Hard-working band Ben Folds Five is so much more than just a three-piece, writes Simon McKenzie
EVER since Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience revolutionised rock as "power trios", the three-piece band has been a rock'n'roll staple.
The post-Nirvana 90's has seen a veritable glut of trios rocking loud and hard - Melbourne foursome The Fauves even had a song out a couple of years back called Everybody's Getting a Three-Piece Together . Around the same time, a lot of people started getting very excited about a North Carolina three-piece who for some reason called themselves Ben Folds Five. But this was no ordinary three-piece.
Instead of the common drums, bass and guitar formula, Ben Folds Five consists of drums, guitar and piano. It was a novel approach, but no mere novelty. Their self-titled debut album consisted of some crystalline pop with a decidedly 70s flavour, although that was due more to the band's meticulous sense of arrangement and Folds's soaring, soulful vocals than a deliberate nostalgia trip.
Their first big single, the sarcastic jibe at alternative music that was Underground , was a huge favourite in Australia. Brick , from their second album, Whatever and Ever Amen, was even bigger.
Their often-raucous live shows have been the real source of their popularity and they've toured constantly over the last three-and-a-half years (including a visit to Australia last year and a hugely popular performance at Brisbane's Livid Festival).
Earlier this year, they put out Naked Baby Photos , a collection of previously unreleased material and live recordings. Some thought this was an audacious move for a band that had only released two albums but, as bass player Robert Sledge says, it was released in order to meet obligations to Caroline, their former record label in the US.
"We were sort of in a pinch," Sledge says. "They wanted another record from us, we had to kind of fulfil a contract. We didn't want to release another whole record of material on Caroline, because we didn't think it would get a fair shake. So we opted for releasing stuff that hadn't been released that we'd already done - stuff we weren't quite as attached to.
"For the most part, we like all that stuff, and we wanted people to hear it, but I would have rather waited as well... until I was a little more distant from it, and it seemed more rare. But we just have to do what we have to do sometimes."
Despite the seemingly premature arrival of the collection, it is an interesting document, providing a multi-layered insight into Ben Folds Five. There are early demos, some hilarious send-up songs and some really rocking live cuts, as well as Emaline , the only Ben Folds Five song featuring a guitar.
"I guess it all seems a bit silly," Sledge says, "but people were trading that stuff and collecting it anyway, and wanted copies of it. From our end, we knew there was at least a small demand, because there's people that do internet trading and had copies of early demos and things. I have no idea how they got hold of them."
A brief Internet search will find you dozen of Ben Folds Five websites, including one called Underground (http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/ 6008/bff.html) that is an index listing the best sites. Its Net presence is testament to the popularity of the band.
"We're not real computer-driven people. I mean, I do the odd music software thing but I'm not a big Internet surfer," says Sledge.
"It's surprising for me for somebody to go to that length, because computers aren't as simple as other things."
The group's popularity is also reflected in the constant demand for them on the concert circuit. The band is well-travelled on the rock'n'roll circuit and appeared at the Glastonbury Festival in England last month.
Ben Folds Five's success is due to a mixture of lots of radio airplay and hard work on the road touring.
"We've always wanted to keep touring but sometimes you don't get much space when you're on tour," says Sledge. "Sometimes it's like eight men in a submarine all the time - no matter how many people you meet or what happens that day, you're going to end up with the same people that night. It can get a little claustrophobic."
Sledge, Folds and drummer Darren Jesse are good friends and know when to give each other space. "We just really like the band, all of us do," says Sledge.
"We really appreciate it after trying so hard for so long, it's not something we want to throw out the window over something silly."
Ben Folds Five, Festival Hall, next Thursday
Did anyone notice a mistake? Here it is --
"...instead of the common drums, bass and guitar formula, Ben Folds Five consists of drums, guitar and piano..."
Think we should tell them that half the point of Ben Folds Five is that they're guitarless? Maybe they meant to say drums, bass guitar and piano.