What's up with all these actors becoming musicians?

Ed Helms and Michael Shannon discuss what it's like to perform on a different kind of stage

Ed Helms performing bluegrass music.

Long before landing several high-profile acting gigs — including as The Office's Andy Bernard, a Cornell-loving paper salesman from a family of privileged blue bloods — Ed Helms was a kid who picked up a guitar and fell in love with bluegrass music.

That appreciation of Americana has been a constant for Helms, who's jammed for years outside of the limelight with a group of college friends under the moniker of The Lonesome Trio. And now, via the self-titled debut record they're releasing June 16, Helms & Co. are turning their side project into art for mass consumption, as well as preparing for a string of shows in support of the record.

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Andy Meek is a senior reporter at the Memphis Daily News. His work has also appeared in outlets including Fast Company, Buzzfeed and TIME, among others.