Kentucky musician Ben Sollee is going back on the road. That doesn't mean tour buses or even a step down, to a clunky old van. Ben is going on a bike. And he's a cellist. Should he have chosen a guitar (or just been a singer with a microphone)? This guy does things the hard way, apparently. Like his latest video for "Close To You," a handmade effort filmed in one take with the help of more than 80 volunteers. Which is weirder, the bike, the cello, the video? Look and listen.
Ben's 2011 Ditch the Van Tour will head out later this summer, when he and his band stop driving and flying and start biking their way from show to show.
His newest album, released this week, is called "Inclusions." The theme is "large, humanistic and universal," he says, about "how relationships influence us all whether intentional or not."
Close To You from Ben Sollee on Vimeo.
Ben describes his art as classically influenced folk with leanings of R&B and soul. He was named one of the Top Ten Great Unknown Artists of 2007" by NPR.
Still unknown? Upcoming tour dates include support from the likes of Sean Rowe and My Morning Jacket. Ben also works with nonprofits like Appalachian Voices and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.
He was part of the 2010 Appalachian Voices tour to raise awareness about mountain top removal coal mining. Ben's sounds are recommended if you like Mumford & Sons, who have had a pretty good run since The Grammys.
The first Ditch The Van Tour was in 2010, when Ben and the band hauled their gear and instruments across the country on bicycles. Ben says the 2010 trips were about slowing down and experiencing the communities and people along the way. Ben isn't the first one to combine bikes and music. Check it out in the links below.
Ditch the Van Bike Tour - Chapter 1 from marty benson on Vimeo.
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