Folk duo Shovels and Rope made their annual trip to Florida last week, stopping by St. Pete for a show at the State Theatre. The husband - wife pair are on a winter tour in support of their second album - Swimmin Time. I had previously only seen a quick set from these guys while they were opening up for Dawes, and was happy to be able to catch a full performance.
Opening up for them was solo artist Caroline Rose. The young singer / guitar player seemed to fit the folk-rock vibe and was very thankful for the opportunity to play the gig. Her final song "I Will Not Be Afraid" was excellent and could spark a small headlining tour in her future.
It wasn't long after the opener when Cary Ann Hearst and husband Michael Trent took the stage. Trent originally took position with an acoustic guitar on the center mark while Hearst sat and played piano with one hand while controlling a scaled down drum kit with the other. However, this was by no means a constant for the night. I lost track of how many times the pair switched places and instruments throughout the night. They are clearly very talented instrumentalists.
The beginning of the set was pleasantly heavy on more of the bands better known songs. After opening up with "Keeper," the duo played a strand of tunes with no breaks, including two of the strongest tracks off the new record with "Bridge on Fire" and "The Devil is All Around."
The later of those tunes best shows off the incredible vocals of Hearst. While the pair mainly harmonize together on all songs, this is one where the female excels with propelling her voice past the appropriate background vocals of Trent. She really had the ability to captivate the room.
As the couple got more into the set, they took time to acknowledge the larger than expected audience for their first trip to St. Pete. The State Theatre has a capacity of 700, and the crowd expanded across the floor and up into the rarely used balcony. Both Hearst and Trent repeatedly thanked fans, and spoke proudly about expanded their reach as a band from their South Carolina origins.
The second half of the show was much of the same, with the bands two most popular songs coming at the close of the set - debut self titled track "O' Be Joyful" and lead single "Birmingham." The crowd cheered on as the pair played a quick encore after departing the stage briefly.
Overall, it was a very strong show, especially for just two musicians being in the band. One recommendation I would make though is that the show was a bit long. I would estimate the group played close to, if not more than 20 songs, and I could tell towards the end that the crowd was getting a bit restless. So shorten the setlist a bit and keep the audience wanting more!
But good show for any folk / Americana fan.
Concert Rating: 2.5 Stars
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