Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #25 - January 29, 1996
Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #25
Topics for Today:
Re: Ben Folds Five
Underground turning off younguns
The 5 in Providence last December.
Intro
RE: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #24
answering my own BF5 questions.
Chicago BFF
To the day when we'll live in a video...
[Notes from the moderator: Pontiac show, video, interview, etc.]
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Date: Thu, 25 Jan 1996 20:56:02 -0800
From: nicole sandler
Subject: Re: Ben Folds Five
Frank,
Glad you have been able to hear BFF on KSCA. We do have a KSCA page at
http://ksca.com Now that I know there is a BFF page, we'll put a link to
it. The links are under the Music Hall section, under Music Hall Archives.
It's a list of all the bands who have performed in the station, and links
to those who have them.
I look forward to reading your digest. I actually heard about it from the
band's manager! (In case you hadn't heard the latest word, the band has
officially been signed by Sony/550 Music. So their next release will get
the major label-type promotion and backing!)
Nicole
KSCA on line at http://ksca.com
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Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 01:56:21 -0500 (EST)
From: matthew larkin mondlock
Subject: Underground turning off younguns
To whom it was that stated:
>>Have all the younguns been turned off by the bitter "Underground"?
Don't worry about it. I'm 19 and I think I'm the only person under 20 on
this earth that actually *listens* to lyrics anyway. If other young
people heard the song, I'm sure they weren't offended because, chances
are, they only listened because they could dance to it. BTW: Any big
XTC or Jellyfish fans on the list???
Matt Mondlock mmondloc@indiana.edu
"You take any dumb rock band and start playing their songs on piano and
watch their eyes light up."
-Ben Folds
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Date: Fri, 26 Jan 96 14:14:24 EST
From: Chris
Subject: The 5 in Providence last December.
Hey-
I saw Ben Folds 5 in Providence on Dec 5th, and let me say it wasa very
unique concert. The concert was put on by the local radio station, 95.5
WBRU. It was there "Hipster Holiday Bash." The combination of bands were
very unique. The opener was Micheal frente form Spearhead. Yes, The Hole
in the Bucket. that wasn't really that good. Then The Inbreads played.
They are a duo from Canada, a bass player and drummer. They were pretty
good. Then LIsa Loeb played followed by Everclear. Then saving the best for
last, Ben Folds Five came. Ben was a friggin' nut on the piano, using his feet
and elbows to play the keys. Man they were great. The following day I bought
the cd. Damn it is good. Well I just thought I should say that.
Later,
Chris
LONG LIVE THE 5!!!!!!!
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Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 14:30:14 -0500 (EST)
From: Natalie Jean Wells
Subject: Intro
Hello fellow Ben Folds Fans,
I just got on this list and wanted to say Hi!! I go to Bowling Green
State Univ. in Bowling Green Ohio. This is a boring town and there never
is much to do around here. Ben Folds Five gets me through it all
though! I heard about them on the Posies mailing list. Everyone was
comparing them to Jellyfish so I decided I needed to hear them. They do
have a Jellyfish feel but are quite different. I listened to the Jackson
Cannery and was hooked. It hasnt left my cd player since. My roomate
is even hooked!! Sorry to babble on and on but I felt I needed to
contribute to the list. I've been a lurker for too long it's time I used
my voice(keyboard that is)
One question: Is there any early BF5 stuff available or does anyone have
any early Demos that I could get ahold of?
Thanks for your time!
Natalie
"Hand me my nose ring"
-BF5-
[Natalie: You can order the Jackson Cannery 7" from D-Tox in Greensboro,
N.C. Look under "Discography" on the web page for the address. -fjm]
==============================================================================
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 14:33:06 -0500 (EST)
From: KEITH MCMILLAN
Subject: RE: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #24
Hi everybody!! I also have to agree that the CD never leaves my Cd player.
I was hoping someone could direct me to a web site with the lyrics...
Thanks in Advance...
