The Lonesome Trio

Led by Ed Helms, Lonesome Trio is a bluegrass band formed long before he found fame as an actor and comedian. Helms formed the group with Ian Riggs and Jacob Tilove when they were students at Ohio's Oberlin College. Helms played guitar, Riggs bass, and Tilove mandolin, with all three sharing vocals in a group they called Weedkiller. They played throughout their time at the university and upon graduation, they all wound up in New York City. Eventually, they started playing in N.Y.C., too, carrying on through the ups and downs of their various careers, including Helms' rise to fame in the second half of the 2000s. In 2013, the Lonesome Trio turned into a more serious concern, with the group playing that year's Bonnaroo festival, which presaged the recording of an album. Over the next couple years, the group continued to play gigs -- including the Newport Folk Festival and other Bonnaroo appearances -- and their eponymous debut finally saw release on Sugar Hill Records in June of 2015. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine