Today, The Wood Brothers share "Line Those Pockets," the second single to be released from the band's forthcoming album, Heart Is The Hero, due April 14 on Honey Jar/Thirty Tigers. Its release is accompanied by a lyric video that highlights the song's message of empathy and compassion, which is centered around the stirring refrain: "Everybody's just trying to be happy, line those pockets with grace." A true collaboration, the song was co-written between all three members, brothers Oliver and Chris Wood and honorary sibling Jano Rix, and was recorded analog to 16-track tape, as was the entirety of Heart Is The Hero.
"Like other songs on Heart Is The Hero, this one alludes to our common struggles and the hope that comes from connection and self-awareness. Nobody escapes the human condition, but the greatest relief might come in the form of helping others who are burdened rather than ourselves," explains Chris Wood. "We had these lyrics around for awhile without a musical home, but then Jano presented an idea that created the right tone and brought the song to life. My part was influenced by the great Cuban bass players Cachao Lopez and Orlando “Cachaito" Lopez. It’s an influence I normally don’t use with The Wood Brothers but it worked for the song, so we leaned into it."
"'Line Those Pockets' started out as a very campy folk song, almost tongue in cheek, but then Jano—who plays keys and drums simultaneously—came up with a piano groove and slow heavy backbeat that gave the music an ethereal space somehow making the lyrics more compelling and dreamy," Oliver Wood adds. "Jano’s piano part was ambiguous enough that Chris and I had different interpretations of the harmony. So everyone’s separate visions came together in the finished song. It feels like a bit of an outlier on this record, but the themes of connection, compassion and paying attention fit right in."
"Line Those Pockets" follows "Pilgrim," the first single from Heart Is The Hero, which climbed to no. 12 on the Americana Music Association Singles Chart this week and was praised by The Boot for its "words of wisdom wrapped in the jaunty and off-kilter acoustic creations the band has become revered for." It arrives within a brief gap in The Wood Brothers tour schedule having completed a stretch of dates through Northeast and Southeast this past weekend. The Wood Brothers head back on the road in April performing shows throughout the Mountain States, Great Plains, and Texas followed in May be a 20-date summer tour in the Midwest and Northeast with special guests Shovels & Rope. In addition, The Wood Brothers have partnered with American Friends of Canadian Conservation so that $1 per ticket from all headline shows 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. Tickets for all shows are on sale now at: thewoodbros.com.
Heart Is The Hero is available to pre-save/pre-order on vinyl, CD and digital formats here.
THE WOOD BROTHERS
Tour Dates
4/11- Scottsdale, AZ - Virginia G. Piper Theater
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
4/23 - Dallas, TX - Granada 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 - Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheatre *
6/24 - Greenfield, MA - Green River Festival
7/7-9 - Orillia, ON - Mariposa Folk Festival
8/18-20 - Wellston, MA - Hoxeyville Music Festival - Wellston, MI
* w/ Shovels & Rope
