Ben Folds talked to BuzzFeed about making a record for all the right reasons.
Ben Folds Five is back together and recording new material after a 12-year hiatus. "I think we all just had to live some," says Folds, who released 5 solo albums while the band was taking a break. But the music industry has also changed a lot since he was recording with bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee — so much so that the band decided to release the as-yet-unnamed album on their own, without a label. I recently spoke with Folds about the process of making the album, his faithful fans and his embrace of social media to promote his music.
What about right now made it more realistic for you guys to get back together to start creating again?
I think we all just had to live some. When we started making the record and were listening to what was happening, we all knew we couldn't have made that kind of record without that insanely drawn out break. You know, 12 years between records is a pretty big deal. That time allowed me to make the records I had to make. I wrote stuff I would have never written with the band. By the time we came back together, I felt like I had done my thing. I think that's important because I wouldn't want to be making a record and thinking in the back of my head, "Man, I'd like this set to an orchestra" or, "I could do this with Ben Lee and Ben Kweller" or, "I'd like to do this with Nick Hornby."
We maybe could have made four or five albums between then and now, and they probably would have been variations on things I was writing anyway. But this one's pretty special, and sometimes that's just obvious when you're making a record. It seems effortless. It's the first time I can ever remember thinking to myself or even asking, "Should we…go back in there and turn this down some?" I don't think its going to translate as insane, out in the real world. I think its just going to be an energetic record.
