FRIDAY, MAY 12
Β Doors: 5pm Show: 7pm
SMA, Utepils Brewing andΒ The CurrentΒ present Live at Utepils featuring The Wood Brothers and special guest Shovels & Rope on Friday, May 12th atΒ Utepils!Β Β Live at Utepils offers live music fans an amazing outdoor concert experience onsite at Utepils Brewing, nestled on the beautiful banks of Bassett Creek right between Downtown Minneapolis and Theodore Wirth Parkway. It isΒ returning for a second year, and SMA is so excited to partner again with the team at Utepils to bring extraordinary live music to a unique venue in Minneapolis!
TICKETS ARE ON SALE FRIDAY, JANUARY 27 at 10AM!
VIP Package:Β VIP ticket includes exclusive viewing of the stage, two complimentary drink tickets and VIP bar access.
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AboutΒ The Wood Brothers
The Wood Brothers have learned to trust their hearts. For the better part of two decades, theyβve cemented their reputation as free-thinking songwriters, road warriors and community builders, creating a catalog of diverse music and a loyal audience whoβve grown alongside them through the years. That evolution continues withΒ Heart is the Hero, the bandβs eighth studio album. Recorded analog to 16-track tape, this latest effort finds its three creators embracing the chemistry of their acclaimed live shows by capturing their performances in real-time direct from the studio floor with nary a computer in sight. An acoustic-driven album that electrifies,Β Heart is the HeroΒ is stocked with songs that target not only the heart, but the head and hips, too.
ThroughoutΒ Heart Is The Hero, those performances are matched by the visceral storytelling and songwriting chops that have turned The Wood Brothers into Grammy-nominated leaders of American roots music, even as their music reaches far beyond the genreβs borders. The stripped-down swagger of βPilgrimβ underscores Oliverβs reminder to slow down and experience each moment as an interactive observer, rather than a passive tourist. A similar theme anchors βBetween the Beats,β where Oliver draws upon a meditation technique β maintaining oneβs focus on the space between heartbeats β to reach a new level of presence. The gentle sway of country soul gem βRollinβ On,β featuring horns by Matt Glassmeyer and Roy Agee, expounds on the time-honored tradition of love as the guiding light through darkness, while βMean Man Worldβ finds Chris Wood singing about his responsibilities as a father whose young daughter is poised to inherit an uncertain future. βLine Those Pocketsβ is a universal call for mercy and understanding over materialism. βEverybodyβs just trying to be happy, so put your money away; line those pockets with grace,β the band sings in three-part harmony during the songβs chorus, which emphasizes compassion over cash as the worldβs true currency. Together, these songs offer a snapshot of a spirited, independent-minded group at the peak of its powers, always pushing forward and seeking to evolve beyond whatβs come before.
βThereβs still acoustic guitar, upright bass, and percussion on this album β things people use all the time β but weβre always thinking, βHow can we make this sound like us, but not like something weβve already done?'β Oliver says. βSometimes, the only way to do that is to get weird.β
That sense of exploration pumps its way through Heart is the Hero like lifeblood. Arriving on the heels of 2019βsΒ Live at The Fillmore, 2020βsΒ Kingdom In My Mind, and Oliver Woodβs solo albumΒ Always SmilinβΒ β all of which were released on Honey Jar Records, the bandβs independent label βΒ Heart is the HeroΒ is bold, bright, and singularly creative, a fully realized collective effortΒ ultimatelyΒ greaterΒ thanΒ theΒ sumΒ ofΒ itsΒ parts.Β PerhapsΒ thatβsΒ toΒ beΒ expectedΒ fromΒ aΒ groupΒ whoseΒ willingnessΒ toΒ experimentΒ hasΒ earnedΒ acclaimΒ fromΒ RollingΒ StoneΒ andΒ NPR,Β asΒ wellΒ asΒ anΒ annualΒ touringΒ scheduleΒ ofΒ soldβoutΒ musicΒ hallsΒ andΒ theatersΒ onΒ bothΒ sidesΒ ofΒ theΒ Atlantic.Β AskΒ TheΒ WoodΒ Brothers,Β though,Β andΒ theyβllΒ tellΒ youΒ toΒ expectΒ theΒ unexpected.
βWeΒ areΒ neverΒ satisfiedΒ ifΒ weΒ areΒ notΒ searchingΒ forΒ newΒ musicalΒ recipes,βΒ saysΒ JanoΒ Rix,Β noddingΒ toΒ theΒ unchartedΒ territoryΒ thatΒ HeartΒ isΒ theΒ HeroΒ covers.Β ChrisΒ WoodΒ agrees,Β adding,Β βWeΒ areΒ oneΒ ofΒ thoseΒ bandsΒ thatΒ isnβtΒ easilyΒ categorized.Β WeΒ knowΒ whatΒ ourΒ strengthsΒ are,Β butΒ weΒ canβtΒ helpΒ butΒ pushΒ theΒ envelope,Β asΒ well.Β ItβsΒ tooΒ muchΒ fun.β
It has been more than ten years since Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent released their debut albumΒ Oβ Be Joyful, and that decade has seen the release of six full-length albums, three collaborative covers albums (Busted Jukebox Volumes 1-3), a curated music festival in their hometown of Charleston, SC (High Water), a musical film (Shovels & Rope: The Movie) and countless dynamic live performances all over the planet.
AboutΒ Live at Utepils
This event is part ofΒ Live at Utepils, an outdoor concert series presented in partnership with SMA.
Live at Utepils (pronounced βOOH-ta-pilzβ) takes place in the parking lot of Utepils Brewing, a full scale European-style craft brewery and taproom, nestled on the banks of Bassett Creek between the Harrison & Bryn Mawr neighborhoods of Minneapolis.
The Wood Brothers have partnered withΒ American Friends of Canadian ConservationΒ so that $1 per ticket will support The Nature Trust of British Columbia (NTBC) in their efforts to conserve ecologically-rich wetlands and protect irreplaceable land from development. Every $1 donated will be matched by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with $2 so more endangered wetlands can be saved. If youβd like to learn more, please visitΒ conservecanada.org.
Event FAQs:
- This is a Rain or Shine Event.
- All Ages are welcome; children 2 and under are free with a paid adult.
- Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase from local food trucks and vendors, and those over 21 will be able to purchase Utepils beer on tap.
- There will be a designated smoking area.
- No re-admittance.
- Attendees are encouraged to carpool, ride-share, or bike to this event. Limited parking is available nearby and ticket-purchasers will be emailed with additional parking and general concert information closer to the show.
- The following items are not permitted:
- Lawn chairs
- Blankets
- Pets (service animals only)
- Outside food andΒ beverages
- Weapons or firearms
- Backpacks or large bags*
- All bags will be checked by security upon entrance. Attendees will be allowed to bring one sealed water bottle or one empty container for use at the water refilling station.
- Please contactΒ info@suemclean.comΒ with further questions.