Coordinates	°′″N°′″N
name	Brian Rosenworcel
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
born
origin	West Hartford, Connecticut, USA
instrument	drums, percussion
genre	Alternative rock
label	Reprise Records
associated acts	Guster
notable instruments	}}

Brian Andrew Rosenworcel (born July 23, 1973) is the drummer for the band Guster. For many years, Rosenworcel, the youngest member of the band, played a combination of bongos, congas, djembe, hand snares and cymbals instead of using a traditional drumset. He now alternates between hand percussion and drum set, and he has the nickname "Thundergod" because of his drumming. He has, on at least one occasion, performed on turntables as DJ Thundergod.

Rosenworcel is famous in the Guster community not only for his drumming technique, but also for the authorship of the band's Road and Studio Journals, which are available for public view at Guster's website.

Biography

Rosenworcel grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut where he was in a high-school band called Toejamb. He went on to attend Tufts University, graduating with honors with a bachelor's degree in American Studies. At Tufts, he met Ryan Miller and Adam Gardner, and they formed Guster, playing in Harvard Square among other locations. After college, Rosenworcel remained Guster's drummer.

References

External links

Guster dot com

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:American drummers Category:Musicians from Connecticut Category:People from West Hartford, Connecticut Category:Tufts University alumni

Coordinates	°′″N°′″N
name	The Bongos
background	group_or_band
origin	Hoboken, NJ, USA
genre	Power pop, New Wave, Alternative rock
years active	–1987
label	RCA RecordsSony BMGFetish RecordsPVC Records Stiff RecordsCooking Vinyl
associated acts	The Health & Happiness Show, East of Venus, Richard Barone
website
past members	Richard BaroneRob Norris Frank GianniniJames Mastro }}

The Bongos were a rock band from Hoboken, New Jersey, primarily active in the 1980s. With a unique blend of British Invasion-flavored power pop, jangly guitars, and dance beats they made the leap to national recognition with the advent of MTV.

Biography

The group grew out of a band called, "a", which had included the three original Bongos and Glenn Morrow, who later formed The Individuals and helped found Bar/None Records. "a" were the first band to play Maxwell's, a rock and roll club in Hoboken.

The group was led by Richard Barone on vocals and guitar and included Rob Norris, formerly of the Zantees on bass and Frank Giannini on drums. James Mastro, later of The Health & Happiness Show, joined the band as a guitarist after the release of their first LP. The group played extensively in Hoboken and New York City and toured the U.K. and Europe before touring in the U.S.

The Bongos emerged from Hoboken, and Manhattan's New Wave and No Wave venues such as Tier 3 and the Mudd Club, with a guitar-driven pop that belied a strong influence of the avant-garde. What set them apart from other such groups of the era were their sudden guitar outbursts or saxophone improvisations that echoed the work of Lou Reed, Ornette Coleman, or Captain Beefheart within the context of a pure, melodic pop song. In addition, unlike many of their peers, the group explored unabashedly sensuous dance rhythms that made their recordings dancefloor favorites. The Bongos recorded their early singles and their well-received debut EP for UK-based Fetish Records. Their debut U.S. album, ''Drums Along The Hudson'', compiled from the band's British singles, was released in 1982 to widely favorable reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. While Trouser Press suggested that the group "may trade a certain amount of substance for easy appeal," it added that "there's no better musical equivalent of whipped cream anywhere." Writing in the Village Voice, Robert Christgau dryly commented that "for all their jumpy originality [the songs are] still slight, and Richard Barone's lyrics are so oblique you have to wonder what his angle is." In 2007 however, Jim DeRegotis wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times: "The initial impression of naivete is offset by deceptively simple lyrics that actually hint at deep, dark mysteries and unfathomed mystical enigmas." The group's cover of T. Rex's "Mambo Sun" reached #22 on the ''Billboard'' Dance Chart. A thriving Hoboken pop scene emerged, triggered by the Bongos and Maxwell's, which gained national media attention, and drew many bands and fans to the city. An August 1, 1982 article in the New York Times Real Estate section hinted at the scene's popularity as an influence on increasing rents and property values.

