Q&A with Musician Fink (republished from 12/20/09)

Fin Greenall (aka the musician known as Fink) represents everything that is unfair about this world. He’s an amazingly talented singer/songwriter/guitar player who by his own admission can’t even read the tablature that his own songs are printed on. He’s amazingly like-able, he’ll charm the pants off your girlfriend but it’s impossible to find fault in his technique; you know you’d do the same thing if you could. He’s a skater and club DJ but he’s as informed about the crisis in Eastern Bloc countries as he is about the latest dub beats; and he’s set to take the American music scene by storm. Like when Justin Timberlake shook off NSYNC and went solo or John Legend stepped out from in back of the production booth, so too will Fink take center stage in American pop music culture. Weather you’re ready for him or not.

I came to know Fink through his appearance at the REM Tribute Concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City this past March. His talent was clearly on display. As I do often with people who have profiles on MySpace or Facebook, I sent him a note letting him know that I was impressed with his performance, thinking that would be the last of it. In a stunning move, he read the whole piece, commented on what I’d said, and wrote me back! I was quite impressed; but there he goes doing things his own way, which you’re in awe of.

 

When I found out he was playing in the Los Angeles area earlier this month, I reached out to him and asked for an interview. Thus began the journey towards our two-hour discussion on top of his hotel in the bitter cold of Los Angeles in early December. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this conversation was that he was just so easy to talk to. We segued between so many topics that the notes and questions I brought along with me were all but useless.

 

“To get out of Cornwall’s quite an achievement”-

 

Fin Greenall was born Cornwall in the West Country: “The wild west, no motorways” and grew up Bristol. Asked about his influence from London, Fink noted, “When my parents left Cornwall they were trying to get to London; they got half way.” Fink did speak highly of Bristol. According to the musician, Bristol was “…really much safer than London; an amazing place to be a kid.”  While many of the outlying areas around big cities often live in their shadow Fink says that Bristol was “far enough away from London to be proud that it isn’t London.” He later compared the city from his youth to the likes of; “Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle.”

 

Fans of British trip hop undoubtedly know of all the many talents who came out of Bristol. Bristol even has it’s own “sound.” Says Fink, Bristol is the “home to Massive Attack, Portished, Tricky.” Bristol is also home to a lot of baggage from its past and according to Fink remains sharply divided in less developed areas.

 

You may have known Fink not from his acoustic guitar histrionics but from his work as a DJ. But he doesn’t want that to be his mark left on the world: “With DJ’ing it wasn’t like I was a house DJ; I was a Ninja Tune DJ which is a pretty broad church. You have to be anything but normal.”

 

Ninja Tune is a record company that’s been around since 1991. Founded by Matt Black and Jonathan Moore (Coldcut) featuring artists like Bonobo, Kelis, and Kate Tempest among many others. Fink certainly let the Ninja Tune church wash over him. Still the mediums limitations were not lost on the boy from Bristol: “Back in the day when you’d go on an international gig; before the digital revolution; you’d have a finite number of records to play!”

 

He further reflected on the appeal of the DJ culture in the beginning. “DJ’ing was pretty big in the 80’s in Europe. Acid House; it was in the papers; really dangerous.” And of course the allure of the dangerous is implicit. “The right wing press was like “kids are being fucked up by listening to this robot.”  Obviously every 13 or 14 year old kid is like ‘right I’m into that now.’”

 

But the DJ life wasn’t forever. So Fin went his own way, put down the wax and picked up an axe; an acoustic axe. He seemed to take to this means of musical communication much better than his heady Ninja Tune years. “In the early days of doing the Fink gigs it was such a pleasure to know what you’re going to play.”

 

Counter that with the pressure he felt from the emerging celebrity status DJs more regularly enjoyed, and there was no question. “With Ninja the pressure’s pretty heavy,” he said, “so you’ve got to be polished.”

 

Quizzically, the guitar didn’t seem like such a good fit for Fink at first. It’s not like he had any trouble learning the tool; “I picked up the guitar at 16 and within 6 months I was better than anyone else I knew.” So it wasn’t his ability to make music; he just didn’t much see the point. Fink opined: “I don’t know what my kids are going to be into; but I’m sure I won’t get it. If I do get it; if my kids form a band and become Led Zeppelin I’ll be really chuffed but if they do whatever the music is in the future that I don’t understand I’m going to have to remember this. The same with my parents and the hippie counter culture. I seen my father play guitar in folk bands and it just looked like really shit. I mean why would you do that? For me it was all about skateboarding, fashion, and when you’re old enough to work: money.”

