THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #1471 - April 17, 1999
Magical Armchair Digest Saturday, April 17 1999 Volume 01 : Number 1471
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:
setlists
(No Subject)
Sorry in advance
Yay for the Addy!
Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1470
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 20:47:26 EDT
From: DrummerAR@aol.com
Subject: setlists
Does anyone have the setlist from the private show last week? And
any hints on what they'll play come this weekend? (Wait a minute ... as you
read this, the Maine show might be in progress! Kick-ass! I can't wait for
F&M on Sunday! I'm very excited with all the publicity they're getting ...
even simple things. Like, for example, their T.L.A. shows were mentioned in
my school newspaper ... and other stuff. Also, at school today I was playing
Army and someone started singing along ... not even a fan .. that's great! I
haven't even heard them on the radio yet, but apparently others have. Also
... the Philly popular music station (Y100, the 5 played at their festival
last summer is featuring them this month: every sunday in April, they play
one of the new songs. And I don't believe they've ever played anything other
than Brick before ... oh yeah, and Brick also ... don't forget Brick, too. I
mentioned Brick, right?
Finally, does anyone know anything about the F&M venue? As in, where
to go, and also what kind of a place the concert is in .. well, I am so
pumped!
Adam oh boy I should stop going on now Robinson
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 21:57:04 -0800
From: "Mia Melena Davy" <thames@chickmail.com>
Subject: (No Subject)
Alright, ever since Ben and Frally moved to Adelaide the Advertiser (Adelaide newspaper) has been taking so much more notice of BFF, which I must say is a very good thing seeing as I opened the daily news this morning to find a huge double-spread on them, entitled "Five's Next Adventure". It's mostly just an interview with Ben, seeing as he's the only one in Adelaide, but the writer makes it sound like Ben is the whole band in quite a few parts. Oh well, at least they spelt their names right...
I won't type the whole thing because it's so wonderfully LONG, but I'll post the most interesting snippets for you. There was the nicest photo I've ever seen of the band in there - they're looking mighty suave in suits, especially Darren with his grandpa-style hat. I don't have a scanner sorry, but I'm sure Clare Oakes will put it up on her magnificent page for all to see. (;
Here are the best snippets:
*The fact that Reinhold Messner is actually a 55-year-old Italian adventurer was just a glorious coincidence, according to Ben Folds. "Coincidence is the best thing," says pianist and songwriter Folds. "That's a great thing to tap in to when you make music. The mistakes that feel right, you know there's something to them."
*Relaxing here in Adelaide - his new home town, having recently bought a house here with his girlfriend, Frally - Folds says the band felt more pressure recording the new album. "'Whatever' was hard because it was hot on the heels of an album which was the thing to get us noticed," he explains. "We'd just gone to a major label and we were very self-conscious. To jump off and decide you're going to be a world travelling band is scary." But Folds put enormous pressure on himself with the new album. "I didn't want to make an album that didn't feel real and that's a hard thing to pull off," he says. "There are so many details and obstacles in the way to expression with music. It's a craft and it's hard to see the forest for the trees when you're creating something artistic because there's technique involved. Especially if you've got a lot out of it. We've all got pretty big music brains and that's hard to turn off sometimes."
*"Recording 'Whatever' was borderline miserable," Folds admits. That album was recorded in his living room and the artists were all very angst-ridden. "We'd been working so hard and had our asses kissed and told we were the s... for three years but nothing was happening. After we started finging some success, we could breathe a sigh of relief," Folds explains.
*'Reinhold' was recorded in "a really large nice studio room in LA". "That's a big difference," he says. "Recording this album was trying and intense but there was relaxation about it. We were pretty comfortable with ourselves when we made it. I think it's just experience."
*While the trio may have been comfortable, Folds thinks the album might not sit so easily with Ben Folds Five fans. "I think this will push them a little bit," he admits. "I don't like to underestimate people's musical intelligence so I think it's fun to put stuff out there and see what happens. So far, I've noticed that the album takes a few listens to sink in. You've got to hang out with 'Reinhold'for a while."
*One of the most prominent features of the album is the orchestral feel. "That's one of the reasons why we recorded in a big room," says Folds. "Real high fidelity is the way they record symphony orchestra. Mostly in rock music, it's recorded with microphones very close to everything. But nobody listens to a drum two inches from a drumhead. That's a rock picture and we wanted a more orchestral picture.
"And it works. It makes Darren's (drummer Darren Jessee) drum set sound more like multiple percussion." While there have been murmurs or 'Reinhold' being a "concept album", Folds says it is a couple of steps shy of being that. "It's more of a feel. The feel that the songs are all related in some kind of abstract way."
*Fold's recent solo work gave him the confidence to push the boundaries on this album. "Recording 'Fear of Pop' made me remember that anything I did, no matter how odd I might think it is or how unpredictable it may feel, still sounds like me. If I hadn't made 'Fear of Pop', this album would have been much more confined to a policy," he says.
