"Sollee is promoting not only his folksy form of rhythm and blues cello playing, but also biking as a form of transportation. "I wanted to get away from the pattern a lot of musicians get into," Sollee said. "They're in planes, trains and automobiles, driving across the country for a show, then flying back down the coast for a festival. It's not a human pace of life." - Savannah Morning News
Pedaling Against Poverty Tour Diary
Ben's first bike tour to Manchester, TN for Bonnaroo was documented by Marty Benson
Day 1 - Lexington to Frankfort, KY
Day 2 - Frankfort to Danville, KY
Day 3 - Danville to Berea, KY
Day 4 - Berea to Somerset, KY
Day 5 - Somerset to Albany, KY
Day 6 - Albany, KY to Cookeville, TN
Day 7 - Cookeville to McMinnville, TN
Day 8 - McMinville to BONNAROO
Bonnaroo Goes Green: Rocker Ben Sollee Bike to Mega Festival
"Sollee's unique work has been hailed as a blend of Al Green's soulful pipes with Yo Yo Ma's original string compositions. He will forego the jet arrival and zig-zag his way over 300 miles through the Kentucky hills and Tennessee Cumberlands on an Xtracycle (extended-frame bicycle). Sollee will be pulling his 1930 Kay cello, along with 60 pounds of equipment, for the weeklong tour, as part of a benefit of Oxfam America's development programs." - The Huffington Post
A message from Ben Sollee
Oxfam's work around the globe is invaluable to us all and has been a wealth of inspiration for me. Music is a big conversation amongst us humans and Oxfam lends an ear to people in need. Oxfam America Unwrapped provides an opportunity for us to connect with communities in need and provide very necessary and useful things for them. Join my friends and me as we pedal down the east coast to raise awareness for the work of Oxfam and purchase a bicycle through Oxfam America Unwrapped at each show. - Oxfam America Unwrapped
Ben Sollee Launches Another Tour By Bike... Pedaling Against Poverty
"I love touring by bicycle! After the tour to Bonnaroo I made a promise to myself that I would dedicate a portion of my yearly touring to pedal power. And so, I'm coming back for more this December with a tour through the coastal southeast. I'm looking forward to cruising at a smooth 13 mph and being a little sore at the end of the day. I'm looking forward to climbing the hills that inevitably stand before each beautiful town. I'm looking forward to meeting other folks on two wheels and inviting them to ride with us. I'm look forward to, once again, showing folks that regional touring by bicycle is very manageable." Savannah Daily News
Ben Sollee Bikes It
"Kentucky-based pop cellist and songwriter Ben Sollee rides through Charleston next week, playing some cool tunes along the way. Sollee gained attention last summer on his Pedaling Against Povertybike tour to Bonnaroo. He's decided to keep it going this December. Sollee plans to leave via bicycle from Wilmington, N.C. on Fri. Dec. 4 and arrive in Charleston on Tues. Dec. 8 for a gig at The Pour House." - Charleston City Paper
CoS Show Preview
"Ben Sollee manages to make a bike trip to Bonnaroo so much more than a bike trip to Bonnaroo. Ben Sollee is killing four birds with one stone. The Kentucky-born cellist is currently on his way toBonnaroo to show ‘Roo’ers what exactly it means not to be Kanye West. To get to Bonnaroo, he is riding a bike – last Thursday, Sollee strapped his 1930’s Kay cello to his bicycle and pedaled 26 miles from Lexington to Frankfort, Kentucky, beginning his onward journey to a different Appalachia town nightly until ultimately reaching Bonnaroo on June 11th – meaning, come June 11th, he’ll be in peak physical condition and playing Bonnaroo. At each Appalachia stop, Sollee will perform a show in support of his recently released full-length effort Learning to Bend and his digital EPSomething Worth Keeping – so, not only will he be in peak physical condition and playing Bonnaroo, but he might actually make some cash. And finally, the bike trip and tour are aligned with Oxfam America, a relief and development organization that works to find lasting solutions for poverty, hunger and injustice – so, not only will he be in peak physical condition, earning cash, and playing Bonnaroo, but Ben Sollee will be doing it all for a good cause." - Consequence Of Sound
The Soapbox, Wlmington, North Carolina
On a nearly bare stage, Ben Sollee sat with a cello surrounded by two bikes parked behind him and percussionist Jordin Ellis. The image said it all about the performers, on a bike tour raising awareness for Oxfam America, an organization seeking to help end poverty. Burden cycling on tour may have been, it seemed to have no effect on the evening's performance. "This is a great way to meet Wilmington," said Sollee. "Thank you for letting some bike vigilantes play."
The sight of Sollee playing a cello in a primarily rock club was atypical. But the sound and presence of his performance held the crowd's attention significantly. Sollee played cello in a variety of ways - strumming it tough like a guitar, plucking and working it sometimes as percussion. His navigation between delicate soulful singing on songs like the bittersweet "I Can't" and scorching vocals on "Bury Me with My Car" harkened back to Sam Cooke and Stax-era singers. Both vocal styles were stunning from such a young man, yet sounded wise and sensual.
