Photos and Review by Lou Montesano
Alt-country is a legitimate and growing music category while alt-bluegrass remains more of a sub-genre. One wouldn’t know that, though, by the sold-out house at Brooklyn Bowl for Trampled By Turtles. Six first-rate string musicians on guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, bass and cello play fast and hard in the bluegrass tradition but add solid songwriting, vocals and a modern-day sensibility that take the music in new directions.
Guitarist Dave Simonett originally played in metal and punk bands in Duluth, Minnesota, before forming Trampled By Turtles in 2003. Fiddle player Ryan Young, another previous metal head, was among his first recruits. Young lit up the Brooklyn Bowl show with over-the-top solos that energized the crowd. Banjo player Dave Carroll and mandolinist Erik Berry also displayed fiery fingers as the sextet traded leads and shared vocals on favorites such as “Wait So Long,” “We All Get Lonely” and “The Middle.” Rounding out the band’s sound are bassist Tim Saxhaug and cellist Eammon McLain.
Opening for Trampled By Turtles and worthy of a shoutout was Brooklyn’s own Spirit Family Reunion. With guitarist and vocalist Nick Panken and banjoist Maggie Carson, Spirit Family Reunion got the crowd going and set the perfect tone for an evening of modern bluegrass.
Trampled By Turtles returns to their home base in Minnesota for a series of shows in mid-November before heading out on a nationwide tour beginning in January.
—Lou Montesano
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