Turtle Time

If you frequent such famous American music festivals as Coachella, Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo, you may be familiar with what may be the only thing East Coasters love about Minnesota (aside from the minute margin of Kris Humphries fans). While Trampled By Turtles has certainly earned its stripes over nearly a decade of touring local arenas and failed folk LP’s, the band's grunt years began to pay off with the release of its 2010 album Palomino, and most recently, with the release of its sixth album, Stars and Satellites, released this past April. And although TBT may be proud of such recent mentionables as being featured on Deadliest Catch and a live television debut on Late Show with David Letterman, the real feat is the new album’s impressive Billboard placement, including #1 on US Grass, #2 on US Folk and top spots on the Alternative, Rock and Indie charts. Need something to compare their sound to? Try Mumford & Sons meets Neil Young meets Bob Dylan. For all of you “I listen to everything but country” people reading this post, don’t be deterred by the comparison.

Like what you hear? If so, you’re in luck, as the band is currently touring cross-country, kicking off in the members’ home town of Duluth, MN tomorrow and concluding in Massachusetts late September. For all of you New Englanders who might want to kill a few birds with one stone, TBT will partake in the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island on July 29th. For more info on the two-day summer festival, visit the official link at http://www.newportfolkfest.net/lineup, as limited tickets are still available. It seems to be an all-star lineup, with acts like My Morning Jacket, Iron & Wine, City and Colour, Jackson Browne and The Head & The Heart, among other notables.

Take a look at the band’s video for its first released single from Stars and Satellites, “Alone,” as it is one of the more mainstream singles from its country/folk-influenced compilation. Other favorites of mine include “Midnight on the Interstate,” "High Water," “Sorry,” "Keys to Paradise" and "The Calm and Crying Wind." Check out the band's official site for more tunes and info at http://trampledbyturtles.com/.