Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #112 - July 5, 1996
Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #112
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Topics for Today:
Re: Ben Folds Dates with Neil Young/Strange Instrument
BFF - Where to purchase album
BFF on radio and in retail
Re: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #111
A Ben Folds Five Article
Where I've Been For A While
BFF CD displays
Ben Folds Five and Listening Booths
d'oh (a dear, a female dear..)
BEN SIGHTING!!!!
BFF live covers
Borders
Two qustions
piano/flute/harmonica hybrid
Re: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #111
Brief BFF sighting on MTV...
BF5 Lollapalooza- COLUMBUS
A Ben Folds Five Review...
Mad about BFF...
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 19:02:18 -0400
From: Vicsen@aol.com
Subject: Re: Ben Folds Dates with Neil Young/Strange Instrument
It is my impression that there is a Charlotte NC date opening for Neil Young
on 8/9 & an Atlanta date on 8/10, likewise opening for Mr. Broken Arrow.
Anybody know any different? They're both amphitheatre dates.
The strange instrument that Ben plays is a melodica. I have one - it's a
Hohner and it's from the 50's - really cool green & white & bulbous like the
cars back then - his may not be vintage - he'd probably love to have mine.
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 09:57:07 +1000
From: Derek Scott <scoco@real.net.au>
Subject: BFF - Where to purchase album
Hi.
I listen to Triple J in Sydney on 105.7fm and , in response to
Callantha, if you're in Sydney, try the Brashs at Planet Hollywood. I looked
everywhere to find the BFF album and, as you said, the manufacturers had
stopped doing them or something. Anyway, I went to have a squiz at Planet
Hollywood and that Brashs just happened to have it. They appeared to have a
few copies, too. So finally I have it and it's probably the best album I
have at the moment.
:-} Claire {-:
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Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 21:03:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: eric t beteille <beteille@mary.iia.org>
Subject: BFF on radio and in retail
I am no longer a BFF radio virgin.
I thought I'd never hear them in this musical graveyard called
Colorado Springs, but one of the local college stations finally
proved me wrong. It was about 2 this morning, on KRCC-FM, the
station of Colorado College, and the local NPR affiliate. They
sandwiched the song between poi dog pondering and Judybats (which
should thrill jen on this list to no end ... the station sounded
like one of her famous tapes). They played "Best Imitation" since
they aren't bound by standards like singles, etc. It sounded
great on the radio! (Tho I was on the 3rd line before I even
realized it was Ben... I guess I'm just used to it blaring out
from my speakers...)
Also, speaking of retail promotions, the best one I've seen for
BF5 is the only one I've seen. It's at Best Buy here, the south
store. Best Buy has several listening stations - one pair of
headphones for 6 CDs. The BF5 CD has been in the same slot at
the same listening station since ... December 1995. There are 8
copies of the CD at the station and another 4 or so under 'B'
in the Rock/Pop section. I think they've forgotten it's there.
Or someone there is a rabid fan. I must find this person and thank
them, for they are a big part of the reason I own it. (I bought
it from the listening station in December, after jen from this
list recommended it.)
So far, no other store has matched this display. Very few of them
even carry the disc in this town.
Eric
[Poi, BFF _and_ the Judybats... I like this DJ! -fjm]
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 21:29:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: allison <allison@servtech.com>
Subject: Re: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #111
> P.S. There's a guy in the sales department at Private Music (DarrenX), who
> looks just like Ben. In fact, Darren told me that while he was at the most
> recent BF5 show at the Troubadour in LA, someone came up to Darren and asked
> him if he "needed a manager"!
> There is a guy that works at the grocery store in town that looks
> just like Robert. Maybe they should get together and form a band... -fjm]
there's a guy in my town that hangs around outside of wegmans with a sign
that says "will work for food" that looks exactly like ben! that's so funny
that the guys have so many look-alikes! maybe we should take pictures of
these guys and form a "clones of BF5" web page!
:)
al
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 23:11:47 -0400
From: Ruprecht76@aol.com
Subject: A Ben Folds Five Article
My Australian friend sent me another BF5 article and I assumed you might want
it... so here you go...
------
GRAND SLAM
Ben Folds plays the piano. A baby grand piano. He plays it in a
rock band. Ben Folds is not a wimp.
