Thursday, September 6, 2012

Take One: Turtles and Tunes


This is a blog devoted simply to the things in this world that are wonderful.  In each post, I will tell you about different things that are, in my opinion, purely awesome.  I’m not really sure what this will be yet.  The topics could range from recipes to TV shows.  There are so many great things that I want to share with people and now I finally can without lecturing them on awesomeness.

So, to induct myself into the world of blogging (the blogosphere?), I would like to talk about the band Trampled by Turtles.  Although their name may cause some mild giggling, I assure you that this band is first rate.  I started listening to Trampled by Turtles (I’ll refer to them as TBT for short) just a few months ago as a suggestion from my brother.  Now I was a bit skeptical because my brother can sometimes be into really wacky music, but I try to give everything a chance.  And boy, was I blown away. 

The first thing that I noticed was the sweet banjo.  As a lover of all that is bluegrass, hearing such a prominent banjo delighted me.  The next thing I noticed was the violinist, or rather fiddle player.  I don’t know if I’ve heard music from that instrument sound any better.  The guitar and the mandolin round out the string section of this band, giving it a very complete sound.  But what makes TBT truly special is their lead singer, Ryan Young.  His voice is some mixture of traditional bluegrass, folk, and indie rock, which I not only found fascinating, but why not just say it, awesome.

What finally solidified TBT as one of my favorite new bands is when I had the sheer pleasure of seeing them live at Lollapalooza Music Festival this year.  Although there were many better-known bands, TBT by far put on the best show.  The vocals were flawless, melodic, and haunting.  Words cannot come close to describing how entranced I became by the mandolin and (especially) fiddle solos.  It was 100 degrees, and they sweat through their shirts in minutes, but they didn’t care!  To this day, it is one of the best concerts I have ever seen.

I could say so many more words of praise about TBT, but I would probably start to sound redundant.  Why don’t you have a listen?  Below are links to two of their most popular songs as well as a cover of the Pixies’ classic “Where Is My Mind.”  But if you like what you hear, by all means listen on!

"Wait So Long:" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjdkc14-zwQ
"Alone:" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejfMrZQU3Eo
"Where Is My Mind:" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZvVeQI0heg

2 comments:

  1. I like this as an idea for a blog, Ariana. Your enthusiasm for TBT comes through clearly in this first post, and it makes me want to check them out. As a longtime Pixies fan, I think I'll start with "Where Is My Mind."

    Also, after you've written another post or two, you should check out the blog 1000 Awesome Things (http://1000awesomethings.com), which has a similar goal. (Don't worry, though. There could be many different blogs that focus on awesome things. If each writer has their own individual voice and perspective, each of those blogs will be unique.)

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  2. The first thing that came to mind when I saw TBT was 'throwback tweet.' But I can definitely attest that, having listening to some of the music links you put at the bottom of the page, that the Turtles are better than tweeting. I think the idea behind your blog is pretty, well, awesome. There are so many things in life that are only appreciable to a small group of people until you put those things out there for the rest of the world to see, or, in this case, hear. I found it rather entrancing to listen to the music--it especially helped with studying. Thanks for the recommendation!

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