|
Ben Folds Five Folds
11/01/2000 6:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen
(11/1/00, 6 p.m. ET) - After a career that spawned three albums and the 1998 hit single "Brick," Ben Folds Five has folded. The Chapel Hill, North Carolina, trio's break-up is "amicable," according to manager Alan Wolmark, and "all three members felt the band had run its musical course and wanted to pursue other musical interests."
In a statement, Ben Folds said: "The band is splitting on good terms. We are very proud of our three albums, our little hit, and our audience. Now it is time to bow out with dignity rather than to make that final 'cash-in' record and tour which, of course, is very tempting."
The band further stated, "Ben Folds Five and their crew would like to thank all their loyal fans who have made them feel comfortable and welcome throughout the world where they have been fortunate enough to visit and entertain."
The now-former bandmates all have individual plans in the works: Bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee are putting together bands of their own, while Folds is currently working on a solo album for Epic Records.
Folds's album, scheduled for a spring release, is being recorded in Australia, where the vocalist/pianist now lives with his wife and children. Sledge once told LAUNCH that even when the band was together, they were apart. "You know, if he was in town, I wouldn't know it. Honestly, because when we're apart, not together on the road...We spend so much time together on the road that we just really want to get away from each other. I actually keep in better touch with him via e-mail than I ever did [before]"
Ben Folds Five formed in 1994. Its self-titled debut album appeared a year later, while their breakthrough effort, Whatever And Ever Amen, featuring "Brick," arrived in 1997. The band's third and final album, The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner, came out last year. Naked Baby Photos, an album of rarities, was released in 1998.
-- Darren Davis, New York, and Neal Weiss, Los Angeles
Got news tips, comments, or questions? Send them to newstips@launch.com.
|