 

Even when the money’s coming in at a pretty good clip, it’s not all fun and games. Record companies can be stifling and the pressure is intense. “They’re paying you and there’s a queue of kids in back of you who will do your job for free so you got no rights.”

 

More taxing than this is the fact that, “There’s no such thing as a 9-5 day, every night is a ‘showcase’ or VIP gig, everybody thinks you’re loaded.” The untruth of the situation could be a bit jarring.

 

Fink is a deep fellow with a grander understanding and appreciation of the world which shines through in his music.  He’s got opinions on a variety of subjects and we touched on many. Still it was the last question I asked him as we were departing from our chilly seats off of my sheet of largely unasked questions that took me most aback.

 

“What is it that you would want your fans to know about you?”

 

He stopped in his tracks, paused, and for the first time all morning seemed to not have an answer at the ready. He chortled and replied: “I’m genuine.” He paused again and noted: “all this,” he waved his hand about, casually dismissing the rock star lifestyle we’d just spent the past two hours ruminating on, “means nothing. It’s all about the music.”

 

And with that the interview was over. He remarked to my photographer how much she was the spitting image of his sister. He humbly slid off the elevator at the fifth floor and we spilled out into the street. Sunday was well underway; Fink would soon be off to Chicago and I wondered aloud if I’d ever run across this musical dynamo again. Who knows? Right now Fink seems firmly in place; braced and ready for the next phase.

City Winery & WFUV Present Nada Surf at City Winery in SoHo

Nada Surf (noun, verb):"It’s actually referring to something much more existential, it's just surfing on nothing. Being lost in your head or in your imagination but you know, whenever I listen to music I always find myself off somewhere. Somewhere in space. You know, in mental space and it's a reference to that.-Matthew Caws

What is there to say about a band like Nada Surf? Consisting today of, Matthew Caws, Ira Elliot, Doug Gillard, and Daniel Lorca, Nada Surf were a post-grunge infant riding the wave of that moment in time.  Awash in the mid to late 90's alt/grunge/anti-rock, they existed. Unlike Alice in Chains, Soul Asylum or arguably the biggest blow up of the era Nirvana, Nada Surf just kept existing. Admittedly towards the end of my dalliance in high school this group was Popular. 

Honestly until they made a highly anticipated splash on a Monday night in March at City Winery, the Nada Surf wave had all but cast out to open waters for me. I was caught up in the Lilith Fair, PC, folkie experience, and didn’t really take to notice Nada Surf. While they continued to make records, tour the world, develop quite the following and become even more popular in Europe, I was falling under the spell of Tricky and Massive Attack. 

While they self-produced, took hiatuses, and reconnected, I remained inept. They have made quite the career for themselves; what have I done over the same time period? I don’t mean to get too cerebral here but that was really the takeaway from this show for me. These were artists who burst onto the scene with a racy video, washed out distortion, and pillaged the spoils of this time. They could have, like so many other bands before them, exploded, broken up, gotten back together, been cast in and out of rehab, and remained at the forefront of our insatiable tabloid culture. But they just chose to keep going.  

Of course they stumbled and had their doubtful moments in the trajectory of their careers, but if the acoustic renderings at City Winery in SoHo were any indication, this is a band that hit the timing just right with their first single and then matured. Like fine wine or slowly braised beef, this group took their time and kept at their craft. The career of someone like Beck would draw apt comparisons in this protracted maturation. So now, all these years later Nada Surf were here and so was I.

This was an event at City Winery but it was also an event that was hosted by the radio station WFUV. So to begin the evening someone from WFUV and Caws came out onstage to have a conversation about this very maturation. Caws who now lives in Europe, waxed poetic about growing up in New York City and listening with his own small radio to catch the newest sounds of the day from local stations of the time. He also talked about how the band has grown and stretched out but still manages to return back together, come to a recording studio in Brooklyn every few years and make new music. This is the situation for modern bands today though. Like the band The Postal Service, Nada Surf don’t even all live on the same continent anymore but through the use of digital means they can still come together, share their work, and create amazing music. 

Really though this night wasn’t about their recording process or the maturation of their sound, it was about the songs. The audience was jam packed into City Winery for the earlier of the two shows on a Monday night in March. With the interview out of the way they just got into the making of music.

