Now, in the sonaBLAST! store, you can buy sonaBLAST! Albums digitally. Click on the buy button on this page, and then on the "download now" button below the album you want. So easy!Press
This week’s Off The Record guest is Amber Garvey of sonaBLAST! Records, located here in Louisville @ The Green Building. They representsuch artists as Ben Sollee, Lucky Pineapple, The Seedy Seeds (who will be part of this Friday’s Live Lunch at noon on WFPK), The Pass and more. Amber works with artists to see their albums through production, works on licensing, contracts, etc. Amber has noticed this record hot summer in Louisville as have the rest of us, so her theme is weather related. She’ll start with some heat, build up to a storm and then cool things down:
- John Hartford: Long Hot Summer Day
- Billie Holiday: Stormy Weather
- The White Stripes: 300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues
- Led Zeppelin: The Rain Song
- The Beatles: Here Comes The Sun
Best of What's Next: The Seedy Seeds
Hometown: Cincinnati
Album: Roll Deep EP
Band Members: Mike Ingram (vocals, banjo, guitar, kazoo), Margaret Darling (vocals, guitar, accordion, kazoo), Brian Penick (drums)
For Fans Of: Mates of State, The Moldy Peaches, The Postal Service
Reposed from Paste Magazine
If you ever find yourself in a Cincinnati parking lot witnessing an impromptu concert by a band that seems to combine equal bits of folk, pop and electronica, chances are you’re watching The Seedy Seeds in action. While the trio loves playing in just about any sort of venue, they name non-traditional spaces — like backyards, art galleries and parking lots — among their most treasured performances.
“I really appreciate when there are, like, twenty 8-year-old kids running around in circles in front of us, and their parents are like, ‘Hey, I’m enjoying this,’ and then there are also music fans that came intentionally,” says Mike Ingram, one-third of group. “So when we sort of create a neighborhood bonfire experience, those are generally my favorites.”
It makes sense that these eclectic experiences are where the band feels most at home — you don’t have to devote much time listening to The Seedy Seeds to realize their sound is any anything but traditional. Even the bandmates themselves have trouble articulating the kind of music they play. “People always ask us what we sound like or what we call our sound, and to try to pigeonhole it is difficult,” says percussionist Brian Penick. “But I would say pop-folk with an electronic dance beat.”
“Lots of hyphens,” adds vocalist and accordion player Margaret Darling.
Whatever you call it, it’s served the The Seedy Seeds well. Though they’re still relatively low-profile nationally, they’ve released two full-length albums and one EP since 1999, and in April dropped a three-song 7’’ EP, Roll Deep, in celebration of Record Store Day. The band’s summer is shaping up to be full of festivals, with performances scheduled at NXNE in Toronto and a slot secured at Louisville, Ky.’s hallowed Lebowski Fest. Part of the secret to making the band work, according to Ingram, is their ability to view the outfit as as functional fusion.
“It’s not always fun and awesome and party time,” he says. “It’s basically like we’re all married and we all have to respect each other and arbitrate things and be political with each other.”
Colors: The Pass
Leo Weekly
4.7.10
By Pawl Schwartz
The Killers. Franz Ferdinand. Passively emotional vocals over electronics, and catchy, quick disco-punk. Sound like five years ago? Wrong. This is The Pass right now, a band that plays around town mostly at bars with DJs, not other bands, and with one listen, we see why. Really, though, this album is catchy. When the songs hit hard, like “Red Square,” they go all out: female backup vocals, lots of chorus returns and a deep bass thump that carries the hook like a dealer peddles crack. You can’t help but like it. This band seems cut out for singular hits. The rest of the songs have their moments but are for the most part the same and, despite the production quality, can sound a little empty. “Red Square” and “Colors” deserve their radio airplay — it may just need a time machine.
