inspiration

Trampled By Turtles @ Telluride Bluegrass Fest

Trampled by Turtles, the highly regarded Duluth, MN acoustic 5-piece, will be making their debut at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival this summer.  They’ll be appearing Friday, June 17 at 4:30 pm (right after Jerry Douglas and before Emmylou Harris – great company to keep).

The band’s incendiary sets at SxSW 2011 and Coachella showed up in countless best-of lists and fest recaps by NPR, Esquire.com, American Songwriter and the Boston Globe, to name just a few.

It’s been a steady climb for the band since the April 2010 release of their breakthrough record, Palomino. The album is still holding in the Top 5 on the Billboard bluegrass charts, and critical acclaim has accompanied TBT’s word-of-mouth reputation as a live band not to be missed. While it’s the band’s energy and quicksilver picking that has made them a favorite on the tour and festival scene, it’s the songwriting that seals the deal. All the band members cut their teeth in rock, punk and metal bands but their original material draws from the same well of inspiration as Townes Van Zant, Dylan, Neil Young, Del McCoury and Ralph Stanley, putting their own unique spin on this classic genre.

Trampled by Turtles have been tapped to provide music for the Adult Swim cartoon Squidbillies, and will be releasing a split vinyl/digital single with fellow Minnesota band Motion City Soundtrack in June 2011. Stay tuned for further details

Jake Shimabukuro's "Go For Broke" pays tribute to soldiers' legacy

On 'Peace Love Ukulele' (out January 4th from Hitchhike Records), Jake Shimabukuro displays his customary "brilliance and brio" (NPR) on the ukulele with "Go For Broke," a Shimabukuro original that pays heartfelt tribute to the courageous American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who fought and sacrificed their lives in World War II.

The motto of the second-generation (Nisei) Japanese-American soldiers from Shimabukuro's native Hawaii, the most highly decorated U.S. unit in military history, was "Go For Broke," meaning "to risk everything on one great effort to win big." That's also a good description of the way Shimabukuro plays, with "stunning chops" and "a deep and sensitive musicality" (Guitar Player).

The Nisei veterans' determination has been a source of inspiration for Shimabukuro, himself of Japanese ancestry, since he was a young boy.  “Whenever I am faced with a problem, I always ask myself, 'How can I handle this situation in a way that would make a Nisei veteran proud?'" he says of the men of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion, the 1399th Engineering Construction Battalion, and the Military Intelligence Service (MIS), who fought for the U.S. against their ancestral land at a time when those of Japanese heritage were often viewed with suspicion. “I think anyone who hears their story will be inspired to be a better person.”

Shimabukuro knows a peaceful way to express that inspiration. "If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place," he says.

Listen to Jake Shimabukuro's "Go For Broke"

BoomBox Announces March Colorado Tour

Featuring Producer Russ Randolph and Vocalist/Guitarist Zion Rock Godchaux, BoomBox draws their inspiration from their hometown roots in Muscle Shoals, AL – an area known for inspiring the worlds most legendary recordings of the 60’s, 70’s 80’s and into the present. The powerhouse duo draws their inspiration from their hometown roots and is recognized for infusing elements of Motown, Folk, and Rock into an electronic music blender with heavy bass undertones and ethereal vocals for a dance party vibe that has fans coming out in drones.

Using only word of mouth buzz, BoomBox has built a strong national following with a history of packed performances around the country. Locally, the band boasts two sold out shows in Denver last November, as part of their annual urban electronic festival RE:Convergence, which took place at Cervantes.

BoomBox will be performing with special opening guests BLVD along the western slopes this spring in support of their latest release, downriverelectric, which is expected to hit the streets in advance of the Colorado tour.

COLORADO TOUR:
3/9 - Three20South, Breckenridge, CO
3/10 - Belly Up, Aspen, CO
3/11 - Aggie Theater, Fort Collins, CO
3/12 - Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO
3/13 - Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
3/14 - Abbey Theatre, Durango, CO

BoomBox Announces Spring Tour

Featuring Producer/Engineer Russ Randolph and Producer/Vocalist/Guitarist Zion Rock Godchaux, BoomBox draws their inspiration from their hometown roots in Muscle Shoals, AL – an area known for inspiring the worlds most legendary recordings of the 60’s, 70’s 80’s and into the present. The powerhouse duo draws their inspiration from their hometown roots and is recognized for infusing elements of Motown, Folk, and Rock into an electronic music blender with heavy bass undertones and ethereal vocals for a dance party vibe that has fans coming out in drones.

