Ben Sollee - Inclusions (2011)

A very special thanks to DJ 2nd Nature and DL Jones for their generous time and creative energy helping to crack the code on what Inclusions was to become.

This record embodies the people, places, and things of my life. Whether intentional or incidental, their inclusion has come to define much of whom I am. So, I could very easily give thanks to everyone who has ever been a part of my life in any way. But today, now, in this tiny space I must thank my manager and friend, Jeffrey Smith, for being the first to believe in this project. Thanks to my Jedi-like producer, Duane Lundy, for his unique vision capturing and sculpting the sound of Inclusions and to his assistant Mike Burress. Thanks to Phillip March Jones for his friendship and brilliant artwork. Thanks to my mentor and big brother, Jon Rieger, for his unwavering support. Thanks to Katie Benson for her faith and tenacity in this and other projects. Thanks to Marianne and Jim Welch for their encouragement and for letting a cellist bang around on their piano. Thanks to Dr. Campbell for sharing his wonderful timpani with us for “I Need.” Thanks to all the folks at Crash Avenue Publicity and Thirty Tigers for helping tell the story of this music. And, deeply, thank you to my wife, Caitlin, for giving so much to my art and family.

A special thanks to the musicians of Inclusions for their time and creativity: Jordon Ellis, Harry Pickens, Cheyenne Mize, Emily Hagihara, Kevin Ratterman, Justin Craig, Scott Wilmoth, and Jacob Duncan.