Trampled by Turtles/Spirit Family Reunion

Trampled by Turtles began as an outlet for a group of rock guys who wanted to play acoustic-driven folk and bluegrass. It soon turned into more than just a side project. Over the course of ten years, Trampled by Turtles has recorded five albums, but they didn’t start making major waves on the scene until their fifth album, 2010’s Palomino, which debuted at #1 on the bluegrass charts and stayed in the top 10 for about a year. Their follow-up album, this year’s Stars and Satellites, maintains the momentum, having also debuted at #1 on the bluegrass charts. A collection of moody ballads, it represents a breakthrough for the band and, thanks to the twangy single “Walt Whitman,” has pushed it into the mainstream. Earlier this year, the group made its debut on Late Show with David Letterman earlier this year and performed at numerous music festivals such as Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Sasquatch. (Sam Mendez)