Life is Good On The Open Road For Trampled By Turtles

by | Feb 22, 2018

Celebrated Minnesota sextet Trampled By Turtles have announced details of their long-awaited new album Life Is Good On The Open Road, due for release via Thirty Tigers on June 1. After an indefinite hiatus, the band are returning with their first new album in four years following in the wake of previous Billboard-charting records which have included three No.1s on the Bluegrass and Folk charts. In line with announcement, the band have shared the first single Kelly’s Bar which you can listen to here.

Coincidentally, the band had arranged to regroup at banjo player, Dave Carroll’s cabin on the same day that their mutually beloved hero, Tom Petty sadly passed away.

Within an hour of converging at the cabin, instrument cases were opened and ideas were passed around.

“We started cracking beers and hanging out, and all of a sudden it was like, ‘wow’!” frontman and primary songwriter, Dave Simonett recalls. “So we went down by the lake and brought a speaker and a bottle of whiskey, and just sat and listened to like six Tom Petty records straight. It felt good as a band to be sharing in that. Somebody we had all admired so much musically, that we could kind of bond over.”

By the second day of their retreat, Trampled went live on Facebook with a performance of Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, and by the end of the week, they were already working with handful of new songs that Simonett had written, and firming up dates at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, to record their next album.

After 15 years of recording and performing high-energy live shows, Trampled By Turtles have built a large and loyal fanbase that fill venues in their home of the US and here in the UK. Trampled By Turtles have previously toured with the likes of Hiss Golden Messenger and Deer Tick, performed at festivals including Bonnaroo, Coachella and Lollapalooza, and played twice on the David Letterman Show. The band are set to announce a slew of UK dates in support of the new release.

Life Is Good On The Open Road is the welcome return that the group’s legions of passionate fans have been waiting for. Led by the songwriting of lead singer Dave Simonett, the new songs touch on key elements from the entire spectrum of Trampled By Turtles body of work, while creating something that sounds fresh and invigorated. Simonett, and bandmates Erik Berry, Ryan Young, Dave Carroll, Tim Saxhaug and Eamonn McLain reunited at a cabin in the Minnesota woods to see if the special chemistry they once shared still existed. It did not take long for the magic to reveal itself with an invigorated sense of purpose and the result shines brightly on Life Is Good On The Open Road.

https://rockshotmagazine.com/16840/live-review-gin-wigmore-dingwalls/

Gary Numan @ Hammersmith Apollo (Louise Phillips)

Grief, Glory & Grace – Gary Numan’s Heartbroken Homecoming Hammersmith Apollo

There are homecoming gigs, and then there are nights like Friday 21st November 2025 at the Hammersmith Apollo. For...
Lambrini Girls @ XOYO, Birmingham (Nick Allan)

Lambrini Girls Bring Controlled Chaos And Sharp-Edged Punk Energy To XOYO Birmingham

Lambrini Girls didn’t just play XOYO Birmingham, they detonated it. The Brighton punk trio have built a reputation for...
Stray From The Path @ O2 Institute, Birmingham (Nick Allan)

A Farewell On Fire: Stray From The Path Deliver One Last Earth-Shaking Set At The O2 Institute Birmingham

Stray From the Path’s final Birmingham appearance was never going to be a quiet goodbye but no one in the O2 Institute...
Bastille @ The O2 (Louise Phillips)

Good Grief, Bastille Show No Bad Blood At The O2 Arena

Tonight was a night of reflection. Of celebration. Fifteen years in, Bastille sound as good, and appeal to more people than ever. The fourth time the London band have played the biggest arena in the capital and they feel at home on this stage this size, with their visuals, their anthems and their devout relationship with their fans, they belong here.

Amy Macdonald @ Hammersmith Apollo (Kalpesh Patel)

Amy Macdonald Warms A Frozen Hammersmith Apollo With Heart, Humour & Huge Hits

“Are we having a nice time so far? Are we getting a bit warmer?” Amy Macdonald grins, peering out at a Hammersmith Apollo audience bundled into coats and scarves. It’s a question that becomes a running joke throughout the night — because despite the November chill and the decidedly frugal heating, Macdonald sets about warming the 5,000-capacity venue the only way she knows how: with humour, heart, and a powerhouse performance that leaves no seat unshaken.

&U&I @ Muthers Studio (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

&U&I: Back From The Break, In The Room, And In Their Element

There’s a particular kind of electricity that happens when a band reunites after years apart. Sometimes it’s cautious,...
&U&I @ Muthers Studio (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

&U&I, Back In Birmingham As If They Never Left

Some gigs feel significant before they even begin. The return of &U&I, after nearly a decade off the radar,...
Bad Nerves @ O2 Institute, Birmingham (Nick Allan)

Never Mind A Wet Night In Stoke, Bad Nerves Made The Best Of A Cold Tuesday Night At The O2 Institute Birmingham

Bad Nerves rolled into theBad Nerves tonight armed with a setlist built for chaos, and although the room was a little quieter than expected, the people who were there lit the place up. A smaller Tuesday night crowd didn’t dull the spark – instead it made the gig feel like a secret show shared only between the band and the diehards. And the band fed off it.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing