Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #53 - March 17, 1996
Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #53
Topics for Today:
SXSW
Re: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #51
the real summer
BF5: Thursday's SXSW show
Tape of Conan???
House of Style...
my own BF5 haiku
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Date: Fri, 15 Mar 96 21:45:06 -0500
From: Nina Hays <nimsey@neosoft.com>
Subject: SXSW
aaaaghhhh....i had to miss the show at SXSW last night. did anyone see it?
how was it? why dont they just come to houston? and i would be happy......
...oh well.
nina
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Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 21:21:34 -0800
From: Reid Davis <reid2@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Re: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #51
A brief (hopefully!) response to Eileen -- YES YES YES!! the "other
two" are just as integral to the band as its namesake! When I saw BFF
here in Atlanta during Gavin week, the thing that immediately struck me
was how absolutely *dead on* the playing and backing vocals of mssrs.
Sledge and Jesse were. I couldn't believe that the vocals, in
particular, could be that tight in a small club environment, where
P.A./monitor problems typically run rampant. And the bass playing was
exceptional - speed and that ol' fuzz-toned power, to make up for the
lack of guitar. Yes indeedy, it truly was a BAND up there.
Also, I'm sure this has been mentioned here, (I just subscribed) but
among the encore selections that night was a cover of Hendrix's
"Crosstown Traffic". A rather interesting selection from a guitar-less
band, eh? Shudder To Think does a version of that song in a similar
twisted way.
Before I go, big thanks to Ben for offering to get me in that night as
the show was sold out (it was a double-bill with *Lush*). I managed to
get in by coming back later, but the gesture was appreciated. (Geez,
he's such a nice young man!)
- Reid
(reid2@ix.netcom.com OR reid.davis@cadnet.byers.com)
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Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1996 00:45:14 -0500 (EST)
From: Olga_Smith <olga@email.unc.edu>
Subject: the real summer
I also know summer b., and, contrary to popular belief, she's only a
bookie that ben used to make his track bets through. After being beaten
with a sack of potatoes, however, she has since given up the bookie
business and is currently an electrician for Ringling Bros. Barnum and
Bailey Circus. Rumors that she's been sending bomb threats to the chapel
hill town council after being jilted by Ben, darren, Trey, Robert, and
the rest of Caroline and Sony are greatly exaggerated. She seems to be
proud of all the publicity surrounding her name--that is, what of it she
can actually understand. She's deaf (since the accident) and Portuguese.
That's why Ben and Darren are both so enamored with her and have agreed
to an old-fashioned duel, to be televised on MTV's Rock and Jock
Weekend. Anything beyond that, I cannot divulge. BEN FOLDS FIVE RULES!!
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Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1996 15:38:28 -0500
From: PowerVegan@aol.com
Subject: BF5: Thursday's SXSW show
[Frank, this is very long. I'll understand if you want to edit it down.]
[Michael: no editing necessary! Read on... -fjm]
For those of you who don't know, South by Southwest (SXSW) is a big event
that happens here in Austin every year, where hundreds of bands come into
town to play, hoping to get some exposure (and if they're really lucky, a
record contract). Local bands play, too. Some bands are totally unknown,
and others already have lucrative record contracts.
Fans pay $46 for a wristband, which serves as admission to get them into
shows for the four-day event. Most clubs in town are SXSW venues, and have
about 3-6 bands a night, each doing about 1-hr. sets.
Caroline Records had a showcase on Thursday at Scholtz's Beer Garden (which
means that all the acts that played that night are on the Caroline label).
Bands included Capsize 7, Engine 88, Ben Folds Five (does Caroline prefer
bands with a number in their name or something), Idaho, Sincola, and Tanner.
The first band (Capsize 7) started at 8:00, followed by E88, Idaho, Sincola,
BF5, and Tanner. I got there early because I didn't want to get turned away
if the show was full. The performance area at Scholtz's is in a huge outdoor
patio that holds several hundred people, but I wasn't taking any chances.
At this point in the story, I'll mention that I brought my Roland JV-35
keyboard and an engraver I bought at the hardware store, in hopes of getting
Ben to autograph it. The nice Caroline folks let me keep it at their table
while I was checking out the other bands and talking to friends. During this
time, I ran across Darren (BF5's drummer) in the audience. I got him to sign
my special pre-release BF5 cassette. I asked him for advice on getting my
keyboard autographed by Ben, and he told me just to approach him after the
show and he was sure that Ben would do it. I wanted to ask Darren a million
other questions, but I figured he gets harrassed by fans enough. He was very
pleasant, but I still got the impression that I shouldn't push it, so I
thanked him and split.
The Caroline table (where I left my keyboard) is at the exact opposite end of
the patio from the stage (probably so the table staff could hear and be able
to converse with the people who stopped by), and I knew if I was going to get
Ben to autograph my keyboard, I'd have to be right there at the stage.
(Another problem was that I needed electricity for my engraver, but first
things first.)
