Trampled by Turtles @ Crescent Ballroom

It's important for a band to have a solid name, one that provides a sense of identity, a visual hint of what to expect musically. Smashing Pumpkins embodies this ideal. Imagine hundreds of turtles emerging from the sea in a full-moon frenzy to lay eggs on the beach but forced...

By Glenn BurnSilver

December 8, 2011

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It's important for a band to have a solid name, one that provides a sense of identity, a visual hint of what to expect musically. Smashing Pumpkins embodies this ideal. Imagine hundreds of turtles emerging from the sea in a full-moon frenzy to lay eggs on the beach but forced to crawl over a person lying on shore. Trampled by Turtles sounds more like a slow, torturous death than a five-piece bluegrass band from Duluth, Minnesota. But maybe the name fits. For some, listening to yet another bunch of ex-punkers going "organic" and playing something akin to bluegrass is a slow, torturous death. Despite Uncle Tupelo comparisons, Trampled by Turtles — acoustic guitar and bass, banjo, mandolin, and fiddle — don't measure up. Sure, they are lyrically strong and whip up a lot of twang, mixing Appalachian-style ballads with breakneck speed-grass forays, but real bluegrass musicians pick fast and precise, while this crew just plays fast — an endearing quality, perhaps. TxT, however, has good taste in covers, including The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?" Black Francis might be appalled at the high-pitched tenor and washed-out twang of his song, but it's a cool choice — and might make that slow death just a touch more bearable.

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