*So for now, Folds has little time to settle into his new home. The trio will tour to support the album but Folds is always looking to the next project.
"I'd like to do - this is just the thought of the week - an EP recorded really quickly and play clavinet instead of the piano. It's an old instrument Stevie Wonder used to play. It's a keyboard instrument that plays guitar trings."
Which would certainly be a different sound for the guitarless Ben Folds Five.
"It is weird," Folds admits. "Sometimes it's hard to work without a guitar but it pushes you and makes you do different things. We do it this way because I've never played with a guitar player that I liked. But we've kind of got a cool thing going now."
~~~~~~
*PHEW*! Kudos to you if you stuck with me through that one. I think I ended up typing most of the article anyway...Hopefully you found it interesting.
Oh, and here's an interesting thought...when the hell is TUBORM being released in Australia? See, the Advertiser keeps claiming that it's being released next Monday (April 19), so I went to Big Star to ask them to hold it for me, but they had not a clue what I was talking about. So the guy (who looked a LOT like Jason Alexander, George from Seinfeld) checked his folder and returned with the information that it's being released on April 26th! So me thinks to myself "What a predicament I am in", and I travel to The Muses where the nasty import-hording lady tells me she has no idea when it's being released. So, so very helpful those Muses people...
Oh, there was also a review of TUBORM with the article in the Advertiser, but I won't post that now. I think this post is just a wee bit large. Maybe I'll post it later...
amy.
"I choose to start the story now.
***********************************
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http://www.chickclick.com
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http://www.chickmail.com
sign up for your free email.
***********************************
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 22:06:05 -0800
From: "Mia Melena Davy" <thames@chickmail.com>
Subject: Sorry in advance
Alright, ever since Ben and Frally moved to Adelaide the Advertiser (Adelaide newspaper) has been taking so much more notice of BFF, which I must say is a very good thing seeing as I opened the daily news this morning to find a huge double-spread on them, entitled "Five's Next Adventure". It's mostly just an interview with Ben, seeing as he's the only one in Adelaide, but the writer makes it sound like Ben is the whole band in quite a few parts. Oh well, at least they spelt their names right...
I won't type the whole thing because it's so wonderfully LONG, but I'll post the most interesting snippets for you. There was the nicest photo I've ever seen of the band in there - they're looking mighty suave in suits, especially Darren with his grandpa-style hat. I don't have a scanner sorry, but I'm sure Clare Oakes will put it up on her magnificent page for all to see. (;
Here are the best snippets:
*The fact that Reinhold Messner is actually a 55-year-old Italian adventurer was just a glorious coincidence, according to Ben Folds. "Coincidence is the best thing," says pianist and songwriter Folds. "That's a great thing to tap in to when you make music. The mistakes that feel right, you know there's something to them."
*Relaxing here in Adelaide - his new home town, having recently bought a house here with his girlfriend, Frally - Folds says the band felt more pressure recording the new album. "'Whatever' was hard because it was hot on the heels of an album which was the thing to get us noticed," he explains. "We'd just gone to a major label and we were very self-conscious. To jump off and decide you're going to be a world travelling band is scary." But Folds put enormous pressure on himself with the new album. "I didn't want to make an album that didn't feel real and that's a hard thing to pull off," he says. "There are so many details and obstacles in the way to expression with music. It's a craft and it's hard to see the forest for the trees when you're creating something artistic because there's technique involved. Especially if you've got a lot out of it. We've all got pretty big music brains and that's hard to turn off sometimes."
*"Recording 'Whatever' was borderline miserable," Folds admits. That album was recorded in his living room and the artists were all very angst-ridden. "We'd been working so hard and had our asses kissed and told we were the s... for three years but nothing was happening. After we started finging some success, we could breathe a sigh of relief," Folds explains.
*'Reinhold' was recorded in "a really large nice studio room in LA". "That's a big difference," he says. "Recording this album was trying and intense but there was relaxation about it. We were pretty comfortable with ourselves when we made it. I think it's just experience."
*While the trio may have been comfortable, Folds thinks the album might not sit so easily with Ben Folds Five fans. "I think this will push them a little bit," he admits. "I don't like to underestimate people's musical intelligence so I think it's fun to put stuff out there and see what happens. So far, I've noticed that the album takes a few listens to sink in. You've got to hang out with 'Reinhold'for a while."
*One of the most prominent features of the album is the orchestral feel. "That's one of the reasons why we recorded in a big room," says Folds. "Real high fidelity is the way they record symphony orchestra. Mostly in rock music, it's recorded with microphones very close to everything. But nobody listens to a drum two inches from a drumhead. That's a rock picture and we wanted a more orchestral picture.
