Working On The Railroad

Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes, and Old Crow Medicine Show are taking to the rails together onboard 15 vintage railcars from the 1950s and ‘60s for a weeklong tour through the American Southwest.

The Railroad Revival Tour features six shows at unique outdoor locations with each band sharing equal billing and time on stage. During the journey the bands will eat, sleep and record on the railcars, which are being pulled by two locomotives. A documentary about the trek is in the works.

“To misquote the great Woody Guthrie, this train is bound for disgrace,” Winston Marshall from Mumford & Sons said. “Glorious disgrace. Woody rode with his fellow drifters around North America; we get to do it with a bunch of other musicians, although not strangers, from different corners of the world. A dream come true to be on tour with them, a privilege we get to do it on a train (one of Britain’s greatest inventions by the way).”

Photo: AP Photo
Brit Award 2011, O2 Arena, London, UK

The first stop along the Railroad Revival Tour takes place April 21 in Oakland, Calif., at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park. The train moves on to San Pedro, Calif., the next day with a show at Ports Of Call.

Next up is an April 23 performance at Arizona Railway Museum in Chandler. The train then rumbles on to Texas with a show at Marfa’s El Cosmico (April 24) and a gig at 4th and Waller Streets in Austin (April 26).

The journey ends April 27 with a stop at New Orleans’ Woldenberg Park.

Photo: John Davisson
Sasquatch! Festival, Gorge Amphitheatre, Quincy, Wash.

“From hobos to the wild west, trains have always been a fascination of mine. This tour is going to be rad,” Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros said.

A Mumford & Sons fanclub presale begins Tuesday, March 8 at 9 a.m. PST.

Tickets go on sale to the public Wednesday at 9 a.m. PST exclusivley through the Railroad Revival Tour website. Each ticket comes with an MP3 download of live recordings from the tour as well as a commemorative ticket custom-designed for each show.

For more information, click here for the Railroad Revival Tour website.