Using only word of mouth buzz, BoomBox has built a strong national following with a history of packed performances around the country. Locally, the band boasts two sold out shows in Denver last November, as part of their annual urban electronic festival RE:Convergence, which took place at Cervantes.

BoomBox will be performing with special opening guests BLVD along the western slopes this spring in support of their latest release, downriverelectric, which is expected to hit the streets in advance of the Colorado tour.

COLORADO TOUR:
3/9 - Three20South, Breckenridge, CO
3/10 - Belly Up, Aspen, CO
3/11 - Aggie Theater, Fort Collins, CO
3/12 - Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO
3/13 - Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
3/14 - Abbey Theatre, Durango, CO

Trevor Hall and Inspiration for Unity & Self Ecstasy

hallWhen spirituality comes to mind, it seems most often images and associations with well practiced religions such as Christianity and Judaism are the first to surface. With his thoughtful lyrics though, set to a musical style at it's most basic classified as a fusion of reggae and rock, Trevor Hall embraces a different meaning of spirituality. A prominently young audience gathered at the Soiled Dove Underground on Friday night to get an experience of Hall's inspiring live performance with a near two hour set that washed the crowd over with songs of love, unity, appreciation, and understanding.

Friday night's gig jump-started the tour for Hall and his band, bassist "Super" Mario and the extraordinarily talented percussionist Chris Steele, after multiple shows prior to Denver's were canceled due to the of loss of Hall's voice. In speech it was apparent that Hall's voice still required healing, while his vocal performance exceeded expectation, showing no signs of loss or sickness. Rising above and influencing his vocals was Hall's radiant attitude throughout the entirety of the show. Numerous times were songs cut into very briefly with small laughs and chuckles form Hall, his unique singing expression momentarily broken. One song found Hall lightly jumping off of the stage into the crowd with his guitar to jam and dance with the people, while "Om Shakti Om" brought Hall's father out on stage with the band, sharing a mic and singing alongside his song. The audience shared in laughter as Hall told the personal story behind the song "31 Flavors," and later shared more of a bonding moment as together everyone sang in repetition the chorus of "The Lime Tree," both with and without musical accompaniment. If it was no yet clear that each person was absorbed into the music, it became undeniable during a recital of one of Hall's new works in progress, the words complete but not yet put to music. The silence of the audience was impressive as not a soul stirred and the only sound was Hall's words. An encore solo performance of "Liquor Store" was met with the same stunning silence and avid attention as Hall sang along with his acoustic guitar. With such audience interaction and the power it lent to the atmosphere, it is no wonder Hall was all smiles. His already elated mood right from the start only fed off of the crowd, a true happiness showing on his face and in his performance.

Equal to the joy expressed in performance was the honesty and truthful meaning of Hall's lyrics and their presentation. The spirituality by which Hall apparently lives his life comes alive in his lyrics, the belief in them he holds exposed to the audience through his singing. Much of what Hall relates in his songs revolves around interests of peace, love, unity, and the likes. Ideas of togetherness and equality appear in his lyrics often times through the use of streams and rivers, as they are a part of each other, all of the same water. Other songs such as "Unity," written with reggae/rock musician Matisyahu, take a more face value approach to relating these ideas with the chorus "No more you and me, no more they an we, just unity." In nearly all of his lyrics does Hall touch upon these topics, bringing about that sense of spirituality. As the songs unfold though, it seems that the spirituality to which Hall speaks is not that in the Christian sense of God. Rather, through his words Hall brings about a sense of being at one with the world around him and appreciating and respecting it and its people for what they are. With this mind set, as it is expressed in "Internal Heights," Hall strives to "maintain internal heights" and live with an eternal high, one that never dies off. The happiness and passion with which Hall performed in balance with the truth he feels and tells in his lyrics, at the very least for this one night, brought the entire audience to that natural high. Being able to convey these expressions through his words and music, Trevor Hall stands as an inspiration to do all that you can in this world and live, and to learn to achieve that exhilarated love for life.