April 19, 2025 • 29 mins
In this episode of On the Road with Paul Ward, Paul visits the charming Cornell Wine Company and chats with local musician and event coordinator, Sierra Drummond. Sierra shares how she got her start organizing music nights at the venue, including open mic nights and featured artist events that spotlight both undiscovered local talent and internationally known musicians like Elliot Lurie, the songwriter of Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl). With a rich musical heritage—her parents are both in the band Ambrosia—Sierra began performing at just four years old and has developed into a passionate performer and songwriter. She opens up about her own songs, “Look Out For Me” and “Slow Morning,” and the creative process behind her music. Sierra also reflects on her love of the stage, the evolution of her sound, and how music connects people, whether through live shows or her involvement in community outreach efforts like clothing drives following recent fires.
The conversation dives deeper into Sierra’s musical family, including her mom’s background vocals for Jimmy Buffett and studio work with Pink Floyd, and her own experiences in the family’s band, The Tin Drum Family Band. Sierra discusses her favorite genres, instruments, and how digital media compares to the energy of live music. She also touches on the resurgence of Yacht Rock and its influence on her father’s career, upcoming events at Cornell Wine Company, and her role as a music teacher during the week. From her humble beginnings at Cornell to her multifaceted role as performer, teacher, and event planner, Sierra’s story is one of passion, community, and the power of music.
Watch the full episode HERE
What you’ll learn in the episode:
0:00 Welcome to On the Road with Paul Ward and introduction to our guest, musician, Sierra Drummond
0:34 We learn the location of today’s episode, Cornell Wine Company.
1:04 Sierra Drummond tells us more about her role(s) at Cornell Wine Company
1:32 With a mix of events like open mic night, featured artists, etc. Sierra tells us how she got started at Cornell Wine Company and what goes into making a good, solid show.
2:39 The incredible undiscovered talent that performs at Sierra’s events, as well as internationally recognized talent, including the songwriter for Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl), Elliot Lurie
3:58 Sierra’s parents are both in the band, Ambrosia, so she started performing at the age of four
5:15 Some insight into what makes a good songwriter and how songs come about for Sierra
6:37 Learn about Sierra’s songs, “Look Out For Me,” and “Slow morning”
9:35 Sierra enjoys performing any way she can because she loves being on stage and the evolution of Sierra’s music
11:18 Community outreach and a clothing drive with Matt Morris and The Cornell Wine Company after the recent fires
13:11 What Sierra is working on now and where she sees her music going
14:34 Sierra answers Paul question regarding whether she ever saw herself doing all that she does at Cornell Wine Company when she 1st started as event coordinator
15:22 More about Sierra’s musical family, Ambrosia, and her mom’s backups for Jimmy Buffett and studio work with Pink Flloyd
17:32 Sierra’s genres and her favorite instrument to play
19:35 “The Tin Drum Family Band,” Sierra’s family’s band and Sierra tells us more about Abrosia
22:00 Music in this digital world versus live music
25:52 Yacht Rock, coined by Jimmy Fallon, is what reboosted Sierra’s Dad’s career
26:28 The upcoming events at Cornell Wine Company
28:35 Sierra is a music teacher throughout the week
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:07):
Hey friends, it's Paul Ward.Welcome to another on the Road.
Do you ever wonder what goesinto writing a good musical song,
or do you ever wonder how to put togethera musical event while our next guest
has all the answers? And I'mso excited to welcome musician,
Sierra Drummond to On the Road.
Thank you so much.
Absolutely. And we wanna thankour sponsor, Opus Escrow.
(00:28):
So before we talk about writingmusic and putting together an event,
where exactly are we?
We are at the wonderfulCornell Wine Company,
which I like to consider mysecond home. On any given weekend,
I've basically moved in thanks to Mattand Matt's generosity with opening the
space up to so much artand music and comedy.
(00:50):
So, yeah, we're in like MalibuCanyon Agoura Hills if you know,
I'm talking to people from actuallyYes. From this area, but otherwise,
if I'm not, it's Malibu Canyon.
All over the world. And soyou are officially the event producer? Event planner?
Music director?
Yeah. One of.
I host like two monthlyshows and then I play
here with several other bands and helpmy boyfriend also produce his comedy
(01:13):
show.
Okay.
So, I'm one of the eventproducers and, you know,
I have access to the Google Calendar.
Gotcha. We'll give other,other folks credit, too.
Yeah. Yeah.
So you do have a mix of events.You've got open mic night.
You've got featured artists. What goes in
to putting together a good solid show?
It sort of depends onwhich event it is But,
(01:35):
I think I wanted to start hosting eventshere because I had been singing here
for years, but in a reallyinformal setting. Like,
I had been busing tables Andwhen Matt took over ownership,
he was more open to the ideaof hosting more formal shows
which I was so excited about because thespace is such an inherent magic in hi
(01:56):
story with music. Then,
I started with playing with a band.
I was just playing bass and thenbringing in some other artists.
And then I wanted to start doing the openmic night because so many artists were
wanting to play here that it became away to just include more and more people
in the space and showcase more and morepeople. And then from that open mic,
(02:19):
I started hosting the songwriternights, which were a bit more curated,
and a paid show for the performers.
Sure. And the talentis incredible. I mean,
it's not names you've necessarilyheard of on the radio that, you know,
are famous nationally or internationally.
But there's just so much local talent too.
(02:39):
Absolutely. And I think actuallythere's been a nice blend of both.
I was so privileged that I wanna say
maybe the November open mic, I
had the songwriter for Brandy(You're a Fine Girl), Elliot Lurie.
He wanted to be on my songwriter round,
which is still such so mind blowing to me,
(03:02):
because I think that song is justone of the best songs ever written.
Everybody knows that song.
Yeah.
And so he was on the lineup as well assomeone who hasn't released their own
music yet But it's such anincredible songwriter in my eyes.
So yeah.
I think we just live in such anincredible space where there are both
internationally recognized artists andundiscovered artists coexisting in the
(03:26):
same spaces. And it's cool toput them on a platform here.
Absolutely.
They're just starting out and they'rejust in front of their first audience.
Yeha. Or they've beendoing it for decades,
and it's just they haven'thad that good luck streak yet.
Sure. There's something abouthearing music live though,
that's so different and so much morespecial than listening to it on the radio.
(03:47):
Yeah, I, I agree. Absolutely.
Yeah. So you have a verymusic background. You,
you started performing or wereon stage when you were four?
Yeah, I think.
So. Tell us a little bit.
About that. So my, everyonein my family's a musician.
My parents are in an incredible bandfrom the seventies called Ambrosia.
So they're what youcall yacht rockers know?
(04:07):
Yes..
I mean.
Not personally, but Yeah. From the radio.
So, my dad has been in thatsince the beginning of it.
And then my mom has been in itoff and on for 20 years now.
Oh, both in the same band?
Yeah.
Oh, wow.
So, but when I was a kid, they reallyfocused on their duo that they ran. Well,
it was a full band at the time, but itwas the songs they'd written together.
