Sierra Ferrell Joins Mumford & Sons, Hozier and Aaron Dessner for Surprise SNL Set
Mumford & Sons returned to Studio 8H on Feb. 28 for their fourth Saturday Night Live appearance, and sierra ferrell was among the surprise guests who joined the British trio to perform tracks from their new album Prizefighter.
Studio 8H opener: 'Rubber Band Man' with Hozier and Dessner
The band opened the Feb. 28 musical slot with “Rubber Band Man, ” a track that features Irish singer Hozier and was co-written by Brandi Carlile; the single has spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart. Aaron Dessner, credited as a co-producer on Prizefighter, augmented the performance on electric guitar before Hozier emerged from the side stage to reprise his guest vocal.
Sierra Ferrell joins on 'Here'
The group’s second song on the taping was “Here, ” the opening track to Prizefighter, which on record features Chris Stapleton. Onstage they were joined by Dessner and singer-songwriter Sierra Ferrell; sierra ferrell’s appearance came as Stapleton was performing two hours away in Uncasville, Ct. The show also included a brief onstage snippet of “Unchained Melody” during a sketch cameo by the band.
Marcus Mumford and Ted Dwane on Prizefighter and production
Prizefighter, released Feb. 20, has delivered a top 10 debut and, Marcus Mumford said several months out from its release, it is his favorite of the group’s albums thus far. Mumford, 39, described it as the group’s straightest-talking record and closest to their essence. Co-founder Ted Dwane, 41, praised Dessner’s work and called Dessner “a real ally, ” noting that the band had been fans of The National and first connected with him while preparing their third record, Wilder Mind.
Host, sketches and Studio 8H moments
The Feb. 28 episode was hosted by Connor Storrie, the 26-year-old Canadian actor best known for playing Shane Hollander on HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry; it marked Storrie’s SNL debut. In his opening monologue he brought out members of the U. S. women’s Olympic hockey team alongside the U. S. men’s squad. A late-night sketch filmed at the Rink at Rockefeller Center featured an unannounced cameo by Hudson Williams, who later returned to Studio 8H to join Storrie in introducing Mumford & Sons.
Warm-up show, tour kickoff and festival dates
The band warmed up for SNL with a hastily organized secret show on Tuesday at the 500-capacity Music Hall of Williamsburg, where they performed unamplified backed by a four-piece string section and extra singers. Prizefighter is the band’s second album in less than a year after Rushmere, released last March; Rushmere was their first record as a trio following guitarist and banjoist Winston Marshall’s departure from the band in part over political differences. Mumford & Sons will begin an extensive world tour April 24 in Melbourne, will tour Australia and New Zealand in April before hitting North America in June and then Europe, and are scheduled to be back in the United States through October to headline Louisville, Kentucky’s Bourbon & Beyond Festival.
