On Tuesday night, Ben Sollee brought his cello by the studio to help us out on a couple of songs. Chances are you haven’t heard of Ben. But you will.

This June, Ben will be releasing his first solo national release - “Learning to Bend.” If you buy one record this year, buy “Learning to Bend.”

(Well, if you buy one record this year, buy ours. But if you buy two records…hmmm…ok, buy two of ours. But if you buy three records, buy two of ours and one of Ben’s. Deal? Oh who am I kidding. No one buys records anymore.)

I have to admit, I’m biased. I love the cello. There is a richness - a depth to it - that I don’t think you can get from any other instrument. But Ben is special. He brings an inspired grace to the cello unlike anything I’ve ever heard. He’s classically trained but grew up listening to bluegrass and soul - giving him a unique voice that combines the best of both worlds.

But cello is not the reason that “Learning to Bend” is so good. Ultimately, an album lives and dies on the strength of its songs - and “Learning to Bend” is fantastic from start to finish. It somehow manages to cover every musical style under the sun without once making you think about it. Soul. Bluegrass. Country. Rock. Folk. Pop. Classical. Blues. Jazz. It’s seamless. Lyrically it’s wide-ranging as well - covering love, politics, society, and religion in a way that both inspires you and makes you want to dance. I’ve been listening to “Learning to Bend” since December and I discover something new every time I put it in. That, more than anything else, is the hallmark of a great record.

(For the last few years Ben has also been a member of the renowned Sparrow Quartet (with Abigail Washburn, Bela Fleck, and Casey Driessen) and it’s taken him all over the world. From Tennessee to Texas to Tibet - and plenty of other locations that begin with the other 25 letters of the alphabet. Their new album comes out in May. Yeah, it’s going to be a busy year for Ben.)

It was a thrill for us to have Ben in the studio - not just because we’re fans of his music, but because he’s a very nice guy. Completely unassuming. Someone you feel instantly comfortable around.

But the main reason it was a thrill was because he made our music better. That’s what you want from a guest musician. Bringing someone in can be difficult. Obviously, you have a set song and set idea of what you are looking for, but you also want to allow the guest to put their spin on it. Their own creative stamp. You have to find a delicate balance in direction and freedom. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but more often than not it does.

With Ben - it most certainly worked. (Mainly because we said, “Here’s the track Ben. Go nuts.") We recorded him on two songs: “Game” and “Taj.” ("Taj” is just a working title by the way). On the former, he gave us exactly what we were looking for - more depth on the bridge and a third “voice” to add to a very simple guitar/vocal duet. On the latter - his parts were so good that it made us re-approach the song - to the point that we are going to re-record some guitars in order to fit what Ben is doing on cello. He brought a playfulness to the chorus and the outtro that we had just not yet been able to nail.

At one point on “Taj” Ben came up with a ridiculously complex line going into the chorus and I told him that I would buy him a doughnut if he could pull it off in three tries. He flubbed the first attempt badly. On the second try he nailed the intro line - but got a little too cocky (he mouthed, “Where is my doughnut?” to me from the tracking room) and botched the actual chorus. But the third time was perfection. The kind of moment where your knees get weak because it’s so good.

I’ll buy him the doughnut. And you should buy the record. (But remember, buy two of ours first. Actually, now that I think of it - his record is going to come out before ours. So, you can buy his record as long as you pinky swear to buy two of ours when it is released. Deal?)

R
rob@themuckrakers.com

4 guys in a studio last night.

There is a shortage of perfect days in the world. It would be a pity to waste one.

Yesterday was one of those perfect days. Absolutely gorgeous. Not too cool and not too warm. A nice little breeze. A few clouds in an otherwise pristine blue sky.

Two choices:

1. Go sit in our windowless studio and slowly turn into mole-people.
2. Head to the building’s courtyard and enjoy the beautiful day.

Yeah. Brian and I grabbed a guitar and went to the courtyard. A beautiful little enclosed open-air slice of cobblestone heaven smack dab in the middle of Bakery Square. Dave met us a couple of hours later too. We worked on lyrics - but we also talked. And laughed. And just enjoyed the evening.

(Micah stayed inside because…well…Micah is a vampire. Subsequently, he has to avoid the sun. He wears black a lot. Garlic gives him “headaches.” His family is from Lithuania - which is really close to Romania. He turns into a bat. And one time I caught him trying to eat Dave when Dave was sleeping. Ok…ok…he’s not technically a vampire (though I still have my suspicions). He stayed in the studio to work on some edits.)

It was one of those nights that you tend to forget about. That gets pushed aside in your memory by all the other stuff because it’s much much easier to dwell on the negatives. The arguments. The frustrations. You forget the good moments.

So last night I got to hang out with two of my best friends in a beautiful courtyard on a beautiful evening. And I’m going to make a point to remember that.

Oh…and we finally finished the lyrics that have had us in fits for months. But that was just icing on the proverbial cake.

R
rob@themuckrakers.com