Results tagged “Ben Sollee” from Live Like This

If Ben Sollee's recent makeup show for his canceled appearance at the Rhythm N' Blooms festival in April wasn't enough, or you couldn't make it, or you wanted to get paid back with interest, Sollee is indeed coming back again. He'll be performing at the Bijou Theatre on Friday, July 23, with Daniel Martin Moore and Yim Yames (otherwise known as Jim James) of My Morning Jacket. The three are touring together in support of the 2009 Sub Pop album Dear Companion. Part of the proceeds from the tour will benefit Appalachian Voices.

From the Sub Pop press release:

Dear Companion was born when Sollee stumbled upon Moore's music early in 2009. Both singer-songwriters were especially united in their concern about mountaintop removal coal mining (MTR), a form of coal mining that is devastating the land and culture of Central and Southern Appalachia. They set out to create a five-song EP that would raise awareness about the issue. When Yames, also an outspoken opponent of MTR, came aboard at Sollee's invitation, he knew that the friends had something special, so he suggested they expand the project to a full album. Released on Sub Pop Records in February 2010, Dear Companion explores their ties to the home they love and aims to draw attention to the problem of mountaintop removal coal mining and its impact on the people and heritage of Appalachia.

Today's First Friday, so there's art, box wine, and fruit-and-cheese plates all over downtown. There's plenty more to do this weekend, though. Here are some highlights:



• Wendy Williams, the AVN Transsexual Performer of the Year for 2009, will be signing autographs at Rainbow Video in North Knoxville today at 5 p.m. Jesse Fox Mayshark interviewed Williams for this week's issue.

• The John Myers Band, led by the local veteran R&B singer John Myers (above), is performing at Knoxville Museum of Art's Alive After Five series at 6 p.m. The show is free. Jack Neely profiled Myers in 2007, and I reviewed his new CD this week.

• Royal Bangs play at Barley's Taproom tonight, with former Bang Brandon Biondi's band Coolrunnings--whose remix of Twin Sister's "All Around and Away We Go" was featured on Pitchfork earlier this week--opening.

• The Night of 1,000 Dollys, an annual celebration of all things Dolly, moves to Club XYZ in Happy Holler tonight. The party includes biggest hair, biggest boobs, and Dolly look-alike contests and late-night Dolly-themed drag shows. It's 21 and up and admission is $3, unless you have a Dollywood season pass or ticket stub, in which case you get in free. 

• Local "anti-pop" stars Hudson K celebrate the release of their debut album, Shine, at the new Relix Variety Theatre in Downtown North, on Central Street, on Saturday night at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10, which includes a copy of the disc. Janet Jay interviewed Hudson K singer/pianist/songwriter Christina Horn this week. 

• Cellist/singer/songwriter Ben Sollee, whose scheduled headlining performance at last month's Dogwood Arts Rhythm N' Blooms festival was canceled when volcanic ash stuck Sollee in Sweden, will hold a makeup performance at the Knoxville Botanical Garden on Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25-$75. The expensive seats include a reception with Sollee. Discounts are available for Rhythm N' Blooms passholders. Jack Neely interviewed Sollee here. 

It didn't take long for the organizers of the Rhythm N' Blooms festival to reschedule cellist/singer/songwriter Ben Sollee, whose scheduled appearance at the festival a couple of weeks ago was canceled by volcanic ash.

According to this post from Knox Blab, Sollee will play at the Knoxville Botanical Garden on Sunday, May 9, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $26.50-$75 (there's a special VIP package available), but Rhythm N' Blooms passholders get a discount--$12.50 general admission, $35 for the VIP pass.

The Dogwood Arts Festival's Rhythm N' Blooms Festival is officially underway--it started with the Blue Plate Special at the Square Room this afternoon--but the real kickoff is this evening at Market Square with 18 South and 6 Mile Express, accompanied by shows at Remedy Coffee and the Crown & Goose in the Old City.

Tomorrow and Sunday are the big days, though. The Square Room, the Bijou Theatre, and Barley's Taproom have dozens of performances scheduled from early afternoon until after midnight, and there are also sets at Preservation Pub and back at Remedy. Highlights for tomorrow include Pokey LaFarge, Yarn, Samantha Crain, the Dixie Bee-Liners, the Drunk Uncles, Dawn Landes and the Hounds, Medford's Black Record Collection, Brendon James Wright and the Wrongs, Taylor Brown, Kevin Hyfantis, the Songbirds, and Cutthroat Shamrock.

Sunday's big shows are at the Knoxville Botanical Garden in East Knoxville, with headlining sets by Ben Sollee (below) and Daniel Martin Moore and Carrie Rodriguez. The Black Lillies are also among the bands performing there. You can also catch Sollee at Remedy at 3 p.m. R.B. Morris and Hector Qirko are playing at the University of Tennessee Garden off Neyland Drive at 5 p.m.



 

Weekend passes are available for $40; there are no single-event tickets. Ticket info and a full schedule are available here.

Photo by M.T. Flatley

Last year the Dogwood Arts Festival's Rhythm N' Blooms festival was a catch-all designation for a bunch of regularly scheduled concerts that took place all around downtown during the month of April. This year, the festival's grown into a real, three-day, multi-venue festival with a big-time lineup of local, regional, and national Americana acts, topped by two performances by Ben Sollee and a set by Carrie Rodriguez. More than 40 acts, including locals R.B. Morris and Hector Qirko, the Black Lillies, Medford's Black Record Collection, the Drunk Uncles, Taylor Brown, the Songbirds, the Black Cadillacs, and Kevin Hyfantis, have been announced so far, with more to come.

The festival is scheduled for April 16-18 at the Bijou Theatre, the Square Room, the University of Tennessee Gardens, Remedy Coffee, the Knoxville Botanical Garden, Barley's Taproom, Preservation Pub, the Crown & Goose, and Market Square.

Passes for the festival are $40.