“Cold to See Clear” was their first song they played. From an ad hoc survey of cheers, Caws seemed to glean that many in attendance this evening hadn’t gotten their newest record. The recently released and very good “You Know Who You Are” was available for sale at the merchandise table; undoubtedly this was going to be a hot seller this evening. 

The second song, “Whose Authority” from 2008’s “Lucky” was a lot more familiar. There was a noticeably more upbeat, cheering, grooving vibe happening when they tore into classics.

Keeping up with some of their newer stuff, the third song that they played as “Believe You’re Mine.” This was around the moment I noticed something interesting. This was an “acoustic” show and the sound inside City Winery is totally geared towards that. The rhythm and lead guitars were both acoustics. Even the drummer was playing hand drums on some kind of standing snare with the wrist tambourine included for many songs. But the bass player still had an electric bass. Granted the lead and rhythm acoustic guitars were “plugged in” and everyone could be “heard.” Still, for an acoustic show, it seemed rather bass heavy. 

In keeping with the new and old and new pattern, Caws said that they would reach back in the annals again, playing two goodies from “The Weight is a Gift,” “What Is Your Secret” and “Concrete Bed.”

The show continued on for a bit but rather than stridently take notes for the remainder of the evening, I put my phone away and just enjoyed the performance. City Winery usually allows a lot more leeway in their starting and ending times but because the show I was at was the first of two for the evening, the end did come about too quickly. Still for what it’s worth this rediscovery of a classic band I never really appreciated was well worth the time. City Winery as always remains an amazing venue and Nada Surf’s an exciting group. This band is a group who still know how to rock but also can appreciate the silent spaces between the slides of their reverberating instruments.

City Winery Presents: Jim Weider, G.E. Smith & Jon Herington "Masters of the Telecaster" at City Winery in SoHo

New York, NY 2/28//16

One of the most exhilarating instruments that anyone can play and develop any kind of mastery of is the guitar; second maybe only to the voice. It is still always thrilling to be able to see a really good guitarist or a really good vocalist. This is why guitar players and lead singers tend to take front and center in popular music, rock, punk, metal, alternative, et al. Like I said it’s a thrill to see just one of the greats onstage so when you’ve got three masters of their ax in one show, you can pretty well bet you’re bound to have an amazing time.

So it’s with great anticipation that I sat in the audience at Lower Manhattan’s City Winery on February 28, 2016 to enjoy their Masters of the Telecaster show. Jim Weider, G.E. Smith & Jon Herington all came out to show their chops and entertain the whole house.

Known for his signature bluesy sound, Weider has been subtly shredding for decades. Perhaps best known for his work for 15 years with The Band, Weider has played at places as far flung as The Berlin Wall to places as close to home as “The Bob Dylan Tribute” at Madison Square Garden. He even played at the inaugural for President Bill Clinton in 1993.

Fans of late night comedy will likely recognize Smith as the former floppy haired band director for The Saturday Night Live band; a post he famously held for 10 years. Smith has also recorded and played with the likes of Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Roger Water’s WALL LIVE Worldwide Tour.

Herington is a bandleader in his own right and has enjoyed a great deal of success with the Jon HeringtonBand. However since 1999 he’s been the guitarist of choice for touring and recording with Steely Dan. Herington has also played with the likes of Donald Fagen, Boz Scaggs, Bette Midler, and others.

As a quick aside, for those unfamiliar with the term, the Telecaster is a model guitar from legendary guitar maker Fender. Introduced in 1950 the company calls this model “The One That Started It All,” and the list of musicians who’ve used it can attest to this fact. From Bob Dylan to David Gilmour to Merle Haggard to Chrissie Hynde, Alex Lifeson to Johnny Marr to Keith Richards to Muddy Waters to Jimmy Page to Bruce Springsteen to Joe Strummer, this first commercially successful model electric guitar has graced the hands and the skill of countless musicians.

So it was on this unusually balmy February evening we were all in place to see the Masters of the Telecaster. The arc was to be eclipsed and art was to be shared inside City Winery on Varick Street in Manhattan.

The vibe inside the intimate space prior to the lights going down was characteristically upbeat. While the audience wasn’t nearly as packed as it could have been, it was a Sunday night in winter. Still that didn’t stop the energy for the show. Enthusiastic audience whoops and wails made the space feel far more full. Everyone here wanted to see these three artists shred.

With all that as the lead-in the three ax-men ambled out to the stage at the same time. I wasn’t sure what to expect with these three legends in their own rite, but I certainly didn’t imagine they’d all erupt onstage together. It wasn’t boastful though and in hindsight was totally appropriate. They all took their spots before three front facing microphones and plugged in their guitars.

