Gothic Theatre
Trampled By Turtles
Hailing from Duluth, Minnesota, Trampled by Turtles (TBT) is an original, non-traditional bluegrass band whose raucous live performances put a unique spin on the genre, tweaking the tradition with their own mix of punk, alt-country, rock and pop.
“We enjoy traditional bluegrass but we all grew up immersed in rock ’n roll and I think our band reflects those qualities,” lead vocalist and guitarist Dave Simonett says.
“One of the best descriptions I’ve ever heard is that we’re like the Ramones as a bluegrass band,” mandolinist Erik Berry adds. “We hit the stage and just pound out the songs.”
Throughout the past two years TBT has toured the country, performing everywhere from punk-rock basement parties to such storied venues as the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco and the Bowery Ballroom in New York. And the band’s diverse musicality has struck a chord among their peers who have asked the band to join them onstage, including Low, Camper Van Beethoven, Pedro the Lion, Nickel Creek, Cowboy Junkies, Ike Reilly and others.
Minneapolis alternative weekly City Pages has applauded the band’s live performance, writing: “Trampled by Turtles play a fast, stomping bluegrass that inverts the normal poses of audience and band. The Turtles mainly sit down to rock out, while their fans stand up, jump around, and fill out the empty floor space in front of the stage all the way to bar close.”
Live at Luce is the band’s third release and highlights their live show, ranging from their take on Dylan’s “Outlaw Blues” to the rowdy originals “Codeine” and “Silver and Gold” and shows that TBT is one act that is not easily pigeonholed, nor one to miss.
