Shovels & Rope Get Inspiration From Their Kids on ‘Busted Jukebox (Juicebox) Vol. 3’

At its best, a marriage between two people is a support system. It’s a spiritual, cognitive and physical space where the participants can convene and be made better. And for married musical couple, Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst, who comprise the Charleston, South Carolina-born band, Shovels & Rope, their marriage is indeed a source of mirth and rejuvenation. It’s also a source of music and collaboration. The two, which put out their first record in 2008, got married officially in 2009, and their folk-blues duo began to take off a few years later. More recently, the two became parents to two children. Together, Trent and Hearst strengthen and magnify one another’s abilities and this multi-faceted, productive relationship is evident on the duo’s 2021 release, Busted Jukebox (Juicebox) Volume 3. The record is inspired as much by their kids as it is from the songs the duo loves.