For a brief moment I feared they would all try and harmonize or something but they used the microphones sparingly and never really in concert. We weren’t here to see them sing we were here to see them play.

As the Academy Awards were going on at the same time, the guitarists were more than aware of this competing entertainment venue. Still, G.E. Smith cast away fears of everything lame when he said. “We’re gonna play something you won't hear at the Oscars; we’re gonna play rock and roll!” With that proclamation the crowed erupted and all in attendance were locked in.

The first song was an instrumental tune that I did not recognize, but the formula was recognizable enough. The three men and their backing bass player (Jeff Hill) and drummer (Randy Ciarlante) evoked a smooth and familiar soul groove. The three leads traded licks with one playing the rhythm line, another soloing and a third adding in where they saw fit. Perhaps it was a bit of lead harmony or perhaps it was a bit of rhythm line punctuation; whatever was needed the three were all there for one another.

This Masters program is something that’s been done before albeit not always the same players. Still you can tell they were familiar with one another as the young lady sitting next to me at City Winery commented. The three moved seamlessly from their featured solo line to supporting rhythm line and back again in virtually every song.

The fun that these musicians were having onstage was electric; even the backing band got were keyed in. Hill joyfully romped along in his black fedora hat while Ciarlante emoted powerfully on even the most deliberate backbeats. The bass players handling was luscious and the tight drummer even changed sticks a number of times; moving from traditional sticks to “rute” drumsticks (thin dowels all bound together for a lighter sound), even subbing in timpani mallets to get the proper ride cymbal crescendos. As a humorous aside, Ciarlante even dropped one of his sticks while playing but didn't miss a beat!

The musicianship was top notch, the camaraderie was terrific, and all in all the sounds were sweet and together. Whether you were stoked from their version of the Sam Cooke classic “A Change is Gonna Come,” or lapped up their cover of Tom Waits “Chocolate Jesus,” or were tickled by their version of Carter Burwell’s score for the Coen Brothers “Blood Simple,” there was an eclectic flow and an inviting ambiance which kept everyone in attendance hungry for more. 

At one point a reflective Smith told a tale about the old Lone Star Café on 13th St. and how he was invited by the spontaneous live band NRBQ to come down and play with them one night with mere hours to spare. He described his contribution to the evening as “terrible,” but still displayed a definite reverence for the band and a fondness for the old venue.

Mention of Lone Star evoked wails of approval from a segment of the audience and all that got me thinking about where we were sitting. With so many venues opening and closing all the time, this is one of the reasons so many amazing musicians have sought out a space like City Winery. The intimacy, the acoustics, the staff and the audience are all top notch at this SoHo destination.

If you have an interest in finding out more about any of these Masters of the Telecaster, Smith, Weider, and Herington all have their own websites. Folks who want to know about this or future shows from City Winery can sign up for regular updates from the venue. Master of the Telecaster was a lively show and a lot of fun; so it’s worth it to keep your ears open for future activity! 

Keller Williams "KWahtro" at City Winery in SoHo

New York, NY 2/12/16

It was an evening of bone chilling cold on Friday, February 12 but the vibe and the energy coming out of SoHo’s City Winery were rip roaring hot. Keller Williams and his KWahtro brand of “acoustic dance music” with his touring mates Gibb Droll (guitar), Danton Boller (double bass) & Rodney Holmes (drums) came in and laid their own brand of groove down.

Just in case you were wondering what the funk “acoustic dance music” was all about, Williams describes it thus:

“Using my songs as a template for creations involving improvisational bursts of new disco, reggae, drum and bass and jazz swing afro trap, all with two acoustic guitars, double bass, and drums. This project is an attempt to bring my vision to life and as always, to entertain myself onstage while hopefully entertaining you.”

Williams and his brood are nothing if not entertaining. The whole house seemed to really enjoy his self-professed nouveau melding of styles. Being unfamiliar with his body of work before seeing the show, I approached the Varick Street destination with a skeptical eye. However by evenings end even I wanted to “Hula Hoop to the Loop.”  

Williams has a rich history of music and recording that actually reaches back 20 years. He’s got a predictable habit of one word album titles; “Freak,” “Dance,” “Breathe,” “Laugh,” “Home,” and many others leading all the way to his most recent recording “Vape.”  I only call this predictable because he seemed to be solely focused on the music and not really about the pomp and circumstance of his place in the room. His energy and concentration were totally committed to his playing and his art.

