ben-folds-dream-about-lightning-bugs

Ben Folds preps new memoir, doing book events during tours w/ Violent Femmes & CAKE

Ben Folds lugged a baby grand around the country in a van, has been a judge on NBC’s The Sing-Off, and was named the first-ever artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in 2017. Which is to say, he’s had some pretty unique life experiences, and he’s written about them in a new memoir he now has on the way, titled A Dream About Lightning Bugs and out July 30 via Ballantine. Here’s the synopsis:

A native of North Carolina, Folds writes that as an infant his cradle was a cardboard box, while his family’s mode of transportation was a doorless convertible jeep, where a 4-month-old Ben would sit in catapult position. He discovered his love of the piano in second grade, and from there we follow his journey to becoming the musician he wanted to be.

Along the way there are great lessons – supportive music teachers pushing him, dropping out of college to start a real band (*drums were thrown into a lake at the University of Miami*). He puts it all out there, writing about the bad – a botched SNL performance where he couldn’t even enjoy hanging out with Samuel L. Jackson at the after party; and the good – he and two other young men eventually forming Ben Folds Five. He paid his dues (*his polka career never quite took off*), while never giving up on his dream. A DREAM ABOUT LIGHTNING BUGS is as humorous as it is poignant, as observant/revelatory as it is compulsively readable.

Ben is on tour this summer, first with Violent Femmes and then with CAKE, and most of those shows have VIP meet-and-greets with book signings. He’s also got a few book in-stores, like at NYC’s Cooper Union Auditorium on July 31. Tickets are on sale to attend, and there’s also an option to add a signed copy of A Dream About Lightning Bugs to your order.

Right after that, Ben Folds and Violent Femmes play NYC’s The Rooftop at Pier 17 on August 1 and NJ’s Stone Pony Summer Stage on August 2. Tickets for those shows are on sale now.

Ben Folds – 2019/2010 Tour Dates
Jul 20, 2019 – Henham Park, Suffolk, UK – Latitude Festival
Jul 28, 2019 – Uncasville CT – Mohegan Sun Arena (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Jul 29, 2019 – Selbyville DE – The Freeman Stage at Bayside (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Jul 30, 2019 – Washington DC – The Anthem (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Jul 31, 2019 – New York, NY – The Cooper Union Auditorium (Q&A and book signing)
Aug 1, 2019 –  NYC – The Rooftop @ Pier 17 (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Aug 2, 2019 – Asbury Park NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Aug 3, 2019 – Boston MA – Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Aug 4, 2019 – Providence RI – Bold Point Park (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Aug 5, 2019 – Pittsburgh PA – First Unitarian Church
Q&A and book signing by Ben Folds hosted by White Whale Bookstore
Aug 6, 2019 – Pittsburgh PA – Stage AE (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Aug 7, 2019 – Winston-Salem NC – R.J. Reynolds Auditorium (Q&A and book signing)
Aug 8, 2019 – Charlotte NC – Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Aug 9, 2019 – Nashville TN – Ascend Amphitheater (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Aug 9, 2019 – Nashville TN – Downtown Public Library (Book signing)
Aug 10, 2019 – Indianapolis IN – Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Aug 11, 2019 – Rochester Hills MI – Meadow Brook Amphitheatre (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Aug 12, 2019 – Ann Arbor MI – The Blind Pig (Q&A and book signing)
Aug 14, 2019 – Minneapolis MN – Surly Brewing (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Aug 15, 2019 – Des Moines IA – Water Works Park Amphitheater (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Aug 16, 2019 – Kansas City MO – Starlight Theatre (Ben Folds & Violent Femmes)
Aug 16, 2019 – Kansas City MO – Unity Temple on the Plaza (Q&A and book signing)
Aug 24, 2019 – Sydney AU – St. Stephen’s Anglican Church (Q&A and book signing)
Aug 26, 2019 – Brisbane AU – Brisbane Powerhouse (Q&A and book signing)
Aug 28, 2019 – Adelaide AU – Hall L Adelaide Convention Centre (Q&A and book signing)
Aug 31, 2019 – Melbourne AU – Athenaeum Theatre (Q&A and book signing)
Sep 5, 2019 – Missoula MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater (Ben Folds & CAKE)
Sep 6, 2019 – Redmond, WA – Marymoor Park Concerts (Ben Folds & CAKE)
Sep 7, 2019 – Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater (Ben Folds & CAKE)
Sep 8, 2019 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheatre (Ben Folds & CAKE)
Sep 10, 2019 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Ben Folds & CAKE)
Sep 11, 2019 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center (Ben Folds & CAKE)
Sep 12, 2019 – San Francisco CA – Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (Q&A and book signing)
Sep 13, 2019 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre (Ben Folds & CAKE)
Sep 14, 2019 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre (Ben Folds & CAKE)
Sep 15, 2019 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre (Ben Folds & CAKE)
Sep 16, 2019 – Los Angeles, CA – Book Soup (Q&A and book signing)
Sep 18, 2019 – Austin, TX – Austin360 Amphitheater (Ben Folds & CAKE)
Sep 19, 2019 – Grand Prairie, TX – Verizon Center at Grand Prairie (Ben Folds & CAKE)
Sep 21, 2019 – Dallas TX – Dallas Museum of Art (Q&A and book signing)
Oct 4, 2019 – Memphis TN – The Levitt Shell
Feb 13, 2020 St. Louis, MO – Powell Hall (Ben Folds & St. Louis Symphony Orchestra)
Feb 22, 2020 – Toledo, OH – Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle (Ben Folds and the Toledo Symphony)
May 8, 2020 Rochester, NY – Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre (Ben Folds & Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra)