Ben Folds tour unveils ‘Normal’ winter concerts

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Ben Folds will continue forging his way to normal with a brief winter tour. The 14-date outing picks up February 11 at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ, and is currently scheduled through March 1 at Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte, NC.

The trek supports Folds’s September 2008 release “Way to Normal” and will make its way along the East Coast with a few stops further inland. Select performances include a February 14 set at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, PA, a February 18 gig at Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, MI, and a February 23 gig at The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. Folds will also perform one show in Canada on February 17 at Kool Haus in Toronto, ON.

“Way to Normal” is the third solo album from Folds, who fronted the mid-’90s trio Ben Folds Five. The record earned the pianist his highest chart placement to date, peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and staying on the chart for five weeks. His previous studio album, 2005’s “Songs for Silverman,” peaked at No. 13.

Folds originally promoted the album’s release with a fall 2008 tour that kicked off in early September and ran through mid-November. The rock pianist nabbed up-and-coming Aussie musician Missy Higgins to support the latter half of the tour.

The musician is currently working on an album of a cappella covers of his songs, as performed by university groups. Folds began scouting for student a cappella groups in October after finding his inspiration online.

“This idea was motivated by a number of amazing university a cappella versions of my songs I came across on YouTube,” Folds explained in a statement on his Web site. “Some of these brought to light unique nuances and perspective that is necessarily absent from the original recordings as the songwriter and singer happen to be the same guy.”

According to Folds, he has chosen 18 groups from an original pool of more than 200 acts, though the exact number appearing on the album will depend on track length and timing. However, the musician has stated that the cover album should surface in spring 2009.

Ben Folds itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)