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An SW Exclusive Interview with Ben Folds
CD Reviews: Ben Folds
A Cappella en Vogue
A ‘Foldsian’ approach to a cappella
Collegiate harmony groups an unexpected treat
Folds’ CD voices support for a cappella
Album showcases artist's humour
Ben Folds gets schooled
Ben Folds: Rockin’ the Collegiate
CD Review: Ben Folds "Ben Folds Presents: University a Cappella!”
Pop Top: Now for something completely different from Folds
BEN FOLDS: BEN FOLDS PRESENTS: UNIVERSITY A CAPPELLA!
Accompaniment only makes Ben Folds better on University A Capella
Folds album features a capella groups - Four out of five pitchforks
Spartones give voice to Ben Folds' music
Ben Folds Gives His Hits A Capella Twist
Ben Folds finds perfect harmony
Ben Folds at the Paramount, Seattle
"Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella." 4 stars.
The Nerve Interview: Ben Folds
Pop star puts campus singers in limelight
Ben Folds Goes A Cappella, With Help
Spartones give voice to Ben Folds' music
Ben Folds to bang his piano, not his head
Not every Folds song fits the mold
Every voice is heard
I've Been Listening to Ben Folds, Bloc Party, and Myah Marie
MIT welcomes suburban rockin' Ben Folds on April 25
Life of the party:Block Party delivers two high energy sets creating a two-for-one special at the Dome
Piano man: Ben Folds performs a versatile, interactive set at Block Party
Harmony 101
BEN FOLDS TALKS NICK HORNBY COLLABORATION ALBUM
Ben Folds brings flare
Ben Folds Readies A Capella Disc
Ben Folds to release a capella album
Ben Folds Goes Back to College, Sans Piano
Ben Folds' wacky new a cappella record
Someone sent Ben Folds a YouTube link
Fans star in new Ben Folds Five album
U of R A Capella Group on Ben Folds CD
Folds, Fiasco buzz and rattle Conte
Folds makes a career out of not being cool
Ben Folds Brings Power Pop and Laughter to the Murat
Ben Folds Taps A Cappella Groups For New Album
Ben Folds Releasing A Capella Record
Getting into the Fold at Water Street
Rockin' The City: Ben Folds Comes To Fredericksburg
Ben Folds Teaming With College A Cappella Groups For New Album
Ben Folds Goes Back To College
Rock Appella: Spartones Record for Ben Folds
Ben Folds to release album of collegians covering his songs a capella.
BEN FOLDS Joins the A Capella Movement With New Release
Spend some time with the Spartones
Ben Folds Talks With Lagniappe
Ben Folds meets the glee club
Princeton and West Chester groups to be on national release with Ben Folds
Jazz Singers make it on Ben Folds' album
FIRST TEST: GarageBand '09 Artist Lessons
Nassoons collaborate with Ben Foldsn

An SW Exclusive Interview with Ben Folds
Seattle Weekly
Erika Hobart
May 11, 2009

Quirky pianist Ben Folds, who performs at the Paramount this Thursday, has been creating infectious pop melodies about fucked up shit for over 15 years. The North Carolina native's 2008 album Way to Normal meditates on miscommunication, revenge, and adultery (hurray!). During a break from touring, Folds chatted with me from his New Jersey hotel room about writing music, censorship, and why college kids make the best fans.

I hear you've got the day off today, Ben. What are your plans?
I'm in New Jersey gambling [laughs]. Actually, I'm just pacing in a circle around this absolutely bizarre suite. I bet the materials in here come out to about $75,000. The furniture and carpet are brown. There's Turkish artwork on the walls. There's a massive altar in front of the mini bar and a spiraling staircase... It's all very intense.

That's quite the detailed description.
I haven't even gotten to the bathroom floor tiles yet.
 

Let's hope your hotel in Seattle is as impressive. When's the last time you were out here, anyway?
It's been awhile. We tour pretty often, but for some reason we don't make it out to the West Coast so much.

I've noticed you do make it out to college campuses fairly often. You seem to really strike a chord with that demographic. Why do you think that is?
It's because they still listen to music. They haven't gone off to work and had kids yet. They're trapped in dorm rooms on campus. They're at the peak of their observational powers and have the disposable time to make use of them.

I was actually thinking earlier this morning that I listened to you a lot when I was in college.
Yeah, my career has gone absolutely laterally [laughs]. Somebody will listen to me in college and then move on. Then their younger brother goes to college and starts listening to me. I'm sure a lot of graduates out there think I hung up the towel awhile ago. If they were still in college, they'd know that asshole is still out there making music.

Interestingly, you don't write about college at all in your songs. You do however, incorporate plenty of humor. Does that come naturally, or is it intentional?
I heard something by this horror movie guy—I can't remember his name—who said that everything had to be slightly funny in order for it to be scary. That's what disarms people from seeing what comes next. My humor comes naturally. I use it as sort of a life filter. If you're David Bowie and you're singing about going to Mars, that's one thing. But the stuff I sing about is real. And I think that if something's sad, it's a little sadder if it's pitted against something that's absurd. It's similar to the way people make light of a heavy situation or laugh at a funeral.

Something you are very serious about is your artistic freedom. Last year you played a gig at Georgia's Berry College and denied their request for you to pull a song out of your set.
If I have any integrity, I'm not going to let someone take away one of my tools to do the best job I can do. The song [a cover of Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit"] was probably the reason 40 percent of the crowd was coming to see me. It wouldn't be fair to deny them that.

What do your own kids think of your music?
They like it. They listen to everything. Gracie's nine and listens to a lot of R&B. She likes Beyoncé.

It'd be interesting—to say the least—to hear you cover Beyoncé. Will you at least indulge us with your awesome Dr. Dre cover?
Well, we sort of retired that one. It needs a break, but maybe by the time we go out to Seattle...

Oh, c'mon. It's gotta be one of the best covers of all time.
If you're actually coming to the show, we'll do it.

I'm coming to the show!
Well, there ya go. I'll do it.

Thanks, Ben.

CD Reviews: Ben Folds
Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel
Erik Ernst
April 28, 2009

Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!

When Ben Folds learned that his songs were being performed by a number of a cappella groups, he didn't simply accept the tributes as a compliment. Impressed by the variations, he spent an entire year recording vocal renditions of his solo and Ben Folds Five work with groups from colleges, and one high school, from throughout the United States.

The resulting album, including two tracks Folds performed himself, is a quirky concept that will be mostly of interest to Folds die-hards and a cappella aficionados. But the appealing, lush arrangements and organic feel of the large-group field recordings also create an attention-grabbing sound in this increasingly over-produced musical era.

As the often up-tempo, oral percussive tracks re-create Folds' piano-driven tunes, the results vary. Losing the original's heart-tugging emotions, the Ohio University Learning Tones' upbeat take on "Brick" is jarring, while the retrospective lyrics of "Still Fighting It" are a perfect fit for the multi-layered rendition of Washington University's Mosaic Whispers.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Fifth Element's "Fair" is rife with playfully punctuating beat-box rhythms. Even Folds' own take on "Boxing" is a richer affair when stripped of its instrumentation.

A Cappella en Vogue
Teen Vogue
Leigh Belz
May 7, 2009

Of the many trends to surface thus far into 2009, one of the most interesting is the rise of A Cappella. Often mocked (see Andy Bernard's "Here Comes Treble" in The Office), the unfairly maligned musical medium has been the subject of an excellent book by GQ editor Mickey Rapkin (find out more, here) and has now been embraced by pop king Ben Folds for his new album, Ben Folds presents University A Cappella.

Ben, in an effort to encourage and embrace the 1000-plus a cappella groups around the country, announced a contest to find singers to perform his songs (from both his solo career and first band Ben Folds Five) for a new album. Ultimately, Ben chose fifteen groups from over 250 applicants.

Recorded all over the country in short, intense sessions (lasting between 2-4 hours), the album came out last week and is truly a testament to the creativity of all fifteen organizations, who arranged the songs themselves. (Also, if you're a Ben fan like I am, it's very cool to hear these songs reinterpreted.)

I was interested in hearing about the project from one of the students who was involved, so I talked to a member of the UNC Loreleis, Marianne Cheng, who co-arranged the track "Jesusland":

How did Loreleis find out about the competition?
Marianne: Loreleis is connected to the world of a cappella via organizations like Varsity Vocals as well as our recording producer Dave Sperandio. We heard of the competition by word of mouth, as well.

What did you have to do to enter? And when did you hear back that you'd been chosen?
We had a post a video of us singing a Ben Folds cover on YouTube. We sent the entry the last day they were still accepting entries, on a Friday. Our music director, Emily Riehl, got a call from Ben Folds the following Tuesday.

How did you all decide on "Jesusland"?
It was a shared decision between me, the assistant music director, and Emily Riehl. We're both faithful fans of Ben and were very excited to pick through his repertoire. She presented the group with some of her ideas, thinking that we would vote and choose that way. There was various criteria discussed during voting, about numerous songs including, "Landed," and "Cologne." "Jesusland" was actually one of the older songs of Ben's, and when she mentioned it I got very excitied, having not thought of it before. I immediately took the idea home and arranged the intro and chorus to "Jesusland." I brought the idea to Emily and we decided to run with it.

What was the recording experience like?
We were all nervous and excited to be in the presence of such an icon and talented musician, but Ben put us at ease by being kind, warm, and complimentary. We moved through the process professionally and smoothly, getting advice and encouragement from the man himself along the way. Since I was the soloist, I got some great advice about how to bring my voice out and how to construct a track of popular music (from a pop stand point). The experience was enriching, valuable, and completely unforgettable for every member of the Loreleis. I'm sure the same can be said for all the groups Ben recorded.

What's your favorite Ben Folds song -- BESIDES "Jesusland"?
My favorite, although I hate to choose favorites, is "The Ascent of Stan." I have lots of memories with this song, all of them including good friends, car-rides, and singing around the piano late into the night. "Ascent of Stan" was always the highlight of our miniature set list.

How long have the Loreleis been around and how many students are in the group?
We began in 1981, and almost all the years since have been 16 members. 4 girls on 4 voice parts. For more info, check out our history, repertoire, and member surveys at www.loreleis.com .

Thanks so much, Marianne! For more on the album and the individual groups like the Loreleis and the terrific West Chester University of Pennsylvania Gracenotes, go to www.benfolds.com/acappella

A ‘Foldsian’ approach to a cappella
The Nevada Sagebrush
Jennie Lindquist
May 5, 2009

In an effort to express the magnetism of a cappella to the mainstream, Ben Folds has released an awesome collection of a cappella groups from universities across the nation covering his work.

“Ben Folds Presents University A Cappella” not only presents an excellent flow of variation but also enlightenment to its listeners. What makes a cappella unique is its lack of instrumentation. Singers gather together and use only their voices to create a beat, chords, harmony and melody usually found in an instrumental group. Think about a group of people singing together to create something awe-inspiring using nothing but their voices. There is always something amazing about products that aren’t engineered.
With the intent of broadening the general population’s musical perspective, musical artist Ben Folds went around to United States universities and recruited their a cappella groups to sing covers of songs from his previous albums for his latest.

“It must be amazing to sing in them [a cappella groups],” Folds said on his Web site. “I wanted to capture that magic.”
Indeed, he was successful.

Recorded all across the country, Folds rarely used the studio setting. For the song “Magic,” performed by the University of Chicago’s Voices in Your Head, it happened to be the arranger’s (Chris Rishel) living room.

Many of the a cappella groups are already established and highly recognized across the U.S. Mosaic Whispers, who performs “Still Fighting It,” is the oldest a cappella group at Washington University of St. Louis and released their album “Behind Bars” in February 2007. The Sacramento State Jazz Singers, “Selfless, Cold and Composed,” were the winners of the 2005 Downbeat Magazine Student Music Award for the Best Vocal Jazz Group in the U.S. and Canada. They have also recently released their CD “Winelight.”

Because of the different genre, not to mention a variety of singers, there really can be no comparisons between Ben Folds albums and “Ben Folds Presents University A Cappella”. However, multiple voices and a greater intensity of harmony add to the cover songs. True, there is no denying that Ben Folds was the creator, but the personality added by each individual voice and their obvious, ardent passion comes out to make the covers better than the originals.

This CD is labeled explicit because of some minor language which, because they are cover songs, doesn’t come as a surprise. What does, though, is the funny, awkward feeling that makes you double-take when you hear an a cappella singer curse. A cappella is such a unique genre and it is so easy going that it is unexpected to hear someone drop the F-bomb.

The richness of numerous arrangers makes this soundtrack diverse. Similarity of songs is a problem with composers and happens more than it should. Usually a composer will follow the same pattern or reuse chords because it makes their job easy. But the distinct style of each arranger on this album leaves a refreshing taste after each song.

“Ben Folds Presents University A Cappella” separates itself with enchanting harmonies with a hope to penetrate the monotonous mainstream that has taken over the radio and our music collections. In the time of formulated music and computer-processed beats, a natural flavor is as energizing as it is enjoyable.

Collegiate harmony groups an unexpected treat
Philadelphia Daily News
Jonathan Takiff
May 5, 2009

Never imagined an album of collegiate harmony groups would be leading this "best new releases" column. Live and learn.

A TALE UN-FOLDS: A cappella has come a long way from those corny barbershop harmony quartets and the jolly Yale Whiffenpoofs (formed at a New Haven bar way back when in 1909).

Today, there are 1,200 undergraduate a cappella (all vocals, no accompaniment) singing groups performing on U.S. college campuses. And some of the material they work over is surprisingly hip.

Proof positive, "Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!" (Epic, A). After hearing that his work was a fave with a-cappellers, this semi-detached chronicler of life (bitter and blue) put out word that he wanted to record their performances. "Within days" more than 250 student groups had submitted their tracks over YouTube.

As folk archivists used to do, Folds then hauled a recorder and a suitcase full of microphones to the college towns where the ensembles dwelled to record them in student lounges, lecture halls, campus TV studios and even a synagogue.

"I considered this my new record," said Folds. "And I wasn't f- - -ing around."

As you've gathered from the grade, I love this thing. There's something utterly amazing in the contrast of a Sacramento State Jazz Singers putting their breezy, swinging sound to the brittle, bitter kiss-off that is "Selfless, Cold and Composed," or the Ohio University Leading Tones chiming in cheery seasonal tones about a "Brick" of a woman slowly drowning a guy.

Also dripping in yin/yang irony is Folds' own, super-bouncy, multi-tracked homage to the town of "Effington" wherein he wonders if he could "get a new Effin life."

But this isn't a one-trick pony.

Choir performances that openly empathize with the material also work well, like the hearty, old-school West Chester University Gracenotes detailing the last day at work (sigh) of a 25-year newspaper vet ("Fred Jones Part 2"), or the dancing-in-the-moonlight-themed "Magic," brought to wonderous life in the bell-like tones and warm harmonies of the University of Chicago's Voices In Your Head.

In sum, inspired and inspiring work.

Folds’ CD voices support for a cappella
Boston Herald
Jed Gottlieb
May 3, 2009

Ben Folds has always been a band dork playing a rock star.

The piano-playing pop singer-songwriter gets off on chord progressions, harmonies and writing orchestral charts for his songs. But his geekiness may have red-lined with his latest fetish: a cappella.

After discovering college a cappella groups across the country were covering his tunes, Folds took to the Web to recruit his favorites for “Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella” - a Folds-produced CD released this week. The finished product includes the 15 finest college performances he could find.

Well, 14. Thanks to a precocious execution of Folds’ “Evaporated,” one high school group - Newton South High School’s student-run Newtones - made the cut.

“I didn’t know they were high school students when I saw their clip,” Folds said. “They were just good.” (Watch the Newtones’ audition clip at bostonherald.com.)

In December, Folds brought the Newtones to Wellesley College’s chapel to record. But capturing the same bewitching harmonies he’d heard on YouTube wasn’t easy.

“The average number of takes for the college groups was three,” Folds said. “I think the Newtones took 12 takes. But they were one of the biggest groups and picked one of the most difficult songs.”

Jonah David, the Newtones’ vocal percussionist - or beat boxer, to you hip kids - recalls the session as difficult, but extraordinary.

“We didn’t know that he didn’t know that we were high school students until we met up with him,” David said. “Internally, people were quite excited, but we tried to keep our cool.”

David admitted that “Evaporated” is a preposterously tricky tune.

“It’s really, truly an ensemble piece,” he said. “It eventually splits up into some ‘doo doo doos’ and standard a cappella stuff, but it’s definitely different than most of the songs we do.”

Folds knows some consider “University A Cappella” a novelty, but he disagrees.

“I find it more novel to put on mascara and play synthesizers and electric guitars,” he said. “I try and beat my songs up with a rock band. But in a weird way, hearing the songs in this context is more natural. With a rock band I can’t take these things to 10, and the Newtones and these college groups can.”

Album showcases artist's humour
North Bay Nugget, Vindy.com, Gazette.com
Steven Wine, Associated Press

University A Cappella! Ben Folds (Epic)

First came the Ben Folds Five, which was really a trio, and now we have the Ben Folds Multitudes delivering the piano man's quirkiest album yet.

