Back in 2024, I wrote up a review of a Sierra Spirit (Sierra Spirit Kihega-Pyrzenski) set for US Rocker Music, which you can read here. I happened to notice that she was playing School Night (a collaboration between Make Out Music and KCRW) at The Airliner Bar and circled the date. I was interested in seeing her progress as a singer.
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| Sierra Spirit at The Airliner Bar |
Just to say it upfront, I was even more impressed than I was in 2024. She performed songs off her recently released EP Rodeo Clown so I was introduced to a setlist of songs that were new to me (that is, not part of that 2024 set). Per her Spotify bio, the EP "tells a story of the raw and honest struggles of growing up." For added context for the rest of this blog post, she's from Oklahoma and is a Native American (Otoe-Missouria and The Keetoowah Band of Cherokees).
What did I notice: a tattoo on her right arm that read: How will you know if you never try?
Her first song of the set "Lift A Finger" is a gut punch of a song. Her face makeup included eye black under each eye. The eye black were decorated with silver stars. It was like the stars represented tears as she sang the lyrics, "You don't have to life a finger to hit me where it hurts."
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| Sierra Spirit at The Airliner Bar |
Her setlist was only 5 songs, which gave her time to talk about her songs. As I mentioned in an earlier blog post about this night (read it here), it gave me a sense of déjà vu back to when Play Like a Girl (no longer around) and Purple Bite joined forces to put on Friday night events at Stories Books and Cafe. They called the nights Commune and it allowed singer songwriters to both sing and talk about their songs.
For "Can't Be Friends," she mentioned that she is the certified hater in a friendship. That is, when a friend goes through a breakup, she's the one who hates the person who broke up with her friend. The story she told was about her best friend who called her up crying and told her that a guy she dated for 2 years decided to end the relationship. Not only did the relationship end, but she had to stay with her now ex-boyfriend for an additional month before she could move out of their place. Even after going through all this, her best friend still says even to this day that the ex-boyfriend is a good guy. Kihega-Pyrzenski isn't having any of that.
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| Sierra Spirit at The Airliner Bar |
She gave us the indigenous oral history behind the ridges of Devils Tower. "These two young native girls were out gathering for their tribe. This huge bear comes out of the woods and chases them. Eventually they can't run anymore. They start praying to the creator. The plateau rose out of the ground and the bear clawed the sides for hours and hours."
What did I notice 2: she has a casual and comfortable way of singing that puts everyone at ease. Sometimes she'd sing with her arms behind her back and other times she'd have her right hand in her pant's pocket.
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| Sierra Spirit at The Airliner Bar |
The song spotlight goes to the EP's title track "Rodeo Clown." Back in 2024, she sang a song called "karmic turpentine" that was also about her uncle who suffered from alcoholism. Looking at Spotify, I don't see that title so it is possible she retitled the song "Rodeo Clown." Her uncle was a rodeo cowboy, "when he rode, I think it was his way of damage control, keeping those issues at bay, finding something better to do. When he stopped riding, I think he completely lost himself."
A well crafted singer-songwriter tribute to a beloved uncle who died too young. One could hear the faint tracks of ceremonial singing during part of the song.
A good ol'boy we all hoped would make it out.
Setlist: Lift A Finger, Rodeo Clown, Can't Be Friends, Devils Tower, Walls.
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