Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue # - April 1, 1996
Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #61
Topics for Today:
Barry Black & Who's next...The Lake? The Brake?
BF5 & McCartney/The Beatles
Re: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #60
Re: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #60
The Customers, but not BF5
BF5 Tapes?
Re: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #60
BFF Getting Huge?
Piano music(BFF)
To JC: The Customers in DC w/BFF
Video Killed the Radio Star (BFF)
Ben Folds Five Digest
Re: BF5 questions
(no subject)
OVERCOMMERCIALISM= a fate worse that death to BF5 fans!!!!
Ben Folds Five Fan in Japan
i'm a sissie
BFF at SXSW
Next dates for BFF
FLEMING & JOHN BRING THEIR DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR TO CONAN
==============================================================================
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 13:41:44 -0500 (EST)
From: "Adam H. Balevic" <adam@binary9.net>
Subject: Barry Black & Who's next...The Lake? The Brake?
Regarding The Customers opening for the BFF, J.C. suggests:
> Too bad Eric Bachman from the AOL couldn't have showed up and let that
> Barry Black project open up.
> J.C.
Funny thing you mention that. The Barry Black project which, as
everyone here knows, is Eric + part BFF + part Geezer Lake + a couple
other Chapel-Hillsters. Eric is planning the next Barry Black record
with more of a live focus in mind, and seeing as how BFF, Eric (and
the Archers), and GL are all friends anyway, there is a distinct
possibility that there will be some BFF/Barry Black shows or some
other Archers/BFF/Barry Black/Geezer Lake configuration. The problem
lies with the booking agencies and phoney-baloney politics. That's why
Geezer Lake was replaced by The Customers for the Charlotte BFF
show. No matter how much the bands want to play together, it's still up
to the booking agents as to if it works out or not.
Adam
--
/*-----------------------------------------------------------
Adam Balevic adam@binary9.net
Greensboro, NC http://www.binary9.net/adam
-----------------------------------------------------------*/
==============================================================================
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 13:47:54 -0500
From: PowerVegan@aol.com
Subject: BF5 & McCartney/The Beatles
>> On a related note, i have never heard anyone compare BF5 to McCartney.
Actually, I brought up the Beatles comparison in this digest recently, while
everybody else was comparing BF5 to Queen. :-) (I'm not sure if anyone
mentioned them here before -- I've been on the list about two months, and
made the Beatles reference about a week ago.)
While I mentioned the Beatles and not McCartney specifically, I compared
Jackson Cannery with Martha My Dear (a McCartney song) from the White Album.
It's a piano-based song that starts out with a 9th chord, then moves up one
note for a 7th chord -- similar to Jackson Cannery.
Yesterday I was playing BF5 songs on the piano in the atrium in the student
union (Univ. of TX), and this guy came up to me and said, "Hey, that sounds a
lot like the Beatles!"
So there you have it. :-)
-- Michael Bluejay, Austin, TX
Hey, now wouldn't "Good Day Sunshine" or "Come and Get It" be great covers
for BF5 to do?
==============================================================================
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 14:19:16 -0500 (EST)
From: "trichter's tricks inc." <nirvana1@email.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #60
zach, the next bands to go will be geezer lake and squirrel nut zippers.
you're right, everyone is getting up and leaving. i can't believe that
bff is not playing the triangle.
-steve
my whole existence is for your amusement
and that is why i'm here with you
x x
~. .~
~U~~
==============================================================================
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 14:20:15 -0500
From: Rahoolio@aol.com
Subject: Re: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #60
Hi... Here in St. Louis we've got a fairly frustrating "commercial
alternative" radio station that would sooner play Astrud Gilberto than
anything on an indie label, but just the other night they announced "Uncle
Walter" as the challenger in their nightly "cage match." (Listeners call
in to vote on their favorite between two pre-ordained songs, yadda yadda
yadda.) The champion from the night before was Blind Melon's version of
the Schoolhouse Rock classic "Three Is a Magic Number." Of course, '70s
Saturday-morning nostalgia won out, and BM won 19-15--none of my calls got
through. The consolation, I suppose, is that Ben is--ahem--STILL
LIVING...and the word of mouth continues to spread, with airplay sprouting
up here and there. Todd Rundgren (of whom I hear echoes in some of my BF5
faves) has been plugging them on his syndicated radio show "The
Difference." Looking forward to Tuesday night, so I can hear what all this
Fleming & John hubbub is about...
