Ben Sollee could be the holy grail of musicians. An accomplished cellist, vocalist, and storyteller, Ben’s folky style of music is peppered with soul, bluegrass, jazz, and the classics.  It’s borderline obnoxious that so much talent be bestowed on one person and to top it all off, he’s incredibly articulate, gracious, and kind.  I bet less-evolved musicians hate him.  Anyway, let’s get to the good stuff.

Ben Sollee: The Experience. Picture it. Grocery on Home, the private venue living room series hosts a four-night run of Ben Sollee and it’s the final night. The art-filled living room is packed with an eclectic mix of people waiting to experience the lore of the Ben Sollee/Grocery show. There’s a little magic sparking from the flames of the burning candles as Ben takes his spot right by the front door. Matt Arnett, the founder of the Grocery, gave a touching story to introduce Ben and from his first stroke of his cello, the room was utterly captivated. Not only is he masterful in his percussive and unusual style of playing the cello, his carefully crafted songwriting had the room hanging on his every word. I happened to bring 9 of my closest friends and they were all looking at each other like they had discovered the eighth wonder of the world.  The way Sollee artfully and nimbly bends the strings of his cello is as captivating as Jack White re-inventing how a guitar is played.  As the icing on the cake, Ben sets up each song with an inviting story that allows you to comfortably sit in his world for a few minutes.

Luckily, I was able to interview him and I was really surprised to hear about how thoughtfully he answered the questions.  Inspired by art, famously riding a bike from his hometown in Kentucky to Bonnaroo with his cello and his supplies strapped to his cycle, you’ll get a kick out of how Ben reveals little known facts.  Oh, and btw, my chair was much higher than his so he looks shorter than me.  But he’s not.

BEN SOLLEE INTERVIEW WITH RADIOPOTATO:

Ben Sollee on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk:

Thanks to Matt Arnett for inviting me to interview Ben and Casey Driessen, filming it, and hosting us in his home for such an important addition to the Atlanta music scene.  Oh, and here’s my favorite song by Ben: “Electrified.”  The strings are ridiculous-

Hook yourself up with some Sollee right here:

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