Ben Folds, musician, and Nick Hornby, writer, are teaming up to record a new album that is set to be released sometime later in the year. It’s isn’t uncommon in pop and rock music for the lyrics and music responsibilities to be divided. Many of the the lyrics to some of Elton John’s greatest hit songs were composed by Bernie Taupin. However it’s rare when a novelist gets involved. Hornby isn’t any old novelist of course. He is well known for having music fans. His rock music also plays a prominent role in his novels “Juliet, Naked” and “High Fidelity.”

The idea was formed by the two over dinner, with album rumors dating to 2008. However after that dinner they were never inside the same room together over the course of the project. Folds would receive lyrics from Hornby and then go to work on the music. There was some back and forth via email and the telephone.

In an interview with Paste Magazine, Folds discussed composing the music. He said, if the lyrics on their own were loud enough, they didn’t need any help from me. I was forced to be very selfless. I could look at it as Nick Hornby and Ben Folds and make sure my music got some attention too. Or I could approach it as this needs to tell the story. If someone ends up saying, the song made cry, but the music though was really stupid. It was boring and simple. Well great. Awesome. If they laughed or cried, or the lyrics moved them, even if sometimes it was thankless, I did whatever I thought it would take. There were other times when lots of music was required. I would sometimes feel like I was returning to music school to do things I hadn’t needed to do in quite some time. Things that were contrapuntally and musically very intense. I ran the gamut kind of from being the simplest I have ever been to going to Shostakovitch for some of the songs.

Folds said my mission was to ensure the lyrics spoke. It wasn’t always necessarily the way that Nick wanted them the words to speak. It make the collaboration an interesting one.

Pianist, songwriter and singer Ben Folds, who is fresh off his recent stint as a judge on a talent show on NBC, has lined some headlining dates up for next month to continue his support of “Way to Normal,” his album from 2008.

The outing will kick off in Myrtle Beach, SC on March 13 and visit 11 cities in the southern US. It will include an appearance on March 25 in Raleigh, NC, where the North Carolina Symphony will back him. Last fall Folds appeared with several symphonies including in Boston with the Boston Pops and Washington D.C. with National Symphony Orchestra.

Folds is continuing to support “Way to Normal,” his third solo set, which was released in 2008. It made it to No. 11 on Billboard’s 200 chart. “You Don’t Know Me,” the lead track that featured Regina Spektor, hit Triple A radio’s Top 30. The song along with a few others are streaming on the MySpace page of Folds.

Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello) produced “Way to Normal.” It features Folds along with drummer Sam Smith and bassist Jared Reynolds.

“Ben Folds Presents University A Capella” was released by Folds last spring. It’s a compilation of Ben Fold songs performed by US college vocal troupes. In December Folds was a judge along with Shawn Stockman and Nicole Scherzinger on “The Sing Off,” an a capella competition program on NBC. The series was four parts long and featured eight different a capella groups who performed popular songs to compete for a $100,000 grand prize.

Ben Folds will be following up his scheduled Lollapalooza appearance this summer by sitting at his piano with a few of the leading symphony orchestras in the country.

On September 24, the quirky songwriter/singer will be appearing in Washington, DC with National Symphony Orchestra, on October 2 in Boston with Boston Pops, and October 31 with Minneapolis Orchestra in Minneapolis. In 2005-2006 Folds toured with symphony orchestras. In 2007 he also played with Boston Pops.

Folds is continuing to support “Way to Normal,” his third album released in September. It hit the No. 11 spot on Billboard’s 200. “You Don’t Know Me,” the lead track on the album that features Regina Spektor made Triple A radio’s Top 30 list. That single along was a few others off the album can be found streaming on the MySpace page of Ben Folds.

Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello) was the producer of “Way to Normal.” The set features Ben Folds on piano and vocals, Sam Smith on drums and Jared Reynolds on bass.

In April “Ben Folds Presents University A Cappella” was released by Folds. It’s a compilation of different Folds songs being performed by US college vocal troupes. Folds said to NPR.com that in the process he gained a new appreciation for that genre.

