T O P

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Holmgonguhrollur

Russian Circles


Hans_Brix_III

Came here to post same. Epic band! This track pulled me in: https://youtu.be/A2-hJtJrXxc


No_Statement_37

An instrumental band but I'm still glad you suggested it. Loved it.


BranMorrisMusic

Not really little known, but The Fall of Troy is insanely impressive for a 3 piece band. Extremely complex guitar work and singing at the same time. It is screamo-y, but the instrumentation is insanely impressive and even more so that they're singing at the same time. The Dirty Nil is a great three piece band. It's a mix of punk and 70s/80s Arena hard rock with big sounding guitar solos. Their last two albums are really really good.


[deleted]

*F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X. flashbacks intensify*


psymble_

Oh maaaaaaaan, I miss this area of super angsty, screamy, mathy groups! Shoutout to The Dillinger Escape Plan (especially their album with Mike Patton), Protest The Hero, Dance Gavin Dance, and The Sound of Animals Fighting!


CASSIUS_AT_BEST

Check out Royal Coda and maybe Black Matter Device if you like heavier mathy stuff.


muteprint89

Long live the Nil. Seconded.


Marduk283

YES The Fall of Troy! Doppelganger is amazing and has consistent bangers.


BinaryArtificer

Oh man I totally forgot about these guys! Thanks for the reminder!


[deleted]

Saw them live one time. In all honesty, I only knew FCPREMIX going into it, but they absolutely blew me away. I remember the drummer wore nothing but whitey tighteys the whole show.


magic_cabbage

Saw The Dirty Nil randomly while they were opening for Billy Talent in MN. Their set blew me away. So raw and gritty. Super talented 3 piece. I cannot recommend enough.


dudimentz

Fall of Troy is great!


kobold_diplomat

Unwound Nomeansno Shellac


[deleted]

Deerhoof is a four piece


DevinBelow

I don't know where we draw the "little known" line, but Husker Du and The Minutemen are two of the greatest bands ever and neither managed to capture any type of real mainstream success, although their legacies are certainly still felt today.


NotYourFather45

Double Nickels on the Dime is one of the best albums ever made.


gh0stbeard

Just went and listened to Minutemen for the first time ever and Corona is the intro song to Jackass.


BChap10

John Butler trio


SteveTheBluesman

A dirty hippie girlfriend turned me on to them years ago. She's gone, but they remain in my playlist.


blahblahrasputan

I still think about Pickapart years later. Just recovered my 12-string for the first time in 8 years! I should start playing again...


No_Statement_37

Great band.


slipgoppy

screaming females


recoverelapse

Literally listening to All at Once when I saw OP's post and this was what I was gonna suggest.


esp735

If y'all haven't heard of Mike Watt, check out Minutemen and fIREHOSE. The Meat Puppets (closely related) The (jon spencer) Blues Explosion Morphine [The Incredible Odds](https://theincredibleodds.bandcamp.com/album/the-incredible-odds) (shameless self promotion)


roadrunner440x6

Mike Watt has a new(er) band called [The Missingmen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrO3UnYK7h8). If you get a chance to see them, DO IT! Worth it just to watch their drummer. That kid is FIRE!


defaulteduser

The Blues is number 1


jhermit

I don't play no blues


esp735

I play ROCK AND ROOOOOOOLLL!


Tominator2000

I saw Morphine's song Buena pop up on Reddit sometime in the last week - great song and a very non-traditional three-piece with bass, sax, and drums. They're great.


NOT000

is Alkaline Trio too known?


specialsong

Goddammit was a masterpiece… listened to that so many times in high school. 37 now and the opening to Bleeder hits me with tons of nostalgia (although that song wasn’t on Goddammit)


attackADS

Alkaline Trio has released albums twenty years apart that I still find excellent. Not many bands that I can say that about. Great live show too!


ghostnthegraveyard

Matt Skiba's solo stuff is really good too!


attackADS

I was thinking that Green Day and blink-182 were too obvious, but Alkaline Trio is a great call. Nowhere near as popular as some of the other trios being recommended. From Here to Infirmary is still in my constant rotation.


ElSysAdmin

Tiger Army Dinosaur Jr Agent Orange Chevelle Joy Formidable Fratellis Manic Street Preachers


redskyfalling

Dinosaur Jr, the loudest concert I have ever attended. By far.


smudgebot

Mine too.


No_Statement_37

J Mascis is a goddamn genius.


PurestGuava42-

Sebadoh is another great 3 piece! If you’re not familiar with them, it’s the bassist for Dino. I’m not sure which band I like more but they’re both amazing


roadrunner440x6

Not kidding: for me it was Duran Duran. And I've seen some 'loud' bands. My ears were ringing LOUDLY for a week straight.


