How Musicians Tour Green: Ditch The Van
Ben Sollee has taken up a great and interesting experiment; he wants to see if a non-athletic musician (himself) can take up a self-supported national bikecycle music tour and not just survive it, but do well at it. He and his mates are carrying all of their own gear on their bikes and are doing their best to put on “sustainable, community oriented events.” Ben is carrying 60 pounds of gear and plays the cello. No small task. This journey, spanning 18 events, is rightfully called the Ditch the Van Tour.
At a time when headliners like Korn attempted to make a statement earlier this summer by swearing off BP-owned gas stations, in the advent of the oil spill, Ben is bucking the trend entirely by getting on his bike and playing live shows.
Ditch the Van Bike Tour – Chapter 1 from marty benson on Vimeo.
Story Source: SoundCtrl
Image Source: Coastal Georgia Greenway
Great stunt! Some hippie rapper more ambitious than myself should jump on this, too. I’m sure this will get him mentioned in media around the world.
This was done this fall by Aaron Scott, a solo guy who goes under the name Attica! Attica! The real bummer is that this dude has used the EXACT same name for the tour. Either he has ESP or he’s biting pretty hard:
http://ditchthevan.blogspot.com/
The Ditty Bops did a cross country bike tour in 2006.
http://www.thedittybopsbiketour.blogspot.com/
I’d like to see some train tours. It’s not a new idea, but hasn’t been much in recent decades.
I helped organize a bicycle music festival here in Prague, but they have them in many cities. Check out The Pleasant Revolution Tour, they went across country, and now Europe. Nice way to get fans involved by pedaling the bike powered sound system. Hopefully ditch the van gets some nice momentum.
Very stoked for Ben, esp. since he’s a Louisville artist (what an awesome town)! However, didn’t Blind Pilot do this from Seattle to San Diego a couple years ago? Just 2 guys on bicycles – and if I’m not mistaken, one of them was towing an upright bass.
@Suzanne et al, My upcoming West Coast Tour I am doing solo via bicycle, train, bus. Also I am carrying a 2 lb portable bike rack to strap on to the back of the occasional car as I perform from Vancouver, BC, Canada to Southern California starting October 7, 2010. http://musicandes.com/
So, how do I spread the word, like this cellist has?