WVU FallFest to Showcase Grammy-Winning State Native Sierra Ferrell

Seneca, a popular band founded by University students, will also take the stage during the annual free concert to mark the start of the semester with additional music provided by U92 The Moose.

One of the brightest young luminaries in roots music today and a four-time Grammy winner, Sierra Ferrell brings a dose of beautifully strange magic to everything she touches.

Since the arrival of “Long Time Coming,” her acclaimed debut LP for Rounder Records, the West Virginia-born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has earned the Emerging Act of the Year prize at the Americana Honors and Awards, collaborated with the likes of Post Malone, Margo Price and Old Crow Medicine Show, and enchanted audiences all over North America and Europe with her high-spirited and dazzling live performance.

Earlier this year, Ferrell won the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album for “Trail of Flowers,” her 2024 album, and also accepted Grammys for Best American Roots Song for “America Dreaming,” Best American Roots Performance for “Lighthouse” and Best Americana Performance for “American Dreaming.”

In keeping with a musical upbringing that included playing everywhere from truck stops to boxcars to street corners in New Orleans, “Trail of Flowers” journeys from freewheeling bluegrass to heartrending old-time music to fantastically gritty honky-tonk and beyond, endlessly changing shape to accommodate the immense scope of Ferrell’s eccentric musicality.

Mainly recorded at Sound Emporium Studios and featuring guest appearances from singer/songwriters Lukas Nelson and Nikki Lane, “Trail of Flowers” ultimately fulfills Ferrell’s longstanding mission of making music that transcends all barriers of time.

Rooted in the hills of West Virginia, blending storytelling soul with the energy of the modern Americana rock and country

scene, Seneca was formed in 2023 by WVU students and includes vocalist Andrew Parsons, guitarist Dylan Hunt, drummer Chris Little, bassist Jared Longmore and pianist Graham Sterling.

The young band broke onto the Morgantown music scene with their electric performances that shut down streets and filled up venues. Building off the quickly growing crowds — and with the release of energetic, raw, original music — opportunities to play bigger shows and prove themselves on larger stages soon followed.

From small-town bars to Nashville lights, their journey has taken them across West Virginia and on to some truly esteemed stages.

Seneca’s music moves like a drive down West Virginia’s mountain roads — rooted, dynamic and impossible to forget.

WVU student IDs will be swiped at the gates. Students with valid WVU student IDs are permitted one guest age 17 and older. Students with guests may enter any gate. Guest tickets are not required, but guests should be prepared to show proof of age.

If you are using Uber, Lyft or a taxi for transportation, drop-off and pickup will be at the intersection of Morrill Way and Kittie Blakemore Drive, formerly Rec Center Drive, near Short Term Lot ST-1. Free parking will be available beginning at 4 p.m. in Short Term Lot ST-9 across from the Art Museum and in Short Term Lot ST-1 off Patteson Drive.

Editor’s Note: Submitted photo of Ferrell courtesy of WVU.

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