“Shovels & Rope songs are songs about loving through poverty, when people are all torn up and stressed to the maximum, when “it was all we could do to keep a nail in the floor.” It’s virtuous love and resilience, and it’s fashioned after the way those in Nashville used to write ballads and duets – where there was just as much pain as there was happiness. They are songs filled with mercy, mistakes, fire and the sort of genuine compassion that cannot be swept away or buried.”
—Daytrotter
Husband and wife duo of Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent playing outlaw country and avant-garde folk americana. In 2011 alone, the pair were direct support to Hayes Carll, Jason Isbell, Felice Brothers, Justin Townes Earle and Butch Walker touring all across the US doing 200+ shows.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Less is more. Make it work with what you’ve got. 2 Guitars, a junkyard drum kit harvested from an actual garbage heap and adorned with tambourines, flowers and kitchen rags. A handful of harmonicas, voices, and above all.. songs. Shovels & Rope prefer to keep it simple. They have cleverly managed to take 3 separate recording projects and combine them into 1 cohesive, folk rock, sloppy tonk, harmonized, loose but tight, streamlined audience killing machine.
Michael Trent (Texas/Colorado) has just released his second solo album entitled “The Winner”, and Cary Ann Hearst (Mississippi/Tennessee) is about to release her second record “Lions & Lambs”. Together hey have one duo release entitled “Shovels & Rope” which came out in 2008 and are currently working on the follow up “Shovels & Rope V.2” in their house, van, and backyard. At the shows, expect to hear a little something from any or all of these releases while the duo switch instruments and share lead vocal duties. Also prepare to rethink your definition of a live rock band.