Shovels & Rope Comes to Brooklyn Bowl in April

Acclaimed duo Shovels & Rope will perform at Brooklyn Bowl on April 9 in support of their latest album Manticore (2022, Dualtone Music). The duo will also play at the South Orange Performing Arts Center one night prior, April 8. Known for their honest, literate and narrative-driven songwriting, Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent (aka Shovels & Rope) inject raw and fiercely passionate emotion into their incendiary live performances. After ten-plus years, the husband-and-wife outfit is still making music that defies labels, pulling from Americana, folk, country and rock, and now, with the wisdom and maturity that comes from years of first-hand experience.

As storytellers, Hearst & Trent have always created visceral, bold and cinematic vignettes, but on Manticore, these vignettes are also oftentimes deeply personal. Originally planned as a stripped-down affair but reworked when the pandemic sent everyone inside, Manticore sees the duo muse on celebrity culture, idol worship, gender roles, parental love, marriage and the everpresent existential threats facing the human race. Upon release, the album received positive coverage from The Associated Press, The Bluegrass Situation, Holler., American Songwriter and more.

Shovels & Rope has seemingly done it all since bursting onto the scene over a decade ago. Along with six full-length albums and three collaborative covers albums (Busted Jukebox Volumes 1-3), the duo has also started an annual music festival in their hometown of Charleston, SC (High Water) and released a very unique concert film (Shovels & Rope: The Movie). Still as essential, unconventional and soul-stirring as ever, Shovels & Rope continues to evolve, exploring new ways to express their creativity while maintaining the highest levels of integrity, successfully establishing themselves as "one of our most important bands" (Glide Magazine).