==============================================================================
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 15:05:52 -0500 (EST)
From: eric t beteille <beteille@mary.iia.org>
Subject: The Customers, but not BF5
It is an expected quandary that MTV Online reviews a new
album by a band that has been opening for Ben Folds Five,
but not a review of BF5 itself. For those of you who
actually tolerated The Customers, and want to read more
about this highly unoriginal gang of drunkards, check out:
http://www.mtv.com/music/reviews/customers.html
But don't bother with the Review Archive there ... You
won't find BF5. But, interestingly, you will find a review
of Morphine's "Yes" as an acheivement in the impossible act
of creating rock music without guitars. Does this mean there's
hope?
- Eric
P.S. - How do we petition to get BF5 on MTV Unplugged? It'd
be nice to see them mixed between Nirvana and Mariah Carey
once in a while. (And the quality will no doubt be magnitudes
higher than "ABC in 75% Concert.")
==============================================================================
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 16:10:25 -0500
From: Hooley21@aol.com
Subject: BF5 Tapes?
Hello everyone on the list.I guess I'm kind of a newbie(ugh) to Ben Folds
Five, but from all that I've heard, I really dig the sound. I saw the guy
live on Conan a few months ago, but have not seen them in person. I was
wondering if the band allows live taping(much the same as Phish or DMB). I'm
really into the tape trading thing and am very interested in getting some
BF5. Let me know if anyone has any tapes for trade or if BF5 even allows live
taping. Thanks in advance. Rob <Hooley21@aol.com>
==============================================================================
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 16:16:36 -0500
From: DJdeath@aol.com
Subject: Re: Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #60
while i don't think the customers were a very good pairing for bf5, i did
think they were a good band. considering that i wasn't familiar with any of
their songs, they did a great job holding my attention. recently, i've heard
a few tracks off the album. good stuff. don't write this band off yet.
i have a copy of the 'underground' video from the label. does anyone have a
decent quality boot that they'd be willing to trade me in exchange for a dub?
e-mail me.
later,
DJdeath
==============================================================================
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 17:35:03 -0500
From: ShulussJoe@aol.com
Subject: BFF Getting Huge?
O.K., so they've become more popular but around the Cleveland area I'd say
their fan support is minimal(that is if people have even heard of them) I
mean, less than 100 people show up for some of their shows. They still play
at night clubs as the seconed band out of three. I guess you have a tough
time cause the came from NC and all, but go somewhere else and your fine.
:-)
==============================================================================
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 17:46:17 -0500
From: ShulussJoe@aol.com
Subject: Piano music(BFF)
There is currently not a Ben Folds Five piano music book, or published sheet
music that I know about. If you want you can write to the band's producers
and ask(DEMAND) that they make a BFF songbook. The adress is
kerry McCarthy
Sony\ATV Publishing
550 Madison Avenue(18 floor)
New York, NY 10022
==============================================================================
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 1996 11:24:45 -0500 (EST)
From: Somebody to Love <erica67@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
Subject: To JC: The Customers in DC w/BFF
> From: intcsb02@midget.towson.edu
> Subject: BFF's show in DC
>
> But how could anyone in the world like
> that stupid f*cking opening band the Customers. They were horrible. It
> was like the same old tired thing I had seen a million times before.
> It seemed like they had a billion roadies too. Those guys thought they were
> really good too. How could someone like that open up for BF5...
> J.C.