"And it works. It makes Darren's (drummer Darren Jessee) drum set sound more like multiple percussion." While there have been murmurs or 'Reinhold' being a "concept album", Folds says it is a couple of steps shy of being that. "It's more of a feel. The feel that the songs are all related in some kind of abstract way."
*Fold's recent solo work gave him the confidence to push the boundaries on this album. "Recording 'Fear of Pop' made me remember that anything I did, no matter how odd I might think it is or how unpredictable it may feel, still sounds like me. If I hadn't made 'Fear of Pop', this album would have been much more confined to a policy," he says.
*So for now, Folds has little time to settle into his new home. The trio will tour to support the album but Folds is always looking to the next project.
"I'd like to do - this is just the thought of the week - an EP recorded really quickly and play clavinet instead of the piano. It's an old instrument Stevie Wonder used to play. It's a keyboard instrument that plays guitar trings."
Which would certainly be a different sound for the guitarless Ben Folds Five.
"It is weird," Folds admits. "Sometimes it's hard to work without a guitar but it pushes you and makes you do different things. We do it this way because I've never played with a guitar player that I liked. But we've kind of got a cool thing going now."
~~~~~~
*PHEW*! Kudos to you if you stuck with me through that one. I think I ended up typing most of the article anyway...Hopefully you found it interesting.
Oh, and here's an interesting thought...when the hell is TUBORM being released in Australia? See, the Advertiser keeps claiming that it's being released next Monday (April 19), so I went to Big Star to ask them to hold it for me, but they had not a clue what I was talking about. So the guy (who looked a LOT like Jason Alexander, George from Seinfeld) checked his folder and returned with the information that it's being released on April 26th! So me thinks to myself "What a predicament I am in", and I travel to The Muses where the nasty import-hording lady tells me she has no idea when it's being released. So, so very helpful those Muses people...
Oh, there was also a review of TUBORM with the article in the Advertiser, but I won't post that now. I think this post is just a wee bit large. Maybe I'll post it later...
amy.
"...I know my wooden toilet seat will not leave a red ring on my bottom if I sit with my weight forward. I know if I lie on the tiles when I'm 'pissy pants' it makes me feel better. I know if I curl my toes inward then it's tolerable to walk on the tiles without socks in winter. I know that if my tootbrush falls in between the sink and the wall I can get it out with the piece of cane that holds the fern up straight. I know when sunlight hits the wall during August it gives off a yellow light which makes me feel like I'm in Egypt...There are four things I like in life: fresh sheets on my bed, my sweets arriving no later than four minutes after my main meal, seeing someone miss out on something the desperately want and two uninterrupted 20-minute stints in my bathroom so I can be myself for just under an hour each day.
My bathroom is my best friend." - The Sandman, jjj
Whoops. My apologies also for the long quote.
***********************************
chickclick.com
http://www.chickclick.com
girl sites that don't fake it.
http://www.chickmail.com
sign up for your free email.
***********************************
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 05:40:55 -0700
From: Clare <oakes@box.net.au>
Subject: Yay for the Addy!
Yay, 11 days to go!!
I did have a reason for posting: in Thursday's Adelaide Advertiser, in the
entertainment liftout thingy there was a review of TUBORM and a good
sized interview with the boys, as well as a veeeeery nice picture of them
wearing suits with arms round each other's shoulders. I'll have the picture
up on my pics page sometime in the next week [I have to wait until the
holidays are over so I can use the school scanner. But it won't be long,
cause they're actually finishing on Sunday :( or today, whichever way you
look at it].
And while I'm here... I've just bought the Japanese import of S/T (Amy-
it was the one from the Muses and guess what? The PLASTIC was
GONE!!) -it has a very grouse *live* version of Tom & Mary- and I was
wondering about that handwritten japanese stuff on the first page of the
booklet. Did Ben or someone write that, and what does it say? For that
matter, what does ANY of the Japanese stuff say?? And who is Ken
Sagami? (He was the one who wrote those two and a half pages
at the start of the booklet).
Well, if anyone knows: oakes@box.net.au .
- -Clare
- --...Folds thinks the album might not sit so easily with Ben Folds Five fans.
"I think this will push them a little bit," he admits. "I don't like to
underestimate
people's musical intelligence but I think it's fun to put stuff out there and see
what happens. So far, I've noticed that the album takes a few listens to sink in.
You've got to hang out with Reinhold for a while."
- --from the Addy
- --
************************Coming soon: Fan Debate!***********************
The In-Betweens... ...Clare's BEN FOLDS FIVE Page
Co: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Vine/3381 Co:
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 01:08:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jodie Poole <jodiepoole@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1470
Hi all,
To the person who was wanting to trade a UK Army
single for Ben Lee's "Cigarettes Will Kill You", can
you please e-mail me, as I'm having trouble getting
mail through to your address.
Thanks,
Jodie
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End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1471
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