Photos and review by NOTES FROM VIVACE
– LOS ANGELES – Sierra Spirit Kihega, who releases music under the banner of Sierra Spirit, is a member of the Otoe-Missouria tribe and the Keetoowah band of Cherokees. She grew up in Oklahoma. That upbringing has a strong influence on her music, which was on full display at the Breaking Sound night at the Adults Only Bar. With tender vocals, she mesmerized the audience with songs that at times were bittersweet and at other times heartwarming memories.
Her song “televangelic” is about her grandfather who was a devout Christian, but hardly lived the life of a Christian. The chorus touches deeply into the pain of that relationship, “Televangelic promise. It’s the one that he won’t keep. Like it’s easy to just throw it away. Complex of a savior. Turning water to wine. Only sorry when hе’s all out of time. Drunken Jesus.” There was an added touch to that song as Adults Only Bar has church pews lining the back of the stage. The song “karmic turpentine” is about her favorite uncle who was a rodeo cowboy and died due to his addiction to alcohol and other substances.
The capstone of the set was “i’ll be waiting (pug)” which is a song dedicated to her late grandmother. The impact of the song could be felt by all as Sierra Spirit’s vocals at times cracked with deep emotion.
The press release about the song states: Growing up, she [Sierra Spirit] spent afternoons and weekends driving around with her grandmother and visiting family on the reservation. A black coffee in one hand and the steering wheel in the other, Spirit’s grandmother imparted life lessons through ancestral tales. “A central part of our culture is storytelling, and my grandmother turned everything into a beautiful story, big or small,” Spirit says. “I wouldn’t be the writer I am today if it weren’t for listening to her.”
With friend Aaron Taos on guitar, Sierra Spirit approached the set in a casual and welcoming manner. At times, she sang with her left hand tucked inside her pocket or with her arms clasped behind her back. She joked about her height, calling herself the giant who just signed with Giant Records. Each song was introduced with a background story that allowed insight into the lyrics.
After Sierra Spirit, Aaron Taos took the stage with his guitar. His intro to the crowd, “Every set starts with a breakup song.” Similar to Sierra Spirit, he has a strong connection with his home state. In this case, it is New Mexico. The inspiration for the “Taos” in Aaron Taos comes from the city of Taos, New Mexico where his grandmother lives. He told an amusing story about how his grandmother takes shrooms so he decided he’d do some, also. He ended up befriending a juniper tree out in the forest.
Sierra Spirit setlist: ghost, televangelic, martyr, last night, karmic turpentine, easy, i’ll be waiting (pug)
