THE WOOD BROTHERS SHARE NEW SINGLE “LINE THOSE POCKETS”

THE WOOD BROTHERS RELEASE “LINE THOSE POCKETS”

SECOND SINGLE OFF UPCOMING ALBUM

HEART IS THE HERO DUE APRIL 14

The Wood Brothers have shared “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 centred 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 live in the studio, 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 a while 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 in the US 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 US 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 band has 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.