Trampled by Turtles Friday at Telluride Bluegrass

13 Jun Trampled by Turtles Friday at Telluride Bluegrass

[click “Play”, Susan gets Trampled by a Turtle]

“One of very few bands in America that are hipster-approved but could heave a room of strangers into a hoe-down at any time…” – CITY PAGES (Minneapolis/St. Paul)

Ready to shake a shoe and your booty too? Expect a frenzy, a dance frenzy, when Telluride gets Trampled by Turtles. The progressive bluegrass band from Duluth, Minnesota is scheduled to do its thing Friday night on the Main Stage at the 38th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival. It’s thing being forceful acoustic music delivered at a breakneck pace.

A rootsy bluegrass-like sound seems to be riding a wave, with bands such as the Avett Brothers and special Telluride Bluegrass guests, Mumford & Sons, on the crest – and TxT not too far behind.

The five members of what would become Trampled by Turtles – Dave Simonett, lead vocals, guitar; Tim Saxburg, bass, vocals; Dave Carroll, banjo, vocals; Erik Berry, mandolin, vocals; Ryan Young, fiddle –  got together in 2003 in Duluth, the Great Lakes port town that spawned slowcore pioneers Low a decade earlier. Down in the “The Cities,” Minneapolis and St. Paul to the rest of the world, such fabled Minnesotans such as Dylan and the Jayhawks raised the bar pretty high, songcraft-wise. Within this storied context, the future members of TxT cut their teeth on punk and rock and roll, before picking up acoustic instruments.

While the intention was never to become a “bluegrass” band, the quintet employs the same time-honored tools of the trade – guitar, acoustic bass, banjo, mandolin and fiddle – as their ‘grass-fed country cousins. The differences is in influences, attitude and attack, from quicksilver, deadly accurate picking to lonesome, hauntingly spare ballads.

To their four self-released albums, TxT adds a fifth, their first album through Thirty Tigers/RED, released just about one month ago. The sound of “Palamino” is a hybrid of classic American songwriting, bluegrass, and folk – on speed. “Palomino,” reached Number 1 on U.S. Bluegrass charts and Number 46 on indie charts, lead by the single “Wait So Long.”

To learn more about what’s in store, click the “play” button and listen to TxT’s interview.