BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A piano man will be rockin’ the suburbs — and the city — when he performs at Wind Creek Event Center this spring.
Singer-songwriter-composer Ben Folds will perform “Ben Folds and a Piano” from a catalogue spanning decades of genre-bending music, including hits from Ben Folds Five, solo performances and multiple collaborations, at 8 p.m. April 20.
Tickets, at $49-$75, are on sale now at the event center website.
“Well, I love that I don't hate it, you know?”Piano-pop singer-songwriter Ben Folds, about his new album, "What Matters Most"
Folds’ most recent album, “What Matters Most,” saw the pre-eminent piano-pop star return to his familiar sound after sabbaticals featuring a return to his old band, a string-laden release and an album with lyrics written by author Nick Hornsby.
In an interview with NPR’s Juana Summers, Folds reflected on his personal experiences with anonymity in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
He said he initially had no plans to release an album, being occupied by orchestral work and his nonprofit organization.
“But I started feeling like some of the ways I had felt that I could musically express and package the ideas and feelings I'd been having over all the lockdown time was something that required a lot of craft and experience," Folds said.
"You know, I was like, I can make something no one else could make — I mean, in the same way as no one else has my face — you know? Like, not Superman stuff.”
The result is an intriguing collection of story-songs Folds regards as one of his best releases in nearly 25 years.
“Well, I love that I don't hate it, you know?” he said when asked what he enjoyed most about the record.
Starting in the 1980s
Ever a fan of offering up humorous, astute observations about life in general with an emotional impact that hits right in the gut — “Brick” is such as tearjerker — Folds has been rather busy even if he hasn’t consistently put out new releases.
He released a memoir, “A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons,” in 2019; teaches piano via Zoom; does podcasting; composed for film, television and theater; and serves as Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Folds became a professional musician in the late 1980s. His Ben Folds Five came together in 1994 and released its self-titled debut with a distinct indie-pop element.
It was 1997’s “Whatever and Ever Amen” that produced numerous hit singles, including “Song for the Dumped,” “Battle of Who Could Care Less” and perhaps its most notable track, “Brick.”Ben Folds' recording history
But it was 1997’s “Whatever and Ever Amen” that produced numerous hit singles, including “Song for the Dumped,” “Battle of Who Could Care Less” and perhaps its most notable track, “Brick.”
Solo efforts including “Rockin’ the Suburbs” continued to establish Folds as an artist of humor and heart.
As a longtime advocate for the arts and music education funding, Folds created “Keys For Keys,” a music education charity initiative in his home state of North Carolina. It provides funding and keyboards to nonprofits that offer free or affordable music lessons to school-aged children.
Folds also is an active member of Americans For The Arts and the Arts Action Funds.
