The railroad\u2019s romantic-more so than any other form of transportation, and there\u2019s no better way to convey that romance than through music. That\u2019s what Ridin\u2019 the Rails is all about, using music and story-telling to convey every imaginable nuance surrounding America\u2019s love affair with everything railroad.<\/p>\n
Hailing from Nashville, Ridin\u2019 the Rails will perform \u201cCelebrating the Railroad in Song and Story\u201d on Friday, July 9, at 7 p.m. at the Depot, located on Depot Street in Newark Valley. The Newark Valley Historical Society sponsors the event.<\/p>\n
Founder and music arranger Darrell Varley reports that the idea for Ridin\u2019 the Rails came from a friend in Upstate New York who owned a Lionel Train set. The friend suggested they call themselves \u201cThe Freight Yard Hobo Band\u201d but Varley sought to be more inclusive, wanting to explore every aspect of everything railroad. Some believe Ridin\u2019 the Rails has found and has performed just about every song there is related to the railroad, including \u201cPetticoat Junction\u201d and \u201cEver Gentle on My Mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Varley displays his talent on the banjo, guitar, ukulele, fiddle and mandolin, while fellow rail rider Doug Roberts adds his guitar and ukulele and Jim Hardaway adds bass and guitar. All three offer nicely blended vocal harmonies.<\/p>\n
According to their website, \u201cWith great music, humorous banter, and sing along songs, a performance with Ridin\u2019 the Rails is always a fun and exciting time that keeps audience calling for more.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n So don\u2019t take the \u201cWabash Cannonball\u201d or the \u201cFast Train to Georgia\u201d – or even the \u201cNight Train to Memphis.\u201d Instead, enjoy Ridin\u2019 the Rails performing those songs along their \u201cSentimental Journey\u201d in Newark Valley\u2019s own railroad depot.<\/p>\n Varley is locally known as the arranger, bass-baritone vocalist, and banjo, guitar, fiddle and mandolin player of Cobblestone Crossing, Greater Binghamton\u2019s \u201cbest-known folk band\u201d until their retirement in 2015. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, and he has operated Douglas Media Productions in Binghamton, producing commercial radio and television audio.<\/p>\n Come and relive the glory days of rail travel-by Pullman car and boxcar, with the engineer and in the caboose at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 9 at the Lehigh Valley Ray Shaver Depot in Newark Valley. <\/span><\/p>\n Admission is free and food and beverage are available.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The railroad\u2019s romantic-more so than any other form of transportation, and there\u2019s no better way to convey that romance than through music. That\u2019s what Ridin\u2019 the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":84656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-whats-happening"],"yoast_head":"\n