Ben Folds

Editorial

Ben Folds was headed nowhere fast in the early '90s. Although he was a talented musician, young Ben was troubled. Record label deals fell through, College scholarships went out the window, drum kits were throw in lakes and it was all fail. But things finally fell into place when Ben Folds moved to North Carolina and met bassist, Robert Sledge, and drummer, Darren Jessee. They formed Ben Folds Five, got themselves a record deal and started making piano-led pop music. The set-up may have been unorthodox, but with Folds's knack for melody and charming tales of suburban woe, the group found an underground following. By the time they released their second album, 1997's Whatever and Ever Amen, they were enjoying worldwide hits with songs like Brick and Battle for Who Could Care Less.

Ben Folds went solo in 2000 and actually moved to Australia for several years to write and record in Adelaide. We know, weird. While his first two solo albums were modest hits, last year's Way To Normal was a proper, chart-topping hit. It made it all the way to number 11 in the US charts and Ben Folds is now back in Australia, checking out old haunts and playing through hits new and old.
Mikolai, June 2009