In 1983, the group was signed to RCA Records, which subsequently released the album, ''Numbers With Wings.'' New York Times' critic Robert Palmer — himself a former Hoboken-based musician with The Insect Trust — marked this as the beginning of the Bongos' creative decline, lamenting the "slick, overproduced records which vitiated the raw vitality the group had originally displayed." Regardless, the album spawned a popular and inventive MTV video of the title song (nominated for 'Best Direction' on the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, while the song itself remained at the number one spot on the College Music Journal (CMJ) chart for six consecutive weeks). The album also included the tribal, dancefloor hit "Barbarella." A hectic tour schedule of over 300 shows sustained support at radio and MTV. Their Brazilian-influenced followup album, ''Beat Hotel'', along with relentless touring (now with a further-expanded lineup including percussionist Steve Scales from the Talking Heads), raised the Bongos' profile further and continued to increase their devoted cult following. It was in the midst of recording a still-unreleased album for Island Records that the band split up in 1987, with each member pursuing solo interests. Richard Barone subsequently released a series of well-received solo albums, including one, ''Glow'' released on September 14, 2010 on Hoboken's Bar/None Records, and has established a career as a producer of recordings and major concert events.

In 2006, the original three Bongos re-entered the studio with long time fan Moby producing to create bonus material for a CD reissue of the group's debut album. The remastered, 27-track special edition of ''Drums Along The Hudson'', which was released internationally by Cooking Vinyl Records in June, 2007, includes rare, live bonus tracks and new studio recordings. An accompanying video for "Bulrushes 2007," a reprise of the band's early single, "The Bulrushes" featuring Moby, was released simultaneously on iTunes.

The original three Bongos also reunited for two shows at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater in Greenwich Village in October 2006, and two more in February 2007. On September 30, 2007, the foursome played again in Hoboken for the first time in twenty years to an overflowing and appreciative crowd, and received a Proclamation from Mayor David Roberts commending them for their substantial contributions to Hoboken's culture and heritage. They headlined a day-long bill that featured the Chris Stamey Group, Glenn Mercer (formerly of the Feelies) and The Health and Happiness Show.

Richard Barone's memoir, ''Frontman: Surviving the Rock Star Myth'', was published on September 28, 2007 by Backbeat/Hal Leonard Books.

In Spring, 2008, Sony/Legacy re-issued the Bongos RCA catalog for the first time to iTunes and other digital retailers.

On March 11, 2009, the Bongos performed a full concert set at The City Winery in NYC following an R.E.M. tribute concert held earlier that evening at Carnegie Hall to benefit music education programs. On October 22, 2009 the group returned to Maxwell's for the first time since 1986, and subsequently performed at Manhattan's Hiro Ballroom, during the CMJ Music Marathon 2009 that same month (with longtime friends The Fleshtones). On January 25, 2010, The Bongos reunited once again at the City Winery, this time to benefit Emergency Earthquake Relief efforts in Haiti.

Discography

''The Bongos'' EP (1980, Fetish Records)

''Drums Along the Hudson'' (1982, PVC Records)

''Time and the River'' (1982, Fetish Records)

''Numbers With Wings'' EP (1983, RCA Records)

''Beat Hotel'' (1985, RCA Records)

''Drums Along the Hudson - Special Edition'' (2007, Cooking Vinyl)

Compilation albums

''Start Swimming'' (1981, Stiff Records) ("Telephoto Lens" and "In the Congo" appear on this live recording from London's Rainbow theatre. The band, then still a trio, was joined on "In the Congo" by members of Bush Tetras and Throbbing Gristle.)

Videos

''In The Congo'' - Directed by Ed Steinberg

''Mambo Sun'' - Directed by Ed Steinberg

''The Bulrushes'' - Directed by Phil Marino

''Numbers With Wings'' - Directed by Juliano Waldmann

''Brave New World'' - Directed by Juliano Waldmann

''Bulrushes 2007'' - Directed by Richard Kerris

References

External links

The Bongos at MySpace

RichardBarone.com

Chicago Sun-Times review of ''Drums Along The Hudson-Special Edition'', 2007

Hoboken reunion concert photos by Dave Wilson

2007 Hoboken reunion show video at extrawack!

Category:Musical groups from New Jersey Category:Alternative rock groups from New Jersey Category:American New Wave musical groups Category:American power pop groups

fr:The Bongos

Coordinates	°′″N°′″N
birth name	Orville Willis Forte IV
birth date	June 17, 1970
birth place	Alameda County, California
yearsactive	1997–present
occupation	Actor, comedian, writer }}

Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte (born June 17, 1970), is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2002–2010 and for starring in the ''SNL'' spin-off film ''MacGruber''.