University A Cappella! makes glee club suddenly seem hip. Longtime campus favourite Folds combed through 250 video performances of his songs submitted by college a cappella groups, then travelled around the country to record his favourites.

It sounds as though everyone involved had a lot of fun.

The creative arrangements showcase Folds' sense of humour and gift for melody in ways a rock album can't. In lieu of instruments, singers keep the beat with such phrases as ba-da-bada," noo-noo-noo-noo," dig-a-duhbump," doo-bah-dah-doo," jim-jimjim-jim" and--Folds' favourite, no doubt--"dong-dong."

Fourteen groups contribute, including a marvellous coed high school ensemble from Newton, Mass., and Folds overdubs his own vocals on two of the best efforts, Boxing and Effington.

There's doo-wop, jazz, choral music and even frat rock that's R-rated. Kids will be kids.

Check This Out: Starting low and hitting lots of highs, the group Voices In Your Head from the University of Chicago delivers a performance to match the song title on Magic.

Ben Folds gets schooled
DoSomething.org

Ben Folds believes that young, student-run a cappella groups sing his songs better than he does. So now they are the stars of his latest album "Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!" which hit iTunes yesterday.

The entire record consists of a cappella covers of Ben Fold’s songs—an idea Ben took from the creative college kids he heard on YouTube. "I was really moved," he told CNN, "I thought it was better than what I had done when I first heard it. That's how it struck me because it was so fresh."

Ben picked 15 ensembles from 250 submissions for the album. And don’t worry, the rocker sings two a cappella tracks himself: "Boxing" from his Ben Folds Five days, and "Effington" from his 2008 solo album "Way To Normal." Why is he so excited about promoting these school a cappella groups? “These guys just did it.”

And Ben gets it too! Reaching out to the arts is so important at this time—arts programs are the first thing to go when the budgets get tight. You can reach out to the arts like Ben by inviting a celeb or a government official a school concert to demonstrate the importance of music. And don’t forget to tell us what you think of Ben’s idea—comment below!

Ben Folds: Rockin’ the Collegiate
Blast Magazine
Zac Turgeon
April 30, 2009

Our favorite sardonic and geeky alt rocker is back, but this time he’s bringing friends.

In a move fitting of only Ben Folds, he is putting out his first official “greatest hits” album, but instead of him performing them, he has gotten some of the best a cappella from universities and high schools around to help him out with “Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!” For those unfamiliar with a cappella bands, the concept is to perform full songs, without any instruments other than your own body. Everything you hear is snaps, claps, stomps, whistles and of course vocals.

The album contains 16 of Folds’ tracks, re-imagined by some of the best minds colleges have to offer. Overall the album isn’t subtle or soft. The idea of a cappella leads to a very full sound, even if the original might have just been Ben and a piano.

As for track selection, most everything a Folds fan would be looking for is there. Notable omissions however are “Annie Waits”, “Rockin’ the Suburbs” and “Smoke”. Folds even gets in on some of the fun, performing on new versions of “Boxing” and “Effington”, two songs from different times in his career. While “Effington” shines, “Boxing” falls flat. Maybe it’s just too old for Foldsto redo, but it’s one of the worst tracks on the album.

Standout tracks include a fantastic job on “Selfless, Cold, and Composed” by the Sacramento State Jazz Singers. They handled the instrumental ending in a way that rivals the haunting original even though they managed to put some different varieties on the vocal music, by incorporating a lot of choral style hymns and even some scat singing. The other big surprise was “Evaporated,” which strays farthest from the original, but because of that fact, it isn’t bound by one’s own preconceptions. As expected, “Army” might be the best overall track on the album. It’s upbeat humor matches perfectly with the very idea of college-style a cappella. The translation is flawless, and this version might even surpass the original. The end cap on this album is a simple but great take on “The Luckiest,” which wraps up the whole album excellently.

Unfortunately, while these songs are all done pretty well, they do lose something in translation. Part of the reason the Ben Folds has been successful is that half his songs are fun, ironic and playful while the others are truly sad and sometimes even a bit disturbing. No song suffers more from this then “Fred Jones Part 2” which is a song that invokes true hate towards the frantic pace of life and one man’s struggle with being replaced. However, this version almost seems happy and doesn’t inspire the same feelings that the original did. Technically, it’s fine and one of the better arrangements, but it lost its meaning and soul once you removed Folds’ shaking voice and timid piano. While it is not the fault of anyone involved, it’s hard to portray the weariness that the originals had using this format. Additionally, each individual song is certainly listenable, but as a whole, it is a lot for people who aren’t normally fans of a cappella.

It is still a “must buy” for fans of Folds’ music and fans of a cappella. Any big Ben Folds fan would be wrong to look over the album simply because it’s a “greatest hits” style compilation. Any a cappella fan should also look into this, because it’s a great selection of different styles and takes on one artist. However, if you’re just a casual fan, or someone looking to jump on the Ben Folds bandwagon, I’d suggest going to the classics like “Rockin’ the Suburbs” or “Whatever and Ever Amen” or even his newest work “Way to Normal”. It’s not perfect but Ben Folds has never been about being perfect. He’s about being creative and going outside the normal. This is just a different way of doing that.

CD Review: Ben Folds "Ben Folds Presents: University a Cappella!”
NewsOK.com
George Lang
April 24, 2009

Cruising through YouTube, Ben Folds discovered that university a cappella groups seemed to gravitate to his songs. Perhaps it was the classic pop song structures, the challenging arrangements or the joys of singing bursts of profanity in four-part harmony that attracted these college students to Folds’ fraternity.

But some of the songs, including a version of "You Don’t Know Me” by the University of Georgia group Someone Else’s Money, were nearly as good as the original, prompting the caustic piano master to produce "Ben Folds Presents: University a Cappella!”
This is not barbershop quartet material; most of these Folds favorites are rendered with intricate vocalese (the technique of imitating the sound of instruments) and beat-boxing, so the Leading Tones of Ohio University’s soulful take on "Brick” sounds as lush as the original.

The crescendos that are so intrinsic to "Not the Same” get big, brassy treatment from the Spartones of Greensboro, N.C., and the University of Rochester Midnight Ramblers fully enlist in Folds’ classic "Army.”

As producer, Folds wraps these great amateurs in a warm, polished environment and even contributes two a cappella versions of his own, "Boxing” and "Effington.”

If this is to be considered a greatest-hits collection, this disc certainly is one of the most original of its type, a courageous and ingenious move for a performer who rarely strays from his 88 keys.

Pop Top: Now for something completely different from Folds
Salt Lake Tribune
Lisa Schencker
April 27, 2009

Give Ben Folds credit for trying something different, releasing a CD -- "Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!" -- that includes his best songs mostly arranged and performed by college a cappella groups. But this experiment is filled with hits and misses. Some of the groups put fascinating twists on songs, such as in "Selfless, Cold and Composed," which takes on a surprising beauty as a jazz piece. Other groups, however, fail to sing some songs, such as "Jesusland" and "Brick," with the appropriate level of white-boy, suburban pathos, leaving them seemingly void of emotion.

BEN FOLDS: BEN FOLDS PRESENTS: UNIVERSITY A CAPPELLA!
Paste Magazine
Muriel Vega
April 13, 2009

A new kind of greatest-hits record

Ben Folds returns with an entourage—they intonate their voices at breathtaking levels, overlapping in a seamless harmony throughout the album. The singer/songwriter takes the back seat and lets the college kids channel their inner Folds, and they successfully do so—often stealing the spotlight away from Folds.
The groups incorporate their own sound and reinvent the tracks. The Ohio University’s Leading Tones added some Blues and R&B on “Brick,” and the University of Georgia’s With Someone Else’s Money brought some much needed angst to “You Don’t Know Me.” The University of Colorado’s Buffoons lose some of their identity in “Landed,” sounding eerily like Folds himself at times.

The instrument-free, re-vamped “Effington,” a single from his 2008 album Way to Normal, is Folds’ best moment. One of the two tracks he recorded for this album, the song sounds more like a party than the tormented track it’s supposed to be.

Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella! shows once again Folds’ need to live outside his own artistic margins and celebrate talent, as well as others’ appreciation for his songwriting.

Accompaniment only makes Ben Folds better on University A Capella
Examiner.com Denver
Brian Quintana
April 27, 2009

Year-in and year-out, Ben Folds continues to do what he does best . . . write catchy pop songs and record them live. Although last year’s Way To Normal fell extremely short of expectations, Folds’ stage presence and cult-like fan base make every show a spectacle to say the least. When the former-Ben Folds Five-frontman asks everyone to step up and form an a-capella horn section for Army or contribute lyrics to a breakdown in Philosophy is when he really shines.

On University A Capella Folds channels this effect . . . only with professionally trained, university choirs. After contracting several college choirs to make new arrangements of his most famous tracks – Jesusland, Brick, You Don’t Know Me, Landed and many others. Nick Hornby told Pajiba.com, “I’d be surprised if you found a better album [than University A Capella] in 2009”, a bold statement with the amount of great music already released.

Schools from around the nation were tapped to reinvent the tracks and, at times fall into a lull in which you don’t know if it’s Folds crooning or a studio-produced, vocal layering effect. The hypnotizing effect steals the spotlight from the band and puts the emphasis entirely on the arrangements themselves. The melodies sparkle and the infamous Ben Folds charm is a little brighter through the voices of the students. The University of Colorado’s Buffoons choir was brought into the studio for their rendition of Landed . . . and end up creating an atmosphere around the song that makes the lyrics that much more intense.

Verdict: This album is a definite for any Ben Folds fan or anyone who loves amazing vocal arrangements. It would be hard to find a more original idea than this album. Worth every atmospheric, epic moment. Buy it!

Folds album features a capella groups - Four out of five pitchforks
ASU Web Devil
Erin Hutchinson
April 29, 2009

Like a professor with tenure, Ben Folds has reached the stage in his career when he can pretty much do whatever he wants — and he does. Having firmly established his fan base with alt-classic albums like “Whatever and Ever Amen” and “Rockin’ the Suburbs,” Folds just seems to be having fun these days. In 2006, he produced and arranged William Shatner’s album “Has Been.” Last year, he released a fake Internet “leak” of his album “Way to Normal” with bizarre — and hilarious — reinterpretations of the real songs.

And this year, Folds presents a greatest hits album of sorts. The catch? It’s made up entirely of arrangements of his songs performed a cappella, or without any instrumentation. Folds called for university a cappella groups to post versions of his songs on YouTube, then selected his favorites for “Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!”

“I check his Web site every few weeks and was incredibly excited to see that this kind of contest had been posted,” said family and human development junior, Katie Paschall. Paschall is the director of ASU Pitchforks, an a cappella group on campus. ASU Pitchforks had been performing a version of Folds’ song “Gone” since fall 2006 and posted it on YouTube as an entry in the contest. The group’s song wasn’t picked for the album, but Paschall said the contest submission raised the group’s profile by increasing traffic on their YouTube page.

The 16 tracks on “Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!” feature crystal-clear vocals and creative arrangements that showcase Folds’ classic songwriting style and wry lyrics. At its best, the album allows fans to hear an old favorite song again for the first time. In the toe-tapping version of “You Don’t Know Me,” Folds’ sardonic breakup lyrics, sometimes covered under his piano, really pop. “Army” and “Fair,” older tracks from the Ben Folds Five era, sound loose and playful. Folds even recorded two a cappella versions of his own, and his surreal version of “Effington” — he does all the harmonies and the lead vocals — is hilarious.

Folds’ songs also transcend genres. Ever want to hear Tom Collins from “Rent” sing Ben Folds? “Brick,” possibly Folds’ most popular song, shines here with a sensitive interpretation from the Ohio University Leading Tones.

Eventually, the gimmick does start to wear thin. Not all of Folds’ songs work in choral style. “Evaporated,” essentially a song about isolation, sounds overly slick when sung by more than one voice. Part of the problem is song choice. Folds’ ballads are overrepresented here and the album doesn’t highlight his whole range as a songwriter. The album could have benefited from a jazzy interpretation of “Kate,” or, even better, “Song for the Dumped.” Who doesn’t want to hear the refrain, “Give me my money back, you b---h,” in four-part harmony?

Despite a few shortcomings, the album is a fitting tribute to Folds’ long career, as well as the excellent music being made on university campuses across the U.S. It took me back to the days when I first heard “Whatever and Ever Amen” in — gasp —junior high. Many talented songwriters from the ’90s have either stopped making music or gone into creative hibernation.

Luckily for his listeners, Ben Folds refuses to do either of those.

Spartones give voice to Ben Folds' music
goTriad.com
Charles Wood
April 23, 2009

Gordon Sutker, president of UNCG’s all-male a cappella group the Spartones, never expected to get a phone call from multiplatinum-selling musician Ben Folds.

“I nearly jumped out of my shoes!” says Sutker.

Folds, who attended UNCG, had selected the Spartones to be featured on his upcoming album, “Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!” and wanted to deliver the good news to Sutker.

The album, which will be released Tuesday, features a cappella groups from across the country covering a selection of Folds’ songs. All proceeds from the CD will go to the Save the Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization created by the VH-1 TV network to restore musical education in U.S. public schools.

To determine which groups would be featured on the album, Folds asked collegiate groups to submit YouTube videos performing his songs. Fifteen a cappella groups, including the Spartones, were chosen from the 250 submissions.

In December 2008, The Spartones met with Folds at Swain Hall on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus to record their track, “Not the Same.” Sutker describes the experience.

“It was really relaxed,” said Sutker, who has been a member of the Spartones since his freshman year in 2006. “We did it in a few takes, three full takes I think.”

“I thought they were very good,” Folds said of the Spartones. “It became obvious how intense they are. They’re very honest with each other. They’re a very critical group, but none of them take it personally. If rock groups were as tight as that, it’d be awesome.”
The Spartones are no strangers to Folds’ music, incorporating much of it into their repertoire. Their upcoming album, “Not the Same,” is named after a Folds song — the same track they perform on “University A Cappella!”

“His music has a unique style,” Sutker said of Folds. “It has interesting vocal harmonies that are very attractive for a cappella groups. The bottom line: His music is good and that’s why many a cappella groups chose to cover his songs.”

Folds believes what he does is, “… technically conducive to a cappella. The voice leading (on my songs) is proper for a cappella. If you have a bad voice leading or a bad chorus, it just wouldn’t work for this type of music.”

Since the recording of “University A Cappella!” the Spartones have opened for a few of Folds’ concerts. They performed “Not the Same” at the Orange Peel in Asheville on Feb. 23 and at Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte on March 1.

The Spartones formed in 1997. You can order a copy of their newest album, “Not the Same,” from www.cdbaby.com. They are currently producing a fifth album.

Ben Folds Gives His Hits A Capella Twist
Billboard
Gary Graff
April 15, 2009

Ben Folds was as surprised as anyone else that his songs were popular fodder for the repertoires of college vocal groups -- which gave him the idea for his new album, "Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella!"

The 16-song set features 14 of the groups -- including the Spartones from the University of North Carolina, one of the schools Folds himself attended -- performing intricately arranged renditions of Folds songs such as "Brick," "Magic," "Evaporated," "Fair" and "Army." Folds, who became aware of the phenomenon via YouTube, selected the groups and songs and produced the album, which comes out April 28, and also recorded two of his own a capella tracks, "Boxing" and "Effington."

The songs, Folds tells Billboard.com, "are definitely built for" the a capella group treatment. "My songs have all the things you'd hope they'd have, because they're classical structured. It's pop music, but they're built to be interesting in their voicing and chord changes. They're kind of made for elaborate arrangements, so it makes sense to me they would appeal to these (groups)."

Producing the tracks while flying to and from gigs on his tour to support 2008's "Way to Normal" was "exhausting," Folds says -- but worthwhile.

"I'm a songwriter first," he explains, "and yet I've never really been covered. In a funny way, I still always think of the (recordings), when I do them, like demos. I figure they're going to be covered by somebody important one day. So of course I was thrilled. I got to hear the songs actually take flight. These are the songs doing what they're supposed to do."

Folds has been incorporating some of the a capella groups on his latest batch of live dates as geography allows. But he's also hard at work on his next album, which will be a collaboration with British writer Nick Hornby, who's penning lyrics.

"I write around his lyrics, which I do easily 'cause he's written these great lyrics," says Folds, who has June blocked off for recording. "Right now we're up to 18 (songs) that I think are really good, but I think he'll be inspired when he starts hearing them finished and will start to write some more -- like a creative second wind or something."

Ben Folds finds perfect harmony
Baltimore Sun
Rashod D. Ollison
April 28, 2009

Not long after Ben Folds heard that his songs were popular among college a cappella groups, he got an idea for a new album.

"We just put the word out," he says. "I put it on my Web page: If you're an a cappella group and you're doing my songs, send your submission to YouTube and I'll check 'em out. We'll make a record."

In a matter of weeks, 250 videos were sent to YouTube. Folds combed through the submissions and ultimately chose 15 ensembles to perform on Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!

The CD, in stores Tuesday, rides a growing music trend among college students. According to Varsity Vocals, which runs the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, more than 1,200 ensembles have been formed on college campuses in the past two decades. That's especially interesting, given that the sound of mainstream pop has become more and more synthesized in that time. Studio wizardry such as Pro Tools and Auto Tunes has done a lot of heavy lifting for some pop singers.