Off The Record: Heidi Howe
Our guest this week is a familiar name to long time WFPK listeners: Heidi Howe. She was the first guest to perform on WFPK’s Live Lunch series, and according to her Bio:
Heidi Howe is a singer, songwriter, music educator and mom from Louisville, KY. She has recorded 5 full length CD’s (2 on the Ear X-tacy label) and has played clubs across the country. Most recently, she produced the Louisville Lullabies CD with Gill Holland (of sonaBLAST! Records) as a benefit for the Home of the Innocents.
Heidi is also the founder of Louisville Preschool for the ARTS where she makes music with kids and their parents.
Here are Heidi’s five “Non Traditional” Lullabies:
A hometown hero returns to the Island
By ELIZABETH SHEPHERD
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Arts Editor
Mar 02 2010, 11:34 AM
The Blue Heron will be the site of a homecoming this Saturday, when singer/songwriter Max Gabriel and a full band take the stage for a concert.
What makes the concert special is that Gabriel grew up on the Island — Islanders may remember him as Gabe Judet-Weinshel, a talented Vashon youth who performed as a juggler and unicyclist at Strawberry Festivals, and drew crowds to his performances in Blue Heron youth theater productions.
Gabriel, the son of Island artist Pascale Judet and John Weinshel, moved to New York more than a decade ago, and he’s been honing his craft as a musician and filmmaker ever since.
Gabriel’s Web site, www.maxgabriel.com, provides visitors with a dizzying array of his recent projects, which include a number of music videos, documentaries and short films that have been shown at San Francisco International Film Festival, The American Film Institute, the Nashville Film Festival, on Nickelodeon, Fox, MTV and other venues.
He has won two New York Emmy Awards and directed Martin Scorsese in a short piece that screened at Lincoln Center.
He’s also drawn accolades for his music.
His debut recording, “The Exile of St. Christopher,” was produced by iconic producer/keyboardist Scott Healy, and featured a band full of well-known players and rock music sidemen.
Gabriel and Healy are now working on a new project, which will feature 25 new songs.
Critics have been wowed by the Vashon-bred artist, comparing his voice to Leonard Cohen and David Byrne.
Ian Mathers, a writer for The Village Voice and other New York publications said, “He’ll treat your heartbreak right, with the sense of devastated whimsy all real romantics have.”
Gabriel will perform with a full band on Saturday, and Islander Alex Davis will open the show.
The Max Gabriel concert is at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 6, at the Blue Heron. Tickets, $13 and $15, are on sale at Books by the Way, Blue Heron, Heron’s Nest, brownpapertickets.com, and by calling 206-463-5131.
Top 10 Videos of 2009
The Muse in Music
I’m not a person that would consider themself “artsy” in any way. When I watch a music video I don’t look for cinematography or camera angle, I look to be entertained for a few minutes, for something that is going to keep me interested and guessing as to what is going to happen next. That being said, making a list of top ten videos of the year without them being also my favorite tracks of the year is difficult. But I’ll try.
Ben Sollee's Acoustic Cafe Tour with Carrie Rodriguez January 20th - February 6th
Ben will be out on the road touring solo with Carrie Rodriguez as a part of the Acoustic Café Tour through February 6th... try to catch them if you can!
Jan 20 Iron Horse Music Hall Northhampton, MA
Jan 21 Infinity Hall Norfolk, CT
Jan 22 Fairfield Theater Fairfield, CT
Jan 24 Maxwell's Hoboken, NJ
Jan 26 One Longfellow Square Portland, ME
Jan 27 Club Passim Cambridge, MA
Jan 29 IOTA Arlington, VA
Jan 31 The Southern Charlottesville, VA
Feb 02 Rex Theatre Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 03 Wealthy Theatre Grand Rapids, MI
Feb 04 Callahan's Auburn Hills, MI
Feb 05 The Livery Benton Harbor, MI
Feb 06 Kent Stage Kent, OH
If you're in Louisville, Ben just recently announced the Louisville performance of Dear Companion featuring Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore on February 26th at The Kentucky Center for the Arts. You can purchase tickets HERE!
