I'm sitting here, trying to figure out exactly how to express how much Ben and his music have affected my life over the past ten years, and the magnitude of it is overwhelming. From the moment I heard 'Kate' off of some random mixed tape that a friend had my freshman year of high school, my life was changed forever. I was then destined to follow and care for this man's career. At the time, he was in Ben Folds Five, a band which included the very talented Darren Jesse and Robert Sledge. I learned every word of every song and went to see every show that I could. And then they released The Unauthorized Biography of Rienhold Messner and the melancholy of the music made it obvious that I was looking at the end of an era. Ben decided to move to Australia and pursue a solo career. After a small grudge, I was right back in the swing of things, downloading every bootleg I could find just to hear the piano played in Ben's way- a rock sound that I have never heard duplicated. The stories in his songs inspire, comfort, and challenge me in a way that I have never known any other music to do.
Rather than drone on and on about Ben for hours, which I could do, I will just say this: I had the distinct privilege of being ALMOST front row at his show last night. I am still beaming.
Love you Ben.
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