When founding member Rob Burger, Tin Hat Trio's (tinhattrio.com) accordianist and pianist, left in 2004, remaining members Carla Kihlstedt and Mark Orton chose to reinvent the band as Tin Hat rather than to attempt to replace Burger. Removing the 'Trio' and bringing on first clarinetist Ben Goldberg and harpist Zeena Parkins (touring briefly as "Tin Hat Quartet", but not recording), then multi-instrumentalist Ara Anderson, Tin Hat recorded The Sad Machinery of Spring and began touring in 2007.