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Summer evenings with Ben Folds

Apr 4th, 2018
by Frank.
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Ben’s summer schedule this year unites him with alt-rockers Cake on a month-long tour of east coast and midwest festival venues. The An Evening with Cake and Ben Folds mini-tour will play shows in Boston, Philadelphia, Queens, the Jersey Shore, Columbia, Md., Richmond, Nashville, Indianapolis, Chicago and Milwaukee.

The two are a compatible match, according to Ben: “Cake – my rough contemporaries, comrades and heroes – to me, they make universal, poetic, identifiable music with a groove. I’ve learned a lot from these guys and I’m proud as punch to be on tour with them this summer.” He’s also thrilled to have Boston-based electro-funk duo Tall Heights on the bill as openers, and encourages fans to get there early.

He’ll also do a show with the Grand Rapids Symphony and a solo evening at the Bay View Festival in Petoskey, Michigan. Info is available on our Tour Dates page.

Posted in: News.
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Majosha, then and now

Apr 21st, 2017
by Frank.
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If the names Eddie Walker, Evan Olson, Snüzz Uzzell and Millard Powers aren’t as familiar as those of Darren Jessee or Sam Smith, you’ll want to take a look back in the musical history of Ben Folds to his early days bouncing around the North Carolina music scene.

A feature article, A Ben Folds Lovefest, in the Greensboro, N.C. weekly Triad City Beat this week has a great overview of how Ben got into the music business, the friends he involved and met along the way, and some of the crazy gigs they played.

Reading Brian Clarey’s feature helps to explain the origin of many of Folds’ iconic songs like Army, where Ben drops out of school and forms a band which he subsequently gets kicked out of. It goes into Ben’s multi-instrumental abilities, with onetime bandmate Evan Olson describing how quickly Ben could learn a new instrument. And Olson’s not surprised at how many times Folds’ musical career has evolved, having realized at the time that Majosha was an “ephemeral project” but that it was time to move on.

The article concludes with a wrapup on what Ben’s original bandmates are currently up to.

There’s more about Ben Folds Five and the early days in our original Ben Folds Five website, still available using the link in the column to the right.

Posted in: Ben's Friends and Relations, Check your papers and the TV.
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The Ben Folds Havana Getaway

Dec 15th, 2016
by Frank.
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foldscuba400In what is probably a first for an American musical artist, Ben Folds will be leading a four-day music and culture tour of the formerly off-limits (to US citizens, anyway) island nation of Cuba next May.

Called The Ben Folds Havana Getaway, the tour takes guests on a trip around the capital city and environs, featuring a private concert by Ben and another performance with some of Cuba’s top musicians. Also included are visits to Havana’s art galleries, museums, architecture and cultural institutions, a tour in one of the classic 1950s American convertibles that Cuba is famous for preserving, cigar and rum tastings, and special events revolving around Ben’s passion for fine arts photography.

The event, packaged by Cuba Arts Live!, takes place May 25-29. Cost ranges from $3,199 per person and up, with a couples rate of $6,199, and includes ground transportation, lodging, meals, events and concerts. Participants need to arrange their own air travel, visas and insurance, which can be arranged through the event’s travel agent. Also not included are incidentals, side trips, souvenirs and any extended stay expenses.

Registration opens Friday, December 16 and there is a discount for registering prior to December 31. Full information can be found here.

Posted in: Announcements.
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Winter midwest tour announced

Dec 5th, 2016
by Frank.
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bfpiano_200Ben Folds will be touring the midwest this winter with a dozen dates in towns in ten states.

It’s a continuation of the Ben Folds and a Piano tour that started last fall. Most shows feature the availability of special VIP and Master Class packages as well. The Master Class packages include a piano class with Ben, meet & greet with autographed photo, early access for the sound check, beverages and other souvenirs. The Soundcheck packages include all of the above except the class.

Dates and cities are:

  • February 12: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  • February 14: Green Bay, Wisconsin
  • February 16: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • February 17: Bloomington, Indiana
  • February 21: Columbia, Missouri
  • February 23: Salina, Kansas
  • February 25: Urbana, Illinois
  • February 26: Knoxville, Tennessee
  • February 28: Asheville, North Carolina
  • March 1: Birmingham, Alabama
  • March 3: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • March 4: Memphis, Tennessee

Tickets go on sale to pre-sale fan club members and the VIP packages generally on Wednesday, December 7 and general admission on December 9.

You can find details, including ticket links, on our Tour Dates page.

Posted in: Announcements.
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Ben Folds & yMusic vinyl drops November 25

Nov 23rd, 2016
by Frank.
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folds_ymusic_liveAs part of a broad release by the independent record shops collectively known as Record Store Day, a new 10-inch vinyl by Ben Folds with yMusic becomes available in limited quantity (only two thousand pressed) on Friday, November 25 (the day after US Thanksgiving).

The EP, simply titled Ben Folds & yMusic In Concert 2015-2016, is on the New West label and assembles a handful of tracks of recent composition as well as one of Folds’ evergreens, and is described as

a live snapshot capturing electrifying “chamber rock” performances by Ben Folds and the immensely talented New York-based classical sextet ensemble yMusic.

For non-hipsters, vinyl records have grooves on both sides of the platter, unlike compact discs that younger baby-boomers and some Gen-Xers are more familiar with. Side A consists of Not a Fan, Erase Me and Capable of Anything. Side B features Phone in a Pool and Steven’s Last Night in Town. If you’re living in the digital world, December 9 is the date to watch for the downloadable version to appear on your favorite digital service provider.

Posted in: Announcements.
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