The Cabooze gets Trampled by Turtles (and recorded for upcoming live album)
A capacity crowd of Minnesota faithful packed The Cabooze once again to stomp and romp in support of the bluegrass boys from Duluth, MN, Trampled by Turtles. I attended night two of their two-night run at the club on the west bank of the Mississippi on Saturday, April 25th, 2009. Good times were had.
The Hackensaw Boys, a six piece of assorted looking fellows from Charlottesville, VA got the night started with a banging hour long set of foot-stomping colorful Americana music. Before their set I had only heard a few of their tunes, and after their set I wanted to hear more.
The fiddlin’ and sometimes bass playin’ Ferd Moyse IV was as entertaining as they come with a stretched out Yosemite Sam crossed with Les Claypool look whose face bore an unvarying yee-haw expression. Together The Hackensaw Boys were wildly entertaining and an ideal opener for the boys from up north.
Trampled by Turtles hit the stage at 11:00 PM and by this time The Cabooze was jam-packed with fervent fans and a few new concert-goers who came to see what all the fuss was about. Since releasing their debut album Songs From a Ghost Town in 2004, Trampled by Turtles have successfully expanded out far and wide from their home state of Minnesota with constant touring throughout the country and a few stops in Europe. The fuss is that these guys have the talent to raise the roof on every given night, yet the humbleness to never forget how they got there and where they are from. They are from Minnesota and their local shows seem to be as much a celebration of this wonderful state as they are a celebration of their wonderful music.
Last night’s show was no exception as they worked through songs like “The Darkness and the Light” from their 2008 release Duluth where singer and guitarist Dave Simonett sings “Colorado was so nice, but I’m Minnesota’s son”. Later the band hammered through two of the more punkish numbers from Duluth; “Truck” the fantastic momentum building instrumental that hits the breaks just before completely going out of control and “White Noise” which showcases Tim Saxhaug on a driving bass so swift it feels like you’re chasing your tail trying to catch the beat. They also slowed things down with one of my favorites, “Trouble”, the title track of their wonderful 2007 release that is in my opinion their best album. As always, their set was mixed well with this night’s show hitting on a lot of their newer material.
Early in the set singer Dave Simonett stated they were recording the show for a new live album. Between songs he gave the always raucous crowd an opportunity to say something and what came out was a deafening wail of indistiguishable screams. At a Trampled by Turtles show in Minnesota people are always screaming, and dancing, and smiling, and hugging, and pumping their fists to the fabulous homegrown music this band shares.
When the show was over The Hackensaw Boys were waiting in the crowd to play some acoustic tunes with a few members of Trampled by Turtles joining them. Yes I said “in the crowd”! Even as The Cabooze workers swept up a night’s worth of beer bottles and concert debris, a large circle of fans hung around and the music never stopped. It’s just another day in the life I suppose. “Come on children, come on and clap your hands.”