Released by Epic/Sony BMG, Folds' album is perhaps the most high-profile recording of collegiate a cappella groups. The 16 cuts on the album, mostly well-known songs written by Folds, are reimagined with voices alone. The artist traveled around the country with an engineer and six microphones to record the groups, capturing the music like a "field recording," Folds says.

"This is not a novelty. I consider this my new record," says the North Carolina native, 42. "If this were Ben World, this would be my greatest hits album. I'd rather this be my greatest hits record than someone collecting my masters and slapping on a photo of me leaning against a piano. This is a better way."

On the contrary, the album is something of a novelty, arriving at a time when a cappella jokes have appeared in such pop culture hits as the NBC show The Office and movies such as The Break-Up. Last May, GQ editor Mickey Rapkin published Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory, a sometimes hilarious book that explores the behind-the-scenes world of competitive collegiate ensembles.

But for some, a cappella singing isn't just a joke or a trend but a way of rediscovering "real music" or unprocessed vocals.

"Young people of today, especially college students, are constantly fed touched-up and Auto-tuned music that sounds exactly the same," says Drake Booth, president of Purrrfect Pitch, an a cappella group at Towson University. "Tired of hearing the same doctored tunes, they seek music that is aesthetically pleasing yet unique. This is exactly what college a cappella groups supply. We arrange popular songs from the '80s to today's Top 40, giving it our own flair."

Folds says the different vocal ensemble approaches added new dimensions to his acerbic songs.

"It's affirming, because I've always been a little more academic about music than a lot of quasi-rock stars like myself," Folds says. "I've always built my songs, imagining that they could be orchestrated or that you could sing them in a choir. The groups tell me the songs arranged themselves because there was so much to work with."

University A Cappella can be an overbearing listen, as most of the performances are either a bit listless or overcooked. Sometimes, though, the renditions soar. The Spartones from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, are a standout on "Not the Same," the album's opening cut.

Recording the song was a "really relaxed process," says Gordon Sutker, president of UNCG Spartones. "A lot of it had to do with Ben putting us at ease. ... We recorded our track in three full takes. Ben's way of recording was to have everyone, including the soloist and vocal percussionist, sing together instead of recording each part and putting them together."

Folds says the recording process was easy because the groups were tightly focused.

"There was no room for anything to be massaged," he says. "I knew [the songs] would be recorded in a matter of hours. It was imperative that the lead singer be excellent, first and foremost. Their groove had to be there. Like the Spartones; they're groove Nazis."

In a way, the album, which was recorded sans studio effects or filters, is a celebration of the human voice, a sound that's often overly processed or obscured in today's pop.

"You can't really say there's no merit in completely contrived, synthesized music," Folds says. "It does make people happy, and there is skill involved in it. But there will always be a place for live music, just people singing. That's what people do; they're gonna sing. That's the human spirit."

Ben Folds at the Paramount, Seattle
Examiner.com
Steve Clare
April 28. 2009

Over the last 15 years, Ben Folds’ first-class melodic gifts, irony-laced lyrics, and punk-rock tendency to play piano as if it were a contact sport have earned the North Carolina native a legion of devoted fans of all ages. These people, quite simply, are going to go nuts for Way To Normal. The album, Folds’ third solo studio release, is dominated by the kind of irresistible hooks and piano-pounding pandemonium that listeners haven’t been treated to since Folds’ years with his previous band, the platinum-selling Ben Folds Five. Way to Normal is an exuberant, raucous, and sometimes profane mix of sure-fire crowd-pleasers (“Hiroshima,” “Bitch Went Nuts,” and the frenetically fuzzed-out “Dr. Yang”), cheerful snark-fests (“The Frown Song,” “Brainwascht”), and thoughtful, moving ballads (“Cologne,” “Kylie From Connecticut”) that Folds wrote at the end of 2007.

“This new album is really about me being free, which is why it feels cathartic and expressive,” Folds says. “It’s about me coming back to being myself.” (Hence the title.) The album’s buoyant mood could also be due to the fact that Folds recorded the majority of it at his own studio near his home in Nashville, with his friends, long-time bassist Jared Reynolds and drummer Sam Smith. “We were just having a good time,” Folds says. “This was the most fun I’ve ever had recording.

Ben Folds wil be at the Paramount Seattle on May 14th

His special guest will be Steel Train.

More info:
Tickets: $26.50 - $36.50
(not including fees)
PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE
1-877-STG-4TIX

"Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella." 4 stars.
Kevin O'Hare

If you've been to any of Ben Folds' concerts in recent years, you've probably noticed that he often likes to break the audience into several parts to do some a cappella harmonizing.

He takes the concept a whole lot further here, with his own version of National Geographic field recordings. Folds traveled back and forth across the land, recording various university a capella choral groups doing - you guessed it - Ben Folds' songs.

The idea proved marvelous and the execution is frequently dazzling. The arrangements are often extraordinarily complex, starting with the Spartones from the University of North Carolina Greensboro, who turn in a brilliant rendition of "Not The Same." Other highlights abound, from the Sacramento State Jazz Singers' Manhattan Transfer-styled "Selfless, Cold and Composed" to the exceptionally poignant tale of an older worker being let go from his job, "Fred Jones Part 2," by The West Chester University of Pennsylvania Gracenotes.

Most of these 16 tracks are filled with fascinating covers of Folds' best compositions and he even gets into the act himself on occasion, with his own a cappella re-works of "Effington" and "Boxing."

The Nerve Interview: Ben Folds
How to seduce with song, rock out YouTube, pick up his fans.
Nerve.com
Nicole Ankowski

Ben Folds fears no comedy. The former frontman of Ben Folds Five isn't afraid to release a fake album, brandish a synthesizer, or cover Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit" while rocking Buddy Holly-esque black glasses. But it's sometimes hard to distinguish his merry pranks from his more sincere work; a collaboration with the notoriously un-musical William Shatner turned out to be a critical darling. So his latest album — a collection of Folds covers sung by college a capella groups and, on two tracks, Folds himself — may raise eyebrows. But Folds insists the album is no joke: "I consider this my new record… If this were Ben World, this would be my greatest-hits album." Forgoing Auto-Tune and modern mixing marvels, Folds mic'd up college dorm lounges, lecture halls, studios and a synagogue. His focus on unfiltered spontaneity paid off — Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella! is the best of Folds, in more ways than one. Folds spoke with Nerve about his new album, the perfect song of seduction, and the mighty scent of Bill Shatner.

At my college, if you were in the right a cappella group you could get laid on any given night. For nonbelievers, can you explain why a cappella isn't the dorkiest thing in the universe?
I don't really know that it is or isn't the dorkiest thing in the universe. I think the main appeal is that people like singing. And I think it's really cool that — well, whether it's cool or not — I think it's great that college kids will get together without class credit and discipline themselves to sing in a group. It's a pretty big undertaking. I mean, there are lots of ways to get laid. That's one of the more honorable ones.

What's the best way to pick up a Ben Folds fan?
There was a famous, improv-comedy performance-art guy named Charlie Todd in New York, [creator of] Improv Everywhere. They've done a lot of pretty legendary stunts; one was done in Grand Central Station, which was huge. He started his career by imitating me in a bar, and actually managed to pick up girls. I found that amazing. But, you know, it seemed to work for him.

Are you giving your fans permission to imitate you in bars now?
If they want to, that's okay. I'm just skeptical of that strategy. I've had people tell me that they met at my shows and got married to one of my songs, "Luckiest." I think that's pretty cool. That song, by the way, is done by one of the a cappella groups on this record and they just slayed it.

I agree; it's gorgeous. You've said that you aimed to write a true love song with "Luckiest." Have you ever crafted the ideal lovemaking song?
I've always said that my music was birth-control music. I have all these little shocking dynamics, up and down, which I'm not so sure is conducive to anything but shocking people right off the couch. I made an album called "Fear of Pop," which was an instrumental record. And there's a song called "Slow Jam '98," which shows what year it was recorded in. That was as close to a booty-grabbing number as you're gonna get from me.

How did come up with the concept for this album?
I saw a YouTube video of one of the a cappella groups doing one of my songs. Then the "related videos" on YouTube were one after another of a cappella groups doing my music. And then there were thousands of a cappella entries, doing pop music. It really put pop music in the context of folk music, and sort of transcended the celebrity part of the rock biz. It just becomes about the song, and these people doing their own arrangements.

So you put out a call for a contest?
The idea came a couple years ago to me, and it took awhile to get into gear. The a cappella stuff was so under the radar of anyone who worked in the music business, that when I tried to simply put out the word for a cappella groups, that I wanted to make a record — it came out as some kind of contest to cover my music, and the a cappella part got lost. I re-explained myself: I didn't want a contest. I just wanted to make an album.

Did you choose the lucky fifteen?
Yeah. I had two weeks in which to listen to about 250 submissions. It was a full-time thing. I came back after the gig, sat in front of my computer with headphones, and went through them all with a notebook. It's pretty heavy, but once you get into it, and you start really listening for arrangement, and the lead singer, and the interpretation — it gets fascinating. But whittling down from 250 to fifteen is tough.

Did you personally notify the winners?
I got a YouTube account, and I'd just send them a note and said, "This is Ben. I like it. Let's make a record."

What did you love most about recording with the student groups?
It was refreshing how professional they were — as opposed to professionals. They nailed things really quickly. And I'd chosen well, I suppose. My engineer and I would show up at the college, quickly scout the locations that they had available, shake all the hands, and start putting mics up. It was really fast. I was giving them four hours, all total, between set-up and being a wrap. They usually did it in a couple hours, and sometimes less than that.

What's next — are you still planning a collaboration with Nick Hornby?
Yeah. Nick's written nearly twenty sets of lyrics, and I'm gonna write the music. He's got a completely unique voice. That's why he's popular, I suppose. It comes out in his e-mails, it comes out when he talks. That's just who he is. And he's not really a lyricist — I've talked him into this. I think his cadence is going to be a challenge. [But] I’ve written to lyrics plenty. It only takes a few minutes to write music to someone’s lyrics.

Wow. For you.
Yeah, well, for me. But other people that I’ve heard use that method say that they find it really fast, too. Because you tend to find something quickly, you know — or not.

What does Shatner smell like in person?
Essence of Bill, I don't know. He's usually got crisp, nice, new clothes on and probably some kind of cologne or something. I never really noticed. Leather. Some kind of leather shit. He smells like the future! He smells like the Enterprise. Last time I saw him, he smelled suspiciously like the green lady.

What's sexier: black glasses or a cappella?
Hm, I kinda like black glasses, if I have to choose.

People have been talking about the death of the music industry for years. Would you say your current album is a way to combat that?
The atrophy of the old system shouldn't be confused with the death of music at all. Because music is always there. Just to see the a cappella groups is proof of that. Without class credit, without really any structure or motivation that would be obvious at all, they're just putting it together and singing and doing it. Now the music business, in its sort of amorphous form, is picking up on that and making sure it's distributed out of necessity.

[Laughs] I feel like I'm giving some kind of fuckin' economics lecture. But it really does come from the music. The music business has been severely crippled for a long time, but that has actually helped music. That hasn't hurt music, that has helped music. A challenge is always good for creativity. 'Cause if you're working within a limitation, you can't afford a normal amount of stuff, and you have to do it on a shorter schedule and with less money. That's almost always good, in my experience.

Pop star puts campus singers in limelight
University of Chicago News
Phil Rockrohr

When the University of Chicago a cappella group Voices in Your Head recorded a song Ben Folds made famous, the 12 student-singers just wanted an interesting piece of music for their latest album, “Note to Self.”

Then Folds, an academically trained multi-instrumentalist and 1990s pop star, decided to collect a cappella versions of his songs for an upcoming album of his own, and suddenly “Magic” was happening.

“The timing was perfect,” says fourth-year Elspeth Michaels, president of the 11-year-old student group. “You can’t imagine it. We couldn’t have planned it.”

Folds is scheduled Tuesday, April 28 to release “Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!”—an album of 15 student groups performing songs from his albums, including Voices in Your Head’s version of “Magic.” Even though Folds didn’t write the song, he included it “just based on excellence.”

“It puts the listener in a place that’s obviously not the real world,” wrote Folds of “Magic” on his Myspace blog, “but still a hell of a cool place to live for three-and-a-half minutes.”

Folds offered his personal stamp of approval by inviting Voices in Your Head to perform three songs as one of his opening acts on March 19 at the 4,000-seat Eagles Club Ballroom in Milwaukee. “It was amazing; it was so much fun,” Michaels says. “People came up to us afterward. This super-fan woman came up and said she saw our video of ‘Magic’ and was so glad she got to see us perform.”

Several group members are longtime fans of Folds, who led the successful group Ben Folds Five before launching his solo career. “He was my first concert,” Michaels says.

A cappella groups have performed Folds’ songs “forever,” according to Voices member Chris Rishel, a PhD candidate who arranged the group’s version of Darren Jessee’s song “Magic.” “His music just lends itself well to a cappella,” Rishel says. “It’s musically interesting, but also the instrumentation is good for the arrangements.”

A Harmonious, Creative Process

A cappella groups are booming on college campuses. According to a 2008 book, Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory, more than 1,200 undergraduate ensembles have formed across the nation, a century after the Yale Whiffenpoofs sparked the movement in 1909 at a bar in New Haven, Conn.

Voices in Your Head members were drawn to a cappella for obvious reasons, says Sarah El Mouatassim Bih, a College third-year. “We all like to sing,” Bih says. “I’ve always been making noise of some sort, but I didn’t actually start to sing until elementary school.”

College second-year Lily Baker says she knew at age 8 that she wanted to sing in a college-level a cappella group. “I’ve pretty much been singing my whole life.”

Zach Denkensohn, a College first-year, began traveling and competing in a cappella at age 11, but longed for the freedom of joining his own group. “I felt like I’d done enough of singing in a formal chorus with a formal teacher or director,” he says. “I wanted to do something where I wasn’t being talked down to while I was doing it.”

Michaels, who first heard Voices perform during a high school visit to campus, enjoys the group’s collaborative process. “We channel so much creative energy not just singing but in promoting ourselves, in the choreography that goes behind it, and in the group dynamic,” she says.

Success By Accident

The public exposure Voices in Your Head has gained in its relationship with Folds essentially doubled the number of the group’s performances on campus this year, compared to previous years, Michaels says. In addition, the group made its first appearance this winter at the International Championship of College A Cappella.

College first-years Denkensohn, Alex Gilewicz, Nick Balay, and Pieter Ouwerkerk reaped the rewards seemingly by accident.

“We weren’t on the album they recorded, and they kind of set this all up for us,” Gilewicz says. “We come in, and all of a sudden, all of this happens. It’s the first time this has ever happened to a group at this school. It’s incredible to just jump into.”

Looking back after the Milwaukee show, Michaels seems awed by the group’s fortune. “In the past year, this group has grown and developed so much,” she says. “We went from an a cappella group performing mainly on campus to opening for Ben Folds in Milwaukee. Our last CD gave us so much opportunity. Without all the hard work, we would never have been able to do any of it.”

Ben Folds Goes A Cappella, With Help
NPR Music
April 26, 2009

Ben Folds first got the country to sing along with his music back in 1997, with his breakthrough hit "Brick." His dynamic live shows often found Folds leaping on top of the piano, dividing the audience down the middle, and conducting them in two-part (and sometimes even three-part) harmony.

Now, he's again harnessing the power of the singalong, but a little bit differently. He's commissioned a cappella arrangements of his music from some of the country's best college vocal troupes and titled it Ben Folds Presents University A Cappella.

Around the time he decided to curate a greatest-hits record, Folds happened upon a YouTube video of an Ohio University a cappella troupe, The Leading Tones, singing "Brick." He recalls watching it, fascinated.

"I intervened and asked them to get their original singer, the one who had been on YouTube, even though he'd graduated. Eventually, we just put the word out to university groups to post similar videos, and got about 250 submissions in just a few weeks."

This discovery has given Folds a newfound respect for a cappella music. He says he wasn't really interested in the genre until he realized that it's "a movement" that requires a sharp understanding of music theory.

"I can play a chord on the guitar or piano that can fall under my hands, but I don't necessarily know what I'm doing," Folds says. "You have to understand voice leading, the chords and theory when you arrange [an a cappella song], and everyone in the group has to understand it. It's cerebral. And it's all live. It's an event, as music should be."

That's the thing about singing a cappella. It's all recorded in a single, unedited performance. Folds himself even takes a stab at singing a cappella for the songs "Boxing" and "Effington." While some may see this as a novelty record, Folds maintains that producing University A Cappella just felt like the right thing to do.

"How often do you get to make a record that's never been made before?" he asks.

Spartones give voice to Ben Folds' music
Ben Folds, who attended UNCG, wanted to include the Spartones, a local male a cappella group, on his latest album, “Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!”
Charles Wood

Gordon Sutker, president of UNCG’s all-male a cappella group the Spartones, never expected to get a phone call from multiplatinum-selling musician Ben Folds.

