As we told you earlier, Ben’s in Boston, getting ready (at 4:00 PM EDT; 2000 UTC) to team up with Amanda Palmer and Damian Kulash to write the songs to Neil Gaiman’s lyrics in their project to write and record eight songs in eight hours as part of the Rethink Music conference. Â The whole thing is being webcast live. The team is seeking suggestions for song titles as well as a band name and will be watching the hashtag #8in8 on Twitter (see our right sidebar for a running feed during and after the event). It’ll be released Tuesday morning and available for purchase.
Announcements
“8 in 8” project gets underway today
The Sing-Off’s Kenton to open for Folds
Kenton Chen, founding member of the a cappella group The Backbeats, will open for Ben’s four shows next week in North Carolina and Virginia. Kenton, the Backbeats’ musical director, is working on an EP and has two tracks available for download on bandcamp.com. He also has an album, Something about Love, on iTunes as well. (more…)
Tulsa show rescheduled
The Tulsa, Okla., show, originally scheduled for February 1, 2011, has been rescheduled. The new date is Thursday, July 7, at Cain’s Ballroom. (more…)
Related show
Music mashup on tap for Berklee
Ben Folds will be taking part in a demonstration of do-it-yourself music creation and publishing as part of the Rethink Music conference in Boston later this month. (more…)
New David Lynch project includes Ben video
The David Lynch Foundation is embarking on a six-week project through PledgeMusic, an organization that works with fans and artists to raise money for charitable causes. Lynch’s foundation, which raises money and awareness for victims of post-traumatic stress syndrome and inner-city youth by introducing them to transcendental meditation, is participating with a 17-track release over the coming weeks. Included in the mix is an exclusive video that Ben Folds did with Detroit soul singer Bettye LaVette at David’s Change Begins Within charity event at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in December 2010. Download of the tracks is available to those who pledge to the project. Â Others featured in the set are Iggy Pop, Moby, Arrested Development, Maroon 5, and Tom Waits. More about the project in this press release. In case you missed it, Ben posted a short comical video with the filmmaker “introducing” him a few weeks ago.
