CELEBRITIES

Big Easy Express: From Oakland to New Orleans

The Big Easy Express isn't your ordinary train ride. That is, unless your fellow passengers often consist of three of the biggest names in Indie folk music, or if you frequently make the commute...

by Natasha Sultan

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The Big Easy Express isn’t your ordinary train ride. That is, unless your fellow passengers often consist of three of the biggest names in Indie folk music, or if you frequently make the commute from Oakland to New Orleans. Directed by Emmett Malloy, the man behind the documentary The White Stripes Under Great Northern Lights, the film Big Easy Express documents the journey of Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, and Old Crow Medicine Show as the three bands embark on musical adventures across the country. While the film captures the exciting spontaneity of the bands, it is not merely glorified footage of a rock-star lifestyle. It is a revealing look into the passion each band member puts into the work, as well as the unabridged love they share for music from private all night jam sessions to sold out performances full of contagious energy.

Even if you are not yet a fan of the genre you’ll want to watch Big Easy Express simply for its compilation of beautiful imagery and camera work. The film is currently being screened in select theaters and is now available on iTunes before its DVD release on July 24.

Photos: Stewart Cole