FRIDAY, MAY 12
Doors: 5pm Show: 7pm
SMA, Utepils Brewing and The Current present Live at Utepils featuring The Wood Brothers and special guest Shovels & Rope on Friday, May 12th at Utepils! 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 is 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: VIP ticket includes exclusive viewing of the stage, two complimentary drink tickets and VIP bar access.
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About The Wood Brothers
The Wood Brothers have learned to trust their hearts. For the better part of two decades, they’ve cemented their reputation as free-thinking songwriters, road warriors and community builders, creating a catalog of diverse music and a loyal audience who’ve grown alongside them through the years. That evolution continues with Heart is the Hero, the band’s 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, Heart is the Hero is stocked with songs that target not only the heart, but the head and hips, too.
Throughout 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 genre’s borders. The stripped-down swagger of “Pilgrim” underscores Oliver’s reminder to slow down and experience each moment as an interactive observer, rather than a passive tourist. A similar theme anchors “Between the Beats,” where Oliver draws upon a meditation technique — maintaining one’s focus on the space between heartbeats — to reach a new level of presence. The gentle sway of country soul gem “Rollin’ On,” featuring horns by Matt Glassmeyer and Roy Agee, expounds on the time-honored tradition of love as the guiding light through darkness, while ”Mean Man World” finds Chris Wood singing about his responsibilities as a father whose young daughter is poised to inherit an uncertain future. “Line Those Pockets” is a universal call for mercy and understanding over materialism. “Everybody’s just trying to be happy, so put your money away; line those pockets with grace,” the band sings in three-part harmony during the song’s chorus, which emphasizes compassion over cash as the world’s 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 what’s come before.
“There’s still acoustic guitar, upright bass, and percussion on this album — things people use all the time — but we’re always thinking, ‘How can we make this sound like us, but not like something we’ve already done?'” Oliver says. “Sometimes, the only way to do that is to get weird.”
That sense of exploration pumps its way through Heart is the Hero like lifeblood. Arriving on the heels of 2019’s Live at The Fillmore, 2020’s Kingdom In My Mind, and Oliver Wood’s solo album Always Smilin’ — all of which were released on Honey Jar Records, the band’s independent label — Heart is the Hero is bold, bright, and singularly creative, a fully realized collective effort ultimately greater than the sum of its parts. Perhaps that’s to be expected from a group whose willingness to experiment has earned acclaim from Rolling Stone and NPR, as well as an annual touring schedule of sold–out music halls and theaters on both sides of the Atlantic. Ask The Wood Brothers, though, and they’ll tell you to expect the unexpected.
“We are never satisfied if we are not searching for new musical recipes,” says Jano Rix, nodding to the uncharted territory that Heart is the Hero covers. Chris Wood agrees, adding, “We are one of those bands that isn’t easily categorized. We know what our strengths are, but we can’t help but push the envelope, as well. It’s too much fun.”
It has been more than ten years since Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent released their debut album O’ 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.
About Live at Utepils
This event is part of Live at Utepils, an outdoor concert series presented in partnership with SMA.
Live at Utepils (pronounced “OOH-ta-pilz”) 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 with American Friends of Canadian Conservation 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 you’d like to learn more, please visit 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 and 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 contact info@suemclean.com with further questions.
