Ben Folds
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2008-07-16T21:45:33Z
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Removed piece saying what Quinn Davis doesn't know about the article.
{{Infobox musical artist
| Name = Ben Folds
| Img = Benfolds.jpg <!-- This is a free image, do not delete or replace with a fair use image -->
| Landscape = yes
| Background = solo_singer
| Birth_name = Benjamin Scott Folds
| Alias =
| Born = {{birth date and age|1966|9|12}}
| Origin = [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina|Winston-Salem]], [[North Carolina]]
| Instrument = [[singing|Vocals]], [[piano]], [[guitar]], [[bass guitar]], [[drum kit|drums]], [[keytar]]
| Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]], [[alternative rock]], [[piano rock]], [[powerpop]]
| Occupation = [[Singer-songwriter]], [[musician]]
| Years_active = 1988 — present
| Label = [[Attacked By Plastic]], [[Epic Records|Epic]]
| Associated_acts = [[Ben Folds Five]]<br/>[[The Bens]]<br/>[[Fear of Pop]]<br/>[[Majosha]]
| URL = [http://benfolds.com benfolds.com]
}}
'''Benjamin Scott Folds''' (born [[September 12]], [[1966]], in [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]])<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/folds_ben/artist.jhtml
|title=Ben Folds | Music Artist | Videos, News, Photos & Ringtones
|publisher=[[MTV]]
|accessdate=2007-07-30
}}</ref> is an American [[singer-songwriter]] and the former frontman of the [[musical group]] [[Ben Folds Five]]. He is widely acclaimed for his prowess as a [[pianist]], [[composer]], [[songwriter]], [[performer]], and [[multi-instrumentalist]].<ref>Credits from "Rockin' the Suburbs" list Folds as the main instrumentalist on piano, drums, guitar, and vocals. "Additional" instrument artists are credited.</ref>
==Biography==
===Early life & career===
Because of his father's work as a builder and carpenter, Folds moved frequently throughout his childhood. As a result, making friends was difficult. Consequently, Folds became attached to a piano his father brought home when he was 9, the result of a [[barter]] trade his father made with a customer who was unable to pay for his work.<ref>According to Ben Folds on his iTunes Originals interview titled "My Inner White Man Came Out In Full Bloom"</ref> During this time, Folds listened to songs by [[Elton John]] and [[Billy Joel]] on [[AM radio]], and learned them by ear. During his years at [[R.J. Reynolds High School]] in [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]] and at [[Chapel Hill High School (North Carolina)|Chapel Hill High School]], Folds played in several bands as the pianist, [[bassist]] or [[drummer]].
In the late 1980s, Folds (as a bassist) and longtime friend Jay Pichardo joined the band [[Majosha]]. The group released several locally-produced records. They played their first gig at [[Duke University]]'s Battle of the Bands in 1988 and won. They played bars and [[Fraternities and sororities|fraternity]] parties for a while, and eventually put out a self-produced [[EP]] sold at a few local stores called ''Party Night: Five Songs About Jesus'' (1988). The record featured only four songs, none of which were actually about [[Jesus]]. Gradually, their popularity grew and they played larger and farther-flung gigs. They recorded [[Shut Up and Listen to Majosha|''Shut Up and Listen to Majosha'']] in 1989. It contains, among others, the four songs from ''Party Night'' (remixed and/or re-recorded), "Emaline", and "Video". At about the same time, they did a dance mix of "Get That Bug" that was released in [[Japan]].
