If all had gone according to plan, Mark Braun -- aka Ann Arbor keyboard ace "Mr. B" -- would be packing his piano aboard a specially built three-man bicycle and embarking Sept. 1 on an ambitious fundraising project that would have seen him pedal the bike from city to city while making music from the headwaters of the Mississippi River to New Orleans.

The 90-day, 1,900-mile trip has been postponed by one year, however, due to a recently announced partnership with Ann Arbor-based Artrain.

“In order for Artrain to do things the way they feel they need to be done, they needed another year to lay the groundwork. Right now we have the exact same time line -- we plan on leaving Sept. 1, 2014,” the blues and boogie piano revivalist said.

Artrain has a mission to deliver world-class arts and cultural exhibitions and education programs to under-resourced communities throughout the United States.

“They are going to improve our project in major way,” he added. “It was just something we couldn’t resist. We have become an official Artrain project. I am more confident than ever that we are going to go. … But it’s become clear we need more time (to plan the logistics)."

The project is called the Joybox Express. Its purpose is to visit communities along a preplanned route and partner with local organizations to raise funds for kids and their access to art and athletics. Braun has already done three Joybox Express tours in Michigan.

“Kids have to pay to play now -- no longer are these services we took for granted when we were young offered to kids. These are two elements of their public education that are being sadly diminished,” he explained as the motivation behind the fundraising project.

The bike/keyboard rig, said Braun, is about 16 feet long, and if you add the weight of the riders and his gear (his piano clocks in at 350 pounds) it weighs about 1,200 pounds. The rig is built like a pedicab with connections at the rear where two other cyclists (a guitar player and drummer) can attach the front forks of their bikes. The bassist rides his own bicycle with his bass in tow.

Braun -- who has been a familiar sight for years playing his piano at the Art Fairs -- said he is gratified that so many Ann Arborites have taken an interest in the Joybox Express project.

“So many people have been expecting us to go this September, so many people around town support us and wish us well and want to know what we are doing,” he said.