Viola, and the Brakemen: iAM MUSIC Fest - Durango 2026

In the U.S. the Brakeman was a member of a railroad train's crew responsible for assisting with braking a train when the conductor wanted the train to slow down, while on Earth a Viola is beautiful! Viola & the Brakeman have been evolving for over 5 years. They recently opened for true bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers. They play original music written by Brian White. The songs are rooted in good times and bad times and includes the fundamentals of song writing- death, despair, depression, joy and everything else juxtaposed with lyrical formation. A southwest sunset, the washes that run their dry veins through the southern plains, the taste of dirt at the start of a summer monsoon storm, growing up with a father working the Southern Pacific railroad lines, hot steel and desert wildflowers- these are the senses that dictate the songs of Viola & the Brakemen. In the US, the brakeman was a member of a railroad train's crew responsible for assisting with braking a train when the conductor wanted the train to slow.