Dave Simonett
Erik Berry
Tim Saxhaug
Dave Carroll
Ryan Young
Contact Info:
Management
Christian Roreau - christian at thirtytigers.com
Geoff Harrison - gshmanagement at gmail.com
Booking
Michael McGregor - michael at hellobooking.com
Influences
Neil Young, Townes Van Zandt, Wilco, Flatt and Scruggs, Black Sabbath, Radiohead, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Ol' Yeller, Bill Monroe, Nirvana, Charlie Parr, The Beach Boys, Widespread Panic, LOW, Gillian Welch, The Carter Family, Ricky Skaggs, Hank Williams, Duluth winters, Duluth summers, The Black Eyed Snakes, Uncle Tupelo, Mark Lindquist, Erik Koskinen, The White Iron Band, Pert Near Sandstone, Javier Trejo, Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker, Molly Maher, Chrissy, Annie, The Cars, Talking Heads, The Clash, The Police, The Beatles, Haley Bonar, The Keepaways, Wu Tang Clan, The Hacienda Brothers, Mississippi John Hurt, Gram Parsons, Tom Petty, Atmosphere, Jeff Mitchell, The Brass Kings, Fat Kid Wednesday, The Roe Family Singers, The Floorbirds, Tom Waits, Lo-Fi, Nick the Feelin', The Rolling Stones, Walt the bartender at Pizza Luce, Al Sedacca, Old school Dre and Snoop, Teague Alexy, Scott Nelson, we will keep adding them...
Sounds Like
dinka dinka dinka, plunk, plunk, bang bang bang, etc.
or, hear for yourself:
Click the button below to download Trampled by Turtles music on itunes
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’s 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.
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.”
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.
"They are, simply put, perhaps the best live band in the state."
-The Onion
“After the first four albums touched the beauty of the countryside, Trampled by Turtles have come around to bring it all home with “Duluth” an album of thawing exquisiteness, serene musical greenery and a conglomeration of musical charm built from all that Minnesota offers.”
-Rift Magazine
"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."
- SF Bay Guardian
“Simonett is nonetheless the most compelling frontman Duluth has produced in years. His flow has a shit-kicking quality no folkie can assume, a frank way of phrasing that makes his melodies a blunt instrument amid impressionist strumming.”
- City Pages (Minneapolis)
“Their most recent release, Duluth, was recorded primarily live in the studio with minimal overdubs and it 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)
Just wanted to say thanks for being a friend! Have a great day! Come by and see us play at Eclipse Records Thursday July 16th at 7pm. Othr acts are Lollipop Factory, Company Inc. and Ribbons. Stop by our page for more info and a sample of some music!
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Christian
Editor & Journalist for Country Music Christian Lamitschka An der Pfingstweide 28 61118 Bad Vilbel Germany Phone: ++49 6101 544613 Mobil: ++49 171 6903352 Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de Info@CountryMusic-Magazin.de
just stoppin by to mention that I've been revisiting Blue Sky n' The Devil, the home of some of my favorite tunes. see yous boys soon i'm sure -Trav (BnB)
Hey boys!!! I'm so tore up I missed you guys in St. Louis Mike and I were in Columbia. A far cry from Tahoe or Colorado I know! We have been doing the festy tour this year and notice you boys were play the town over. So sad we missed it but really looking forward to 10klf to see all that sweet Minnesota music!
i was rummaging through some of my old black and white's last night and i found a pretty sweet pic i took of you guys playing a few years ago down at bayfront...i think it was maybe greenman...i'll have to send it to you.
so I was at your show last night in st.louis and listening to you guys for the last year or so has made me a very happy girl, but last night you brought tears to my eyes. The most beautiful music I've even known, and I just wanted to thank you for simply being you. lotsa love guys you really are breathtaking.
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