Last night, the stage at the Brown County Music Center happened to be my first concert of the year, and if you’re going to set the tone for the next twelve months of chasing light and sound with a camera in hand, this was the way to do it. Sierra Hull with The Milk Carton Kids was a masterclass in musicanship and a dream to capture.

Hull, widely regarded as one of the most inventive players in modern acoustic music, walked out with the calm of someone who’s done this on the biggest stages imaginable — from Carnegie Hall to the Grand Ole Opry — but she played like she still had something to prove. A six-time GRAMMY nominee and seven-time IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year, Hull doesn’t just pick; she detonates.

From behind the lens, her speed was mesmerizing: fingers a blur, posture steady, expression locked in somewhere between joy and deep concentration. Every frame felt alive.

Starting off the night, Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan of The Milk Carton Kids countered with bone-dry wit and immaculate musical interplay. The Eagle Rock, Los Angeles duo has built a reputation since 2011 on tight harmonies and minimalist precision, and live, that restraint becomes magnetic. No wasted movement. No extra flourish. 

Their songs unfolded like short stories filled with wry, intimate moments, and when Hull joined them, the chemistry snapped into focus. The interplay made for compelling visuals: three players leaning inward, trading glances, subtle smiles, silent cues. No drums. No spectacle. Just wood, wire, and nerve.

They have four dates left together — February 19 at the Flagstar Strand Theatre in Pontiac, Michigan; February 20 at the Blue Gate Performing Arts Center in Shipshewana, Indiana; February 21 at The Celestia Theater in Wadsworth, Ohio; and February 22 at the Peoples Bank Theatre in Marietta, Ohio.

For my first concert of the year, it wasn’t just a great one to attend; it was a great one to capture. A reminder that sometimes the most powerful shows aren’t the loudest. They’re the ones that make you lean in, adjust your focus, and wait for the next note to ring.

Photo Gallery by Tony Vasquez : https://jamsplus.smugmug.com/TonyVasquezPhotography/Sierra-Hull-with-the-Milk-Carton-Kids-