"We're actually a pretty loud band," Folds says of his North
Carolina trio, Ben Folds Five. "I play the piano much more like a guitar
player than a piano player. Right now I tend to bash it and play through
a Marshall stack."
Yes, you read that right, a Marshall stack. A bank of amplifiers
more often associated with men with volume controls set to 11, large hair
and small... imaginations. Not what you get when you spy a group with
bass, drums and baby grand piano on the stage.
"An enormous amount of sound comes out of those things that make
guitar players cringe," Folds says with undisguised glee. "It's like they
get into this `holy shit, this is loud'.
"It's good for shock value, too. If we blow into a town we
haven't played before and people maybe have sort of heard of us, we will
pull the first number out and have it just so fucking loud it just scares
them. I get a kick out of watching people then."
At whatever volume level, the Ben Folds Five debut album is one
of the most vibrant pop albums of the year, an album which isn't afraid
to sing along and don't leave your brain behind. This is what Elton John
might have soounded like in 1975 if he'd had Todd Rundgren in his band.
Or what Joe Jackson could have done in 1979 with Carole King and Paul
McCartney alongside him.
Apart from a level of songcraft normally bypassed in the interest
of sounding and looking as now as possible, what separates them from the
pack is the line-up: basss, drum and that baby grand.
Folds plays tinkling piano runs, thumping chords, Dixie rolls and
occasional Jazz progressions (and he even slips in some Gershwin). The
mere thought of what Folds, a former drummer, does to this instrument
would probably kill Joshua Kadison - hmm, not an idea to dismiss lightly.
Bass player Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee swimg and
stamp at will. And the band's harmonies would leave CSN&Y and the Turtles
smiling.
While this is working pretty darn well now, what could have
posessed Folds first to lug a baby grand piano onto a rock stage? "We
started off with the baby grand," he says. "I did play an electric piano
one time and pretty much fucked up the stand and the piano the way I bang it.
"When I look back at it now, the truth of it is I made payments
on the grand which was an absurd thing to do as I didn't even know if I
could move it. We would rent a rental truck for $30 and throw the thing
in the truck and figure it out when we got to the club.
"We never played places upstairs."
by Bernard Zuel
The Sydney Morning Herald, Metro supplement.
June 28-July 4, 1996.
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 1996 20:45:58 +0000
From: metzfam@ix.netcom.com
Subject: Where I've Been For A While
Dear Uncle Armchair Bus Stop Bad Idea,
Well, I've been stuck at home in Palo Alto, California for a while,
with no net acess, which really sucked. I'm working at a Borders out
here, and I'm planning to put BF5 on a listening station at the store.
Actually, at this point, I think enough people know about BF5.
They're the greatest, and their fan club is huge and whatever, and if
people wanna find out more about 'em, cool. I just hope that MTV
doesn't empty it all out into the teenage music cespool that is our
status quo.
BF5 will be the real alternative when the metal pendulum swings back
our way, which should definitely happen by next summer. I read a
great article in the San Jose Metro about it, and it's on their web
site at http://www.metroactive.com/music/index.html somewhere.
Anyway, I'm the music writer who jammed with BF5 back in January, and
that little instrument he played was a calliope. The new Superdrag
record, "Regrettably Yours" is a pretty cool hard pop album. There
will be many more important interviews and reviews coming from me
shortly including the Posies, Roger Powell, Possum Dixon, and other
artists that don't begin with the letter P.
Take Care
->AJ Metz
http://harker.coolware.com/ajmetz
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 01:06:26 -0400 (EDT)
From: Chuck Corby <cmcorby@buffnet.net>
Subject: BFF CD displays
Having read the recent posts about CD shops displaying the BFF disc,
I had to tell you about us. We have the album in FOUR locations in our
store here in Buffalo, NY. Besides finding it in the "Rock" section, we
also have it set up at a listening station, and it also appears at our
"Inside Picks" (employees' favorites) display. We have small CD racks at
the front counter, and BFF are there too. Plus, the disc is almost always in
rotation as one of the discs we play overhead.
It's a great title to recommend. Most customers haven't heard of
them, but it can appeal to almost anyone wandering in the "Rock" section.
It's such a solid album--every song is a knockout, and people respond
to all of their honest energy and skill. We do sell a lot of them here.
Now, can they please play the Buffalo area?
