(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- Shovels & Rope channel Country, Folk, Bluegrass, Americana and Blues through a nervy Indie Rock prism. Partners musically and in life, this duo composed of Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst combines threads from their solo careers in the harmonious music they mix together. They recently released Manticore, their most open and intimate release to date. Touring in support of the new record, they will come to the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) on Friday, April 8th at 8:00pm.

Over the course of four critically acclaimed albums and multiple collaborative projects, Shovels & Rope fans have grown accustomed to the astute observations and compelling character-driven narratives that permeate their songs. They often serve as a means to express their own personal thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears about the world outside and their place within it. Manticore offers an entirely new perspective from the duo as they directly address aspects of their relationship as a married couple and as parents, and they hold nothing back.

The stunning “Bleed Me” is a visceral and powerful profession of love to their two children that exudes an aching beauty in its simplicity. The track overflows with a primal emotion that transcends any traditional love song as Hearst and Trent open up their hearts and leave themselves bare. “Most parents know the transformative power of your relationship with your child. It’s such a gift, but it requires everything of yourself,” they share. “This song is a love song to our kids, an assurance that we will always be willing to give them everything of ourselves, even sometimes when it feels like there’s nothing left to give. Sure, the theme is vampiric…but vampires, like love, live forever.”

Defining the sometimes-gray areas between stage life and real life is the subject of “The Show”. There are many advantages to being married to your creative partner, but it also comes with its own challenges, including when to turn it on or shut it down. Hearst & Trent explain, “While most of the songs on Manticore were written well before the big break, ‘The Show’ was finished in the early months of the pandemic - deep enough into the quarantine that we had had time to do some serious self-reflection, reckon with our mortality, morality and carnality, and identify some of the walls that needed to come down between us... so yeah, like three weeks in. It’s a song where the characters are agreeing to set aside all conscriptions of externalized bullshit and reconnect with their residual better selves.”

Tickets range from $29 to $39 and are available for purchase online.  South Orange Performing Arts Center is located at One Sopac Way in South Orange, New Jersey.