Internationally acclaimed folk duo Shovels & Rope is wife-husband team Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, who are still happily based right here in the Lowcountry no matter their increasing notoriety. The pandemic forced the road warriors back home to Johns Island last year, but their upcoming cross-country tour will route them back through town for two outdoor performances at the Pour House this weekend.
There have been many milestones for Shovels & Rope over the last dozen or so years, including a handful of stellar studio albums, two well-received film projects, and a carefully curated annual music festival. Even so, Hearst and Trent said becoming parents has been among the most impactful events of their lives.
“It definitely did something to us,” Trent said. Hearst added, “After we became parents, music just sounded different, and we both became a little more sentimental.”
Judging from the couple’s continued creative output, having kids seems to have enhanced the artistic exploration within Hearst and Trent’s family unit. For example, while stuck home during lockdown, they kept busy making joyful noise with two LPs and what started out as a children’s book but evolved into a graphic novel for adults. Beyond that, Hearst and Trent said they have even been workshopping with local improv company Nameless Numberhead on a few dark comedy themes.
As for the new music, one of these collections is already available, Busted Jukebox Vol. 3, affectionately nicknamed “Busted Juice Box.” It continues Shovels & Rope’s penchant for collaborating on eclectic covers with other like-minded musicians. Serving as a periodic diversion for Hearst and Trent from expanding upon their own songbook, the overall vibe of these “jukebox” sessions is always loose and fun.
It turns out, though, that picking the tunes and matching them with other artists is a methodical process for Shovels & Rope. As Hearst explains, “We are big music fans ourselves, so we are always making lists of songs we’d like to do and always thinking about who else we might want to work with and what sort of sound their particular style might bring to any given song.”
Trent confirmed the second untitled record Shovels & Rope started during the 2020 quarantine will contain the couple’s next batch of original compositions and should be available in early 2022.
Acknowledging it’s been a tough time for everyone in the music business, Hearst and Trent are proud of the flurry of activity that continued for them even as the rest of the world shut down. That said, the pair light up even more when the talk turns to hitting the road, performing in front of audiences all over America again.
At the moment though, Hearst and Trent seem especially pleased about revisiting their old stomping grounds at the Charleston Pour House for two upcoming parking lot pod shows.
“The Pour House has always been a special space for us,” Hearst said. “Playing there again will be sort of a homecoming affair because we have had such a long relationship with that venue and because it was one of the places that helped keep us afloat when we were first finding our way.”
Shovels & Rope will perform at the Charleston Pour House June 18 and 19 at 6 p.m. $42.50+ For tickets, visit charlestonpourhouse.com.
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