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“Suburbs” vinyl reissue set; solo tour later in 2016

Dec 31st, 2015
by Frank.
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suburbs_200A re-release on vinyl of Ben Folds’ 2001 debut solo album Rockin’ the Suburbs is due out in February, and a solo tour later in 2016 is in the early planning stages.

A listing by independent music retailer Bullmoose shows the album set for a February 26 release date for the two-disc set at a list price of $39.99. The pressing will be on 180-gram yellow vinyl and will include Hiro’s Song, the bonus track from the original vinyl release and the Japanese CD. It’s being released by ORG Music, which also re-released the Ben Folds Five album Whatever and Ever Amen.

Following the symphonic tours in the first few months of 2016, Ben has decided to do some solo shows that will showcase some of the hits from Suburbs as well as assorted newer material. The tour is still being put together, so keep an eye out for dates and locations. (more…)

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Spring North America shows with yMusic

Dec 10th, 2015
by Frank.
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The Ben Folds-yMusic juggernaut rolls on into 2016, with the previously-announced tour of the United Kingdom in June, and new dates in the United States and Canada in April and May.

Shows featuring Folds and the Brooklyn-based sextet are at a variety of halls and theatres ranging from small standing-only clubs to grand auditoriums including the Kennedy Center. The tour visits a number of rarely, or never-before, visited cities including Montreal, where Ben last performed in June of 1997, and Hampton, New Hampshire, a small seaside resort town with about fifteen thousand residents.

A feature of the tour is the availability of a limited number of Soundcheck packages at a premium price (somewhere north of $200 per ticket), but which include admission to the pre-show sound check, seating in the first few rows, a pre-show cocktail reception and a post-show meet & greet, an autographed So There CD and a signed print of one of Ben’s original black and white photographs. (more…)

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UK 2016 tour announced

Dec 3rd, 2015
by Frank.
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Ben and yMusic will be crossing the pond to treat UK fans to an earful of concerto and more next June. They’ll be making eight stops: Cardiff, Wales; Edinburgh, Scotland; Birmingham, Liverpool, Gateshead, London (2 shows), Brighton and Cambridge, England. Dates are up on the tour dates page, with VIP ticket sales starting today (December 3) and general sales December 4.

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Augusta show moved to new venue

Sep 29th, 2015
by Frank.
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Westobou Festival logo_11Due to the possibility of bad weather, the Ben Folds show with the Symphony Orchestra Augusta is being moved from the riverfront Jessye Norman Amphitheatre to the nearby Bell Auditorium, an indoor venue.Doors open at 7:30 pm for the 8:30 pm concert.

Westobou Festival organizers were concerned because the orchestral instruments couldn’t tolerate being out in bad weather. Rain has been in the forecast for several days in Augusta including a 40 percent chance during Ben’s performance.

Tickets for the Norman Amphitheatre will be honored at Bell Auditorium using the same seat numbers. In addition, $20 balcony general admission tickets are now available through the festival’s website.

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“So There” album reviews this week

Sep 13th, 2015
by Frank.
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sothere_200Here are a few of this past week’s reviews of So There:

  • Straight-up chamber pop, by Samantha Vincenty in PopCrush
  • A dramatic turn on par with Bob Dylan’s electric set at Newport, from Lee Zimmerman of Glide Magazine
  • Deceptively happy ruminations, by Bill Lamb in the Wisconsin Gazette
  • Never the same album twice, by Annie Zaleski in A.V. Club
  • I want to piss in your yard with this record, in which Ben drinks Scotch, plays knives like they’re drumsticks and gets all potty-mouthed with Danielle Bacher of Billboard Magazine
  • Pleasant, affable personality (could this be the same Ben? Never the same interview twice, I suppose) of whom the orchestra draws out the purest essence, by Adam Kivel writing in Consequence of Sound
  • Definitely sounds like a Ben Folds record but with strings and horns that aren’t merely part of the background, says Michael Quick writing in the University of New Haven Charger Bulletin
  • Kurt Weill meets Randy Newman and Leon Russell is Jon Sobel’s impression, writing in BlogCritics

Posted in: Check your papers and the TV.
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