Dear Companion To Be Released February 16th on Sub Pop
Dear Companion, out February 16th on Sub Pop Records, is collaboration between three Kentucky musicians: the songs are written and performed by Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, produced by and featuring Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket and Monsters of Folk.
Recorded in the first half of 2009 in their home state, Dear Companion explores their ties to the place they love and aims to draw attention to the problem of mountaintop removal coal mining and its impact on the people and heritage of central Appalachia.
A portion of the proceeds from Dear Companion will benefit Appalachian Voices, an organization devoted to ending mountaintop removal and finding a better way forward.
More information on the release, Ben, and upcoming Dear Companion dates can always be found at bensollee.com
Announcing Survival Kit 2K10 – A Panel Discussion, Jan. 23
LOUISVILLE, KY — sonaBLAST! Records and Crash Avenue Publicity, in conjunction with Forecastle Festival, are pleased to announce, Survival Kit 2K10: The Path to Relevance in the New Decade.
Survival Kit 2K10 is a special music networking event on par with the conference discussions hosted at Austin’s South By Southwest and New York’s CMJ Music Marathon. As a warm up to this month’s Halfway to Forecastle, a variety of music media will be in Louisville to attend and discuss issues in the ever-changing and complicated world of independent music publishing.
Survival Kit 2K10 will host a panel of speakers and participants both locally and nationally to discuss issues and offer advice, focusing on the tools and the objectives necessary for a budding artist to thrive in the new decade. This event aims to be helpful to the talented pool of regional musicians around Louisville, as well as a chance for musicians, tastemakers, and industry insiders to connect.
Survival Kit 2K10 will take place at The Green Building before Halfway to Forecastle on Saturday, January 23, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event kicks off with a meet and greet, then leads into our panel discussion and Q & A. Light appetizers and cash bar will be available (with drink specials – it’s still a recession) courtesy of 732 Social.
This event is free and open to the public. Seating is non-ticketed and on a first come basis. Additional details will roll out as confirmed, so please check back with Crash Avenue, or email Amber Garvey at sonaBLAST! for more information and updates.
The Five | Albums for children
The trials of parenthood are not limited to interrupted sleep, frustrating meal times and the futile struggle to keep a clean home. Once baby graduates into toddlerhood, he or she won't be satisfied with “Rockabye Baby!” and “Baby Mozart.” He or she will want words, stories and funny noises.
Most children's music is outrageously goofy, clownish tunes that are impossible for an adult to enjoy but so relentless that they get stuck in your head anyway. It doesn't have to be that way. Some great musicians have made children's records recently. Here is a selection:
"Robbert Bobbert and The Bubble Machine"
Robert Schneider — frontman for the poppy indie band Apples In Stereo — released this little-noticed gem last winter. Schneider is something of a science buff, which is reflected in sweet and catchy songs such as “Gravity” and “I Am a Clock.” The tunes stay true to the Elephant Six quirkiness that Schneider fans love, but tykes will love the silly voices and fun attitude.
"Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is Awesome"
Various artists
“Yo Gabba Gabba!,” the psychedelic kids' show on Nick Jr., is outrageous fun. It's not just the vibrant colors and trippy costumes, but the endless stream of hip musical guests playing sing-along songs — Sun Kil Moon, Of Montréal, The Shins. The highlight is The Roots' catchy-but-simple “Lovely, Love My Family.” It's not the first tuba solo on a children's record, but it's certainly the best.
"Louisville Lullabies"
Various artists
These 13 sweet songs from Louisville artists are meant to lull children to sleep. Conceived by SonaBLAST! Records founder Gill Holland, it features the experimental group Lucky Pineapple, subtle singer-songwriter Leigh Ann Yost and mad singer-songwriter Heidi Howe, as well as such inspired choices as outlaw poet Ron Whitehead, who teams with jazzman Harry Pickens.
