PHOTOS: Ben Sollee @ Preservation Hall – 10/27/11

Ben Sollee @ Preservation Hall | 10/28/11 - Photo by Wesley Hodges

Ben Sollee kicked off his 4th-ever bike tour last night in Preservation Hall, playing an intimate set alongside his percussionist Jordon Ellis to a crowd of roughly 100 folks inside the hallowed French Quarter room. They were joined early on by Tao Seeger and Pres Hall band leader Ben Jaffe. Sollee expressed his gratitude and excitement to be playing in such a historic room almost any chance he got, while playing at a tempo and volume that was in keeping with the general, unspoken sonic policies for the venue – just loud enough to hear every scratch on the cello, key change, box tap and vocal adjustment clear as a bell. The set included a cover of Tom Waits’ “Chocolate Jesus”, a number of new tunes from his 2011 LP Inclusions including “Electrified” and “The Globe” and closed out the hour-and-a-half performance with a cover of Paul Simon’s “Obvious Child”. Continue on for a photo gallery from the show.