Early life

Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of Patricia C. (née Stivers) and Orville Willis Forte III. He was raised in Lafayette, California, and graduated from Acalanes High School and UCLA with a history degree. While at UCLA, he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

''Saturday Night Live''

Forte joined the cast of ''Saturday Night Live'' in 2002 as a featured player. He was upgraded to full cast member the next season. Forte took over the role of then-president George W. Bush following the departure of Will Ferrell, a season with Chris Parnell in the role, and a brief half-season of Darrell Hammond playing the part. Forte featured as a number of recurring characters over the years, including The Falconer, MacGruber, Tim Calhoun, Mr. Dillon in the Gilly sketches, Greg Stink, and as one of the characters in the Song Memories sketches. Forte was often featured as a guest at the Weekend Update desk. He had several recurring Update characters, such as Tim Calhoun; He often appeared in musical Update bits, such as one of The Kelly Brothers, Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates, and a member of reverse Bon Jovi band, Jon Bovi. On August 26, 2010, Forte announced that he would be leaving ''SNL'' after eight years on the show (2002–2010) to focus on other projects. On April 2, 2011, he made a guest appearance on the show, reprising his role of Greg Stink.

Other work

Before joining ''SNL'', Forte was a member of The Groundlings. He has written and/or produced on the television series ''Late Show with David Letterman'', ''3rd Rock from the Sun'', ''That '70s Show'', and ''Action''. Forte provided the voice of Abe Lincoln and the show announcer on the critically acclaimed but short-lived animated series, ''Clone High''. He was a consultant on another short-lived animated series, ''God, the Devil and Bob''. He made a cameo in the movie ''Around the World in 80 Days'' and was in the Broken Lizard film ''Beerfest''. Forte made an appearance on Demetri Martin's album, ''These Are Jokes'' and guest starred in an episode of the CBS comedy ''How I Met Your Mother''. Forte is a recurring guest on the Adult Swim comedy program ''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'', Forte also appeared on ''The Young Person's Guide to History'', a television special on Adult Swim. On March 31, 2009, he appeared on SNL alum Jimmy Fallon's ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon''.

Forte wrote the film ''The Brothers Solomon'', in which he stars opposite Will Arnett (husband of former ''SNL'' castmember Amy Poehler). He and frequent writing partner John Solomon wrote some segments for ''Extreme Movie'' along with fellow ''SNL'' castmember Andy Samberg and The Lonely Island. He appeared in the 2009 film ''Brief Interviews with Hideous Men'', directed by John Krasinski and adapted from the short story collection of the same title. Will had a cameo in the comedy troupe Broken Lizard's (with whom Will worked on the comedy Beerfest) 2009 comedy The Slammin' Salmon.

Forte guest starred on HBO's ''Flight of the Conchords'' as a "semi-professional" actor who poses as a record company executive, as well as on CBS's ''How I Met Your Mother'' as one of Barney's co-workers and potential new wingman.

Forte has also guest voiced on the ''American Dad!'' episode "Family Affair," as a Disneyland security guard. He has also guest voiced in the episode "Every Which Way But Lose," as Mayor Woodside. He also appeared on the Christmas fantasy episode ''Rapture's Delight'' with ''SNL'' co-star Andy Samberg. Forte appeared in seven episodes of the sitcom ''30 Rock'' ("Black Tie", "Argus", "I Do Do", "Chain Reaction of Mental Anguish", "Christmas Attack Zone", "100", and "Respawn"). After playing a bit part in the first episode Forte returned to the show to portray main character Jenna Maroney's "GenderdysmorphicBigenitalianPansexual" partner, Paul L'Astnamé.

Forte lent his voice to ''Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned'' and played a radio host called "Martin Serious". In 2009, Forte became a regular voice cast member in the Fox comedy series, "Sit Down, Shut Up". He voices Vice Principal Stuart Proszakian, a former prison clown now working as Knob Haven High's vice-principal. The series premiered on April 19, 2009. Kenan Thompson, Kristin Chenoweth, Jason Bateman, Tom Kenny, Nick Kroll, Cheri Oteri, Will Arnett and Henry Winkler are the other main cast members.

He also voices Principal Wally, a recurring character on ''The Cleveland Show''.

On April 19, 2010, as his MacGruber character, he co-guest hosted WWE Raw with Kristen Wiig and Ryan Phillippe to promote the film ''MacGruber''.