So, before Sincola started, I hauled my keyboard case through the throng to
get close to the stage. I thought it was going to be tough, because there
were a lot of people and I have a tough time moving through crowds even
WITHOUT a keyboard case that's almost as big as I am, but apparently everyone
thought I was some important musician, so they made room for me. :-) It was
an interesting experience -- I probably would have made worse time WITHOUT
the keyboard. On a side note, when I first got to the club, I tried to pay
the cover charge since I didn't buy a wristband beforehand, and they tried to
tell me that I didn't have to pay if I was with a band... I told them I
wasn't and I paid the $10, mostly because I didn't want to be discovered
later and get kicked out and miss hearing my favorite band play. :-) But
anyway, now I know how to get into shows free -- just bring an instrument
case!
Okay, back to the story. So, before Sincola started, I made my way close to
the stage with my keyboard case. I probably looked like a big dork leaning
against an upright keyboard case, but I didn't care. Sincola was good, and
the place was nearly packed. That's good, I thought...they're a really
popular local band (their big radio hit is "Bitch"), and it's great that they
brought a big crowd for BF5. (BF5's show at the Electric Lounge here last
month brought a sizable crowd, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't nearly as
many as were there for Sincola this night.)
Then Sincola's set was over. I was already right up front, a little to the
left of the piano. I always hope to be able to see a little bit of what
notes Ben is actually playing, but it never works -- the stage is too high
up. You pretty much have to be over the keyboard looking straight down to
really pick up what's going on. I did put my keyboard case down on the
ground and stood on it, and that helped a little. :-) The photographer also
found my keyboard case to be a handy step stool.
Another fan arrived (Meg?), [jen. -fjm] in a wheelchair because of a
broken leg, and got a spot next to me. She told me about how she had met
Ben earlier in the hospitality lounge, and how he knew who she was right
away because he had a copy of all the digests (yay Frank!), and she had
mentioned in a digest that she was coming to the show in a wheelchair.
(By the way, during the show, she got out of the wheelchair and stood up
for a while, so never doubt the healing power of Ben Folds Five.)
Ben appeared from within the crowd (rather from backstage, because there IS
no backstage at Scholtz's), and climbed up on stage right in front of me and
Meg. I asked Ben if he would autograph my keyboard after the show. In my
appeal I mentioned that I rode six miles on my bicycle to the show
specifically for the autograph. (While this is true, I have to admit that I
said it only because I know people are impressed by this sort of thing. In
fact, I haul all kinds of things on my bicycles -- and occasionally even use
a flatbed trailer for larger items such as washing machines, dryers, couches,
building materials, etc. -- and I don't think twice about it. In this case,
I just strapped the keyboard case between the two rear wheels of my
adult-sized tricycle.) Anyway, Ben made a quick weird face, showing his
teeth, like he was scared or something. ? But he said he'd give me the
autograph.
They were about to start. When Ben took the stage the crowd started cheering
a bit. And by this time, the place was absolutely PACKED! I thought Sincola
was going to be the big draw, but the real draw was Ben Folds Five! Ben
walked up onto the piano, putting his left foot down on the bass keys and his
right foot on the top of the piano, and put his hand above his eyes to peer
out into the huge crowd of fans. The crowd went wild. Then Ben smiled. It
must feel good to know you've made it. And his climbing up on the piano was
so cool because he did it so naturally, like he just needed to get a better
view, and the piano just happened to be the thing he needed to climb on top
of in order to look out -- not like he was making a point to climb onto the
piano specifically.
It's good to see that they've made it, but it's also a little weird. I mean,
by total accident I got an advance copy of their tape last year before the CD
was released. I was blown away! But, I thought, I wonder if I'll ever hear
about them again. There are a lot of good bands that nobody's ever heard of.
So, I remember liking Ben Folds Five when I was the only person on the
planet I knew of who had even heard of them. Now, less than a year later,
they're riding a wave of popularity. It's well-deserved, and it's
interesting to have been a fan during that rise to fame.
Oh, about the piano -- when I first arrived, the first thing I did was to
have a look at it, and I noticed that it was a shiny Baldwin. What's odd
about that is that Ben's piano is a BEAT-UP Baldwin. I asked Darren about
that when I ran into him before the show, and he said that they flew in for
this show instead of driving, so they rented a piano. (Usually they travel
with Ben's old Baldwin in a Ryder truck.) I wondered if the place that
rented the piano would have done so if they know what Ben was going to do to
it. :-)
The announcer, some guy with a British accent who announced all the acts last
night, said, "...straight from their sell-out tour of Japan...", at which
point Robert (bass player) shouted something like "Yeah! Fuckin' A!"
They opened with Best Imitation of Myself, just as they did for their gig at
the Electric Lounge here last month, and followed it with Uncle Walter. They
had a slightly shorter set than they would have had if it were their own
show. They played 10 of the 12 songs from the CD (omitting Sports & Wine and
Boxing), and also omitted Song for the Dumped and Video Killed the Radio
Star. They DID play Stephen's Last Night Out.
