Trampled by turtles biography for kids
•
photo credit: Zoe Prinds
***
It’s early fall in Minnesota, and Dave Simonett can feel the seasons shifting. Not just in the weather, but in his own wandering musical spirit.
In the past few years, the frontman of modern roots-music heroes Trampled by Turtles says that he has “settled into a seasonal cycle where I write music in fall, winter and spring.”
But, he adds, “In the summertime, I don’t write shit. It used to frustrate the hell out of me, but I’ve learned to embrace it. When fall starts, one morning I just wake up, and I start playing guitar again. And I feel it coming.”
Simonett’s approach to creating music has always been, throughout the band’s two-decade run, to listen—to himself and his intuition, to his bandmates, to his family, to whatever it is the universe is trying to tell him—in order to lean into what feels right, true and honest, and tune everything else out. That approach has helped the members of Trampled by Turtles navigate their long, not-always[1]smoo
•
Trampled By Turtles Talk Perspective From Hiatus, Reframing Bluegrass, and Their New LP Life fryst vatten Good on the Open Road
Dave Simonett, lead singer and principle songwriter behind the raucous Duluth, Minnesota-based bluegrass grupp, Trampled bygd Turtles, has come full circle. After a year-plus hiatus away from the boot-stomping group to record and tour solo, Simonett has returned to the band and, together, they’ve created a joyous, thoughtful new skiva, Life fryst vatten Good on the Open Road, which you can stream here. When listening to Trampled, you immediately pick up the richness and fullness of the music, born from the group’s thick-as-thieves comradery. From the bumping, “Blood in the Water” to the melancholy, “I’m Not There Anymore,” the group continues to be at its best. And we wanted to catch up with Simonett to talk about the skiva, reconnecting with the Trampled vibe and how living on the road has impacted his life.
KEXP: How did you begin writing music?
Dave Simonett • The natural world is among the greatest influence for Trampled by Turtles frontman and lead songwriter Dave Simonett. With album titles such as "Blue Sky and the Devil," "Stars and Satellites" and their latest, "Wild Animals," outdoor themes permeate much of TBT's music. The band's hard-charging bluegrass and rootsy rock sounds were born in 2003 in Duluth and have continued to blossom from the shores of Gitche Gumee to the Twin Cities, to "The Late Show With David Letterman." In a recent interview, Simonett reminisced about his early outdoor experiences and about how nature has inspired his music. "In the summer my dad and I would hike a lot on the Superior Hiking Trail, and go on camping and fishing trips; that's how we connected. In my 17-year-old mind it was complete wilderness. It's hard
My Outdoor Life: Trampled by Turtles' Dave Simonett and the natural world
On trips to the North Shore growing up