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How A Bluegrass Band Became Lifetime Members Of Pheasants Forever
It’s cool to see musicians doing what they can to promote hunting and fishing. However, the most remarkable thing that might have happened in 2024 on that topic could be a bluegrass band becoming a Lifetime Member of Pheasants Forever (PF). Yes, the entire band.
Trampled by Turtles, a Minnesota-based American bluegrass-influenced folk band has embarked on a unique journey into upland hunting and conservation. The band’s frontman, Dave Simonett, an advocate, avid bird hunter, and bird dog owner, has found a profound passion in upland hunting. This passion has become a significant part of his life and the band’s identity. This personal journey was beautifully showcased when he proudly donned his blaze orange hunting vest on stage during PF & QF’s Concert for Conservation in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, last February.
The band’s impact on the Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever mission was not just marked by a grand concert that kicked off the weekend festivities of the National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic sports show, presented by Federal Ammunition. Trampled by Turtles went above and beyond, generously donating all the concert’s proceeds, a staggering total of over $100,000. This substantial financial support will undoubtedly make a significant difference in supporting PF & QF’s upland conservation efforts, which is a testament to the band’s unwavering commitment to the cause.
A Bluegrassy Jam-Band Sound
The story of Trampled by Turtles is as unique as their sound. In 2003, Dave Simonett, an aspiring rock musician living in Duluth, Minnesota, faced a setback when most of his music gear was stolen. Left with only an acoustic guitar, he was forced to explore new musical avenues. This led to a new jam band, drawing inspiration from rock, folk, and bluegrass. Despite being new to bluegrass music, the band members quickly honed a fast, energetic sound that resonated with the lively audiences in their town’s college bar scene.
The band has four original members: Simonett, lead vocalist, guitar, and harmonica; Tim Saxhaug, bass; Dave Carroll, banjo; and Erik Berry, mandolin. Ryan Young, fiddle, joined the group in 2007, and Eamonn McLain, cello, signed on in 2014. The band still holds to its original, bluegrassy, jam-band sound.
Over the past two decades, TBT has released ten full albums, three of which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard bluegrass chart. Their fifth release, Palomino, stayed in the chart’s Top 10 for 52 weeks. Their latest album, Alpenglow, was released in 2022. TBT has millions of downloads on multiple music apps, but the band’s bread-and-butter is touring at many national festivals nationwide every year. Big bluegrass, folk, and rock festivals are where much of their fan base comes from.
Love For The Outdoors & Hunting
Because of the band’s roots in their small, outdoorsy town, hiking, camping, canoeing, fishing, and hunting are prevalent interests of the group: “Our band and some of our crew made a trip last September to Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, also known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness,” Simonett said. “Throughout our career, we’ve spent much time outdoors with each other as we all share a love for the outdoors.”
Regarding hunting, Simonett leads the charge, having picked up the sport just a few years ago: “I got into hunting late in life. I went on my first pheasant hunt when I was 38,” he said. “Nothing stopped me from hunting when I was younger, and I always wanted to do it. But it was just timing, meaning I happened to be older when I met some friends who took me out.”
When Simonett jumped into the sport, he didn’t realize how big of a leap it would be: “At first, I felt a bit of the imposter syndrome and a feeling of being dumb,” he explained. “It’s hard as an adult to admit you’re ignorant and need to be taught. But some excited, passionate, helpful people got me into it. I immediately loved working with the dogs and the conservation benefits of hunting.”
Dave’s Path To Becoming A Hunter
Dave’s path to becoming an upland hunter and strong supporter of PF & QF started when he and Bob St. Pierre started chatting over email and texts.
Bob is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for PF & QF, where he’s been working to grow the non-profit habitat organization’s brand since 2003. He also serves as Billy “The Captain” Hildebrand’s co-host on FAN Outdoors radio, which broadcasts live every week from the Twin Cities and across the Midwest on the KFAN radio network.
“I often listen to the FAN Outdoors on Saturday mornings. I can’t remember specifically how I started talking with Bob, but he is the one who got me into bird hunting,” said Simonett. “Through that relationship, I learned how to hunt and shoot and how much real on-the-ground conservation efforts PF & QF do. It was easy to become passionate about it all.”
“In the summer of 2018, Dave invited Billy and me to a TBT show at the Minnesota State Fair. I had always liked their music, so it was a big deal for me to go and hang out backstage with the band,” said Bob. “After that, Billy and I invited Dave to join us pheasant hunting. And from that point on, Dave was hooked.”
Big Ideas & Big-Hearted Volunteers
PF & QF’s mission is to conserve pheasants, quail, and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public access, education, and conservation advocacy. To attract new members and raise large amounts of money, PF & QF require big ideas and big-hearted volunteers. The organization quickly found both in Dave Simonett.
Since that first hunt, Dave has been proactive about helping with upland hunting habitat and access improvement efforts. Over recent years, he and the band have collaborated on membership drives that have generated more than 2,000 new members of PF & QF.
“I’ve always dreamed of a Concert for Conservation,” explained Bob. “Back when I worked in minor league baseball, I witnessed first-hand how concerts can bring in new audiences and substantial revenue streams.”
However, the logistics of a concert and the music acts are expensive, which was always Bob’s biggest challenge in pulling off a concert as a non-profit organization. And that’s where Dave and Trampled by Turtles’ generosity made it all happen: “As soon as I heard Bob’s idea for this concert. We were in. Although it took years to find the right time and place to do it,” said Dave.
The Concert That Raised $100K For Upland Birds
Trampled by Turtles’ Concert for Conservation, which took place in Sioux Falls last February, was a huge success. It left a lasting, positive impact on habitat conservation and public land access with its fund-raising of more than $100,000. Plus, it helped introduce a broader audience of music lovers to PF & QF’s conservation mission.
“This was the largest single event for our organization regarding attendees and revenue generation,” explained Bob. “The efforts and generosity of the band was incredible. We needed to thank them in the biggest way possible somehow, so we made the entire band Lifetime Members of Pheasants Forever, and we will always remember what a great, historic moment that night was for us.”
Kudos to Trampled by Turtles, PF & QF, Pepper Entertainment, Sioux Falls’ Washington Pavilion, and everyone else for making that Concert for Conservation happen. It raised big money that benefits wildlife and certainly had the ultimate cool-factor vibe.
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