Since landing in Nashville from his native neighboring state of North Carolina (via Los Angeles and Australia), Ben Folds has made his mark on the Music City scene, from buying and restoring an iconic recording studio to underwriting music education. A new television documentary celebrating the history of Nashville’s music will feature Folds as one of its cornerstones. Airing on ABC Television Sunday, November 3, For the Love of Music: The Story of Nashville examines the artists, producers and songwriters who make Nashville what it is and features three dozen of the city’s most prominent music figures. “You can’t get that many talented people in one area and expect the genres not to grow,”said Ben, who’s joined by stars from today and yesterday ranging from Duane Eddy, Bill Anderson and Charlie Daniels to the Black Keys and Peter Frampton. The film airs on Sunday, November 3 from 3-4 PM Eastern time.
Frog Trouble
You’ve seen the greeting cards, coffee mugs and calendars featuring anthropomorphic characterizations of animals in arrangements like “Hippo Birdie Two Ewes” and “Wee Fish Ewe a Mare Egrets Moose”. They’re the creations of artist and musician Sandra Boynton, also known for three gold records and a Grammy nomination for her humorous renditions featuring luminaries such as B. B. King, Neil Sedaka and Brian Wilson. Now, Ben Folds joins Boynton’s co-conspirators on a country collection titled Frog Trouble…and Eleven Other Pretty Serious Songs, now available in stores and online. Folds contributes a track called Broken Piano, a honky-tonk tune about a somewhat out-of-tune upright with eighty-eight keys, six of which don’t play. Besides Ben, musicians contributing to the album include  Alison Krauss, Brad Paisley, Ryan Adams and Fountains of Wayne. You can hear the track and view a behind-the-scenes video at Ben’s website, and purchase the Boynton album from Amazon.com.
Groupon for 7″ vinyl & T-shirt
Groupon is currently running an offer for a 7-inch vinyl pressing of Draw a Crowd backed with Sky High in a custom box along with a t-shirt. The deal, valued at $21.98, is yours for only $11.99. The deal runs through Wednesday night, August 28, at midnight Eastern time. Go to Groupon’s site, then click on Goods, then Art & Entertainment.
Folds to perform at Kraddick memorial
Ben Folds will appear and perform at a memorial service in Dallas, Texas August 15 for the late radio host David “Kidd” Kraddick, who passed away last month. Folds was a favorite of Kidd and his daughter Caroline, who is helping to arrange the event. Kraddick was known to millions of radio listeners through his daily program “Kidd Kraddick in the Morning”, which was based in Dallas. The service, to be held at the AT&T Plaza outside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, begins at 5:30 pm and will feature several musical performances besides Folds’. The memorial, to be live-streamed on kiddtv.com, will be followed by a benefit concert for Kraddick’s children’s charity Kidd’s Kids at the Dallas House of Blues.
2014 Symphonic Performances Announced
Ben has started announcing his schedule of performances with symphony orchestras for 2014. The first two, in Virginia Beach and Kansas City, go on sale later this week for fan club members. Details and links are posted on the tour dates page and will be updated as additional shows are announced.