Forte guest starred on fellow SNL alum Amy Poehler's third season of ''Parks and Recreation'' playing Kelly, a ''Twilight''-loving resident of the fictional town of Pawnee, in the episode "Time Capsule". In the fall of 2010, Forte guest starred on ''How I Met Your Mother'', reprising his role as Randy, a low-level Goliath National Bank employee. On November 10, 2010, Forte began making recurring appearances as a parodic version of TBS founder Ted Turner on the third episode of Conan O'Brien's new talk show, ''Conan'', which airs on TBS.

Forte serves on the Board of Directors of the National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness.

In 2010, he appeared in a commercial for the ''United Parcel Service''.

Filmography

''Clone High'' ''Around the World in 80 Days (2004 film) ''Beerfest'' ''30 Rock'' ''The Brothers Solomon'' ''Baby Mama (film) ''The Slammin' Salmon'' ''The Cleveland Show'' ''MacGruber (film) ''A Good Old Fashioned Orgy'' ''Parks and Recreation'' ''Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil'' ''Rock of Ages (2012 film)

Year !! Title !! Role !!
2002 in television	2002–2010	''Saturday Night Live''	Various
2002 in television	2002–2003	|	Abe Lincoln	TV Series: Main Cast
2004 in film	2004	Around the World in 80 Days''||	Policeman
2006 in film	2006	|	Otto
2006 in television	2006–present	|	Paul / Tomas	TV Series: Recurring Cast
2007 in film	2007	|	Dean Solomon	Also Writer
2008 in film	2008	Baby Mama'' ||	Scott
rowspan=4	2009	|	Horace
''Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (film)	Brief Interviews with Hideous Men''	Subject #72
''Fanboys (2009 film)	Fanboys''	Security Guard #1
''Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (film)	Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs''	Joe Towne
2009 in television	2009–present	|	Principal Wally	TV Series: Recurring Cast, Voice Only
rowspan=3	2010	MacGruber'' ||	MacGruber	Also Writer
''How I Met Your Mother''	Randy
''Conan (TV series)	Conan''	Ted Turner
2011 in film	2011	|	Glenn
2011 in television	2011	|	Kelly	TV Series: Guest Star
2011	|	Gordie	secondary character
2012 in film	2012	Rock of Ages'' ||	Mitch Miley	filming

References

External links

Will Forte LiveJournal Community

Will Forte shares his favorite NY places at ontheinside.info

Interview with Will Forte at CollegeHumor

Forte supports the Writers Guild of America in this video

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from California Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American screenwriters Category:American television actors Category:American television producers Category:American television writers Category:American voice actors Category:The Groundlings Category:People from Alameda County, California Category:People from Lafayette, California Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni

de:Will Forte es:Will Forte fr:Will Forte pl:Will Forte pt:Will Forte sv:Will Forte

Coordinates	°′″N°′″N
name	Ben Folds
background	solo_singer
birth name	Benjamin Scott Folds
birth date	September 12, 1966
origin	Winston-Salem, North Carolina
instrument	Vocals, piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, keytar, melodica, Synthesizer
genre	Piano rock, rock
occupation	Musician, composer, arranger, bandleader
years active	1988–present
label	Attacked By Plastic, Epic
associated acts	Ben Folds FiveThe BensFear of PopMajoshaPomplamooseJulia NunesCharlie McDonnellRegina SpektorAmanda PalmerAngela AkiKate Miller-Heidke
spouse	Anna Goodman (1987–1992)Kate Rosen (1995–1996)Frally Hynes (1999–2007(Fleur Folds 2007-present
website	benfolds.com }}

Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and the former frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. He now performs as a solo artist and collaborates with many other musicians such as William Shatner, Regina Spektor and Weird Al Yankovic. Ben has also contributed to the soundtrack of Dreamsworks animated film Over the Hedge.

Early life and career

Folds became attracted to piano at age nine. His father, a carpenter, brought one home through a barter trade with a customer who was unable to pay. During this time, Folds listened to songs by Elton John and Billy Joel on AM radio, and learned them by ear. During his years at R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Folds played in several bands as the pianist, bassist, or drummer.

In the late 1980s, Folds (as a bassist) and longtime friend Millard Powers formed the band Majosha. The group released several locally produced records. They played their first gig at Duke University's Battle of the Bands in 1988, and won. They played at bars and fraternity parties, and eventually put out a self-produced EP, which was sold at a few local stores called ''Party Night: Five Songs About Jesus'' (1988). The record featured only four songs, with none of them actually being about Jesus. They recorded ''Shut Up and Listen to Majosha'' in 1989. It contains, among other tracks, the four songs from ''Party Night'' (remixed and/or re-recorded) and what Folds would later record with his own band ("Emaline" and "Video"). At about the same time, they did a dance mix of "Get That Bug" that was released in Japan.

