Trillium
…a
wee bit ‘o history…
Trillium has now been performing together for 14 years, so it’s
definitely time to do a little updating on our “History” which was
originally written when we formed the band back in the summer of 2005.
From our very first rehearsal, it was pretty obvious to the four
original musicians -- Mim Eichmann, Ed Hall, Paul Russell and Doug
Lofstrom -- that we had the potential for a wonderful music journey
together. And as Ed would so often say, “we were livin’ the dream”
getting to play music we truly loved. Our eclectic playing backgrounds
somehow worked together and our repertoire began to evolve, including
Celtic, bluegrass, folk, ragtime, swing … even a hint of Gypsy jazz and
a few Country tunes in the last few years … representing the synthesis
of a lot of fun and creative energy. We’ve played many varied venues
throughout the Midwest, including over six dozen libraries, coffee
houses, house concerts, festivals, pubs, clubs, weddings, parties, apple
orchards, wineries, fundraisers, retirement homes and much more. Music
from our four cds has been featured on radio stations throughout the
U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia and many of our tunes are also
available via streaming.
Sadly, our original guitarist, Ed Hall, passed away after a lengthy
battle with cancer in March 2016. Ed’s extraordinary fingerstyle
guitar technique, (he was the Winfield KS Fingerstyle Guitar Champion in
1991), energy, and quick wit will always be missed. We feel most
fortunate that much of his groundwork remains in our repertoire and that
we’ve captured so much his performance excitement in our recordings.
Also, for six years, we were most fortunate to have Canadian violinist
Jonathan DeSouza performing with us, followed by a two-year return of
our original violinist, Paul Russell.
We’ve now brought on two new musicians – Louise Brodie on fiddle,
mandolin and vocals whose years spent performing with various Country,
bluegrass and Celtic bands brings in an amazing, dynamic versatility in
her various playing styles, and Jon Ball, a multi-instrumental brass
musician now embracing his excellent folk music chops, on guitar, banjo
and vocals – and look forward to continuing our music journey, wherever
it may take us.
Why the name Trillium? If you’ve
ever seen a Grandiflora trillium, which is a Midwest wildflower or herb,
I’m sure that you’ll agree that it’s a very unique wildflower –
quite different from the rest of the wildflowers dotting the woodlands
-- and it has always seemed to be an excellent fit for us!
mim eichmann
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