Keith
[Keith: the URL is way down below. Look under "Discography". -fjm]
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Date: Sun, 28 Jan 1996 01:52:48 +0500
From: Jon Glass
Subject: answering my own BF5 questions.
A friend passed this along from AOL today and for us late subscribers, I
thought it provided interestin' reading including the answer to my own
question about a pending album.
jon
jglass@globalvision.net
Monday, January 8, 1996
Pianist Ben Folds -- after months of nationwide touring, interviews, radio
spots and in-store appearances with the Ben Folds Five -- is hoping for some
solitude to write new songs for the trio's (yes, trio's) second album.
Folds plans to spend January renting a house in Greensboro, N.C. (near his
current hometown of Chapel Hill) where he can install studio equipment and
have plenty of room for his road-scarred baby grand.
Folds said the band hoped to record in March or April with local producer
Caleb Southern, who recorded their acclaimed self-titled debut
(Passenger/Caroline). Folds said the album would be based around three tracks
that didn't make it onto the debut. "The rejects were cut not because they
weren't good, they were just a little riskier," he said. Folds described the
the new album as both campy and jazzy. "It'll have the queer buttons turned
up just a little bit. At the same time it's going to rock a little harder x
Hopefully the combination of the two won't make us sound more like Queen."
In addition, Folds has recorded a cover of "Video Killed the Radio Star" for
an Elektra Records compilation of one-hit wonders due out this spring.
Contributions to upcoming movie soundtracks are in the works, as is a
February tour of Japan.
Folds also can be heard playing drums on releases by Fleming & John and Barry
Black (a side project for Archers of Loaf frontman Eric Bachmann). Folds,
29, who previously acted in the off-Broadway "Buddy Holly Story," said his
next career move could be to move to Los Angeles and score movies.
Until then, he remains committed to his piano, despite the geek status which
sometimes accompanies it. "Now people are totally getting conditioned to the
electric/computer version of the piano, which sucks," he said. But Folds and
his punk-influenced bandmates (drummer Darren Jessee and bassist Robert
Sledge) have taken the piano out of the lounge and into clubs.
After one of their concerts in Philadelphia, a 17-year old girl sat down at
Folds piano and played Ben Folds Five's "Philosophy." Folds was impressed:
"That's pretty cool, if I think kids might learn the piano. That's what I did
with Elton John records when I was real little."
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Date: Sun, 28 Jan 1996 22:00:37 -0500 (EST)
From: The Yodi-Chicken
Subject: Chicago BFF
Yowza,
I was at the Chicago show last night (I drove 4 hours and needed my
brother's ID) and I don't know if I've ever had a better time in my
life. Every note was on, he played the entire album, plus some tunes
mentioned in earlier digests. Then, I took some advice from some of you
and stuck around afterwards. My other brother and I started talking to
Darin for awhile and, yes, it's true, they have signed to Sony 550.
Eventually, I started talking to Ben and he said they intend to come out
with another album this year. They don't want to sit on material for too
long, they just wanna make albums. Lucky us! Well, I'll write more
later, as I must go now...all i can say is that if they come within 5
hours of you, GO SEE THEM.
P.S. Opus, I mentioned you to Ben and Darin and they said "Yeah, I
remember him, that dude was cool."
Matt Mondlock
(in heaven)
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Date: Sun, 28 Jan 1996 17:15:33 -0500 (EST)
From: Timothy Heywood
Subject: To the day when we'll live in a video...
Did anybody else catch the great interview with Ben on National
Public Radio this morning? It's good to see them getting this
kind of exposure, and the interviewer was obviously a fan already.
One new piece of news in the interview was about their upcoming
first video which will be Underground, and feature "nose rings,
mohawks, and cowboy hats". They're shooting it on the movie set of
Pale Rider out in Arizona, and according to Ben it'll feature 3 min.
of gratuitous saloon violence. I just can't wait for a video of
Song for the Dumped!
