He Only Wanted To Be Stevie Wonder, But He Had To Settle For His Vanilla Thunder

Ben Folds did a drop for me. I know that totally sounds like a drug reference, but in reality it's radio lingo. Back in the mid-90's, when Folds' band, Ben Folds Five, was at it's creative zenith (it's first one at least, more on that later), the band played Wavefest. You remember Wavefest, right? If you're under 30 you might not, but for the rest of us aging hipsters desperately clinging to our musical youth (Grizzly Bear? Fun? Screw that, I saw the Butthole Surfers live, ya whippersnapper. Now get off my lawn!"), the years that Wavefest rocked Brittlebank Park and later the Romney Street landfill were some of the best live music events that took place in Charleston in the 90's. Radio station 96 Wave, which I was lucky enough to start interning for just as grunge broke in the early 90's, threw the annual free all day concerts each October. I'll have to write a separate blog entry about the Wavefest years at some point, but for the 1997 edition of the show the bands included headliner David Byrne, as well as Wilco, Son Volt, Cracker, The Jayhawks, Seven Mary Three, Blue Mountain, Junior Brown, Jump Little Children, and Ben Folds Five.
I know, right? Show me a better lineup in the 90's. This was back before multi-day festivals began to breed like fungus throughout the country. By then I was actually working for 96 Wave as a weekend DJ, and being that I was low man on the totem pole, I drew the short straw and had to stay back at the station to run the soundboard and capture the live cut-ins by the full-time DJs. Fortunately, I only had to stay until noon, and then I was off to Wavefest...to work my ass off on site for the rest of the day. As a result of my morning gig at the station I managed to miss Ben Folds Five when they performed. I had seen them a year or so before at the Music Farm, and knew they kicked ass live, so I was a bit bummed to miss them on the huge Wavefest stage. As I was going about my duties at Wavefest, which mostly consisted of delivering bottled water and soft drinks to the refreshment stands around the site, I spied Ben Folds himself strolling around backstage. He seemed approachable, and since I carried a mini tape recorder and microphone with me at all times (I was really into radio back then), I decided to see if he'd do a drop for me. Drops are the recorded station IDs that run between songs. The best ones were when you could get a recording artist to say both your name and the station's name. Fortunately Folds was game, and for the rest of my time at 96 Wave, whenever I played a Ben Folds Five song on my shift it was preceded by Folds himself saying "Hi, this is Ben Folds from Ben Folds Five, and you're listening to Devin Grant on 96 Wave." Folds was actually really nice, and really cool about doing it, and to his credit he nailed it on the first take.
Ben Folds Five broke up in 2000 after releasing three studio albums and a collection of live tracks and rarities. By all accounts it was an amicable split. Pianist Ben Folds, bassist Robert Sledge, and drummer Darren Jessee all went on to their own individual projects and BFF fans were left to listen to their CDs. Folds released some well-received solo albums and scored a few films, but when the trio reconvened last year to record some new music for the BFF box set "The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective." Apparently things went well, because before they knew it BFF was back in the studio recording a proper album and planning a reunion tour. That tour made a stop here in the Lowcountry Wednesday night, the day after "The Sound of The Life of The Mind," the first new studio by BFF in 13 years, was released. Taking my seat at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center, I was a bit dismayed at the fact that the venue was only half full. Any apprehension of a downer show disappeared though when opening act Kate Miller-Heidke opened her mouth. Performing with a guy on acoustic guitar who I later learned was her husband Kier, Miller-Heidke sang her original songs in a voice that was even more original. You could tell she was classically trained by the way she injected opera into her music, and by the end of her set she had received a standing ovation. The Australian-born singer seemed delighted by the long line of folks that lined up in the lobby afterward, clutching her CD and waiting for autographs. She definitely deserved the attention.
