Download a flyer about the 2010 Kings of California Train! (92kb)

Your hosts are the Golden State’s own Tom Russell, master songwriter, and Dave Alvin, a towering figure in American music whose 1994 album gives this trip its name. Joining them are the magnificent Steve Young, writer of such classics as "Seven Bridges Road" and "Lonesome Orn’ry and Mean" and guitar wizard Thad Beckman.

There will be a starting and end night at the excellent Kyoto Grand Hotel in Los Angeles, a kickoff show with Tom and Dave at the legendary McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, then once on board, plenty of music, laughter and camaraderie. Naturalist Elsabe Kloppers will be with us to point out interesting flora, fauna and geographic features of our route. Freshly-prepared meals in our own dome car with glass-enclosed 360 degree views and lovingly restored sleeping cars from the golden age of streamliners make for an unforgettable travel experience. Music and jamming will start early and go all trip long. Get ready for a non-stop musical adventure with Thad and Steve, Tom and Dave... the Kings of California!

Sign up today, by e-mailing Roots on the Rails at trains@sover.net, by calling 866-484-3669 (toll free in the US & Canada) or 802-258-1397.

"We had the time of our lives... We met many wonderful people with whom we hope to keep in touch... Fun, fun, fun - it was the BEST!" - 2007 trip participants

"If you would like to leave this planet for a wee journey, we suggest you contact Roots on the Rails and get ready for the trip of a lifetime... The best experience we have ever had. We can hardly wait for the next one!" - 2007 trip participants

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Sunday, 4 April - Hotel check-in in afternoon. Shuttle bus to/from evening concert at McCabe’s.

Monday, 5 April - We depart from the mission-style/art-deco masterpiece Los Angeles Union Station at 10:15 AM. After lunch on board, we’ll have a music program and our first Open Mic, as our train runs for over 100 miles hugging the rugged California Coast. After dinner on board, we add our Oakland sleeper (we are limited to just four cars from LA to Oakland; special rates apply for Oakland sleeper passengers). Departing Emeryville, we’ll have a special treat - a solo show from Steve Young, who will have just joined us!

Tuesday 6 April - During the night we head east to Sacramento, then turn north through Chico and Dunsmuir, past snow-covered Mt. Shasta, and then over the Cascade Mountains, one of the most breathtaking crossings of a mountain range in the US, passing through over 20 tunnels! Breakfast and lunch on board, nature program, guitar workshop with Thad & Steve, Open Mic in Performance Car. Arrive Portland, “the City of Roses,” in afternoon. Train serves as our hotel for the night (patrons wishing to stay at a nearby hotel are welcome to do so; we are happy to provide recommendations). Dinner on own. Evening concert (location tba), followed by a late-night hang out on board.

Wednesday, 7 April - Continental breakfast is available on board, with morning and early afternoon free to explore this fascinating city. Be back to the station on time, though, as we depart Portland at 2:15! A solo concert by Thad Beckman and an open mic follow, then dinner and an evening show from Tom, Dave and Steve in the Performance Car.

Thursday, 8 April - During the night we retrace our route, with morning arrival in the Bay Area. The return journey to LA unfolds onboard with breakfast, a final nature program, lunch, Open Mic, dinner, and a "Kings of California" concert finale wih Dave and Tom, with arrival in Los Angeles scheduled for 9:00 pm. A night at the Kyoto Grand is again provided.

Friday 9 April - hotel checkout and return home.

Sign up today, by e-mailing Roots on the Rails at trains@sover.net, by calling 866-484-3669 (toll free in the US & Canada) or 802-258-1397.

TOM RUSSELL

www.TomRussell.com

"Russell's work is among the most moving and literary of the past thirty years, an antidote to the recent trajectory of self-absorption in American singer-songwriting . . . his story-songs are unlike any others." - Andrew Marcus, East Bay Express.

Tom Russell was born in Los Angeles and now makes his home on the border in El Paso, Texas. His latest disc, BLOOD & CANDLESMOKE on Shout! Factory, has been hailed as the finest of his career. A familiar face on Late Night With David Letterman, he has written such classics as "Navajo Rug," "Gallo del Cielo," "Blue Wing," "Walking on the Moon," "St. Olav's Gate," and "Outbound Plane." Russell's songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Nanci Griffith, Guy Clark, Doug Sahm, Dave Alvin, Joe Ely, Ian Tyson, Suzy Bogguss, Iris DeMent, Peter Case, k.d. lang, Bob Neuwirth, Sylvia Tyson, Katy Moffatt and many others.

Rolling Stone stated: "Russell is one of America's greatest songwriters...as close to a Homeric treatment of American history as we're ever likely to see."

DAVE ALVIN

www.DaveAlvin.net

Dave Alvin's music is a braid of different American musics-blues, country, rock'n'roll, pop, folk and R&B-and in each strand, he favors the California accent.

Born in Los Angeles, he grew up in the blue-collar inner suburb of Downey. Dave's brother Phil, older by two years, was a blues fanatic and together they formed the Blasters in 1979. The Blasters released four of the best rock'n'roll albums of the '80s with Phil singing the lead vocals and Dave writing the songs and playing the lead guitar. Later, Dave joined X and The Knitters, two bands led by his L.A. pal John Doe. Dave's solo albums have ranged from twangy roots-rock to storytelling country-folk to muscular blues. He won the Best Traditional Folk Grammy Award for his 2000 album, Public Domain: Songs from the Wild Land. Dave's ability to draw from so many sources and to work in so many contexts reflects his home state's jumble of cultures.

