Ben Folds is gearing up for a busy 2015 with the announcement of a brand new album as well as plans for a world tour. The still untitled record is due for digital release this spring, with vinyl to follow in summer.

"I don't recall ever being quite so excited about an album I'm making," Folds says. "I'll let you decide if that's a good thing or not. It's just that we don't often get to make a record that we've never heard before. The arrangements you will hear on this record are straight up rock -- not ornamentation. The odd instrumentation -- piano, cello, viola, violin, flute/piccolo/alto flute, trumpet/French horn, and clarinet/bass clarinet, with no bass and more often than not, no drums -- is yielding something that I can't wait to release. It's a pop record, if that's what you call what I write."

A world tour with yMusic (who helped with those arrangements on the new disc) is planned upon the album's release, starting in late April with a special series of residencies in New York, Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Maine, Charlottesville, Richmond, Durham and Washington, D.C. Each city will host multi-night stands at venues ranging from small clubs to large halls -- full dates and details will be announced shortly. One thing already announced, though, is his appearance at the 2015 edition of Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee.

In addition to all of this good news, Folds recently took part in a new cultural endeavor called "The Creative Minds Series." Put together by U.S. Ambassador Kevin F. O’Malley, the series aims to "tighten cultural ties between the US and Ireland and inspire creativity in young people."

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