Trampled By Turtles

Trampled by Turtles is an acoustic quintet from Duluth, MN. Based on their instrumentation, the initial instinct is to view the band as a bluegrass or new-grass outfit, but spend more than a cursory moment with their music and it is clear this tag doesn’t really fit.
For those who are simply fans of music, not bound by rules or forms, Trampled by Turtles take pieces of it all and just play from the heart. Call it alt-bluegrass, nontraditional string, indie-folk, rock-grass, punk-grass or anything else, they don’t care what name you put on it, just show up with an open mind and it won’t be long until you fall under their spell. Like all of us, where they were raised has influenced what they are and these guys didn’t grow up in southern roots country, they come from way up north where folks do it a little different. When was the last time you saw crowd surfing brought on by an acoustic string band without any drums?
SF Bay Guardian had this to say about the TBT's unique take on acoustic roots music: "Shooting sparks in the face of folk traditionalism, the quintet approaches the banjo and mandolin with a level of brash recklessness hardly heard since the now-mythical reign of Uncle Tupelo. Bill Monroe and Joe Strummer would both be proud."
TBT came together in 2003 when several local bands fell apart around the same time. Bandleader/vocalist/songwriter/guitarist Dave Simonett began playing with mandolin player Erik Berry as an acoustic duo at which point they met banjoist Dave Carroll. Soon they picked up bass player Tim Saxhaug and "just kind of started jamming in living rooms and playing for fun" explains Simonett. "It was kind of like a side project, and then eventually everybody else’s band split up so we started doing this one full-time."
But here’s the key to understanding Trampled by Turtles: This is their first string band. "The instrumentation was different. None of us had played in an acoustic group before" says Simonett. And that’s why this isn’t a bluegrass band, all those other groups they came from were rock bands and they still play with that plugged-in intensity, only now they’re doing it with acoustic instruments and beautiful, high-lonesome vocal harmonies.
Beyond their raucous, genre-bending live shows, TBT are dedicated to songcraft and have released four albums. They recorded their 2004 debut, Songs from a Ghost Town, in an old Catholic church in Duluth. 2005’s Blue Sky and the Devil was also recorded in Duluth, and in 2006 they dropped their first live album, Live at Luce. Come 2007 TBT had laid a solid foundation, now they wanted to build on it. In order to do so they brought in highly respected local producer/musician Rick Mattson. Mattson implemented drums, electric guitars and helped the band learn to use the studio. The result was Trouble, their most impressive album to date. The effort not only garnered the band more attention than ever, they also gained a new member with Ryan Young officially joining the group.
All of this brings us to Duluth. Self-released in 2008 the album shot up to number eight on the Billboard Bluegrass Heatseakers Chart. Again produced by Mattson, the majority of the tracks were laid down in Sparta, MN, the abandoned mining town Mattson calls home. Combining TBT’s live energy with their growing facility in the studio and Simonett’s inspired songwriting (think strains of Townes Van Zandt, Dylan, Wilco and you’re on the right path), Duluth is a high watermark for the band and has proven capable of bridging gaps between fanbases.
Constantly touring, Trampled By Turtles have criss-crossed the country more times than they can count, sharing the stage with stalwarts like LOW, Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven and Billy Joe Shaver to name a few. They’ve also been invited to festivals such as Rothbury, 10,000 Lakes, Wakarusa and Pickathon.
Trampled by Turtles is Dave Simonett (guitar), Tim Saxhaug (bass), Dave Carroll (banjo), Erik Berry (mandolin), and Ryan Young (fiddle). They live in Duluth, MN.
What the press is saying:
"They are, simply put, perhaps the best live band in the state." â€"The Onion
"On Duluth, the band runs a thin line among blazing breakdowns as much indebted to the Ramones as Flatt & Scruggs, teary country blues, and brittle folk, all laced with stray shards of jazz and rock." -â€"The City Pages (Minneapolis)
Their most recent release, Duluth, mirrors the raw intensity of their live performances, which are sure to leave audiences simultaneously raising hell and crying in their beers.
-ArtVoice (Buffalo, NY)
"Simonett is the most compelling frontman Duluth has produced in years. His flow has a s~~t-kicking quality no folkie can assume, a frank way of phrasing that makes his melodies a blunt instrument amid impressionist strumming." â€"The City Pages (Minneapolis)