'Ben' folds

Self-proclaimed nerds and all-around butt-kicking rock trio Ben Folds Five disbanded Tuesday. Following six years together, the deceptively and jokingly named band officially called it quits.\n"The band is splitting on good terms," singer/pianist Ben Folds said in a statement. "We are very proud of our three albums, our little hit and our audience. Now is the time to bow out with dignity rather than to make that final 'cash-in' record and tour which, of course, is very tempting."\nAnd while I agree with Mr. Folds that selling out is the last thing an artist of his and his bandmates' caliber should be doing, I can't necessarily agree that breaking up is necessarily the solution to that problem. Of course, this is an outsider's perspective looking in, but with the artistic merit achieved with the band's final work, the concept album The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, one could only see these artists maturing and progressing toward that one impeccable, master work.\nAccording to rollingstone.com, Folds is holed up in an Australian studio hammering out a new solo album, tentatively scheduled for release in the spring and is also contributing a track entitled "Lonely Christmas Eve" to the soundtrack to "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Drummer Darren Jessee has been toiling with new material for nearly a year and is trying to assemble a new band, and bassist Robert Sledge is also gathering members for another group while producing bands in Chapel Hill, N.C., Ben Folds Five's home.\nUnlike many of their modern rock compatriots, Folds and company had a unique sound driven through the infrequently implemented standing bass and piano, which made them easily discernable and refreshingly different. \nMy only run-in with the band came during the last week of my sophomore year in high school. I saw Ben Folds Five at the Fort Wayne Coliseum, luckily a small enough venue so that my friends and I could actually see and hear the band clearly. It was my first rock concert, and although other bands (who were perfectly good in their own right) played that evening, it was unimportant to me, because I had seen this bizarre trio who played heartfelt and funny songs with magnetism and honesty. I was hooked, both to the band and to live rock music as a whole. I've seen numerous bands since, but none have come close to the sheer energy and entertainment displayed by Ben Folds Five.