“I nearly jumped out of my shoes!” says Sutker.

Folds, who attended UNCG, had selected the Spartones to be featured on his upcoming album, “Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!” and wanted to deliver the good news to Sutker.

The album, which will be released Tuesday, features a cappella groups from across the country covering a selection of Folds’ songs. All proceeds from the CD will go to the Save the Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization created by the VH-1 TV network to restore musical education in U.S. public schools.

To determine which groups would be featured on the album, Folds asked collegiate groups to submit YouTube videos performing his songs. Fifteen a cappella groups, including the Spartones, were chosen from the 250 submissions.

In December 2008, The Spartones met with Folds at Swain Hall on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus to record their track, “Not the Same.” Sutker describes the experience.

“It was really relaxed,” said Sutker, who has been a member of the Spartones since his freshman year in 2006. “We did it in a few takes, three full takes I think.”

“I thought they were very good,” Folds said of the Spartones. “It became obvious how intense they are. They’re very honest with each other. They’re a very critical group, but none of them take it personally. If rock groups were as tight as that, it’d be awesome.”

The Spartones are no strangers to Folds’ music, incorporating much of it into their repertoire. Their upcoming album, “Not the Same,” is named after a Folds song — the same track they perform on “University A Cappella!”

“His music has a unique style,” Sutker said of Folds. “It has interesting vocal harmonies that are very attractive for a cappella groups. The bottom line: His music is good and that’s why many a cappella groups chose to cover his songs.”

Folds believes what he does is, “… technically conducive to a cappella. The voice leading (on my songs) is proper for a cappella. If you have a bad voice leading or a bad chorus, it just wouldn’t work for this type of music.”

Since the recording of “University A Cappella!” the Spartones have opened for a few of Folds’ concerts. They performed “Not the Same” at the Orange Peel in Asheville on Feb. 23 and at Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte on March 1.

The Spartones formed in 1997. You can order a copy of their newest album, “Not the Same,” from www.cdbaby.com. They are currently producing a fifth album.

Not every Folds song fits the mold
The Boston Globe
Adam Conner-Simons

"University A Cappella," a compilation of college groups covering Ben Folds tunes, is not as arbitrary as it sounds. The soaring melodies and piano arpeggios of Folds compositions such as "Brick" and "The Luckiest" make the music ideal for a cappella. The singer's material is tackled competently and faithfully throughout, resulting in a collection of tracks that are pleasant if not particularly earth-shattering (an admittedly tall task for a musical genre that lacks subwoofers). It's only when the groups take chances that the arrangements transcend the originals: The digitally tweaked harmonies on Voices in Your Head's "Magic" give the song a hypnotic electro-pop sheen, while the Sacramento State Jazz Singers' sultry rendition of "Selfless, Cold and Composed" bounces along gracefully thanks to a crisp walking-bass vocal and some impressive scat-singing. Folds adds two a cappella covers of his own, including the surprisingly propulsive "Effington," but for the most part he's content to let the students take center stage. It's a fun listen for Folds fans, even if it's not quite the cultural tipping point that the a cappella community might have hoped for. Indeed, while it could convert a hardened instrument snob or two, "University A Cappella" mostly comes off as preaching to the choir.

Every voice is heard
A cappella groups have gotten people's ears with many a style
The Boston Globe
Adam Conner-Simons

For years, a cappella has kept a low profile, hidden in ivy-encrusted college campus centers, dismissed as derivative mimicry, and relegated to the annals of history as novelty tunes sung by overgrown choirboys. Matters haven't been helped by Folgers commercials, children's game shows, or the endless parade of jokes on shows like "Scrubs," which has not-so-subtly derided the art form as "ear rape."

Yet suddenly, the world of contemporary a cappella has gone pop, graduating from its collegiate comfort zone to the realms of film, television, and yes, even rock 'n' roll. On Tuesday, Ben Folds will unveil "University A Cappella," a collection of his piano-rock songs covered by student a cappella groups (including the Newtones of Newton South High School). May marks the release of the second album from the former Indiana University group Straight No Chaser, who, after being plucked from YouTube obscurity by Atlantic Records last year, proceeded to top the iTunes charts and sell 100,000 records of its Christmas debut. "30 Rock" scribe Kay Cannon is writing a screenplay for a recently optioned feature-length comedy based on GQ editor Mickey Rapkin's book "Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory." Even reality TV is getting in on the action, with NBC recently giving the green light to an a cappella competition show called "The Sing-Off."

Folds, who hand-picked groups for his album through an open contest posted on his My-Space page, was astounded by what turned up. "I never realized that it was such a big scene," Folds says. "It amazes me that college kids are voluntarily getting together and arranging difficult harmonies and counterpoints for my songs."

This flurry of activity is happening at an appropriate time for the genre: This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first college a cappella group, the Yale Whiffenpoofs. Music performed without instruments has been around for thousands of years, of course, but a cappella in its current form has spawned an estimated 1,200 college groups nationally and at least 60 in the Boston area, according to figures from the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America. As Rapkin puts it: "It only took a century for a cappella to become an overnight sensation."

The genre has flirted with the spotlight before, thanks to acts like the Persuasions and Sam Cooke's Soul Stirrers, but the first true watershed moment occurred in 1988 when Bobby McFerrin's single "Don't Worry Be Happy" became the first a cappella track to top the Billboard charts. McFerrin's success, not to mention Rockapella's prominent presence on the popular children's show "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?" were, ahem, instrumental in expanding the audience for groups like Take 6 and the Nylons and cultivating the college a cappella movement. Many notable artists, in fact, began their careers in college a cappella, including John Legend and Sara Bareilles (whose recent single "Gravity" was originally performed with her UCLA group Awaken).

Where the early-'90s boom signaled modern a cappella's emergence as a potential force in pop music, the myriad projects in 2009 suggest its arrival as a business venture. There's certainly money to be made: The Harvard a cappella group the Krokodiloes makes upward of $300,000 a year from record sales and international tours, while websites like Primarily a Cappella (www.singers.com) often top $1 million in annual sales of songbooks and CDs. "It's accessible to a wide range of demographics that includes everyone from 7-year-olds to senior citizens," says Dan Ponce, a founding member of Straight No Chaser.

Part of this mainstream explosion stems from the decidedly pop-centric turn that contemporary a cappella has taken. The term comes from the Italian phrase meaning "in the style of the chapel," but nowadays a cappella has more or less exited the church to explore genres that include rock, soul, and hip-hop. Even Irish folk singer Maura O'Connell is joining the act, releasing a first a cappella album, "Naked With Friends," in June.

"Groups are creating these multilayered, textured vocal arrangements to capture the current sounds on the radio," says Deke Sharon, founder of the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America and member of the group House Jacks. "This isn't your grandfather's a cappella."

Indeed, while traditional barbershop quartets and doo-wop groups have lost fans over the years, the more recent popularity of collegiate a cappella has helped the genre increase its "cool" factor. According to Helen Day, whose Wellesley College group the Blue Notes recorded with Folds but didn't make the album, an a cappella group is "almost like a fraternity or a social club these days." Sharon says a cappella has earned acceptance by its simple ubiquity. "It's gotten to a tipping point where just about everybody knows somebody who is doing it," he says.

With its high concentration of colleges, Boston is as accommodating a city as any for a cappella. According to Cristin Grogan, who serves as program coordinator for the weekend radio show "All A Cappella" on Emerson College's WERS, fund-raising for the program has increased every year, and not just from college-age listeners. "It's increasingly being recognized less as a niche market and more as an art form," she says.

But just because contemporary a cappella has caught people's attention doesn't mean it's an easy sell from a label's perspective. When the House Jacks got signed to Tommy Boy Records, Sharon says that using the dreaded a-word was "publicity suicide." "If a group applies itself, they can make a living," says David "Stack" Stackhouse of the Boston outfit Five O'Clock Shadow. "But it's a really hard lifestyle."

One of the problems a cappella groups face is the inherent challenge of performing exclusively with vocals. "There's so many colors in synthesizers and other instruments," says Rockapella's Scott Leonard. "You don't have the same range of frequencies with voices." Technology, unsurprisingly, has helped erase the gap: The vocals on the Tufts Beelzebubs' album "Code Red" - the "Sgt. Pepper" of the genre - are so meticulously manipulated that it may take a few listens to realize that the record is not, in fact, instrumental. That level of production, however, raises the inevitable question: What's the point? "I'm sure some people would just think, 'Why listen to a guy make guitar noises when you can go out and listen to the real thing?' " says GQ's Rapkin.

The genre's legitimacy is affected by its dependence on cover songs. Virtually all college groups, and many professional ones, mainly sing other artists' tunes, and members of the community warn that relying too much on appropriation threatens a cappella's future. "Some careers have been built on cover tunes, but they're few and far between," says Sharon. "People will respect it more when more great original pop tunes come from the a cappella format."

A cappella groups admit that sticking to what they do best - tight harmonies, high energy, and a healthy helping of humor - is what will keep the art form alive. And in these uncertain economic times, there's something to be said about the homemade, back-to-the-basics charm of a cappella. "If we go into a long depression or a nationwide drought, people will still sing," Folds says with a smile. "That's what they do."

I've Been Listening to Ben Folds, Bloc Party, and Myah Marie
Seattle Weekly
Erika Hobart?
April 21 2009

In preparation for the melodramatic piano pop singer's Seattle show, (he hits the Paramount Theater on Thursday, May 14) I've been listening to material from all eight of his albums. The guy's got an incredible knack for composing unique hook-laden melodies. Right now I'm loving his ode to fucked up relationships "You Don't Know Me" featuring Regina Spektor. But hands down, my favorite Folds' recording has gotta be his cover of Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit." It's fucking brilliant. And it never fails to crack me up.

MIT welcomes suburban rockin' Ben Folds on April 25
With a newfound appreciation for college a cappella groups, Ben Folds encourages students to break his music down
The Berkley Beacon
Steve Miller
Issue date: 4/23/09
 

Ben Folds, the bespectacled troubadour of a generation of awkward suburbanites, will be headlining Massachusetts Institute of Technology's annual Spring Weekend event on April 25. Radio darling Sarah Bareilles, who had a number one hit with her 2007 tune "Love Song," will be opening for Folds.

Also on the bill is Hotel Lights, a band fronted by multi-instrumentalist and former Ben Folds Five drummer Darren Jessee. This lineup of poppy piano rockers is guaranteed to leave any concert-goer's ears dripping with the saccharine sweetness of sing-along choruses and infectious keyboard riffs.

Folds' third solo album, Way to Normal, was released in September 2008 and hit #11 on the Billboard 200 chart within its first week of release. The album is Folds' highest-charting debut in the United States.

Folds has always had a mind for melody and he doesn't disappoint on Way to Normal. In a musical match made in heaven, Folds collaborates with Regina Spektor on the track "You Don't Know Me." Each song on Way to Normal contains the catchy piano pop that Folds has become known for, making it a solid addition to his ever expanding discography.

On April 28, Folds is due to release a compilation album titled Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella!. The album will feature 14 different college a cappella groups from 12 different states covering tracks from the entirety of the Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five catalog.

Folds also takes a crack at recording a cappella versions of his own tunes, revamping "Effington," off Way to Normal, and his 1995 Ben Folds Five track "Boxing."

While not featured on Folds' compilation, Emerson a cappella group Noteworthy has arranged and performed its own sans-instrumental interpretation of "Gone," a track off of Folds' 2001 album, Rockin' the Suburbs. Freshman broadcast journalism major Steve Selnick sings lead on the song and said the prominence of piano in Ben Folds songs allows them to be easily adapted to the a cappella style.

"He lays good ground work, a good foundation to start from," said Selnick of the a-cappellafication process.

Type "college a cappella" into the YouTube search bar and you will find a rising number of groups covering indie rock songs ranging from Animal Collective to Vampire Weekend. Folds, showing his unending propensity for knowing where it's at, was quick to realize that this is not some passing trend.

In an Epic Records press release, Folds said, "This is not a novelty. I consider this my new record. I'm incredibly proud of this. If this were Ben World, this would be my greatest hits album. I'd rather this be my greatest hits record than someone collecting my masters and slapping on a photo of me leaning against a piano. This is a better way. I'm a songwriter, and these are my songs."
Folds is not one to shy from interesting career choices. In 2004, he produced and arranged William Shatner's second musical album, Has Been.

This album was then adapted into a ballet called "Common People" by choreographer Margo Sappington, famous for co-writing and choreographing the 1969 off-Broadway hit, Oh! Calcutta! The collaborative project is the subject of the documentary William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet, which is due for release some time in 2009. The film features interviews with Folds, Shatner, Henry Rollins and Sappington.

Last year, MIT's Spring Weekend concert was headlined by Third Eye Blind. While far more musically relevant than the boys who wrote everybody's favorite song about crystal meth, Ben Folds will no doubt induce some mid-to-late nineties nostalgia.
Post-April 25, Folds can be found touring the country in support of Way to Normal with select dates featuring performances from his undergrad, a cappella-loving comrades.

MIT's Spring Weekend concert will start at 8 p.m. at the Johnson Athletic Center, 120 Vassar St., Cambridge, MA.

Life of the party:Block Party delivers two high energy sets creating a two-for-one special at the Dome
The Daily Orange
By Kelly Outram
Posted: 4/27/09

Block Party 2009 resembled a double feature movie. Entertained by two headliners, audience members got multiple shows in one sitting.

Co-headlining this year's University Union Block Party, Guster and Ben Folds rocked the Carrier Dome despite claims that the bands were not relevant to today's music tastes.

"I understood why people were upset," said Sarah Zuckerman, a sophomore biology major. "People want the big names that are on the radio."

Usually known for its hip-hop acts, Block Party took a different route this year by bringing alternative bands to the Carrier Dome Sunday night. The show also opened with Hotel Lights, a coffee shop-sounding band led by Darren Jessee, a former member of Ben Folds Five.

Although Hotel Lights was a risky opener, as it was calmer and didn't seem to get the audience hyped, it still did the trick of setting the mood for the show.

During the main acts, both Guster and Ben Folds experimented with genres from hip-hop to disco, keeping audience members on their feet throughout the entire concert.

Zukerman said the difference between Fergie's performance at last year's Block Party and this year's concert was that this year's was more musical. All acts relied on their talent with instruments to guide the show. Drummer Brian Rosenworcel played the bongos and drums with his bare hands, striking each one with energy - and it didn't look like it hurt one bit.
Guster stayed upbeat, while Ben Folds flowed between slower-paced songs and more up-tempo numbers. Together, the two played a solid show.

"It was really good, I'm glad that they brought them here," said Ryan Murray, a senior finance major. "I had high expectations for Ben Folds and they were fulfilled, I also had high expectations for Guster but they really impressed me."

Piano man: Ben Folds performs a versatile, interactive set at Block Party
The Daily Orange
By Kelly Outram
Posted: 4/27/09

When Ben Folds took the stage on Sunday night he was not a singer - he was a music teacher.
"Now if you have a higher voice, start on this note and end up in an E minor," Ben Folds instructed the audience at the start of his song "Not the Same," where he broke the audience up into three different groups to sing three different harmonies as if they were in a music class. The only difference here was that instead of sitting in the corner of the classroom trying to stay quiet, almost every person in the audience sang his or her chosen part loudly - on- or off-key.

Using his hands as volume controllers, Folds made the audience sing loudly at one part, quieter at another, or made the right side sing one melody and the left side sing another, creating one chorus of people.

University Union's annual Block Party brought three levels of a packed audience to the Carrier Dome - from the 20-yard line back. Even though both Ben Folds and opening act Guster made jokes about being exiled to a small section of the Dome, Folds gave the audience an excellent and interactive show Sunday night.

"I've seen him perform before, but he was better, more bad a**," said Kevin McSheffrey, a junior information studies major. "He had a great set list. It was pretty funky."
During his almost two-hour long set, Ben Folds acted the part of music conductor as he guided the audience through songs and sounds to accompany his music. He also taught the audience about his different musical techniques, such as playing the "prepared piano," which has a distortion pedal and Altoid cans on its strings. This transformed the piano so that it sounded like a xylophone or video game.
Folds also told the audience about instruments that were being used during songs such as the French horn, and guided them through claps during songs.

Much like in choir class, crowd members were exposed to several different genres of music. The set sampled a little bit of everything: blues, country, jazz, gospel and a capella. Though UU has been criticized for not bringing a hip-hop or pop act to campus, Ben Folds seemed to please everyone in the audience with his diverse genre and tempo selections.

With little fanfare or transition between songs, Folds jumped from one style to another, performing both slow and upbeat numbers over the course of his two-hour set.

Energy flowed in and out of the show between songs. Even when the tempo slowed and the audience sat, the crowd was still entranced by Folds' ballads.

Highlights of the set included "Fred Jones Pt. 2," a waltz about a man in the newspaper industry, and "Brick," a slower, somber song about a couple dealing with the aftermath of an abortion. Instead of just sitting and listening to "Fred Jones Pt. 2," some students near the front of the stage actually stood up and slow danced with each other, eighth-grade style. Likewise, no one lost interest during the down-tempo "Brick."

The audience also rallied to "Zak and Sara," an upbeat song that had the entire audience (even the third level) on its feet singing along.