And that group was called Tin Drum.And so at Tin Drum gigs especially,
(04:30):
they started bringing meon stage to sing this song.
My kindergarten teacher taught me itwas about like building bridges and
being kind. And so I,
I opened the showoftentimes with that song.
And also my brother was always inbands, and he's 10 years older than me,
or nine and a half years older than me.He'd like me to clarify. But,
(04:52):
I always thought his shows were my shows.
So, you'd upstage him?
Yeah. Well, I thought, like theywere my background band. Like,
I'd love to dance as a kid, so I thoughteveryone was coming to see me.
And he's a really good older brother,
and so he let me hop thatdeletion for a while.
Very cool. So, you're a singer, you'rea guitar player, you're a songwriter.
Yeah. Tell us about that.What makes a good songwriter?
(05:15):
Oh, man. I, I think itdepends on the songwriter.
For me, I think I just make senseof my life by writing music.
I took a break from music fora while and life didn't make
as much sense.
So I think now that I got backinto songwriting it's such like
(05:35):
a way a method for me to express like,
love for people in my life or to makesense of things I'm going through.
And so I think that I guessthe testament of a good song
is just honesty. I think like the,the more honest I've been in a song,
the more I've, I've liked it and it's themore it's connected with other people.
And do songs typicallyjust pop in your head?
(05:57):
Do they kind of form over time? Is itkind of a combination of things? Yeah.
I would say it's a combination.I write a lot of lyrics,
so sometimes I'll go back and revisitlyrics I wrote years ago that I never
put into a,
a proper song And then some songs takeforever and some songs have taken me like
two minutes.
And some songs You're probablystill writing currently?
(06:18):
Yeah.
I have like an unfinished lyricfolder in my notes app of songs that
have haunted me forlike five or six years.
I did read You had a songcalled "Look Out for Me.".
Yeah.
Celebrating your Boyfriend'sGrandparents. Yeah.
73 years Married. Yeah. That's incredible.
And I think it's 80 years together,or 80 years since they met.
(06:40):
That's amazing.
Yeah.
So tell us about that. Lookout for me. What is that?
What is the meaning behind that?
"Just look out for me.
I look out for you. Even when,
even when the Sky is Not,".
I wrote it quite a while ago but Ijust released it on Valentine's Day.
(07:04):
Pretty cool.
Yeah. I'm excited. Thankyou for asking about it.
Absolutely.
So yeah,
I wrote it actually after one of myboyfriend and I's first big arguments.
But we had just had dinner with hisgrandparents a few nights prior to that
argument And I had justnever really witnessed
a partnership quite like theirs wherethey just accredit one another so much
(07:27):
with their individual successes andthey just have such a sweet way in
which they speak about each other.
Danny's grandfather's thisamazing figure in Hollywood.
He used to be StevenSpielberg's publicist.
Okay.
And he's the first PR person towin an honorary Academy award.
Oh, wow.
But my favorite thing about thisspeech is half of it is about like,
(07:49):
the need for art tofight for human rights.
And the other half is just about howmuch he loves his wife. Like that.
Those two things are the most importantpart of his success. Is the success,
success of his relationship and the factthat he's involved Hollywood with human
rights.
Very cool.
And so I think they're justsuper inspiring. And so yeah, after the argument, I
(08:12):
recalled our dinner with themand I kind of reemphasized the
method in which they, I guess,accredit each other and Right.
Wanted to write something to remind bothDanny and I to do that for each other.
'cause It obviously works well.
Right. With age comes wisdom.
It sure does. Yeah.
Absolutely.
And then you have another song called"Slow Morning" where you were talking
(08:33):
about being in your boyfriend'sPrius kind of shoved in there with
two surfboards.
Singing.
(08:53):
Tell us about that.
Yeah. Well,
I think he had high hopes that I wouldbe as avid of a surfer as he is when we
first started dating. But we starteddating in the midst of the pandemic.
So our world was really confined toeither my little bubble at my house
or the beach.
And so I like my fondestmemories of with Danny have been
(09:14):
all those times we were back and forthfrom the beach with my guitar also shoved
into the Prius.
Cool playing on the sand.
Yeah. Two surfboards.
'cause I would quickly give up onsurfing and start playing guitar,
but he always would kind of emphasizethe need for me to slow down in the
morning and enjoy a slow morning. So yeah.
That it's kind of a gift he's givenme. Yeah. The value of a slow morning.
(09:35):
Very cool. And I saw here, I,
I had the fortune of seeing you performhere and one thing I did notice was
you performed with your boyfriend.
Yeah. Right.
But then you also did backupsinging for other performers.
I thought that was interesting.
Thanks.
So it's kind of like you'rehelping other artists, you know,
achieve their potential.
(09:56):
Yeah. That's a really lovely way to lookat it. I also just wanna be on stage.
You just enjoy it.
Yeah. I love harmonizing. I think that'slike my vocal arranging and stuff is
like I don't think I'm the best leadguitar player in the world, but I do,
I do actually. Really I'm proud of like,
my vocal arranging skills and findingharmonies and stuff And it's something my
(10:18):
mom, I think especially has taught mein a way my family has always spent time
together Harmonizing.And so it always makes,
I think a performance feel morecommunal when there's harmony.
So I love doing that whenother artists want me to.
Very cool. So you've seen your musiccreation kind of evolve Yeah. Over time.
(10:38):
Yeah. It's had lots of eras,
but this is the most professionaland formal I've ever and serious
I've ever taken. It has beensince the pandemic, so, sure.
And thanks to a space like thisthat has allowed me to cultivate
community and, but also really justdevelop as a songwriter When before,
(10:58):
it was something I like to do but didn'tthink I could do professionally, so.
Well, you're, you sureare doing it. Thank you.
And you're also doing goodworks for the community. I mean,
after this big terrible Palisades fire,
you kind of took it upon yourself andwith the help of Matt and the Cornell Wine
Company to put together a, a clothingdrive for folks that had lost everything.
(11:18):
Yeah.
Matt and I are the best and just theamount of trust they have in me to use
their space however I see fit,
whether it's for music or forlike a community organizing,
and they were such a bigpart of it. So, at first, I,
my idea was just for it to be a donationdrop off center And then I would,
I'm so used to going back and forthfrom LA That I just was like, you know,
(11:41):
I'll find other organizations to takeit to But people who were so immensely
generous so quickly,
and I think quite desperate to feellike they could help That the amount of
donations we receivedwas just astronomical.
Wow!
So much.
So, what? You made some calls, youput the word out, social media.
Yeah.
People came and dropped off clothingand then next thing you know,
were people here and actually comingto put the first pair of clothes on
(12:06):
their back that they had?
Yeah. It became both,
I would say it took a little more timefor people to actually feel comfortable
coming and receiving things forthemselves But a lot of people trusted me
to put packages together and when theywould give me their sizing and with the
help of a lot of volunteers, we likecreated this flea market- style.
Wow. That's incredible.
(12:27):
Yeah, it was So you were actuallysizing things for people. Yeah.
