Ben Sollee Concert

The Good and Evil Party in the Park:
A free performance to follow Midnight Garden Ride Sat Sept 3

Classically trained pop cellist Ben Sollee and his band will headline a concert in Forsyth Park on Sept. 3 at 9 p.m., following the Third Annual Midnight Garden Ride. The concert, a co-production of the Savannah Bicycle Campaign (SBC) and Savannah Stopover, is free, but registration is required for the ride, which is SBC’s primary fundraiser.  A limited number of stagefront VIP seats are available.

Sollee attracted national attention with his debut album “Learning to Bend” in 2008 and in 2010 embarked on his Ditch the Van tour during which he and his band mates toured the country by bicycle. A previous tour by bicycle included a stop in Savannah organized by SBC in December 2009. Sollee also performed at the 2008 Savannah Music Festival as part of the Sparrow Quartet, featuring Bela Fleck. His latest recording, “Inclusions,” was released this year and described by Paste magazine as “exploring post-modern jazz one minute and simple folk the next, with gospel themes running up the spine. It’s a surprising and rewarding journey…”

Cheyenne Marie Mize will open the post-ride show.  Mize has collaborated with Sollee in the past and will be familiar to local audiences from her performance at the 2011 Savannah Stopover Festival. Her latest recording, “Before Lately,” was released on SonaBLAST records in 2010.  Local artists General Oglethorpe and the Panhandlers will play leading up to the ride, starting at around 7pm.

“The Midnight Garden Ride has grown in size every year and expanding it to include live music from notable performers is particularly exciting for us,” said Savannah Bicycle Campaign Chairman Drew Wade. “We are grateful for the support of many wonderful sponsors, and in particular our presenting sponsor Michelob Ultra. We invite everyone to join us on the ride and for the concert in Forsyth Park.”