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.
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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 on TBT's label Banjodad Records, the album shot up to number eight on the Billboard Bluegrass 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.
What the critics are saying:
SF Bay Guardian:
"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."
The Onion:
"They are, simply put, perhaps the best live band in the state."
Rift Magazine:
“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.”
City Pages (Minneapolis):
“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.”
ArtVoice (Buffalo, NY):
“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.”
I noticed you guys are coming back to Iowa in February, you guys are nuts - remember what happened last time you came to Iowa in winter? Anyway, let me know if you need some support...I'd love to jam with you guys.
My Dear Trampled by Turtles, I want you to know that your music and your songs are my passion. I am addicted. There is something that pulls me towards them. Di PS:Follow Me Twitter at http://twitter.com/iaent
The show at blueberry hill was amazing. My husband and I are really enjoying the new c.d. we bought that you guys were kind enough to autograph for us. Keep givin em hell!
I hope yall have a show in Minnesota sometime late December, because this Minnesota Son is coming home for winter break and would love to see you play!
Thats rad! I actually just missed them due to work. (working at a venue is fun, unless there is a better show in town hahaha) But I think I am going to double up on some turtle action anyway. I have friends in Eugene and roadtrips are great fun! Plus I can't get enough of you guys! See you then :)
