An anticipatory buzz arose from the bearded boys in trucker hats and free spirited women who packed the House of Blues in Boston on 9/11. With an array of acoustic strings, mandolin, fiddle, banjo and guitar the audience was eased into the sparse and subtle, “Ghosts” from Trampled by Turtles’ seventh studio release, Wild Animals.” The bluegrass, folk and country influences were immediately apparent.
After a brief obligatory “Hello, Boston” the band kicked into the double time “Come Back Home” on which Erik Berry’ mandolin and Ryan Young’s fiddle carry the melody line above the mix. Like any beautiful piece of art Trampled by Turtles’ material hypnotically draws the listener in using complex arrangements to fill their musical canvas. Starting with “Are You Behind the Shining Star” and “Silver Light” (both also from the eminently listenable “Wild Animals”) the band’s sound began to deepen in texture. Their intricate arrangements of fiddle, mandolin, banjo and acoustic guitar create a delicate spider web of expanding sound; the longer one listens the more detailed and endless the arrangements become. Lead singer and acoustic guitarist Dave Simonett’s vocal which is almost always surrounded by harmonies is more of another instrument then showpiece. Despite the overriding Appalachian Mountain jug band sound on “Star” which saw the mandolin, fiddle and banjo alternately showcasing the melody, the seemingly endless musical changes keep the set from becoming repetitious. Also while some songs like “Victory” are lush others are more simplistic further adding to the contrast.
Just as the band and audience’s connection seemed complete, Trampled by Turtles, by design extended the foreplay with the melancholy ballad, “Widower’s Heart” delivered with Simmonett’s aching vocal. Before the audience could catch its collective breath, Dave Carroll reintroduced what was once the lost art of the banjo in the double time, instrumental, bluegrass on black beauties “Sounds Like A Movie.” The lack of percussion in the band was visually noticeable but the sound did not suffer nor was there a lack of rhythm; this is a credit to bassist Tim Sauxhaug who in “Western World” for example had the band hurtling through chord changes.
A cover of The Band’s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and crowd favorite “Codeine” were the highlights of the first half of the set. Shifting gears TBT, accompanied by a classical string quartet, started the second half of the set with “Lucy.” The new ballad fell somewhat flat as the band took a backseat to the quartet who could not match either the band’s energy or delivery. The band returned to carrying the load on “Midnight on the Interstate” the quartet’s violins providing the perfect accent to both the building vocal harmonies and the story of a traveler’s lament.
Throughout the course of the evening the length of the songs were true to their original recorded versions allowing for twenty-two songs in roughly two hours. However, given the tremendous musical detail in almost every tune as evidenced in the mesmerizing weaving of the mandolin, fiddle and banjo in “Alone,” the lack of experimentation was not noticeable. The band raced to the finish with the crowd favorite “Wait So Long,” followed by the instrumentals “Don’t Look Down,” and “Sorry.” Even the break neck speed, foot stomping numbers which sacrificed musical detail for feel were never sloppy or out of control.
In addition to their unique sound and commitment to detail, Trampled by Turtles plays with a certain determination. Based on their expression the band members clearly enjoy performing, but there also seems to be an undercurrent of intensity, an attempt to get every note right. While stressful for the musicians the band’s growing fan base clearly benefits from the effort.