Yeah. I mean, hopefullyeverything fit.
But then there was several people came,
especially kind of on off hours Who werelooking to get things for themselves.
And it was really trippyto witness people's
hesitancy to accept so much help.
Sure. Well these are people that probablydidn't necessarily need to ask for it
(12:50):
before.
Yeah. And so it was, yeah,
it was really inspiring andsad and also comforting. It
was a wonderful experience anda little bit still ongoing.
If there's some things I'm lookingfor the ride home for still. Right.
But, so where do you see your musicheaded? What are you working on now?
(13:11):
I think I could kind of see itgoing so many different directions.
I love songwriting. That's definitelymy favorite facet of of playing music.
But I also do love, like communityorganizing and event producing.
'cause I think since I couldn'tplay music for a while.
I had a vocal chord injuryand that really like,
deepened how much of a fan I am of music.
(13:32):
So event producing is sort of areally sweet way to showcase music.
I also just like Right.
Am not necessarily involved with or givesme an opportunity to be involved with
music I like.
Right. Because you're makingother people look good.
Yeah. Right. You'reshowcasing other people.
Or Cornell is making themlook good. Yeah.
But I think for me personally,
(13:53):
like I would love to make songwritingthe thing that really is my source
of income. And that could look like sync,
getting songs synced in movies orwriting for others or something I would
be really interested in.
I just really want my songs to have alife maybe bigger than the one I could
(14:14):
immediately provide.
Well, your songs are great.
Thank you so much.
Absolutely. Did you think that when youstarted here as the event coordinator,
that it would grow into whatit has with kind of the,
you got the open mic night And you'vegot the showcase night and you've got
Comedy night. And youhave poetry readings.
(14:34):
Yeah. Yeah.
I had a sense that but just 'cause Iknow how empowering it feels to play here
myself, I had a feeling that otherartists would feel the same way.
I also think it's auniquely open audience,
like the patrons who come here.Especiallythe patrons who've also been going to
The Old Place for years They'vehad a tradition since like,
they opened in 1970 of havingsomeone play for tables there.
(14:58):
So I think people come to this property,
both The Old Place andCornell and expect music.
And so I think it's natural that it'sevolved into being all kinds of music and
so many different artists.
But it wouldn't have had the spaceto evolve had Matt not helped build
it into a proper venue.
So you mentioned that your folks werein Ambrosia. And they've performed here?
(15:22):
Yeah.
We did our first debut albumrelease here as a family band,
which was really special.
And that was pretty early on to Mattturning it into a venue and Matt taking
on ownership. And so that was like anincredibly special experience for me.
A bunch of my uncles were involved.
Oh, wow.
And I'm such a fan of my familySo the fact that they, you know,
(15:45):
developed this family band. I'llgive you guys a CD before you go.
Thank you. Do you performwith your folks frequently?
Yeah, quite a bit.
Some months more than others 'causethey are all pursuing their own projects
too. And every musician has like10 hustles in which,
yeah. But yeah, we play a lot.
(16:05):
I don't know the next time we'replaying as a family here. Well,
my brother and I will be playingtogether this weekend For a private event
happening here. We'll haveanother family band I'm sure,
soon enough.
I would imagine everybody'skind of got their own style.
Yeah.
Which is unique 'cause you have yourstyle and then your dad and your brother
have their styles. And they're kindof doing their own thing. Right.
(16:27):
And you have to come together andcollaborate with a family too.
That's very unique.
I think it's kind of fun, funny, andcan be. Yeah. A little combat.
I don't know too many
families that even musicalfamilies that have done that.
Usually it's one person in thefamily. Not the whole family.
Yeah. No, I think that's whatmakes it such a privilege.
(16:49):
It's like the best way to spendtime with my family. Yeah.
It's deepened my relationshipswith them so much.
Having the opportunity to play with them.
I would say the different stylescan be difficult sometimes.
My mom really loves like, eighties,like power and guitar and stuff,
and I don't necessarily, I mean, I loveit, but it's not necessarily big hair.
Big hair days.
(17:09):
Yeah. She's like such a,sorry, I won't say she's a bad.
Badass.
Gal. Yeah., I thinking. No.But yeah, she was in like an all girl,
like eighties rock band where she playedthe key guitar and had like, you know,
really big hair. But she also used tosing backups for Jimmy Buffett. Okay.
She did like studio work forPink Floyd. And so she's been,
(17:30):
she's been a badass forever,but That's awesome. But yeah,
II'll write a little folksong and she'll be like, I,
I dunno if that's the exact sound.
The exact...
But I also don't really have, like,
I'm not particularly loyalto a genre either. Like,
I guess a lot of my musichas leaned folkier now,
but mostly I think because of strollingand playing an acoustic guitar in a
(17:51):
canyon 'cause Before I was writinga lot more R&B and even like Jazzier
songs And then that kind of changesbased on which instrument I write
with. Like, I used to play pianoa lot more and my songs tend
to lean a little jazzier when I writeon piano and when I write on bass too.
Interesting. So you, yeah.Guitar, bass and piano. Yeah.
(18:14):
Yeah.
Interesting. Do you have a favorite?
I think I have the mostfun when I play bass.
Because I kind of have to dance to playit, you know? So I end up, end up just.
Yeah. Because the bass isn't, like,
you don't think of the bassas the lead instrument.
No.
Right. No. It's kind of abackup instrument in a way.
Yeah. I think, well, they.
Get your solo, but Yeah.
(18:35):
, well it's, it's like a very,
very important instrument inthe sense that you're like
dictating whether or not people aredancing or getting into the groove. Right.
Also, everyone in my family's adrummer apart from my mom. So my,
my dad and my brother are both drummers.
So I think I've been around arhythm section so much of
(18:56):
my life that I'm prettynew to playing bass,
but it's the most comfortableI've actually felt performing.
Interesting. The band and you're,
and you're singing whileyou're playing the bass.
Yes. Which can be hard, but Yeah.
Yeah. I think I would think.
Yeah. I think just the,
the Drummond rhythm is maybe genetic or
something.
(19:17):
It must be, yeah.
Maybe. So, I do love playing bass.
I love playing bass with thefamily band too, which I get to,
that's the only reason I really startedplaying bass is 'cause nobody else
really did. In the family. So it wasjust, it was born outta necessity.
Now do you guys have a familysong, like a theme song?
Like the favorite family song thatyou guys like to perform together?
Oh man. Well, we mostly, weplay a lot of originals So we,
(19:38):
the album we recorded wasall originals. And that,
that our family band's calledthe Tin Drum Family Band.
So it's like an extension of myparents' Tin Drum roject. But
I would say some of thecovers, we always do,
we always do "The Weight," by the band.
And each of us takes averse or so I guess, like,
we love a lot of Americana.
(19:59):
Like Bonnie Ray is kind ofour cherished family artist.
Right.
So, we do,
"Angel for Montgomery." My mom alwayswants to do "Magic Carpet Ride "
, and we'll do some Ambrosia songs.
