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ben sollee
Acoustic / Alternative / Folk

Austin City Limits Festival In October!



LOUISVILLE, Kentucky
United States

Profile Views:  281607




Last Login:  10/23/2009
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   ben sollee: General Info
Member Since12/4/2005
Band Websitebensollee.com
Band Members

Learning to Bend (2008) - In Stores now
ORDER by CLICKING ON THE COVER BELOW:

Learning To Bend

The Sparrow Quartet (2008)

Sparrow Quartet

Ben was picked as NPR's Top 10 Great Unknown Artists of 2007 NPR Story

You can also read a review of the record on NPR's Second Stage

Ben appeared on World Cafe on July 29. Click below to listen.

World Cafe

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Purchase Learning To Bend at one of the following retailers:

Influences
Sounds LikeManagement: Jeffrey Smith, jeffrey@crash-avenue.com

Booking: Matt Hickey, High Road Touring matt@highroadtouring.com

Record LabelSonaBLAST! Records / Thirty Tigers
Type of LabelIndie


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   Upcoming Shows ( view all )
Oct 23 2009 8:00P
The Speed Art Museum Louisville, Kentucky
Oct 23 2009 9:00P
Louisville Ballet Center Louisville, Kentucky
Oct 24 2009 2:00P
Louisville Ballet Center Louisville, Kentucky
Oct 24 2009 8:00P
Louisville Ballet Center Louisville, Kentucky
Nov 1 2009 8:00P
Boston Night To Combat Climate Change Boston, Massachusetts
Nov 17 2009 8:00P
The Tractor (w/ Daniel Martin Moore) Seattle, Washington

ben sollee's Latest Blog Entry  [Subscribe to this Blog]

"The human cost of the Appalachian coal mining economy outweighs its economic benefits..."  (view more)

Bicycle Tour Blog  (view more)

NY I Love Mountains Festival  (view more)

Abigail Washburn: AFTERQUAKE  (view more)

SXSW Bike Tour: 3.18.09 (Evening)  (view more)

[View All Blog Entries]

   About ben sollee

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For a stalwart young artist who creates different means to an end, Ben Sollee has enjoyed a whirlwind year replete with remarkable success and warm, exciting music to match.

Sollee hails from Kentucky, yet sounds nothing like the colloquial music one traditionally associates with the state (or anywhere else for that matter). He eschews traditional singer-songwriter and folk boundaries, choosing a cello rather than a guitar as his divining rod, and utilizing unique plucking and percussive bow techniques juxtaposed against his blue-eyed soul meets Antony Hegarty vocal leanings. Ben enjoys collaborating with musicians as disparate as Otis Taylor and Bela Fleck, touring with indie rock royalty, and covering Sam Cooke as an homage to blues. When he ventures out of Louisville, sometimes he'll just strap this cello to his back and ride his bike rather than enjoy the comforts of a van or bus, as he did on his southern trek in the summer of 2009 -- playing intimate shows in every town he hits between his larger headlining performances. Yes, Ben's always done things a bit differently.

Perhaps that's one reason why his 2008 debut album, Learning to Bend, received such lauding from hardened critical ears. No Depression put the album on their top five of 2008, Paste listed him on The Best of What's Next, NPR raved and invited him to play a World Cafe set, and music blogs provided (and continue to provide) Sollee a steady torrent of praise and journalistic intrigue. His inviting and impressive debut, saturated with sweeping moods and a visceral maturity way beyond his 25 years, also landed him prominent spots on the festival circuit, including Austin City Limits and Bonnaroo, as well as a riveting set on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Not interested in slowing down, Sollee spends his spare time championing issues close to his heart, such as ending mountaintop removal through his volunteer work, playing benefit concerts for Kentuckians For the Commonwealth and Oxfam, as well as assembling the aforementioned bike tours to encourage greener living. Ben wears his conscience on his sleeve without proselytizing or taking away from what matters most, his imaginative music.

The next year looks to be just as exciting as the previous. Ben will release a collaboration with Daniel Martin Moore, also of Kentucky, on Sub Pop due out February 2010 called Dear Companion. The album was produced by My Morning Jacket's Jim James, making the whole project a family affair. Though the project promises to be one of the most prolific for both Ben and Daniel, they are donating their artist proceeds to environmental advocacy group Appalachian Voices.

Yes, Ben truly traces his own trajectory. And perhaps that's what will keep him both an engaging artist and person for years to come.


Ben Sollee bike tour day 1 - Lexington to Frankfort from marty benson on Vimeo.


   ben sollee's Friend Space (Top 12)
ben sollee has 5221 friends.
 Caitlin 


 Anni Rossi 


 Kim Taylor 


 Abigail Washburn 


 Oxfam America 


 casey driessen 


 daniel martin moore 


 Kentuckians For The Commonwealth 


 My Morning Jacket 


 CRASH AVENUE PUBLICITY 


 Vienna Teng 


 Duane Lundy 





ben sollee's Friends Comments
Displaying 25 of 892 comments  ( View All | Add Comment )
David Franks: Walkabouts Verse

David Franks: Walkabouts Verse



Nov 5 2009 6:36 PM

After you've finished here, you may like to hear this poem sung on myspace... 

Poem 162 of 230, WalkaboutsVerse
(please see my blog): 
TEES TO TYNE: FIRST IMPRESSIONS - SUMMER 2001 

Where traditions are not so rare; 
    Sea, country and works scent the air; 
A multitude of monuments, 
    Planted tubs and patterned pavements. 

The longish pedestrian malls; 
    The remnants of defensive walls; 
Historic buildings are a gauge 
    Of the respect for heritage. 

