''I wanted to do something that wasn't cliche-phobic, so I started a piano-bass-drums band,'' shrugs Ben Folds, leader of the Ben Folds Five. Tinkling the baby grand that dominates his ramshackle Chapel Hill, N.C., home studio, he explains the unorthodox lineup that's his group's trademark. ''Without guitars, we had to hit hard enough so you can tell it's rock. But I knew my style of piano playing'' -- Folds has been known to bang out chords with his feet and dive headfirst into his keyboard -- ''could fill up the space.''
While the Five (actually a trio -- ''alliteration just sounds better'') eschews traditional rock instrumentation, they nonetheless drew attention with the indie hit ''Underground'' off their eponymous 1995 debut album. An infectious lampoon of indie-rock elitism dressed up as a show tune, ''Underground'' depicts a world where even ''Officer Friendly's son's got a Mohawk''; in an ironic twist, the success of ''Underground'' found major labels begging Folds to join the alternative nation. While Sony 550 won the bidding war -- resulting in Folds' just released follow-up, Whatever And Ever Amen -- don't expect any concessions to the grunge-of-the-month club. For inspiration, Folds prefers melodic sources like Elton John and My Fair Lady to the noise du jour. ''I like what I consider correct songwriting,'' he admits, ''something with melody and heart.''
This earnest sincerity has caused the media to dub Folds the king of nerd-rock, although he pulls no punches on Whatever, combining Queen's operatic bombast with barbs worthy of Elvis Costello. ''We care about what we're doing, and you're not supposed to,'' he declares with pride. ''[These days] just having a short-haired piano player front your band is enough to get you labeled geeks.''
