A Little Piece of Kentucky in Madrid!

On Tuesday, September 23, I woke up and began my usual morning routine here in Madrid.  I hit the snooze button on my alarm a couple of times, I joined Theresa and Maria in the kitchen for a breakfast of toast, strawberry jam, and crappy coffee, and I returned to my room to finish up my homework, get dressed for the day, and of course, check Facebook.  It was just an average Madrid day in the life of Sarah Nash until I saw a Facebook post that would change the trajectory of my night and of Theresa'a life (this is intentionally over-dramatic, but it's actually true).  What Facebook post did I see?  Well, it's rather simple actually.  Ben Sollee posted a picture with the caption, "Muchas Gracias Castellon!  What a fun show in such a beautiful space! #euroben14 Pic by Carlos Taberna."

These were my immediate thoughts...
"Castellon...I think that's a Spanish city."
(go to Google maps and search for Castellon)
"YES!  It is in Spain.  I wonder if Ben Sollee is touring around Spain right now...Wait!  I wonder if he will play a show in Madrid!"
(go to Google and search for Ben Sollee Tour)
"He does have a show here!  When is it?"
"September 23...That's...TONIGHT!  He's playing in Madrid tonight!!"
"You have to convince Theresa to come with you!"

So, I went to Theresa's door, knocked, and casually said, "Theresa, do you have any plans for tonight?"  Because Theresa and I have lived together for such a long time and because we are practically the same person, she responded with, "No, but I feel like you have an idea.  What's up?"  "DoYouWantToGoToAConecertTonightByAGuyNamedBenSolleeWhoIsACellistFromKentuckyAndIsReallyAmazing?" I blurted out.  "Uhh...sure!" Theresa responded with a smile on her face.

Things you should know about Ben Sollee:
1) He is an incredible musician and if you are unfamiliar with his music, don't worry, I attach some links to his songs later in this blog post.   He's an extraordinarily talented cellist who perfectly blends folk, bluegrass, jazz, and pop music together.  His music is truly one-of-a-kind.
2) HE'S FROM KENTUCKY!  And as most of you know, I love Kentucky.  In my completely unbiased opinion, Kentucky is the best state in the U.S.
3) He's a kick-ass activist.  He is extremely passionate about environmental issues, particularly mountaintop removal, and frequently tours on his bike...WITH A CELLO.  How freaking awesome is that!?

So, with Theresa on board, I followed the link from his website and tried to purchase two tickets.  After trying numerous times with numerous different debit cards and getting denied each time, I started to panic.  So I did what I usual do when I panic...I texted my mom.  She's incredible and agreed to purchase the tickets for us with her credit card.  She sent us the confirmation email and I printed out the tickets.  I was so incredibly excited that I listened to Ben Sollee on repeat for the rest of the day.

Sign inside of the club!

After another delicious dinner with Maria, Theresa and I started to get ready.  The name of the venue was The Moby Dick Club (so great!) and it was about a 30-minute metro ride from our apartment.  Because the directions looked fairly confusing, we decided to leave about an hour before the opening act to make sure that we got there on time.  Well, it was a good thing that we did because per usual, Theresa and I ended up extremely lost and just wandering around aimlessly.  Before we left the apartment, I used Google maps to screenshot the directions, but once we got off at the metro stop, we couldn't find a single street name that matched what my directions said.  We ended up walking about 10 minutes in the wrong direction, turning around, and walking back to the metro stop to reevaluate.  After talking for a few minutes, we decided to try a different route.  We walked through a couple massive intersections and around some roundabouts and somehow, miraculously ended up on the street that we needed to be on for about step 8 of our directions.  We both agreed that we must have been sprinkled with some kind of navigation and travel fairy-dust because we almost always end up where we need to be.  We followed the last couple of steps of the directions and appeared in front of The Moby Dick Club right before the opening act started.

Sef, the opening act, performing!

When we arrived, a friend Amanda from Sacred Heart (my high school) and SLU was also there and waiting outside.  We were both extremely excited that Ben Sollee was playing in Madrid and we decided that we were going to make sure that he knew we were from Kentucky by the end of the show.  The club itself was super great.  It was decorated like the interior of a ship with wooden floors and walls and anchors and sails everywhere.  The stage was to the left when you entered and there was standing room only.  The opening act, Sef, was extremely interesting.  He sang about half of his songs in Spanish and about half of them in English.  There was one song about a cat and at one point he just let out this long, loud, "MEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW" and I thought I was never going to stop laughing.  It was so incredibly random and strange.

Ben Sollee rocking out on his cello!

Because a couple of people went to the bar before Ben Sollee began his set, Theresa and I were able to wiggle our way into the center of the front row.  After just a few minutes, the beautiful person that is Ben Sollee walked out on stage (in Chacos!)  He began his show with the song, "Whole Lot to Give."  Listen to it.  Right now.  Here, I'll even give you the link so literally all you have to do is CLICK HERE!  I don't think I could even begin to put into words how much this song spoke to me.  It reminded me that I was exactly where I needed to be and challenged me to embrace the uncomfortableness and tension that I have been feeling since arriving in Madrid.  It encouraged me to continue to explore my life path and to answer with a resounding "YES!" when I figure out what my life's passion is and hear the call to answer it.

For Theresa, she says this song was a slap-in-the-face and a wake-up call to think about what really nourishes her and what she wants to spend the rest of her life doing.  I'm now thrilled to say that after a long discernment process, she has decided to switch her major from Physical Therapy to Theology so that she can follow her heart and live her dream of listening to people's stories, sharing her own, making tea and coffee, and crafting.  She is a beautifully bright light is this world of so much brokenness and suffering and I can't wait to continue to walk this journey of life with her.  She is such a blessing in my life and I can't wait to witness how she touches the lives of so many others as she embraces and pursues her life's call!  LOVE YOU.

Us at the concert!

Other Ben Sollee songs that you must listen to:
"Electrified" CLICK HERE
"A Few Honest Words" CLICK HERE
"A Change is Gonna Come" CLICK HERE
"Letting Go" CLICK HERE
Basically, all of them, but you can start off with the 5 that I have suggested in this blog (:

Us with Ben after the concert!

The concert was phenomenal and Amanda and I did get to tell him that we were from Kentucky!  At one point when he was talking between songs, he said, "I'm a singing cellist from Kentucky" and Amanda and I screamed.  His response was "Wow!  Maybe we have some people here from Kentucky!?  Or maybe we just have some people here who really like bourbon."  It was perfect.  We even got to meet him after the show which was incredible.  He's such a humble guy who seemed genuinely excited to talk about music and Kentucky with us after the show.  And he gives incredible hugs which was a bonus.  It was such a blessing for Ben Sollee to bring a little piece of Kentucky to Madrid.  It was a perfect night and I think it's safe to say that I am still on a little bit of a concert high as I write this blog post one month later.

Hugs from Madrid,
Sarah

Here's a video from the show!

"Electrified" by Ben Sollee