SOLLEE SHINING This cycling cellist has brought a whole new meaning to the words “road tour”

the Bonaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee, where he performed in 2009, Sollee has since done six bike/ tours totaling some 5,000 miles of self-supported touring, having “a lot of fun along the way.”

An interdisciplinary life In the YouTube video, Sollee performs his song, “Letting Go,” which he wrote for the soundtrack of Killing Season, a 2013 movie starring Robert DeNiro and John Travolta. Sollee, 33, has put together a musical career that combines performing in venues ranging from coffee shops to Bonaroo along with scoring music for film and television. He began touring when he was 17 years old. BY DAN D’AMBROSIO “When I’m not doing that, I’m doing design projects with theater and ballet

shows,” Sollee said. “When I’m not ROBERTSON TOM Ben Sollee amid the packed house at Adventure Cycling’s 40th anniversary in 2016. doing that, I’m doing experimental things like creating music apps.” Sollee calls it an “interdisciplinary YouTube video of cellist/singer home in Louisville, Kentucky. “Like life,” adding that it’s sometimes hard to Ben Sollee playing at Deep End a lot of touring artists, I spent a lot of tell his story because he’s involved in so A Ranch in Santa Paula, California, time jumping on planes, trains, and many different things. Bike touring has includes about as good a description of automobiles, flying over nice places I been a big part of that story, Sollee said. his unique musicianship as anything never see.” “It’s much easier to be centered when you’re likely to find. After years of intense touring, Sollee you’re traveling and you have to put In the caption accompanying wanted to change things up. When he energy into moving,” he said. “There’s the video (https://youtu.be/ saw an advertisement for Xtracycle, something about traveling under your zBW0ScWx0P4), Sollee is described as the proverbial light bulb went off in own speed and energy that creates a “genre-bending cellist and his head. Xtracycle is a cargo bicycle affection around where you’re playing who combines classical artistry with invented by Ross Evans, who went to and who you’re playing for. As artists, bluegrass and pop.” Sollee, the caption Nicaragua while studying engineering we spend so much time outputting, it’s continues, has created “a unique and and came up with a bike to help poor important to consider inputting. Part of infectious take on .” farmers get their produce to market. that is slowing down. For me a bike does Sollee, who was invited to perform Ross brought his idea back to that.” at Adventure Cycling Association’s 40th California and created a niche in the Once he committed to becoming a anniversary extravaganza last summer bike market. Xtracycle offers a long touring cellist/cyclist, Sollee set about in Missoula, is unique in another way. “tail” that bolts onto a conventional finding the perfect instrument for the He is probably the world’s only genre- frame to make it possible to carry up to purpose. He wouldn’t use the cello made bending cellist and songwriter who likes 250 pounds of cargo on a real bike with especially for him by Guy Rabut, the to tour not by bus, van, or airplane, but quality construction and components. New York City violin maker and one of by bicycle. “It occurred to me I could haul my the most respected luthiers in the U.S. “It’s always been a little bit of an cello,” Sollee said. “I wanted to travel — Sollee has that cello insured for about experiment and continues to be so,” from Kentucky to Bonaroo.” $64,000. Sollee said in an interview from his Beginning with that first trip to The perfect cello for the open road