Folds said, I can play chords on piano or guitar that falls into my hands, however that doesn’t mean I know always what I am doing. When arranging for a capella you need to understand theory, chords and voice leading. Everybody that’s part of the group needs to understand. It is very cerebral. It’s performed live. It’s truly an event which is how music should be.

A brief winter outing by Ben Folds has expanded to now include over a dozen dates over the eastern part of the US as well as Canada.

The theater and club outing will be kicking off in Princeton, NY on February 11 and now continues through March 1. Since last check an additional nine cities have been scheduled, including Atlanta, Cincinnati and Baltimore.

Miniature Tigers, a geek rocker up and coming band, will be opening the shows for Folds. The band from Phoenix released “Tell It To the Volcano,” their debut album, on iTunes. This spring the set will be out in stores.

Fold is continuing to support “Way to Normal,” the third solo album of his career. It was released in September and landed on Billboard’s 200 chart in the No. 11 spot. “You Don’t Know Me,” the lead track that features Regina Spektor, made the Top 30 list for Triple A radio. The single along with a few others are streaming on the MySpace page for Ben Folds.

Dennis Herring, who has also worked with Modest Mouse and Elvis Costello was the producer for “Way to Normal.” The album features Ben Folds on piano and vocals, Jared Reynolds on bass and Sam Smith on drums. Last summer the musicians tricked their fans by leaking a fake album version over the internet.

Folds said, we wrote songs that were completely new around the titles. We basically wrote the lyrics in the airport and on the airplane while we were on our way to the UK from the continent.

Then the band booked a studio and for eight to ten hours recorded, then mixed and mastered the set before immediately releasing it to the internet.

Folds said, people were really confused. Fans started to figure out that it was bull. We were able to see people react.

Folds also said that there were some fake tunes rivaling the real album songs. The joke tracks are available to Folds fan club members on a two disc set that was recently released called “Way to Normal: Stems and Seeds.”

Ben Folds Five on September 18 will be reuniting to kick off their new music program sponsored by MySpace called “Front to Back.” According to a recent press release, the series will be featuring first class artists performing a seminal album of theirs live in concert. Later “Front to Back” will rebroadcast it on the official MySpace profile.

Ben Folds Five are scheduled to perform “The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner,” their last studio album” in its entirety in Chapel Hill, NC, former hometown of the band, at UNC Memorial Hall. It will be the first live show for the band in almost ten years.

In October the online concert will be aired. It will include interviews with members of the band as well as artists who were influenced and inspired by the album.

On September 8, tickets for the Ben Folds Five recording will be going on sale through etix.com. In the months ahead, more “Front to Back” performances will be announced.

Ben Folds, with his headlining tour to back his new album underway, has devised a plan for helping fans that aren’t able to see him this fall playing live still be able to hear his performances.

Folds, who continues the outing in Fort Wayne, IN on October 3, will be recording one track in 10 difference cities during the tour. Then the next day he will release them through the Apple iTunes Music Store.

Tracks will be recorded onto a Mac, then they will be previewed using an iPod. Folds will then make original cover art using the Photo Booth application from Apple and sent the next day to be put up for sale on iTunes. Once the tour has ended a live album that contains all of the 10 songs will be put together and then sold through iTunes exclusively.

Folds is touring to support “Way to Normal,” his latest studio album. The set was released last month. Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello) was the producer. The album features Ben Folds on piano and vocals, Jared Reynolds playing bass, and Sam Smith playing drums. Regina Spektor is a guest vocalist appearing on “You Don’t Know Me,” the first single from the album.

In July Folds intentionally leaked a “Way to Normal” incomplete version to the internet which consisted of some alternative versions of songs appearing on the new album as well as some melodramatic tracks. Fans of Folds argued online about how true the leak was. During an interview with Triple J Radio in Australia, Folds admitted the fake album version had been leaked as a joke he played on his fans.

Songwriter and singer Ben Folds said working in the studio two years after his divorce felt like popping open a champagne bottle after shaking for 18 months. Frenzied, perky and snarky, the third album from Folds, “Way to Normal,” celebrates him returning to his old self and his newly found freedom.

A frequently goofy, giddy, and intellectual mix of pop sing along tunes, ballads and raucous key pounding, “Way to Normal” displays the vast array of emotions and moods that Folds is able to articulate. At times they come in the same song. Making fun of crazy women, faux New Agers and himself as well, Founds sounds uncensored and refreshingly open.