I get to sing a lot of the Ambrosiasongs, which is fun for me.
That's very cool. Yeah. Kind oflike your dad's younger years,
I guess it would be. Yeah.Kind of bringing him back.
I saw him just up theroad in Ventura County.
(20:21):
Oh, nice.
Now the band has changeda little bit, right?
Yes. Yeah. One of the originallead singers left pretty early on and went solo.
And they still perform a lot of thesongs he helped write or that he wrote.
But that lead singing role haskind of fluctuated throughout my
life. There's been quite a fewand amazing artists. Oh yeah.
(20:44):
But the original members that are stillin it are my dad Joe, the bass player,
and Chris the organ player And theneveryone else has kind of coming on.
The band's been around that long. It's.
Yeah. You know, I think over 50 years.
Really? That's amazing.
Yeah. 'cause I think mydad started when he was,
he started playing in it whenhe was like 19 or 20. That's.
(21:04):
A long run. Yeah. I mean, not too manybands can say that or do that. Yeah.
I mean, they just don't last.
Yeah. And I think that's like mybiggest source of inspiration from both
my parents, but my dad especially inthat he just no opportunity to play.
He'll never turn downany opportunity to play.
Like he'll play kids' birthdayparties with me. He just loves music,
(21:27):
so purely So does my mom that likeAmbrosia didn't have the perfect
luck with as far as you know,
issues with their publishing deal androyalties not coming through in the way
they were expected and I justthink like in spite of everything,
he loves the music he's made and heloves getting to play it every weekend.
(21:49):
He's 73.
Wow, that's amazing.
I don't foresee himstopping, so that's awesome.
Yeah. And you've got his genes.
Well, thank you. I hopeso. Absolutely. Absolutely.
So when Ambrosia started,and for many years it was,
you know, records andEight track tapes and CDs,
and now it's all online and digitaland the industry's just changed so much
(22:12):
for I guess the worseand the better. Yeah.
How has that, I mean, 'cause anybodycan put out music now anytime, right?
You can put it on YouTube if we'regonna be on YouTube. You know,
you don't have to go to therecord store and buy the record.
So I guess that's kind of a mixed bag.You know, you want people to buy music,
but you can also, youknow, download it for free.
(22:35):
Yeah. I think it's tricky.
I think the music industry is insuch a state of flux right now.
Like people are cravingit to feel different.
And I think there's a lot of nostalgiafor like, the full album and,
and tape recording days. I think there's,
there is like a grittiness and sound tothat kind of recording that does just,
it just sounds and feels good.Right. But at the same time,
(22:56):
I think there's also a lotless gatekeeping in the industry in the sense that
anyone can release any song atany given time. But it's hard.
I mean, I think seek seekingout music as a job right now,
it's a hard time to do that. Right.
there's not a lot of infrastructure inplace for it to actually, for all the,
(23:17):
you know, resources itrequires to actually record and release something. Right.
It's, it's,
I think tough that there'sno real financial reward for people listening to it
at the moment. Right.
But I also think it's good in thesense that anybody can release,
like it doesn't require somerecord label recognizing your
potential or talent.It's almost like for me,
(23:41):
releasing music now is morelike having a website online
Like, or having a businesscard. Right. Like,
if you wanna take a song home withyou that you've heard live you can,
but hopefully the thing I really wantpeople to do is come see me live in
person.
It's a huge difference seeing somebodylive versus, you know, listening.
(24:02):
But if you're not local,then that's the option.
Yeah. So I think it's, yeah,there's good and bad I think to,
to the way music industry has has evolved.Yeah. But I think there's, I'm like,
I loved the Grammys this year. Like Ithought it was uniquely good Grammys Like,
I think pop music is havinga really exciting moment.
And I think because of all, I'llkind of tie something in, but
(24:27):
I think all the likenostalgic documentaries and films coming out have also
revived, like the folk scene Like,
I'm getting booked way more as afolk artist than I have previously.
And I think it's 'cause of the BobDylan movie. Interesting. And yeah.
People love, I think there's alwaysa nostalgia for authentic art. Yeah.
But yeah, those movies certainly I thinkhelp revive certain eras and moments.
(24:51):
There was also kind of theplay on Fleetwood Mac. Yeah.
"Loosely," you know, "Topanga,"they changed the name.
No, I, seriously, I made more tipswhen that show came out. Did you, you,
because people were like, oh, it'sso "Daisy Jones. Daisy Jones". Yeah.
"Daisy Jones".
Yeah. No, I think allof that helps you know,
(25:11):
tell not only like theplight of the artist,
but also reconnects people withthe meaning of art and seeing live
music and Right, right.
I would also think thatkind of the popularity of different genres you mentioned
change, it ebbs andflows. It also changes.
Yeah. I think Ambrosia was qualifiedas art or as pop back in the day.
Oh, were they really?
Yeah.
Interesting. Now they're kind of likein the soft rock. Yeah. Yacht rock.
(25:34):
I mean, they had a lot of Prague Rockstuff too, but it wasn't really there.
I guess their hits weren't really thePrague Rock stuff. So it was strange,
like I saw them on lineupswith like Yes as a kid.
And then also with likeMoody Blues. So it was like.
They really didn't quiteknow where to fit everybody.
Yeah. And just the term yacht rockreboost my dad's career so much,
(25:56):
I think Jimmy Fallon might've coined it.
Oh really?
Yeah. And kind of like in a jokingregard. Yeah. But then it like rebooted.
Yeah. Well it is kind of funny 'causethe Sirius channel has the guy with the,
with the smooth voice, but it's also kindajust kind of chintzy, you know? Yeah.
You know, it's just funnyhow they play on that.
No, it's great though. Ithink in the current industry,
(26:19):
it's finding two fun words that canmarket something, I think. Right?
Yeah, absolutely. So what events arecoming up here at Cornell Wine Company?
So we have a lot ofstuff this coming month.
And so typically mysongwriter show, which is like
formatted in the same way asthe Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.
(26:41):
That'll be four artists.Four artists. Yeah.
And it's more kind ofan acoustic showcase,
but everyone does one song at a time.
And you kind of tell the story of youroriginal song. It's all original music,
right? Yeah. It's like writers inthe round. Interesting. It's, yeah.
And do they all fit together kindof nicely, like thematically,
or is it kind of more eclectic.
(27:01):
I try to make it eclectic.
Oftentimes I'll put someone inmy family on the lineup,,
just 'cause a lot of my family hasmade a living backing up other artists,
so I really like to putthem in the front. I
think this coming one,
I won't have any family members that'lleither be friends I've collaborated
with, or just artists I'vemet in la or here. Very cool.
(27:24):
So yeah, I don't, I don't honestlylike making everyone stick to a genre.
I think it's kind offun when there's a mix.
Yeah. And then you also have thefeatured artist night. Right.
There's one artist performing.
Yeah. So the Fridays are typicallylike one artist or one band.
Sometimes they'll do fulllineups though. Like,
I'm gonna be on a show March29th, that's like a jamboree.