Majosha broke up in early 1990, and Folds formed Pots and Pans with [[Evan Olson]] (bass) and Britt "Snuzz" Uzzell (guitar & vocals). Folds played drums. They only lasted about a month, after which Olson and Uzzell went on to form Bus Stop<ref>[http://www.8notes.com/biographies/ben_folds.asp Ben Folds biography - 8notes.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> with Folds' brother Chuck Folds on bass and Eddie Walker on drums.<ref>[http://www.theshrubbery.com/0798/music2.html Bus Stop - Self Titled<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Folds eventually got a music-publishing deal and moved to [[Nashville, Tennessee]], to pursue it in 1990. He formed a new band, Jody's Power Bill, and he again attracted interest from major labels. He ended up playing drums there as a [[session musician]].<ref name="Winston-Salem">[http://fmaynard.com/bff/reviews/winston_salem.html Ben Folds Five - Winston-Salem Journal review<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
"In Nashville, I was running eight miles a day, hanging out with my friends, walking around eating chocolate-chip cookies and playing a lot of drums, which I enjoyed. Life was easy. I was never frustrated -- even though I wasn't fulfilling my contract obligations. If you are failing in Nashville, at least your standard of living is nice. Nashville is a nice way to fail."<ref name="Winston-Salem"/>
Folds attended the [[University of Miami]]'s esteemed School of Music on a [[percussion]] scholarship, but dropped out with one credit to go before graduating. He devoted a lot of time to working on piano technique. "I spent maybe six months just running scales with a [[metronome]] like a freak," Folds said. "I suppose that did something."<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://thedent.com/more.php?id=A796_0_1_0_M
|title=Interesting Ben Folds article from the San Diego Union-Tribune
|first=James
|last=Chute
|publisher=The Dent
|date=2003-08-01
|accessdate=2007-07-30
}}</ref>
Folds tells audiences about a jury recital while a student at the University of Miami’s music school. A jury recital consists of playing a prepared repertoire (and sometimes unprepared pieces from prior years of training) before faculty members who then apply a grade for the entire semester. Folds, a drummer, showed up with a hand broken from a previous night’s partying, but was required to play anyway. He ended up losing his scholarship, and threw his drumkit into a lake on campus.<ref>[http://www99.epinions.com/content_77450677892 Ben Folds Bares All Live - Ben Folds Live [PA] - Ben Folds - Epinions.com]</ref>
After leaving Miami, Folds moved to [[New York]], where he began to act in theater troupes. He had previously done some theater in high school. He enjoyed it in 1993 to the point where he didn't want to keep pursuing a musical career.<ref name="Winston-Salem"/> He also played weekly [[Gig (musical performance)|gig]]s at [[Sin-é]], famous for being the cafe which had helped start [[Jeff Buckley]]'s career.
Soon after, Folds moved back to [[North Carolina]]. The [[Trio (music)|trio]] of Ben Folds, bassist [[Robert Sledge]], and drummer [[Darren Jessee]] formed [[Ben Folds Five]] in 1994<ref>[http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/folds_ben/bio.jhtml VH1 Bio]</ref> in [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina|Chapel Hill]]. As Folds put it, “[[Jeff Buckley]] was being signed at that time by [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] and I was talking to Steve, his [[A&R]] guy, and somehow we knew the same people or something."
===Ben Folds Five===
In 1995, [[Ben Folds Five]] released their self-titled [[Ben Folds Five (album)|debut album]] (songs included "Philosophy" and "Underground"). The debut was followed by ''[[Whatever and Ever Amen]]'' in 1997, and the odds-and-ends compilation ''[[Naked Baby Photos]]'' was released in early 1998. ''Whatever'' spawned many hits, such as "[[Brick (song)|Brick]]," "Song for the Dumped," and "Battle of Who Could Care Less." In 1999, the band released their final album, ''[[The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner]],'' which included the hit, "Army."
Folds has described his former band as "[[punk rock]] for sissies,"(quoted from a Finnish Magazine){{Fact|date=April 2008}} and his oddball lyrics often contain nuances of depression, melancholy, self-conflict, and humorous sarcasm.
Despite its presence on multiple ''[[Billboard]]'' genre charts, none of the songs reached the vaunted [[Hot 100]], though they did show well on both adult contemporary and modern rock charts.
===Solo career===
As of 2006, Folds has released five [[Solo album|solo]] [[LP album|LPs]], including an experimental side project called ''[[Fear of Pop]]'', which was released while Ben Folds Five was still together.
Folds' first solo release after the breakup of the band was ''[[Rockin' the Suburbs]]'' in 2001, on which he played nearly all the instruments, notably [[guitar]], an instrument seldom used during the Ben Folds Five days. A year later, he released ''[[Ben Folds Live]]'', a collection of live solo recordings. In late 2003, two solo [[EP]]s, ''[[Speed Graphic (EP)|Speed Graphic]]'' and ''[[Sunny 16 (EP)|Sunny 16]]'', were released, and a third, entitled ''[[Super D]]'', was released in mid-2004.
