Trampled by Turtles et Kitchen Dwellers

If Duluth, Minnesota’s going to be famous for two things, then they might as well be really, really cool things. The first is that the critically acclaimed Netflix adaptation of the Coen Brothers film “Fargo” is set there. The second thing the small, snow covered town is famous for is being the birthplace of one of the folk scene’s most exciting new bands, Trampled By Turtles.

The band represents a different breed of country music altogether quite different from Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers, arguably the instigators and definitely the biggest names of the recent folk revival.

Both of those bands are essentially singer-songwriters backed by full bands. While Trampled By Turtles are for one, very much a single unit, for another they bring a much harder edged, speedier form of indie rock inflected bluegrass.

Their sound is all hectic banjos, groaning violins and furiously strummed mandolins. It’s quite ridiculously exciting to listen to and is even better live. The instrumentalism is uniformly impeccable, and the atmosphere of joyous abandon and cameraderie tops it all off.

This makes sense considering the how the band was formed. Each member began their music career in different rock bands, and once they got to know each other, they formed a folk side project together to cut loose and take a break from their day jobs.

This is a world where most forms of art seem to be forced to be grey and dour in order to be taken seriously. However, the sense of joy and passion that permeates everything this band does, not to mention the sheer quality of the songwriting and performance, makes them truly unmissable.