62 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2017 turned out to be an early 1940s Kay a pitch-perfect croon. Sollee closed out but I have way more fun,” Sollee said. made from plywood, widely considered his Tiny Desk Concert with an a cappella “That will remain true until we have a student instrument. performance together with a violist and a paradigm shift in how people travel, “It’s the same as what I played when a drummer who taps on a wooden box. which is to say once we’re all paying the I was nine years old,” Sollee said. “I The trio strike remarkable real cost of fuel, people will be really bought it off eBay for 200 bucks.” harmonies in a song called “Inclusion,” considerate of how far they’re traveling But Sollee didn’t stop there — he which includes the line, “Well, there’s and what path they’re taking.” needed a sturdy and waterproof case water on the moon, there will be a he could trust. He spent $3,000 on a private rocket ship heading there soon.” Google doesn’t cut it custom case made by an English builder, The lyric gives some insight into When he first began touring and Alan Stevenson, who makes cases for Sollee’s progressive attitude toward performing, Sollee was unaware of some of the great orchestras in the society and success — and what exactly Adventure Cycling Association and world. The end result was just the ticket it is we should be striving for in life. relied on Google Maps to route his for a cycling cellist. This is where cycling comes in again. tours. “Since nobody makes a rock-and- “Bike tours were just a general lesson “We quickly realized the knowledge roll cello, I had to get creative,” Sollee in how to find value in things other than about sustainable riding roads around said. “This economics,” Sollee said. the country was not kept on Google, WATCH SOLLEE PLAY plywood The usual metrics for touring — of and was really kept by the people who ADVENTURE CYCLING’S cello off the musical variety — are to go where had gone out and ridden,” Sollee said. 40TH ANNIVERSARY AT of eBay the money is and to pack in dates as “When we started looking around, there YOUTU.BE/MJ-BLKZ_PL0 kind of densely as possible to generate the most was only one organization that had put rides like value. people out in an objective way to create a truck. It’s very rugged. I had a luthier “On a bicycle tour, you just can’t do maps and routes and lobby for routes to build it to play like my nice cello. The that,” Sollee said. “You can only travel as become official, and that was Adventure result is amazing — a super nice-playing fast and as far as your body will let you.” Cycling.” instrument that can take a beating.” On his Xtracycle, Sollee shoots for That said, Sollee is clear about the playing smaller shows every 40 or 50 demands of riding the open road with Follow the money? miles instead of one big show every 300 his juiced-up cello. As a songwriter, Sollee is remarkably miles. “At the end of the day, it’s not a intellectual and experimental. His song “That changes the formula of how recreational bike tour. It’s a commercial “The Globe,” for example, is about the you tour,” Sollee explained. “Instead bike tour,” he said. famous Globe Theatre in London where of being in rock clubs, you’re in cafés. Sollee sometimes has to explain to many of Shakespeare’s plays were first Instead of listening rooms, you’re in people that he simply doesn’t have time performed. When he learned that the a bookseller. It causes me as an artist to ride the beautiful country road over Globe had burned down in 1613, Sollee to be more involved in community the mountains. He has to get to the next wrote this song about “some frustrated and more creative in how we present show. lover boy burning the thing down.” shows.” Right now, Sollee doesn’t have In his Tiny Desk Concert on NPR, The end result, said Sollee, is a show another bike/cello tour on the books. Sollee performed several songs, often that connects with people in a deep way He has an obligation to his wife and with the camera tightly focused on his but doesn’t make as much money. young son, he said. face. His clear and melodious voice has “I tell people when I tour by bike, I remarkable range from a near growl to spend twice the time for half the money, CONTINUED ON PAGE 73

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 63 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 63 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 65 could have filmed the looks they gave each D’AMBROSIO: SOLLEE SHINING WEIR: BIKE TRAVELER MAINTENANCE other as they shared their answers. An hour “I generally think you live on the means Do you want to pedal your bike across later they had changed not only how far that you have, but I do think it’s hard to the country (or around the world) to test they were going to travel but where they justify, as an independent businessman and your physical limits? To experience other were going to travel as well. as a family man with a son and wife, to tell cultures and religions? To spend time It is best to ask yourself this question them, ‘Hey I’m going to devote this much alone? To commune with nature? To have before you plan a trip, but it’s just as time to being gone and it’s only going to an excuse to drink more beer? important to keep answering it while on make this much money,’ when I could There are no wrong answers. And the road. You’d be surprised how often spend the time making more money,” those answers will help you avoid making those answers change. What begins as a Sollee said. “That’s a difficult thing to tell disastrous decisions that can ruin a trip. journey of endurance may end up as a slow your family even if it’s something you Those answers and the insights they reveal crawl of service and discovery. really believe in.” are exponentially more important if you The long-term bike travelers I’ve met Sollee believes the future of his are touring with a friend, partner, or group. whom I admire most all have a common performing bike tours will probably rely on Do you consider time off the bike trait — a love for the simple pleasures of sponsorships. In the meantime, Sollee is wasted? Great! Then day after day of travel and the ability to embrace change. riding with his nine-year-old son, Oliver, to century rides with one day off every other So keep asking yourself “Why am I bike school every day, rain or shine. week is fine. But if you want to rub elbows touring?” while giving yourself permission “The biggest prize of all with this with locals, spend time in art galleries, and to change your mind and your plans. I hope bicycling is being able to pass along to him hear local music, you are going to be sorely you can use one or more of the functions of the value in just slowing down,” Sollee said. disappointed. my bike traveler maintenance kit. “I think that’s the biggest lesson I try to I was advising a couple who were Thank you for your time. You may now spread. It’s not about being green or even planning their first big trip. They came go back to surfing the web for the ultimate sustainable. It’s about slowing down and with a spreadsheet filled with information: touring tire. accepting the limitations of riding as far route, schedule, estimates of road expenses, and fast as your body can carry you, and mileage per day, etc. When I asked them Willie Weir is a longtime contributing writer for that’s a good thing.” why they wanted to go on a bike trip, they Adventure Cyclist. Want to read five more tips both looked at me as if I was insane. One to keep adventure in your bike touring? Check out this gem from the Adventure Cyclist archives: Dan D’Ambrosio is a contributing writer for said, “What do you mean by that?” I wish I adventurecycling.org/keepingitadventurous. Adventure Cyclist.

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