Three bands, six cities, one train, and thousands of miles of track. The Big Easy Express captures an incredible musical journey. Harkening back to the days of jubilant railroad revivals, of steam and steel, three bands set out in April 2011 to tour America by vintage train. L.A.’s Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Nashville boys Old Crow Medicine Show, and Londoners Mumford & Sons climbed aboard amid the massive rail yards of Oakland and set out for New Orleans on a “tour of dreams.” [pullquote quote="We're the only people on this train. We've got it all. We've got this beam of light shooting down on this train traveling across the country."]

Stopping along the way to play sold-out shows in spots as diverse as San Pedro, California, and Marfa, Texas on waht was known as the Railroad Revival Tour, the film gives us a peek into bands’ railway adventures; the high canyons, joyous crowds, blasted skies, late-night laughter, endless music… and a train that was bound for glory.

The film made its world premiere at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival Monday, taking home the Headliner Audience Award. Emmett Malloy, the film’s director, is not new to music-infused documentaries. His past work includes docs following Jack Johnson and Oasis as well as a host of epic surf films.

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No release date or distribution details have been announced. For updates on the film’s progress, follow along via Twitter or Facebook.

Edward Sharpe was clearly proud of the award when he tweeted the the Hollywood Reporter’s announcement of their win.

https://twitter.com/#!/EdwardSharpe/status/181831702530895875