Ed Helms isn’t a one-trick pony, though he’s really just trying to entertain you. He’s a movie star, a comedian, a TV personality and even a retired Daily Show correspondent. He’s also a bluegrass aficionado who continues to play banjo in his longtime band, The Lonesome Trio, and host his own Bluegrass Situation summits near his home in L.A. This year, Helms will bring his unique Bluegrass Situation back home to the Southeast for a day of highly collaborative music in That Tent. Helms helped curate a stacked bluegrass/roots lineup that includes heavyweights ranging from Sam Bush and Del McCoury to Noam Pikelny & Friends and Black Prairie and will serve as the tent’s MC throughout the day. Then, he’ll strap on his banjo and lead the Bluegrass Situation SuperJam at 7:15pm. In a separate but equal world, The Office star also staged his Ed Helms’ Whisky Sour Radio Hour in the Comedy Theatre at 2:45pm yesterday.

You hosted a Bluegrass Situation in Los Angeles and now you are bringing the jam to Bonnaroo. Can you describe your vision for the Bluegrass Situation and how you came up with the concept?

The Bluegrass Situation shows – be they in LA or Bonnaroo or anywhere else – are just a great excuse to let loose, have fun and get real funky with the banjos. And that’s just as naughty as it sounds. But the Bluegrass Situation is actually much more than the live shows. It’s a larger effort to celebrate and coalesce the artists and fans of this wild, vibrant and constantly evolving community. As such, our new website, thebluegrasssituaiton.com is a bustling hub of videos, news, calendars and irreverent insights into all things bluegrass/roots/Americana – which is also just as naughty as it sounds, if not more so.

You plan to turn the Bluegrass Situation into a festival. How will the Bluegrass Situation compare to festivals you’ve attended like Bonnaroo and Telluride?

The Bluegrass Situation has actually already been a little festival in Los Angeles since 2010. When I moved to LA, it was clear that there were a lot of bluegrass players and fans, but it wasn’t a cohesive scene. So my buddy Mark Flanagan, proprietor of legendary Los Angeles venue Largo, and I booked a weekend of shows and called it the LA Bluegrass Situation. We got great acts like Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch, The Infamous Stringdusters, Steve Martin and Steep Canyon Rangers, and more. Since then, we’ve added some team members, and the mission has expanded to include the website and plans to make the Bluegrass Situation a bigger outdoor event for the people of Los Angeles. But it will be an urban festival, not a camping festival like Bonnaroo and Telluride. Although, I suppose really hardcore campers can pitch a tent by the freeway.

You regularly attend Telluride Bluegrass. Did you grow up going to festivals? If so what were some of your favorites?

I grew up in Altanta and went to a lot of outdoor music as kid, but I never really attended bluegrass festivals until after college. Grey Fox is a fantastic festival in Upstate New York where I have a lot of great memories. Some of them quite hazy actually, but that’s a good thing.

Most kids pick up a guitar or drum sticks, not the banjo. What drew you to the banjo and when did you start playing professionally?

I started playing guitar at about 13. When I was 17, my high school put on a bluegrass musical called “The Cotton Patch Gospel.” They really needed a banjo picker, so I borrowed a banjo and learned all the tunes with the help of my guitar teacher, Sam Worley, who was also a great banjo player. I became addicted and just couldn’t put it down.

You own Doc Watson’s guitar ‘Ol’ Hoss.’ Is there a good story behind how you obtained it?

The story of how I obtained it is way less interesting than the story behind the instrument. I just happened to be the highest bidder when Christie’s put it up for auction. But when I opened it up and actually played it, I got chills. It’s not just a piece of history; it’s still a fantastically playable instrument with an absolutely tremendous sound and feel. Chris Eldridge played ‘Ol’ Hoss’ on stage a few months ago at Largo in Los Angeles and we didn’t even mention it to the audience. We just sort snuck it in, and there was some serious old time spirit in Chris’s playing that night. It was really special – and kind of spooky.

You formed The Lonesome Trio while an undergrad Oberlin. What type of music did you play back then and do you plan to work in any new original material at Bonnaroo?

