The Globe – Ben Sollee (Free Download / Buy)
Ben Sollee (@bensollee) is an inspiring cat. The first time I heard him it was on the 2010 Sub Pop-released album Dear Companion, a collaboration with fellow Kentucky artists Daniel Martin Moore and Jim James of My Morning Jacket. I was driving back from work in a borrowed friends’ car (mine didn’t start that morning), and I was lent a few cds to entertain me during the ride. The disc was unmarked but I decided to give it a shot. What I heard made me completely freak out.
When this occurred, I was living in Charlottesville, VA, a small town tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains. With no reservations, I will tell you that this music felt cosmic to me. I had no idea where these musicians were from or how old they were, but they turned a simple night drive into an incredible experience. The tracks were folk music in the truest sense of the word: inviting, seemingly simple, and honest.
Common threads throughout Sollee’s solo recordings as well, acoustic instrumentation and soulful singing are the primary drivers of his songs. He earned his stripes, though, playing in The Sparrow Quartet with banjo monster Bela Fleck just barely out of his teen years! Particularly in his solo work, it’s obvious that Ben Sollee isn’t putting on any type of front with his authentic recordings. There’s simply an inescapable feeling that he is just doing what feels most natural.
Ben Sollee also has a new record out now called Inclusions, and I just listened to it. And I just kinda freaked out. Again. Be sure to pick up the album and catch him on tour this summer. While he just played Rockwood Music Hall, he’ll be back in New York again on June 29 at The Music Hall of Williamsburg.
5/18 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe
5/19 – Ferndale, MI – Magic Bag
5/20 – Evanston, IL – SPACE
5/21 – Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
6/03 – St. Louis, MO – Old Rock House
6/04 – Indianapolis, IN – White Rabbit Cabaret
6/05 – Cincinnati, OH – 20th Century Theater
6/09 – Whitesburg, KY – Seedtime on the Cumberland
6/10 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo
6/18 – Louisville, KY – Iroquois Amphitheater
6/22 – Decatur, GA – Eddies Attic
6/23 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
6/24 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
6/25- Arlington, VA – IOTA Club and Cafe
6/26 – Arlington, VA – IOTA Club and Cafe
6/28 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall
6/29 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
6/30 – Easton, MD – NightCat
7/02 – Pennsboro, WV – Mountain Keepers Music Festival
7/19 – Birmingham, AL – Work Play Theater
7/20 – New Orleans, LA – The Parish
7/21 – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s
7/23 – Austin, TX – The Parish
7/25 – Santa Fe, NM – Santa Fe Brewing Company
7/26 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
7/27 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
7/28 – Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg Theater
7/29 – San Francisco, CA – Swedish American Hall
7/30 – Eugene, OR – Wow Hall
8/01 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
8/02 – Seattle, WA – The Triple Door
