Ben and Alicia have recorded the theme from Pasadena, a new independent film that’s due out this spring. A comedy-drama, Pasadena stars veteran actor Peter Bogdanovich along with Witt and Cheryl Hines. Ben is offering free downloads of the theme for those who would like to send a tweet promoting the track and the film.
Announcements
Ben Folds Five announces summer tour with Guster & BNL
The summer tour season is approaching and Ben, Darren and Robert have teamed up with Guster and Barenaked Ladies for a real crowd-pleasing North American tour covering thirty large venues in twenty-three states plus Ontario.
The “Last Summer On Earth” tour takes the guys from coast to coast, including shows in places that have never had a visit from Ben, such as Boise, Missoula and Bangor along with major metropolitan areas.
The six-week whirlwind tour kicks off in Dallas on June 17, heads west, then north, zig-zagging across the country, takes a dip into the South  and ends up in Brooklyn, New York on July 30. Ben Folds Five play all but one of the initial thirty dates. Additional dates and venues are due to be announced in the coming weeks. (more…)
Folds doing charity show at University of Michigan
Ben Folds will once again smash the piano on stage at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor next month at a benefit performance on the campus of the University of Michigan. Sponsored by the central student government organization, the event, part of the MUSIC Matters program started in 2001, brings nationally-known artists to the campus in performances to benefit the community. Proceeds from Ben’s show will go to set up a need-based scholarship endowment fund. (more…)
Ben performing on the Mall
When you think of service, you think of the waitperson who brings you your meal in a restaurant (or perhaps fills your gas tank, if you live in New Jersey). When you think of the Mall, you think possibly of the place where that restaurant is located, or a big shopping complex. Well, in this case “service” refers to the National Day of Service, founded by President Obama as part of his family’s commitment to give service to others. This year’s National Day of Service is Saturday, January 19, and volunteers all across the country will be giving of themselves to improve their communities and serve others. In recognition of that effort, Ben Folds will be performing, not at your nearby shopping center but at The Mall, as in The National Mall, the vast expanse of real estate flanked by the Capitol, the White House, and the Lincoln Memorial in our nation’s capital. Thousands of volunteers are expected to converge on Washington for the Martin Luther King Day weekend leading up to the inauguration, and many will be able to hear Ben’s performance. Ben’s form of service is his support of music therapy, a broad spectrum of assistive therapy involving music in all of its forms for the betterment of health and well-being, and he has partnered with The George Center for Music Therapy in Atlanta to help bring music therapy to those who need it.
Ben Folds’ photographs in new UK gallery exhibit
Those who have been at a Ben Folds show in recent years have become accustomed to the house lights coming up at some point, whereupon Ben pulls out a camera and takes a picture or two of the audience. He’s also known for Tweeting and Instagramming pictures of his travels, rehearsals, and family moments. Over the past several years, Ben’s photography has gone from a curiosity to a high level of competence and skill. You’ll recall that his triptych of solo EPs and subsequent compilation albums bore a photographic theme – Sunny 16, Speed Graphic, Super D.
Now, Ben’s photography takes another leap over his music with an exhibit of his works at the most prominent gallery in the United Kingdom. (more…)
