A NEW message from Ben?? Good info!

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: mightyboy

hi all.

about the new release, 'supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp'.

it's very simple. we took the existing tracks that were done for the ep's, along with 'bitches ain't shit' and 'still' and threw them on an album for mainstream release. it's not my normal 'just for fans' sort of move. it's for the people who missed it being in stores, and it's for posterity, so that i have a solid album in my hand, not just my ipod, that represents a particular era. sort of a selfishly motivated release since i'm sure sony won't see many sales of it. just for my collection.

i expect there will be some bitching from a few hundred of my closest friends who stick by me each step, buying ep's and b-sides etc.
and to you i will apologize. and i certainly wouldn't ask you to buy the record expecting anything new or earth shattering. for various reasons, if i'm going to put this era into a collection, it needs to be done now. so i say, yeah, put it out.

i will also say that every song on the album has more energy now and sounds better than it did to me on the ep's. i had a chance to listen through tracks and pick alternate takes with hindsight perspective, which is sometimes good and sometimes dangerous. haha. in this case, it came in handy. a few times i found some earlier overlooked takes that had more mistakes but better energy. sometimes there had been tracks muted that we brought back. a few overdubs happened. i got corn mo to drop in after he did bonnaroo and sing a few lines on 'get your hands off of my woman'. we re-did the tracks on 'songs of love'. i love this neil hannon song and felt that it was a little stiff originally and deserved more heart, so i did some surgery on that. 'learn to live with what you are' has a large string section now arranged by paul buckmaster and sounds damn classic. michael brauer lent much more aggressive mixes, much taller. all in all, an improvement and now i have an album to show for that period of time from 2002-2004 that i spent coming off tour for days at a time to record.

but it's not my 'new album' and i've expected all along to mostly catch grief and a few bad reviews about how i'm going backwards bla bla. and that's quite alright. meanwhile, the people who still don't know how to use computers, and they actually exist believe it or not, will be able to buy the music in a store. most will probably think it's a new album, you'll be surprised. and anyway, it's worth it to me to have the opportunity to have this as an album for the long run.

i'm really glad so many of my closest friends bought the ep's to begin with, in case i never thanked you for that.

anyway, i'll be in the studio in october. i've got bits and pieces of songs, as i usually do by this time. and i just bought an assload of cheap synthesizers on ebay. i'm not sure i'll use them. haha. maybe the whole thing will be that. who the fuck knows... mainly, i'm just inspired right now. sometimes i feel there's nothing going on in the music world that means much for me... and those times it's harder to make music. but right now, there's a lot of great stuff going on and it makes me want to toss in my two cents worth and make an album. 'silverman' was about being relaxed, letting the songs do the work. a not needy kind of approach. i feel like blowing shit up in the studio at the moment, so i can't promise that the next album will make any sense at all as an extension of 'songs for silverman'. i will likely toy with bringing in 100 piece singing groups, to songs with only piano, or only piano except it's 8 pianos at once, my cheap synths...
whatever excites me to hear. and i've got a list of favorite musicians i want to work with which i will likely exhaust. hopefully sometime by the end of the winter i'll be making sense of mess i've created.

speaking of neediness in music or lack thereof... amanda of the dresden dolls, my new favorite band of all time, mentioned that she felt many people thought their music was TOO needy. hmmm... i told her to give me a list of who these people are and i will fly to their homes with a sharpie and draw dicks on their bathroom walls. see, after years of touring, i never succumbed that particular touring pastime . i never drew dicks on walls. but last year, i had to try it. i drew a dick on a brand new clean white dressing room wall. and you know what, it felt good. so i want to draw more, and amanda will hopefully tell me who's houses to go to. feel free to leave a message with your address if you have any criticism of the dresden doll's music at all. and i will come draw a dick on your wall.
same goes for anyone who doesn't like the streets new record. or anything sufjan stevens does. there are a few others, who if you have a problem with, will draw the fiery wrath of my sharpie.... anyway, the dresden dolls will be making a few appearances with me in australia with the orchestras. if you comment with something nice about my favorite music, then i will draw a small child looking in wonderment at a beautiful butterfly (with a big dick)

the other project i've been kicking around is a live orchestral cd. we worked really hard to make it happen on the australian tour, but in the end, it became too complicated and risked fucking up the gigs. so we'll do it in america instead, in the next year or two. there are a good new 10 orchestra charts for my songs since last performance with baltimore this year. including 'jesusland', 'not the same', 'carrying cathy', 'mess', 'alice childress', 'gracie' and so on.
i've been working with some of the best talent of recorded music history on planning this, guys that helped shape the way we make records who are excited about making this sort of collision of rock and orchestra. i would like this cd to sound punchier and livelier than any orchestra cd you've heard. that's quite a task. and many of the older charts from the WASO dvd have been revised as well. we've been trying to make the arrangements rock without a traditional rock band. making the orchestra the rock band. it works sometimes and then there's still some rethinking to do in other areas, but when we've cracked the rock code and we're breaking the law with the orchestra, i'll be happy to have that recording in my collection. i'm also interested in helping revive the orchestra. it's such a cool institution and we wanna do what we can to keep it that way. i wouldn't look for this orchestral cd any time soon, but we'll probably have it recorded in the next 12 months.

over and out.

ben

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: +DrewMG

well, certainly some steps in the right direction.