Williams called this presentation “acoustic dance music” and it shows. Still, most dance music is simple grooves with lots of repetition. I was more fascinated by his commitment to the intricate rhythms he laid down. He entered the stage barefoot in black trousers and a black t-shirt, spinning. He cut across the stage in something of a figure 8 style all while playing a solo slap guitar full of reverb and funk. He didn’t boastfully call attention to himself; he just kept his joy in the groove.

He stayed out onstage for a couple of songs by himself. His first song  “Cadillac" had many of the typical musings of a confused, southern artist. He was trying to get back to some illusive ’59 Convertible Cadillac with tons of speakers. His journey commences with Allah, Buddha, God, Santa, Hare Krishna, and Jesus. The depth of this song is further heightened by the fact that it’s daylight savings time while he’s on the train. The loss of time, energy, and the title car evokes the caustic hopelessness of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot.” Despite the heavier themes gleaned on deeper reading, the spirit of the song was upbeat and fun.

From there he totally switched gears to one of his most recognizable songs, “Doobie in My Pocket.” This song was an anxious meditation in an airport line that he’s left a shirt with a joint in his bag that’s about to be screened and all the possibilities therein. He could get in trouble in a variety of ways.  He even surmises he could lose the joint to some disgruntled airport worker, police officer or even somehow a Starbucks employee who’s on the take. As the song draws to a fervent close he realizes that he’s wearing the shirt with the doobie in his pocket and all is right with the world again. The anticlimax of this tune is that none of his apocalyptic predictions came true and he’s once again free to puff away, for now.

Many of the sounds coming from KWahtro and Keller Williams seemed quite familiar.  Despite his sometimes-exotic presentation this guy owes as much to Don McLean and Jaco Pastorius as he does to Jackson Browne and Weird Al. His sound is one part “Soul Suckin' Jerk” and one part “Lose Yourself to Dance.” Simplistic comparisons are with jam bands like Phish or The Grateful Dead or even bluegrass or country. Still, rather than taking all these mainline sounds and dumbing them down or mucking them up, he uses his electronic synthesizers, plays some fierce fast rhythms on his slap acoustic, and spools out a fresh sound for the refined palette that’s more distillation than dilution. Williams is paying homage to all those who’ve come before him and still keeping the vibe fresh and original.

One of the big caveats on his live shows is that Williams never does any two shows the same. On the evening of the show, I heard more than one of his longtime fans effusively gush to this sentiment. The young woman sitting next to me at City Winery and I struck up a conversation before the show began and her approval was overarching.

Williams kept this show fresh by gradually introducing all of the musicians in his ensemble. He began playing alone; then brought out Droll to play a second guitar line for a few songs. After that he introduced Boller for a couple of tunes before completing the ensemble with the drummer Holmes.

All the while the audience kept their groove going. The young woman next to me became “one with the music.” During “Nepalese Temple Balls” she openly laughed and taking cues form elsewhere in the room began singing along and swayed with the songs. She was not alone; City Winery had a section in the middle of the house where people had cleared a space to begin pulsing and gyrating; it was almost as though we were introducing a 1960’s love-in with Deadhead Dancers leading the charge. However the mood and the atmosphere at City Winery never hiccoughed into a trippy place; everything remained peaceful and pleasant while still energized and enigmatic.

As I reflected I realized that I wouldn't call this acoustic dance music; this seemed to be more like an opera or gradually ascending symphonic movement. Beginning with the quieter solo work this moved up to a duo, then a trio, culminating with the full ensemble. People could dance, but you didn’t have to in order to appreciate the sounds generated.

The band took a break in the middle and came back as a four piece playing tunes that fans will recognize like “Freaker by the Speaker.” Even though the house was packed and everyone really seemed to be enjoying themselves, there seemed to be a bit of sadness in Williams voice when he introduced a “newish” song and noted, “This song may end up on the radio; probably not.” The life of a touring artist can be cruel but with the very supportive group of fans at City Winery, it seemed clear that Keller Williams and his traveling musicians could at least enjoy an evening of revelry.

As for his fellow musicians, everyone seemed to really get into it. When Gibb Droll took on an acoustic guitar solo he tore it up, furiously shredding and turning his clenched grimace skyward in his worship to and from his guitar Gods.

Danton Boller was introduced as not really being all that familiar with the style of music he was playing this night. I don’t know too much about this musician or how long he’d been playing with Keller Williams but he definitely held his own on the standup double bass.

