The Sonnenschein Express will bring an Alpine arsenal of instruments from Germany, Austria and Switzerland to The Victory this weekend for its Oktoberfest pops shows with the Evansville Philharmonic.

But one of the band's novelty bits features a piece of equipment you don't need to travel to any of those countries for.

It's a crosscut handsaw, purchased from a neighborhood hardware store, says Martin Gross.

He plays trumpet, accordion and "singing saw" in the Orlando, Fla., group he founded in 1989, recruiting fellow musicians he'd played with in the German pavilion at Disney World's Epcot Center.

When they introduce the instrument to audiences, "we always joke that we have a new sponsor - Ace Hardware."

Some companies make and market musical saws advertised for qualities, notes Gross, "but I find it's better if you just get out to the hardware store and try a few out and find out which ones really sing."

You push, press and bend the saw into a gentle "S," explains Gross, "and when you bang on it you can hear if the metal will produce (sound) nicely or not. Some really do speak better than others."

In performance he plays the saw with a violin bow, contorting the saw blade to get the tone he wants.

The band plays conventional instruments as well, including trumpet, tuba, clarinet, guitar and drums.

But the Sonnenschein (German for "sunshine") Express' Oktoberfest shows spotlight traditional Alpine instruments, including the button accordion, cowbells, a wooden Alpine xylophone ("wooden laughter"), shoes (for shoe-slapping rhythms) and long Swiss alphorns the size of trees.

In fact, traditional alphorns were made from a single tree, bent by the Alpine winds to just the right angle. The band's horns break into three jointed, travel-friendly pieces, says Gross.

The show isn't just about exotic instruments, however.

Expect lots of yodeling and singing, and not just on stage.

"We do try to get the audience involved," says Gross. "We get them singing along, and we're always surprised how many people in the audience know the words."

The band's Evansville program will feature music to march to, dance to, drink to and sing along with, including traditional songs such as "Lustiger Wandermann," pieces by Gross such as "Holtzmann," which features the Alpine xylophone, and "Edelweiss" from "The Sound of Music."

The seven-member, lederhosen ensemble will play in the second half of the pops concerts, after music director Alfred Savia conducts the Evansville Philharmonic in a program that will include waltzes, polkas and selections from "Die Fledermaus," "The Merry Widow," "The Student Prince" and "The Sound of Music."

The Oktoberfest theme will also play out in the lobby, where patrons may buy beer, brat-wurst, sauerkraut and pretzels for two hours before both Saturday's and Sunday's performances.