Fans be warned, this is the most rudimentary FAQ you will ever read.

So Ben Folds is a person? I thought it was a band?
Yes, Ben Folds is a person.  Ben Folds Five was the name of the band he was in from 1994 - 2000.

Who is Ben Folds?
Ben Folds is a musician who was formerly a member of the piano, bass, and drums trio, Ben Folds Five.  Following the breakup of the band, Ben has begun a solo career including a studio album, a live album, and lots of touring.  There is a  biography of sorts available at his official site.

Did you say Ben Folds FIVE was a TRIO?
Go away.

What does Ben do?
Ben is a singer-songwriter who played all of the instruments on his solo album, Rockin' the Suburbs (2001) (buy it here), although he is known for playing the piano... or slamming his forearm into it, jumping on the keys, or throwing a stool at it.  Throughout the last half of 2001, he toured with a backing band in support of the album.  He is has been touring alone with his piano since early 2002, playing all sorts of material from now and the Ben Folds Five days.  His Oct 8, 2002 release, Ben Folds Live (pre-order it here) is a compilation of recordings from these solo shows.

I get it. You like Ben Folds, but why?
I just do.  When I first heard Ben Folds Five, I liked it right away.  I think the piano caught my attention, and I was drawn to Ben's voice.  The lyrics hooked me, and I liked the way the music made me feel.  But there's so much more.  I've come to respect Ben as a songwriter, a musician, a storyteller, an amazing live performer, and a person.  I can't name a Ben Folds/Five song I don't like, a story that didn't entertain me, or a live show that didn't leave me in awe.   An extremely important factor for a lot of fans is Ben himself.  No fuss. No false pretenses. No fancy car or expensive clothes. No rock star drama. No "image." Just Ben; his songs; his wit; the gracious, down to earth way he interacts with his fans; and elbows on pianos.

Why don't you have any articles on Ben Folds Five; did they suck?
No, they rocked! This site is designed to archive articles on Ben's career after the break up of Ben Folds Five.  There are many great BFF resources online, try the BFF FAQ and BFF Links at benfoldsfive.nodata.org for starters.

Who runs this website?
This is a one woman operation run by me, Laura - otherwise known as "Jane Be Jane" in the Ben Folds online community.  (Perhaps this is where I should thank every single one of you who has taken the time to send me articles, especially Mel and Sarah!)  I'm an American in my mid-twenties, currently living in California, and I've been a fan of Ben Folds +/- Five since 1998.  I am in no way affiliated with Ben Folds, his management, his label, or the official site.

Why did you create this site?
Too much time on my hands. Oh wait... no, it was because I often found myself wanting to refer back to something I thought I read about Ben Folds Five, but I could not find the article.  With Ben starting a solo career, I saw an opportunity to gather links to articles as they became available, hopefully saving myself and others the trouble down the road.

Why don't you have such and such article?
I probably don't know about it; please contact me. There is also a possibility it is no longer or never was available on the web, and I have not (yet?) been able to get permission to reprint it here.  If you're wondering why I just don't host all the articles on this site, the answer is I really don't want to infringe any copyright laws.  With hundreds of articles from hundreds of publications, it would just be asking for trouble.

This is the sorriest FAQ I've ever seen... where can I find more information?
Try these links.  Or read the articles.

Other questions?
Feel free to email me.