Watching Ben Folds Five gives me such mixed feelings. On the one hand, it
makes me feel joyous because I love the music, and it motivates me to work
hard on my own music. On the other hand, it makes me depressed to realize
that I'm nowhere near as good as Ben Folds, but I should be. By the time I
was around 17, I could play everything on the radio, most of it by ear, and
was used to everyone telling me I was the best pianist they ever heard. (I
played in a restaurant when I was 15-16). Stupidly, I allowed myself to
believe that I was good. And never seeing anyone play who amazed me, I got
complacent. Also, I simply didn't play much music during my 20's. Now I'm
28, and while I'm okay, it frustrates me that I haven't improved in ten
years. Why am I not up on a stage playing like Ben Folds? And now that I
want to improve, who the hell gives lessons on how to play like that? Oh
well, maybe I could pay Ben to give me a lesson when my band swings through
NC this summer... I can play the structures of all their songs really well,
but all those solos of piano gymnastics are just beyond me
Sorry for getting off the topic of the show. Okay, so anyway, after the
show, Ben stuck around until he'd talked to every fan who wanted to talk to
him and signed every autograph that was requested. Maybe he's a really nice
guy, or maybe he's getting off on the adoration of the fans? I know I would!
He smiled the whole time.
While I was waiting my turn for my autograph and watching all the fans leech
onto Ben, I was feeling a little sorry for myself for not being a star, but
then a guy came up to me and said, "Hey! You play with King Cheese, right?
You rock!" Man, he didn't know how I needed to hear that. He wasn't quite
as cute as the girls surrounding Ben, but it was good enough. :-)
At this time, I met another local fan (Molly) and her friends. She said
she'd get together to sing BF5 songs, but I haven't heard from her. (MOLLY
WHERE ARE YOU?! :-)
Ben waited until everyone else had cleared out before he autographed my
keyboard. Fortunately, there was a convenient electrical outlet at the end
of the stage (the next band had started playing by now), and I was smart
enough to have purchased a 12-ft. extension cord at the time I bought the
engraver. Ben signed my keyboard with the engraver, on the panel right above
the treble keys. It looks great! (I tell you, NOTHING is going to motivate
me to play well like seeing Ben Folds' name in his own handwriting on my
keyboard every time I play.) I was also happy that Ben remembered that I was
the one who gave him the model ceramic piano at the show last month. He
smiled and said he loved it! What a guy.
Around this time, Chaz from Caroline Records in NYC asked me if I were
Michael Bluejay. Chaz was the guy who signed BF5...we had talked about a
month ago on the phone when I was trying to find out if BF5 had a fan club.
Chaz had told me to look for him at the Caroline table when he came in for
the show, but he wasn't at the table earlier when I checked. I guess he
"recognized" me by my lugging a keyboard around, and because I think I told
him about my mohawk. (And by the way, I guess it's a good thing that Ben
didn't hold that against me. I was even thinking of wearing a nametag that
said "Officer Friendly's Little Boy".) Chaz even offered to help my band to
get gigs when we play NYC this summer! But maybe that's only because he
wants to show up and sing BF5 karaoke... :-)
I had wanted to play Ben a song I had written for them. I figured I would
hang around until the end of the night because he was going to have to load
up his piano sooner or later. But, because it was a rented piano, he
wouldn't be coming back for it. But it's okay -- I was so satiated by seeing
the show and getting the autograph that it didn't matter. I'll make a tape
and send it to them. Or maybe they'll come see my show in NC this summer?...
I don't know how much of this blabbering that Frank is going to print, but
anyway, thanks for letting me share this with you. It's good to be in the
company of fellow fans. Who else could I share this with? :-)
See ya, -- Michael Bluejay, Austin TX
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Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 15:48:41 AST4ADT
From: KEVIN HUBERT <EKH3854@Umoncton.Ca>
Subject: Tape of Conan???
There was one person that said they have the BFF on tape when
they were at Conan O'Brian. Could I have a copy??? If the person that
still have it wants to send me the tape, my e-mail adress is
ekh3854@umoncton.ca
Thank you very much!!!
Kevin Hubert
ekh3854@umoncton.ca
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Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 17:35:42 -0600 (CST)
From: Levin <moxy@eden.com>
Subject: House of Style...
I just heard the beginning of 'Underground' on MTV's 'House of Style'.
Anyone else see this?!
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Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 18:35:52 -0500 (EST)
From: Jim's Wicked Mail <jlane@UDel.Edu>
Subject: my own BF5 haiku
I've been torturing my roommates with haiku about everyday life for
years. Now's my chance to spread some joy about my favorite band. (Y'all
remember the 5-7-5 format...)
Jackson Cannery
Wish I had that first record
for the cool B-sides
Jackson Cannery
Philosophy is second
and third, Julianne
I got backstage pass
for the Philly show, thursday.
I can't stop smiling.
Thank you!
=================================================jlane@strauss.udel.edu=======
James Lane
Minister of Information, 91.3 WVUD Newark
Host of...Java Time, Mondays 6am - 9am...home of MONDAY MORNING MADNESS...
...the most free stuff since the Rodney King riots!
AND...Avenue C, alternate Wednesday nights 10pm - 1am...
...from Mingus to Mahavishnu,
it's ALL jazz!
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