"B Is for Bob"
Bob Marley
Ziggy Marley stripped down some of his dad's easier-to-digest tunes about love, life and freedom and reworked them into subtle children's songs. Some songs are completely re-worked, while others, such as “One Love,” are just as they were originally released.
"S'More Songs"
Tommy Paxton
Venerable Aspen, Colo., musician Tommy Paxton's DIY affair (www.cdbaby.com/cd/tommypaxton) is an example of how compelling kids' songs can be if performed with passion and conviction. Paxton's “Bob, Bob, Bob” is a delight, and the kids in the background chorus seem to be having a blast, too.
Review: The Pass
On Saturday night, I was witness to one of the bests local shows in recent memory. Three of my favorite local bands under one roof (and for charity)! Dude Plays Saxophone started off the night and You’re My Density followed up, both with great sets to a packed house at the Zanzabar. The Pass was the last band on the bill and blew the crowd away. I knew their set was something special simply by looking at the dance floor. Initially only a few people braved the area in front of the stage, but with each song the dance floor lost its space. By the final song, everyone was shoulder-to-shoulder going nuts. I had heard their EP, Colors, and enjoyed it thoroughly. They are not your average dance rock band. While many bands attempting the same sound fall victim to relying on one catchy song and ignorable lyrics, The Pass have a early catalog of songs that each can stand on their own. I saw them play on the rooftop of Glassworks, but this was something different, something more. I have a feeling that in a year or two, I’ll look back at this show and be thankful that I got to witness them “way back when.” They recently signed with SonaBlast Records and should have new material out next year. Put it on the board, The Pass will make waves in 2010.
Louisville Lullabies: Cradle Rockin’ Sleeper Hits
A benefit for Home of the Innocents
Hipster parents looking for music that they can enjoy with their children will be thrilled to hear the latest release from sonaBLAST! Records. Louisville Lullabies: Cradle Rockin’ Sleeper Hits features 13 musical acts from Louisville performing original and traditional lullabies. Artists include: Carter Wood (a recently returned Louisville native who had George Strait record some of her songs while living in Nashville), Love Jones (regrouped for this benefit), Arnett Hollow (who recently performed at Forecastle and WFPK‘s Live Lunch), Lucky Pineapple (on the heels of their sonaBLAST! Release), Harry Pickens (pianist, composer, teacher and organizational consultant), Sandpaper Dolls (amazing a cappella trio), Ron Whitehead (author of 19 books with appearances on more than 20 CD’s), Yardsale (Louisville's self-proclaimed ‘Second Most Rootin-est, Tootin-est Band‘), Danny Flanigan (performing a song he wrote for his son), Leigh Ann Yost (marketing director at Louisville‘s School of Rock), Justin Lewis (performing ’Dream a Little Dream’) Alistair Shell (Stephen George performing his first released recording) and Heidi Howe (Louisville performer, author and co-producer of the CD). All of the proceeds from the CD benefit the Home of the Innocents.
The CD is the brainchild of Gill Holland, the founder of sonaBLAST! Records, who wanted to do something for his neighbor, The Home of the Innocents, located in the East Market district. Gill produced the CD with Louisville musician Heidi Howe, the founder and director of Louisville Preschool for the Arts.
There will be an all-ages, family-friendly CD release party on Sunday December 6th, 2009 at the Comedy Caravan, located at 1250 Bardstown Road in the Mid-City Mall. The party begins at 2 pm and ends at 5 pm. Many of the musicians from the CD will perform. There will also be face painting and games for kids. The party is FREE. Refreshments will be available. Donations will be accepted for the Home of the Innocents.
For more information, please email heidihowerocks@yahoo.com or call (502) 415- 3643.
