The Musical Box

ben sollee. photo by liz linder.

Ben Sollee had a plan. After graduating from the University of Louisville in 2006 with a music performance degree, he decided to give himself two years before even thinking about graduate school. First, he wanted to taste the life of a working musician.

Let’s see how he did. During that time, Sollee recorded an album called Learning to Bend, hit the road for national and international concerts with the Sparrow Quartet - an ensemble that includes such star string players as Abigail Washburn, Bela Fleck and Casey Driessen - and cut a follow-up EP called Something Worth Keeping which features vocal help from another famed Louisvillian, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James.

As for touring work, we caught up with Sollee last month while enroute to a gig - in Montana.

“I gave myself two years to go out and be a musician in the world,” said the Lexington native. “And so far, it’s been a really good run - good enough certainly to keep doing it. I’ll go to graduate school at some point. But for now, I’m going to keep following the music where it leads me.”

Now here’s the novel part of the story. Sollee’s instrument of choice is a cello, even though his music celebrates everything from folk and Americana to indie pop and R&B. In short, he is as progressive as contemporary songwriters and instrumentalists come. It’s just that he plays the cello. Not only that, he plays it alone, using his voice and the instrument to harmonize with each other. As one man string bands go, Sollee is in a class by himself.

“I grew up having an Appalachian fiddler for a grandfather, a dad who played guitar around the house and a mother who sang,” Sollee said. “But I play an instrument that is usually studied within a classical institution. So the push and pull of all that sort of makes up how I play the cello.

“Most of my music, though, tends to be a very organic thing. For me, it’s just about being able to use the instrument for whatever a song is asking it to be used for and feeling OK about that.”

Introduced to the cello while a third grader at Yates Elementary, Sollee was quickly versed in the classical stereotypes often tagged to the instrument. Using the cello to play a pop tune? Now, how could that be?

“There have always been conventions about how the cello should be played within the realm of what is considered ‘legit’ music. I’ve heard that word used a lot. But when teachers talked about ‘legit’ music, I never got that. The cello is a big wooden box that I play that makes sound. I should be able to play it however. Of course, what these people were trying to say was that you need a classical language to be able to explore other styles and languages on the cello.”

That’s not to say Sollee hasn’t immersed himself with classical studies. Among his first high profile performances were concerts with the Central Kentucky Youth Orchestra. But he eventually quit when a more engaging gig presented himself - specifically, a spot on the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio as a member of Michael Johnathon’s Folkboy Orchestra. He would remain with the show for nearly four years and roughly 200 broadcasts.

“Week after week, I got to hear different artists talk about the music business. I got a feel for what the world was like with respect to making a living playing music. I was exposed to great Irish bands, to Matt Haimovitz playing a cello concerto and Jimi Hendrix music, and to Odetta and the way she sings. Seeing all these figures gave me a huge breadth of stuff to draw from when it came time for me to be a lyricist, when it came for me to be a singer and when it came time for me to an arranger.”

Sollee left WoodSongs when touring alongside blues stylist Otis Taylor began to intensify. But it was the connection with the Sparrow Quartet that gave the cellist a concentrated glimpse of life as a professional musician. This year, the group toured extensively throughout the country and as far afield as China. It even wound up at WoodSongs, making Sollee a featured guest instead of a performance volunteer.

“With Sparrow, there was this incredible level of musicianship every night. Then there was the business aspect, where I learned what it was like to have a band with a major label release and the publicity push that comes with it. I also learned a lot about the actual touring, about why it’s so significant and so consuming. Stuff like that was just mindblowing to me.”

For now, though, Sollee’s sole performance mate is the cello. While he is out to explore pop and rock possibilities for the instrument, he is also broadening the scope of the venues he plays. As with cellists like Haimovitz, he is taking his music to rock clubs. Hence his Thursday show at The Dame.

“It’s not too intimidating, really,” Sollee said. “For people who haven’t seen me with Sparrow, it can be an eye and an earful. There is still that association with classical styles, so you can get a lot of people who are kind of taken aback in trying to figure out what’s going on.

“But it’s a challenge for me, too. I’m just trying to find a way to fill up a room without compromising the natural beauty of the cello.”

Ben Sollee, Daniel Martin Moore and Neva Geoffrey perform at 8 p.m. tonight at The Dame, 367 East. Main. Tickets are $10. Call (859) 231-7263.