Ben Folds Five Digest

Issue #19 - January 19, 1996

 Date: Thu, 18 Jan 1996 00:39:41 -0800
 From: Jason Harper 
 Subject: Mailing List

Please put me on the Ben Folds Five mailing list.

Mailing address is:  CaseysIon@AOL.com

I found out about the band through a late night talk show (Conan 
O'Brian, I believe).  

Great band!  Original, unique, NEEDED!  When will we see BFF in Los 
Angeles?  

  [Jason, see further on down the page - a February show has just been 
announced.]

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 Date: Thu, 18 Jan 1996 07:07:14 -0800 (PST)
 From: Marc Nathan 
 Subject: Brownies...

...was packed to capacity (thanks in part to a major ticket buy from both 
Caroline and Sony/550), but those of us who braved the line to get in 
were truly rewarded with an excellent show. Brownies is a pit, and has a 
very low ceiling, so Ben wasn't gonna be climbing all over everything, 
but the energy level was good. 3 Lb. Thrill supported the date, and were 
not my cup of tea. Not really sure where they position themselves... 
certainly not "alternative", not too "Southern" (they're from Atlanta), 
but I did hear a song or two that caught my ear (though one was because 
it was a note for note ripoff of "All The Young Dudes" during the chorus.)
So, Ben opened with "Best Imitation Of Myself," without the major posing 
he did at the Universal Amphitheatre last month...I was kinda bummed, and 
ripped through a 17-18 song set including most of the album and a few new 
tracks...and of course, "Song For The Dumped" and the "Video Killed The 
Radio Star" encore. All in all, he had the crowd with him for the entire 
set, and no matter how many record company weasels papered the house, it 
felt like everyone was a fan, and would have been there even if they 
weren't trying to impress their bosses ;)

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 Date: 18 Jan 96 14:11:04 
 From: Pat Meusel 
 Subject: BF5 & 3LB & semantics (again)

Hey Frank:

Here's a post I sent previously that I haven't seen in the digest - unless 
maybe you edit stuff you think is irrelevant.  Let me know regardless.

the previously sent post reads:

just a note to say that the boys will be in nashville on feb. 6th at the 
Exit/In.  They came through here back in nov. and I must say it was a lovely 
sweaty insane religious 18> experience.  bonus!  i just read in billboard that 
3LB Thrill is on the road with them from jan. 12 thru feb 20.  Their new record 
Vulture is on the Sony dist. (Brendan O'Brien run) 57 Records through 550 Music.

a little trivia:  their name before BF5?  Jody's Power Bill.  different rhythm 
section tho.  this was right after ben played keys with the semantics that Jen 
mentioned in issue 13.  semantics recorded an album for geffen in 94 (ringo's 
kid zak played drums) that never came out cause the promotion people didn't 
know what category to put it in - not alternative enough for alt. radio, not 
pop enough for pop radio (radio promotion:  car salesmen in the music biz).  
there was talk about a sony japan release of semantics demos (some superior to 
the geffen tracks, IMHO) but that was squashed again by the bigshits in charge.

anyway, its great to see ben slammin the ivories across clubland and getting 
the attention he deserves.

PM
Nashvegas

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 Date: Thu, 18 Jan 96 20:55:01 -0800
 From: DREAMER 
 Subject: BFF tour dates


Just want to let you know that BFF will be playing the TROUBADOUR in Los 
Angeles on February 19.

My wife and I have seen them three times here in L.A., Twice in small 
clubs, and once at the Universal Amphitheatre. The club shows were better, 
 especially because they were the opening act at Universal, and weren't 
given a soundcheck. To their credit, they still managed an entertaining 
performance despite the feedback, bad sound mix and poor miking. (Suzanne 
Vega got screwed that night, too.)

Eric Kurland
ejkdreamer@mci.newscorp.com

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I suppose in a club with a low ceiling it's a little difficult to stand up
on the piano. I think he tried it when they played the Shelter, which is
in the basement of another club, in Detroit last fall. Thanks for the
Brownie's writeup. I just got my New Yorker today with the listing of the
show, and I think they used the same copy as when they were in NY last.
I've heard a little about Three Pound Thrill, some good, some indifferent.
We'll get a chance to hear them next week. 

Thanks, Eric, for the LA date. I suspect that, if LA is set, other west 
coast dates are probably established, too. If anyone in the west or south 
hears of any, let us know.

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