Majosha broke up in early 1990, and Folds formed Pots and Pans with Evan Olson (bass) and Britt "Snuzz" Uzzell (guitar and vocals), where Folds played drums. The newly formed band lasted for only a month, after which Olson and Uzzell went on to form Bus Stop with Folds' brother, Chuck Folds, on bass, and Eddie Walker on drums.

Folds eventually got a music publishing deal with Nashville music executive Scott Siman who saw Folds open for musician Marc Silvey (as well as playing bass for Silvey's band Mass Confusion), and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue it in 1990. He played drums for a short stint in Jody's Power Bill, headed by Millard Powers, Will Owsley, and Jody Spence. Jody's Power Bill was later renamed The Semantics. Folds did not take a creative role in the band. He, again, attracted interest from major labels. He ended up playing drums there as a session musician.

"In Nashville, I was running eight miles a day, hanging out with my friends, walking around eating chocolate-chip cookies and playing a lot of drums, which I enjoyed. Life was easy. I was never frustrated – even though I wasn't fulfilling my contract obligations. If you are failing in Nashville, at least your standard of living is nice. Nashville is a nice way to fail."

Folds attended the University of Miami's Frost School of Music on a percussion scholarship, but dropped out with one credit to go before graduating. He devoted a lot of time to working on piano technique. "I spent maybe six months just running scales with a metronome like a freak," Folds said. "I suppose that did something."

Folds tells audiences about a jury recital when he was a student at the University of Miami’s music school. A jury recital consists of playing a prepared repertoire (and sometimes unprepared pieces from prior years of training) before faculty members who apply a grade for the entire semester. Folds, a drummer, showed up with a broken hand from defending his room mate from bullies the night before, but was required to play anyway. He ended up losing his scholarship and in desperation threw his drumkit into the campus' Lake Osceola.

After leaving Miami, Folds moved to Montclair, New Jersey and began to act in theater troupes in New York City. He enjoyed it in 1993 to the point where he didn't want to keep pursuing a musical career. He also played weekly gigs at Sin-é, famous for being the cafe which had helped start Jeff Buckley's career.

Soon after, Folds moved back to North Carolina. The trio of Folds, bassist Robert Sledge, and drummer Darren Jessee formed Ben Folds Five in 1994 in Chapel Hill. As Folds put it, “Jeff Buckley was being signed at that time by Columbia and I was talking to Steve, his A&R; guy, and somehow we knew the same people or something."

Ben Folds Five

In 1995, Ben Folds Five released their self-titled debut album. The debut was followed by ''Whatever and Ever Amen'' in 1997, and the odds-and-ends compilation ''Naked Baby Photos'' was released in early 1998. ''Whatever and Ever Amen'' spawned many singles such as "Brick", "Song for the Dumped", and "Battle of Who Could Care Less". In 1999, the band released their final album, ''The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner'', which included the hit, "Army".

Folds has described his former band as "punk rock for sissies", and his oddball lyrics often contain nuances of , melancholy, self conflict, and humorous sarcasm, often punctuated by profanity.

Despite its presence on multiple ''Billboard'' genre charts, no Ben Folds Five singles reached the US Hot 100, although they did show well on both adult contemporary and modern rock charts. However they gained a strong following in the United Kingdom and Australia early in their career, and like many other 'alternative' American acts this was largely thanks to consistent support from national broadcasters in those countries, the BBC in Britain and the ABC's Triple J youth radio network in Australia (and ABC-TV's music video show ''Rage'').

The group's first chart breakthrough came in the UK, when "Underground" made the lower reaches of the Top 40, peaking at #37. Britain was the Five's strongest territory in terms of chart success, with five singles making the national Top 40 there – "Underground", "Battle of Who Could Care Less", "Kate", "Brick" and "Army" – although none managed to crack the UK Top 20.

