Ben Sollee

There are few artists likely to bend genres and redefine our understanding of popular music like Ben Sollee
From humble beginnings in Lexington, Kentucky, Ben has risen to be one of the most popular musicians of his time. His music mixed with political activism bends genres, for as Sollee takes the stage tonight it’s obvious he is a trained cellist – using the instrument as an extension of his own body – yet bending this classical music with bluegrass, pop and jazz to create some truly memorable pieces. The song ‘Prettiest Tree on the Mountain’ reminds me of Dylan, lyrically and vocally at his most experimental and inspirational (there’s some Bowie thrown in there too); there can be no doubt that this is the finest Folk music to ever feature the cello! The word unique springs to mind, but as does infectious, and the performer has already caught some serious attention. Half way through the set there’s a performance of ‘Letting Go’, a song chosen for the soundtrack to the 2013 Killing Season, starring Robert DeNiro and John Travolta, no less. Like dunking your head underwater and coming up for air, Sollee has introduced our aural pallets to new sound, giving us his own reimagining of the musical trajectory. I truly hope that this performer has a big future ahead of him and there can be surely no doubt after tonight.

I've seen Ben a dozen times or more. Always great. This show in particular was really sweet. Jordan Ellis was there on percussion as always & solid as ever. But with the Kentucky Native lineup adding fiddle, banjo & bass, each and everyone superb on their instrument, it made for an exhilarating show. Start with a Kentucky bluegrass bass & throw in flavors from all over the world with clever arrangements perfectly executed. Lotsa fun. Can't recommend Ben enough. As a bonus the band sharing the bill, Mipso, was also really good. Not as unconventional or genre bending as Ben, but few acts are. Their harmonies were really tight, songs were good(I left the show humming one to myself) and really solid instrumental skills all the way around.

In short an evening of great music from fantastic musicians in a really nice & intimate venue. Hard to beat great live music in a good sounding venue. This was all that.

Ben Sollee's performance was amazing! He had plenty of humor without spending too much time talking. His experience has provided some great stories, and his performance was very comfortable. The music was amazing and creative, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Amazing! Lots of improvisation. Loved the responses each musician had with each other. The boys had fun up there, which of course made for a very fun show. Got to meet Ben afterwards and he's a nice dude!