''[[Songs for Silverman]]'' was released in the United States on [[April 26]], [[2005]]. The album featured Jared Reynolds on [[Bass guitar|bass]] and Lindsay Jamieson on the [[drums]], thus returning to the trio format. This album includes the track "Late," a tribute to the late singer-songwriter [[Elliott Smith]], and also features [[backup vocals]] from [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] on "Time." (Folds had played piano for Yankovic's song "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" on his ''[[Poodle Hat]]'' album. Yankovic also directed and appeared in Folds' video for the "[[Rockin' the Suburbs]]" single).
Folds also contributed to [[William Shatner]]'s most recent album, ''[[Has Been]]'', as a [[Record producer|producer]], [[Arrangement|arranger]], musician, and [[backup vocalist]]. Shatner also sang vocals on Folds' ''Fear of Pop'' song, "In Love," which was performed live on ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'' on [[January 22]], [[1999]].
Folds has also had help from John McCrea, lead singer of the band ''[[Cake (band)|Cake]]''; his vocal stylings are featured on the Ben Folds' song "Fred Jones, Part 2"
In May 2006, Folds contributed three original songs to the [[soundtrack]] of ''[[Over the Hedge (film)|Over the Hedge]]'', a [[DreamWorks]] production, as well as a cover of [[The Clash]] song "Lost in the Supermarket," and a remix of "Rockin' The Suburbs" with some new lyrics written to complement the script of the film -- to which Shatner contributed a spoken rant.
On [[October 24]], [[2006]], Folds released ''[[Supersunnyspeedgraphic|Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP]]'', a compilation of songs that were originally released on the EPs ''Sunny 16'', ''Speed Graphic'', and ''Super D''. He announced on his [[MySpace]] blog that he planned to work on his next [[studio album]] in October 2006, although recording did not actually start until 2007.
On [[October 24]], [[2006]], Folds became the first person to broadcast a live concert over [[MySpace]]. The concert was complete with pranks staged ahead of time by Folds, including a drunk man falling over the balcony during "Jesusland" and a suicide attempt at the end. The concert is also notable for featuring a "guitorchestra," a group of acoustic guitarists from Nashville who accompanied Folds on some songs, as well as a ringtone orchestra featuring members of the audience playing their cellphone ringtones in unison.
Ben Folds is producing [[The Dresden Dolls]]' [[Amanda Palmer]]'s first solo album, ''Who Killed Amanda Palmer'' to be released in September 2008. He will also play on the album.<ref>[http://www.spin.com/features/news/2007/04/070425_apalmer Dresden Doll Preps Solo Debut | Spin Magazine Online<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.theshadowbox.net/ddbb/viewtopic.php?p=356594&highlight=#356594 THESHADOWBOX.NET :: View topic - Speculation: Solo Album Title<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Folds announced that he has completed his newest album during his concert at [[the National]] in [[Richmond, Virginia]] on [[April 11]], [[2008]], during which he played four new tracks from the upcoming album. The first track will be titled "Hiroshima" which he announced and played at the same show in Richmond on April 11. He debuted new music at an impromptu gig at the [[Exit/In]] on [[December 19]], [[2007]] and at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival on [[January 25]], [[2008]]. Other new songs include "Errant Dog", "Effington", "The Bitch Went Nuts", "Free Coffee", and "Kylie From Connecticut". Folds played The 6th annual Langerado on March 8, 2008 and was a part of the lineup for the 2008 [[Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival]] where he announced he was playing [[Bitches Ain't Shit]] for the last time. However he brought this song out of 'retirement' at [[Glastonbury 2008]] telling the audience that a friend of his was getting married and they had begged him to play it as they were getting married.
Folds' new album will be entitled [[Way To Normal]] and will be released on [[September 16]], [[2008]].<ref name="rel14">[http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2008/07/ben-folds-talks-new-album-and-release-date.html ''Paste'' - Ben Folds talks new album and release date (July 8, 2008 )]</ref>
==Tours==
After Ben Folds Five split, Folds' first tour with a full band was to support the album ''Rockin' The Suburbs.'' He was accompanied by Britt "Snüzz" Uzzell on guitar and [[Electronic keyboard|keys]], Millard Powers on bass and keys, and Jim Bogios on drums.
