Trampled by Turtles

Trampled by Turtles is an American bluegrass-influenced folk band from Duluth, Minnesota. They have released ten full albums, three of which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard bluegrass chart. Their fifth release, Palomino, stayed in the chart's Top 10 for 52 straight weeks. Their most recent album, Alpenglow, was released on October 28, 2022. Dave Simonett – guitar, lead vocals, harmonica (2003–present) Tim Saxhaug – bass, backing vocals (2003–present) Dave Carroll – banjo, backing vocals (2003–present) Erik Berry – mandolin, backing vocals (2003–present) Ryan Young – fiddle, backing vocals (2007–present) Eamonn McLain – cello, backing vocals (2014–present) Trampled by Turtles, live 2014 Dave Simonett Erik Berry Dave Carroll Tim Saxhaug Ryan Young Trampled by Turtles' frontman, Dave Simonett, formed the band in 2003 as a side project. When Simonett's musical equipment was stolen in 2003, he was left with only an acoustic guitar. Simonett was restricted to genres such as bluegrass and folk—acoustic genres that did not rely on amplification. Simonett was a newcomer to the acoustic music scene, so he recruited other newcomers to the newly-formed band: fiddler Ryan Young (previously a drummer in a speed metal act), bassist Tim Saxhaug, mandolinist Erik Berry, and Dave Carroll on the banjo. They quickly adopted a distinctive sound, "fast, frenetic, that owed as much to rock & roll as bluegrass". The band's name, "Trampled by Turtles", was suggested as a joke. Simonett explains in an interview that "'We all brought our lists of names to rehearsal one time, and we agreed to decide on the name that we hated the least, and that one stuck'". From the beginning, they've refused to limit themselves to a specific label or genre: "'I don't really know what to say when I'm asked that. I hesitate to say bluegrass because I'm familiar with that kind of music. I feel that is a genre that has set boundaries that, and anytime you stray out of that, you're not really considered a bluegrass band no matter what instruments you're playing on. I would say it's Americana with string instruments, but whatever anyone wants to call it, that's fine'". Trampled by Turtles released 3 albums between 2004 and 2007: Songs from a Ghost Town (2004), Blue Sky and the Devil (2005), and Trouble (2007). However, their fourth album, Duluth, released in 2008, earned them recognition within the bluegrass community, with Duluth peaking at #8 on the Billboard bluegrass chart. Following this success, Trampled by Turtles were featured in several music festivals. The band has performed at many national festivals including Coachella, Bonnaroo, Stagecoach, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Bumbershoot, and Pickathon in Happy Valley, Oregon. In 2011, they performed at Telluride Bluegrass Festival, the Newport Folk Festival, Floydfest, Pilgrimage, and ROMP: Bluegrass Roots & Branches Festival. They played at San Francisco's Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, the Sasquatch Festival, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, the Austin City Limits Music Festival, the Firefly Festival, Rock the Garden, the All Good Music Festival, and the Newport Folk Festival in 2012. Trampled by Turtles made their national television debut April 24, 2012 on Late Show with David Letterman. They returned to the program on July 16, 2014 to play songs from their Wild Animals album. The band's single, "Are You Behind The Shining Star?" was featured in The Troubadour's Road Top 25 Songs of 2014. Their music has been featured in TV shows including Deadliest Catch and Squidbillies. "Alone," one of their songs, was featured at the end of the 2013 movie The Way Way Back. Another song, "Codeine" was featured in the 2018 video game Far Cry 5. Their song "Ghosts" was featured in the Showtime series "Ray Donovan" in January 2019. The band has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue, recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh. Monger, James Christopher. "Trampled by Turtles: Stars and Satellites – Overview". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Archived from the original on June 8, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2017. "Trampled by Turtles". www.visitsanantonio.com. Retrieved November 8, 2024. "Trampled By Turtles On World Cafe". NPR. June 5, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2024. "Trampled by Turtles reach for stars and satellites". www.countrystandardtime.com. April 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2024. "Trampled by Turtles Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018. "Trampled By Turtles Announce New Album ALPENGLOW (Out Oct. 28th), Fall Tour and Release New Track". Grateful Web. Retrieved October 20, 2022. "CMT : Videos : Trampled by Turtles : Are You Behind the Shining Star?". Country Music Television. Retrieved June 22, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) "Outside Lands 2012". Lineup.sfoutsidelands.com. Retrieved August 3, 2012. Saunders, Hilary. "Watch Trampled by Turtles on the Late Show with David Letterman". Paste. Paste. Retrieved August 25, 2012. Lammers, Tim. "Trampled by Turtles returns to David Letterman's Late Show". BringMeTheNews. Retrieved July 17, 2014. "The Stars". First Avenue & 7th Street Entry. Retrieved May 10, 2020. Bream, Jon (May 3, 2019). "10 things you'll learn about First Avenue in new Minnesota History Center show". Star Tribune. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved May 10, 2020. Marsh, Steve (May 13, 2019). "First Avenue's Star Wall". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved May 10, 2020. Official website Trampled by Turtles on X Live show downloads of Trampled by Turtles archived by the Internet Archive Firefly Festival International Bluegrass Music Museum