SHOVELS AND ROPE
Aiken Promotions presents
SHOVELS AND ROPE
plus guests
Shovels & Rope is a Charleston, South Carolina-based duo consisting of Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent. They perform as an energetic two-piece band, stirring up a righteous racket with two old guitars, a handful of harmonicas, the occasional keyboard, and a junkyard drum kit harvested from an actual garbage heap and adorned with tambourines, flowers and kitchen rags.
The songs are the deadliest arrows in this bands quiver. Raw and imagined, effortless and insightful, the pair’s panoramic songwriting and raucous performances drive Shovels & Rope’s newest release O’ Be Joyful. Recorded in the twosome’s house, backyard and van, as well as various motel rooms across America, the 11-song set offers a compelling encapsulation of Hearst and Trent’s unique approach, channeling their creative chemistry.
Hearst and Trent recorded much of O’ Be Joyful at home in 2011 during the rare downtime between touring jaunts. Additional tracking took place during their travels. The synthetic bass on the record’s opening track “Birmingham” was recorded next to the sink at a Red Roof Inn near New Haven, CT. The organ solo on “Shank Hill St. was tracked in the van at approximately 70 mph somewhere on I-10 between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. And while sharing a bill in Louisville, KY, the electric Amanda Shires was wrangled into the duo’s van to add fiddle parts to “Keeper” and “This Means War” in between soundcheck and showtime.
While Hearst and Trent are both songwriters individually, O’ Be Joyful finds them still discovering new strengths as a collaborative unit. “The songs on this album,” Michael points out, “are the most we’ve ever written together. Many of them were birthed on the road. One of us would come up with a verse and say, ‘I’m gonna drive for awhile, why don’t you try to put a chorus on this?’ And then we’d switch…kind of like our shows.”
Tickets on sale Wednesday 13th March priced €15.00 (including booking fee) from www.ticketmaster.ie & Ticketmaster outlets nationwide. 0818 719 300 – Republic of Ireland customers 0844 277 4455 – Northern Ireland customers 00353 1 456 9569 – International customer
TICKETS
On sale Wed 13th March, 9am: €15 available online from WAV Tickets [Lo-Call 1890 200 078] (50c per ticket service charge applies on phone or creditcard bookings)
Strictly over 18′s, I.D. may be required.