Shovels and Rope at The Kent Stage February 19, 2027

Shovels and Rope is an Americana folk-rock duo from Charleston, South Carolina, built around the creative and personal partnership of Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent. Both artists arrived with established solo careers - Hearst with her 2006 album Dust and Bones and Trent with his work in the indie rock band The Films and his own solo releases - before discovering a striking musical chemistry while sharing shows in the late 2000s. Their collaboration evolved naturally, leading to the 2008 co-billed album Shovels and Rope, and by 2009 the pair had married and begun shaping the raw, harmony-driven sound that would define their future work.

Their breakthrough came with O’ Be Joyful in 2012, a record praised for its gritty minimalism, intertwined vocals, and genre-blending mix of folk, rock, country, and punk spirit. The album’s standout track “Birmingham” earned them Emerging Artist of the Year and Song of the Year at the Americana Music Honors and Awards, while relentless touring - often as a two-piece switching instruments mid-set - cemented their reputation as one of the most dynamic live acts in modern Americana. Festival appearances at Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Newport Folk Festival expanded their audience, and their DIY ethos remained central: recording at home, traveling in a van, and keeping their arrangements lean, intimate, and fiercely energetic.

Across albums like Swimmin’ Time (2014), Little Seeds (2016), By Blood (2019), and their 2024 release Something Is Working Up Above My Head, Shovels and Rope have continued to evolve while preserving the emotional grit and storytelling that define their music. They also broadened their impact by founding Charleston’s High Water Festival in 2017, curating lineups featuring artists such as Wilco and Fleet Foxes. Their journey - documented in the award-winning film The Ballad of Shovels and Rope - reflects a partnership built on authenticity, craft, and a shared commitment to making music that feels handmade, heartfelt, and unmistakably their own.


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Category: Live Music | Concert

Prices:
Gold Circle (plus fees): USD 40.00,
Reserved (plus fees): USD 30.00

Artist: Shovels and Rope