Trillium
Downers Grove, Illinois, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
By Jack Baker
Local band, Trillium, has released their third CD, Crossing the Stream, featuring: Mim Eichmann (hammered dulcimer & vocals), Ed Hall (guitar & banjo), Doug Lofstrom (bass) and Jonathan De Souza (fiddle & mandolin). Trillium has a smooth folk sound anchored by Mim’s beautiful vocals and strong hammered dulcimer.
They combine their talent with their passion for the music to build a totally unique and very pleasant sound. This is one of the CDs you’ll hear me playing when you stop by the shop (Rampant Lion, Villa Park, IL). They play an interesting blend of Celtic and Americana, with interesting tunes that are definitely not the run of the mill.
- Irish American News
“ … new CD is one of the best recordings I have heard in a while...
it's really top-shelf.”
Lilli Kuzma, Folk Festival Host
- WDCB FM Radio
By Jack Baker
Local band, Trillium, has released their third CD, Crossing the Stream, featuring: Mim Eichmann (hammered dulcimer & vocals), Ed Hall (guitar & banjo), Doug Lofstrom (bass) and Jonathan De Souza (fiddle & mandolin). Trillium has a smooth folk sound anchored by Mim’s beautiful vocals and strong hammered dulcimer.
They combine their talent with their passion for the music to build a totally unique and very pleasant sound. This is one of the CDs you’ll hear me playing when you stop by the shop (Rampant Lion, Villa Park, IL). They play an interesting blend of Celtic and Americana, with interesting tunes that are definitely not the run of the mill.
- Irish American News
“They’re quite a lively band!”
Rich Warren, Midnight Special Host - WFMT FM Radio
“These are four very good players who have gotten together … Trillium – I’ll look forward to hearing a lot more from them!”
George Brown, Concert Promoter
- Maple Street Chapel Concert Series
“They’re quite a lively band!”
Rich Warren, Midnight Special Host - WFMT FM Radio
March 2008
Congratulations! Thanks to your outstanding performance at area libraries, you have been selected for inclusion in the Best of the Best 6, our latest guide to library programs for adults.
Now in its sixth edition, Best of the Best is a publication of the LACONI (Library Administrators Conference of Northern Illinois) Outreach/Promotion/Programming Section. It is updated every three years by recommendations from library adult programmers throughout the area and is a primary resource for libraries in planning programs for adults.
Jill Derkits
Best of the Best Committee
- Library Administrators Conference of Northern Illinois
by Gary Tuber
January 28, 2010
Chicago's own Trillium defies genre classification. They are a bluegrass, Celtic, blues, folk traditional band that will sometimes throw in a show tune. Their third and newest CD, "Crossing the Stream" is just a hell of a lot of fun (to the editors: can I say "hell"? I guess so.)
World-class musicians all, the quartet of Mim Eichmann on hammered dulcimer, percussion, and vocals; Ed Hall on guitar, banjo, and vocals; Jonathon De Souza on violin, mandolin,bodhrain, whistle, viola, and vocals (not all on the same song), and Doug Lofstrom on bass and vocals, fill the hall (or your living room) with music.
The historical theme of "Crossing the Stream" permeates the CD with songs of America's past, such as Big Rock Candy Mountain, Tennessee Waltz, and Johnny's Gone for A Soldier. Their rousing version of Black and White Rag is inspired by the great Winifred Atwell's up tempo version, finishing with a unique section in 7/8 time. Young Ladies in Town dates back to the pre-revolutionary war period, advocating the boycott of imported British goods. A balance of payments problem even then. Mim Eichmann and Doug Lofstrom collaborated in Along the Path, based on a Navajo prayer. Pure heaven to a history freak, like your Chicago Folk Music Examiner.
Listen to "Crossing the Stream" along with Eggleston and MacLeod's "Drawn From The Well" for a double dose of great hammered dulcimer, fiddle and guitar music.
"Crossing the Stream" is available through their web site, trilliumtheband.com, and, of course, at any Trillium concert. They will be at the wonderful Irish Mill in Mundelein on St. Patrick's Day afternoon and Stage Left in Woodstock in the evening.
Article finished - I'm going back to listen to "Crossing the Stream" a few more times.
- Chicago Folk Music Examiner
March 2008
Congratulations! Thanks to your outstanding performance at area libraries, you have been selected for inclusion in the Best of the Best 6, our latest guide to library programs for adults.
Now in its sixth edition, Best of the Best is a publication of the LACONI (Library Administrators Conference of Northern Illinois) Outreach/Promotion/Programming Section. It is updated every three years by recommendations from library adult programmers throughout the area and is a primary resource for libraries in planning programs for adults.
Jill Derkits
Best of the Best Committee
- Library Administrators Conference of Northern Illinois
Discography
CD 2006: Over the Waterfall
CD 2007: The Moody Leprechaun
CD 2009: Crossing the Stream
Photos
Bio
One rainy summer afternoon in 2005, four musicians, that Mim had simply booked as “a folk band” assembled to rehearse for a one-time July gig. We were all colleagues/friends of bass player Doug, but weren't acquainted with each other. Tackling a wide variety of folk and other genres at that original rehearsal, we found that our extremely diverse backgrounds lent an amazing depth, musical passion and creative energy that immediately spurred us all along. Best of all, we were having a lot of fun!
We booked several other gigs as "Trillium," which is a wildflower native to the Midwest woodlands, and recorded a six-track demo CD. We released our first recording "Over the Waterfall", in early 2006, followed by “The Moody Leprechaun” (2007) and have just released “Crossing the Stream in December 2009. Unlike many groups, we have no additional musicians on our CDs and very few overdubs, so when we perform live, we really DO sound as good as our albums!
In the four and a half years that we’ve been performing together, we’ve played at countless community festivals, coffeehouses, libraries, pubs, clubs, house concerts, weddings, parties and fundraisers, including a Performance Alley Showcase at the 2009 International Folk Alliance Conference held in Memphis, TN. Additionally, the group’s music has been featured on many folk radio programs throughout the US and Canada.
In a typical performance, Trillium moves effortlessly from a foot-stomping Irish reel such as “Drowsy Maggie,” to vocal ballads such as “The Tennessee Waltz” or “Summertime,” to a honky-tonk showstopper such as the “Black & White Rag” -- a sumptuous repertoire which appeals to all ages and most musical tastes. We are also in demand for all-Celtic programs, which we perform frequently. In addition, our newest album, “Crossing the Stream,” is an Americana retrospective featuring music from just prior to the American Revolution thru just post-World War II, perfect for many upcoming historical anniversaries, such as the 2011 Civil War sesquicentennial.
Additional information about our musicians is available on our website.
Links