(27:47):
So it's gonna be, I think three bands.
And then the same artist who's leadingthat night, his name's Rocco Wheeler.
He's amazing. Like Americana artist.
He's also doing the same styleshow on the 14th. So that one,
he's like packing the nightwith like three or four bands.
But often on Fridays it's like justone band or one artist. Gotcha.
(28:07):
Yeah. And then you haveyour open mic night.
Yeah. And that's typicallythe last Sunday of the month.
But I have a kind of an thesenext coming months for me,
I have some of my first outof state shows and stuff.
Oh, you'll be traveling.
Yes. I'll be traveling a little bit. Sothe typical schedule's a little skewed.
So the next Open mic's March 23rdas opposed to the last Saturday
(28:30):
or last Sunday. Which it normally is.
Cool. Yeah. And the talent,they're just incredible.
Yeah. The open mics are so inspiring.Like, I really, really love, and I've had,
I teach music throughout the week.That's like my day job, if you will.
Wow! Are you teachingall three instruments?
Yes. Yeah. And ukulele is actuallya really fun one for Oh, wow.
It's a little more accessiblefor kids who wanna learn guitar.
(28:53):
It's just easier to hold .
So some of my students have come andperformed at the mic's and blown everyone
away. I That's awesome. Havesome they, it's just really cool.
I like that it's kind of allages, even though it's a winery.
He's open to that.
Yeah. He's won't serve them wine.
Well, Sierra Drummond,this has been wonderful.
(29:13):
Thank you so much for beingour guest on this on the road.
We've loved having you and learning allabout you and your music career and wish
you, wish you good things.
Thank you so much. I'm so flatteredthat you asked me to be here today.
Absolutely. And be sure to tune innext time for the next On the Road.
Hey friends, it's Paul Ward.Welcome to another on the Road.
Do you ever wonder what goesinto writing a good musical song,
or do you ever wonder how to put togethera musical event while our next guest
has all the answers? And I'mso excited to welcome musician,
Sierra Drummond to On the Road.
Thank you so much.
Absolutely. And we wanna thankour sponsor, Opus Escrow.
(00:28):
So before we talk about writingmusic and putting together an event,
where exactly are we?
We are at the wonderfulCornell Wine Company,
which I like to consider mysecond home. On any given weekend,
I've basically moved in thanks to Mattand Matt's generosity with opening the
space up to so much artand music and comedy.
(00:50):
So, yeah, we're in like MalibuCanyon Agoura Hills if you know,
I'm talking to people from actuallyYes. From this area, but otherwise,
if I'm not, it's Malibu Canyon.
All over the world. And soyou are officially the event producer? Event planner?
Music director?
Yeah. One of.
I host like two monthlyshows and then I play
here with several other bands and helpmy boyfriend also produce his comedy
(01:13):
show.
Okay.
So, I'm one of the eventproducers and, you know,
I have access to the Google Calendar.
Gotcha. We'll give other,other folks credit, too.
Yeah. Yeah.
So you do have a mix of events.You've got open mic night.
You've got featured artists. What goes in
to putting together a good solid show?
It sort of depends onwhich event it is But,
(01:35):
I think I wanted to start hosting eventshere because I had been singing here
for years, but in a reallyinformal setting. Like,
I had been busing tables Andwhen Matt took over ownership,
he was more open to the ideaof hosting more formal shows
which I was so excited about because thespace is such an inherent magic in hi
(01:56):
story with music. Then,
I started with playing with a band.
I was just playing bass and thenbringing in some other artists.
And then I wanted to start doing the openmic night because so many artists were
wanting to play here that it became away to just include more and more people
in the space and showcase more and morepeople. And then from that open mic,
(02:19):
I started hosting the songwriternights, which were a bit more curated,
and a paid show for the performers.
Sure. And the talentis incredible. I mean,
it's not names you've necessarilyheard of on the radio that, you know,
are famous nationally or internationally.
But there's just so much local talent too.
(02:39):
Absolutely. And I think actuallythere's been a nice blend of both.
I was so privileged that I wanna say
maybe the November open mic, I
had the songwriter for Brandy(You're a Fine Girl), Elliot Lurie.
He wanted to be on my songwriter round,
which is still such so mind blowing to me,
(03:02):
because I think that song is justone of the best songs ever written.
Everybody knows that song.
Yeah.
And so he was on the lineup as well assomeone who hasn't released their own
music yet But it's such anincredible songwriter in my eyes.
So yeah.
I think we just live in such anincredible space where there are both
internationally recognized artists andundiscovered artists coexisting in the
(03:26):
same spaces. And it's cool toput them on a platform here.
Absolutely.
They're just starting out and they'rejust in front of their first audience.
Yeha. Or they've beendoing it for decades,
and it's just they haven'thad that good luck streak yet.
Sure. There's something abouthearing music live though,
that's so different and so much morespecial than listening to it on the radio.
(03:47):
Yeah, I, I agree. Absolutely.
Yeah. So you have a verymusic background. You,
you started performing or wereon stage when you were four?
Yeah, I think.
So. Tell us a little bit.
About that. So my, everyonein my family's a musician.
My parents are in an incredible bandfrom the seventies called Ambrosia.
So they're what youcall yacht rockers know?
(04:07):
Yes.
I mean.
Not personally, but Yeah. From the radio.
So, my dad has been in thatsince the beginning of it.
And then my mom has been in itoff and on for 20 years now.
Oh, both in the same band?
Yeah.
Oh, wow.
So, but when I was a kid, they reallyfocused on their duo that they ran. Well,
it was a full band at the time, but itwas the songs they'd written together.
And that group was called Tin Drum.And so at Tin Drum gigs especially,
(04:30):
they started bringing meon stage to sing this song.
My kindergarten teacher taught me itwas about like building bridges and
I opened the showoftentimes with that song.
And also my brother was always inbands, and he's 10 years older than me,
or nine and a half years older than me.He'd like me to clarify.
(04:52):
I always thought his shows were my shows.
So, you'd upstage him?
Yeah. Well, I thought, like theywere my background band. Like,
I'd love to dance as a kid, so I thoughteveryone was coming to see me
And he's a really good older brother,
and so he let me hop thatdeletion for a while.
Very cool. So, you're a singer, you'rea guitar player, you're a songwriter.
Yeah. Tell us about that.What makes a good songwriter?
(05:15):
Oh, man. I, I think itdepends on the songwriter.
For me, I think I just make senseof my life by writing music.
I took a break from music fora while and life didn't make
as much sense.
So I think now that I got backinto songwriting it's such like
(05:35):
a way a method for me to express like,
love for people in my life or to makesense of things I'm going through.
And so I think that I guessthe testament of a good song
is just honesty. I think like the,the more honest I've been in a song,
the more I've, I've liked it and it's themore it's connected with other people.
And do songs typicallyjust pop in your head?
(05:57):
Do they kind of form over time? Is itkind of a combination of things? Yeah.
