Ben Folds will be touring with the Violent Femmes this summer. The show takes the two to more than a dozen cities from the northeast to midwestern United States. Fan presale starts March 5 and ticket sales to the general public will be available March 8. Check the cities and dates here.
“Mister Peepers” 7 inch single drops Nov. 22; events planned
The single for Mister Peepers, Ben Folds’ song about deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein and the derogatory characterizations of him (and which we wrote about here) will be released on 7-inch vinyl in the US. There’s a release event planned at Brooklyn’s Rough Trade at 3:00 pm Saturday, November 24, which is also Small Business Saturday. Ben will give a short performance, followed by a signing of the single. You only need purchase a copy of the 7″ ($8.99) to be admitted to the event. Doors open at 2:00 pm.
Rough Trade is a top independent purveyor of music and media. The Brooklyn store, in the Williamsburg neighborhood, is the largest of five locations, the other four being in the UK.
The 7-inch single, backed with A Million Years, will also be available, along with other special releases, at select independent record stores around the country as part of the Record Store Day event for Small Business Saturday. Check with your local shop for availability.
“Mister Peepers” continues Ben Folds’ foray into politics
Those who have heard Ben’s live shows recognize his occasional foray into current political affairs. Though rare, his leanings belie his red-state upbringing while at the same time are generally in line with his audience. So, following in the footsteps of his recent performance for and alongside Tennessee Democratic Senate candidate and former Governor Phil Bredesen, Ben has recorded a song taking aim at the discord between Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein and Ohio Republican congressman Jim Jordan that arose during a hearing in June.
In conjunction with the Washington Post Magazine, the song, “Mister Peepers”, (more…)
Benefit for Tennessee U. S. Senate candidate
Ben Folds will co-headline a campaign fundraising event for Tennessee Democratic U. S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen on August 20. Sharing the stage at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works will be singer-songwriter Jason Isbell.
The evening event, being called Our Country, Our Future, includes Delta Rae in support of the former two-term Tennessee governor making his bid for the U. S. Senate in the fall election. Bredesen and his challenger, Republican U. S. Representative Marsha Blackburn, recently won their parties’ primary elections. While no Democrat has been elected to the Senate from Tennessee since Al Gore in 1990, Bredesen, who considers himself a moderate, holds a slight lead in polling against Blackburn in the race. They’re vying to fill the seat currently held by Republican Bob Corker, who announced his retirement from the Senate last year.
Folds, no stranger to politics, endorsed U. S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in his run for the Democratic presidential nomination ahead of the Michigan primary in 2016. Sanders won Michigan but fell short nationally to Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).
Ben Folds added to Music City Walk of Fame
Nashville’s Music City Walk of Fame – home to stars like Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and Hank Williams – gets a new resident in August as Ben Folds is one of four music industry luminaries to receive a star on the famed walk.
Folds has been honored not just for his musical accomplishments but for his support for the music business in his adopted home town. (more…)
