Folk music duo Shovels & Rope (husband and wife Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst) will be returning home to the Holy City for two hometown shows at the Music Farm on October 3 and 4.
“Music Farm is a great rock ‘n roll room, and that’s kind of the vibe and the set list we’re doing,” Hearst tells Holy City Sinner. “Michael and I are just gonna make a lot of noise.”
The show will highlight the band’s new album, 'Something Is Working Up Above My Head', which was released on Sept. 6, 2024.
“We’re definitely focused on the new record. That’s where our heads are at—we’re mostly excited about playing it,” Trent adds. “It’s our favorite record that we've made. It’s fun to see how they translate live and to actually play them in front of an audience.”
The band is currently three-quarters of the way through a month-long set of shows before returning to Charleston, which inspired their new record.
“We make all of our records in our home studio ever since we’ve started, but we built the studio in our backyard in 2017,” says Trent.
Adds Hearst, “Where we live in Charleston County, we get the rural aesthetic. We get the quiet, we get the river scenery—we’re out of the mix. We thrive on the quiet that it brings us and seclude ourselves out there.”
The lore of the Lowcountry has provided a wealth of lyrical artistry for the duo.
“I steal stories from history, and that has often informed my angle of songwriting,” says Hearst. “We’re just rooted there. We’ve always had a hard time leaving Charleston.”
Trent notes that 'Something Is Working Up Above My Head' is the band’s most rock ‘n roll record and "heaviest." “It sounds like what we sound like live,” he adds. “We consider ourselves ‘folk’ songwriters because we like to write narrative songs with characters and stories that aren't necessarily about us, but this one is definitely dressed up in leather for the most part.”
Tickets for Shovels & Rope’s two Music Farm shows on Oct. 3 and 4, featuring opener Al Olender, are currently on sale. Doors open at 8 p.m., and the show starts at 9 p.m. Purchase general admission tickets for $35 here.
Tickets for Shovels & Rope’s two Music Farm shows on Oct. 3 and 4, featuring opener Al Olender, are currently on sale. Doors open at 8 p.m., and the show starts at 9 p.m. Purchase general admission tickets for $35 here.
