to edit, proof, and fact-check my articles, and I received this comment: “The claim that Richardson delivered a lengthy and tasty guitar solo in ‘Black River’ could not be corroborated in available tour/show coverage of this song. Recommend author confirm from firsthand observation.” For the record, I hereby confirm! You can hear a version of Richardson’s solo on this song from a May 2026 show here.)
Following that, the band left Hull alone on stage to begin “Lord, That’s a Long Way,” and then each player returned one by one as the song built energy to close the set. Among the encore tunes was Hull’s cover of the Tears for Fears hit “Mad World,” always a crowd pleaser despite its melancholy subject matter—and Hull, of course, makes it her own. Like she does with everything she touches.
Show opener Scott Gates and his band started this special evening with a 45-minute traditional bluegrass set. Gates is an A-list mandolin player who, until recently, was a member of NorCal’s AJ Lee and Blue Summit. He’s also been popping up on stage to guest with the Bay Area’s Hot Buttered Rum at a number of their shows this summer.
Gates came on stage wearing an authentic Soviet air force officer cap and aviator glasses, cutting a fine figure. The headgear was not exactly bluegrass couture, but it made a dashing accessory nonetheless. Gates took off the cap after a few songs, saying it didn’t quite fit right. No worries, the music was fine and fancy in its own right.
Hull noted later in the evening that she and Gates have known each other since they were about ten, having met online in a forum for young mandolin players on the Mandolin Café website. My only disappointment of the night was that the two didn’t play any tunes together on the HopMonk stage. But kudos to Hull for giving Gates a chance to introduce himself to her audience, who received him and his band with great satisfaction.
Attention Target shoppers: no HopMonk walls were injured during this evening’s performances.