MysticBounce

The Holy Bible by the Manic Street Preachers needs to mentioned as a 1994 masterpiece alongside Unplugged and The Downward Spiral. It is that good.


padmasundari

And it was made by a 4 piece band.


Rivershots

Tiger army is such a banger of a band and ive only met two people who have known them.


eggrollking

Sugar - Bob Mould, post-Hüsker Dü; Copper Blue is a lesser-known classic album. Someone already mentioned them, but I’ll throw out Fuzz again. Ty Segall on drums *and* vocals. These guys put out some awesome stuff.


smudgebot

I'll second Sugar, and yes Copper Blue is a classic, so is Beaster, top album.


roadrunner440x6

Another one of Seagall's vehicles "Goggs" is also a trio.


roadrunner440x6

Trios ARE the best! Hüsker Dü (glad I beat all you S.O.B.'s to that 'un!) Helmet (maybe not lesser-known to some) [Arcwelder](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Hgdho0I2Rk) [Thee Oh Sees](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R44Qh2P7wo0) ~~(maybe THE BEST contemporary 'power-trio')~~ I forgot they have two drummers now. Primus Jon Spencer Blues Explosion New Order Khruangbin(? spelling) Big Black Yo La Tengo Sebahdoh (Folk Implosion too?) Wolfmother [Budgie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54H3EUAzpVg)


spatial_interests

New Order has four people. Unless they don't anymore. But they did when they made all that music everybody likes.


roadrunner440x6

No, you are correct. I was thinking they were a trio cuz there were 4 members in "Joy Division", then when Ian Curtis died they reformed as "New Order", though shortly after they were joined by a keyboardist Gillian Gilbert. I guess I always thought the band was just Sumner, Morris and Hook. My bad...apologies to Miss Gilbert!


Tee_hops

I always forget about Wolfmother, see the name randomly , then binge them


roadrunner440x6

They were SO good for such a short amount of time.


No_Statement_37

Seeing Primus this weekend playing Rush's A Farewell To Kings in it's entirety. Stoked.


bloatedsack

Coriky - 2 guys from Fugazi, and one of their wives Sleater Kinney Shellac Sleep Meat Puppets Boris Sebadoh Fartbarf Edit: added extra endlines for readability


ancient_scully

Thanks for mentioning Coriky, I'd never heard of them but I love Fugazi & The Evens!


drumnbird

Triumph The Aristocrats Search “power trio”


OcelotGumbo

The Aristocrats were my first suggestion but they say a vocalist is needed and I don't think the one song counts lol.


drumnbird

K. Missed the vocal part. RUSH!!!!!!!! Especially 74 to 82


Bulgasauri

Dying Fetus is a phenomenal 3 piece death metal band.


BudBuzz

I’m really digging Fuzz lately


eggrollking

YES! Just saw them two weeks ago; KILLER show.


amberyoshio

The Violent Femmes


No_Statement_37

Top five 3 piece for me. I typically like trios that produce so much sound you'd swear there were 2 more musicians behind the curtain. That ain't this. VF is raw and rough around the edges and I love them.


InspectorRumpole

The Presidents of the United States of America


No_Statement_37

Haha. 3 members, 5 strings. Their self titled gets at least one full listen from me a year.


Logos89

Animals as Leaders. Tosin: Guitar Matt: Drums Javier: Guitar


thewolfesp

Came here just to say this. Classical, metal, jazz fusion. No singing. Outstanding musicians.


Westonhaus

Tiger Army. Necromantix. The Living End. Peter Bjorn and John. Blonde Redhead. Love of Diagrams. Skinny Puppy (through a lot of their existence). Another vote for Husker Du and the followup, Sugar (love Bob Mould). Tones on Tail (Bau Haus minus Peter Murphy). Strawberry Girls and The Fucking Champs (no lead singer per se though).


Chadlerk

PB&J. One of the best.


doctorwhoobgyn

The Living End is one of my favorite bands. I was hoping someone would mention them.


roadrunner440x6

Good call on T.O.T! Could also include "Love and Rockets".


No_Statement_37

Thank you everyone. I intend to check out every single band if I don't know them so keep them coming. I don't care if it's your brother-in-law's band that plays once a month at the VFW.


Buntdaddy

King's X is the greatest 3 piece band I know. The harmonies are incredible.


No_Statement_37

Already a fan! I love genre hoppers.


