Five chairs sit upon the stage, with five instruments next to them.  It is all they need.  All they need to put on one of the greatest live shows one could see.  On the far left sits Erik Berry, an incredible mandolin player.  The beard and overalls combo put him at unheard of levels of greatness.  Next to him is Ryan Young, with fiddle in hand.  The fiddle could not be in better hands.  Dave Carroll takes the next seat, with his trusty banjo.  The number of notes he plays in a matter of seconds is completely, utterly, insane.  One day his intensity will set his banjo ablaze on stage.  Leader singer Dave Simonett sits next to Carroll.  The combination of his depth of lyrics, turned into unreal vocals and ferocity on the acoustic guitar make him one of the best frontman around.  The seat on the far right on the stage belongs to Tim Saxhaug, playing the acoustic bass, which is no small task, for their is no drums in this band, but he rocks it more than well.  His voice also holds down the back-up vocals with Carroll.

Many have tried to put on a label on them, but its unfair to put them into any category.  They are Trampled By Turtles.  Their sound is unique and true to themselves.  The energy of their show can't be matched, no matter the genre.  The way they play is faster, faster, and faster.  All of them do, and all while sitting down.  No one rocks harder sitting down than these guys, no one.  Then, when you're legs are tired from jumping around and head is dizzy from dancing around, they'll throw in a ballad that could melt any pretty girl's heart.

People are truly lucky to be able to hear the musical talents of these fives guys, and its fortunate that these five guys are sitting on five chairs, on the same stage.  Duluth, Minnesota, is where they call home, but they are often on the road.  Colorado will be their destination for the middle of this month, and they are more than a must see.  They play in Fort Collins, at the Hodi's Half Note on May 12, in Aspen, at the Belly Up on May 13th, and in Denver, at the Ogden Theatre on May 14th (click on the venue link for tickets).  Palomino, their recently released new cd can be purchased here online or at these record stores in Colorado. 

The music video of their newest single, "Wait So Long," can be seen here. Enjoy.

The Turtles are heading West, coming to a venue near you.  You will not be disappointed.  See you there.