When Ben Folds walked out on the PAC's stage with Jessee and Sledge, he approached his grand piano like a kid digging into a giant hot fudge sundae. The band launched into "Michael Praytor, Five Years Later," a track from the new album. The crowd was definitely into it from the beginning, but when BFF played the opening bars of "Jackson Cannery," a popular tune from it's debut album, the audience went bananas. The night was a mix of new songs ("Erase Me," "Sky High," "Do It Anyway") and old classics ("Uncle Walter," "Brick," "Battle of Who Could Care Less," "Kate"). There were also the inevitable antics before, after and during songs that really made the evening. Just before digging into "Uncle Walter" a female member of the audience yelled "I love you, Ben," and Folds, who was literally counting down into the song turned and blew the fan a kiss without missing a beat. He also talked about visiting friends in Charleston over the years, walking up and down King Street and eating in restaurants, but then the singer caught himself rambling and got things back on track, saying "Here's another song. We came to play songs. Songs we made up." Prior to playing "Sky High" Folds had to adjust some strings in his piano. He started to explain what he was doing, but then again got that mischievous look and deadpanned, "I know you didn't pay the high ticket price to watch me stuff bullshit in my piano. Later, after starting an impromptu jam session with Jessee and Sledge that incorporated the soft rock instrumental "Popcorn," Folds wandered offstage, only to return minutes later sporting a blue plastic cup. He stood behind Sledge horsing around for a bit, then took his place back at the piano, advising the crowd, "That was a combination 'Popcorn' slash take a piss and pour another gin and tonic number." For "Draw a Crowd," another song from the new album, Folds advised the crowd, "We'll f**k this song up, but you'll be the first ones ever to hear it live." That got a huge reaction from the audience, and the band actually got through the tune relatively unscathed. That song, by the way, features what are probably my favorite lyrics on the new album. "I only wanted to be Stevie Wonder," sang Folds, adding, "I have to settle for this Vanilla Thunder." The new song "Do It Anyway" has a music video that features the band frolicking with the puppets from the 80's kid show "Fraggle Rock." Folds revealed a few tongue in cheek "facts" about the Fraggles, while Sledge mused about a zombie Jim Henson, much to the horror of his bandmates and much of the crowd ("No, he was cool," pleaded Sledge. "He had one eye..."). At one point as fans were yelling out song requests, Folds zeroed in on a particularly loud voice in the audience. "Man, are you a voice major?," Folds asked the unseen owner of the voice. "No, a singer in a failed rock band," answered the voice. "Man, your band must have sucked," marveled Folds, meaning any band with a voice like that should be destined to succeed. Before anyone knew it, Folds had invited the voice and its owner up on stage to sing "Philosophy." The voice turned out to be one Lewis Dodson from the Drop In Bar and Deli on Folly Beach. Dodson gave it his best, executing David Lee Roth high kicks while singing about half of the lyrics to the song. Folds was impressed enough to invite Dodson backstage after the show, assumedly for a gin and tonic. Stellar versions of "Kate," "Army," and "Song for the Dumped" rounded out the main set, which ended with Folds chucking his piano stool at his keyboard for the songs final note. After a short break the band returned to perform one of my favorite BFF songs, "Underground." It was a truly epic show. Thirteen years after that breakup, BFF is back and as strong as ever.  
Oh, and by the way, Ben Folds is still a nice guy, as evidenced by his actions after Wednesday night's show. Afterward there were about twenty-five fans hanging out at the entrance to the loading dock behind the venue. I tagged along with a friend who wanted to get an autograph. Hanging out after the show waiting for an artist to possibly show up is a total crap shoot (Hmmm, I'll have to write a blog about that too, because I've had some interesting experiences doing that...). On Wednesday night though the stars aligned and all three members of the band strolled out to hang with their fans for a bit. Folds was as nice as ever. He and his compadres signed autographs, posed for photos, and were generally very cool until a handler materialized after about 20 minutes and said they had to go. It's nice to know some things don't change with time.