Ellis created percussion by sitting and hunching over a box made from thick pieces of wood, mic'd from the inside as he hand-patted rhythms against it and tapped his awkwardly placed foot. His presence was strongly felt on "It's Not Impossible" and another song that got people up for an impromptu waltz. Sollee held the attention of the crowd either in astonishment or reverence as songs struck chords throughout the night, especially on his covers of Jay-Z's "99 Problems" or the audience-requested "Wild World" by Cat Stevens, which became a magnet for ladies who flocked to the dance floor.
- Performer Magazine
Pop cellist wheels into Savannah
Singer/songwriter Ben Sollee rode his bike over the Talmadge Bridge and into Savannah on Thursday, toting his cello behind him. It was a windy 40-mile ride from Beaufort, where he played ARTworks the night before. His percussionist, Jordon Ellis, pedaled along with a snare drum and cymbals on the back of his extended-frame cargo bicycle. Manager Katie Benson and her brother, Marty, who's videotaping the journey, rounded out the unusual musical bike tour.
Sollee is promoting not only his folksy form of rhythm and blues cello playing, but also biking as a form of transportation. "I wanted to get away from the pattern a lot of musicians get into," Sollee said. "They're in planes, trains and automobiles, driving across the country for a show, then flying back down the coast for a festival. It's not a human pace of life."
A fast-paced schedule is demanded of musicians by the music industry, Sollee said. Unless, of course, you're pedal-powered, like he is. "If you say, 'I'm on a bicycle,' there's this beautiful limitation," Sollee said. "You have to stop at small towns. You put on shows in places where acts are not coming through. You engage local communities in a different way." You also have to deal with the unexpected, such as a stern operator aboard the Savannah Belles Ferry, who would only allow the group's oversized bikes to take the ferry one at a time. That would've taken the foursome about an hour and a half and put them off schedule, so they braved the Talmadge Bridge on their bikes instead. Sollee is raising money for Oxfam America's Oxfam Unwrapped program, which allows donors to buy items such as $85 bicycles to deliver to needy people in developing countries. The group is donating at least one bike per show to the program. Sollee's cello case, which sits on the stage as he performs, advertises Oxfam Unwrapped, encouraging his fans to give, too.
Trained from childhood as a classical cellist, Sollee, 26, calls his musical style "folksy rhythm and blues." Kentucky-based, he's performed in Savannah once before, as part of the Bela Fleck-led Sparrow Quartet at the Savannah Music Festival in 2008. National Public Radio's Morning Edition hailed him as one of the top 10 great unknown musicians of 2007.
Sollee likes to bike, but he didn't do anything special to get ready for his 500-plus mile tour from Wilmington, N.C., to Jacksonville. He doesn't even wear a stitch of spandex. "Bicycles are an amazing tool," he said. "I don't train. I just use the bicycle to go." Local bike advocate Drew Wade contacted Sollee as soon as he heard about the tour. "He's trying to promote this poverty initiative at all the shows," said Wade, chair of the Savannah Bicycle Campaign. "It adds another focus in addition to his obvious stance on sustainable transportation." Bicycle campaigners had a five-mile "tour of lights" around downtown Savannah on Thursday night in advance of Sollee's show at Blowin' Smoke BBQ. - Savannah Morning News
Cellist rides into Jacksonville for a good cause, an interview with Ben Sollee
It’s a great time of year to get outside and ride your bike. Even though we are forced to suffer through blistering hot summers, we are fortunate to have such mild early-Winter weather. So don’t be surprised if you happen to see a bike with a cello strapped to the back, it’s just Ben Sollee riding into town on his pedal-powered tour.
EU spoke to Ben about why he’s taking his cello on the road with two wheels instead of four and the causes he is championing along the way.
EU: Ben, you are riding into Jacksonville on your bicycle as a part of your Southeast tour. What possessed you to undertake such a mission?
Ben Sollee: It’s really a craving to get out of the vicious, not vicious, but the human flurry of flight from one side of the country to the other and driving down the coast to play a gig to fly back across the country the next day. By introducing the bicycle, I had this beautiful limitation. People could not ask me as an artist to drive through the night to do media the next morning in the next town... It also comes from this desire: I was going through these towns playing a show hoping people would show up and really not playing any role in the community other than being a place for people to gather. I wanted to do more, be more a part of the community as I drove through. So in doing this I’ve been able to connect with different bicycle groups, alternative venues and a different promotion style. We’ve been able to cross-promote with sports outfitter companies, different companies like Oxfam America. It’s been a real treat to use bicycle touring as an opportunity to exploit media that musicians don’t usually get to exploit. - eu:Jacksonville
Ben Sollee: Biking To Bonnaroo and Beyond
Last summer, while most bands were pulling into the massive Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in giant, gas-chugging tour buses, Ben Sollee rolled up on a bike—pulling his 60-pound cello behind him. The Kentucky-based folkie biked 330 miles to the Tennessee festival from his home in Lexington, stopping along the way to play concerts in small towns. Sollee dubbed the journey Pedaling for Poverty, and proceeds from the shows were donated to Oxfam America. The musician’s activism has also recently been extended to the fight against mountaintop removal mining. Sollee was one of the headliners at last summer’s inaugural Mountain Aid festival in North Carolina.- Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine