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Ben Sollee brings the cello out of the orchestra pit

By Matt Nagle

Tacoma Weekly
mattnagle@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: November 13, 2008

2008 has been a very busy year for singer-songwriter Ben Sollee. A cellist in American acoustic group Sparrow Quartet, he logged 83 shows across the country with band mates Abigail Washburn on banjo and vocals, Béla Fleck on banjo and Casey Driessen on violin. This acclaimed group just released their debut album “Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet,” and their tour included a performance in Seattle’s Benaroya Hall opening for legendary bluegrass banjo master Earl Scruggs.

Now Sollee is headed back on the road again, embarking on a month-long solo tour that will include a show at The Helm Gallery in Tacoma Nov. 21. He will be playing music from several solo projects he released this year, all of which reveal the intimate side of the musician through honest music and lyrics that speak to universal experiences with a strong sense of sympathy and hope for humanity.

“Learning To Bend,” released in February, is Sollee’s first full-length album. Praised for its eclectic, soul influenced content, the album is garnering rave reviews. His EP “If You’re Gonna Lead My Country,” released this past May, includes a B-side lyrical reworking of the Sam Cooke song “A Change Is Gonna Come” for which Sollee wrote lyrics about peace. His second EP is “Something Worth Keeping” and was released last week on Election Day, featuring Jim James from My Morning Jacket on backup vocals.

It is Sollee’s gifted way with the cello that causes listeners to sit up and take notice. The classically trained cellist turned indie-folk rocker was named Paste music magazine’s “Best of What’s Next” for 2008 and was included in National Public Radio’s “Top 10 Unknown Artists of 2007.” Combined with his clear and gentle voice and outstanding songwriting skills, Sollee’s music appeals to a wide range of music lovers.

Generally played in chamber music and to provide low-bottom notes for orchestra, in Sollee’s hands the cello becomes a powerful solo instrument that he plays in a variety of ways, both with a bow and his own strong fingers. He reaches beyond prescribed techniques to make the cello his own. “I’m just following my ears on the cello rather than following my training,” he said.

“I want to show people that the cello is not off limits when it comes to writing music of your own,” Sollee declared, noting that taking the cello out of the orchestra mix and into other forms of music causes the instrument to immediately stand out in a new way. It is plain that for Sollee on cello, it is all or nothing. “You hear people say, ‘I play a little guitar,’ but you never hear anyone say, ‘I play a little cello.’”

Born and raised in Louisville, Ky., the 24-year-old Sollee makes his home there with his wife and young son. He comes from a musical family – his dad plays guitar, his mom sings and his granddad plays Appalachian fiddle and guitar. Sollee first came into contact with the cello at the hands of a teacher when he was 9 years old and going to public schools. He remarked on how he watched some of his fellow students deal with adolescence through myriad “unhealthy ways” while for Sollee music kept him grounded and for that he expressed gratitude. “If you’ve got music in there that’s something consistent,” he said of his growing up.

Upon graduating from the University of Louisville, Sollee did not want to go right into graduate school so he decided to pursue music. He said he made the decision that if his musical endeavors did not pan out within two years time he would head back to school. “I said I’d give it a shot. What’s the use of being a musician if you don’t try?” So far his music is winning out. “There’s enough momentum happening to justify me continuing on,” he said. “I have some things I want to get out musically.”

Whether he is dipping into flavors of acoustic blues, jazz, soul, bluegrass, rock or pop, Sollee’s poignant music shows that this is definitely an artist to watch out for. Hear and see Sollee for yourself live Nov. 21 at The Helm. Doors open at 7 p.m.

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