Alan Sparhawk – With Trampled by Turtles

Alan Sparhawk of Low follows his acclaimed 2024 album White Roses, My God by leaning into the rootsy, folk- and bluegrass-infused stylings of his backing band, Trampled by Turtles.

Duluth-based Trampled by Turtles have a strong following in their own right: three of their ten albums hit #1 on the Billboard bluegrass chart, and 2010s Palomino stayed in the bluegrass top-ten for 52 weeks. Theyve built a large following with extensive touring and festival appearances. Sparhawk and Trampled by Turtles will be touring the US with Godspeed You! Black Emperor following the release of the album.

No one can help you build something beautiful quite like those who know you best. Alan Sparhawk knows this well. In his years in Low, he built decades of stirring music with his wife and lifelong creative partner Mimi Parker. In recent years, he has performed around Minnesota with his son Cyrus in DERECHO Rhythm Section, a funk band that also frequently features his daughter Hollis on vocals.

Those who know you understand you, so it made sense that Sparhawk would turn to fellow Duluth musicians Trampled by Turtles to realize his latest record. As friends and mentees of Lows, taken under Sparhawk and Parkers wing from their earliest days as a bar band, Trampled by Turtles have performed with Sparhawk countless times over the years. The Duluth ties run deep: Theres a certain vibe that has to do with underdog syndrome, coming from a small town, Sparhawk muses. Some of it is the weird grind and slackness that being at the mercy of Mother Nature puts in you. It humbles you.

Where White Roses, My God, Sparhawks last album, plunged headfirst into electronica and radical vocal modulation, With Trampled by Turtles leans into the folk and bluegrass stylings of its backing band, Sparhawks voice now completely unvarnished.

Available as:
Limited ‘Loser Edition’ on SUNFLARE vinyl – gatefold jacket with custom dust sleeve.
CD.
CASSETTE – Includes ‘With Trampled by Turtles’ on side A, and the entire ‘White Roses, My God’ album on side B.

Tracklist:
01. Stranger
02. Too High
03. Heaven
04. Not Broken
05. Screaming Song
06. Get Still
07. Princess Road Surgery
08. Dont Take Your Light
09. Torn & in Ashes