>
Allright, JC, you DO have your own philosophy... But, hey! You haven't
been to many concerts, have you? Now, I agree that the Customers were
definately not the BEST band that I've seen, but, being a music and
concert critic, I've seen A LOT of bands. A lot of terrible bands. And
most of them are big name bands. Shudder to Think, Collective Soul,
Lustre, Toadies... These bands sound good on record, but SUCK live. The
Customers don't sound that polished and also have a sound remeniscient of
TONS of other bands, but hey, so do the Stone Temple Pilots and Bush and
Silverchair and Rusted Root and Blues Traveller and Phish and Dave
Matthews (sound familiar?). All these bands sound like some other band,
but millions of people still buy their records and see them live. I
talked to Ryan (The lead Singer) after the show in DC, and he told me that
they still had a lot to do to perfect their music. If you even listened to
the music, you could see that they do have the potential to be much
better, they just have to find the right road. As for the roadies, etc. I
think that Ben Folds Five LIKES to do their own stuff. It seems that they
are a really self sufficient band. I'm sure that they don't have roadie
envy. BFF did have a few roadies if you remember, and the Customers only
had one (the old wierd looking guy). The other guys were BFF's.
So, JC, to conclude... You do have your own belief, and I wont laugh at
it, but remember, a lot of bands that are really famous today started off
by SUCKING. And they would still suck if they didn't change anything in
rehearsal. For the CUstomers, the talent is there (own the album, perhaps?
or do you make judgements from live action alone?) but they haven't
harnessed it right. They did get a band like Ben Folds Five to look their
way and to ask them to open (Thats how bands get chosen to be opening
bands), so they can't be worse than the average garage band. See it that
way. Thanks.
erica WRGW 540am Washington DC
"I do the BEST imitation of myself!"
==============================================================================
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 1996 11:31:42 -0500 (EST)
From: Somebody to Love <erica67@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
Subject: Video Killed the Radio Star (BFF)
Excuses, Excuses Frank!
Video Killed the Radio Star is by another band (Buggles, I think).
So that probably wont be on the next cd. Sorry!
erica
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Some summers in the evening after six or so, I'll walk on down the hill,
Maybe buy me a beer. I think about my friends, you know sometimes I wish
they lived out here, but they wouldn't dig this town."
-Ben Folds Five (Alice Childress)
******************I do the best imitation of myself.....*******************
contact http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~erica67
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[yeah, but one has to get out once in a while... VKTRS is supposed to
be coming out on a compilation of covers sometime this spring. The
details escape me but it's been discussed here. -fjm]
==============================================================================
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 1996 14:14:46 -0500
From: Hovercow@aol.com
Subject: Ben Folds Five Digest
Hey ALL...............
This is for "JOHN Z. MULL"...
You said you were disappointed that BFF were getting SO BIG. I feel that
they're just getting the attention they deserve. I heard them thru a local
college station <I don't have empteev> They're show at Babyhead was sold out
but man, the club is small....and very intimate. I'm sure they're hometown is
very proud pf them <heck, I'm pround and I don't even live there!> So I think
if you travel out of your town, you'll be asked "Who's Ben Folds Five?", like
I get ALL the time! But I know where your coming from.... : )
And to David Aron Reaboi re:McCartney....I agree now that you pointed it
out...my first impression was Joe Jackson.
And guys...I'm enjoying ever bit of this digest....especially all the
references to other bands! Thanks!
Jen : )
==============================================================================
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 1996 15:49:06 -0500
From: Shan111111@aol.com
Subject: Re: BF5 questions
In a message dated 96-03-30 12:34:33 EST, you write:
> 3)Does the soundtrack w/the BFF song Retarded come out on April2?
if you're talking about "The Truth About Cats and Dogs", that soundtrack
comes out Apr 9, last I heard :)
shanna
==============================================================================
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 96 20:15:32 -0200
From: Wally Crane <sheba@ici.net>
Subject: (no subject)
Hi!
