Tin Hat is an acoustic chamber music group based in San Francisco, California, formed in 1997. The original trio, which included Rob Burger on accordion and piano, Mark Orton, and Carla Kihlstedt, began their career by combining various genres such as jazz, southern blues, bluegrass, neoclassical, eastern European folk music, and avant-garde. Their first album, Memory Is an Elephant (1999), was released under Angel/EMI Records. They released their second album, Helium (2000). The group's lineup evolved over the years, with notable guests including Tom Waits, Mike Patton, and Willie Nelson. Burger left the trio in late 2004, leading to the formation of Tin Hat Quartet with Ben Goldberg and Zeena Parkins joining Mark Orton and Carla Kihlstedt. Tin Hat member Mark Orton composed the film score for Nebraska (2013), marking the first reunion of the original trio since 2005.