Kelly McRae
Highrises in Brooklyn From: Pretty Much Amazing
“Highrises In Brooklyn” is a nice coffeehouse lounger that will surely please those disappointed with Regina Spektor’s latest album- or at least fill the gap until her next. Up-and-comer Kelley McRae is one of those likable, smart pop-folksters who is easy on the ears and makes for a very pleasant listen. She played at Barnes and Noble the other night in New York City, and I can’t think of a more perfect environment for her kind of music.
Sit back, relax, and let McRae’s calm voice and soothing melodies chill you out. And if “Highrises In Brooklyn” isn’t chill enough, head over to McRae’s MySpace and listen to the brilliant “Johnny Cash,” in many ways a superior song, a perfect addition to your bedtime playlist.
Ben Sollee
Ben Sollee's August performance on NPR's Mountain Stage airing Oct. 16-18th. For a complete list of stations that carry the show, click here Mountain Stage affiliates.
The Bubble Has Burst Again!
On Friday August 28, we would like to invite you to the Zanzabar to celebrate the national release of Lucky Pineapple's most recent record, The Bubble Has Burst in Sky City on sonaBLAST! Records. The night will feature the band presenting two sets of music, with one being a performance of the albumin its entirety.
This will be the first local show featuring newly added Pineapple, percussionist Alex Molina. In addition, numerous guest musicians will be joining the band throughout the night.
As usual, you can count on plenty of weirdness, including, but not limited to, an appearance by Guy, the 7 foot tall star of the bands upcoming music video. The night will feature an opening set by Asthmatic Kitty artist, Jookabox, in what is set to be the first full band performance outside of their hometown. Don't miss it! The show starts at 10 PM. Admission is $7. The Zanzabar is located at 2100 S Preston Street.
Lucky Pineapple:
"Lucky Pineapple's songs are built up out of dark, suspenseful melodic lines and solid, funk-influenced drum patterns, with guitars, trombone and other instruments layered over them. (The band brought with them a huge array of guitar effects pedals, as well as a plastic bin of unusual percussion instruments.) These multi-part compositions earn comparisons to Captain Beefheart through their use of unexpected rhythmic shifts. The band was remarkably tight..."
- Nashville Scene
"Like kinda if Zappa was in Slint and they went vacationing in the Peruvian Andes and then came back and recorded an album immediately. See, my number one complaint about prog and proglike dreck like math rock is that it is boring as fuck. I rented a Tortoise album once from the library and it nearly killed me. I have the scars to prove it. But Lucky Pineapple is really fun and entertaining and surprising. This is a really great album and it throws in a lot of disparate elements together while being totally engaging."
- Last Days of Man on Earth
Jookabox:
“There is something to be said about an album that defies all explanation.”
- Billboard
http://www.myspace.com/luckypineapple
http://www.myspace.com/grampalljookabox
http://www.zanzabarlouisville.com
Forecastle Roundup: Day 3
July16, 2009
Forecastle 8
Day 3
July 12 2009
Christ, after three days of chronicling my adventures I feel like Doogie Howser, but instead of a teenage doctor I’m a 27-year-old music writer, go figure.
The shady afternoon was perfect for a third full day of music. The temperature was just right, and the sun could barely make its way through the overcast cover. We couldn’t have asked for better weather today had we thought about it.
"And The Instruction was a solid, hard-rock band with an infallible ear for pop hooks this is definitely a band that will probably be smeared all over modern rock radio stations in the very near future." - LEO Weekly Magazine |
As the sun set, it smeared a neon glow through the low canopy of clouds and all over the downtown sky. When Widespread Panic took the stage for a second night, a radiant orange dusk was just falling over the crowd. They were going to be on tonight; even I could tell that – from the first song they were far more compelling than last night. They played a sick rendition of the J. J. Cale classic “Ride Me High” that would make even the biggest jamband skeptic think twice about dismissing these guys. Although it was during that song I heard the sloppiest bass solo ever from a concert stage; but I guess that’s their appeal … it’s live, warts and all.