I Love Ya, Tomorrow

When I was in first grade, back at Scripps Elementary School in San Diego, I was interested in the same sort of things as most other 6 year olds. Riding bikes, going to the beach, playing with Hot Wheels cars, and kickball were high on the list. Star Wars, an obsession that stays with me to this day, was still a year away. What was also happening in 1976 though, was a Presidential election. Gerald Ford, the former House Minority Leader, had assumed first the Vice Presidency, then the Presidency as the Watergate scandal racked up its political casualties. In 1976 Ford was running against former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter. One day at school, assumedly late in the election year, I was involved in a brief yet intense schoolyard confrontation between 6 year old supporters of Ford and similarly-aged fans of Carter. "We want Ford!" chanted one side, while the other had a Carter mantra going. I remember one kid had fashioned a sign out of a piece of notebook paper and a paperclip. As the two mobs approached each other, seemingly on a collision course to a pint-sized rumble, several teachers stepped in and reminded us that we were supposed to be hanging off the jungle gym, not debating an election we were still a dozen years away from being able to vote in. The respective mobs quickly dispersed, and all was well. I honestly don't even remember what side I was cheering for, although knowing the way my mind worked, I likely gravitated toward Ford, since his name sounded like a car.
I'm telling you this story, a tale that until just a few days ago I had all but forgotten about, because for a large part of 2012 I have been engaging my "friends" on Facebook in some pretty heated political discussions. Now, I love a good debate, and I've had some pretty passionate exchanges with folks, but earlier this week I realized that by both taking and laying the political bait, I was basically resorting to acting like that six year old from 1976. Actually, given some of my retorts to folks on Facebook, I was actually far more mature at six. It made me think, and then, as more often than not happens, it caused me to write. To my surprise, I was immediately deluged by friends who gave me virtual pats on the back for stopping a little of the madness. Well, there was the one guy who called me a very rude name, but as I have known him for years I'm fairly certain he was joking, or else he was asking about my cat. It definitely will be tough going cold turkey. I almost immediately found myself reaching for the keyboard to comment on a political post, only to literally slap my own hand away before I broke my promise. I'm sure as the election draws closer I'll be doing that more and more often. No matter how the election plays out, I'll likely have some things to say on election day, which is when I'll allow myself to break my self-imposed silence. For now though, I'm going to concentrate on what truly interests me. Take the local band A Fragile Tomorrow for instance. This band consists of three brothers, 18 year old Brendan Kelly and Sean and Dominic Kelly, both 20, as well as 26 year old Shaun Rhoades. These guys have been tearing it up for the last few years, and in that time they have had the chance to play with everyone from Amy Ray of Indigo Girls, to The Bangles, to Matthew Sweet. They play a heady mix of rock and power pop, and if you haven't heard them yet you're really missing out on what could be the next big thing out of Charleston. Heck, they've really already busted out of    

"All right, I'm done. I'll admit that I like a good argument (my favorite Monty Python sketch, I mean after the Lumberjack one and the Cheese Shop one? The argument sketch), but in this election year I've finally hit the wall. From now until election day I will neither post, nor contribute to any political discussions. It took a particularly sad incident recently to wake me up and see how little I'm accomplishing by arguing on FB. No one's going to change my mind, and I'm not going to sway anyone with different ideals than me. Hell, I'm not even that political. I'm going to get back to talking about what really moves me: music, film, photography, all things geeky, and most importantly, my beautiful family. Oh, it'll be hard going cold turkey, because like I said, I REALLY love a good debate, but politically I'm going dark until election day in 3...2...1..."

To my surprise, I was immediately deluged by friends who gave me virtual pats on the back for stopping a little of the madness. Well, there was the one guy who called me a very rude name, but as I have known him for years I'm fairly certain he was joking, or else he was asking about my cat. It definitely will be tough going cold turkey. I almost immediately found myself reaching for the keyboard to comment on a political post, only to literally slap my own hand away before I broke my promise. I'm sure as the election draws closer I'll be doing that more and more often. No matter how the election plays out, I'll likely have some things to say on election day, which is when I'll allow myself to break my self-imposed silence. For now though, I'm going to concentrate on what truly interests me. Take the local band A Fragile Tomorrow for instance. This band consists of three brothers, 18 year old Brendan Kelly and Sean and Dominic Kelly, both 20, as well as 26 year old Shaun Rhoades. These guys have been tearing it up for the last few years, and in that time they have had the chance to play with everyone from Amy Ray of Indigo Girls, to The Bangles, to Matthew Sweet. They play a heady mix of rock and power pop, and if you haven't heard them yet you're really missing out on what could be the next big thing out of Charleston. Heck, they've really already busted out of the "local band" label. The guys were nice enough to give me a sneak listen to their new album, "Be Nice Be Careful," which they plan on releasing on January 8, 2013. The band worked with famed producer Mitch Easter, who has also twirled the knobs for bands such as R.E.M, Pavement, Suzanne Vega, and Velvet Crush. If you're a fan of high energy power pop with great guitars (Brendan is so good at 18, I can't imagine what he'll sound like on his axe in another decade) and wonderful vocals (mostly by Sean, but it's a group effort), then you'll want to mark your calendars so you can pick up a copy. In the meantime, check out the band at their website www.afragiletomorrow.com for more info, and try to see them live when they're in town, which these days isn't often. Also send out some positive energy to Dominic, who went into the hospital earlier this week for an emergency appendectomy. He's going to be just fine, unless you count that incriminating video his brothers shot of him rambling while still coming down from the anesthesia. It's floating around YouTube, and it's hilarious, although Dom would tell you otherwise.