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In the wake of the tragic events of last week, I attempted to put my mind at ease and take in a little live music this past Saturday. While at the Ben Folds concert at the Avalon in Boston, I was reminded of a conversation I recently had with a couple friends. The topic, one I’m sure we’ve all considered at one point or another, what is a jamband? Is a jamband a band that has long instrumental passages, building to a climax over a sparse chord progression? Or is it a group that brings together a range of influences from jazz to classical to electronica to create something completely unique? Or is it a group that’s doing something so totally different you just don’t know what to call it? Along the same lines you could probably ask how do bands like Ween, Frank Zappa or Steely Dan fit into the scene- none of which are known for extended mind altering jams, but all have been cited as influences by many of the bands that are currently being labeled "jambands."
Enter Ben Folds. He may keep his songs on the shorter side, but maybe there’s more to being a jamband than jamming.
When I walked into the Avalon on Saturday, I knew what to expect. I was lucky enough to catch Ben on three separate occasions back when he was with the Ben Folds Five. The shows did vary in terms of setlists, but they all followed a similar pattern. They played the hits and the hits that never were, back to back and covered a wide range of their catalogue at a pace of twenty tunes per night.
So it was no surprise when Ben kept most of his tunes under the four minute mark, firing off a slew of tunes from his new album in the first set. The new band is a four piece; with guitar, bass, drums and Ben on piano. All three supporting members added a lot of help in the vocal department. In addition, the guitar and bass player played the role of multi-instrumentalists, providing added keyboard work where needed. The set opened with "Not the Same," a straight ahead rock tune off Rockin the Suburbs. This was quickly followed by "Zak and Sara," which came off like a late 70’s TV show theme with some quirky synth work provided by the bassist. The set was building in intensity, and Ben decided to kick it up one more notch, jumping into my personal favorite from the new album, "Fired." "Fired" is a page straight out of the Ben Folds Five song book, complete with distorted bass line and falsetto harmonies. The set continued on with more new material, "Annie Waits" was played to perfection, even without the string section accents found on the studio recording.
"The Ascent of Stan" tells the familiar story of a hippie turned corporate, in which Ben proclaims "you wanted revolution, now you’re the institution. It’s no fun to be the man, how’s it feel to be the man?" For this song, each band member played a keyboard (with the exception of a drummer) as they recreated the techno feel found on the studio version. In a set full of new material, the crowd at points didn’t seem to know what to do with itself. The audience was extremely attentive, but I’m guessing most people were hearing the bulk of this material for the first time. The new material kept coming, but drifting away from the album, Ben told the story of a karaoke supernova in "Hiro’s Song." The song tells the story of a man named Hiro who takes his girlfriend to a concert only to lose her to the band’s drum programmer. Another new tune I’ll refer to as "The Mommy Song" had a punk rock sound reminiscent of "Julianne" from the Ben Folds Five’s debut album.
For the title track from the new album, "Rockin the Suburbs," Ben strapped on one of those over the shoulder electronic synths and stepped up to the front of the stage. He made a comment before launching into the tune that the song was deemed not appropriate for modern rock radio in Boston, which doesn’t shock me. I listen to the radio a lot and have yet to hear the song played, which is disappointing because it makes fun of all the crap that clogs our airwaves ("some producer with computers fixes all my shitty tracks").
The band took a brief break, and then Ben reemerged to perform several solo numbers. He picked three classics from the Ben Folds Five library; "Best Imitation of Myself," "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces," and "Philosophy." "Philosophy" proved to be a highlight of the night, with the crowd chiming in on the harmony parts that were covered by Darren and Robert in the past. Then Ben called the band back out for one last tune. They launched into the Ben Folds Five live staple "Song For the Dumped," which ended up being the most jammed out song of the night. Clocking in at around the 7 minute mark, the song featured some nice improv between all band members. By 9:45, the show was finished, a little short by my clock, but overall well worth it.
So back to the question above, "What is a jamband?" Maybe a jamband is anyone person or group that is making "good music." Its up to you to determine what "good music" may be. From a songwriting perspective, I think a lot of jambands could learn something from Ben. From a performance perspective, I think Ben could learn a lot from the jambands scene, and I’d love to see him get involved in it in some way. Check out Ben when he comes to your town.
Jamie Bacheller
Go See Live Music!
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