Ben Folds really mixed it up when he played two different versions of the same song, "Dr. Yang."

"Now I'm going to play two songs off the same album… except one is fake," Folds told the audience.

He then performed a softer jazz version of "Dr. Yang," followed by a rocked-out version that shook the bleachers. The whole show was filled with that kind of varying emotion - at one point the audience would be standing still or sitting, and the next they were jumping up and down screaming lyrics.

In the middle of his set, Ben Folds left the other band members behind and performed solo with just his piano.

Folds played a range of songs both off his recent album "Way to Normal" and his older favorites, but in the end he performed one of his most famous and high-energy songs, "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" as an encore. Instead of just performing it, he took the song up twice as fast.

"He did more songs off his new album than I thought he would, but it was cool because I really like his new album so I'm satisfied," McSherffrey said.

BEN FOLDS TALKS NICK HORNBY COLLABORATION ALBUM
Paste Magazine
Joe Shearer
April 17, 2009

Not terribly long ago, Ben Folds released his sixth (or seventh, if you count the odd Fear of Pop solo endeavor, Volume One) studio album, Way to Normal. At about the same time, he said he was planning on making a record with High Fidelity author Nick Hornby, telling an Australian news outlet that he would "whip out" the music for the lyrics Hornby writes much in the vein of how he busted out a handful of songs in July 2008 for the infamous "fake" album.

But Folds' next release wasn't the Hornby collaboration, it was a collection of a cappella groups doing their takes on the songwriter's work called Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella. Folds worked with and recorded each of the vocal ensembles, going to them and knocking out the tracks. He even contributed two of his own a cappella renditions.

Now it appears the snarky singer/songwriter is ready to record the aforementioned Hornby collaboration in June. Speaking recently with Paste, he detailed where they're at and how he'd like the sessions to go down. “[Hornby's] written like 18 pieces, I think, so far," Folds said. "I’m trying to keep up at the moment, 'cause I’m doing all this other stuff and touring. I think that’s gonna be a fairly quick and live recording. The fake tracks that are on the Stems and Seeds release were six songs written, recorded, mixed in one day. So, yeah, I am on that [kick] at the moment.

“I’m gonna write the music really quickly... The band will be coming in, you know, say one or two o’clock. I’ll get there in the morning, look at the lyrics, come up with something and then when they show up, I’ll show ‘em how the song goes and we’ll press record and do it. I think it’s gonna be fun."

When asked about editing down the seemingly large batch of songs Hornby's prepared, Folds indicated that, quite naturally, some songs will get tossed. “I think what’ll happen is, some of them will be better than others, and there’ll be an infant-mortality rate to contend with."

Ben Folds brings flare
The Ithacan Online
Victoria Spadaccini
April 16, 2009

The multitalented Ben Folds’ newly released album “Stems and Seeds” will push listeners out of their chairs and make their souls smile. The former Ben Folds Five front man comes alive and turns up the volume for this high-energy two-disc album, which is made up of 10 isolated tracks and their remixed versions.

One of the album’s fiery tracks, “Dr. Yang,” is aggressively propulsive with coalescing piano rhythms and powerful vocals that make it impossible for the most timid to keep from dancing. Tracks like “You Don’t Know Me,” “Cologne” and “Kylie from Connecticut” add a different dimension to the album, matching poignancy with drama.

Ben Folds turns tragedy into comedy and brings his raw experiences to the main stage with “Stems and Seeds.” Presenting himself as a natural raconteur, he hits home for every audiophile and upbeat music junkie.

Ben Folds Readies A Capella Disc
Aversion
April 16, 2009

Dudes who use the Ben Folds back catalog to fool girls into thinking they're sensitive are about to hit the mother lode: Folds is wrapping up a collection of a capella versions of his greatest hits.

Folds taps into the uber-nerd phenomenon of college vocal groups using his songs as material for his Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella!, which hits stores April 28, according to Billboard. The set taps 14 of Folds' favorite college-kid a capella groups covering his songs, and dishes out Folds' own rendition of two of his own songs. Andy Barnard is totally stoked.

Ben Folds to release a capella album
Digital Spy
Chris Homer
April 16, 2009

Ben Folds will release an album of his hits performed a capella on April 28.

Titled University A Capella!, the LP will feature 14 college choir groups performing vocal arrangements of Folds's songs such as 'Brick', 'Magic', 'Evaporated' and 'Army'. Folds personally selected the groups and songs as well as producing the record, Billboard reports.

The songwriter has also added his own a capella versions of 'Boxing' and 'Effington' to the album.

Folds said that his songs "are definitely built" for vocal-only renditions.

"My songs have all the things you'd hope they'd have, because they're classically structured. It's pop-music, but they're built to be interesting in their voicing and chord changes," he said.

"They're kind of made for elaborate arrangements, so it makes sense to me they would appeal to these groups."

Ben Folds Goes Back to College, Sans Piano
Spinner
Benjy Eisen
April 16, 2009

While you were in your dorm room sleeping off last night's hangover, there's a good chance the kid down the hall was singing Ben Folds songs a cappella in a college-sponsored club. There are more than 1,200 a cappella groups on our nation's campuses, many of which -- surprisingly -- cover Ben Folds. When Folds found this out, he started a contest: he invited college a cappella groups to submit these covers via YouTube for review. He traveled to the winners' colleges to record their versions on-site for the new album, 'Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella.

So, now that Folds returned to campus life, did he learn anything new? "I learned that it's a complete social scene," Folds tells Spinner, regarding a cappella culture. "I learned that they don't usually get class credit for what they do, and I'm even more impressed at the size of the movement, given that it's all self-motivated."

Oh, because the chance to be on a Ben Folds album isn't motivation enough, right?

Ben Folds' wacky new a cappella record
The Music Mix
April 15, 2009
Dave Karger

Leave it to Ben Folds to put out what is essentially a greatest-hits album...sung by college a cappella groups. On April 28, the North Carolina-born singer/songwriter/pianist/cutup will release Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!, which features more than a dozen undergraduate groups (and even one high-school act) performing instrument-free versions of some of his best-known songs. After soliciting applicants for the project, Folds spent hours watching contenders on YouTube and traveled the country to record the lucky "winners" himself, without the use of the technological trickery (notably programs like Auto-Tune or Pro Tools) that most groups utilize these days. The result isn't perfect—there's a bum note here and there—but it's quite charming. Folds even gets in on the act, performing a cappella versions of his tracks "Boxing" and "Effington." We quizzed Folds, from his home in Nashville, on his peculiar new project. Read the full Q&A after the jump.

Music Mix It's interesting that you've chosen to spotlight college a cappella groups, since so many of them sing your songs without ever sending you a red cent of royalty money.

Ben Folds That doesn't bother me. When people are out there doing your music, it's like when you're mowing lawns. People see you mowing the lawn, and they come up and you get more lawn-mowing work. People hear the music, enjoy it, and then those who can afford it pay for it, then it comes around. I guess it's what we call value added. It's really fine with me.

Music Mix I was in an a cappella group in college 15 years ago, and I would have had a heart attack if the artist whose song I was singing was standing right there. Were the groups nervous to sing in front of you?

Folds They all did a really good job of not letting that get in the way of anything. Before I showed up, I considered a lot of strategies: Maybe I'm going to need to leave the room. Maybe I'm going to need to be a little more stern. But what I found was that they just needed to be treated like professionals. Lots of these groups have opened up for us on the road, and one girl had been totally cool while we were recording. We took some pictures, she still seemed fine. After the show, I guess all was clear, and then she went ahead and cut loose with the fan stuff. And I thought that was really cool! She had me fooled!

Music Mix Was there one song that you didn't think would work a cappella but did?

Folds The "Jesusland" arrangement that the University of North Carolina Loreleis did was pretty impressive because, one, they're an all-female group, and that makes it more difficult because they don't have the range. And then it's just a hell of a tempo to have to work out. And it came out better on the record than I even anticipated.

Music Mix There's a group from the University of Chicago called Voices in Your Head that sings "Magic" on the record, and to me they're in a different league than the rest of the groups.

Folds That is a different animal. I allowed representation of a computer-generated, tuned one, and that's it. It was significantly tweaked in Pro Tools. That doesn't make it less, but I feel like the genre is about the event at the moment. But this version of "Magic" is an example of state-of-the-art a cappella recording. That's the only one I heard of that ilk that didn't turn me off.

Music Mix Ten years ago you turned me on to Grandaddy. What's floating your boat musically right now?

Folds Well, I'm finally living in one place in a manner that I can have all my vinyl in one place. So I've got my turntable set up and I've been going through my classical records to see which ones sound good. I'm kinda nerdy. I'll listen to two versions of a Beethoven symphony and one sounds better than the other. And that one I'll give away. The last new thing I've had going through my head is The Bird and The Bee.

Music Mix So now that you've worked with college a cappella groups and William Shatner, what's your next bizarre musical collaboration going to be?

Folds I'm working on an album with Nick Hornby. He's writing the lyrics and I'm doing the music. His cadencing is really different because he's not a musician. He's sent me about 18 sets of lyrics. He's disciplined. And I suspect that as he hears them, that's going to spur more writing too. So I'm always going to be keeping up with Nick.

Someone sent Ben Folds a YouTube link
Nashville Skyline
Peter Cooper
April 1, 2009

Someone sent Ben Folds a YouTube link.

It was cool: An a cappella group from Columbia University, doing Folds' song, “Still Fighting It.” And Folds thought, “Wow, these kids go to the same school and sing that well together… that must be really unusual.”

Then there was the YouTube link for “related videos,” and Folds clicked on it. And “unusual” became less so. There were at least 100 versions of Folds' songs out in a cappella world. He set up a contest, asking for submissions of groups doing his songs, with plans to make an album. And he and engineer Joe Costa began lugging equipment to schools that had a cappella groups that seemed to have a shot at making the final cut.

“We did a lot with ribbon mics, 'cause it's neat-sounding and it's noisy,” says Costa, Folds' engineer at what used to be called Javelina Studios on Music Row. “Ben was saying it was like field recording. At first, we tried to put them in sections, with the baritone people together and the tenors together. They were cool with that, but it didn't sound good. The only thing we did in the end was put the bass people together, in the middle, and have everybody else stand in a horseshoe formation. The recordings are noisy, but that's part of the charm.”

The recordings in question, augmented by a couple of tracks featuring Folds and friends doing their best, overdubbed imitation of an a cappella choir, can be found on an album called Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!, out April 7. What Folds and Costa initially thought of as a fun and easy-ish side project wound up being both trickier and more rewarding than expected.

Folds and Costa schlepped to various colleges, hauling four API preamps that kept getting damaged in the airline baggage process. Oh, at first they used a pair of solid-state Universal Audio 2108 pre's, which got smashed. They recorded onto a laptop, using a Digidesign Digi 003 system. One group came to Javelina to record (“Because we were sick of traveling,” Folds says), assembling in the huge tracking room and singing, while Costa captured the sounds through an AEA R88 stereo ribbon microphone, an AEA TRP Ribbon Pre, a couple of condenser mics and a Coles ribbon mic for the bass singers. The entire album was mixed on a Neotek Elite console at Javelina.

“When we bought this console, we were going to use it as a monitor console,” Folds says. “But we wound up really loving it. Michael Brauer has been mixing my records for five years, and this is his favorite board. He says it's got a great midrange and it's really open, and he about breaks the desk when he's jumping up and down on it.”

Aside from attempting to keep equipment from airport harm, the biggest challenge came when it came time for Folds to emulate the a cappella sounds on his own. “For one of the two songs I did, it took about 30 hours to arrange and another 30 hours of multitracking,” he says. “I totally underestimated the amount of time I had to put into it. I do vocals in the studio all the time, and sometimes you get to the eighth take and it's still sucking. These kids are getting it on the first try.”

Folds brought in bass player (and deft harmony vocalist) Jared Reynolds to help with the overdubs, and they called in others, including Webb Wilder, for the bass parts. In the recording process, they learned something about recording vocal choruses without instrumental backing.

“I found out that everyone can't be in perfect tune,” Folds said. “It doesn't sound right. Country music sounds wack enough when it's all tuned, but you're used to hearing that. When you hear a bunch of voices and all of a sudden they're Tronned out, it's really weird. On one of the songs, we tuned the bass at first, and by itself it sounded great. With everyone else, it sounded sharp. We brought a guy in from Belmont University to sing bass, and I noticed he was singing flat. I didn't think it would work, but it worked perfectly. We finally realized that people have a natural way of wanting to harmonize, and it's not even locked in tune.”

Folds has leased Javelina for more than five years now. Historically, the studio was a complementary room to RCA Studio B, and its immense tracking space was often used for string sections. Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Charley Pride and others worked at Javelina. Of late, it's been a private sonic playground, with Folds' many pianos crowding the floor. But Folds is planning to open it back up for strings and other appropriate uses.“This is an amazing room, but it's been an amazing storage room for too long,” Folds says. “We're going to clean it up and do the occasional session here, so that it retains some dignity and doesn't just get used as a big rehearsal space.”

Folds looks around that space and smiles on a recent afternoon, considering the music that had just been mixed on the Neotek. “There are hundreds of colleges and universities that have two or three of these a cappella groups,” he says. “Some suck, but a lot don't. In a world where everything's tuned, and everything goes to MP3s, that this social musical event is rising out of the ashes says something for the human spirit. I'm even more determined that music is something everyone can do, and that it's a normal part of being human. I think this is a power-to-the-people kind of record. And I think it's important.”

Fans star in new Ben Folds Five album
Sky News
Jan 27, 2009

Ben Folds stumbled over scores of amateur covers of his songs on YouTube. He was so impressed with the quality of them, he held a contest to find the best and is recording the result.

A friend suggested he search the video sharing site using his own name. What he turned up were a whole host of covers of his songs, sung acapella (without any instruments) by American college students.

"I just started realising there were a lot of them and they were really good," Folds told Sky News.

So that's exactly what he did. Using his website he launched an appeal for the best ones and searched out more, contacting the ones he liked the sound of.

"I would just go on YouTube and pop them a note and say: "This is Ben, I love what you're doing, send me an email." And then I realised that they weren't believing me, half of them because they were sending me these kind of f**k off notes!"

Folds is not the only artist to be covered by fans. Many other bands now experience it as the internet generation allows fans to instantly post their own homemade tributes to their favourite artists.

Johnny Dee, who writes on internet trends in The Guardian says it's all part of a shift in what it means to be a fan. "Twenty years ago, if you were the fan of a band, you bought a T-shirt. Now you chat with the lead singer online. That's the difference."

Fans are also having more of a say about the economics of music. Radiohead the most notable example of this - by staging an online honesty box for their last album. Fans chose what to pay.

Profits from the Ben Folds album will be going to charity. He doesn't want the money, he was just intrigued by the cover versions.

"I am flattered, yeah," he added.

"And also humbled that some of them are so good. Some of them make me realise that maybe I write songs better than I perform them."

U of R A Capella Group on Ben Folds CD
Evan Axelbank
Feb 26, 2009

The only instruments in the room are their voices. "None of us in our group are music majors. We're all just a bunch of goofy college kids who like to come together and sing," said Jared Suresky, a member of the Midnight Ramblers. And if you trust the opinion of music star Ben Folds, the 13 men in the U of R's Midnight Ramblers do it well.

A few months back, they entered a Youtube contest for a chance to record a song for an a capella compilation that alternative rock star Ben Folds is putting together. 200 college groups tried. 18 were selected, including the Midnight Ramblers.

"He came here. Actually in a room right upstairs. Ben Folds himself. And he came and recorded us. And it was one of the coolest experiences of my life," said Noah Berg, a member of Midnight Ramblers.

They've learned important lessons in everything that they've gone through. Especially that being a star, doesn't mean you have to act that way. "Our director has his number in his contacts list on his cell phone. I just find that so funny. The fact that they're real people and the fact that you can relate to them is just so inspiring," said Berg.

Now, others might look up to them. But it's not about that. "One of the big things we try to do is find a balance between having fun and making great sound together," said Suresky. Coming soon, to a cd store near you.

Folds, Fiasco buzz and rattle Conte
BC HEIGHTS – THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF BOSTON COLLEGE
Zak Jason
March 30, 2009

In one of the most hyped spring concerts in years, Ben Folds and Lupe Fiasco each performed rousing sets, muffled only by the horrendous sound chamber of Conte Forum. Folds charmed the audience with his signature mix of quirk, novelty, longing, and glee. Fiasco bumped the crowd with his blend of in-your-face helicopter vocals, hypnotic hooks, freestyle, and Richter-scale rattling bass. In and of themselves, Folds and Fiasco enticed the audience with one of the finest shows Chestnut Hill has enjoyed in a while. But the stuffy, muddled arena of Conte insulted their talent.

