This is Ben Sollee. He is a special guy who plays the cello (awesomely).
Part of his bio on bensollee.com says this:
…In 2010, Ben embarked on the “Ditch The Van Tour.” Ben and his band abandoned the comforts of a motorized vehicle and hauled their gear and instruments (yep, the cello too) across the country on bicycles. Ben’s mission was to engage a greater sense of community involvement at every performance. By huffing it on two wheels between cities, instead of driving or flying, Ben and his crew were able to discover people and facets of our country in ways that traditional touring could not allow. “It’s not about being green or even sustainable… we want to exploit the limitations of the bicycle to slow down and experience the rich communities and people that I’ve spent years flying by and driving past.”
On one of my blogging days just after Sebastian died, while Everett was at the babysitter, I listened to Ben Sollee’s album Learning to Bend three times in a row. I can’t decide which of the eleven songs is my favourite… they are all so different, original, intriguing. This one is delicately beautiful and sad – and somehow heartening at the same time. (The version on the album is even more stirring, with the violins.)
So, I highly recommend discovering Ben Sollee for yourself.
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