Ben Folds Five
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Ben Folds Five (1994–2000) was a three member band formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They played what might be called piano-dominated pop/rock. Much of their work was influenced by jazz, evident in frequent improv-styled passages through bridge and/or ending. Members of the band were Ben Folds, who was the lead singer, played the keyboard/piano and wrote most of the songs; Robert Sledge on bass and Darren Jessee on drums. The group enjoyed the success of the single "Brick" in 1998, a ballad written by Folds about his high school girlfriend getting an abortion. After the band's amicable breakup, Folds began a solo career. Robert Sledge's subsequent band International Orange has broken up, while Darren Jessee is the frontman for the band Hotel Lights.
Folds once described their music as "punk rock for sissies" — a reaction to the angst prevalent in 90s rock [1] (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse/-/1S6EUB96G78DQ/102-5916884-4792950). When asked about his band's name he jokingly responded "you mean a trio isn't five?"[2] (http://www.benfolds.org).
Discography
- Ben Folds Five (1995) - Passenger/Caroline Records
- Whatever and Ever Amen (1997) - 550
- Naked Baby Photos (1998) - Passenger/Caroline
- The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner (1999) - 550
- Whatever and Ever Amen (Digitally Remastered) (2005)
- "Underground" (1996) #37 UK
- "Battle Of Who Could Care Less" (1997) #26 UK
- "Kate" (1997) #39 UK
- "Brick" (1998) #26 UK; #11 on US adult contemporary charts
- "Army" (1999) #28 UK
External links
- Official Site (http://www.benfoldsfive.com)
- Official site of International Orange (http://www.intlorange.com)
- Official site of Hotel Lights (http://www.hotellights.net)
- Fan site by Frank Maynard (http://www.fmaynard.com/bff/), the very first BF5 fansite
- Fan site by Michael Bluejay (http://michaelbluejay.com/bf5)de:Ben Folds Five