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Gracie records album, opens for dad

Sep 16th, 2016
by Frank.
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pinkelephantGracie Folds, Ben’s daughter, has a fledgling music career of her own and a five-song EP album to show for it. Released in August, the EP titled Pink Elephant features five songs that are very reminiscent of dad’s early material. Unusual rhythms, wryly cynical lyrics and discordant runs and chords run throughout the melodies, described by one commenter as Bach meets Aimee Mann. She plays piano and guitar and Ben contributes hand claps.

The album is available on Bandcamp for whatever you’d care to pay for it, and as a bonus, she’ll be the opening act at Ben’s shows in New Haven, Conn., Northampton, Mass., and Burlington, Vt., and possibly more, this fall.

Posted in: Ben's Friends and Relations.
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Ben Folds and a Piano Fall Tour

Jul 14th, 2016
by Frank.
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Ben-Folds-Fall-Tour-v2As we mentioned back in December, Ben Folds hits the road again this fall with a solo piano tour titled, appropriately, Ben Folds and a Piano.

The tour starts out in Raleigh, North Carolina on September 13 and as of now ends on November 9 at Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, with stops in twenty-four states and thirty-one cities including a two-night stop in Milwaukee. More shows may be added as well in the coming days. You can find a complete listing with links to venues, maps, directions and tickets on our Tour Dates page.

The tour was originally going to be called Ben Folds: A Piano and a Playpen because (more…)

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Kesha is Big New$

Jun 1st, 2016
by Frank.
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Ben Folds and Kesha, via her Instagram feed

Kesha, via her Instagram feed

The singer Kesha’s duet with Ben Folds of Bob Dylan’s It Ain’t Me, Babe at the Billboard Music Awards on May 25 has generated more than its share of publicity for both musicians.

It’s not just about the duet and the song, but rather the drama surrounding Kesha and her current disagreement with her former manager, Dr. Luke. Luke originally gave approval for Kesha’s performance at the event, but threatened to revoke it if she continued pursuing legal remedies against him. Rallying to her cause, Folds has been supportive of Kesha, who he has been friends with since 2010.

The performance, incident and ensuing brouhaha has attracted much media attention including these articles: (more…)

Posted in: Ben's Friends and Relations.

Concerto to kick off Nashville season

Feb 8th, 2016
by Frank.
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schermerhornA gala celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Nashville Symphony’s Schermerhorn Center will feature Ben Folds performing his 21-minute concerto for piano and orchestra.

The September 10 opening night to begin the Symphony’s 2016-17 season features Folds’ three-movement work, co-commissioned by the Symphony, which Nashville Scene’s John Pitcher describes as

a proudly and overtly derivative piece, sounding like the music of Prokofiev one minute, and Gershwin the next. But Folds’ own idiosyncratic style, which he describes as “piano for left-handed drummer,” always comes through, providing this glistening work with a welcome degree of thrust.

(more…)

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Ben Folds leaving historic Studio A

Jan 16th, 2016
by Frank.
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bens_studio_250After leasing the iconic recording studio for fourteen years, Ben Folds has announced that he is passing Nashville’s former RCA Studio A over to renowned music producer Dave Cobb.

The transition is expected to take place in April. Folds expects to devote more time to his successful touring, most recently with the New York sextet yMusic, and other projects.

Folds won’t be a stranger to Studio A, however. He’ll continue to use the space, and his management team, which also oversees day-to-day operations, will remain in offices at the studio.

Folds, as you may recall, led an eleventh-hour effort to save the historic recording space from the wrecking ball in 2014. (more…)

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