The Bens
Encyclopedia
The Bens was a rock
supergroup
consisting of Ben Folds
, Ben Kweller
and Ben Lee
when they toured and recorded as a group for their The Bens Rock Over Australia tour in 2003.
They toured Australia
, playing nine concerts, in Sydney
, Melbourne
, Perth
, Brisbane
, Canberra
, Adelaide
, Newcastle
and Surfers Paradise
. A tenth at a Melbourne shopping centre was canceled.
Lee, Folds and Kweller would play individual sets at each concert, but at the beginning and end of each one, all three would play several songs as a band. Two performances were recorded live for the Live at the Wireless
(the Melbourne
concert) and Live at the Basement (one of the Sydney
concerts) radio series.
They recorded a four-track EP, which was initially only sold at venues, but was some months later released in Australia
and overseas. Several live tracks from the two radio recordings were included on the Japan
ese release. One track from the original EP, "Just Pretend", made it into the Triple J Hottest 100, 2003
.
In 2003, they also contributed a track, "Wicked Little Town
", to Wig in a Box
, a tribute album to the Hedwig and the Angry Inch
.
Though various combinations of the three have toured together at various times, they have not reformed as a group, and have not recorded any more material. Although rumors of a United States
or United Kingdom
tour persisted for more than a year afterward, these have largely subsided.
In a brief interview after a show in Raleigh, NC on July 31, 2010, Ben Kweller confirmed that "The Bens" would be performing as a group on an upcoming European Tour.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
consisting of Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
, Ben Kweller
Ben Kweller
Ben Kweller is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.-Early life:Ben Kweller was born in San Francisco, CA in 1981. In 1982, his family relocated to Emory, Texas, where his father, Howard Kweller, became the town's first doctor. In 1986, the Kwellers moved to a much larger city,...
and Ben Lee
Ben Lee
Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
when they toured and recorded as a group for their The Bens Rock Over Australia tour in 2003.
They toured Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, playing nine concerts, in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
and Surfers Paradise
Surfers Paradise, Queensland
Surfers Paradise is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Surfers Paradise had a population of 18,501....
. A tenth at a Melbourne shopping centre was canceled.
Lee, Folds and Kweller would play individual sets at each concert, but at the beginning and end of each one, all three would play several songs as a band. Two performances were recorded live for the Live at the Wireless
Live at the Wireless
Live at the Wireless is a radio show, and now a long standing tradition, of Triple J, an Australian radio station. Live music is one of the central philosophies of the station....
(the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
concert) and Live at the Basement (one of the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
concerts) radio series.
They recorded a four-track EP, which was initially only sold at venues, but was some months later released in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and overseas. Several live tracks from the two radio recordings were included on the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese release. One track from the original EP, "Just Pretend", made it into the Triple J Hottest 100, 2003
Triple J Hottest 100, 2003
The 2003 Triple J Hottest 100, announced on 26 January 2004, was the eleventh such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. As in previous years, a CD featuring 40 songs was released. A DVD, containing film clips of songs...
.
In 2003, they also contributed a track, "Wicked Little Town
Wicked Little Town
"Wicked Little Town" is a song from the off-Broadway musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and the subsequent film adaptation. Composed by Stephen Trask, the song is a poetic reflection on the doomed love between two of the characters, Hedwig and Tommy Gnosis.-Summary and context:The original song is...
", to Wig in a Box
Wig in a Box
Wig In A Box: Songs from & Inspired by Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a charity tribute album featuring versions of songs from the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch...
, a tribute album to the Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a rock musical about a fictional rock and roll band fronted by an East German transgender singer. The text is by John Cameron Mitchell, and the music and lyrics are by Stephen Trask. The musical premiered in 1998 and has been performed throughout the world in hundreds...
.
Though various combinations of the three have toured together at various times, they have not reformed as a group, and have not recorded any more material. Although rumors of a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
or United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tour persisted for more than a year afterward, these have largely subsided.
In a brief interview after a show in Raleigh, NC on July 31, 2010, Ben Kweller confirmed that "The Bens" would be performing as a group on an upcoming European Tour.
Discography
- The BensThe Bens (EP)The Bens is the only release by the trio The Bens, consisting of Ben Folds, Ben Lee, and Ben Kweller. Released in 2003, the 3,500 original pressings were only available at concerts but quickly sold out. It was some months later re-released on Internet stores. "Just Pretend" was voted number 52 in...
(EP, 2003) - Wig in a BoxWig in a BoxWig In A Box: Songs from & Inspired by Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a charity tribute album featuring versions of songs from the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch...
(Compilation, 2003) - "Wicked Little TownWicked Little Town"Wicked Little Town" is a song from the off-Broadway musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and the subsequent film adaptation. Composed by Stephen Trask, the song is a poetic reflection on the doomed love between two of the characters, Hedwig and Tommy Gnosis.-Summary and context:The original song is...
"