It didn't take me long to get really into this "Music for Trains" thing which is happening in Brattleboro and Bellows Falls and points in between. It's a multi-faceted project involving the brilliant young percussionists from So Percussion and other artists and organizations, brought together by the Vermont Performance Lab.
There are a lot of moving pieces to the event, but the grand finale, on Aug. 8-9, will be an event that celebrates the rail link Brattleboro and Bellows Falls. So Percussion will perform and then board the train in Brattleboro with patrons, who will be given an mp3 composed by So Percussion to listen to as they ride the rails up to Bellows Falls. There, in Bellows Falls, So will give a live concert, and then everyone will wend their way back to Brattleboro for another performance and multi-media happening.
It's all very hard to describe, and there are many other facets, including workshops, recording sessions and residencies this summer. What got me hooked already is the sheer boundless enthusiasm and charismatic commitment to the project from So Percussion's members, two of whom were in Brattleboro this weekend for a demonstration and workshop at the Brattleboro Music Center.
Their irrepressible spirit, and the sheer funkiness of the project has me excited. There'll be more on this later, but you might as welll get on board as soon as you can.