Conte makes a mildly suitable venue for basketball, hockey, and the occasional speech. Conte Forum is one of the most unsuitable venues for one of the most raucous and angst-torn piano rockers and one of the smoothest spitfire emcees of today. With its industrial arena setting and claustrophobic seating, Conte provides neither the acoustics for bands to vibe on nor the area for an audience to properly dance or even listen. As Folds plucked his bouncing keys and as Lupe's DJ Simon Says cranked the bass, sound waves bounced off sound waves up in the rafters, confusing the ears of the audience, and bass booms sounded more like hissing rattle snakes than soul-pulsing thuds. In the concrete confines of Conte, Folds and Lupe sounded as great foreign writers like Dostoevsky and Gabriel Garcia Marquez sound when translated to English: their style and message remains, but the beauty and lucidity of their native tongue fizzles. Had the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) opted to host its spring concert in a few weeks (if even possible), they could have held it outside, which would have allowed sound and the bodies of the audience to roam and jive freely.

That said, Folds and Lupe worked with what digs the campus granted. Before Folds took the stage, Philly-based indie trio Jukebox the Ghost performed a respectable set of giddy yet apocalyptic power pop. With spritely synths, pared-down guitar strumming, and bookish indie lyrics, Jukebox the Ghost resemble a budding hybrid of The Shins and The Hush Sound. Throughout their set, the lead singer, who has a voice like a slightly higher-pitched Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, would introduce ghastly statements like, "This is a three-song series about the apocalypse," or "We'd like to play a song about the anti-Christ," only to perform a melodious indie pop ballad. Despite their warm set, the crowd hadn't fully settled in or paid attention during their performance, many people gabbing with their group, many stumbling to their seats, fresh off their pregame, and a vulgar few chanting for Ben Folds. Jukebox the Ghost recognized the apathy as the lead singer joked, "We're going to play another song, but that doesn't mean shit to you, for obvious reasons," which won a rousing cheer.

After a swift stage shift by UGBC members and tour members, Ben Folds trotted onto the stage less than 20-minutes after the opening act finished. To begin, Folds opened with a alternate version of the peppy ditty "The Bitch Went Nuts," a track off his new album Way To Normal, which released in September of last year. Continuing with recent familiarity, Folds followed with "You Don't Know Me," the angst-rife single from Way To Normal. With cool red and blue lights pulsating in and out, a spirited backing band, and Folds front left bobbing on his keys, the quick intro rose much of the crowd to its feet and many of the audience with floor seats began to dance.

In the most interactive track of the night, Folds performed a raucous rendition of his now iconic "Rockin' the Suburbs," during which he stirred the audience to chant, "Y'all don't know what it's like, being male middle class and white." Opting to play this at Boston College, Folds revealed his taste for irony. Despite his efforts, more than half of the crowd in the stands remained seated, a sight that must been unsettling for one of the most talented and usually most engaging performers of our day. Such a juxtaposition of festive piano tracks and a sporadically lackluster crowd begged the question: Has Folds gone over the hill in his career? But as audience members began to chant "Lupe," and others moronically swayed in groups to the despondent ballad "Brick," (a song about abortion), the answer became obvious. No. Folds performed a great set. He just ran into an unreceptive and occasionally crude crowd.

But at the end of his set, Folds won the entire crowd over with his monumental cover of Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit," a wonderful surprise, as the singer announced last summer that he had retired the song. As the crowd chanted the song's onslaught of vulgarities, the song proved an ideal segway to Lupe.

All that energy deflated during a 50-minute intermission between acts. But after they had the drum set and turntables in place, Lupe Fiasco jumped out onto the stage in a rave-like introduction, made all the more enticing with the Michael Jackson sampling of DJ Simon Says and break beats of drummer Baby Bam. Unlike the majority of his sets, Lupe let the beats carry the performance. Normally, Lupe breaks into extended bouts of freestyle, but in the hockey arena, it didn't seem fitting to let loose, which felt a bit disappointing for the crowd.

But like Folds, Fiasco worked with what he was given, taking the audience on a trek from his early work to the present, a hypnotic array of tracks from his latest album The Cool. In his most engaging song of the night, the crowd chanted along to "Hip-Hop saved my life."

The UGBC Spring Concert, despite its unforgiving and terrible venue, proved a grand event with solid performances from two of the biggest names in piano rock and hip-hop. But in the future, students may be more satisfied with names smaller than Folds and Fiasco if they could let loose in an outdoor venue.

Ben Folds Brings Power Pop and Laughter to the Murat
examiner.com
March 27, 2009

Ben Folds brought his infamous live show to Indianapolis Saturday night, offering plenty of his indie “hits,” new songs and rarely played gems to an eager audience. A diverse crowd of teens, Gen-Xers and post-college 20-somethings packed into the Murat Theatre’s Majestic Ballroom to watch Mr. Folds and Co. cruise, jam and belt their way through 27 quirky, melodic and often hilarious songs.

After oddly-appealing indie group Jukebox the Ghost adequately began the evening, Folds and his band, featuring Jared Reynolds on the bass and drummer Sam Smith, opened with “Effington,” a tongue-in-cheek up-tempo treat that hearkens back to the singer/pianist's mid-90s days with Ben Folds Five. Vintage Folds, the song is simultaneously sentimental and vulgar, a rocking ballad featuring poignant instrumentation and absurd lyrics, such as using the town of Effington, Minnesota (or New Effington, North Dakota, depending on your preference) as an off-color verb: “Are they effing in their yards? Effing in their cars? Effing in the trailers in the back roads and the parking lots of Effington?”

Continuing the set with more samples from his latest release, “Way to Normal,” Folds kept the energy high with “Lovesick Diagnostician,” (an alternate version of “Dr. Yang”), “Dr. Yang,” and “Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head),” a “Benny and the Jets”-inspired account of a concert during which the pianist and singer fell on the stage and received a concussion.

In his endearingly awkward fashion, Ben announced that he was about to bring the set down a notch, shifting seamlessly into the gorgeous “Kylie from Connecticut,” a ballad in the mournful, aching vein of Folds classics “The Luckiest,” “Late,” and “Evaporated.” The band jammed up the middle of “Connecticut” with an extended jazz exercise, displaying but never boasting of its virtuosity. Seizing the opportunity to perform some uncommon low-key charms, Folds delved into “Sentimental Guy,” from 2005’s “Songs For Silverman,” attaching a disclaimer that a fan had requested it and he was not sure if he would play it correctly, then proceeded to deliver a flawless performance. Adding a French horn to “Alice Childress,” from Ben Folds Five’s self-titled 1995 debut, the band tackled the song with ease.

Even without Regina Spektor, “You Don’t Know Me” was rousing and unique, a standout single in last year’s indie rock realm. “Free Coffee” featured an electronically-tinged piano distortion, “Losing Lisa” was another exciting live rarity and the goodbye-to-romance “Gone” closed out the opening set.

Folds is always at his finest when alone with his baby grand and microphone. He reminded his audience Saturday night during the set break, blasting his way through the ironic “Best Imitation of Myself,” then showing off his bluesy piano chops and storytelling savvy in the incredible “Lullabye,” from 1999’s “The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.”

The band rejoined Mr. Folds for the second set, which unfortunately featured two of “Way to Normal’s” weaker outings, “Errant Dog” and an alternate version of “Bitch Went Nutz.” Although mildly humorous, the two justifiably lost much of the crowd – the only such occurrences of the evening. The rest of the set was chock full of some of Folds’s biggest songs, including his original MTV hit, “Brick,” along with “Landed,” “Annie Waits,” and “Zak and Sara.”

“Army” is a song everyone should hear live at some point in his or her life, if even just to participate in the audience’s singing of the trumpet and saxophone themes. It is always and forever an unforgettable experience. Amidst his most commercial and popular tunes, Folds still managed to throw in the self-referential and punky “Underground,” the character sketch “Kate,” and a pumped-up, pounding interpretation of “Narcolepsy” to close the main set.

The encore opened with “Fair,” which Folds has not played regularly in years. “Rockin’ the Suburbs” came next, followed by the stellar set closer, “Not the Same,” another gorgeous and funny Folds trademark track, complete with audience harmonies during the choruses and to close the show.

Folds captures an audience and never lets it go until the final bow. In the midst of a roadie’s silly keytar solo, loud young men screaming for Folds’s infamous cover of Dr. Dre’s “Bitches Ain’t Shit,” and the singer/pianist’s own charming and odd antics, Ben still finds a way to the listener’s core. His songs are often ridiculous and almost too ironic, but somehow stick in the subconscious, striking emotional chords and allowing us all to not take our existences too damn seriously. He reminds us to laugh at ourselves and in the process, to remember the things in life that are truly important. Perhaps more than any other modern artist, Ben Folds is bound to gaze out into his fans’ faces and see a slew of smiles.

Ben Folds Taps A Cappella Groups For New Album
Artist Direct
March 26, 2009

Ben Folds has unveiled all the details behind his new album, Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella! As that title suggests, it's a gathering of nationwide a cappella groups covering Ben Folds songs and—according to a press release—"not a novelty."

"I'm incredibly proud of this," Folds added in his statement. "I'd rather this be my greatest hits record than someone collecting my masters and slapping on a photo of me leaning against a piano. This is a better way. I'm a songwriter, and these are my songs."

Indeed. Folds' wife even helped out, assisting engineer Joe Costa in the recording of each group in their "natural habitat." Here's what to expect when this twilight zone LP hits stores through Epic on April 28:

1. "Not The Same" - The Spartones from Greensboro, NC
2. "Jesusland" - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Loreleis
3. "Brick" - The Ohio University Leading Tones
4. "You Don't Know Me" - The University Of Georgia's With Someone Else's Money
5. "Still Fighting It" - Washington University in St. Louis's Mosaic Whispers
6. "Boxing" - Ben Folds
7. "Selfless, Cold, and Compose" - The Sacramento State Jazz Singers
8. "Magic" - The University of Chicago's Voices In Your Head
9. "Landed" - The University of Colorado Buffoons
10. "Time" - The Princeton Nassoons
11. "Effington" - Ben Folds
12. "Evaporated" - The Newtones from Newton, MA
13. "Fred Jones Part 2" - The West Chester University of Pennsylvania Gracenotes
14. "Army" - The University of Rochester Midnight Ramblers
15. "Fair" - University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire's Fifth Element
16. "The Luckiest" - The Washington University in St. Louis Amateurs

Ben Folds Releasing A Capella Record
Tigerweekly.com Music News
James Cohn

For over two months, singer/songwriter Ben Folds, his wife Fleur, and engineer Joe Costa, have been traveling to the nation's top collegiate a cappella groups, recording tracks for Fold's upcoming album.

Though it might seem like a gimmick, Folds explains, "This is not a novelty. I consider this my new record. I'm incredibly proud of this."

Some of the groups, including the Spartones from the University of North Carolina and the University of Rochester's Midnight Ramblers, will even accompany Folds on his upcoming tour dates.

Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella!" will feature 16 of Fold's biggest hits, including "Brick" and "Army."

"I'd rather this be my greatest hits record than someone collecting my masters and slapping on a photo of me leaning against a piano," said Folds. "This is a better way. I'm a songwriter, and these are my songs."

The album drops April 28 via Epic.

Getting into the Fold at Water Street
Campus Times
March 26, 2009

As I got in line for the Ben Folds concert Monday night, I began to doubt the wisdom of my decision to go. The line was so long I began to have hypochondriacal ideas that I had frostbite on my feet, and once I got to the front and failed to find my state ID in my pocket, the bouncer welcomed me with a leering threat that I had “better not f*ck up.” All this, and I had a BCS exam at 9:40 the next morning.

While my outlook improved as my toes slowly regained feeling on my way toward the stage, I was still perhaps not in the most fun-loving and open of moods. The opening band, Jukebox The Ghost, failed to make much of an impression on me, although the audience seemed fairly engaged considering that opening bands are usually not very popular with a crowd that’s devoted to the main act.

UR’s Midnight Ramblers, however, really gave the show a kick-start. The large number of students in attendance brought up the energy level and interest of the audience as a whole. Their rendition of Folds’s song “Army,” which they sing on the upcoming album “Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella” was excellent, getting everyone excited for the upcoming main feature. They also performed two additional songs, “Number One” by John Legend and “Kiss Him Goodbye” by Gary DeCarlo, which seemed to go over well. The addition of the group in between the opener and the main event definitely added something extra to the night as a whole, not to mention it made UR look really cool.

Finally, Folds took the stage, much to the delight of the over-exuberant fist-pumping girl in front of me, as well as everyone else at Water Street. He opened with a few songs from his latest album, “Way to Normal.” While I wasn’t all that familiar with the songs from this album, he did a great job with them. They were all up-tempo and catchy enough that I even found myself singing along with the chorus by the end of some of them.

“Hiroshima” and “Brainwascht,” both from the new album, were definitely crowd pleasers, and I made sure I downloaded them both when I got back to my dorm.
Folds also brought out ukulele player and YouTube star Julia Nunes, who is from Fairport, N.Y., to sing the part of Regina Spektor in his song “You Don’t Know Me.” The rendition was great and the two seemed to have a good chemistry; however, the subsequent songs with Nunes later in the show, including a Weezer cover and Folds’s “Gone” fell somewhat flat.

After playing a lot of his new songs early on, Folds started playing older material and crowd favorites, beginning with a great rendition of “Sentimental Guy,” which Folds claimed he had forgotten about entirely until that night. He continued with other upbeat hits like “Zac and Sara” and “Annie Waits” that kept the energy level of the room extremely high, often prefacing the songs with funny background stories. He also did a few throwbacks to songs from his previous band, Ben Folds Five, including my personal favorite, “Underground.”

At a certain point, Folds’s band went backstage so he could play some of his well-known ballads like “Brick” and “The Luckiest” as well as show off his impressive skills with the piano, including a display in which he put Altoids tins on the piano strings to create an interesting and entirely new sound.

I was impressed by the choices of songs that Folds made for this particular concert. He seemed to be very in tune with the things that the audience wanted to hear and didn’t spend a lot of time, as many artists do, experimenting with new and unfamiliar versions of songs. The audience was able to sing along and participate in a way that went beyond simply spectatorship. There were few, if any, songs that I felt had been wrongly left out.
At the same time, he didn’t pander to the crowd in a way that compromised his own vision of what he wanted the show to be.

Despite the fact that a few audience members were pushing for him to play his cover of Dr. Dre’s “Bitches Ain’t Shit,” Folds seemed to understand how played out that particular song is and did not give in.

As an encore, Folds and his band did their own version of the song the Ramblers had previously performed, “Army,” as well as a rendition of “Not the Same,” a staple of his concerts and one of the highlights of the night. He divided the audience into three parts and gave each a note to sing, so that a harmony was created.
He then spiritedly conducted the audience so that they sang the harmony as part of the chorus. Folds noted that this part of the show was one of his favorites, as the audience always “sings the sh*t out of it.”

It was a perfect ending to the night, as it embodied so many of the things that make Folds a great performer — his exuberant personality, his ability to get the crowd involved in his music and his willingness to cater to an audience. Folds knows what gets an audience excited and then he does it. And as an audience member, I couldn’t ask for much more.

Rockin' The City: Ben Folds Comes To Fredericksburg
March 26, 2009
By Jesse Scott
For The Free Lance Star

There's something about Ben Folds that is a little off, yet he is always right on.
Folds, with his thick black-rimmed glasses and semi-dorky stature, provides some of the most powerful lyrics and piano riffs of a generation.

His irresistible narratives, paired with gripping piano hooks, have paved the way for some of today's most prominent piano-rock bands, from The Fray to Jack's Mannequin.

And at 42 years old, he has proved that he is no "brick" that will simply turn to dust.

"Some people would say that I've gone to hell in a handbasket, and then others say my music just keeps getting better," said Folds in a phone interview from Rochester, N.Y.

"But you just do what you do. I mean, I could make an album about whale sounds and people might think it would be the dumbest thing. But if whale sounds were in, I'd be hailed as a genius!"

And the great thing about Folds is that he could probably make an album spotlighting whale noises and it would be nothing short of brilliant.

He struck notes of brilliancy on his last album, "Way to Normal," with songs about hitting his head on his piano ("Hiroshima") and finding his dog ("Errant Dog").

Folds has mastered the art of blending often comedic and blunt words with music that can leave the listener in laughter or empathetic tears. Among his greatest hits over the last 10 or so years are "Brick," "Still Fighting It," "Rockin' the Suburbs" and "Landed."

Of late, he has teamed up with famed novelist Nick Hornby--author of "Fever Pitch," "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy"--for his next musical journey. Folds is providing the musical canvas, while Hornby provides the lyrics.

With the help of a new, yet very old, piano, he possesses all the right keys to create yet another successful album.

"I just got a new piano, and it's really the first piano I've owned that I really feel at one with. It's from 1935 and I got it out of an old Frank Lloyd Wright house," he said.

It's only a wonder how Folds will incorporate his unique musical genius while partnering with Hornby. Following the release of "Way to Normal," he partnered with Adult Swim goofs Tim and Eric (of "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job") to produce the music video for his song with Regina Spektor, "You Don't Know Me."

To say the least, the result was a very psychedelic clip that captures the fun-loving essence of Folds to a T. It's definitely worth a view or two on YouTube.

"Working with Tim and Eric was great, but after a while I think they even start to make themselves sick," laughed Folds. "I think a lot of things are funny that maybe aren't even meant to be funny. The other day I was watching Fox News and these people were mouthing off about the Canadian army. It was actually pretty pathetic, but I thought it was hilarious."