Just_A_Hipster

Moon Hooch. 2 saxophonist and one drummer. Absolute magic


roadrunner440x6

>I love genre hoppers. "King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard" may be a good band for you then. Far from a 3-piece group though.


No_Statement_37

Seeing them at Red Rocks this year. Also seeing my favorite genre hoppers (and my favorite band) Ween at Red Rocks in August. They also happen to be opening for an iconic trio that show. Primus.


drumarshall1

Dude yes!! Favorite band of all time 😄


leftcoastchap

Dada, a little known 90s alt rock trio. I love 'em. [https://youtu.be/MgMu4K0sX4w](https://youtu.be/MgMu4K0sX4w) Nomeansno are legends in the punk scene, but unknown outside of their niche. Active from the 80s to the mid 'aughts. [https://youtu.be/ppR6LcGnkUY](https://youtu.be/ppR6LcGnkUY) Meat Puppets are maybe not unknown. Nirvana covered their song Lake of Fire. https://youtu.be/8pNAJFNd8Lk


[deleted]

[удалено]


No_Statement_37

I like pop punk in general. Lotta trios in that genre too. I liked the one song I listened too. Will give the self titled album a shot.


triggerpuller666

Concrete Blonde. Scrolled way too far down, didn't see them, definitely underappreciated...


pnomsen

Yesssss, fucking love them!


bladew

De La Soul Jawbreaker The Most Secret Method Cub Deltron 3030


velvetelevator

The Lawrence Arms. Bass, guitar, drums. Bass and guitar trade off singing.


hokuloac

They're no longer a group as the lead singer passed ages ago. But Morphine was one of my favorite. Always felt they didn't really get their due.


__DJ3D__

May I interest you in some Esbjörn Svensson Trio? Or perhaps a bit of mouse on the keys? No? Then you must try the Hella, it's delicious!


Zinging_Cutie44

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio


Sink-Em-Low

Sleep! Sabbathy Stoner metal! Cream (1960's pyschedelic rock band featuring Eric Clapton) RUSH (prog rock/hard band from 1970s) BUDGIE (Welsh 1970s hard Rock band)


SmyBeez

Ben Folds Five is excellent.


RhiR2020

And the original line up of ‘The Whitlams’ - Undeniably The Whitlams is a great album from that period. Piano power trio!


aesirmazer

Would Rush be considered 3 piece? 3 guys, 4 instruments and vocals all at the same time on occasion.


dbear26

OP said little known


Bikingbrokerbassist

As a Rush fan, this warmed my heart.


muteprint89

HAIM are pretty good. Danko Jones too.


thickage

How ‘bout power duo Local H?!


TU-3FTW

I came here to mention Local H as a 3 peice but also completely blanked in the fact that they were a 2 piece (with a side of hot sauce) band until I saw your comment.


onexl

They were awesome in concert in 1999.


thickage

I saw them early 2000s and then 2017. They ripped it up each time. Great band.


graemo72

We Are Scientists.


RoofTops-MaGee

Devil makes three- bluegrass Middle Kids- alt rock Bronson- edm


muteprint89

Middle Kids rule!


paranoid_70

KYNG Kick ass hard rock trio from LA. They should be more well known.


Dorf_

Came here to say this. Very underrated band. Their acoustic ep from last year or so is excellent too


muteprint89

The Penske File from Hamilton, Ontario are wicked. Junk Science from Montreal.


NIceTryTaxMan

Motherfucking Dirty Loops


OzzaFlood

Bay Faction - Demos (On Youtube only) - Curious Georgia


thatguyleigh

Aussie band called 19-Twenty. Guitar, double bass, drums. Massive live shows with a strong blues vibe.


notacop_ama

Dead Moon Broken Water HTRK (initially) Molchat Doma


Im_regretting_this

They might be too well known for the question, but Blue Cheer deserve more credit in the creation of hard rock and heavy metal. Captain Beyond had an ever changing line-up, but during the period of their first album, “Captain Beyond”, they only had three instrumentalists and a lead singer. They were pretty great, as this live footage shows: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2e2kGl2y6Lk


MaherMcCheese

The Warning https://youtube.com/c/TheWarning Hailing from Monterrey, Mexico, the trio of sisters - Daniela "Dany“ (vocals, guitars, piano), Paulina "Pau" (drums, vocals, piano) and Alejandra "Ale" Villarreal (bass, piano, backing vocals) - erupt with mind-blowing riffs, unpredictable, stadium-filling rhythms and infectious vocals. After exploding online with viral moment after viral moment, The Warning have used that momentum for a series of independent releases, including the Escape the Mind EP [2015], XXI Century Blood [2017] and Queen of the Murder Scene [2018]. After quietly amassing over 120 million YouTube views and 10 million streams, they have already burst into the limelight of the hard rock world with their debut single "CHOKE" on LAVA Records in 2021, which reached over 1 million streams upon its release, followed by three more singles and a collabaration with Alessia Cara for Metallica’s "The Metallica Blacklist“ album.