Chuck Corby
cmcorby@buffnet.net
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 01:07:09 -0400
From: IamFult@aol.com
Subject: Ben Folds Five and Listening Booths
The past few issues, people have been writing about BF5 displays in local
record stores. Well, in the brand spanking new Best Buy store in Suburban
Phillly, BF5 has a listening booth all to their own and also a little bio
next to it...just thought you'd like to know
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 96 22:25 PDT
From: Vickie/Dawn/kamea <kamea_lessoway@mindlink.bc.ca>
Subject: d'oh (a dear, a female dear..)
Hey guys!
i've been reading all your posts about the concerts.....i'm terribly
jealous!! :) happy for you, yes. But WHY don't BFF come to Canada...where
the wild moose roam and we live in igloos and eat potatoes and say "aboot"? ;)
anyway, you guys are really really really really really really really really
lucky to see the guys live. :) Somebody want to fly me down to a concert? ;)
take care
kamea
the barenaked ladie
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 02:57:06 -0400
From: Hotdoglove@aol.com
Subject: BEN SIGHTING!!!!
Well, folks, I suppose that some others have seen this, so I'm sure that it's
not an "exclusive" or anything, but I'm just jonesing for Ben Folds Five
until they show up here in Atlanta. Anyway, on an MTV News segment I saw at
about 2 this morning, they flashed Ben pounding on the piano (with his hands,
not his ass :-( ) And if you listen really carefully, you can hear some
piano pounding in the background. I just wanted to announce my own little tv
Ben sighting.
Bye!
Sara
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 04 Jul 1996 00:50:21
From: Bruce Herrier <SashaHB@gnn.com>
Subject: BFF live covers
When I saw BFF in Tucson back in February, they did a couple of
cover tunes. One was a half-assed, humorous medley of "Sweet Home
Alabama" and "Freebird", with improvised lyrics to suit the crowd.
The other was an unbelievably cool version of "Video Killed the
Radio Star" by the Buggles. What other songs have they covered
live? Two other questions about the Tucson show:
- The band mentioned something about the show being
broadcast over the Net. Is there a recording of this someplace?
- Although the crowd in Tucson was great, Ben was
bitching about the crowd in Phoenix the night before. Was anyone
on this list at that show? What was the deal?
P.S. - If you think all of the Gin Blossoms' songs sound the same,
if you caught them in their all-Tempe concert tour with
Refreshments and Dead Hot Workshop, you'd swear you were hearing
the same song 30 times in a row.
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 14:03:05 -0400
From: Tocadisco@aol.com
Subject: Borders
<< [A couple of the local shops, like Borders, have a listening system set
up with maybe 100 or so titles on several listening stations, but I've
never seen Ben Folds Five on it. I should say something... >>
I laughed a little when I read this because it was a Borders in NY that
first got me into BFF. I was looking around the store and there was a
listening booth with BFF on it. Next to the headphones was a card which
described the CD, it praised the group and said something like: For a taste
of this band listen to track 6, "Underground".
I put on Underground and was blown away by its force. I then tried
Jackson Cannery, which impressed me even more. I couldn't even finish the
song, I loved it so much, I kept starting the song over and over and over and
you get the point.
GOD BLESS BORDERS AND BFF..
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 19:09:23 GMT
From: Toru Kurihara <tkuri@usa.pipeline.com>
Subject: Two qustions
Hi Frank and everybody. How's your holidays?
I have two questions today;
1) Is Fleming&John CD available at the big CD store like Tower and HMV?
2) Is there any BFF fan in Long Island? I just want to know if I'm alone
or not. Please e-mail me if somebody's there.
Thanks,
Kuri
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 12:54:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: Charlie Bucket <drteeth@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: piano/flute/harmonica hybrid
> instrument for "Steven's Last Night" (I haven't figured out what it is;
> it's a mix between a piano, flute, and harmonica: you blow in one end,
> and though it makes no noise, you make it make noise by pressing little
> piano keys on one side of it... perhaps the honorable Ben Folds could
> enlighten us?); OR that for the finale, after a great rendition of
<snip>
OK, so I'm not Ben Folds, but I think I have an idea of what this
instrument might be. Maybe. Yamaha makes a weird little synthesizer that
you play like a soprano sax: volume and tone are controlled by breathing
into one end, and the notes are played on a little keyboard thingy on the
side. I've seen this at a couple of shows by some local bands. I don't
know exactly what it's called, but it's a neat little instrument. Hope
this helps!
