Photography by Shervin Lainez
The Wood Brothers announced their eighth studio album, Heart Is The Hero, will be released April 14 via Honey Jar/Thirty Tigers. Recorded analog to 16-track tape direct from the studio floor with nary a computer in sight, brothers Oliver and Chris Wood, along with honorary sibling Jano Rix, stripped back their sound to its elemental core, focusing on the impact of the performances over studio perfection. The results sonically reflect the themes of presence, grace, and faith that inform the collection’s ten songs. A sylvan, acoustic-driven effort, its earthy and energized performances are matched by the visceral songwriting that has turned The Wood Brothers into Grammy-nominated leaders of American roots music, even as their music reaches far beyond the genre’s borders.
“The chorus of the album’s title track says, ‘the heart is the hero of every song.’ By no means was it intentional, but much of the material we were writing for this record seemed to come full circle to the idea of trusting in your heart in matters that you can’t control. Those words seemed to illustrate so much of what we were feeling—that heart and spirit guides us through this world,” explains Oliver Wood. “Even by recording completely analog, we had to commit to feeling the performances and have faith in what the three of us were creating together instead of trying to make things perfect by letting technology or overthinking things get in the way.”
Heart Is The Hero arrives in the middle of The Wood Brothers’ Spring tour that extends through the end of April across the Mountain States, Great Plains, and Texas. Announced today, the band returns to the road in May for an additional 20 shows in the Midwest and Northeast with special guests Shovels & Rope supporting. Artist pre-sale begins tomorrow, Thursday, January 26 at 10 a.m. local, while general on-sale is Friday, January 27 at 10 a.m. local. Tickets are available at: thewoodbros.com
“I’m looking forward to going on the road with these new songs from Heart Is The Hero and seeing how they evolve from night to night when performed in front of audiences,” adds Chris Wood. “The recording process for this album was completely different from our last one, Kingdom In My Mind, where we had all the time in the world to experiment, tinker, and shape performances. For those sessions, I was living in Nashville close to Oliver and Jano, but I’ve since relocated to Canada, so our time to record together this time around had to be extremely focused and intentional. I think those limitations actually added something special. The end results feel raw, honest, immediate, and vulnerable, more so than any other record we’ve made to date.”
The Wood Brothers will share the first single from Heart Is The Hero in February, while the album is currently available to pre-save/pre-order on vinyl, CD and digital formats here.
THE WOOD BROTHERS
Complete Tour Schedule
1/31 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern ^ (Sold Out)
2/1 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern ^ (Sold Out)
2/2 – Ventura, CA – Ventura Music Hall ^
2/3 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater ^
2/4 – Stateline, NV – Bally’s Lake Tahoe Casino Resort ^
2/6 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theatre ^
2/8 – Bend, OR – Midtown Ballroom ^
2/9 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre ^ (Sold Out)
2/10 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall ^ (Sold Out)
2/11 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall ^
2/24 – North Little Rock, AR – Simmons Bank Arena ^^
3/1 – Lexington, KY – Lexington Opera House
3/2 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
3/3 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
3/4 – Ithaca, NY – State Theatre
3/6 – Westerly, RI – The United Theatre
3/8 – Harrisburg, PA – XL Live
3/9 – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center (Sold Out)
3/10 – Winston-Salem, NC – The Ramkat
3/11 – Chattanooga, TN – Walker Theatre
4/11- Scottsdale, AZ – Virginia G. Piper Theater – Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
4/12 – Flagstaff, AZ – Orpheum Theater
4/14 – Beaver Creek, CO – Vilar Performing Arts Center
4/15 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
4/17- Salina, KS – The Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts
4/18 – Fayetteville, AK – JJ’s Live
4/20 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
4/21- Tilmon, TX – Old Settler’s Music Festival
4/22 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater
5/10 – Peoria, IL – Premier Event Center *
5/11 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed *
5/12 – Minneapolis, MN – Utepils Brewing Co. *
5/13 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater *
5/15 – Akron, OH – Goodyear Theater *
5/16 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre *
5/18 – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern *
5/19 – Raleigh, NC – North Carolina Museum of Art *
5/20 – Washington, DC – The Anthem *
5/21 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre *
6/7 – Portland, ME – State Theatre *
6/8 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner *
6/9 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17 *
6/10 – Accord, NY – Arrowood Farms *
6/11 – Fairport, NY – Perinton Center Park Amphitheater *
6/13 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall *
6/15 – Charlottesville, VA – Ting Pavilion *
6/16 – Williamsburg, VA – Virginia Arts Festival’s Williamsburg Live *
6/17 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mountain View Amphitheatre *
6/18 – Grand Rapids, MI – venue TBA *
6/23 – Greenfield, MA – Green River Festival
8/18-20 – Wellston, MA – Hoxeyville Music Festival – Wellston, MI
^ w/ Taylor Ashton
^^ w/ The Avett Brothers & Turnpike Troubadours
* w/ Shovels & Rope