On a tour of [[Australia]], Folds joined with solo artists [[Ben Kweller]] and [[Ben Lee]] to travel the country as [[The Bens]], at the suggestion of a fan on Kweller's official Web site. The trio also went on to record a [[The Bens (EP)|four-track EP]] together.
In the summer of 2004, Folds co-headlined an American tour with fellow singer-songwriters [[Rufus Wainwright]] and [[Guster]]. Folds again performed with Wainwright and Lee in the summer of 2005 as part of the "Odd Men Out" tour. In addition, Folds has performed with many other famous musical names, including [[Weezer]] and [[Tori Amos]]. After seeing [[The Fray (band)|The Fray]] perform with Weezer, Folds asked the band to join him for 12 performances in 2005.
Folds also has shown the intricacy behind his original sound by performing with the [[West Australian Symphony Orchestra]] (WASO) in March 2005, and with the [[Baltimore Symphony Orchestra]] (BSO) in November 2005. A [[DVD]] of Folds playing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra was released in December 2005.
In early 2006 he toured Europe.
Folds performed with symphony orchestras again in August 2006 during a tour of Australia, which included performances with the [[Sydney Symphony]] at the [[Sydney Opera House]], [[Adelaide Symphony Orchestra]], [[Western Australian Symphony Orchestra]], [[Melbourne Symphony Orchestra]], and [[The Queensland Orchestra]].
After his [[MySpace]] performance on [[October 24]], 2006, Folds' tour performances began to feature a [[synthesizer]], which he uses in many of the songs when played live. The synthesizer is a red [[Clavia Nord Lead 2|Nord Lead II synthesizer]].
Folds is currently touring the United States with drummer Sam Smith and bassist Jared Reynolds. Former drummer Jamieson was unable to continue touring due to a ruptured disc in his neck.
Folds toured with [[John Mayer]] as an opening act (though his set typically lasted an hour) in the summer of 2007. During this tour, Mayer sometimes joined Folds on the song "Narcolepsy", playing synth.
On [[May 9]], 2007, Folds performed with the [[Boston Pops]] Orchestra. The orchestra's performance was marred when a fight broke out between two audience members in the balcony, although Folds had not yet taken the stage.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18583296/ Fight breaks out at Boston Pops - MUSIC - MSNBC.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
During his concerts, Folds performs two of his concert traditions: palm-smashing and throwing his stool at the piano.
On [[January 16]], 2008, it was announced that Folds will perform with the [[Nashville Symphony]], opening their 2008-09 [[Pops]] season on [[September 7]], 2008.<ref>https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/main.taf?p=1,1,3,1,6,1&EventID=0809-S2</ref>
On March 29, 2008, Folds played the Cage Center Arena at Berry College in Mt. Berry, GA. During contract negotiations he was asked by the administration to not play one of his songs due to its explicit lyrics, Folds refused - citing artistic freedom.
Ben Folds also recently performed at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.
On May 9th Ben Folds played his first completely solo show in years at Western Connecticut State University due to the fact that his bassist Jared Reynolds was with his wife who had just given birth to their first son.
Ben Folds played at the Glastonbury Festival 2008 on June 27th on "The Other Stage". The Dresden Doll's Amanda Palmer also appeared with him.
He played his first German festival on July 5th at Rheinkultur in Bonn.
Folds will also play at the Oxegen Festival in Ireland on Friday 11th July on the "O2 Stage" and at T in the Park 2008 in Scotland on Saturday 12th July on the "Pet Sounds Arena".
==Personal life==<!-- This section is linked from [[Gracie Folds]] -->
Folds has been married four times, and divorced three times. From 1987 to 1992, he was married to [[Anna Goodman]], who co-wrote the lyrics to several of his songs, including "Alice Childress" (the character in the song is someone in a [[mental institution]] who threw mop water on Anna), "The Last Polka" from the album ''Ben Folds Five'', "Smoke" and "[[Kate (song)|Kate]]" from ''[[Whatever and Ever Amen]]'', and "Lullabye" from ''[[The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner]]''.
Folds met his second wife, Kate Rosen, in December 1995, and married her in December 1996. She was a lighting operator for Ben Folds Five while they toured. They divorced in December 1997.
