Shovels & Rope at the Codfish Hollow Barn -- October 19.

Saturday, October 19, 8 p.m.

Codfish Hollow Barn, 5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa IA

Touring in support of their 2019 album By Blood – a work that NPR deemed “an impressive feat of song craft from one of roots music's most exciting, unpredictable acts – the married singer/songwriters Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearts bring their musical project Shovels & Rope to Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn on October 19, sharing the indie-folk talents that led Rolling Stone to praise the duo's “inimitable vocal harmonies” and combined ability “to find joy in unexpected places.”

Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Trent and Hearst spent several years prior to their emergence as Shovels & Rope pursuing solo careers, providing tour support for like-minded artists such as Justin Townes Earle, Hayes Carll, and the Felice Brothers. When they officially joined forces musically and laid down tracks for their first album as a team, the resulting O' Be Joyfula singular blend of country, bluegrass, blues, and indie rock – was released in 2012. The couple's album debut was an immediate critical and commercial success, and at the 2013 Americana Music Honors & Awards, it led to Shovels & Rope being named Best Emerging Artist and their “Birmingham” cited as Song of the Year. The duo's second album Swimmin' Time was released in 2014, the same year that saw the debut of a documentary about the duo, The Ballad of Shovels & Rope, winning the Tennessee Spirit Award at the Nashville Film Festival.

In 2015, Trent and Hearst released Busted Jukebox, Vol. 1, in which the duo covered songs by their favorite artists in collaboration with like-minded musicians, among them Shakey Graves, the Milk Carton Kids, JD McPherson, and Butch Walker. Busted Jukebox Vol. 2, a collection of 10 cover songs with other artists including Brandi Carlile, Rhett Miller, and John Moreland, followed in 2016, along with that year's widely lauded Little Seeds, which The Guardian hailed as “reflective and exuberant” and “an outstanding album.” The compilation vinyl Predecessors subsequently arrived two years later, and with April's By Blood, Shovels & Rope is again earning spectacular reviews from music critics. Calling the duo “one of our most important bands,” Glide magazine praised the musicians' “honest, literate, and narrative lyrics,” while Pop Matters stated, “Much of their passionate singing on this record is at the further register of emotion, nakedly raw, on the absolute edge, unmusical, and all the more powerful for it.”

Shovels & Rope plays the Codfish Hollow Barn on October 19 with an opening set by Cedric Burnside, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $30-99, and more information and tickets are available by visiting CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.

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