Taking his act on the road

A tricycle that pulls a piano? Joybox Express brings music to MSU to raise money for charities

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July 6 — Mostpeople probably haven’t seen a 352 pound piano being towed down the street by agiant tricycle, but if you’re in East Lansing Thursday, you can not only witnessthis bizarre phenomenon, but you can also join in on the fun.

TheJoybox Express, a quartet of musicians that carry their instruments on theirbicycles while traveling the state, will be holding a charity bike ride throughthe Michigan State University campus. The traveling band, which uses a piano, astring bass, an electric guitar, a full drum set and a fiddle to play jazz andblues music, also raises money for charitable organizations that focusprimarily on bringing arts and athletics to children.

“Itwas apparent to me that kids were having a harder and harder time gettingaccess to those kinds of programs due to funding,” said Mark Braun, the leader andfounder of the Joybox Express, more commonly known as Mr. B. “I thought I wouldstart to make a little noise about that with my program,” he added.

Andhe has been making noise since 2009 when he created the Joybox Express. Mr. Bsaid he has spent his whole life around people who help other people, and hedecided that he wasn’t doing enough of that himself. He was also driven by hisdesire to combine the things he loves into a new way of raising funds andawareness while having some new adventures.

“Iwas interested in trying to wed two life passions art and athletics,” he remembers. “So Icame up with idea of creating large bicycle that can carry a piano.”

Hehad a custom tricycle made, which he describes as a “hand-crafted, one-of akind vehicle” that is capableof carrying his 352-pound instrument. This unique velocipede can support up tothree riders at a time to help move heavy loads of up to 1,100 pounds down theroad.

Buteven with the help of a specially made vehicle, it isn’t easy to tote a giantpiano, a drum set and other instruments for hours on end through the hot sun. Alongthe way on their travels, they stop at set points to play concerts beforecontinuing on their journey. In effect, they combine aspects of a charitybenefit concert and a bike marathon into one unique package. “We’redemonstrating a lot of athleticism and a lot of arts,” Mr. B explained. “We’re puttingthose on display to show the public their importance.”

Theride begins at 10:30 a.m. and will be stopping at noon at the MSU School ofMusic for a concert. People who wishto donate or participate can choose a charity for which they want to collectfunds and then download a pledge form from the website www.joyboxexpress.com.

Sinceits foundation in 2009, Mr. B estimates that the Joybox Express has helpedraise between $5,000 and $10,000 for various charitable foundations, such asthe Chelsea Center for the Arts, the Trails EdgeCamp for Ventilator-Dependent Children, the JuvenileDiabetes Research Foundation and more. Each year since its creation, itsefforts have been expanding. “The first year was modest, at 150 milesand raising money for four small charities. Last year we rode 300 miles and supported15 charities. This year, we’re aiming for 350 miles,” Mr. B explained. “It’s anunusual concept and we’re not extremely well known yet.”

Hisplans for next year are even more ambitious; The Joybox Express will travel theentire length of the Mississippi river, from north to south, between Septemberand December. “We hope that we can be a catalyst for people’s notion of giving.We want to encourage people through our efforts.”

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