REUNITED BEN FOLDS FIVE DELIVERING The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind, FIRST NEW ALBUM IN 13 YEARS

Grassroots Direct-To-Fans Initiative Kicks Off Worldwide Release on ImaVeePee Records / Sony Music Entertainment September 18

PR Newswire
NEW YORK
07/16/2012

NEW YORK, July 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ben Folds Five, the groundbreaking pop trio who changed the course of indie rock in the mid-1990s, is releasing The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind, the group's first album of new music in 13 years. The music's genesis took place via a successful grassroots direct-to-fans campaign on PledgeMusic, where artists and fans work together with charities to create albums and other projects.

The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind will be released worldwide on ImaVeePee Records/Sony Music Entertainment on September 18. Fans who've participated in the PledgeMusic campaign will receive an exclusive early delivery of the album.

The new Ben Folds Five tracks premiering on The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind include: "Erase Me"; "Michael Praytor, Five Years Later"; "Sky High"; "The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind"; "On Being Frank"; "Draw A Crowd"; "Do It Anyway"; "Hold That Thought"; "Away When You Were Here"; and "Thank You For Breaking My Heart".

A portion of the funds generated by album sales, and other BFF items ordered by fans through PledgeMusic, will be used to support Music Education and Music Therapy, a charity personally chosen by Ben Folds Five. PledgeMusic builds a charitable component into each of the campaigns running under its auspices.

Ben Folds Five--Ben Folds (piano), Robert Sledge (bass) and Darren Jessee (drums)--launched in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1994. The trio's high energy gigs garnering an intensely loyal fanbase, BFF signed first with an indie before a move to the majors wrought 1997's watershed Whatever And Ever Amen. A slice of pure pop perfection, the album introduced the ballad "Brick," broke the band commercially and sold more than two million copies worldwide. BFF recorded its last album, 1999's The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner, which included the single "Army," before disbanding in 2000. (The trio reunited for a one-off live performance of The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner on MySpace in 2008).

In 2011, the original three members of Ben Folds Five came together to record three new studio tracks for The Best Imitation Of Myself: A Retrospective, a career-spanning Ben Folds anthology. The band's magic rekindled in the new tracks, BFF gave its first concert in more than a decade to a spellbound audience at New York's Mountain Jam Festival on June 2, 2012. In the wake of the group's triumphal return at Mountain Jam, the group performed a short run of key US summer festival dates including Bonnaroo, Milwaukee Summerfest, and Old St. Patrick's Church Block Party in Chicago.

BFF will return to the road this fall with a major North American tour, including a gig at New York's Central Park on September 14, with dates in the UK, Ireland and Australia to follow. More dates in the Ben Folds Five 2012-2013 tour itinerary TBA.

    September 13 Holyoke, MA          Mountain Park Amphitheatre
    September 14 New York, NY         Central Park Rumsey Playground
    September 16 Cary, NC             Koka Booth Amphitheatre
    September 18 Atlanta, GA          Tabernacle
    September 19 North Charleston, SC  North Charleston Performing Arts
                                       Center
    September 21 Pensacola Beach, FL  DeLuna Fest
    September 23 Dallas, TX           Palladium Ballroom
    September 24 Austin, TX           Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheatre
    September 25 Houston, TX          Bayou Music Center
    September 28 Kansas City, MO      Starlight

    October 2    Detroit, MI          The Fillmore Detroit
    October 5    Buffalo, NY          Kleinhas

    November 10  Melbourne, Australia Harvest Festival - Werribee Park
    November 17  Sydney, Australia     Harvest Festival -Parramatta
                                       Park
    November 18  Brisbane, Australia   Harvest Festival -Botanic
                                       Gardens
    November 23  Bristol, England     O2 Academy
    November 24  Nottingham, England  Rock City
    November 26  Dublin, Ireland      Vicar Street
    November 29  Manchester, England  O2 Apollo
    November 30  Glasgow, Scotland    O2 Academy

    December 1   Leeds, England       O2 Academy
    December 3   Birmingham, England  O2 Academy
    December 4   London, England      O2 Academy Brixton
    December 5   London, England      O2 Academy Brixton

For ticket information on all shows, please visit http://tix.concertmaps.com/benfolds/

For more tour information, please visit www.BenFoldsFive.com

About PledgeMusic

PledgeMusic is a full-service company offering a direct-to-fan system that maximizes an artist's exposure, getting their music out to the world while engaging fans through exclusives and a level of behind-the-scenes access they wouldn't otherwise receive. Launched in 2009 by independent musician Benji Rogers, PledgeMusic works with a wide range of artists from acts just starting out to more well-known bands on labels. Successful campaigns include Rachael Yamagata, Rhett Miller, The Libertines, Juliana Hatfield, Luscious Jackson, David Lynch Foundation Music, The Damnwells, Funeral for a Friend, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, Madi Diaz, The Lumineers, Kopecky Family Band and more. The platform has generated six Top 40 albums and is currently launching and releasing two albums per day.