I would say it's a combination.I write a lot of lyrics,
so sometimes I'll go back and revisitlyrics I wrote years ago that I never
put into a,
a proper song And then some songs takeforever and some songs have taken me like
two minutes.
And some songs You're probablystill writing currently?
(06:18):
Yeah.
I have like an unfinished lyricfolder in my notes app of songs that
have haunted me forlike five or six years.
I did read You had a songcalled "Look Out for Me.".
Yeah.
Celebrating your Boyfriend'sGrandparents. Yeah.
73 years Married. Yeah. That's incredible.
And I think it's 80 years together,or 80 years since they met.
(06:40):
That's amazing.
Yeah.
So tell us about that. Lookout for me. What is that?
What is the meaning behind that?
"Just look out for me.
I look out for you. Even when,
even when the Sky is Not,".
I wrote it quite a while ago but Ijust released it on Valentine's Day.
(07:04):
Pretty cool.
Yeah. I'm excited. Thankyou for asking about it.
Absolutely.
So yeah,
I wrote it actually after one of myboyfriend and I's first big arguments.
But we had just had dinner with hisgrandparents a few nights prior to that
argument And I had justnever really witnessed
a partnership quite like theirs wherethey just accredit one another so much
(07:27):
with their individual successes andthey just have such a sweet way in
which they speak about each other.
Danny's grandfather's thisamazing figure in Hollywood.
He used to be StevenSpielberg's publicist.
Okay.
And he's the first PR person towin an honorary Academy award.
Oh, wow.
But my favorite thing about thisspeech is half of it is about like,
(07:49):
the need for art tofight for human rights.
And the other half is just about howmuch he loves his wife. Like that.
Those two things are the most importantpart of his success. Is the success,
success of his relationship and the factthat he's involved Hollywood with human
rights.
Very cool.
And so I think they're justsuper inspiring. And so yeah, after the argument, I
(08:12):
recalled our dinner with themand I kind of reemphasized the
method in which they, I guess,accredit each other and Right.
Wanted to write something to remind bothDanny and I to do that for each other.
'cause It obviously works well.
Right. With age comes wisdom.
It sure does. Yeah.
Absolutely.
And then you have another song called"Slow Morning" where you were talking
(08:33):
about being in your boyfriend'sPrius kind of shoved in there with
two surfboards.
Singing.
(08:53):
Tell us about that.
Yeah. Well,
I think he had high hopes that I wouldbe as avid of a surfer as he is when we
first started dating. But we starteddating in the midst of the pandemic.
So our world was really confined toeither my little bubble at my house
or the beach.
And so I like my fondestmemories of with Danny have been
(09:14):
all those times we were back and forthfrom the beach with my guitar also shoved
into the Prius.
Cool playing on the sand.
Yeah. Two surfboards.
'cause I would quickly give up onsurfing and start playing guitar
but he always would kind of emphasizethe need for me to slow down in the
morning and enjoy a slow morning. So yeah.
That it's kind of a gift he's givenme. Yeah. The value of a slow morning.
(09:35):
Very cool. And I saw here, I,
I had the fortune of seeing you performhere and one thing I did notice was
you performed with your boyfriend.
Yeah. Right.
But then you also did backupsinging for other performers.
I thought that was interesting.
Thanks.
So it's kind of like you'rehelping other artists, you know,
achieve their potential.
(09:56):
Yeah. That's a really lovely way to lookat it. I also just wanna be on stage.
You just enjoy it.
Yeah. I love harmonizing. I think that'slike my vocal arranging and stuff is
like I don't think I'm the best leadguitar player in the world, but I do,
I do actually. Really I'm proud of like,
my vocal arranging skills and findingharmonies and stuff And it's something my
(10:18):
mom, I think especially has taught mein a way my family has always spent time
together Harmonizing.And so it always makes,
I think a performance feel morecommunal when there's harmony.
So I love doing that whenother artists want me to.
Very cool. So you've seen your musiccreation kind of evolve Yeah. Over time.
(10:38):
Yeah. It's had lots of eras,
but this is the most professionaland formal I've ever and serious
I've ever taken. It has beensince the pandemic, so, sure.
And thanks to a space like thisthat has allowed me to cultivate
community and, but also really justdevelop as a songwriter When before,
(10:58):
it was something I like to do but didn'tthink I could do professionally, so.
Well, you're, you sureare doing it. Thank you.
And you're also doing goodworks for the community. I mean,
after this big terrible Palisades fire,
you kind of took it upon yourself andwith the help of Matt and the Cornell Wine
Company to put together a, a clothingdrive for folks that had lost everything.
(11:18):
Yeah.
Matt and I are the best and just theamount of trust they have in me to use
their space however I see fit,
whether it's for music or forlike a community organizing,
and they were such a bigpart of it. So, at first, I,
my idea was just for it to be a donationdrop off center And then I would,
I'm so used to going back and forthfrom LA That I just was like, you know,
(11:41):
I'll find other organizations to takeit to But people who were so immensely
generous so quickly,
and I think quite desperate to feellike they could help That the amount of
donations we receivedwas just astronomical.
Wow!
So much.
So, what? You made some calls, youput the word out, social media.
Yeah.
People came and dropped off clothingand then next thing you know,
were people here and actually comingto put the first pair of clothes on
(12:06):
their back that they had?
Yeah. It became both,
I would say it took a little more timefor people to actually feel comfortable
coming and receiving things forthemselves But a lot of people trusted me
to put packages together and when theywould give me their sizing and with the
help of a lot of volunteers, we likecreated this flea market- style.
Wow. That's incredible.
(12:27):
Yeah, it was So you were actuallysizing things for people. Yeah.
Yeah. I mean, hopefullyeverything fit
But then there was several people came,
especially kind of on off hours Who werelooking to get things for themselves.
And it was really trippyto witness people's
hesitancy to accept so much help.
Sure. Well these are people that probablydidn't necessarily need to ask for it
(12:50):
before.
Yeah. And so it was, yeah,
it was really inspiring andsad and also comforting. It
was a wonderful experience anda little bit still ongoing.
If there's some things I'm lookingfor the ride home for still. Right.
But, so where do you see your musicheaded? What are you working on now?
(13:11):
I think I could kind of see itgoing so many different directions.
I love songwriting. That's definitelymy favorite facet of of playing music.
But I also do love, like communityorganizing and event producing.
'cause I think since I couldn'tplay music for a while.
I had a vocal chord injuryand that really like,
deepened how much of a fan I am of music.
(13:32):
So event producing is sort of areally sweet way to showcase music.
I also just like Right.
Am not necessarily involved with or givesme an opportunity to be involved with
music I like.
Right. Because you're makingother people look good.
Yeah. Right. You'reshowcasing other people.
Or Cornell is making themlook good.
But I think for me personally,
(13:53):
like I would love to make songwritingthe thing that really is my source
of income. And that could look like sync,
getting songs synced in movies orwriting for others or something I would
be really interested in.
I just really want my songs to have alife maybe bigger than the one I could
(14:14):
immediately provide.
Well, your songs are great.
Thank you so much.
