Ben Sollee - If You're Going To Lead My Country

Ben Sollee - A Change is Gonna Come Ben Sollee Tour Dates 05/22/08 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA* 05/23/08 Deerfields Amp Horseshoe, NC* 05/24/08 Deerfields Amp Horseshoe, NC* 05/25/08 DFest-Grandstand Cumberland,MD* 05/27/08 Sellersville Theatre Sellersville, PA* 05/29/08 Battery Park New York* 05/30/08 Empire Ctr @ Egg Albany, NY* 05/31/08 Iron Horse Northampton, MA* 06/03/08 Red Light Atlanta, GA 06/04/08 The Basement Nashville, TN 06/05/08 Uncommon Grounds Chicago, IL 06/07/08 Old Town School of  Chicago, IL* 06/08/08 The Bluebird Bloomington, IN 06/11/08 Headliners Louisville, KY 06/12/08 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN 06/13/08 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN 06/14/08 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN 06/15/08 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN 06/16/08 Grimey’s Nashville, TN 06/16/08 The Basement Nashville, TN 06/25/08 Wolf Trap Farm Park Vienna, WV* 06/27/08 Paramount Charlottesville, VA* 06/28/08 Troubadour West Hollywood, CA* 06/29/08 SoHo Music Club SBarbara, CA* 06/30/08 Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach, CA* 07/03/08 High Sierra Music Fest Quincy, CA* 07/10/08 L Sup Chautauqua Bayfield, WI* 07/11/08 Winnipeg Folk Fest Winnipeg, MB* 07/13/08 Vancouver Is  Vancouver, BC* 07/14/08 Benaroya Hall Seattle, WA* 07/17/08 Boarding House Park Lowell, MA* 07/18/08 Grey Fox Ancramdale, NY* 07/19/08 Vancouver Folk  Vancouver, BC* 07/20/08 Vancouver Folk  Vancouver, BC* 07/26/08 RockyGrass Festival Lyons, CO* 07/27/08 Calgary Folk Music Calgary, AB* 08/01/08 Kaslo Bay Park-Music Kaslo, BC* 08/03/08 Dunegrass Empire, MI* 08/08/08 Grand Targhee Alta, WY* 08/09/08 Edmonton Folk Edmonton, AB* 08/10/08 Regina Folk Festival Regina, SK* 08/13/08 US Embassy  Chaoyang, Beijing* 08/21/08 US Embassy Chaoyang, Beijing* 08/27/08 Waterfront Park Louisville, KY 08/29/08 Moe Down Turin, NY* 09/11/08 Memorial Hall Chapel Hill, NC* 09/13/08 Dominican UniPAC River Forest, IL* 09/20/08 Miami of Ohio Hamilton, OH* 10/01/08 Fisher Center Woodstock, NY 10/02/08 Town Crier Cafe Pawling, NY* 10/04/08 Flynn Theatre Burlington, VT* 10/17/08 Ferst Center for the Arts Atlanta,GA* 10/19/08 Lake Eden Arts Black Mountain,NC* *with the Sparrow Quartet Discography [May 2008] Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet [May 2008] If You're Going To Lead My Country (EP) [Jun 2008] Learning to Bend

 

When not playing in Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet, you can find cellist Ben Sollee releasing solo material and it looks like he's permanently on tour. Abigail Washburn's album was just released last Tuesday, May 20^th, which I actually don't have a review copy, but they look like an Americana / bluegrassy-type of band (especially with that banjo).

You can buy Ben Sollee's If You're Going To Lead My Country 2-track EP for 10 Pepsi Points (which I bought this morning using said points). The two tracks are "A Change is Gonna Come" and "A Few Honest Words". Both songs will appear on his debut album, Learning To Bend to be released on June 10^th, which we are going to review here on W♥M.

Sollee talks about the political EP title and about his Sam Cooke's cover:

It's time...time for new leadership in this country. In my travels I've had conversations with all the demographics and they too, regardless of political affiliation, believe it's time for a change. My mind is consumed with the potential that is ahead of us all and this new EP, if you're gonna lead my country..., is not meant to criticize, but rather inspire. One of my musical and personal heroes, Sam Cooke envisioned change for his race, and in my adaptation of his song 'A Change is Gonna Come' I envision it for our country and global community.

If You're Going To Lead My Country was just released on May 12^th, look for Learning To Bend sometime in early June.

Links: myspace.com/bensollee myspace.com/abigailwashburn