Tonight instead of two sets – the band did one long set … and by an hour-and-a-half in, I wish they had taken a break. The middle of the extended set fell flat like the dribble at the end of pee. It was at this lull in the action, that downturn toward boredom when Backyard Tire Fire took over for me. Their combustible brand of southern rock should’ve reduced Panic’s stage to nothing more than a pile of smoldering embers. These guys tore through some glorious covers like Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns, & Money” and Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl.” And by the time they closed with “How the Hell Did You Get Back Here” I was sold to whatever these guys were selling. By the time Backyard Tire Fire was finished, Widespread had risen from their lull like a phoenix from the ashes – and was back into the rockin’ set they had started with, and ultimately ended on a high note.
So after two nights of Panic, I admit, I kinda get it. It might be the fact that I was in a different “mind-set” tonight than last night. Regardless, I get it. A Widespread Panic show: where a $35 ticket and a half-sack of schwag you can make the whole night last all day.
The Avett Brothers were moderately disappointing to me. I love their modern twist on Appalachian folk music, and live music junkies have been telling me how great they are live for years. Well they were alright, they sounded good and all – but it wasn’t the life changing live show I had been led to believe I would see. But I only say disappointing in the sense that no one could possibly have lived up to the expectations that were built for those guys in my mind. When they played the beautiful heartache of a tune called “Murder in the City” I was almost bummed that the sun was still up. I can only imagine what it would’ve been like for that song to just float off into the abyss of the evening ether.
Yonder Mountain String Band played a fun set of modern bluegrass that filled the belvedere with joy. Their stomping sound, and the good natured banter from its members, helped these guys fit perfectly into a mid-afternoon time slot perfectly. And Umphrey’s McGee played a hell of a set considering they were on stage in another city at four o’clock this morning, drove here, slept for four hours and was able to make it on stage here in Louisville by 3:30 in the afternoon. Kudos, to them and their crew, on that one.
Gringo Starr was a pleasure to watch. Their spacey take on southern rock made for a really fascinating set on LEO’s East Stage. Not to mention, all the band members were trading instruments back-and-fourth and switching up vocalists from song-to-song. At the beginning of each song you never knew which would be singing and who would be playing what. And The Instruction was a solid, hard-rock band with an infallible ear for pop hooks – this is definitely a band that will probably be smeared all over modern rock radio stations in the very near future.
After three days of total musical submersion at Forecastle, I’m sold. Fuck middle-of-nowhere farm festivals – urban music festivals are the way of the future. Swirling stage lights rising from the depths of a city skyline just seems to make sense.
Cello fellow
Ben Sollee's sharp blend of R&B, folk and more is getting attentionJeffrey Lee Puckett | The Courier Journal
When Ben Sollee's name started popping up on the Louisville music scene a couple of years ago, it came attached to a surprisingly handsome — and extremely stealthy — resume.
Sollee appeared to be the new kid in town, barely in his 20s and looking even younger. He had a voice infused with classic blue-eyed soul that was capable of going on stratospheric flights right to the brink of losing control, and he played a miraculous cello. He was clearly a rising talent to watch.
But Sollee had, in many ways, already arrived.
By 2007 he had toured internationally (since his senior year in high school); was working on a major-label record with Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck as part of The Sparrow Quartet; was recording a solo album, "Learning to Bend"; and had been name-checked by National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" as one of America's "Top Ten Unknown Artists of the Year."
That was an understatement. Sollee was unknown in his adopted home of Louisville, much less America, and a lot of people wondered: Just who is this guy?
"I think what generated that feeling is that I didn't actually promote myself well enough," says a soft-spoken and thoughtful Sollee, serving up another considerable understatement. "I've always been not a good promoter — of what I've made, what I'm selling, my shows. I've always just loved doing it for whoever's there, but I don't really try to make a huge thing about it."
That approach has been changed for him. With the release last year of an EP, his solo album, the debut album from Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet, and a solo appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," the 24-year-old Sollee has had to deal with a new level of media attention.