In Australia "Underground" likewise broke the band locally and while it did not make the ARIA chart, it came in at #3 the 1998 Triple J Hottest 100 poll. The 1998 single "Brick" became the group's only major chart placing in Australia, reaching #13; it also came in at #53 in the ARIA Australian Top 100 for that year and earned a Gold Record award while its parent album ''Whatever and Ever Amen'' peaked at #9 and charted for 32 weeks. Folds and band mates had been going full force since 2001 while moving album after album and states:"“The songs have been getting a great reaction,it makes me look forward to having a new album out there because it’s been a while. This feels like a really free period in my life and I’m really enjoying it.” Ben Folds Five reunited to perform its first concert appearance in nearly 10 years on September 18, 2008 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Memorial Hall. The one-off gig was part of the MySpace "Front to Back" series, in which artists play an entire album live. The band played its final album, ''The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner''. The concert aired during October and can be viewed at Nowwhat.com. All proceeds from ticket sales benefitted the charity Operation Smile, of which Ben's uncle, Jim Folds, is on the board of directors for the North Carolina Chapter.

Solo career

As of 2008, Folds had released six solo LPs, including an experimental side project called ''Fear of Pop'', which was released while Ben Folds Five was still together.

Folds's first solo release after the breakup of the band was ''Rockin' the Suburbs'' in 2001. He played nearly all the instruments, notably guitar (an instrument seldom used during the Ben Folds Five days). ''The Luckiest'' was written for the Amy Heckerling movie ''Loser'', but the scene it was meant for was deleted. Millard Powers, Britt "Snuzz" Uzzell, and Jim Bogios joined him on the promotional tour of the album. "Weird Al" Yankovic directed and appeared in Folds' video for "Rockin' the Suburbs". Folds' friend and fellow musician John McCrea, lead singer of the band Cake, contributed vocals to Folds' song "Fred Jones, Part 2".

A year later, he released ''Ben Folds Live'', a collection of live solo recordings. In late 2003, two solo EPs, ''Speed Graphic'' and ''Sunny 16'', were released. The last EP, ''Super D'', was released in mid-2004.

''Songs for Silverman'' was released in the United States on April 26, 2005. The album featured Jared Reynolds on bass and Lindsay Jamieson on drums, thus returning to the trio format. This album includes the track "Late", a tribute to the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, and also features backup vocals from "Weird Al" Yankovic on "Time" (Folds had played piano for Yankovic's song "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" on his ''Poodle Hat'' album).

Folds contributed to William Shatner's album, ''Has Been'', as producer, arranger, musician, and backup vocalist. Shatner was also involved in Folds' ''Fear of Pop'' project, and contributed vocals to a number of songs on the album.

The soundtrack for the 2006 animated film ''Hoodwinked!'' featured "Red is Blue," performed by Ben Folds.

In May 2006, Folds contributed three original songs to the soundtrack of ''Over the Hedge'', dubbed "Heist," "Family of Me," and "Still." Included with them was a cover of The Clash song "Lost in the Supermarket" and a remix of "Rockin' The Suburbs." "Rockin' the Suburbs" featured new lyrics written to complement the script of the film.

On October 24, 2006, Folds released ''Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP'', a compilation of songs that were originally released on the EPs ''Sunny 16'', ''Speed Graphic'', and ''Super D''. He announced on his MySpace blog that he planned to work on his next studio album in October 2006 (although recording did not actually start until 2007). On that same day, Folds became the first person to broadcast a live concert over MySpace. The concert was complete with pranks staged ahead of time by Folds, including a drunk man falling over the balcony during "Jesusland" and a suicide attempt at the end. The concert is also notable for featuring a "guitorchestra", a group of acoustic guitarists from Nashville who accompanied Folds on some songs, as well as an impromptu ringtone orchestra made up of audience memebers playing their cellphone's ringtones in unison.

Folds produced The Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer's first solo album, ''Who Killed Amanda Palmer'' which was released September 16, 2008. He also performs on the album.

During a concert at the National in Richmond, Virginia on April 11, 2008, Folds announced that he had completed his newest album, and played four new tracks from this album. He played the first track, "Hiroshima", at the same show in Richmond on April 11. He also debuted new music at an impromptu gig at the Exit/In on December 19, 2007 and at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival on January 25, 2008. Other new songs include "Errant Dog", "Effington", "Bitch Went Nuts", "Free Coffee", and "Kylie From Connecticut". Folds played The 6th annual Langerado on March 8, 2008 and was a part of the lineup for the 2008 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.

