Sam Smith’s other musical venture, My So-Called Band, has a show at Nashville’ Mercy Lounge on New Year’s Eve. Sam’s posted that they plan on playing 58 songs from the ’90s, the longest show he’s  ever been in. The show,  which is sold out, starts at 10 pm.
Triple J Hottest 100 balloting open
Radio Triple J, the Australian pop station, is conducting its annual Hottest 100 listener poll. Ben has two selections in the list of a few hundred tracks from 2010: Levi Johnston’s Blues and From Above, both from Lonely Avenue. Vote and show your support for Ben’s nominations.
“Bus Stop” reunion show
Ben’s brother Chuck Folds lets us know that his former band, Bus Stop, will be giving a reunion concert on Christmas night at the Blind Tiger in Greensboro, North Carolina. Chuck will be joined by his former bandmates, many of whom you’ve heard of: Evan Olson, Eddie Walker and Britt “Snuzz” Uzzell. Chuck has multiple projects going, including kid-friendly trio Big Bang Boom with Eddie and Steve Williard, who with Chuck and Tim Poole are Chuck Folds Five. The Blind Tiger is at 2115 Walker Avenue in Greensboro (this is the last show in their 22-year run at this address; they move to new, larger digs nearby in time for New Year’s Eve), and has the distinction of hosting the first-ever Ben Folds Five performance ever, in 1993.
Success for “The Sing-Off”
The second season of NBC’s a cappella competition show, The Sing-Off, featuring an even stronger crop of contenders and Ben as one of the judges, is by most measures a success. Though not in first place, ratings are strong, leading New York Times’ media reporter Bill Carter to suggest that the show is a “virtual certainty” to return for a third season.  The show has posted ratings of 2.8 and 2.6 in the 18-49 demographic in overnight metering, representing viewership in the range of 8 million, a modest increase from last year’s showing. NBC says the December 8 episode registered the highest Wednesday rating the network has had this fall, in the face of strong competition from programming on rival networks CBS and ABC. Update: Ratings are strong for episode 3 which aired Monday, December 13, posting 3.2 the first hour and 3.4 for the second in adults 18-49 for an average of 3.3, representing 9.41 million viewers. Update: Despite tying its lowest rating of the season, Monday’s finale of The Sing-Off still won the night for NBC with a rating of 2.7 and a 7 share with 8.6 million viewers.
Upper Midwest tour dates
Continuing the Lonely Avenue tour, dates have been announced for several US Midwestern venues in January, including Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Madison, St. Louis, Athens and Champaign. Details on the tour dates page. Update: Also a show at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo.