His sincere tenor vocals, wit and up tempo melodies create the perfect blend of jabs, jokes, optimism and poetic sincerity. Regina Spektor, the quirky indie star, accompanies Folds on “You Don’t Know Me.” The song is a touching meditation regarding lovers who come to the realization that they don’t know some of the most important things when it comes to each other. It’s one of the album’s most sobering and poignant songs.

The sheer somberness and elegant piano chords of “Cologne” almost cover up the random lyrics, such as when Folds makes reference to the former astronaut driving 18 hours while wearing a diaper and then killing her husband. The song “Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)” recalls an incident Folds encountered in Japan when he fell of the stage, landing on his head. “Bitch Went Nuts” is the boldest part of the album. It’s a funny, fast paced track promising mainstream appeal concerning dumped guys everywhere. Folds almost booted that song off the album because he used the word “bitch” in a song for the very first time. However he decided the tune was too fun to get rid of.

Folds in the album’s promotional material described “Way to Normal” as the best time that he has ever had recording. That feel definitely does translate when listening to the set.

This fall, Ben Folds fans have two things at least to look forward to: a round of concerts and new album that features rare cuts from the songwriter/singer’s entire career.

Currently Folds is in the middle of a tour of Australia. He will next be in the US in Las Vegas on October 29 at the Vegoose festival. Then he will embark on a headlining trek that will kick off in Houston on November 1. Nine headlining dates have been confirmed. According to the website for Folds, additional shows will be added later.

Folds will be releasing on October 24 “supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp.” It’s a comprehensive collection of Folds original songs drawn off of film soundtrack appearances, covers, b sides and rare EPs. According to a recent press release, Folds along with drummer Lindsay Jamieson and bassist Jared Reynolds, remastered the album and tweaked tracks at Folds’ Nashville, TN studio. The complete track list is available on Folds’ website.

“Supersunnyspeedgraphic” is a follow up to “Songs for Silverman, his set from April 2005 and first full length studio album since “Rockin’ the Suburbs from 2001. In 2005 Folds also released “iTunes Originals- Ben Folds,” which included an in-depth Folds interview as well as new collection of songs available through the Apple iTunes Music Store exclusively. He also released “Ben Folds and WASO Live in Perth,” which is a concert DVD capturing the March 2005 performance of Folds when he played alongside the Western Australia Symphony Orchestra.

The quirky songwriter and singer Ben Folds will be touring in Europe and the US and will also be releasing his third solo set.

The US leg of the tour will launch in Philadelphia on September 6. Folds will be performing with the Chamber Orchestra. His coast to coast US trek, which will stretch through until the middle of November, will also include orchestral performances in Louisville, KY; Fort Wayne, IN; and Nashville, Folds’ hometown. The remainder of the itinerary will be filled with theater shows.

Ticketmaster and iTunes will be offering early access for tickets to fans when they pre-order the forthcoming album of Folds’, “Way to Normal” through August 7. Those who do so will get to download two album songs immediately as well as receiving two more bonus tracks at the time of the album’s release, which is set for September 30.

The European leg of the tour will last for three weeks and include a run of dates in the UK with Counting Crows. It will be kicking off at the end of November. The dates are listed on Folds’ website.

Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello) produced “Way to Normal.” The set features Folds on piano and vocals, Jared Reynolds on bass and Sam Smith on drums. Regina Spektor is a guest vocalist appearing on “You Don’t Know Me,” the first single from the album.

In a recent press release the album was described as a raucous, exuberant and at times profane mix of moving, thoughtful ballads, cheery snark fest and sure fire tunes guaranteed to please the crowds. Folds wrote the songs in late 2007 after finalizing his divorce of two years. However Folds did point out the song’s aren’t topical.

Folds explain he didn’t want to make a D-word record. I was able to get that stuff all out on my last album, he said, referring to “Songs for Silverman” from 2005 which was a deliberately stoic album. The new set is about me really being free, he said. It feels very expressive and cathartic. It’s all about me being myself again.

“Hiroshima,” a high energy single from the album, is streaming on the MySpace page for Folds.