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/

White Lies @ Roundhouse (Kalpesh Patel)

White Lies Illuminate The Roundhouse On Night Two Of Their Hometown Return

White Lies step onto the Roundhouse stage to the chiming of keys, joined by touring keyboardist Tommy Bowen as a vast rectangular lightboxs loom behind them, each member framed by a glowing panel that shifts colour with the mood of the music. It’s an immediate statement of scale and intent, fitting for the second of two sold-out hometown shows for the Ealing-hailing trio.

The Molotovs (Nick Benoy)

The Molotovs Announce Major UK & Ireland Tour As Debut Album ‘Wasted On Youth’ Fuels Chart Surge

London sibling duo The Molotovs have announced a major UK and Ireland tour as their debut album Wasted On Youth mounts a serious challenge for the top spot in the Official Albums Chart. Released via Marshall Records, the record’s strong midweek showing places the band firmly in the chart conversation, underlining a momentum built through relentless live work rather than hype or algorithms.

Teen Suicide (Maysa Askar)

Teen Suicide Announce New Album ‘Nude Descending Staircase Headless’, Share New Single ‘Idiot’

Teen Suicide have returned with details of their new album Nude Descending Staircase Headless, set for release on 17th April. The announcement marks a significant new chapter for the band, with the record standing as their first fully realised studio album and a clear evolution in both sound and intent.

Jinjer @ O2 Forum Kentish Town (Daniel Caceiro)

Jinjer Command O2 Forum Kentish Town With Relentless Precision And Power

With modern metal heavyweights Jinjer returning to London, O2 Forum Kentish Town became the setting for a night built on precision, power and carefully controlled chaos. Supported by the forward-thinking technical edge of Unprocessed and the long-awaited return of prog-metal veterans Textures, the bill promised intensity from start to finish — and delivered on every front.

Liam Price @ Water Rats (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Liam Price Stakes His Claim At London’s Water Rats

For an artist stepping out under his own name for the first time in the capital, expectations were high at The Water Rats. With a reputation already built through tribute work and years of live performance, Liam Price arrived at this London headline show carrying both momentum and curiosity. What followed was a night that felt less like a tentative introduction and more like a defining moment — a confident step forward that suggested this chapter of Price’s career is only just beginning.

Scouting For Girls @ Latitude Festival 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Scouting For Girls Share New Single ‘Don’t You Go Solo’ Ahead Of Album ‘These Are The Good Days’

Scouting For Girls have launched 2026 with the release of their brand new single Don’t You Go Solo, offering another taste of their forthcoming album These Are The Good Days, due out on 27th March. The single arrives as the chart-topping trio continue to enjoy huge demand for their upcoming UK and Ireland headline tour, with the majority of dates already sold out.

The Great Emu War Casualties (Press)

The Great Emu War Casualties Announce Debut Album ‘Public Sweetheart No.1’ And Share New Single ‘Donut’

Australian art-rock risers The Great Emu War Casualties have announced their debut album Public Sweetheart No.1, set for release on 27th March, alongside the arrival of its latest single Donut.

Lily Allen @ Mighty Hoopla Festival 2018 (Kalpesh Patel)

Boardmasters 2026 Complete As Lily Allen Announced As Final Headliner In Major Wave 2 Reveal

Boardmasters has unveiled Lily Allen as its final headliner for 2026, completing a huge second wave announcement for the Cornish festival’s return to Watergate Bay and Fistral Beach, Newquay, from 5th–9th August 2026.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing