Trampled By Turtles

Hailing from the progressive bluegrass realm, Trampled by Turtles forged a rapid, high-energy style that merges rock & roll drive with folk and country roots. Since forming in 2003, the ensemble has repeatedly reached the summit of Billboard's bluegrass rankings, highlighted by Palomino in 2010, which logged 52 straight weeks inside the Top Ten. Their tenth studio album, the widely praised Alpenglow from 2022, resulted from a collaboration with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy.

The group traces its origins to Duluth, Minnesota, where singer Dave Simonett launched the project as a side venture in 2003 after car thieves stripped most of his equipment during a gig with his earlier band. Left holding only an acoustic guitar, he assembled a lineup inspired by bluegrass, folk, and other unamplified traditions. Joining him were fiddler Ryan Young, a former speed metal drummer, and bassist Tim Saxhaug, previously rooted in jam bands, along with mandolinist Erik Berry and banjo player Dave Carroll; together they shaped a brisk, intense sound equally indebted to rock & roll and bluegrass.

Trampled by Turtles issued their debut, Songs from a Ghost Town, in 2004. Within a field defined by convention, the record distinguished itself through a modern sensibility that connected the members' rock backgrounds to their emerging acoustic direction. Blue Sky and the Devil in 2005 and Trouble in 2007 pursued comparable territory, yet it was Duluth, the 2008 follow-up, that earned widespread acceptance from bluegrass audiences. That album climbed to number eight on the Billboard bluegrass chart and opened doors to numerous festival slots. Palomino's arrival in 2010 sparked an even stronger reaction, entering at the bluegrass summit and staying in the Top Ten beyond a full year. Two years afterward, Stars and Satellites placed the band at number 32 on the Billboard 200, underscoring their broader appeal. Festival bills expanded to include Coachella, Bumbershoot, and Lollapalooza alongside their customary bluegrass and folk events. The concert document Live at First Avenue appeared in 2013, captured at Minnesota's storied venue. A year later came Wild Animals, a darker studio effort that advanced to number 29. For Life Is Good on the Road, the musicians isolated themselves in a rural Minnesota cabin and produced an album spanning the range of styles explored throughout their history. They enlisted an outside producer for the first time on 2022's reflective and word-focused Alpenglow, working with Jeff Tweedy inside his Chicago home studio. In 2024 the band surprised listeners with Always Here/Always Now, an album cut alongside Dave Simonett's electric outfit Dead Man Winter.