On July 16, 2008, an anonymous user posted what they claimed was a "leak" of Ben's latest album on a fan site (eventually called ''Way to Normal (Fake)''). The file contained nine tracks along with a PDF of supposed cover art, and was a mix of what appeared to be legitimate songs from ''Way to Normal'', pastiches of dry humor and melodramatic pop interwoven with bright, energetic melodies. Folds explained on Triple J radio a few weeks later that in one overnight session in Dublin he and the band had recorded 'fake' versions of songs from the new album. His sources had then leaked them to the public as a light-hearted joke on his fans.

''Way to Normal'' was released on September 30, 2008 in the United States and on September 29, 2008 in the United Kingdom. It became Folds' highest-charting album ever in the US, debuting at #11 on the Billboard 200.

Soon before ''Way to Normal'' was released, Folds announced that he planned to record an album with English author Nick Hornby, with Hornby writing the lyrics and Folds writing the music. The idea of the collaboration came out of the 'fake' leak of the album ''Way to Normal'' released in July 2008. "(We will) write and record it in about three days, just like we did in Dublin with the fake record," Folds said.

In August 2008, Folds played piano for friend and Japanese singer-songwriter Angela Aki's song "Black Glasses" on her new album ''Answer''.

On April 28, 2009, Folds released ''Ben Folds Presents University A Cappella'', an album consisting of college student's a cappella arrangements of his music performed by some of the country's best college a cappella groups.

Folds' song "Rockin' the Suburbs" has been featured as part of the music for ABC's sitcom ''Surviving Suburbia''.

Folds was also an inaugural member of the Independent Music Awards' judging panel to support independent artists.

From December 14 through 21, 2009, Folds was featured as a judge on NBC's a cappella competition The Sing Off alongside Nicole Scherzinger and Shawn Stockman and offered insightful, constructive comments and criticisms to the contestants. On the final show, in a departure from his a cappella purism, showcased his talents and played the roaring, riffing piano background on "Why Can't We Be Friends?" sung by the two finalist groups, The Beelzebubs from Tufts University near Boston and Nota, from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He again returned for the show's second season, and has been confirmed to return for the third season in September 2011 alongside Stockman and Sara Bareilles.

In March 2010, Folds became a YouTube phenomenon in a video titled "Ode To Merton". In the video, Folds improvises several songs about people that he sees on the popular social networking site Chatroulette, in the style of "Merton" another YouTube phenomenon who many thought was Folds himself.

Folds' newest album, a collaboration with English author Nick Hornby, is entitled ''Lonely Avenue'' and was released on September 28, 2010. On June 14, Folds released the official album art via his Twitter account. "From Above", the first single from the album, premiered on Richard Kingsmill's new music show ''2010'' on Triple J in Australia on July 18, 2010. "From Above" features Australian singer Kate Miller Heidke on backing vocals.

Folds has recently recorded a video song with Nick Hornby and Pomplamoose. As well, English YouTuber Charlie McDonnell was commissioned to create the music video for Folds' song "Saskia Hamilton", which was uploaded on October 1, 2010.

Tours

After Ben Folds Five split, Folds' first tour with a full band was to support the album ''Rockin' The Suburbs''. He was accompanied by Britt "Snüzz" Uzzell on guitar and electronic keyboard, Millard Powers on bass and keys, and Jim Bogios on drums. Powers and Bogios later went on to join Counting Crows.

On a tour of Australia, Folds joined with solo artists Ben Kweller and Ben Lee to travel the country as The Bens, at the suggestion of a fan on Kweller's official website. The trio also went on to record a four-track EP together.

In the summer of 2004, Folds co-headlined an American tour with fellow singer-songwriters Rufus Wainwright and Guster. Folds again performed with Wainwright and Lee in the summer of 2005 as part of the "Odd Men Out" tour. In addition, Folds has performed with many other notable musical names, including Weezer and Tori Amos. After seeing The Fray perform with Weezer, Folds asked the band to join him for twelve performances in 2005.

Folds also performed with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) in March 2005, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in November 2005, the North Carolina Symphony in March 2010, and the Utah Symphony Orchestra in July 2010. A DVD of Folds playing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra was released in December 2005.

On May 9, 2007, Folds performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra. The orchestra's performance was marred when a fight broke out between two audience members in the balcony, though Folds had not yet taken the stage.

Folds performed with symphony orchestras again in August 2006 during a tour of Australia, which included performances with the Sydney Symphony at the Sydney Opera House, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and The Queensland Orchestra.

