Trampled by Turtles frontman Dave Simonett announces solo album, tour for spring

Between winter and summer runs by his widely beloved acoustic sextet, Trampled by Turtles frontman Dave Simonett will venture off into solo territory again with a new album and spring tour -- this time doing it under his own name.

The Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter has announced the March 13 release of "Red Tail" and dropped one track to preview it, a hushed and contemplative song titled "In the Western Wind & Sunrise" (posted below).

He will then hit the road to promote it starting March 19 at the Reif Center in Grand Rapids, Minn., and ending (for now) at the Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul on May 9, with dates in between strung through the Rust Belt and East Coast. His longtime pal Benson Ramsey of the Pines will open the Fitz show, tickets for which are go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. via eTix.com ($30).

This will be the first record Simonett has issued under his own name, after dropping two prior non-Trampled LPs under the moniker Dead Man Winter, which also became the name of his more electrified side band.

In a statement with the "Red Tail" announcement, the 38-year-old tunesmith explained that this one seemed like more of a solo project than the others because he recorded on more of a whim over laid-back sessions at his home studio and regular recording haunt Pachyderm.

"There was a special window when I didn't know if I was making an album––I was just going to record some songs," Simonett says. "So there wasn't a lot of weight put on it. The whole thing just felt kind of smooth."

Unlike the mighty fine "Furnace" album he put out as Dead Man Winter in 2017, this solo effort didn't grow out of any personal turmoil, and it also won't result in any extended time off from Trampled. The old gang is kicking off a two-week run Jan. 24 in Des Moines and is starting to line up summer gigs, too. Another Red Rocks show is on the books for July 16, and another Duluth show at Bayfront Festival Park is also reportedly in the works.