Wheat, rape and pines in the fields; 
    Estuaries guarded by shields; 
Long sandy beaches and wide scenes; 
    Romantic-ruin go-betweens. 

Rivers in parts licked by trees, 
    Or fringed by boat clubs, wharfs, gantries, 
And crossed by practical delights - 
    Varied spans, forming pleasing sights. 

Fine churches headed at Durham; 
    Football kits ad infinitum; 
Kept castles - one for study; 
    Masonry behind masonry. 

And, with moulding-works out that way, 
It’s somewhere for a longer stay..? 

(C) David Franks 2003
Love and Logic

Love and Logic



Nov 1 2009 9:00 PM

you're AWESOME BEN!!! :) - annie
Dr. Wahoo Capybara

Wahoo Capybara



Oct 31 2009 5:52 PM

Clear as you can see the sky...


"If American capitalism continues to exalt mercenary and dishonest men the economy will degenerate into the manufacture of drugs and ways of life that would make reflection - any sort of thoughtfulness or emotional depth - impossible. The media has unleashed an assault of advertising for tobacco, alcohol, and absurd motor cars that promise - quite literally promise - to enable you to forget the squalor, spiritual poverty and monotony of selfishness. Never, in the history of civilization, has one seen a great nation so singlemindedly bent on drugging itself." -John Cheever in the 1960s
ANORMOUS.com

ANORMOUS.com



Oct 29 2009 2:50 PM

check the new song for Halloween!

ANORMOUS
Quantcast
Download FREE and tell me what u think!
Christophe Meulien

Christophe Meulien



Oct 24 2009 7:32 AM

Un peu de pub...
Merci
Justin Lewis

Justin Lewis



Oct 22 2009 6:08 AM

I'm ready to use this bike !
Mallory

Mallory Blair



Oct 21 2009 3:58 AM

I just have to stop by and support.  Your music has been so influential ... and as a local Louisvillian/Lexingt-inian/Kentuckyian (??)  I felt ridiculously proud when I heard your song randomly chosen as 'one I may like' on a Pandora.com station earier today.  Oh, and the same song on a particular scene (eh hem!) of The Weeds last season was pretty friggin sweet, too!  Also, what about this documentary coming up?  I'm so excited for you!  You've come so far!   I'm so proud!  

Ben, please keep doin what you're doin.  Lots of love!
Brok'n Arrow

Brok'n Arrow



Oct 20 2009 4:10 AM

Thank you for being a friend!!!:) Keep on grooving!!:)
                    Peace,
               Brok'n Arrow

Brokn%20%20Arrow
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Jonathan Scales Fourchestra

Jonathan Scales Fourchestra



Oct 19 2009 10:42 PM

long time, no talk    ...what's been up, mr. ben?
Nicolas Battus

Nicolas Battus



Oct 19 2009 4:35 PM

merci pour l'amitié
you sound great!
*nico*
 

CrackDosja Productionz™

CrackDosja Productionz™



Oct 18 2009 10:25 AM

Sean Fee

Sean Fee



Oct 15 2009 5:45 AM

Tech Funk Mix 2009  by  Sean Fee
Blaze

Blazer Schaffer



Oct 15 2009 3:00 AM

To everyone who has seen this already, Thank you for your support! For those who haven't, if you get the chance, watch my promo & tell me what you think. Thanks!

Chasing Bright Lights

Chasing Bright Lights



Oct 14 2009 3:33 PM

folk singer from Montreal Canada.
Check it out!

j-d
ハタノワ / hatanowa

ハタノワ / hatanowa



Oct 14 2009 2:23 AM


Hello ben sollee

Thank you for your nice music !



Kaley

Kaley



Oct 14 2009 12:11 AM

Thanks for the add! I love your page! I hope you get a chance to check out my latest video too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqOxn7fvL5Y

www.twitter.com/kaleycaperton

Love, Kaley

 

Burn to Shine

Burn to Shine



Oct 11 2009 9:48 PM

Click on the poster to buy your tickets now on Ticketmaster.com!

BURNTOSHINE2
Derby City Espresso

matthew landan



Oct 9 2009 9:07 PM

DECK THE HALLS III

Derby City Espresso

matthew landan



Oct 9 2009 6:23 PM

DECK THE HALLS III

HIPPIEDIGGER

HIPPIEDIGGER



Oct 2 2009 4:28 AM

Photobucket
A Mourning Rain (NEW PICTURES!!!)

A Mourning Rain (NEW PICTURES!!!)



Oct 1 2009 2:48 AM

your music speaks volumes.
Ruby Jane

Ruby Jane



Sep 30 2009 9:47 PM

Ruby Jane Article in New York Times!!
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/26/who-do-these-guys-think-they-are/
AND
Check out the new pictures and video! Let me know what you think!
Ruby Jane
Derby City Espresso

matthew landan



Sep 30 2009 6:50 PM

Come check it out : this Friday October 2 - DCE willl be hosting the opening for the 2nd annual Derby City Espresso Tatto & Body Modification Art Show!



With LIVE suspentions by the kind folks at Twisted Images. Fire breathing, gravity pulls, henna tattoos & at 11pm Live music by Leftmore & The Funk Injection



THIS FRIDAY - reception starts at 6pm - suspensions at 8 - music at 11
Ruby Jane

Ruby Jane



Sep 29 2009 1:07 AM

Ruby Jane in the New York Times!http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/26/who-do-these-guys-think-they-are/
AND
Check out the new pictures and video! Let me know what you think!
Ruby Jane
Sean Fee

Sean Fee



Sep 20 2009 4:22 PM

Breakbeat Bangers Mix 2009  by  Sean Fee
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