The holiday season provides its fair share of stress, anxiety and packed schedules, no matter how hard one attempts to avoid it.
While I don’t want to clog up your calendar, after listening to Lexington, KY-based cellist and singer/songwriter Ben Sollee, SxSE advocates a trip to the Pour House tonight.
Sollee’s June 2008 album, “Learning to Bend,” possesses the vulnerable vocals of folk/pop artist Brett Dennen and the melodic play of multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird.
This combination of Dennen’s emotionalism and Bird’s unassuming simplicity give Sollee a wide thematic range.
While the Sollee recordings that I’ve listened to haven’t been of the highest quality, most fans proclaim that his live shows are unbeatable.
I’m curious to see Sollee onstage…one man…one band… and a cello.
Sollee is thoughtful, but not too brooding, bouncing on love, pain and spirituality… his voice rolling with an intimacy that makes you feel like you’re eavesdropping.
Sollee retains his vigor throughout the album, with influences ranging from jazz and blues to folk and R&B. Soothing doesn’t insinuate sleeping, by any means.
Ten bucks can be a bit steep for a Tuesday night, but I believe Sollee’s performance is worth it.
As if this glowing preview wasn’t enough, Sollee is touring the southeast via bicycle to raise awareness and buy bikes for Oxfam America Unwrapped.
He’s ridden to Charleston with only his cello and his bike, people. Give him a $10 chance. And you can always count on the Pour House for a respectable selection of beers on draft.
- iBelle
Ben Sollee
Tuesday, Dec. 8
The Pour House
1977 Maybank Hwy., James Island
(843) 571-4343
7 p.m.
$10