Laughs aside, it's the quality of Folds' live show that has kept him on the road for so long. You'd never think a piano was so exciting until you see Folds work magic with its keys.

He also seems to keep good company. In the past he has toured with everyone from Weezer to John Mayer to Guster.

On Monday, he will hit the University of Mary Washington's Dodd Auditorium with rising D.C. rockers Jukebox the Ghost.

In the words of Folds, his band is "on it" and "things are sounding good."

But then again, when has Folds ever let down a live audience?

Ben Folds Teaming With College A Cappella Groups For New Album
Mitch Michaels
March 25, 2009

The best of Ben Folds without instruments...

On April 28th, Ben Folds will release University A Cappella!. The title isn't facetious either - Folds decided to A&R and produce a record of the best college a cappella groups performing his own songs.

Over 2 months, Folds set up camp in dorm lounges, lecture halls and campus television studios, recording each group in a couple hours with just six mics. Student photographers and videographers documented the recording and the footage was then compiled into a documentary.

Ben Folds alsorecorded two of his own a cappella versions of "Effington" and the Ben Folds Five track "Boxing". Folds says, "It took fucking longer than four hours. I can tell you that much. I have a greater appreciation now for the university groups."

Of the album, Folds says, "This is not a novelty. I consider this my new record. I'm incredibly proud of this. If this were Ben World, this would be my greatest hits album. I'd rather this be my greatest hits record than someone collecting my masters and slapping on a photo of me leaning against a piano. This is a better way. I'm a songwriter, and these are my songs."

Ben has already tapped many of the groups to open on his current tour.

BEN FOLDS PRESENTS: UNIVERSITY A CAPPELLA! TRACKLISTING:

1. NOT THE SAME - The Spartones from Greensboro, NC.
Arranged by Chris Juengel / Recorded in Swain Hall (UNC - Chapel Hill)

2. JESUSLAND - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Loreleis
Arranged by Emily Riehl and Marianne Cheng / Recorded in Swain Hall (UNC - Chapel Hill)

3. BRICK -The Ohio University Leading Tones
Arranged by Brian Powers / Ohio University School of Music's Recital Hall

4. YOU DON'T KNOW ME - The University of Georgia's With Someone Else's Money
Arranged by Jonathan Sparks / Recorded in Ben's studio

5. STILL FIGHTING IT - Washington University in St. Louis's Mosaic Whispers
Arranged by: Mark Partridge / Recorded in the 560 Music Building - Recital Hall (Washington University)

6. BOXING - Ben Folds
Arranged by Ben Folds / Recorded in Ben's studio

7. SELFLESS, COLD, AND COMPOSED - The Sacramento State Jazz Singers
Arranged by Kerry Marsh / Recorded in Capistrano Hall, Jazz Rehearsal Room (Sacramento State)

8. MAGIC - The University of Chicago's Voices In Your Head
Arranged by Chris Rishel / Recorded in Chris Rishel's living room

9. LANDED - The University of Colorado Buffoons
Arranged by Misha Levental / Recorded at Coupe Studios

10. TIME - The Princeton Nassoons
Arranged by Jonathan Schwartz / Recorded in Mathey College Common Room (Princeton University)

11. EFFINGTON - Ben Folds
Arranged by Ben Folds / Recorded in Ben's studio

12. EVAPORATED - The Newtones from Newton, MA
Arranged by Joel Esher / Recorded in Wellesley Chapel (Wellesley College)

13. FRED JONES PART 2 - The West Chester University of Pennsylvania Gracenotes
Arranged by Courtney Park / Recorded in Mathey College Common Room (Princeton University)

14. ARMY - The University of Rochester Midnight Ramblers
Arranged by Brad Hartman & Dan Gross / Recorded in Havens Lounge, Wilson Commons (University of Rochester)

15. FAIR - University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire's Fifth Element
Arranged by Joe Holtan / Recorded in Masters Recording Institute's Studio A

16. THE LUCKIEST - The Washington University in St. Louis Amateurs
Arranged by: Joe Argus / Recorded in the 560 Building ballroom (Washington University)

Ben Folds Goes Back To College
Jen White
March 25, 2009

Ben Folds went back to college to record his next album — but it's not quite what you think. The piano man enlisted college students from across the U.S. to sing a capella versions of his songs.

Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella! will be released on April 28 via Epic Records.

When word got out about the idea for the project, Folds was bombarded with 250 video entries on YouTube. He chose 15 to record for the album.

Folds, his wife Fleur and engineer Joe Costa packed up their equipment and travelled to several schools over two months. They recorded the groups in four-hour sessions with only six area microphones set up in dorm lounges, lecture halls, rehearsal rooms and even in a campus synagogue.

"Our method of recording and the production concept was inspired by National Geographic field recordings and old '70s Nonesuch Records field recordings of native music of different cultures," Folds said in a MySpace blog post.

"Simple live recordings, documents of music being made in real time that capture the inimitable thumbprint of a culture as it is in motion. I love that shit."

Folds also invited student photographers and videographers to each of the sessions, and Princeton University videographer Jason Harper will compile all of the footage into a documentary of the project.

Folds recorded two tracks, "Effington" and "Boxing," a capella for the album.

"It took fucking longer than four hours, I can tell you that much," says Folds. "I have a greater appreciation now for the university groups."

A capella groups featured on the album will open for Folds on many of his upcoming tour dates. You can see Folds here:

March 26 Montclair, NJ @ Wellmont Theatre
March 27 Chestnut Hill, MA @ Boston College (students only)
March 28 New Haven, CT @ Shubert Theatre
March 30 Fredericksburg, VA @ University Of Mary Washington
April 1 Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
April 2 Boca Raton, FL @ Florida Atlantic University
April 3 Tampa, FL @ The Ritz Ybor
April 4 Jacksonville, FL @ University Of North Florida
April 6 Mobile, AL @ Saenger Theatre
April 7 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
April 24 Atlantic City, NJ @ House Of Blues
April 28 Orono, ME @ Collins Center
May 17 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater

Here are the tracks on Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella! (with a capella groups in brackets):

"Not The Same" (University Of North Carolina At Greensboro's The Spartones)
"Jesusland" (University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill's Loreleis)
"Brick" (Ohio University's Leading Tones)
"You Don't Know Me" (University Of Georgia's With Someone Else's Money)
"Still Fighting It" (Washington University's Mosaic Whispers)
"Boxing" (Ben Folds)
"Selfless, Cold, And Composed" (The Sacramento State Jazz Singers)
"Magic" (University Of Chicago's Voices In Your Head)
"Landed" (University of Colorado's Buffoons)
"Time" (The Princeton Nassoons)
"Effington" (Ben Folds)
"Evaporated" (Newton High School's The Newtones)
"Fred Jones Part 2" (West Chester University of Pennsylvania's Gracenotes)
"Army" (The University Of Rochester's Midnight Ramblers)
"Fair" (University Of Wisconsin's Fifth Element)
"The Luckiest" (Washington University's Amateurs)

Rock Appella: Spartones Record for Ben Folds
University News
March 25, 2009

GREENSBORO, NC – Just call it Rock Appella.

The Spartones appear on singer-songwriter Ben Fold’s upcoming CD, “Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!,” due for release from Sony Epic April 28.

Alt-rocker Folds handpicked the Spartones, UNCG’s male a cappella vocal group, and 13 other college a cappella groups from a field of more than 200 hopefuls. They perform Folds’ “Not the Same” on the new CD.

Folds produced the CD, comprised wholly of a cappella versions of his songs, in partnership with VH1’s Save the Music Foundation. Save the Music seeks to revive music programs in our schools.

Folds, a North Carolina native, is known for lilting lyrics and biting social commentary. He headed the Ben Folds Five before branching out as a solo artist.

The UNC-Chapel Hill Loreleis are the only other North Carolina group to record for the album. The Loreleis perform Folds’ “Jesusland.”

Visit http://www.benfolds.com/acappella to see videos of college a cappella groups singing Folds hits.

The Spartones, now in their 12th year, recently placed third in the semi-final round of the Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. The group opened for Folds at two recent North Carolina tour stops.

Hear the Tones live April 21 during their spring concert. The performance starts at 7:30 p.m. in Aycock Auditorium.

Visit the University Box Office or call (336) 334-4849 for tickets. Cost is $5 UNCG students, $7 other students and $10 general public.

Ben Folds to release album of collegians covering his songs a capella.
Nathan Rabin
March 24, 2009

Oh, that Ben Folds. Always with the tomfoolery, shenanigans, shenanigoats, monkey business and melancholy ballads about death, heartbreak, abortion and the passage of time. The piano-pounding funster has done it again: a few short years after he produced and performed on William Shatner's shockingly well-received comeback album Folds is once again stretching creatively in a "is he for real?" kind of way by Executive-Producing an album of college students singing a ca pella versions of his songs.

The Office's Andy Bernard and Here Comes Treble are undoubtedly aquiver with anticipation over this development. The project, to be titled, Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella, will be released on April 28th. Some of the groups featured will open for Folds on tour. Astonishingly, this means that being part of a college a capella group might actually help people get laid for the first time in recorded history.

BEN FOLDS Joins the A Capella Movement With New Release
Music News Net
March 24, 2009

Epic Records has announced the release of BEN FOLDS PRESENTS: UNIVERSITY A CAPPELLA! on April 28, 2009. Folds was amazed when he discovered the number of colleges that have active a cappella groups on campus (1,200 in the US alone), so, on top of this, how many of them love to cover his songs, Folds decided to produce a record with the best of these performances.

When word got out, the response was tremendous and resulted in 250 videos on YouTube. Folds would come off stage every night and spend hours reviewing these entries, finally choosing 15 groups to record. Ben, his wife Fleur, and his engineer Joe Costa packed up their equipment, and hopped on planes, trains and automobiles to record these groups. Over 2 months, they set up in dorm lounges, lecture halls and campus television studios. They even recorded in a Synagogue. Wanting to involve students from other areas of campus life in these sessions, at each one Folds invited a student photographer and videographer to document the recording. After reviewing the footage captured, Ben then invited one of the student videographers, Jason Harper from Princeton University, to compile each school's footage into one documentary of the entire project.

At every location, the makeshift studio was simple: six area mics. It was a bold aesthetic choice for the project. In recent years, tools like Auto-Tune and overdub have become as prevalent in collegiate a cappella recording as on major label albums. But Folds wanted to capture what these groups actually sounded like in performance. The team allotted four hours for each session. Most groups nailed the recording in two. Not to be outdone by the undergrads, Folds recorded two of his own a cappella tracks: instrument-free versions of "Effington" (from his 2008 album "Way to Normal" - order here ) and "Boxing," which originally appeared on the 1995 self-titled Ben Folds Five album.tell you that much. I have a greater appreciation now for the university groups."

Folds stresses, "This is not a novelty. I consider this my new record. I'm incredibly proud of this. If this were Ben World, this would be my greatest hits album. I'd rather this be my greatest hits record than someone collecting my masters and slapping on a photo of me leaning against a piano. This is a better way. I'm a songwriter, and these are my songs." Look for many of the a cappella groups to open up for Folds on many of his upcoming tour dates (see current itinerary below).

BEN FOLDS PRESENTS: UNIVERSITY A CAPPELLA! Full Tracklisting -

1. NOT THE SAME - The Spartones from Greensboro, NC.
Arranged by Chris Juengel / Recorded in Swain Hall (UNC - Chapel Hill)

2. JESUSLAND - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Loreleis
Arranged by Emily Riehl and Marianne Cheng / Recorded in Swain Hall (UNC - Chapel Hill)

3. BRICK -The Ohio University Leading Tones
Arranged by Brian Powers / Ohio University School of Music's Recital Hall

4. YOU DON'T KNOW ME - The University of Georgia's With Someone Else's Money
Arranged by Jonathan Sparks / Recorded in Ben's studio

5. STILL FIGHTING IT - Washington University in St. Louis's Mosaic Whispers
Arranged by: Mark Partridge / Recorded in the 560 Music Building - Recital Hall (Washington University)

6. BOXING - Ben Folds
Arranged by Ben Folds / Recorded in Ben's studio

7. SELFLESS, COLD, AND COMPOSED - The Sacramento State Jazz Singers
Arranged by Kerry Marsh / Recorded in Capistrano Hall, Jazz Rehearsal Room (Sacramento State)

8. MAGIC - The University of Chicago's Voices In Your Head
Arranged by Chris Rishel / Recorded in Chris Rishel's living room

9. LANDED - The University of Colorado Buffoons
Arranged by Misha Levental / Recorded at Coupe Studios

10. TIME - The Princeton Nassoons
Arranged by Jonathan Schwartz / Recorded in Mathey College Common Room (Princeton University)

11. EFFINGTON - Ben Folds
Arranged by Ben Folds / Recorded in Ben's studio

12. EVAPORATED - The Newtones from Newton, MA
Arranged by Joel Esher / Recorded in Wellesley Chapel (Wellesley College)

13. FRED JONES PART 2 - The West Chester University of Pennsylvania Gracenotes
Arranged by Courtney Park / Recorded in Mathey College Common Room (Princeton University)

14. ARMY - The University of Rochester Midnight Ramblers
Arranged by Brad Hartman & Dan Gross / Recorded in Havens Lounge, Wilson Commons (University of Rochester)

15. FAIR - University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire's Fifth Element
Arranged by Joe Holtan / Recorded in Masters Recording Institute's Studio A

16. THE LUCKIEST - The Washington University in St. Louis Amateurs
Arranged by: Joe Argus / Recorded in the 560 Building ballroom (Washington University)

BEN FOLDS Current Tour Itinerary -

Mar 26 2009 - Wellmont Theatre - Montclair,NJ
Mar 27 2009 - Boston College - Chestnut Hill, MA (Students Only)
Mar 28 2009 - Shubert Theatre - New Haven, CT
Mar 30 2009 - Univ of Mary Washington - Fredericksburg, VA
Apr 1 2009 - Hard Rock Live - Orlando, FL
Apr 2 2009 - Florida Atlantic U. - Boca Raton, FL
Apr 3 2009 - The Ritz Ybor - Tampa, FL
Apr 4 2009 - U. Of North Florida - Jacksonville, FL
Apr 6 2009 - Saenger Theatre - Mobile, AL
Apr 7 2009 - Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN
Apr 24 2009 - House of Blues - Atlantic City NJ
Apr 28 2009 - Collins Center - Orono ME
May 17 2009 - Fox Theater - Oakland, CA

Spend some time with the Spartones
The Carolinian - Independent Student Newspaper of University of North Carolina Greensboro
Katei Cranford
March 24, 2009

In a bustling Tate Street coffee house, Spartones President Gordon Sutker beams, "Before I auditioned, I hated a cappella. I had it associated in my mind with really annoying people who just jump around and sing. Then I auditioned, and the atmosphere and being part of it, it's a lot of fun and really exciting."

The Spartones are celebrating their twelfth year as the only "tight knit, all-male a cappella group from UNCG." Fresh home from their recent show with Ben Folds in Asheville, and gearing up for their next spring concert, these guys are winning competitions, participating in festivals, and picking up steam. All 17 members come together to rock-out with intense vocal range. Covers vary from Incubus to Queen, Rise Against, Coldplay, and even TV themes. According to Sutker, "right now we're working on a boy band medley."

Originally an offshoot of the men's glee club, the Spartones are a completely self-run organization, like a ship where everyone pitches in with a job to do. Like its captain, Sutker uses his presidency to steer the business end of the group, "I have to stay on my toes, work behind the scenes, do a job people don't really know I'm doing," he says of his responsibilities with a smile, "it's really opened a lot of doors for me after I graduate."

Like an a cappella Menudo, the line-up often changes. Auditions are held at the beginning of every semester, bringing new 'tones from various backgrounds. "We bond more like a fraternity; a lot of my best friends are in the group," Sutker says of the revolving roster. "It brings a lot of fresh faces, throughout time some of your good friends graduate, but then you get more good ones that come into the group, so you always have these really good experiences together."

Those experiences carry on outside of campus, as the Spartones are a group on the move. "Half of the shows this year have been outside of Greensboro, and we've done about 30. So, about once every other week we're out of town," Sutker says of touring. They've competed and perform at various festivals including Accapollooza, Jam for Hope, and Rockin The Forest.

Sutker speaks proudly of the Spartones accomplishments. Their recent quarterfinal win at International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) at Elon University was "very exciting." Back at home, the Spartones played host for the first time for the ICCA semifinals on March 14 at Aycock Auditorium. Sutker says of the experience, "overall the show ran really smooth."

Their last at home concert, Sparwars, was a sold-out ripping success. "We had to turn people away from the door," Sutker says with a smile. Excitement is mounting for their next show on April 21. Sutker says, "we're going for more of a festival feel with a lot of guest groups." They're shooting to have around eight groups singing short sets. By showcasing a lot of groups, Sutker says, "we're trying to create a very positive atmosphere for a cappella in Greensboro."

