To a city slicker, Duluth, Minn., sounds a lot like BFE. To the members of Trampled by Turtles, Duluth is “home.”
After releasing a few albums that the band was less-than-stoked about, the Turtles struck out to attempt and harness the energy put forth during their live shows. That album, 2010’s Palomino, was recorded in places like a hotel room in D.C., multiple Minnesota studios and a warehouse. The result was an album that peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart.
Surprisingly enough, they even enjoy returning to their hometown. Their follow-up, Stars and Satellites, was recorded entirely in Duluth. The band stayed in a log cabin near Lake Superior, refusing to emerge until the album was complete.
Guitarist Dave Simonett refers to Stars and Satellites as a step out of their musical comfort zone. However, for the Turtles, every song was once out of their element. The Bluegrass band was originally formed as a side project so the original four members could take a break from their Rock bands. They played Bluegrass and Folk music, genres that (at the time) were entirely new to them.
But the exercise was comfortable and rewarding enough to warrant giving up Rock and moving full-time to Bluegrass. With an added member, the quintet’s members now abandon Duluth from time to time in order to share their music with the rest of humanity.
TRAMPLED BY TURTLES plays Saturday, April 28 at Taft Theatre. Buy tickets, check out performance times and get venue details here.
