Dave Simonett

press release: There’s something about Dave Simonett’s voice-- whether he’s leading the charge in his breakneck string band, Trampled by Turtles, rocking the night away in his side project Dead Man Winter, or staking out some space to perform solo, Simonett has the ability to turn simple syllables into soliloquies and breathe so much sadness into lines like “I’m so grown up and alone” that they become downright devastating.

Simonett’s solo EP Razor Pony capitalizes on that ability to be devastating. There are a few slightly upbeat songs—though they are more upbeat in a Neil Young “Down by the River” sense than anything resembling the punch of Trampled by Turtles—and then there are songs like “Criminal,” which rely on sparse accompaniments like a lone electric guitar to translate melancholy into music. The Trampled song “Midnight on the Interstate” is also reworked, with the band’s string arrangements removed and replaced with a textural pedal steel part that drones more than it sings.

The EP is also bookended by two atmospheric tracks that capture the sound of lake waves crashing up on the edge of a dock and grasshopper choruses filling the air. The final song, a 12-minute immersive opus called “Wyoming,” doesn’t even contain any vocals, and is the closest Simonett has come to channeling fellow Duluthians Low.

Don’t miss this opportunity to share an intimate, acoustic show with Simonett, performing songs from his solo EP Razor Pony as well as his other major works from Trampled By Turtles and Dead Man Winter. Join the STOUGHTON OPERA HOUSE in welcoming Dave Simonett on Friday, November 17 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available at the Stoughton Opera House Box Office. Order by phone at (608) 877-4400, or online at www.stoughtonoperahouse.com.

Tickets $25