Trampled by Turtles

People call me the Digression King, but I don’t often digress from my normal content-du-jour into my other pet interests…like music. Today I’m making an exception because I haven’t been able to stop listening to a new bluegrass band by the name of Trampled by Turtles.

Ever since I moved to Kentucky I’ve been cultivating an interests in mountain music. It’s pretty fun stuff, though the lyrics can be rather depressing depending on who you listen to. About a month ago a local alternative station started playing a single that really caught my attention, a beautifully composed, heartfelt little tune called Victory. I was hooked. I shortly found out that Trampled by Turtles were planning a live appearance here in town at a venue called Headliners. I had to check them out.

What I found when I got there was completely unexpected: a ragtag bunch of Nordic-looking northern Minnesotans playing Scots-Irish bluegrass like crazy. They looked like a band of vikings disguised in overalls and feed caps. But heck, why not? The audience just shrugged and got on with it, egging them on to a night of furious picking. It had been quite a while since I’d had that much fun at a live show.

Anyway, here they are doing what they’re best known for — mighty fast playing.