Trampled by Turtles
Peace Concert Hall
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DateMay 29, 2024
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Event Starts7:00PM
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Ticket Prices$45-$75
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Public AvailabilityOn Sale Now
Event Details
Trampled by Turtles will be joined by Benjamin Tod & Lost Dog Street Band.
Trampled by Turtles are from Duluth, Minnesota, where frontman Dave Simonett initially formed the group as a side project in 2003. At the time, Simonett had lost most of his music gear, thanks to a group of enterprising car thieves who'd ransacked his vehicle while he played a show with his previous band. Left with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, he began piecing together a new band, this time taking inspiration from bluegrass, folk, and other genres that didn't rely on amplification. Simonett hadn't played any bluegrass music before, and he filled his lineup with other newcomers to the genre, including fiddler Ryan Young (who'd previously played drums in a speed metal act) and bassist Tim Saxhaug. Along with mandolinist Erik Berry and banjo player Dave Carroll, the group began carving out a fast, frenetic sound that owed as much to rock & roll as bluegrass.
Trampled by Turtles released their first record, Songs from a Ghost Town, in 2004. In a genre steeped in tradition, the album stood out for its contemporary sound, essentially bridging the gap between the bandmates' background in rock music and their new acoustic leanings. Blue Sky and the Devil (2005) and Trouble (2007) explored a similar sound, but it wasn't until 2008 and the band's fourth release, Duluth, that Trampled by Turtles received recognition by the bluegrass community. Duluth peaked at number eight on the Billboard bluegrass chart and paved the way for a number of festival appearances. When Palomino arrived in 2010, it was met with an even greater response, debuting at the top of the bluegrass chart and remaining in the Top Ten for more than a year. Two years later, their crossover appeal landed them at number 32 on the Billboard 200 pop charts upon the release of their sixth album, Stars and Satellites. In addition to major bluegrass and folk festivals, they began showing up at Coachella, ACL Fest, and Lollapalooza. The official concert album, Live at First Avenue, followed in 2013, recorded at Minnesota's most famous venue. A year later, the band returned with the darker-toned Wild Animals, which bettered its studio predecessor on the album charts, reaching number 29 on Billboard. Countless tours with bands like Lord Huron, Wilco, Caamp, Mt Joy and Deer Tick to name a few have followed. 2022 will see the release of the band's latest body of work called Alpenglow which was produced by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco.
Benjamin Tod & Lost Dog Street Band
After dark country trio Lost Dog Street Band released its 2022 album Glory, bandleader Benjamin Tod decided it was time to retire the project. Tod, alongside his wife Ashley Mae (fiddle), had been working together as a band since 2011. "I came to terms with letting go of Lost Dog completely, which is how I evaluate a lot of things in general," explains Tod.
"Oftentimes when I'm trying to make a really hard decision, I go ahead and go through the process of mourning its death and accepting that I am going to lose it." But just a month after recording a solo project in January of 2023, Tod felt an urge to revisit the project one more time.
"I thought I was done with Lost Dog, but after recording my solo album, I looked over all the songs that I had ready for a new record. These were songs for my band. I had to admit to myself that I wasn't done with Lost Dog." That energy is infectious throughout the album, beginning with opener "Brighter Shade." Guitar melodies interlock with Ashley Mae's fiddle line, providing plenty of room for a staggering mandolin part and shuffling drums. "Each day I love you more," Tod croons, singing to his wife. "I could leave but some part of me would stay," he adds, before concluding, "And only I can love you like I do, and you dare to trade it all for a brighter shade of blue."
Though there was heartbreak at the prospect of the project coming to an end, its resurrection has meant all the more in this new context. "I definitely felt a good amount of grief and sadness that it was going to come to a close. I resisted, but then I accepted that it was going to come to a close," explains Ashley Mae. "Seeing it reinvigorated in a completely different spirit and light is very exciting."
That new direction began in the recording process, when Tod decided to swap out their traditional recording style of overdubbing parts in favor of recording everything live. It was an experience he was introduced to during his solo album, and found the process so successful that it, in part, led to his decision to revive Lost Dog. "We were able to finish the entire album in five days, and it has a remarkable energy to it," Tod explains. Take the title track, which closes the album. Mournful fiddle and strummed mandolin chords provide an idyllic backdrop for Tod, who sings with an unbridled passion. "Lord, I have survived," he reflects.
"Benjamin and I, both individually and together, have been through some professionally grinding and demoralizing personal times over the past five years," Ashley Mae explains. "To take a step back from that over the past year and realize, 'Wow, we held it down and withstood that, and we survived that,' was a really good, bright, shining moment. It was the high point during a demoralizing time." As such, Survived is a saving grace, a phoenix rising from the ashes. "This record means everything," adds Tod. "It just feels like salvation."