He's also working on an EP with My Morning Jacket's Jim James and Cold Spring, Ky.'s Daniel Martin Moore — a fact he failed to mention in an interview, proving his shaky promotional skills — and his first national solo tour, with Moore opening, stops in Louisville Friday, May 8, at the Bomhard Theater.
Sollee, a Lexington resident who lived for six years in Louisville, appears poised to be Kentucky's next breakout musician, the first since My Morning Jacket. It was bound to happen sometime, but who could have predicted it would be a cello-playing soul singer whose music was inspired equally by Otis Redding, Bill Monroe and Odetta?
"Ben is a very talented man," James said. "His voice is like a sword, and I have never seen anyone play the cello with such intensity. He is a beast on that thing."
A fast start
When growing up in Lexington — where he lives with his wife, Caitlin, and 16-month-old son, Oliver — Sollee was raised on his parents' collection of soul music and encouraged to follow his muse, which led to Kentucky's folk and bluegrass traditions. Music wasn't a choice so much as an inevitibilty. Maybe even a compulsion. His family had several generations of musicians, and he learned mountain music from his fiddle-playing grandfather.
Sollee enjoyed an unusually supportive family. At age 17, he met cultish blues singer Otis Taylor at a Folk Alliance conference and was immediately invited to join his band, which used a variety of instrumentation. His parents let him tour the world for three years, earning what he called a "primary music education" from the unpredictable Taylor, who never exactly qualified as a role model.
"He was awful," Sollee said, laughing. "He was a very eccentric dude. But in the end, I learned a lot from him about rhythm and building excitement through rhythm, because his music is trance-based and he'll play only one chord for an hour that'll just drive you nuts in the good way."
While touring with Taylor, Sollee met Washburn, with whom he also began touring and recording. Meanwhile, he managed to graduate from Lexington Lafayette High School and enroll in the University of Louisville's School of Music to study under Paul York, who found himself with a precocious talent.
"I trained him as a classical cellist, but there was no question he wasn't going to be a classical cellist," York said. "I wanted to give him as much technical background as I could so he could do anything he wanted. I didn't want him to feel like he was limited.
"There was no question that he was a major talent when he first played for me. It's great to hear someone play like that. It's really special."
Sollee didn't decide until his sophomore year at UofL that he would try music as a full-time career, a dicey choice made even dicier when you're a cellist singing pop songs over a foundation of R&B. It usually means years of nightclub shows and living in vans, but Sollee had already done that. So, instead, he started a band with Bela Fleck, one of the world's finest banjo players.
Washburn introduced Sollee to Fleck, who produced and performed on her 2005 album, "Song of the Traveling Daughter," which featured Sollee as cellist and arranger. Violinist Casey Driessen also performed on the album, and the four musicians formed a bond that led to a tour of China and an album, the acclaimed "Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet."
This was another reason he wasn't playing the Nachbar every third Tuesday.
"I didn't really do the whole build-up from club to club, the keep-playing-them-every-two-months thing, because I got the opportunity to play as a sideman for lots of different groups," he said. "It really helped me to A) get a leg up, and B) learn how to put on a show regardless of the venue. Big, small, house concerts, community centers. I was really fortunate."
Learning to bend
Despite having rubbed shoulders with some inspired musicians, Sollee's most impressive moment so far is "Learning to Bend." It's a record that's difficult to describe and hard not to love, anchored by his nimble cello playing and lifted by his wild, expressive tenor.
It isn't accomplished enough to rate its own genre, but there's something about the songs that feels new, or at least relatively unexplored.
"I don't think I thought, 'Hey, this will really sound different from what's out there,'" Sollee said. "I just think it's a really organic product of my development, the strong folk element I got from my grandfather, and around my house there was a lot of R&B music, so that was really my bread and butter. But then I chose an instrument that had a whole institution of learning behind it that was always tugging at me.
