Tag: ben folds

Eight in Eight

Eight in Eight is a project where Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman, Ben Folds, and Damian of Ok Go pulled together for what was supposed to be 8 songs in 8 hours (but ended up taking slightly longer).  While the group may have underestimated how long the project would take to finish, it still is amazing to me that they did have the finished project within the same day (if you define “day” as “24 hours,” since they ended after midnight).  Not only is the amount of time spent on the project impressive, it is also amazing that the work actually sounds good.  The songs are definitely not mainstream, but when you look at the contributors this detail shouldn’t surprise you.  The album includes a song about Nikola Tesla, and another about Joan of Arc.  That last one, called “The Problem With Saints” is performed by Neil Gaiman, who is much better known for his writing than his musical abilities.  Neil carries the song fine though, and the subject is so interesting you’re inclined not to judge too harshly.

The whole project is surrounded by a ton of mad, wonderful, creative energy.  It was essentially a brainstorming session made public for the world to see (and even contribute).  This was made possible by video feeds and Twitter.  I have spoken before about the power of the social media tool that Twitter has become, but for all it’s uses this is definitely the most creative I have seen yet.  This is the kind of experiment I could only imagine AFP and the rest of the people involved would be able to make work as effectively as they did.  The finished product is definitely worth the $1 minimum donation they are asking for (if not more).  Plus the money goes to charity, which is also nice.  It’s great to see something really big and beautiful come from such a short amount of time.  I’m sure the actual process must have been really intense (I know the collective Twitter feeds gave a picture of an intense music-writing workshop).  If anyone actually watched the webcast, I would love to hear your comments.  (And if any of the artists involved want to comment, I am completely OK with that as well).  I will close with a thank you to those involved for being creative and trying something different.  I think that is what art is all about, and when the internet and technology get involved it makes it all the better.

*The album can be downloaded on Bandcamp, and more information on the project can be found here.

 

Best of 2010

Instead of doing a list of my top albums for this year, I thought I would just mention some notable releases. I will say that my favorite album this year, without a doubt, was Jukebox the Ghost. April Smith and Kids of 88 probably come second and third respectively. (But then I look at Arcade Fire and feel like maybe they should be third instead). See, this is why I don’t do “top” lists. It gets tricky. As for the rest, I just really enjoyed them but couldn’t possibly rank them in any order. Josh Ritter was especially good for helping me get through quite a few papers and exams. A few I’ll admit I didn’t get a chance to hear in their entirety, but I heard enough to feel comfortable mentioning anyway.

Albums:
Jan 12 – Contra by Vampire Weekend
– Of the Blue Colour of the Sky – OK Go
Feb 23 – Songs for a Sinking Ship by April Smith and the Great Picture Show
March 2 – Smoke & Mirrors by Lifehouse
March 9 – The Monitor by Titus Andronicus
March 16 – Habits by Neon Trees
March 30 – Evelyn Evelyn by Evelyn Evelyn
April 13 – Congratulations by MGMT
Virtues by Amber Pacific
April 27 – Love It To Life by Jesse Malin
May 4 – So Runs the World Away by Josh Ritter
June 15 – American Slang by The Gaslight Anthem
June 29 – We’ve All Been There by Alex Band
Aug 2 – The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
Aug 3 – Hear Me Now by Secondhand Serenade
Aug 16 – Sugarpills by Kids of 88
Sept 4 – Everything Under the Sun by Jukebox the Ghost
Sept 14 – Hurley by Weezer
A Thousand Suns by Linkin Park
Sept 21 – Hands All Over by Maroon 5
Sept 28 – Lonely Avenue by Ben Folds & Nick Hornby
Oct 19 – Come Around Sundown by Kings of Leon
Words, Words, Words by Bo Burnham (comedian)
Nov 22 – Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by My Chemical Romance
Dec 7 – Wonders of the Younger by Plain White T’s

Top Concerts:
Did a quick count and I have seen Jukebox the Ghost almost every month this year. That is really impressive (not only for me, but for them coming to NYC that often). Of course, being my favorite band, they are on my top concerts list, but I would hate to have to pick which time was the best (secret show at Pianos? cd release? opening for BNL?) so I’m just going to say for the bajillionth time that this band is AMAZING live and you should go check them out and experience their awesome for yourself.

Moving right along…

Other contenders this year include:
Alex Band Aug 6th @ Highline
Josh Ritter Aug 8th on Governor’s Island
Yula and the eXtended Family Sept 2nd @ Highline
Titus Andronicus & Free Energy Sept 25th @ Webster Hall
the first annual Tinderbox Festival Sept 26th @ Southpaw
The World/Inferno Friendship Society’s Hallowmas Oct 31st

That last one especially was a night to remember. The band went almost the entire year without playing, so it felt almost like a family reunion being there. The day was filled with great music, plus I met loads of new and awesome people that I still talk to thanks to the magic of the inter-webs. Also have to say CMJ this year was especially good. It was a crazy week that completely wore me out, but it was oh so very worth it. Also worth it was going to see Ben Folds Dec 14th at Beacon Theater despite just getting over being sick. He and Josh Groban rank in my list of people who are too talented for words. Speaking of which, I also saw Josh Groban do a short set at the Apple store in Soho. That should go on the list too. See, there were just way too many great shows to list them all. It’s just one of the many reasons I love New York so much.

Well, that about wraps up another year in music here. Did I skip over any of your favorite albums? See any shows that I was unable to attend? Feel free to add your 2 cents in the comments section below.

Ben Folds @ Beacon Theater (12/14)

On December 14, 2010 I had the opportunity to see Ben Folds make magic happen at Beacon Theater. Unfortunately, this was also when I first started dealing with what became known in my house as the-illness-that-never-dies. This is my pitiful explanation for why this review is appearing almost 2 weeks after the event took place. Proof it was a great show though, or I would have simply forgotten about it and moved on to other things. So, without further ado, I present Ben Folds: Live @ Beacon Theater.

Picture it: It’s a freezing cold night in New York City, you’re sick and cold, but Ben Folds is playing in your city. Of course you go, even though you should stay in and rest up, but it’s Ben Folds (!). How do you say no to the chance to see possibly one of the greatest musicians of our time? You don’t. You brave the cold and wind and keep telling yourself it’s fine because it’s mostly just subway ride anyway. Reasons I love Beacon Theater: an exceptional venue that is also quite convenient to get to. But I digress…
The show itself was everything I could have asked for. Ben Folds has a lot of things going for him. He’s an extremely talented musician both vocally and on the piano (and isn’t too bad on the drums either, for that matter). He also has a great relationship with his audience, keeping things entertaining all the way through an extended set that somehow doesn’t drag in the slightest. Top moments of the night included the story of how Ke$ha’s single “Sleazy” became the cover song of the tour (it happened to be the #1 song on iTunes that day and they stuck with it) and a killer version of Free Bird after an audience member shouted it during a lull. This happens at a lot of shows I’ve been to, but usually the artist doesn’t oblige. Folds said something along the lines of “Gotta be responsible when you yell that out, young lady” before going into his rendition. Best part of this was probably that he didn’t know all the words, so he made up his own. Here’s a video someone posted on YouTube from the night:

Of course this (combined with the length of an average song of his) ate up a lot of time, so there was a 1-song encore where Folds selfishly got some 3-part harmony out of us before ending the night. There was more than enough music in the main set for me to be perfectly fine with this. My only disappointment was not getting to hear “Trusted” since it’s my favorite song of his, but playing “You To Thank” balanced things out. Overall it was a great night, and one I won’t soon forget. Add this to the list of artists I would definitely recommend seeing if ever you get the chance.