SOURCE ImaVeePee Records/Sony Music Entertainment

SOURCE: ImaVeePee Records/Sony Music Entertainment

REUNITED BEN FOLDS FIVE DELIVERING The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind, FIRST NEW ALBUM IN 13 YEARS
Grassroots Direct-To-Fans Initiative Kicks Off Worldwide Release on ImaVeePee Records / Sony Music Entertainment September 18

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, July 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ben Folds Five, the groundbreaking pop trio who changed the course of indie rock in the mid-1990s, is releasing The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind, the group's first album of new music in 13 years.  The music's genesis took place via a successful grassroots direct-to-fans campaign on PledgeMusic, where artists and fans work together with charities to create albums and other projects.

The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind will be released worldwide on ImaVeePee Records/Sony Music Entertainment on September 18.  Fans who've participated in the PledgeMusic campaign will receive an exclusive early delivery of the album.

The new Ben Folds Five tracks premiering on The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind include: "Erase Me"; "Michael Praytor, Five Years Later"; "Sky High"; "The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind"; "On Being Frank"; "Draw A Crowd"; "Do It Anyway"; "Hold That Thought"; "Away When You Were Here"; and "Thank You For Breaking My Heart".

A portion of the funds generated by album sales, and other BFF items ordered by fans through PledgeMusic, will be used to support Music Education and Music Therapy, a charity personally chosen by Ben Folds Five.  PledgeMusic builds a charitable component into each of the campaigns running under its auspices.

Ben Folds Five--Ben Folds (piano), Robert Sledge (bass) and Darren Jessee (drums)--launched in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1994.  The trio's high energy gigs garnering an intensely loyal fanbase, BFF signed first with an indie before a move to the majors wrought 1997's watershed Whatever And Ever Amen.  A slice of pure pop perfection, the album introduced the ballad "Brick," broke the band commercially and sold more than two million copies worldwide.  BFF recorded its last album, 1999's The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner, which included the single "Army," before disbanding in 2000.  (The trio reunited for a one-off live performance of The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner on MySpace in 2008).

In 2011, the original three members of Ben Folds Five came together to record three new studio tracks for The Best Imitation Of Myself: A Retrospective, a career-spanning Ben Folds anthology. The band's magic rekindled in the new tracks, BFF gave its first concert in more than a decade to a spellbound audience at New York's Mountain Jam Festival on June 2, 2012. In the wake of the group's triumphal return at Mountain Jam, the group performed a short run of key US summer festival dates including Bonnaroo, Milwaukee Summerfest, and Old St. Patrick's Church Block Party in Chicago.

BFF will return to the road this fall with a major North American tour, including a gig at New York's Central Park on September 14, with dates in the UK, Ireland and Australia to follow.  More dates in the Ben Folds Five 2012-2013 tour itinerary TBA.

September 13

Holyoke, MA                                      

Mountain Park Amphitheatre

September 14 

New York, NY                               

Central Park Rumsey Playground

September 16 

Cary, NC                                            

Koka Booth Amphitheatre

September 18 

Atlanta, GA                                       

Tabernacle

September 19 

North Charleston, SC                        

North Charleston Performing Arts Center

September 21

Pensacola Beach, FL                          

DeLuna Fest

September 23 

Dallas, TX                                          

Palladium Ballroom

September 24 

Austin, TX                                         

Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheatre

September 25 

Houston, TX                                      

Bayou Music Center

September 28 

Kansas City, MO                               

Starlight




October 2       

Detroit, MI                                         

The Fillmore Detroit

October 5       

Buffalo, NY                                       

Kleinhas




November 10 

Melbourne, Australia                         

Harvest Festival - Werribee Park

November 17 

Sydney, Australia                              

Harvest Festival - Parramatta Park

November 18 

Brisbane, Australia                             

Harvest Festival - Botanic Gardens

November 23 

Bristol, England                                 

O2 Academy

November 24 

Nottingham, England                        

Rock City

November 26 

Dublin, Ireland                                   

Vicar Street

November 29 

Manchester, England                         

O2 Apollo

November 30 

Glasgow, Scotland                             

O2 Academy




December 1    

Leeds, England                                  

O2 Academy

December 3    

Birmingham, England                        

O2 Academy

December 4    

London, England                               

O2 Academy Brixton

December 5    

London, England                               

O2 Academy Brixton

For ticket information on all shows, please visit http://tix.concertmaps.com/benfolds/

For more tour information, please visit www.BenFoldsFive.com

About PledgeMusic

PledgeMusic is a full-service company offering a direct-to-fan system that maximizes an artist's exposure, getting their music out to the world while engaging fans through exclusives and a level of behind-the-scenes access they wouldn't otherwise receive. Launched in 2009 by independent musician Benji Rogers, PledgeMusic works with a wide range of artists from acts just starting out to more well-known bands on labels. Successful campaigns include Rachael Yamagata, Rhett Miller, The Libertines, Juliana Hatfield, Luscious Jackson, David Lynch Foundation Music, The Damnwells, Funeral for a Friend, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, Madi Diaz, The Lumineers, Kopecky Family Band and more. The platform has generated six Top 40 albums and is currently launching and releasing two albums per day.

SOURCE ImaVeePee Records/Sony Music Entertainment

CONTACT: Tom Cording, Sony Music Entertainment, +1-212-833-4448, tom.cording@sonymusic.com

Web Site: http://www.BenFoldsFive.com