(First of all, I'm using my brother's account, [Hi! I'm Mary!], so if
you could put Aryadne@aol.com as the address on your mailing list, I'd
appreciate it. Actually, you could probably put him on it too, since he
loves Ben Folds Five as well.)
We went to see them in Providemce, RI last Friday night, and I think it
was really the best show I've ever been to. Of course, having a front row
seat (stand?) about 8 feet from Ben Folds with a good view of him banging
away on that piano (man that thing is beat up! And I couldn't believe
that at one point he was standing on the keys--my piano teacher would have
had a heart attack!) may have had something to do with it. It's really
nice to see a band be so silly and have so much fun hamming it up on
stage. They're really insane, and I'm so glad to have found them.
I've looked throught the stuff you've assembled on them; very
impressive. Do you have any idea where I could get a copy of the "Jackson
Cannery" single? (I'm in the northeast, so I don't know how available it
would be around here.) And also, when they were up on stage, they said
that the next Sunday (which would have been the 24th, I believe) they were
going to do a radio show in New York. Have you any idea if anyone out
there has taped that, and if I could get my hands on a copy? I don't know
if you can help me, but I thought maybe you could at least point me in the
right direction. Thank you.
Well, anything I can help you with, related to Ben Folds Five, I'd
be happy to oblige. Do you run a newsletter or something? 'Cause if you
need a review of their performance in Providence, I could probably help
you.
Mary Crane (Aryadne@aol.com)
[The Jackson Cannery 7" can be ordered from D-Tox Records. I believe
the ordering information is on the WWW page under "discography".
As for the newsletter, this is it... if you'd like to, please post
more on the Providence show. There are many who would like to read it.
-fjm]
==============================================================================
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 1996 23:27:51 -0500
From: SaintBet@aol.com
Subject: OVERCOMMERCIALISM= a fate worse that death to BF5 fans!!!!
To the person who wrote about BF5 getting overpublicized, overcommercialized,
and just TOO DAMN BIG!!!
I COULDN'T AGREE MORE! Don't get me wrong those guys are totally worthy of
major fame, wealth, and fortune! At their 3 recent Cleveland apperances,
each time the crowd grew an abundance in size. Great for the band, but
annoying to TRUE, die hard, loyal BF5 listeners. Just the thought of them
getting so big that they sell out Jacobs Field and I get stuck with the worst
seats in the house, or worse yet, no seats at all is really spooky! Imagine.
I have made a vow to myself that I will attend all BF5 concerts whenever we
are in the same town, but if this eventually becomes impossible, I'll not
only be S.O.L., but extremely depressed! Now I know, who am I, or any of us,
to be that greedy and selfish that we dont' want to share our Ben Folds Five
with anyone else? They are doing what makes them and thousands of other
people happy (BAH! BAH!). No matter what, I will always be a loyal fan, but
the thought of losing them to other people not worthy makes me want to lock
myself in a closet with my CD player and BF5's CD, never to return again to
the overpublicized, overcommercialized, overplayed, and sometimes overrated
music scene that most new, good artists (as BF5) become subject to. So in
conclusion:
BEN FOLDS FIVE, ROCK ON AND ROCK HARD,
BUT DON'T FORGET THE LITTLE PEOPLE THAT HELPED
YOU GET WHERE YOU ARE,
THE FAME YOU RECIEVE IS JUST WHAT'S DESERVED,
AND I PROMISE YOU WILL NEVER, EVER GET ON MY NERVES!!!
(So the last parts a little weak, sue me!)
BF5ers, take it easy and until the next issue. . .
"While seconds pass slowly, the years go flyin' by. . ."
Bet
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 1996 14:27:06 +0700
From: Azusa Motohashi <st31285@srv.cc.hit-u.ac.jp>
Subject: Ben Folds Five Fan in Japan
Hi! How do you do?
I am Azusa Motohashi in Japan and Ben Folds Five Fan.
I saw your www homepage about Ben Folds Five and
was interested it.
Ben Folds Five is the very famous U.S.band in Japan.