"In the middle of all that stuff sort of vying for musical attention, I think a sound developed in my head out of all those little pieces, and when it came time to write, all of that came out. ... I think as I matured, I learned to carve my own thing out of those influences as opposed to more straight-ahead imitation. We're all sort of piggy-backing off of what came before us."
We'll get a taste of where Sollee's music is headed Friday night. He has put together a special show for his second hometown, recruiting fellow former students on strings and woodwinds. Atlanta's DJ Second Nature will program beats, and Sollee will occasionally step out from behind the cello as a traditional lead vocalist.
He has plans to make an "intricate" second album and take things to the next level, which begs the question: Where is that level, and is there a mainstream audience big enough to carry a cellist who wouldn't mind being the next Sam Cooke?
"There's a lot of talk about the NPR crowd, which is a huge and varied audience, but I don't know if there's any one crowd," he said. "Right now it's so varied. At almost every show I'll have age 16 through 72, so if there's a demographic it would be a half-seated, half-standing audience.
"I intend to sort of follow my own upbringing — I have all of these different influences — and I want to follow that path honestly and let the audience find the music."
Reporter Jeffrey Lee Puckett can be reached at (502) 582-4160.
CONTACT: MIKE O’CONNELL
(919) 218-5792
CONCERT FUNDS REPLACEMENT OF TOXIC SCHOOL, PROMOTES CLEAN ENERGY
Pittsboro, NC – Spending a summer weekend listening to music will help to ensure a safe school for hundreds of children. How? The Mountain Aid concert June 19-20, 2009 at Shakori Hills Farm in Chatham County, NC benefits Pennies of Promise, a grassroots campaign to construct a new building for Marsh Fork Elementary School in West Virginia.
Tucked into the heart of Appalachia, Marsh Fork Elementary sits in the shadow of a Mountain Top Removal coal mine, just 225 feet from the coal silo and 400 yards downstream from a leaking dam holding back nearly three billion gallons of toxic sludge. Independent tests prove coal dust contaminates Marsh Fork Elementary, a direct threat to the children’s respiratory health. Grandfather Ed Wiley began Pennies of Promise after his granddaughter got sick and West Virginia leaders told him the state could not afford a new school in a safer location. The goal? Raise eight million dollars and create a healthy future for the children of Appalachia. That’s where Mountain Aid comes in.
Grammy-winning singer and songwriter and West Virginia native Kathy Mattea will emcee and headline Mountain Aid. “Hosting Mountain Aid is the best way I can think of to spend my 50th birthday. I love these mountains, and to celebrate them and unite with others who love them, through music, is a great opportunity,” Mattea says. Other performers include Ben Sollee, named one of NPR’s “Top Ten Unknown Artists” of the year for 2007; American music icon Donna the Buffalo; and roots rockers the Sim Redmond Band.
Advance tickets for Mountain Aid are on sale now for $22.50 ($30 at the gate). On-site camping, food and craft vendors will be available. For more details, visit www.mtnaid.com.
Why hold Mountain Aid in North Carolina? According to Duke Energy, North Carolina is the number two consumer of Mountain Top Removal coal in the country. Additionally, a bill before North Carolina lawmakers would ban the use of Mountain Top Removal coal in the state. Mountain Aid organizers hope both to raise funds for Pennies of Promise and to create awareness and support for clean energy.
Mountain Top Removal mining, the practice that causes the environmental harm in and around Marsh Fork Elementary, is the subject of the award-winning documentary, “Mountain Top Removal,” directed by Michael O’Connell. “Mountain Top Removal” has played film festivals domestically and internationally and won the Reel Current award selected and presented by Vice President Al Gore at the 2008 Nashville Film Festival. In conjunction with Mountain Aid, the film will screen on June 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Carolina Theatre in Durham.
Mountain Aid thanks our generous sponsors Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and Coal River Mountain Watch.