Trampled by Turtles performs on Letterman!

Wild Animals, the new album from critically acclaimed Trampled by Turtles is out now via Thirty Tigers. The record is receiving early critical acclaim— CMT hails “the band’s creative juices are still pumping at full power” and NPR Music adds “Wild Animals makes the most of Trampled by Turtles’ supple strings and considerable restraint. This is a thoughtful, stately grower of a record, made all the more enticing by the idea that future live shows will harness the energy coiled just beneath its glimmering surface.” 

TTo further celebrate the release the band performed on “The Late Show With David Letterman.” (http://bit.ly/Ua06WK) Additionally, the video for “Are You Behind the Shining Star” recently premiered as a NPR Music “First Watch” (http://n.pr/1tENfGZ) and the video for the album’s title track is streaming at AV Club (http://avc.lu/Tja5Zj). 

Wild Animals was produced by Alan Sparhawk, the lead singer-songwriter of Low and recorded in the legendary Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, MN (Nirvana, Andrew Bird, The Jayhawks). Of the musicDave Simonett (guitar, vocals) notes, “We all tried to come into this thing extremely open-minded. How can we sound new to ourselves? I feel like the sound has changed and is changing, especially from Palomino to now. A lot of our reputation from even just a couple years ago was that we were this fast band, which we can do, and we do that. But this record focused a little bit more on other aspects of our playing together.” Sparhawk adds of working with the band, “The sound that caught my ear was there from the beginning and stands to this day: I call it the ‘wall of strings.’ Taking instruments we have heard for generations, the Turtles dive in with post-punk energy and selflessness. Everyone has a part in the arrangement that leans on and enhances the others, always serving the song. The message is not about individuals—it’s about what can be done when people get together, apply their heart and soul, and make a little room for each other. Music has always had that potential, but it’s rare when it actually happens.”

Trampled by Turtles will tour the U.S. and Europe this fall including a sold out Red Rock Amphitheater stop and a flurry of festival appearances. 

Furthermore, the band is excited to reveal their first annual Festival Palomino launching September 20 at Canterbury Park just outside of Minneapolis. The band is curating the entire festival—confirmed performers include The Head and the Heart, Low, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Field Report, Apache Relay and Erik Koskinen. See below for full routing details.

Formed in Duluth, MN in 2003, Trampled by Turtles is 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 and attack make for their unique sound. After spending years refining their live show and building fans via word of mouth, they released their debut 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.

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES TOUR DATES

July 17 /// Rochester, NY /// Party in the Park
July 19 /// Black Mountain, NC /// Pisgah Brewing Company
July 20 /// Louisville, KY /// Forecastle
July 24 /// Calgary, AB /// Calgary Folk Music Festival 
July 25 /// Edmonton, AB /// Interstellar Rodeo
July 27 /// Newport, RI /// Newport Folk Festival
August 7 /// Haldern, DE /// Haldern Pop Festival
August 8 /// Rothenburg ob der Tauber, DE /// Taubertal Open Air
August 9 /// Eschwege, DE /// Open Flair Festival
August 16 /// Morrison, CO /// Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 19 /// Park City, UT /// Deer Valley Resort
September 4 /// Chicago, IL /// Riviera Theatre
September 5 /// Madison, WI /// Overture Center for the Arts
September 7 /// Knoxville, TN /// Bijou Theatre
September 9 /// Charlottesville, VA /// Jefferson Theater
September 10 /// Philadelphia, PA /// Union Transfer
September 11 /// Boston, MA /// House of Blues
September 12 /// New York, NY /// Terminal 5
September 13 /// Columbia, MD /// Route 29 Revue
September 14 /// Burlington, VT /// Grand Point North Music Festival
September 16 /// Toronto, ON /// The Phoenix 
September 17 /// Indianapolis, IN /// Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
September 18 /// Des Moines, IA /// Simon Estes Amphitheater
September 20 /// Shakopee, MN /// Festival Palomino
September 27 /// Kansas City, KS /// Crossroads KC
September 28 /// Columbia, MO /// Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival
October 18 /// Seattle, WA /// Showbox at the Market
October 19 /// Portland, OR /// Crystal Ballroom
October 20 /// Arcata, CA /// Humboldt State
October 23 /// Oakland, CA /// Fox Theater
October 24 /// Los Angeles, CA /// The Fonda Theatre
October 25 /// Las Vegas, NV /// Life Is Beautiful
November 10 /// Munich, DE /// Kranhalle
November 11 /// Berlin, DE /// Bang Bang Club
November 12 /// Hamburg, DE /// Prinzenbar
November 13 /// Köln, DE /// Luxor 
November 15 /// Paris, FR /// La Maroquinerie
November 16 /// Bristol, UK /// Thekla
November 17 /// Manchester, UK /// Gorilla
November 18 /// Glasgow, UK /// The Art School
November 19 /// Birmingham, UK /// The Institute
November 20 /// London, UK /// Scala
November 22 /// Amsterdam, NL /// Tolhuistuin Zaal Paradiso