Trampled by Turtles

Trampled by Turtles
Place of origin	Duluth
Genres	bluegrass music · indie folk
Instruments	harmonica · guitar

Trampled by Turtles
Trampled by Turtles live in Munich, 2014
Background information
Origin	Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres	Indie folk alternative country progressive bluegrass
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, harmonica
Years active	2003–present
Labels	BanjoDad
Members	Dave Simonett Tim Saxhaug Dave Carroll Erik Berry Ryan Young Eamonn McLain
Website	trampledbyturtles.com

Trampled by Turtles is an American bluegrass-influenced folk band from Duluth, Minnesota. They have released ten full albums, three of which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard bluegrass chart. Their fifth release, Palomino, stayed in the chart's Top 10 for 52 straight weeks. Their latest album, Alpenglow, was released on October 28, 2022.

Band members

• Dave Simonett – guitar, lead vocals, harmonica
• Tim Saxhaug – bass, backing vocals
• Dave Carroll – banjo, backing vocals
• Erik Berry – mandolin, backing vocals
• Ryan Young – fiddle, backing vocals
• Eamonn McLain – cello, backing vocals

• Trampled by Turtles, live 2014
• 

  Dave Simonett

• 

  Erik Berry

• 

  Dave Carroll, Banjo

• 

  Tim Saxhaug

• 

  Ryan Young

Discography

Albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US Grass	US	US Heat	US Indie	US Alt	US Folk	US Rock
Songs from a Ghost Town	Release date: October 5, 2004 Label: Trampled by Turtles	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Blue Sky and the Devil	Release date: April 20, 2005 Label: BanjoDad Records	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Trouble	Release date: March 19, 2007 Label: BanjoDad Records	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Duluth	Release date: October 30, 2008 Label: BanjoDad Records	8	—	—	—	—	—	—
Palomino	Release date: April 13, 2010 Label: BanjoDad Records	1	—	11	46	—	—	—
Stars and Satellites	Release date: April 10, 2012 Label: BanjoDad Records	1	32	—	7	11	2	13
Live at First Avenue	Release Date: November 12, 2013 Label: BanjoDad Records	31	—	9	47	—	—	—
Wild Animals	Release date: July 15, 2014 Label: BanjoDad Records	—	29	—	3	—	1	—
Life Is Good on the Open Road	Release date: May 4, 2018 Label: BanjoDad Records	1	133	—	11	—	7	—
Alpenglow	Release date: October 28, 2022 Label: BanjoDad Records	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

EPs

• Sigourney Fever, BanjoDad Records (December 6, 2019)
• A Lifetime to Find, BanjoDad Records (September 30, 2022)

Singles

• "Are You Behind the Shining Star?" (2014)
• "It's So Hard to Hold On" (2022)

Music videos

Year	Video	Director
2010	"Wait So Long"	Justin Gustavison
2011	"Victory"
	"Where Is My Mind?"
2012	"Alone"
	"Walt Whitman"	Jim Fortier/Dave Willis
2013	"Midnight on the Interstate"	Stephanie Erlandson
2014	"Are You Behind the Shining Star?"	Philip Harder
	"Wild Animals"

Appearances

The band has performed at many national festivals including Coachella, Bonnaroo, Stagecoach, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Bumbershoot, and Pickathon. In 2011, they performed at several large folk music festivals including the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, the Newport Folk Festival, Floydfest, Pilgrimage, and ROMP: Bluegrass Roots & Branches Festival. They played at San Francisco's Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, the Sasquatch Festival, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, the Austin City Limits Music Festival, the Firefly Festival, Rock the Garden, the All Good Music Festival, and the Newport Folk Festival in 2012.

Trampled by Turtles made their national television debut April 24, 2012 on Late Show with David Letterman. They returned to the Late Show with David Letterman on July 16, 2014 to play songs off their Wild Animals album.

Features

Their single, "Are You Behind The Shining Star?" was featured in The Troubadour's Road Top 25 Songs of 2014.

Their music has been featured in TV shows including Deadliest Catch and Squidbillies.

Their song "Alone" was featured at the end of the 2013 movie The Way Way Back.

Their song "Codeine" was featured in the 2018 video game Far Cry 5.

Their song "Ghosts" was featured in the Showtime series "Ray Donovan" in January 2019.

Honors and awards

Star representing the band Trampled by Turtles on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue

The band has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue, recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.