Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #16 - January 12, 1996
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 1996 10:51:36 EST
From: REUBEN FRANK
Subject: BF5 vs. BNL
hey everyone --- I'm intrigued by the number of folks 'round here
who seem to be equally enamored of Bare Naked Ladies as Ben Folds
Five. I like the Ben Folds record, despise Bare Naked Ladies. To me,
the Bare Nakeds are simply a novelty act with little to say and no
idea how to say it. That gets old very fast. I mean, the first time
you hear the little Yoko Ono thing it's hilarious. The second time
you roll your eyes. The third time you vomit. Sort of like Yoko
herself. Ben Folds, on the other hand, writes great songs and that's
why the album works, not because the instrumentation is odd. That
makes it a more unique pleasure. But if Ben didn't write terrific
songs, the record wouldn't work, whatever the instrumentation -
guitar, piano, glockenspeil or mellotron. The disc endures because of
the songs, not the novelty. The Bare Nakeds fall apart because the
songs are no better than the novelty .... bye, roob
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Date: Sat, 13 Jan 1996 23:27:03 -0600
From: jen sansbury
Subject: NON-POSIES - Ben Folds Five
i can't remember if i've seen this on the digest or not. i found it amongst
all the old mail i'm purging.
>Date: Thu, 7 Dec 1995 13:06:07 -0500
>To: dear23@seanet.com
>From: John Waclo
>Subject: NON-POSIES - Ben Folds Five
>
>I know there are a lot of Ben Folds Five fans on this list, and I thought
>that they might be interested in reading an article/interview with Ben
>Folds. I copied this out of my huH Magazine. Hope you enjoy it, and sorry
>if I've wasted anyone's time.
>
>"BEN THERE"
>
>The music of Ben Folds Five has been likened to a wide variety of musical acts
>-- from early Joe Jackson to Squeeze to Jellyfish, even to the Piano Man
>himself. All these comparisons make some kind of sense until you actually
>speak to Ben Folds, the combo's singer/songwriter/pianist. Because he's so
>self-effacing, the Chapel hill, North Carolina native makes it tough to
>connect the means of Ben Folds Five to its end. His dervish piano playing,
>pensive lyrics, and jaunty melodies create a tap-along beat that more resemble
>pop vaudeville than the indie rock of his contemporaries. So where exactly is
>this guy coming from?
>
>"I grew up listening to a lot of African-American music," Folds says. "Our
>house was like SOUL TRAIN when I was a kid. Then, as I got older, I started
>listening to the Clash and Elvis Costello. I really liked punk rock, like
>most of the kids in the late '70s."
>
>Ben Folds Five is bass, piano and drums -- no guitar. As such, the band is a
>refreshing anomaly in today's guitar driven music world. But, in a strange
>way, the band is more "punk" than, say, The Offspring or Green Day. Folds
>likes to call it "punk for sissies." Underneath their sweet Broadwayesque
>veneer lies an honesty, melancholy, and angst that most punk bands can't
>convincingly express even with thrashing guitars and shrieking. And with
>Folds' talent for writing instantly engaging songs, the band's music has an
>impact that's just as immediate -- the music is never forced, contrived or
>self-conscious.
>
>"I was brought up as a happy-go-lucky kid and I'm pretty much still that way,"
>Folds chuckles. "When I write a song, I don't set out to lay all my shit on
>people, but inevitably it winds up getting in somehow. It's between the
>lines, but there is a reality in it. Sometimes I'm even amazed by some of the
>things that make it into the songs."
>
>Since Folds has lived in Nashville, New York (he's acted on Broadway), and
>North Carolina, one would suppose these myriad environments have contributed to
>his songs' elusive, wandering qualities, but Folds will have none of this.
>Everything with him is understated, even his account of the band's formation.
>
>"We just met and started playing," Folds recalls. "It didn't gel at first,
>because the whole concept of being a rock band without a guitar is difficult
>to conceive. We'd sound like a jazz band one day and then something else the
>next. Then I'd pick up a guitar, but I'm not a very good guitar player, so it
>was back to the piano. It was hard to find the vision, but once we did there
>was no going back."
>
>Perhaps the sheer challenge of not relying on the guitar is what brought out
>the best in him.
>
>"No," Ben clarifies, his voice still light and airy. "It just wasn't as
>exciting playing the guitar. You take any dumb rock band and start playing
>their songs on piano and watch their eyes light up. It's a totally different
>vibe. I wanted our songs to rock just as hard as any band with guitars, and I
>think they do."
>
> by Rob Hill - writer for huH Magazine
>(sent to the Dear23 list without permission by John C. Waclo)
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Date: Sun, 14 Jan 1996 16:37:46 -0500 (EST)
From: Ed Zeitz
Subject: BFF Cleveland date
Hey Frank,
Someone asked about the BFF Cleveland show on the 25th. I saw it listed
(spelled as "Ben Fold Five" - duh) as a Grog Shop show, but I've since
heard (unconfirmed by anything in print, but the reason I'm about to give
makes sense) that the show has been moved to the Odeon. The reasons I heard
that the show had to be moved from the Grog Shop is a) Ben's piano would
probably take up about 3/4 of the tiny stage and b) the load in for this
club is through the front door, and they probably can't even fit the damn
piano through it. The problem, if this is one, is that the Odeon was
allegedly already booked with some local band, so BFF may be opening for
them. If anyone is planning on going to this show, I'd suggest calling the
Odeon (216/574-2525) and/or the Grog Shop (216/321-5588) before setting
making any specific plans.
Happy to not clear this up...
-Ed
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Date: Sun, 14 Jan 96 18:03:19 -0500
From: Scott Morgan
Subject: last night's show in Raleigh
-- [ From: Scott Morgan * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
well, it was a stellar BFF show last night at Raleigh's Brewery (I got iced
out of the Cradle show, Frank) and I got to talk to Ben for a while
afterwards, which was great.
The show itself was outstanding - BFF was in great form and the sound was
excellent (Ben told me his piano was just refurbished for this upcoming long
tour, although he also said he played so hard he broke one of the keys last
night ) . The Brewery is a small club that looks a little like a pizza
parlor (black and white checkered ceiling tiles and brick arches), but the
size also means you've got a decent chance to get close, which I did.
Unfortunately, they also let way too many people in, which made dancing kind
of cramped
The crowd started hopping from the moment they launched into "Best Imitation
of Myself" to start and BFF never let us stop moving. They played all of
the record except "Boxing" and five others, four of which were originals and
a cover of "Video Killed the Radio Star" which closed the encore.
A highlight of the new songs was when Ben came out from behind the piano and
played a Hooter (Hohner Melodica) for most of "(Every Night Out is) Steven's
Last Night", about a visiting English friend who won't go home. He dashed
back behind the piano to finish out the song, which like the others, was
great.
It was a blast and as the Cradle show was also I'm sure, a nice homecoming
for BFF. I caught up with Ben afterwards in the back and of course I forgot
half the questions I wanted to ask him, but he was way beyond nice. He said
that he can sense things are building for them outside of this area and
they're excited about this tour (except for the length.) I told him about
the mailing list and he seemed genuinely surprised and flattered that people
would want to discuss his band. Frank, I mentioned your name when we talked
about the list and he recognized it from when you wrote in (apparently he's
doing some of his own mail). He'd like to meet you when they get out your
way.
For any of you that have not seen them, try and catch them when they come
near you - this is about as good as live music gets. Ben says they will be
on the road constantly through April, so hopefully many of you will get the
chance.
Scott Morgan
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Enough's enough. I'm leaving this factory