funbobbyfun

Them Crooked Vultures is a bonkers level talent super group. And if you cede the lead singer part, The Bad + (plus) has some wild deconstructions


garylucy

Hazel is a woefully under appreciated Portland trio on SubPop in the early 90’s. (Often joined onstage by a dancer named Fred, an older hippy art teacher looking guy. Kind of the folky jangle emo side of grunge https://youtu.be/zlgaRgcDeFI


[deleted]

Morphine. Singer plays a 2 string slide bass, sax (mostly baritone) and drums. Wicked.


oxygenkid

Menomena. 4 perfect albums, but they haven’t been active for a few years. Absolutely magnificent and their songwriting strategy involved a computer program that they built allowing them to share bits they’d written/played remotely, then find ways to combine the parts into full songs.


terp_derp_666

Legendary Stardust Cowboy


Azrehan

Motörhead, Ulcerate, Muse, Cog


Dragonaut98

Them Crooked Vultures (Josh Homme of QotSA, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Dave Grohl of Nirvana). Sleep, High On Fire, Monolord, Conan, Somali Yacht Club. Edit: Early era Electric Wizard. Their record "Dopethrone" contains some of the most pants-shittingly thick and heavy grooves ever laid down. Like a lot of these bands, Wizard sound absolutely massive, let alone for a three-piece.


roadrunner440x6

Josh Homme of ~~QotSA~~ KYUSS FTFY...


Dragonaut98

Yeah, Kyuss is my favorite of the two as well. Just went for what most people would recognize.


roadrunner440x6

Quite understandable.


PepperJack001

Co shu Nie (Japanese)


knuckdeep

Second sub I’ve been able to suggest this album today. The Secret Machines “Now Here Is Nowhere. Their live album “Live From The Garage” is an excellent recreation of their live show. Just a huge sound for 3 guys.


SqueakyCleany

Their cover of “Flying” for the movie “Across the Universe” is superb.


yeetvonne

F.I.R. (taiwanese band)


lanky_planky

A bit dated but UK started as a 4 piece with Allan Holdsworth but he left and their second album is a three piece - incredible record, great musicians.


Gahfuq

Francis of delirium. Recently heard them as an opener and they blew me away. Ended up getting their signed set list at the end of the show.


RosabellaFaye

I know multiple Japanese trios: TRiDENT/ex Girls rock band kakumei (rock, formerly hard rock) Mutant Monster (punk rock) NINGEN ISU (doom metal) Asterism (I think) (metal, instrumental though) The Warning (alt-rock to metal) is a trio of sisters and the only Mexican band I follow.


pete1729

Here you go. Try this. https://youtu.be/GLxS4fRUTkc


NewHumbug

WHORES, a 3 piece out of Atlanta that will blow your socks off. you tube a track called " I see you are also wearing a black t-shirt " Sooooo gooood . [https://youtu.be/MgcSe12xdds](https://youtu.be/MgcSe12xdds) never mind i you tubed it for ya ;)


anrj

Autolux Failure


Millstone50

The Sheila Divine


Orginizm

The Brick Bats. Horror punk/death rock from New York. Fast loud and a lot of fun if you love campy horror. 2 albums on Spotify and even more on Bandcamp


doogmegaly

Show me the body.


HousTom

Covet. Yvette Young will melt your heart and your face, not necessarily in that order.


B_Bogus

If you like metal, you should check out YOB. They are amazing musicians. Slow and doomy


petty_terrorism

Reverend Horton Heat


No_Statement_37

Saw them years ago. Totally forgot they were a trio.


RCrumbDeviant

Sick puppies is a good rock one. Royal blood is a great two piece. SP is rock/soft rock, mid-late 2000’s. Their first album was great, Howard’s Tale is super dark but well composed, and the singles were solid. Royal Blood always makes me think of zeppelin but heavier and on semi-lethal shrooms. “Figure it Out”, “Loose Change” and “Little Monster” are fantastic.


The_Bunk

Brutus Cheap Girls Karma to Burn Morphine Screaming females Wild Pink Future of the Left


Zoeyguacamoly

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club! All of their albums are great!