After his MySpace performance on October 24, 2006, Folds's tour performances began to feature a synthesizer, which he uses in many of the songs when played live. The synthesizer is a red Nord Lead II synthesizer. During his concerts, Folds performs two of his concert traditions: palm-smashing and throwing his stool at the piano.

Folds toured with John Mayer as an opening act (though his set typically lasted an hour) in the summer of 2007. During this tour, Mayer sometimes joined Folds on the song "Narcolepsy", playing synth. At various concerts throughout the tour, parents of young children going to see Mayer would file complaints about Folds' lyrics. Folds responded by posting on his website, "We have kids too, but we don't take them out to rock shows that last until 11pm."

On March 29, 2008, Folds played the Cage Center Arena at Berry College in Mt. Berry, GA. During contract negotiations, he was asked by the administration to not play one of his songs due to its explicit lyrics. Folds refused, citing artistic freedom.

On May 9, 2008, Folds played his first completely solo show in years at Western Connecticut State University due to the fact that his bassist Jared Reynolds was with his wife who had just given birth to their first son.

Folds made a brief solo tour of Australia during August 2009; at one of his sold out Sydney Opera House concerts he was joined onstage for several songs by Aimee Mann, who was also touring Australia at the time. At the Palais theatre in Melbourne Missy Higgins joined him for You Don't Know Me.

In 2010, Folds went on a brief tour of North America called "Ben Folds and a Piano" where he played solo other than with Zach Williams or Kate Miller-Heidke and her husband Keir Nuttall as supporting musicians. A small number of copies that were pre-ordered also included signed manuscripts by Ben Folds and Nick Hornby.

In April 2011 Folds collaborated with Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman and Damian Kulash as 8in8 to write, record and produce eight songs in eight hours which were then available online within 24 hours, as well as being performed once on its world tour, as part of the ReThink Music conference.

Personal life

Folds has been married four times. His personal life has inspired several of his songs; the hit single "Brick", co-written with Darren Jessee, was based on the experience of Folds and his girlfriend having an abortion while they were in high school.

Folds met Anna Goodman in first grade at Moore Elementary School, Winston Salem and was married to her from 1987–1992. She co-wrote several Ben Folds Five songs: "Alice Childress", "The Last Polka", "Smoke", "Kate" and "Lullaby." Folds was then briefly married to Kate Rosen in 1996. He met Australian Frally Hynes in January 1998 and they were married in Adelaide, South Australia in May 1999. Two months after their wedding, Frally gave birth to their twins, Louis Francis (July 22, 1999) and Gracie Scott (July 23, 1999), the former inspiring his song "Still Fighting It" and the latter inspiring his song "Gracie." Folds filed for divorce in November 2006.

Ben and Fleur Folds were married on November 17, 2007 at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.  They are currently based in Nashville where they live with their three children, Gracie, Louis and Julia-Rose. Folds stated in an online chat on the fan forum thesuburbs.org.uk that he and Hynes share joint custody of their twins. Julia Rose is Ben's stepdaughter.

Ben Folds recently announced in a press conference for The Sing-Off that Ben Folds Five will reunite to record a new album in December. He has not said anything of a Ben Folds Five Tour.

Discography

''Ben Folds Five'' (1995), Passenger/Caroline

''Whatever and Ever Amen'' (1997), 550 #42 US

''Naked Baby Photos'' (1998), Caroline

''Fear of Pop: Volume 1'' (1998), 550

''The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner'' (1999), 550 #35 US

''Rockin' the Suburbs'' (2001), Sony #42 US

''Ben Folds Live'' (2002), Sony #60 US

''Songs for Silverman'' (2005), Epic (Bonus DVD) #13 US

''Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP'' (2006), Epic

''Way to Normal'' (2008), Epic #11 US

''Lonely Avenue '' (2010), Nonesuch

''Nighty Night'' (2011), in collaboration with Amanda Palmer, Damian Kulash, and Neil Gaiman

''The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective'' (2011)

References

External links

Official sites: US/UK Australia Germany Japan

Video of author Nick Hornby performing with Ben Folds and the duo Pomplamoose on "Things You Think"

Ben Folds Talks The Sing-Off to SportsTownChicago.com

Category:1966 births Category:American male singers Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:American pop pianists Category:American pop singers Category:American rock pianists Category:American rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Keytarists Category:Living people Category:Melodica players Category:Musicians from North Carolina Category:People from Winston-Salem, North Carolina Category:University of Miami alumni

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