We all played in a few different outfits and wound up together in a crew called Weedkiller. But eventually Jake Tilove, Ian Riggs and I settled out as The Lonesome Trio. We wrote some tunes and played a pretty straight ahead bluegrass set back then. We were still learning the genre so we picked a lot of obvious tunes like “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” “Little Maggie” and “Rocky Top” (which I still contend is one of the greatest tunes of all time). One of my favorite numbers was that John R. Crowder yodel tune from Raising Arizona. Sung properly, that song will straighten out your curls. As for this weekend, it’ll be a good mix. We’re always changing it up between old favorites new original tunes.

Did a shared love of certain artists originally draw you together?

What we had in common was that we were music carnivores and just devoured everything. And that’s the great thing about Oberlin College; there’s just so much music everywhere. I recall us bonding over a lot jazz albums early on. Jake and I were roommates and even recorded an infamous outgoing voicemail message that was an a cappella version of Oliver Nelson’s “Hoe-Down” from The Blues and the Abstract Truth. But bluegrass was always piping in as well. We listened to a lot of Dave Bromberg, Old and In the Way, Country Cookin’, etc., before digging deeper into the old time stuff.

You went to college with Preservation Hall’s Ben Jaffe. Did you ever perform together in college – formally or informally? Any chance we will get a Pres. Hall sit in at the Bluegrass Situation tent?

I recall seeing Ben play a lot at Oberlin, but he was a real jazz guy, so we didn’t wind up playing together much, if any. I just can’t believe what his family has done down there in New Orleans. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is truly a national treasure. If they haven’t already pulled out of Manchester by Sunday evening, I would sure hope we might see a stray tuba wandering across the Situation stage!

Name three essential bluegrass albums – new or old – every Bonnaroo attendee should own?

Here are three really nice albums that I love. Are they essential? Have a listen and decide for yourself!

1. Morning Bugle – John Hartford

2. Drive – Béla Fleck

3. Live at the Cellar Door – The Seldom Scene

You helped curate this year’s Bluegrass Situation tent. Can you talk about some of the artists playing the tent and how you chose them? Were you nervous calling Sam Bush and Del McCoury?

We’re so honored these amazing artists have jumped on board the Bluegrass Situation stage. We wanted to create a lineup that really matches our philosophy at BGS – a deep, abiding love of tradition combined with unbridled enthusiasm for the cutting edge. Somehow, we managed to rope in two legends, Del McCoury and Sam Bush – and I wasn’t nervous at all reaching out to them because I had met them both over the years, and you just won’t find two more kind and benevolent human beings in the whole solar system. We also nabbed Aoife O’Donovan, John Fullbright, Black Prairie and Noam Pikelny & Friends. It’s an amazing range from more traditional to more progressive. Or as I like to call it: a delicious bluegrass paella.

You are friends with Mumford & Sons. How did you first meet?

We met at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival a couple of years ago. Telluride is a great place to make new friends. It just brings out the best in people. And you’re really lightheaded from the altitude, so that helps.

Your character on The Office was super bummed that he didn’t get to write with Phish’s Trey Anastasio. Given that Bonnaroo was partially inspired by Phish’s festivals, it seems like the right time to ask: Have you ever seen Phish live and what did you take away from the experience? And if not, did you ever listen to them when you were younger?

My college roommate and lifelong bandmate, Jake, was a die-hard fan, so I got a pretty good education on all things Phishy. And like every guitar nerd of my generation, I spent hours trying to master Trey [Anastasio]‘s tasty licks from “Stash” on A Picture of Nectar. Their musicianship was just staggering – so technically advanced, but light hearted and free spirited. I saw them a few times. I remember a show in Atlanta where the crowd was just incredibly joyful. When they played “Fee,” it was like an old time religious revival. They’re brilliant guys, but clearly terrible spellers.

If you could spill one bean about your Bonnaroo super jam, which would it be?

A pinto? No, definitely a lima. And his name is Chris Eldridge.

Why do comedians like the banjo so much (or vice versa)?

Comedians and banjos are both irritating, so we understand each other.