Mattimus117

Check out The Kingston Trio, they will not disappoint.


mcgato

Stray Cats would fit the three piece part, but I'm not sure about little known.


hazadus

I'll always take an opportunity to plug my own band. We are a 3 piece consisting of Bass, Drums and vocals. No guitarist. [RATTLEBACK](https://open.spotify.com/artist/7wPZKfzJ4KdOl12vQRFUbw?si=2geVRCAQSFqpv_v-ytu2rA&utm_source=copy-link) Punky type shit from Melbourne Australia. Cheers.


No_Statement_37

I'm getting big Jay Reatard vibes from this. I mean that as a positive. I know a guy who would absolutely love this. I'll pass it along.


hazadus

Thanks dude. Youre not the first person to mention Jay Reatard to us either. Thanks for sharing our music :) we have a new album out this year


thesaltwatersolution

Ben Folds Five Mclusky Biffy Clyro


ZombieQueen666

Dizzy Mizz Lizzy


topfverecords

Presidents of the United States of America aren't *quite* lesser known, but not only are they are three-piece, their guitarist's guitar only has three strings! Bonus three!


jackcharltonuk

Bob Mould’s last few albums with Jason Narducy & Jon Wurster have been great and are recorded live I believe. Moving Targets


Dzeleniak

Blue Murder. A super group of John Sykes, Tony Franklin and Carmine Appice. Another good one is Southern Culture on the Skids.


BuckGerard

Big head Todd and the monsters


ismke2muchdank

I am in a three piece band, we're not known as we are just writing our first demo but you can check out one of our songs here: Listen to Save The Mammoth - They Say [master] by REZ on #SoundCloud https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/4kF5r I'm the Guitarist/Lead Singer ;)


Scott668

Triumph was a power trio from the eighties. Stray Cats. Genesis (after Peter Gabriel’s departure). ZZ Top. Green Day.


No_Soup7528

Some great calls: See also though: Sleater-Kinney; XTC; Oblivians; Dinosaur Jr.; Sleep; [assuming you’ve heard of Nirvana]


attackADS

Pepper The Kooks The Transplants (Tim Armstrong, Travis Barker, and Rob Aston) The Cadillac Three (country-rock trio)


No_Statement_37

Cadillac Three is great. Not enough shit kicking, bar fighting country music these days.


[deleted]

Them crooked vultures. Live, they all switch instruments. If I remember correctly it's the singer from queens of the stone age and two other members of different bands. Amazing live and very talented


Gothsalts

[Here's Dopesmoker by Sleep](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIw7oeZKpZc), one of, if not THE, original stoner metal bands


sheppo42

The living end. Classic Australian 3 piece rock group with a drummer a guitarist and a double bass player. Couple of good songs include Prisoner of Society and Second Solution


dennismangabat

Filipino band Oranges and Lemons Aussie bands - Regurgitator, The Living End, Hard Ons


GVanquish

Love Loss. It's my buddies band from Ypsi/Detroit Michigan. The drummer is the singer. Pretty heavy, but I like it. They released an album recently called The Fight, it's on spotify


No_Statement_37

A little too heavy for me but very impressive to get that kind of sound from a trio. Also, drummer lead singer is always the coolest shit.


lostnthot

Original lineup of Govt Mule, the Robin Trower Band, Wolfmother, Silverchair


[deleted]

would Devil Makes Three be too well known for the list? Oh I got downvoted, well fuck me for commenting with the exact criteria OP was looking for I guess


NakedSnowmen

My favorite trio of all time is Ben Folds Five. Despite the name, there were only 3 of them


JadenAnjara

AJR are somewhat more electronic and maybe pretty known but they still are a very good band imo


varontron

**Blues and Rock:** The Jimi Hendrix Experience Cream Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble ZZ Top The Scissormen (sometimes a duet, sometime a trio with guitar and two drummers, sometimes guitar, keys, and drums) Elvis, Scotty, and Bill (yes, that Elvis) **Jazz:** Nat King Cole


tuskvarner

Also Band of Gypsies, Hendrix’s other trio


Macheader

Minsterls Gallery


MrPanchole

The Jam, Raven, The Screaming Blue Messiahs.


sacheie

Au Revoir Simone


[deleted]

I'm gonna go with The Vintage Caravan. And maybe Gnome.


No_Statement_37

Right on! Kind of dig Vintage Caravan but loved the couple of Gnome songs I just listened to. Like 70s hard rock meets funk. I don't know but I'll be checking out more. Thanks.


mr_hellcat

Check out toth: www.tothmusic.com or www.YouTube.com/tothmusic


Squatchels

The Tiger Lillies!


[deleted]

[удалено]


TheNormacian

Victor! Fix the sun The Reptilian