Outside of performances, the Spartones are already hard at work on their fifth album. Recording for the newest album began last fall but the boys will be heading back into the studio in the next few weeks. Sutker says, "We should have the whole thing bundled up and ready for a winter release concert." Their latest release "Not the Same" dropped in May 2008, and sold-out of first pressings.

That's not the only upcoming Spartone release, as they'll be featured along other a cappella groups across the country in a compilation of Ben Folds songs. Recorded by Folds himself, "Ben Folds Presents University A Cappella," comes out on April 7 with proceeds going to the Save the Music foundation.

Interested in joining? Be on the lookout for audition posters at the beginning of each semester, or sign into Facebook and become the Spartones next friend. Sutker urges, "Anyone who's curious should just check it out with an open mind, I'm really glad I joined. It's been an incredible experience throughout all of college. I think we bring a lot of positive energy wherever we go."

Ben Folds Talks With Lagniappe
Steve Centanni
March 24, 2009

Ben Folds is one of those rare people who has fully dedicated his life to music. This multi-instrumentalist concentrates on drums and piano and tends to keep his days centered on his art. If he is not touring, then he is recording or producing in the studio. If he is not in the studio, then he could be sitting in with various bands and symphonies. In addition to his wealth of musical talent, Folds also has a healthy sense of humor. He fooled many of his fans with a leak of his new album “Way to Normal” filled with “fake” versions of songs, and he also joined forces with Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim of Adult Swim fame to create the video for “You Don’t Know Me.” After talking to Folds, it was clear his professional momentum will not be slowing any time in the near future.

SC: The first time I saw you was about 10 years ago at Auburn University and you played a free show with Ben Folds Five at Auburn’s outdoor amphitheatre. I was looking at your tour itinerary, and I noticed you still hit the college scene pretty heavy. What do you think it is about your music that still makes it appealing to that age group?

BF: I don’t know. Some of it is that I think that the age group that listens most to my music is sort of at the height of intellect. Then after that, you might get a little wiser, but you lose time, because you got a job and kids and stuff like that and things change. You don’t understand it quite so much. So, I think it’s just a really good audience. They also live in a bubble in a way. They can be a little more independent thinking about what they listen to. I didn’t expect to keep playing universities. I thought we would graduate, but this is where we play, generally.

SC: Your new album is “Way to Normal,” and I read where you said it was the most fun you ever had recording. What made it so much fun?

BF: I think because the band has been recording on tour. We’ve been playing on tour now for long enough to have an idea of what we wanted to do, and so when we went in, we could just play. I had a producer (Dennis Herring) take care of the not-fun stuff. I had been producing recently, and it’s a lot easier when it’s produced.

SC: I read that you leaked a fake version of the album online. What made you want to pull that prank?

BF: Well, that really was fun. It was sort of a prank, but it was also sort of an earnest attempt to make music very quickly, make music in real time and get it out. It was written and recorded the same day, mixed the same day, mastered the next day and released to the Internet on the third day. It was a three-day process between writing, performing, recording, mixing, mastering and distribution. It took care of its own press, because it was a prank. So, I think it was a really interesting experiment and another way to do things with music.

SC: I watched the video the other day for “You Don’t Know Me.” I noticed you have Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim (“Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”) in it. What was it like working with them? How did you hook up with them?

BF: They produced the video; they directed it. They were just total pro’s and easy to get along with. They’re smart dudes. Tim and I hung out after the session and called Josh Groban and made a really horrible song on purpose and leaked that to the Internet as well.

SC: You’ve got your double-disc companion for “Way to Normal” called “Seeds and Stems” with remixes and loops. How did this come about? What made you take that route?

BF: Well, there were quite a few fans who had been very vocal about the loudness of the mastering of the record. It’s been an issue in music for probably the five years that records have gotten really loud. They call it the “Loudness Wars,” and all the audiophiles are not happy about it, and you know, I don’t disagree with them and I do think a loud record is not necessarily the highest fidelity. It works against the fidelity of the records, and it definitely works against the dynamics of a record. Sometimes, loudness is an effect, and sometimes loudness is a musical effect that works. Whether it works or not, that’s an opinion. A lot of bands have been petitioned about this very thing. Rather than ignoring it, I just thought, “Hey, I got a studio. I can give them stems (components of a mix). We can mix these songs in a more classical, softer way and give them the option.”

SC: Over the years, you’ve fronted bands, played in bands, produced bands, played in symphonies and the list goes on. What’s your next project?

BF: Right now, I’m working with Nick Hornby, the British novelist who wrote “High Fidelity” and “About a Boy.” He’s writing lyrics, and I’m writing music to his lyrics, and we plan on recording it this summer.

Ben Folds meets the glee club
The Volume
Jay Ruttenberg
March 24, 2009

The first week of college can be a jolting experience. Students move away from home to find themselves surrounded by unfamiliar faces, get acclimated to dormitory life and, perhaps most bizarrely, learn that some of the most adored figures on campus are members of a cappella singing clubs. The reign of these corny groups, for years the dirty secret of an American liberal arts education, has been gaining exposure in recent years. Last year welcomed Mickey Rapkin’s book Pitch Perfect. Now piano-pop singer Ben Folds is unveiling Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella, an album compiling instrument-free covers of the songwriter’s oeuvre. Performers include Ohio University’s Leading Tones (“Brick”), the Spartones of the University of North Carolina Greensboro (“Not the Same”) and Folds himself, performing a cappella versions of “Boxing” and “Effington.” The album will be released on Epic April 28; it is not for the faint of heart. Folds also performs at Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, New Jersey, on Thursday, with a Columbia University a cappella group opening. Whatever happened to the days of football players lovingly dangling nerds from windows?

Shins, Death Cab for Cutie, Phish announce concerts
The Seattle Times Music/Nightlife
Marian Liu

Seattle, Redmond and Gorge concerts are on sale starting March 27 for The Shins, Ben Folds, Xavier Rudd, Death Cab For Cutie, The New Pornographers, Ra Ra Riot and Phish.

Lots of shows go on sale this week. Watch for their on-sale times and don't delay — many, including The Shins and Death Cab For Cutie, will go fast.

Punky pianist Ben Folds comes to the Paramount Theatre May 14. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, March 27, for $26.50 to $36.50 at www.livenation.com, www.tickets.com, the 24-hour kiosks at the Paramount and Moore theaters, or charge by phone 877-STG-4TIX. For more on Folds, go to — www.benfolds.com.

Ben Folds tickets on sale Friday
The Big Blog

We're getting word on three shows coming to Seattle and The Gorge this summer. Interested? Mark your calendars, 'cause tickets go on sale soon ...

Ben Folds
May 14, Paramount Theatre
Tickets are $26.50 and $36.50 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.

Princeton and West Chester groups to be on national release with Ben Folds
PHILLYEDGE.COM

Piano-playing, college rock/pop darling Ben Folds is a favorite muse for college a cappella groups across the country. Using their devotion as inspiration, Folds is releasing Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella, a 16-track CD he recorded with various groups. Among those featured on the release: The Princeton Nassoons of Princeton University and The West Chester University of Pennsylvania Gracenotes who perform Folds’ “Time” and “Fred Jones Part. 2” with him, respectively (see below for demos without Folds).

Folds will be at the House of Blues in Atlantic City on April 24. The release is due in stores on April 28.

“Fred Jones Part. 2” by the West Chester University of Pennsylvania Gracenotes

“Time” by The Princeton Nassoons

Jazz Singers make it on Ben Folds' album
STATEHORNET.COM
Anne Morrison

The Sacramento State Jazz Singers will be featured on an a cappella album put together by Ben Folds from the group Ben Folds Five. The ensemble, an advanced vocal group in the jazz music department, was one of the 18 groups chosen out of more than 200 applicants.

Kerry Marsh, jazz music professor and the ensemble adviser, heard about the competition through professional singer Don Gooding. The album will be composed of various a cappella groups from different universities singing their own versions of his songs.

Marsh quickly made an arrangement of Folds' song, "Selfless, Cold and Composed." He slowed down the tempo and added some soulful flares to the original.

The 16 students in the ensemble practiced the song twice before recording it at their third practice. The vocal percussions, more commonly known as beat-boxing, were done by Antoinette "Butterscotch" Clinton. Clinton is the 2007 West Coast beat box champion, as well as a previous Sac State student. She was in the area to visit her parents from Los Angeles, and joined the group for the recording.

Kate Janzen, senior vocal jazz and classical composition major, filmed the recording and posted it on YouTube. She said she received many responses and even one from Folds himself saying he loved the rendition and asking for a contact number.

Word spread quickly through the jazz department. "We're a pretty tight-knit family," Janzen said.

Everyone was ecstatic. "It's a special experience," said Glynis Davies, senior vocal jazz major.

Davies sang with the group, but was pessimistic of their chances to win a spot on the album. A longtime Ben Folds Five fan, she couldn't believe that Folds was reaching out in such a way.

"It's so cool Ben Folds actually cares about these university groups," Davies said.

The recording had no overdubs, and was very cut and straight to the point. Folds seemed to appreciate this, and kept the original recording instead of having the group re-record with him in the studio.

"The re-harmonization is insane!" Folds said about the group in a blog entry on his Myspace.com page. "I seriously doubt we could have improved on them to have come limping in with our equipment for re-recording," Folds said.

The group was disappointed not to be able to meet Folds in person, but was more than satisfied with what they achieved.

Folds' vocals were sung by female soloists to separate the group from others who generally had men sing Folds' part. The singers were required to learn their parts before coming to rehearsal, so the group could focus on blending their voices together, and tackling the re-harmonization in the middle of the song.

"To my knowledge, no other vocal jazz ensembles entered the contest, and so we had sort of a special sound when compared with the field," Marsh said.

Folds decided to put together an album after he saw various YouTube videos of different university students singing a cappella versions of his songs.

"Rather than strike out against them for copyright infringement, he embraced their performances, which he saw as coming from a place of appreciation for his writing and artistry...." Marsh said. The proceeds from the album will go to VH1's charity, Save the Music.

Ian Brekke, senior vocal jazz major, was surprised at the feedback about the song and video. "For us, it's almost a commonplace thing, a common arrangement," Brekke said. He said it doesn't feel like a big deal when you're doing it; he was caught off guard by its popularity.

"It hits you more and more as people start to see it," Brekke said, "It becomes almost viral."

The Sac State jazz music department contains three groups, Vox 2, C-Sus (pronounced SEE-sus) and Jazz Singers. Each group practices three times a week for an hour a day. Vox 2 is the beginning group, C-Sus is the intermediate and Jazz Singers is the advanced group, usually composed of seniors about to graduate from the jazz music program.

All the groups, under Marsh's direction, won the top three places at the Reno Jazz Festival for best college vocal jazz groups. Jazz Singers won first place, C-Sus second and Vox 2 third place. In addition, the Jazz Singers were chosen for the Down Beat magazine award for best college vocal jazz group in 2008. Down Beat is a premier jazz magazine.

The album does not yet have a release date, but is in the final stages of production.

To see the video of them performing, follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB9hjYLkTMg.
Anne Morrison can be reached at amorrison@statehornet.com.

FIRST TEST: GarageBand '09 Artist Lessons
http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/first-test-garageband-09-artist-less...

When Apple launched GarageBand '09 last month, its decision to try and sell it on the back of the software's new Learn To Play features concerned us slightly. Could they really be that good?

Well, now we've tried them, and the answer is yes.

To recap, Learn To Play has two elements. Firstly, there are the Basic Lessons, which are designed to teach you the rudiments of piano and guitar playing. These come included with the software, though only one (of nine) for each instrument is provided as part of the iLife '09 installer. The others have to be downloaded from Apple's new Lesson Store.

The Basic Lessons are fine for beginners, but of much greater interest are the Artist Lessons. As their name implies, these feature artists teaching one of their more famous songs.

Sting, Sarah McLachlan, Fall Out Boy, Norah Jones, Colbie Caillat, Sara Bareilles, John Fogarty, OneRepublic and Ben Folds are already in the Lesson Store, and Apple tells us that it has more people lined up.

Purchasing a lesson is easy – just go into the Lesson Store, add your selection(s) to your cart and checkout via the Apple website. The process can be completed in a matter of minutes, but actually downloading your lesson might take rather longer.

With an 8MB broadband connection, downloading Ben Folds' contribution took a good two hours. This is slightly tedious, but once we'd opened the 699MB file, it quickly became apparent why it was so large.

Put simply, the presentation is beautiful. Folds strolls on, takes his seat at the grand piano and proceeds to teach you how to play Brick, one of his finer ballads.

What's so impressive is the attention to detail. For a start, the video is high-definition, so you can see exactly what's going on with Folds' hands. The camera angles are also perfect.

Video is just one element of the Artist Lesson experience, though. Below this you'll find the notation (left hand, right hand or both) or, if you'd rather, the chords (guitar lessons also feature Tab). At the bottom of the screen, meanwhile, there's a virtual keyboard/fretboard.

As the video plays, all the other displays run in sync, and you can loop specific sections (a timeline divides the lesson up into its constituent parts), or slow them down. What's more, the display is user-configurable via the numerical keys on your keyboard.

Because the lessons run within GarageBand, it's also easy to play along with them – for the piano-led ones, it's simply a case of plugging in your MIDI keyboard. There's even a mixer, so you can adjust the levels of the teacher's voice, his or her instrument, the backing band and your instrument

Once you're learnt the song, you can play along with the full arrangement, and then proceed to the Story section to hear how and why it was written.

Artistic merit?

Our experience of taking an Artist Lesson was terrific. It was rewarding, entertaining and, crucially, fun (and yes, we can now play Brick properly). Apple has raised the bar as far as video tuition is concerned – we haven't seen anything of this quality before.

This isn't to say, however, that GarageBand '09 users should rush out any buy all the lessons immediately. Let's face it – the only ones that are going to be of value to you are those that feature songs that you want to learn. £3.95/$4.95 isn't an insignificant sum to pay, so you probably won't be making any impulse buys.

What's also debatable is how much the quality of the lesson will depend on the skill of the person presenting it. Folds does a great job, checking his zaniness at the studio door, but it's hard to say how much of his success is down to personal skill and how much can be attributed to good direction.

Overall, though, the Artist Lessons get a big thumbs-up from us. Is it too much to hope that they'll convince some kids to put down their Guitar Hero controllers and start playing for real?

Nassoons collaborate with Ben Folds
By SARA WALLACE
Daily Princetonian
http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/12/04/22327/

Singer-songwriter and pianist Ben Folds joined the Nassoons, the University’s oldest a cappella group, to record his song “Time” on Wednesday. The recording will be part of a compilation CD featuring Folds’ songs performed by 18 collegiate a cappella groups.

Folds first thought of the project when a friend e-mailed him a link to a video of a Columbia a cappella group performing his song “Still Fighting It.” Folds liked the version and visited youtube.com to look for other versions, finding that numerous groups had created a cappella arrangements of his work.

“To be honest, a lot of the a cappella versions were better than the ones I had to begin with,” Folds said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian.

Folds then announced a contest on his website, open to all college singing groups, to post a cappella versions of his songs on YouTube. Folds then reviewed submissions and selected his favorites for the album. “I thought I’d have only about 40 or 50 to sift through,” Folds said, “but by the deadline I had received about 250 submissions.”

Nassoons president Connor Diemand-Yauman ’10 called the contest “a testament to the growing popularity of the collegiate a cappella scene.”

The Nassoons caught Folds’ attention with their version of his song “Time” from his 2005 album “Songs for Silverman.” The group’s version of the tune was arranged by Nassoons music director Jonathan Schwartz ’10.

“Ben Folds is one of my absolute favorite artists, and so I had already tossed around the idea of making my first arrangement for the Nassoons one of his songs,” Schwartz said in a statement.

Once the Nassoons and 17 other singing groups were selected, Folds set up times to record with each of them. “I only had about two weeks off this whole year, and I decided to spend it doing this fun thing,” Folds said, adding that all proceeds from the CD will be given to charity.

The group recorded “Time” in the Mathey College common room Wednesday afternoon. Nassoon Spencer Case ’09 said Folds was “relaxed and down-to-earth, which made it easy for us.”

Mostly, Folds gave the singing group free reign, but he did suggest that the singers keep dynamics in mind and “add more p’s to our soft and more f’s to our loud,” Nassoon Alex Ulyett ’11 explained, referring to “piano” and “forte,” the musical designations for softer and louder.

When the recording session finished earlier than expected, Folds let the Nassoons decide how to spend the extra time. “We asked him to play piano for us, and he did,” Ulyett said. “It was amazing.”

The Nassoons left the recording session satisfied with their arrangement and recording.

“The combination of Jonathan’s skillful arranging and the strength of our group sound made a really nice final product,” Diemand-Yauman said.

“We arrange all our own music, but before this we’ve never gotten the chance to talk to the actual composer of a song we do,” Case said.

In a small gathering with other Princeton performers after the recording session, Folds said he thought the Nassoons had recorded an ideal version within two takes, but, he added, “all these people had showed up and worked hard, so I figured, ‘Let’s do four.’ ”

Folds said he felt fortunate to be able to take on such a project. “I had never really paid attention to my songs being covered before, until now,” he said. “We had a genuinely fun time, and I can’t wait to hear the final product.”