So their tickets in Japan (7 concerts) were all sold out
and they have been pick up by many medias.
S My English is not so good but I'll send you infomation
about "BEN FOLDS FIVE IN JAPAN ". For example,
their song lists in concerts(They sang "Dumped" in
Japanese!!! Ben's Japanese was Very Very good.
Do you want to hear that?) .
I met them and their manager ,Mr.Walmark.
He gave me tickets (Because I am the first person who
let them know "YOUR CDS ARE POPULAR IN JAPAN" by
fan letter in Aug.1995. ). I went all concerts in Japan.
I want to know more infomation about Ben Folds Five.
Plese send me E-mail .
Your Japanese friends,
Azusa Motohashi
e-mail st31285@srv.cc.hit-u.ac.jp
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 01 Apr 96 07:01:45 -0500
From: Anonymous User <nobody@rutgers.edu>
Subject: i'm a sissie
Hello. I went to see Ben Folds Five with my friend becasue 106.3 out of
Asbury Park, NJ sponsored the show and it only cost me one doller and six
cents to get in. the show was amazing. i say them around feburary i
think at the Saint in Asbury Park. i just want ot be sent anything about
the band that should be sent. my e mail is pierson@eden.rutgers.edu
thanks.
chris Pierson
ps. please update the tour date lists
[There are no dates currently confirmed. As soon as I get new
information, I'll update the page. -fjm]
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 1996 09:51:57 -0500 (EST)
From: "Donna L. Hokanson" <hokansod@goldey.gbc.edu>
Subject: BFF at SXSW
I saw Ben Folds Five for the first time at the South by Southwest
Conference. I was blown away! He can play that piano! I actually live
in the Philadelphia area but was down in Austin for the whole SXSW thing
plus have always wanted to go to Texas. If anyone knows of BFF playing
in this area soon please let me know. Also does anyone have videos? I
would be interested in getting some.
Thx,
Donna
==============================================================================
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 1996 00:48:09 -0500
From: "Mr. Bradley J. Price" <bjp128@psu.edu>
Subject: Next dates for BFF
When are the next dates for BFF going to come out. I need to know I am
going to plan my summer concerts I want to go. If you can go to Cincy it
will be a lot easyier or go to the Newport in Columbus. great clubs in both
cities. I
Hey you it is strang eo to plan a summer around concerts but that Is My
Philosophy. thanks
Price
Brad Price
==============================================================================
[The following item came down the entertainment wire today. I'm
sure they won't mind if we read along: -fjm]
Subject: FLEMING & JOHN BRING THEIR DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR TO CONAN
O'BRIEN; LIFE AS HE KNOWS IT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--March 29, 1996--Fleming & John,
the Nashville-based rock and roll group whose debut album, DELUSIONS
OF GRANDEUR, was released on March 26, will appear on Conan O'Brien,
Tuesday, April 2.
You can find his show on the NBC Television Network immediately
following The Tonight Show at 12:35 p.m.
"Pure, heavy gorgeousness," is how Alternative Press describes
the music of Fleming & John, dubbing the song "I'm Not Afraid" as
"out of the gate, a runaway smash." The group has already earned
critical acclaim, substantial radio airplay, and popularity as a
live attraction across the Southeast.
One of their biggest fans is fellow musician Ben Folds of Ben
Folds Five, who plays drums on three GRANDEUR tracks and succeeds
where no one else has in describing Fleming & John as "The
Carpenters of the `90s with Led Zepplin's rhythm section."
Fleming & John are singer Fleming McWilliams and guitarist John
Mark Painter, along with bassist Stan Rawls and drummer Shawn
McWilliams. DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR was produced by Fleming & John,
who co-wrote its 10 songs and recorded the album at their 16-track
home studio in Nashville.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ben Folds Five Mailing List http://oeonline.com/~maynard/bff/
Submit to: maynard@oeonline.com Admin. to: maynard@oeonline.com
I pushed you cause I loved you guys