Absolutely. Did you think that when youstarted here as the event coordinator,
that it would grow into whatit has with kind of the,
you got the open mic night And you'vegot the showcase night and you've got
Comedy night. And youhave poetry readings.
(14:34):
Yeah. Yeah.
I had a sense that but just 'cause Iknow how empowering it feels to play here
myself, I had a feeling that otherartists would feel the same way.
I also think it's auniquely open audience,
like the patrons who come here.Especiallythe patrons who've also been going to
The Old Place for years They'vehad a tradition since like,
they opened in 1970 of havingsomeone play for tables there.
(14:58):
So I think people come to this property,
both The Old Place andCornell and expect music.
And so I think it's natural that it'sevolved into being all kinds of music and
so many different artists.
But it wouldn't have had the spaceto evolve had Matt not helped build
it into a proper venue.
So you mentioned that your folks werein Ambrosia. And they've performed here?
(15:22):
Yeah.
We did our first debut albumrelease here as a family band,
which was really special.
And that was pretty early on to Mattturning it into a venue and Matt taking
on ownership. And so that was like anincredibly special experience for me.
A bunch of my uncles were involved.
Oh, wow.
And I'm such a fan of my familySo the fact that they, you know,
(15:45):
developed this family band. I'llgive you guys a CD before you go.
Thank you. Do you performwith your folks frequently?
Yeah, quite a bit.
Some months more than others 'causethey are all pursuing their own projects
too. And every musician has like10 hustles
yeah. But yeah, we play a lot.
(16:05):
I don't know the next time we'replaying as a family here. Well,
my brother and I will be playingtogether this weekend For a private event
happening here. We'll haveanother family band I'm sure,
soon enough.
I would imagine everybody'skind of got their own style.
Yeah.
Which is unique 'cause you have yourstyle and then your dad and your brother
have their styles. And they're kindof doing their own thing. Right.
(16:27):
And you have to come together andcollaborate with a family too.
That's very unique.
I think it's kind of fun, funny, andcan be
I don't know too many
families that even musicalfamilies that have done that.
Usually it's one person in thefamily. Not the whole family.
Yeah. No, I think that's whatmakes it such a privilege.
(16:49):
It's like the best way to spendtime with my family. Yeah.
It's deepened my relationshipswith them so much.
Having the opportunity to play with them.
I would say the different stylescan be difficult sometimes.
My mom really loves like, eighties,like power and guitar and stuff,
and I don't necessarily, I mean, I loveit, but it's not necessarily big hair.
Big hair days.
(17:09):
Yeah. She's like such a,sorry, I won't say she's a bad.
Badass.
Gal. Yeah.
like eighties rock band where she playedthe key guitar and had like, you know,
really big hair. But she also used tosing backups for Jimmy Buffett. Okay.
She did like studio work forPink Floyd. And so she's been,
(17:30):
she's been a badass forever,but That's awesome. But yeah,
II'll write a little folksong and she'll be like, I,
I dunno if that's the exact sound.
The exact...
But I also don't really have, like,
I'm not particularly loyalto a genre either. Like,
I guess a lot of my musichas leaned folkier now,
but mostly I think because of strollingand playing an acoustic guitar in a
(17:51):
canyon 'cause Before I was writinga lot more R&B and even like Jazzier
songs And then that kind of changesbased on which instrument I write
with. Like, I used to play pianoa lot more and my songs tend
to lean a little jazzier when I writeon piano and when I write on bass too.
Interesting. So you, yeah.Guitar, bass and piano. Yeah.
(18:14):
Yeah.
Interesting. Do you have a favorite?
I think I have the mostfun when I play bass.
Because I kind of have to dance to playit, you know? So I end up, end up just.
Yeah. Because the bass isn't, like,
you don't think of the bassas the lead instrument.
No.
Right. No. It's kind of abackup instrument in a way.
Yeah. I think, well, they.
Get your solo, but Yeah.
(18:35):
very important instrument inthe sense that you're like
dictating whether or not people aredancing or getting into the groove. Right.
Also, everyone in my family's adrummer apart from my mom. So my,
my dad and my brother are both drummers.
So I think I've been around arhythm section
(18:56):
my life that I'm prettynew to playing bass,
but it's the most comfortableI've actually felt performing.
Interesting. The band and you're,
and you're singing whileyou're playing the bass.
Yes. Which can be hard, but Yeah.
Yeah. I think I would think.
Yeah. I think just the,
the Drummond rhythm is maybe genetic or
something.
(19:17):
It must be, yeah.
I love playing bass with thefamily band too, which I get to,
that's the only reason I really startedplaying bass is 'cause nobody else
really did. In the family. So it wasjust, it was born outta necessity.
Now do you guys have a familysong, like a theme song?
Like the favorite family song thatyou guys like to perform together?
Oh man. Well, we mostly, weplay a lot of originals So we,
(19:38):
the album we recorded wasall originals. And that,
that our family band's calledthe Tin Drum Family Band.
So it's like an extension of myparents' Tin Drum roject. But
I would say some of thecovers, we always do,
we always do "The Weight," by the band.
And each of us takes averse or so I guess, like,
we love a lot of Americana.
(19:59):
Like Bonnie Ray is kind ofour cherished family artist.
Right.
So, we do,
"Angel for Montgomery." My mom alwayswants to do "Magic Carpet Ride "
I get to sing a lot of the Ambrosiasongs, which is fun for me.
That's very cool. Yeah. Kind oflike your dad's younger years,
I guess it would be. Yeah.Kind of bringing him back.
I saw him just up theroad in Ventura County.
(20:21):
Oh, nice.
Now the band has changeda little bit, right?
Yes. Yeah. One of the originallead singers left pretty early on and went solo.
And they still perform a lot of thesongs he helped write or that he wrote.
But that lead singing role haskind of fluctuated throughout my
life. There's been quite a fewand amazing artists. Oh yeah.
(20:44):
But the original members that are stillin it are my dad Joe, the bass player,
and Chris the organ player And theneveryone else has kind of coming on.
The band's been around that long. It's.
Yeah. You know, I think over 50 years.
Really? That's amazing.
Yeah. 'cause I think mydad started when he was,
he started playing in it whenhe was like 19 or 20. That's.
(21:04):
A long run. Yeah. I mean, not too manybands can say that or do that. Yeah.
I mean, they just don't last.
Yeah. And I think that's like mybiggest source of inspiration from both
my parents, but my dad especially inthat he just no opportunity to play.
He'll never turn downany opportunity to play.
Like he'll play kids' birthdayparties with me. He just loves music,
(21:27):
so purely So does my mom that likeAmbrosia didn't have the perfect
luck with as far as you know,
issues with their publishing deal androyalties not coming through in the way
they were expected and I justthink like in spite of everything,
he loves the music he's made and heloves getting to play it every weekend.
(21:49):
He's 73.
Wow, that's amazing.
I don't foresee himstopping, so that's awesome.
Yeah. And you've got his genes.
Well, thank you. I hopeso. Absolutely. Absolutely.