Tim
==============================================================================
[The band's performance Friday night rocked the Seventh House, an intimate
performance space in the heart of New Pontiac, an industrial suburb north
of Detroit. The club is small, with a main floor seating/dancefloor area
and a balcony together holding about 250 when stuffed to the gills, and
the stage is a little triangular area stuck off in the corner. We were
extremely fortunate to be able to hear the band in such a cozy room.
Doors were supposed to open at 8:00 but due to extensive sound checking
(probably put in place after the Universal fiasco) we finally got in
around 8:40. During the time we waited in the hall outside the club, Ben
popped out for a couple minutes, talked with a few of us near the head of
the line, and dashed about, no doubt looking for someone or something.
The crowd was largely college-age to 30, with a few of us oldsters present
as well. After everyone was in, Atlanta's Three Pound Thrill tested the
mettle of the Marshall stacks with nine rockin' numbers that the crowd
appreciated. (I'm sorry to say I'm not familiar with the tunes or I'd be
able to tell you what they played.) My first impression was that they were
similar to the Toronto trio hHead, while Clint said they reminded him of
the Gigolo Aunts.
After a short intermission, when Ben, Robert and Darren finished setting
things up, and talking more to some of the crowd, they took the stage and
held on to the 200 or so in attendance, drawing many to the large dance
floor for an up-close look, listen and dance. One couple twirled away in
the corner with some fine ballroom moves, lots of folks pogoed and Ben
pounded away on the Baldwin with such force that it seemed as though the
legs would buckle. The setlist:
Best Imitation of Myself
Jackson Cannery
Last Polka
Alice Childress
(a little jokishness around Mister Rogers' theme)
Where's Summer B?
One Angry Dwarf & 200 Solemn Faces
Uncle Walter
(Every Night Out Is) Steven's Last Night
(the best of the new material, imo)
Julianne
Freebird (the Bic lighters were a-blazin')
Video
Underground
Sports & Wine (Darren had a killer drum solo)
Retarded
Song for the Dumped
Philosophy
Encores:
Video Killed the Radio Star
Tom & Mary
After the show I talked some more with Darren, Robert and Ben. They were
all amazed at the size and growth of the mailing list, and I gave printed
copies of the first 24 issues to Ben, in case they hadn't seen them yet.
He said he had been given some material from the net but wasn't sure if
it was this list. He also confirmed that the video of Underground is
presently scheduled to start running on MTV's Alternative Nation on
February 1st, although he was still dealing with their standards &
practices people on trying to edit out some of the more gratuitous
violence. They may be touring back in our area in April, but are also
planning on beginning work on their first album for Sony 550 about that
time. Everyone signed my stuff and Robert was amazed that I had the
Toxic Popsickle 7". He said there are only a few of them left, but you
should be able to get the Jackson Cannery 7" from D-Tox still.
The weather gods were with us that night; the forecast all day was for
snow changing to ice and rain, changing back to snow late, making for a
potentially slippery drive, not only for my measly 30-mile commute but
for friends who drove from Lansing, and some people in line who drove
down from Sault Ste. Marie, about five hours north of Detroit. But all
there was was rain and more rain, and at midnight it was a downright
pleasant 44 degrees.
More notes: The NPR interview was great, both from content and audio
production as well. I've transcribed it, and it's available on the
"Interviews and reviews" page. If you missed hearing it, you can order a
tape of the show by sending $15.45 to NPR Tapes & Transcripts, 635
Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington DC 20001, or call 202-414-3232 to
charge it. Specify "Weekend Edition Sunday, January 28, 1996". In it,
Ben says they are going to shoot the video, as if it hadn't been done
yet. Evidently the interview was taped several weeks ago, possibly before
the current tour began.
And yes indeed, as you've read above, they've signed with the Sony 550
label and my prediction is that by summer they'll be playing large clubs
and theatres and probably outdoor venues -- Lollapalooza, maybe??? -- so
get out and see them NOW in the smaller clubs - you might not get another
chance. - fjm]
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