HT: What are some of your biggest influences outside of music (i.e., writing, films, people, etc.)?
DS: Like any married man, my wife has been a big influence. There are some authors that I definitely consider influences not only outside of my musical life, but probably in songwriting as well. A few I can think of now would be John Steinbeck, Noam Chomsky, James Agee, and Hemingway.
HT: Who would you say writes the best bluegrass songs in the modern era of the genre?
DS: I’m not sure of the guy’s name, but I like the songs of Split Lip Rayfield a lot. There’s also a band here in Minneapolis called Pert Near Sandstone that writes some great songs. I don’t think I can name a “best” though.
HT: I understand there is a new album coming out next April; could you give us a sense of any preconceived ideas in terms of themes or songwriting that might surface?
DS: Well, a lot of the songs were written from the point of view of someone watching someone they care about go through a challenging time and really not being able to make anything better. They really were all written separately and it wasn’t until we put them together that I noticed this theme for the record itself.
HT: Have you picked out a producer yet?
DS: We are producing this one on our own, which has been a lot of fun.
HT: My personal favorite TxT song to date would have to be Ceiling Slide, which burns like a lit fuse. What do you guys think are some of your finest songs to date?
DS: Ahh, chosing between children, eh? I always have a hard time with this question – not because I don’t have favorites, but because I think it’s hard to state them without sounding arrogant about it. But, what the hell. I think my favorite Trampled by Turtles song (till the next record anyway) would probably be Empire.
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Trampled-By-Turtles_05_Empire.mp3]HT: I notice in some of your biographical information, you tend to identify with a lot of songwriting legends famous for their storytelling like Townes Van Zandt. What would you say is the key to a good story put to song?
DS: I think honesty is really key. Not saying the stories all have to be true, but putting some honest feeling into the story is what makes it special.
HT: What’s the coolest thing about Duluth, MN?
DS: Lake Superior, Charlie Parr, and the Homegrown Music Festival.
HT: If you could point to a particular show for a newcomer to Trampled by Turtles to check out on the Live Music Archive, what would it be?
DS: Honestly, and I really appreciate all the enthusiasm and work that goes into that thing, I don’t get into live recordings very much. I really think that once that show is taken out of the context in which it first happened, it loses it’s power. Plus, I can’t stand to listen to live recordings of myself so I really wouldn’t know what to tell ya there.
HT: I recall a few months ago seeing a contest for a design of a new Trampled By Turtles logo. Did you choose a new winner yet and if so, can we see it?
DS: We did, actually. It was fun man. We got some really good stuff from a lot of talented people. The logo we went with is on our website and the t-shirt design we went with you can check out at the store page on that site (shameless, I know). It’s the one with the chairs on it.
HT: Finally, what are you most thankful for this holiday season?
DS: Each and every breath.
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