KACHINA EXPRESS: LIVE MUSIC, LEGENDARY TRAINS AND THE GREAT SOUTHWEST with Dave Alvin and The Flatlanders September 26-30, 2009 Los Angeles - Albuquerque - Petrified Forest - Winslow - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff - Los Angeles      This trip is sold out as of April 8. Contact us to place your name on our waiting list.

Download a one-page flyer about the Kachina Express!

Join Dave Alvin and The Flatlanders, (Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock), on The Kachina Express... an unforgettable trip through the wide open spaces of the American Southwest. We will travel in overnight luxury in our own private railroad cars from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, across the Mojave Desert, tracing the lines of Route 66, “the Mother Road,” and then by private motorcoach to the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon, before reboarding our train for the trip home.

And each night there will be plenty of music, both informal jams from our patrons, but also intimate shows with legends of American music - Grammy winner Dave Alvin and The Flatlanders. This will be an astonishing trip, the stuff of legend. There’s only room for fifty-three patrons on board... please join us!

Day 1, Saturday, September 26
We board our private section of the storied Southwest Chief at the monumental Art Deco/Mission style Los Angeles Union Station, first opened in 1939. The Southwest Chief is the modern-day incarnation of the famous Santa Fe Super Chief, the “train of the stars” in the 1930’s and 40’s. We have four chartered private cars expressly for our own use - the stunning Overland Trail, a beautifully restored club-lounge car built in 1949 for the Southern Pacific Railroad, and sleepers Pacific Sands (1950, Union Pacific), Salisbury Beach (1954, Boston & Maine) and Palm Leaf (1951, Santa Fe, built for the Super Chief). Each car has a shower, and all private rooms have their own toilet facilities.

During the evening, as the train climbs Cajon Pass, we will mingle in the lounge and watch our train slice through the night. The Southwest Chief heads into the heart of the Mojave Desert, then to the high desert, tracing the lines of Route 66, “the Mother Road,” through Kingman, Seligman and Flagstaff, Arizona.

Day 2, Sunday, September 27
A leisurely breakfast awaits (fresh fruit, Southwest frittata, freshly grilled chicken sausage, bagels and lox, etc.) as we roll through Navajo Country, past Gallup and the foreboding lava beds around Grants, with arrival in Albuquerque scheduled for noon. We have the afternoon free to explore this fascinating city. In the evening, we provide shuttle service from the train to tonight’s concert and return. Our rail cars serve as our hotel for the night.

Day 3, Monday, September 28
We board our chartered motorcoach for a day of exploration. From Albuquerque we head west to the multi-hued badlands of the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest National Park. With one of the world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, historic structures, archeological sites, and displays of over 200-million-year-old fossils, this is a surprising land of scenic wonders and fascinating science. Our on-board naturalist, Elsabe Kloppers, will provide commentary about the flora and fauna of this fascinating region, and Roots on the Rails Supreme Commander Charlie Hunter will talk about how the Santa Fe Railroad, and its unsung genius, turn-of-the-Century designer Mary Jane Colter have shaped our perceptions of the American West and native culture. We will witness the legendary Dinosaurs along I-40 in Holbrook, AZ and by mid-afternoon, arrive in Winslow, Arizona. Our home for the night is the stunning La Posada Hotel and Gardens, an historic Harvey House, recently reopened to the public. after checking in, we’ll have an open mic, followed by dinner at the renown Turquoise Room Restaurant. And, yes, we are but a block from "the corner" immortalized by the Eagles in "Take It Easy". After dinner, we will enjoy a private evening concert with Dave, Joe, Butch and Jimmie Dale.

Day 4, Tuesday, September 29
We depart Winslow for the Grand Canyon! A powerful and inspiring landscape, the Grand Canyon overwhelms our senses through its immense size; 277 river miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and a mile deep. Designated as a national park in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson, its lush forest of Pinyon, Ponderosa Pine and Utah Juniper interspersed with cliff rose, blackbrush and sagebrush provides a stunning backdrop for ravens, eagles, hawks, mule deer and coyote.

In late afternoon we reboard our motorcoach to Flagstaff, Arizona, where we enjoy a final dinner and evening concert. By 8:45, we’ll be at the Flagstaff depot, ready to reboard our private sleeping cars as the Southwest Chief pulls into town. The overnight trip back to Los Angeles will pass quickly, with the lounge area hopping into the wee hours.

Day 5, Wednesday, September 30
Arrival in Los Angeles at Union Station is scheduled for 8:15 am.

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.

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THE PERFORMERS:

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."

THE FLATLANDERS

www.TheFlatlanders.com

"This is country at its elemental best, equal parts whimsy, passion, and revelation." - Entertainment Weekly
The fact that Texas music titans Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock - on their first go-round as The Flatlanders in 1972 - were completely rejected by the country music establishment is surprising in retrospect but, ultimately, poetic. That each went on to have formidable solo careers is a testament to their talent and determination. Add to this their diverse yet complimentary styles - Joe the street-wise rocker, Jimmie Dale the mystic with the classic country voice and Butch the cerebral folk singer - and you've got a story of one of the most extraordinary kinships in American musical history. Hancock reflects, "We came together as a bunch of friends who happened to be musicians, too. There's just that crazy Lubbock mystery to it. We've all had our focus on the quality of the songs and the music, instead of any kind of 'me first' thing, or any kind of ego trips. It's almost like the old Marx Brothers thing: Three guys get to the door at the same time, and they all say, 'Oh, no, you go first.' 'No, you go first.' 'No, please, please, you go first.'"__Ely adds, "We've always been close, but now I think that we all realize that this is something that is really special. There are very few people who have remained as close as we have, especially in the music world. There are cases out there where brothers won't even talk to each other because they've been in the music business together. We consider this a real precious thing." "For it to still be as much fun as it was in the beginning, I feel blessed," says Gilmore. "A lot of musicians don't get that luxury."

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PRICE:

$2,089 per person. Price includes semi-private berth space on board 9/26, 27 and 29, bedding, towels, late-night snack, breakfast, beverage service (sodas, coffee/tea, beer, wine) on board; all motorcoach travel and National Park admissions; lunches 9/28-29; hotel and buffet dinner or $20 dinner certificate tbd in Winslow 9/28 and admission to all music events. Private room on train with own toilet and sink $180.00 additional per person. Optional single supplement of $80 for solo travelers desiring their own hotel room in Winslow. Otherwise, we will pair you with another trip member).

Alternate itinerary $1789.00. If you join us in Albuquerque, we’ll provide concert and hotel in Albuquerque on 9/27, then motorcoach, meals and music as per standard itinerary 9/28 and 9/29. On 9/29, we will provide hotel in Flagstaff and coach-class travel on Amtrak’s SOUTHWEST CHIEF on 9/30 from Flagstaff (dp. 5:06 am) to Albuquerque (ar. 12:12 pm). Solo travelers will have own room 9/27 and 9/29, shared room Winslow 9/28 (optional single supplement $80 for own room in Winslow).

For patrons wishing to join us for both the Roots on the Narrow Gauge Cowboy Train and The Kachina Express (Albuquerque itinerary), we will provide complimentary shared accommodations in Albuquerque 9/25 and 9/26.

All $300 USD per person nonrefundable deposit by credit card required to hold space. 2% discount on total price if you prepay in entirety or provide us with monthly postdated checks, sent at time of sign-up. Payments outside of deposit are refundable until 60 days prior to departure. Reservations are transferable. Private rail car itinerary is limited to 53 patrons. Itinerary above is subject to change. Liability release signature required.

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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 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.

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