In a town full of quality bluegrass shows, including top-notch local acts, it is still a rare treat to catch a unique and impressive act in a small venue, surrounded by hardcore folk fans. Trampled By Turtles has been in Lawrence frequently, but they have picked up a larger following of fans with each visit. Last night was the biggest show the Bottleneck has had since New Year's Eve, with a diverse crowd of bluegrass folk from every walk of life. Young and old, baseball hats and dreadlocks, Trampled By Turtles' roots spread wide to bring together a community of party people all united by good music and good times.
The smooth flow of Trampled By Turtles' instrumentals, vocals and the vigor of their faster pieces, bring out all the energy in a show, driving the crowd to dance with their hearts and feel the strings being plucked across their souls. Incorporating the classic bluegrass instruments like an artist's color palette, along with the spirited vocals, the band conjured a magic piece of art before the audience's ears. Erik Berry's mandolin solos and riffs trickled through the air like a million raindrops made of notes. Dave Simonette's guitar chords hummed like a chior of bluegrass bumblebees. The bouncing, bright melody of Dave Carroll on banjo lit up the Bottleneck like sunlight through a warm canopy. Wild man Ryan Young's shrill, twisting turns of the fiddle spun the audience like a dust devil on a windy day. Tim Saxhaug acoustic bass made the floor vibrate like a stampede of turtles coming down from onstage. Together the vocals of the band came together with such an eclectic harmony, it was a thrill for the ears.
The northern roots band played on for over two hours in tranquil unity, leaping from one song to the next with hardly a pause. Shifts from rapid-fire boot-stompers to slow, swaying ditties, the band always incorporated original jams and climactic solos, different from their recordings. Whether you follow a single instrument's solo, take in the harmony of the whole band or if you listen to the lyrics, every song is a beautiful composition of thoughtful quality.
From beginning to the end of their set Trampled By Turtles performed for a fully-packed Bottleneck, including a butt-to-gut from the stage on back to the bar and shy folks lined up along the rails and bleachers behind the dance floor. Besides a soft-core mosh-pit near the front and center of the floor, the only space to dance was behind the speakers, with no view of the band. But even in the sweltering heat created by the sardine can of humanity, the positive energy radiating from the stage kept the horde of bluegrass enthusiasts in good spirits. Granted, this was certainly a guy's night out, with nary a woman in sight, but that's usually to be expected at a bluegrass concert, when funky electronic shows elsewhere are drawing away a lot of the party people.
Playing fan favorites like "Empire" and "Valley", the band enjoyed a venue packed with fans trying to dance and sing along all at once, ending with a roar of cheers from the approving crowd. Old timers who have seen a lot of bluegrass acts come and go held their places on the dance floor alongside excitable youths who had never known folk music could be so cool. Trampled By Turtles is consistently collecting a larger crowd in Lawrence. It is exciting to imagine what their next show here will be like!
Now for Previews:
There are good shows tonight and tomorrow, if you have the dough. But for budget conscious music lovers, you have to choose your shows wisely:
Billy the Squirrel is playing tonight at Fatso's starting at 10 p.m. with the Cosmopolitics coming on at midnight! This double-serving of funky local jam fusion is also for a good cause, so if you are looking for a quality local show and want to help someone by having a good time, check this out!
Tuesday, Ty Segall will be stopping off at the Jackpot to play old-school garage rock alongside Heavy Cream and The Spook Lights - Lawrence's best, weirdest band ever! The Spook Lights guarantee to get your heart racing with the urge to twist and shout, if you dig psychedellic, rockabilly, surf-rockt! Ty Segall promises rugged garage rock from a time and place lost in the Twilight Zone. Imagine psychedelic, head-banging, garage rock coming out of the 60s for $8! Doors open at 9 p.m.
Hope to see you out there!
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