Ben Sollee w/ Susy Sun
Barboza, Seattle, WA
08.17.16
In the pleasantly-Arctic freeze of Barboza’s air-conditioning, the room aglow in red and gold, Seattlites gathered for a stripped-down showcase of two unique voices. Opening the night, classically-trained pianist and poetic singer-songwriter Susy Sun offered a set of her introspective, vulnerable work. Having recently moved to LA, the Seattle-bred artist was testing out some new work, and palling with friends.
Between her new songs, like “Pine Tree Eyes,” and the heartbreak of “You Let Go,” Sun sandwiched sentimental covers of Smokey Robinson’s “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” Sun noted that she was used to playing an actual piano, rather than the portable keyboard that she was using, and it was clear both through her movements and tuning that was the case. Stretching from high octaves to barely a whisper, her vocals add the emotive layer to dreamy instrumentation.
Headliner Ben Sollee finally took the stage, accompanied by a fantastic drummer, and began his set with “Learn to Listen.” The crowd quickly thickened in front of the stage for the singer/cellist/composer, and his good vibes personality and banter didn’t hurt. After the first song, he noted that there was another performance happening upstairs at Neumos, in honor of Michael Jackson’s birthday, “But what you don’t know is we’re about to break into Michael jams.” And then the actually do, with an impressive (but short) medley of instrumentation.
The artist, known for his genre-bending original compositions, compels his cello into everything from folk and bluegrass to anthemic pop-rock, with storytelling lyrical turns. There’s “Captivity,” a track written on the back porch with a busker he met on the train, all about train life, that slides from bluegrass to pop riffs with ease. Sollee’s playing is precise but not precious, and you can tell that he has a real adoration and appreciation for his chosen instrument.
“How to See the Sun Rise” goes from deep blues to a wailing soul record, with drums as inventive as the string-work,” and then Sollee brought Sun back out to assist on some harmony for the bluegrass-folk of “Prettiest Tree On The Mountain,” one of his fan favorites. The night was a great showcase of what Sollee can offer, and his fans are definitely dedicated to his work.
Ben Sollee Set List
Learn to Listen
Something, Somewhere, Sometime
Captivity
Whole Lot To Give
Sunrise
Prettiest Tree On The Mountain
It’s Not Impossible (Boys Don’t Cry)
The Globe
The Healer
Letting Go
DIY
Few Honest Words
Steeples
Electrified
Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Phillip Johnson
Ben Sollee
Susy Sun