Kelly
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 17:33:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: Kenny Friedman <kennydoe@webspan.net>
Subject: Re: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #111
In Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #111, people wrote:
>
> break out that strange
> instrument for "Steven's Last Night" (I haven't figured out what it is;
> it's a mix between a piano, flute, and harmonica: you blow in one end,
> and though it makes no noise, you make it make noise by pressing little
> piano keys on one side of it... perhaps the honorable Ben Folds could
> enlighten us?)
That instrument is called A Melodium - you can also hear it on 'Hey,
Nineteen' by Steely Dan and a few others by them - Donald Fagen
seems to like it - he broke it out a lot whe I saw the NY Rock n Soul Revue...
> I just thought that I would remind everyone that if they are on IRC (Efnet)
> to go to #BenFoldsFive. I think this is the only room that there ever is
> with talk about BFF, and there is hardly ever anyone there, so lets all try
> to be on there sometime, so we can all talk!
>
> Chad Sarles
Please enlighten those of us who have never 'chatted' before on the
net - how do you get to this IRC thing?
> I've been listening to WMMR the past couple days to find out info on a
show they
> are having in Cherry Hill with a great band called the Badlees.
I bought the Badlees CD after hearing two songs on WBAB 102.3 Long
Island, NY. They are very unintrusive and Hootie-like, but that's
not a bad thing - the two radio songs are 'Angelene' and 'Fear of Falling' -
the latter is what sold me on the CD - it's a REALLY nice
song...
By the way - I am a singer-songwriter, but not a lyric writer - I find BF5's
lyrics excellent, so if you can writer like that, but you are
musically-challenged the same way I am lyrically-challenged, please e-mail
me - I would love to collaborate!
-Kenny
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 20:58:29 -0400
From: MandelI@aol.com
Subject: Brief BFF sighting on MTV...
Score another on the line of brief appearances of BFF on MTV. Last night
around 3:00-ish in the morning, Kurt Loder introduced a brief report about
Lollapalooza '96 on an MTV News brief. It mostly focused on the main stage
people, but near the end they briefly mentioned the second stage as featuring
lesser-known acts and for about a second had our man, Ben Folds standing at
the piano decked out in what I think were the button-up shirt and shorts he
donned for the West Palm Beach concert. Unfortunately, Robert and Darren
weren't in the camera shot and there was no audio of them playing to be
heard, just the sound of John Norris narrating about the event. For crying
out loud, they didn't even recognize BFF with a caption!!! In any case, I'm
pretty sure the clip will turn up on another MTV News brief and on the MTV
Week in Rock. Here's hoping for a longer clip or some glimmer of a half-way
decent promotion in a future report...
Mandel Ilagan
mandeli@aol.com
ilagan@fas.harvard.edu
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 04 Jul 1996 21:51:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jason Martin <un036034@wvnvaxa.wvnet.edu>
Subject: BF5 Lollapalooza- COLUMBUS
At the bequest of Frank, I offer the following evaluation of
Lollapalooza-Columbus, especially Ben Folds Five's portion...
In the spirit of Ben himself, here is what I learned:
Psychotica and Screaming Trees really sucked.
The Ramones played about 40 songs in 30 minutes.
Rancid promised a ska-heavy performance, but failed to deliver.
Being deep in the pit for Soundgarden and Metallica can be a health risk.
Cornershop and (naturally) BF5 gave inspirational performances.
Violent Femmes were the best act on the main stage and a great surprise
treat.
On to the main course...
I was on the front row, right in front of Ben so I could see the wizardry
up close and personal. I had read so much in this very digest about the
live shows that I just had to experience it for myself. If anyone else
reading was there I was in a Superman t shirt.