"IT'S GOOD STUFF. DREW TELLS NO LIE" - LifeonaPlate
"Yeah, i'm gonna be sure to download some Bishop Allen" - Yossarian
"I'd rather reply to Bishop Allen threads than reply to anything Unpainted has to say." - midnightvulture
"I've been a Bishop Allen fan for several years." - AllThingsGo

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: EJ

experimental ben = best ben

thats the fuckin' bomb news

That was a treat for the fingers...

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: +Ill

Well this changes everything!

He's a chicken, I tell you! A giant chicken!

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: Emaline Jones

If this is for real, its some good motherfuckin' news. Also, ben can draw a dick on my wall anytime. I'd cuss about sufjan just for that.. but could i..

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Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: +Ill

Yeah, but... different takes? So technically not owning the LP will mean missing out on something to a very slight, obsessive degree. And I told y'all Silverman was him getting it out of his system.

*crosses fingers* return to form! return to form!!! I wanna hear the Ben that made Fear Of Pop come out a bit more.

He's a chicken, I tell you! A giant chicken!

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: Emaline Jones

Yeah! ... Synths from the internet? 8 Pianos at once? Blowing shit up? Dicks on walls? Maybe it is FOP v. 3!

Hello Google
Please read my words Google
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--only temporarily 'back'--

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: EJ

Ha, you remember that Emaline?! Just to explain to the rest of yous, when me and Emaline met Ben, I asked him if he was gonna do a FoP volume 2, and he said he was gonna skip straight to 3 lol. Clearly this was in jest, but man...the thought of a follow up to that masterpiece of a record is almost orgasmic!

That was a treat for the fingers...

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: Emaline Jones

Haha yeah. I get the feeling he's said that a fair bit though. Unoriginal bastard.

Hello Google
Please read my words Google
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Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: Sockmonkey

wow this sounds strangely familar.....

i hope one of those synths blows up.... and they record it into a sick song.

"Fuck, now you're doomed Sockmonkey." +88 Kickin Keys

"Your disregard for periods makes you a goddamn RENEGADE." -SoyBomb

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: Natiest

I would be glad with something more like Reinhold Messner

"Cracking toast Gromit!"

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: +Ill

The next album can be the unofficial vol. 3, followed by an official vol. 2, and then finally the official vol. 3.

He's a chicken, I tell you! A giant chicken!

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: +DrewMG

And I told y'all Silverman was him getting it out of his system.

I'll believe it when I hear it, but this could potentially be interesting, if nothing else.

"IT'S GOOD STUFF. DREW TELLS NO LIE" - LifeonaPlate
"Yeah, i'm gonna be sure to download some Bishop Allen" - Yossarian
"I'd rather reply to Bishop Allen threads than reply to anything Unpainted has to say." - midnightvulture
"I've been a Bishop Allen fan for several years." - AllThingsGo

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: +Ill

I would be glad with something more like Reinhold Messner

Oh I agree, definitely. I'm just saying... somewhere out there is a Ben who made Fear Of Pop, and it didn't seem to be the same Ben who made Songs For Silverman. If we can get a Reinhold with a touch of FoP I'll be totally fine.

He's a chicken, I tell you! A giant chicken!

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: Emaline Jones

The next album can be the unofficial vol. 3, followed by an official vol. 2, and then finally the official vol. 3.


haha yeah. Then in like, 10 years, he can release a volume -2, -1, and 0, and everyone hates them 'cause the songwriting is terrible and it just don't got it no more.

Hello Google
Please read my words Google
Computer Computer Google
Who invented you Google
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--only temporarily 'back'--

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: mightyboy

Just for the record this info came from Ben's myspace.. it's all legit yall!

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: Emaline Jones

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Hello Google
Please read my words Google
Computer Computer Google
Who invented you Google
You beautiful thing

--only temporarily 'back'--

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: Edwin

Well god dammit, I guess I have to buy it now.

Nice hearing about it straight from Ben, although the whole "closest friends" thing makes me feel like the .org is Heaven's Gate or something.

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: Edwin

Ben also has yet to explain away the fact that it is called "Supersunnyspeedgraphic," so he's not completely off the hook yet in my eyes.

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: melanor_rigby

"Oh ye of little faith ..."

"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts." - Will Rogers

http://pub82.ezboard.com/bthesackfulofbadgers

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Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: paule

Cool deal.
I think Ben should know that we'd probably appreciate it alot of it wasn't an extension from Songs for Silverman.

-Paul E

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: guiltywhiteboy

you know what we have to thank for this?

the real ben folds fans don't like ben folds anymore thread


you are welcome, real ben folds fans

never trust a man in a blue trenchcoat,
never drive a car when youre dead

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: Webb

This was a great read. It kind of rekindled some fandom for me.

------------------------------------------
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Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: midnightvulture

Webb can masturbate to Not The Same again

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: Strange Weather

Dicks On Walls = New Whisper To My Donut?

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: caats19

eh. can almost be read to mean we'll get an album of get your hands off of my woman's. baarf. but it also could be a step to me liking him like i used to again

*Booster Gold for the JLA*

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: midnightvulture

DRUNK

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: jooce129

i only have this to say:

ROCK
THE
FUCK
ON

http://tinyurl.com/klezw

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: LifeOnaPlate

I cant help but wonder if the "real ben folds fans" thread or my "Folds LP:" thread spurred his myspace message.

I shoot myself in the face with a crossbow for breakfast. - Chazm
http://lifeonapl8.blogspot.com/
"This will always be BenFolds.org" +Steve

Aug 21st (4 years ago)

Posted by: jooce129

it had to have. he knows the only hard core fans are at the org. its the truth, imo.

http://tinyurl.com/klezw