So when Ambrosia started,and for many years it was,
you know, records andEight track tapes and CDs,
and now it's all online and digitaland the industry's just changed so much
(22:12):
for I guess the worseand the better. Yeah.
How has that, I mean, 'cause anybodycan put out music now anytime, right?
You can put it on YouTube if we'regonna be on YouTube. You know,
you don't have to go to therecord store and buy the record.
So I guess that's kind of a mixed bag.You know, you want people to buy music,
but you can also, youknow, download it for free.
(22:35):
Yeah. I think it's tricky.
I think the music industry is insuch a state of flux right now.
Like people are cravingit to feel different.
And I think there's a lot of nostalgiafor like, the full album and,
and tape recording days. I think there's,
there is like a grittiness and sound tothat kind of recording that does just,
it just sounds and feels good.Right. But at the same time,
(22:56):
I think there's also a lotless gatekeeping in the industry in the sense that
anyone can release any song atany given time. But it's hard.
I mean, I think seek seekingout music as a job right now,
it's a hard time to do that. Right.
there's not a lot of infrastructure inplace for it to actually, for all the,
(23:17):
you know, resources itrequires to actually record and release something. Right.
It's, it's,
I think tough that there'sno real financial reward for people listening to it
at the moment. Right.
But I also think it's good in thesense that anybody can release,
like it doesn't require somerecord label recognizing your
potential or talent.It's almost like for me,
(23:41):
releasing music now is morelike having a website online
Like, or having a businesscard. Right. Like,
if you wanna take a song home withyou that you've heard live you can,
but hopefully the thing I really wantpeople to do is come see me live in
person.
It's a huge difference seeing somebodylive versus, you know, listening.
(24:02):
But if you're not local,then that's the option.
Yeah. So I think it's, yeah,there's good and bad I think to,
to the way music industry has has evolved.Yeah. But I think there's, I'm like,
I loved the Grammys this year. Like Ithought it was uniquely good Grammys Like,
I think pop music is havinga really exciting moment.
And I think because of all, I'llkind of tie something in, but
(24:27):
I think all the likenostalgic documentaries and films coming out have also
revived, like the folk scene Like,
I'm getting booked way more as afolk artist than I have previously.
And I think it's 'cause of the BobDylan movie. Interesting. And yeah.
People love, I think there's alwaysa nostalgia for authentic art. Yeah.
But yeah, those movies certainly I thinkhelp revive certain eras and moments.
(24:51):
There was also kind of theplay on Fleetwood Mac. Yeah.
"Loosely," you know, "Topanga,"they changed the name.
No, I, seriously, I made more tipswhen that show came out. Did you, you,
because people were like, oh, it'sso "Daisy Jones. Daisy Jones". Yeah.
"Daisy Jones".
Yeah. No, I think allof that helps you know,
(25:11):
tell not only like theplight of the artist,
but also reconnects people withthe meaning of art and seeing live
music and Right, right.
I would also think thatkind of the popularity of different genres you mentioned
change, it ebbs andflows. It also changes.
Yeah. I think Ambrosia was qualifiedas art or as pop back in the day.
Oh, were they really?
Yeah.
Interesting. Now they're kind of likein the soft rock. Yeah. Yacht rock.
(25:34):
I mean, they had a lot of Prague Rockstuff too, but it wasn't really there.
I guess their hits weren't really thePrague Rock stuff. So it was strange,
like I saw them on lineupswith like Yes as a kid.
And then also with likeMoody Blues. So it was like.
They really didn't quiteknow where to fit everybody.
Yeah. And just the term yacht rockreboost my dad's career so much,
(25:56):
I think Jimmy Fallon might've coined it.
Oh really?
Yeah. And kind of like in a jokingregard. Yeah. But then it like rebooted.
Yeah. Well it is kind of funny 'causethe Sirius channel has the guy with the,
with the smooth voice, but it's also kindajust kind of chintzy, you know? Yeah.
You know, it's just funnyhow they play on that.
No, it's great though. Ithink in the current industry,
(26:19):
it's finding two fun words that canmarket something
Yeah, absolutely. So what events arecoming up here at Cornell Wine Company?
So we have a lot ofstuff this coming month.
And so typically mysongwriter show, which is like
formatted in the same way asthe Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.
(26:41):
That'll be four artists.Four artists. Yeah.
And it's more kind ofan acoustic showcase,
but everyone does one song at a time.
And you kind of tell the story of youroriginal song. It's all original music,
right? Yeah. It's like writers inthe round. Interesting. It's, yeah.
And do they all fit together kindof nicely, like thematically,
or is it kind of more eclectic.
(27:01):
I try to make it eclectic.
Oftentimes I'll put someone inmy family on the lineup,
just 'cause a lot of my family hasmade a living backing up other artists,
so I really like to putthem in the front. I
think this coming one,
I won't have any family members that'lleither be friends I've collaborated
with, or just artists I'vemet in la or here. Very cool.
(27:24):
So yeah, I don't, I don't honestlylike making everyone stick to a genre.
I think it's kind offun when there's a mix.
Yeah. And then you also have thefeatured artist night. Right.
There's one artist performing.
Yeah. So the Fridays are typicallylike one artist or one band.
Sometimes they'll do fulllineups though. Like,
I'm gonna be on a show March29th, that's like a jamboree.
(27:47):
So it's gonna be, I think three bands.
And then the same artist who's leadingthat night, his name's Rocco Wheeler.
He's amazing. Like Americana artist.
He's also doing the same styleshow on the 14th. So that one,
he's like packing the nightwith like three or four bands.
But often on Fridays it's like justone band or one artist. Gotcha.
(28:07):
Yeah. And then you haveyour open mic night.
Yeah. And that's typicallythe last Sunday of the month.
But I have a kind of an thesenext coming months for me,
I have some of my first outof state shows and stuff.
Oh, you'll be traveling.
Yes. I'll be traveling a little bit. Sothe typical schedule's a little skewed.
So the next Open mic's March 23rdas opposed to the last Saturday
(28:30):
or last Sunday. Which it normally is.
Cool. Yeah. And the talent,they're just incredible.
Yeah. The open mics are so inspiring.Like, I really, really love, and I've had,
I teach music throughout the week.That's like my day job, if you will.
Wow! Are you teachingall three instruments?
Yes. Yeah. And ukulele is actuallya really fun one for Oh, wow.
It's a little more accessiblefor kids who wanna learn guitar.
(28:53):
It's just easier to hold
So some of my students have come andperformed at the mic's and blown everyone
away. I That's awesome. Havesome they, it's just really cool.
I like that it's kind of allages, even though it's a winery.
He's open to that.
Yeah. He's won't serve them wine
Well, Sierra Drummond,this has been wonderful.
(29:13):
Thank you so much for beingour guest on this on the road.
We've loved having you and learning allabout you and your music career and wish
you, wish you good things.
Thank you so much. I'm so flatteredthat you asked me to be here today.
Absolutely. And be sure to tune innext time for the next On the Road.
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