Ben came out with a quasi-turban "Image enhancer" and broke into a heavy
rendition of Julianne. I must say that afterward, listening to the cd is
very lacking. The live show is incomparable. Then I think he played
Summer B (could be wrong) and then did Jackson Cannery third. After
Jackson I caught Ben's attention and flashed him the Satan sign. He
loved it and returned the favor. Other highlights included an ear and
eye-popping Uncle Walter, a great Underground, and my first inititation
to Steven's Last Night and Song for the Dumped. But the topper to the
entire show, indeed the best single song at all of Lollapalooza, was
Video Killed the Radio Star. I feel the guys should record this and
watch it rise up the charts. It is much better than the Buggles or
Presidents sad versions. Also I was pleased with the mixture of BF5 fans
in attendance. There were the hardcore such as myself who sang along
with all the words, and there were others who came just because they had
heard Underground on the radio, or just because a friend dragged them
along. Of course it was also a joy to watch Ben play the Baldwin with
his feet, hands, head, forearm, elbow, and stool. His work on the Hooter
was great too. The only drawback is that I missed Blister in the Sun by
the Femmes on the main stage. But damn it was well worth missing. That
was the greatest hour of live music I have ever experienced in my life.
And I can't believe that at a large event such as Lollapalooza that I was
fortunate enough to be inches away from The Man.
Quick hits: Robert's bass Uncle Walter almost blew me away.
Ben announced to the crowd that most songs could be heard on their hit
album..."..and justice for all" a slick cut on Metallica.
Robert introduced Jackson Cannery as "a song about 14th century
impressionism".... possibly a mailing list discussion point?
Ben's praise of Cornershop was well-deserved; they too put on a great show.
Well that about sums it up from Columbus. Oh, it was also well worth the
4+ hours I drove to get there, aside from the $40 price tag.
Later,
Jason Martin
un036034@wvnvaxa.wvnet.edu
"I met this girl she looked like Axl Rose..."
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 22:06:56 -0400
From: Ruprecht76@aol.com
Subject: A Ben Folds Five Review...
Here's another article from my aussie friend... assuming you want it... I may
get one from a Canadian soon as well...
--------
BEN FOLD FIVE
Ben Folds Five
(Caroline/Virgin)
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Here it is, the unabashed paeon to a decade of pop music which we now
affect to disdain. Hello and welcome to the 1970s. 1970s America. I'm
talking Todd Rundgren, the Rubinoos and, it has to be said, honorary
American Wings and Peter Allen (don't stop reading, we are talking the
sheer pleasure of a good hook line).
Your first thought with this album is "hmmm, this is a bit too
cute", but there's enough there to encourage you to play on and reap the
rewards. Alice Childress, the most Rundgren of the songs, has some
bubble-gum harmonies that almost fall apart but hang in there
beautifully, while Underground (with its Beatles' White Album middle
eight) verges on the kitsch but stops just short - and is near fab for it.
Piano led, with no guitars (though this is not too noticeable -
there's plenty else happening), this is punchy without having to pummel,
bursting with fun. The song-writing is lightweight, with a definit nod to
the Brill Building, in particular Burt Bacharach. Not cocktail music or
nouveau musak, it's just deceptively simple songs.
You may find yourself enjoying this, despite your better sense,
and then finally giving in and admitting it: you not only like this a
lot, but you are singing it while sitting at traffic lights or waiting
for the bus.
by Bernard Zuel
The Sydney Morning Herald, Metro supplement,
June 28-July 4, 1996.
==============================================================================
Date: Fri, 5 Jul 1996 17:49:52 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Giuliano G. Valentino" <val@rogerswave.ca>
Subject: Mad about BFF...
The new Mad Magazine has a lil parody of Lollapolloza this month...Just a
couple of things in there you might be of interest in...
In one panel, a crazed journalist talks about the "lo-fi drone of the Chapel
Hill sound" scene. Mind you it does mention "hig-powered guitar", but I
think it is important as a recognition of the Chapel Hill scene.
Secondly, on the splash screen at the front of the article, there's a little
Schroder walking in with a paino under his arm...piano? Hmmmm.
I need a hobby...later.
---------------------
Giuliano G. Valentino Oh I used to be disgusted
val@rogerswave.ca and now I try to be amused.
Newmarket, Ontario But since their wings have got rusted,
Canada you know, the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
NEW LOCATION--http://www.ceogroup.com/Employees/Giuliano/Index.html
==============================================================================
[The "official" word on the funny little mouth organ on Steven is
"Melodica", with a long "o", according to Ben.
Remember, only a couple more days to vote, so if you received a
ballot and haven't returned it yet, do it now! -fjm]
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