He married his third wife, Australian Frally Hynes, in May 1999. The former couple had two children, Louis Frances and Gracie Scott. Hynes helped record several of Folds's [[music video]]s, including "Still Fighting It" which also starred the couple's son Louis. Hynes contributed to "Root to This" on ''[[Fear of Pop: Volume 1]]'', and can be heard on the end of the track "Dog" on 2003's ''[[Speed Graphic (EP)]]''. She is also featured on the cover to Ben Folds' EP ''[[Super D]]'', released in 2004. They divorced in April 2007.
He recorded a song for each of his twin children on two of his albums — the song "Still Fighting It" on ''[[Rockin' the Suburbs]]'' for his son Louis, and "Gracie" for his daughter on his album ''Songs for Silverman''.
The song "The Luckiest" was originally written for the 2000 movie release, ''[[Loser (film)|Loser]]'' (directed by [[Amy Heckerling]]) but was deleted from the movie when the scene it was written for was cut. It re-emerged the following year on the album "Rockin the Suburbs".
Ben and his wife Fleur Folds live in Nashville, Tennessee.
==Work with William Shatner==
According to the track "Meeting Shatner" on the [[iTunes]] original album released in 2005, Ben Folds and [[William Shatner]] became good friends after he did a speaking part on the track "In Love." This led to them later collaborating on each other's projects including Ben Folds involvement in [[Priceline.com]] and ''Over the Hedge'', and the work on Shatner's album ''[[Has Been]]''.
[[William Shatner]] had a [[cameo appearance]] in the [[music video]] for "Landed." Folds produced and arranged Shatner's album [[Has Been]], with most of the songs co-written by Folds and Shatner. Through his friendship with William Shatner, Folds appeared in a late-1990s advertisement for Priceline.com, and his song "Landed" was used in a 2006 Hilton Hotels commercial. Shatner later starred in the 2006 animated film ''[[Over the Hedge (film)|Over The Hedge]]'', whose soundtrack features songs by Folds, including a reworking of "Rockin' the Suburbs" featuring Shatner.
In 2007 a ballet called "Common People", set to ''[[Has Been]]'', was created by [[Margo Sappington]] (of ''[[Oh! Calcutta!]]'' fame) and performed by the [[Milwaukee Ballet]]. Shatner attended the premiere and had the event filmed. This footage became ''[[Gonzo Ballet]]'', a feature film due out in 2008, which includes interviews with Ben Folds, William Shatner, and Henry Rollins.
==Discography==
{{main|Ben Folds discography}}
* ''[[Rockin' the Suburbs]]'', ([[2001]]), [[Sony Records|Sony]] #42 US
* ''[[Songs for Silverman]]'', ([[2005]]), [[Epic Records|Epic]] (Bonus DVD) #13 US
* ''[[Way to Normal]]'', ([[September 16]], [[2008]]), [[Epic Records|Epic]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
*Official sites: [http://www.benfolds.com/ US/UK] [http://www.sonybmg.com.au/artist/artistSiteLink.do?artistId=14159&showInfo=true Australia] [http://www.thepop.de/benfolds/ Germany] [http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/benfolds/ Japan]
*[http://www.benfolds.org/ benfolds.org]
*[http://www.geocities.com/rarebff/benfolds/ Joey's Guide to Ben Folds Five B-Sides and Rarities]
*[http://www.thesuburbs.org.uk/ thesuburbs.org.uk]
*[http://benfolds.bluni.com/ Ben Folds Lyrics]
*[http://www.phoenixfm.com/boa/ben-folds.php Audio interview with Ben Folds]
*[http://idents.tv/blog/?p=356 Ben Folds cover of 'Such Great Heights']
*[http://www.magicalarmchair.com/ The Magical Armchair]
*{{MySpace|benfolds|Ben Folds}}
*{{allmusicguide | id=11:3vfwxq8gld0e }}
*[http://www.gibson.com/en%2Dus/Divisions/Baldwin/Grands/Baldwin%20Grands/Model%20SF10E%20Artist%20Grand/ Baldwin SF10E Concert Grand]
{{Ben Folds Five}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Folds, Ben}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:American multi-instrumentalists]]
[[Category:American pop pianists]]
[[Category:American pop singers]]
[[Category:American rock pianists]]
[[Category:American rock singers]]
[[Category:American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Falsettos]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Melodica players]]
[[Category:Musical instrument destruction]]
[[Category:North Carolina musicians]]
[[Category:People from Winston-Salem, North Carolina]]
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