"I'm a fourth generation Californian," Dave declares. "I grew up here and wouldn't want to live anywhere else, but it's not blemish free. Woody Guthrie wrote about looking for the promised land but he also wrote about the migrant camps. When people outside the state think of California, they don't think of migrant camps and hard times, but that's what Haggard is singing about in many of his California songs. The best songs come from the intersection where hopes and reality collide."

STEVE YOUNG

www.SteveYoung.net

Throughout a career spanning nearly fifty years, over twelve memorable albums and countless live performances, Steve Young's music has always been fresh, dynamic, spiritually and artistically challenging. He's a triple threat: a killer guitar picker, a vocal powerhouse and his songs are classics: from "Seven Bridges Road" (recorded by artists as diverse as The Eagles, Joan Baez, Ian Matthews and Dolly Parton), to "Lonesome Orn'ry and Mean" (Waylon Jennings), to "Montgomery In The Rain" (Hank Williams, Jr.), these are masterpieces of the American songwriting canon. Part Cherokee, steeped in Baptist fundamentalism as a child, yet attracted to a Zen spirituality, this man from the South with a nomadic spirit has created a unique form of American roots music with a truly global perspective.

"He has no earthly idea how good he is. If he gets any better, I'll have to kill him." - Waylon Jennings, 1980

"Steve Young is a living American treasure." - Van Dyke Parks

THAD BECKMAN

www.ThadBeckman.com

A professional musician for more than 20 years, Thad Beckman has paid his dues on these same dusty roads which run from California to New Jersey and points in between. His finely-crafted original songs are the story of life, the voice of modern America, from the growling delta blues of the Deep South to evocative contemporary folk. Thad started out as a teenager playing in Portland, Oregon high school bands, joined the Air Force and ended up studying classical guitar in Florida. One day the blues got a hold of him: Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, Gatemouth Brown, Buddy Guy, T-Bone Walker, Freddie King and Albert King have all left their mark on Thad's development as a guitarist. Thad has worked with Bo Diddley, The Shirelles and Earl Thomas, and shared the stage with such renowned artists as B.B. King, Emmylou Harris and Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks. Thad has become well-known in singer/songwriter circles as an outstanding songwriter and killer guitarist, and, in 2009, started touring as guitarist for Tom Russell.

"His writing blurs the lines in dusty increments between Steve Earle and John Hiatt" - John T. Davis, Austin-American Statesman

PRICE

NOTE: As of Jan. 20, less than 12 spaces remain. The following accommodations are available: 2-person bedrooms out of LA. Available at $200 per passenger discount from price listed below: Berth space, a single-passenger “roomette” and a 2-person bedroom (car added in Oakland). Passengers traveling at a discount have priority seating in Performance Car for shows, and will have unlimited use of Performance Car LA-Oakland and Oakland-LA except during soundchecks).

$2,879.00 per person. Price includes semi-private berth accommodations (upper or lower), all train activities, meal and beverage service including beer/wine enroute, shower in each car, two nights shared hotel room in Los Angeles (April 4 and 8. Single supplement for private room in LA, $75/night additional. If you do not wish Oakland accommodations, let us know and we will back cost out of your ticket price), concerts in Los Angeles and Portland.

Private, enclosed room, sleeping car space for one or two provides additional privacy, storage space and one’s own sink/toilet facilities; $439 per person additional. Gratuities and transfers not included.

$300 per person non-refundable deposit to hold space. Payment plans happily accommodated. Payments outside of deposit are refundable until 60 days prior to departure. Reservations are transferrable. Trip is limited to 57 patrons. Liability release signature required.

Sign up today, by e-mailing Roots on the Rails at trains@sover.net, by calling 866-484-3669 (toll free in the US & Canada) or 802-258-1397.

The Fine Print: The payment of a deposit or any part or full payment for a reservation shall constitute consent to all the provisions contained herein. Flying Under Radar, LLC and Culburnie Records shall not be held responsible for property loss or damage and/or any damages resulting from illness, personal injuries or death which may be sustained by reason of, or while engaged on, any trip or tour whether due to the ownership, maintenance, use, operation or control of any vehicle, hotel, common carrier or any other conveyance used in carrying out these tours. We can assume no liability due to any cause whatsoever whether caused by failure or delay or other irregularity, acts or omissions occurring during a tour under which the means of transportation or other service thereby is offered or supplied by owners, operators or public carriers for whom Flying Under Radar, LLC acts only as agent. Flying Under Radar, LLC reserves the right (at its discretion) to alter or omit any part of the itinerary, or change any reservation, feature and/or means of conveyance without notice or for any reason whatsoever and without allowance or refund and with extra costs, if any, resulting therefrom paid by the passengers. Lineup subject to change. We reserve the right to cancel any tour prior to departure, in which case payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. Flying Under Radar, LLC shall not be responsible for any injury to person (whether or not resulting in death) or damage to property. Flying Under Radar, LLC strongly urges individual passengers to obtain appropriate insurance coverage. Baggage is at the owner's risk entirely. The transportation companies concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not aboard their carriers or conveyances. The passenger contract in use by the carriers concerned (when issued) shall constitute the sole contract between the transportation companies and the purchaser of these tours and/or passage. By accepting the ticket the passenger also agrees to its terms and conditions. By forwarding of deposit, the passenger certifies that he/she does not have any mental, physical or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for him/herself or other passengers. Flying Under Radar, LLC reserves the right to cancel or withdraw any person as a member of the tour at any time.