Then there is the matter of Rodney Holmes. This guy is a pretty amazing drummer! Just before the four piece’s finale, Holmes was allotted time on the stage for his own rollicking solo which went on for several minutes. He was equal parts swinging Max Roach finesse and thunderous John Bonham power and he earned his spot on the throne this night.

Keller Williams definitely has a following. People unfamiliar with his style may not appreciate his electronic/acoustic music, but when I watched an older video before the show of his looping himself on top of himself, I recalled something I fell in love with some years ago.

Ingrid Michaelson was a featured performer at the Michael Dorf “Music of REM Tribute Concert” at Radio City Music Hall. This event led to an awesome after-party at the same City Winery where Williams played. But when Michaelson took the Radio City stage she actually looped her own voice as the underlying part of the strings and piano in REM’s “Nightswimming.” Keller Williams use of this tool tonight was sparing. When he did employ it, his interpretation was a little more funky and explosive than graceful and melodic. However this is the new world of music we live in and both approaches lend a captivating effect for the careful listener.

Following the Holmes solo, Williams returned to cover Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You,” and riff off of the Savage Garden chorus to “I Want You” before the lights came on and the crowd spilled out into the frigid SoHo air.

Keller Williams continues the tour through the spring and even has dates listed out as far as August. If you’re a fan of funky, upbeat, joyous, explosive tunes and you’d like to come get your barefooted groove on, come out and witness the Keller Williams experience! You’ll be glad you did!

Guster, Ben Folds 5, Barenaked Ladies at Mohegan Sun

Montville CT - 7/19/13

So the 1990's are a long time ago in the rearview. Today we have Drake and Gaga, and Bieber, oh my! But back in the 1990's things were simpler. We had east coast/west coast, we had Biggie and Tupac, and we had a bunch of other great musicians. Musicians which it feels like are increasingly not appreciated for their great contributions to the art. 

So it was with some anticipation that my wife and I sauntered up to the bustling area of the Arena at Mohegan Sun to see alt-rockers Guster, The Ben Folds 5, and the Barenaked Ladies. These acts are largely distinct from one another but they all still know how to rock and roll.

There was a pretty low key opening act who we didn't make it inside in time for. I missed this acts name but the one thing I will say is that "opening act" is supposed to get the audience amped up for the show. This opener was nothing like that. A very subdued and mellow set put me in a decidedly languid mood even from the halls of Mohegan Sun.

Then Guster came out and livened things up. The still filtering in crowd responded in kind. Truthfully I had never been a fan of Guster before but I had many friends who were. However the points in their songs when people inexplicably began growling in anticipation were kind of lost on me. I mean I got it when the tempo picked up and the synth began blaring and people in the audience stood up and flailed about in a possessed trance like state but this music felt more like the symphony for a suicide for depressed girls with low self-esteem than anything else. But I guess we all have different tastes. 

Guster kind of redeemed themselves towards the end of their show when a ukulele and trumpet made an appearance for "What You Call Love." It was a catchy tune and I could see their appeal. "This Could All Be Yours" capped off their set and they left the stage in a thunderous blaze.

One spectator nearby me got up and left the show after they played. He raised his hands to the sky as he walked away and proclaimed "I can cry myself to sleep tonight," with some satisfaction. Like I said we all have distinct tastes.

The Ben Folds 5 came out onstage.

Apparently I am a lot more of a fan of Ben Folds than the Ben Folds 5. Most of their songs this night came from their collective catalog and I didn't recognize most of them. Apparently Ben Folds 5 has a new CD out so this tour is in support of that. They did play their breakout hit "Brick" as well as "Landed." But I felt cast out because I didn't recognize most of their songs. One tune "Song for the Dumped" began with a slap bass which was pretty cool. 

One thing which bugged me out was there was a digital clock on the stage that the audience could see. Ben Folds took that to heart and he counted down the last 2 minutes of the show in a narrative fashion which I appreciated.


Then came the Barenaked Ladies. Surprisingly, Barenaked Ladies still put on a good show despite the absence of former front man Stephen Page. They definitely engaged the crowd, performing both old and new tunes mixed with an abundance of welcomed nonsense & humor. This set was not what I expected, which turned out to be a good thing.

But the whole thing felt a bit truncated which kind of bothered me. I guess it's tough to get tours together that make any money but the demarcated fashion of the show really took me out of it. All in all it was great to see these acts together but I just wish there was some deeper integration.