Trampled by Turtles

“Supercharged songs with a hooky playfulness and white-knuckle power…”—Esquire

“Lit up and charged…four-part harmonies that are close to being crystalline.”—Daytrotter

On April 10 Thirty Tigers/RED will release Trampled by Turtles’ highly anticipated album Stars and Satellites. The band’s 2010 release Palomino (Thirty Tigers) garnered critical acclaim from NPR Music who praised both the band’s “impeccable dexterity” and “charm and melody to the songs.” AOL Spinner called the record “hard-charging music…infectiously raucous,” while Paste Magazine admired the band’s “punk ethos…virtuosity and energy,” naming the band one of the Top 25 Live Acts of 2011.To celebrate the new release, the band will perform on “The Prairie Home Companion” February 25. Trampled by Turtles will support the new release with a North American tour, including special performances at South by Southwest, The Sasquatch! Music Festival and Bonnaroo. Full details on below. 

Since forming in Duluth, Minnesota in 2003, Trampled by Turtles always felt they were able to attain an energy on stage that can’t be found in the studio. They were so comfortable playing on the road that they treated their previous albums’ recording processes like tours. For Stars and Satellites, however, Trampled by Turtles didn’t want to simply try to recreate a live show. “We wanted to make a record that breathes,” explains Dave Simonett (guitar/vocals), “musically we wanted to step out of our comfort zone.” “This record is all about going inward,” Erik Berry (mandolin, vocals) adds, “building a focused bond as players and friends, and bringing a different mindset to the sounds Trampled by Turtles can make.” With the help of engineer Tom Herbers (Low, Jayhawks) the band moved into “Soleil Pines,” a log home outside of Duluth, to record. “You know how sometimes they say ‘less is more,’” notes Berry, “that’s what Stars and Satellites is about.”

Trampled by Turtles is Dave Simonett, Tim Saxhaug (bass, vocals), Dave Carroll (banjo, vocals), Erik Berry and Ryan Young (fiddle). Within the contained music scene of Duluth, the members of the band did their own time in punk and rock bands, brandishing their electricity proudly before switching to acoustic instruments. While they never set out to be a “bluegrass” band, Trampled by Turtles employs many of the same traditional techniques of the genre, but their differences in influences, attitude and attack make for their unique sound. 

After spending years refining their live show and building fans via word of mouth, Trampled by Turtles released Palomino to little fanfare out of the gates. The story quickly built and eventually the record spent over a year straight on the Billboard Heatseakers Chart. Along the way their one-of-a-kind live show, along with a video for the song “Wait So Long,” built them legions of fans. In 2011 the band sold out nearly every show they headlined and played top national festivals including Coachella, Newport Folk and Telluride Bluegrass.