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.

This spring songwriter and singer Ben Folds will be heading back to school with another run of college campus headlining dates.

Last year, the singer toured campuses on the East Coast. This time around he will mainly be canvasing the Pacific Northwest and Midwest, kicking off in West Lafayette, IN on February 29 at Purdue University.

After appearing at Langerado Festival on March 8 in south Florida, Folds will be resurfacing in early April to do another college show leg. The trek’s back half will kick off in Springfield, MO on April 2.

Last October “supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp” was released by Folds. It’s a collection of 12 original songs taken from his covers, film soundtrack appearances, b-sides and EP releases. Included in the remastered tracks are Folds’ takes on “Bitches Ain’t S–” by Dr. Dre, “Get Your Hands Off Of my Woman” by The Darkness, and “In Between Days,” by The Cure.

Last year “Ben Folds Live at My Space” was released by Folds. It was his first ever live DVD documenting a 2006 live webcast Folds did on MySpace.com. It was the first web concert in live by request format. A clip is streaming of Folds covering “Such Great Heights” by Postal Service is on Folds’ website.

The most recent album from Folds was “Songs for Silverman” in 2005. It followed “Rockin’ the Suburbs” from 2001 and was the second solo effort by Folds since dissolving Ben Folds Five, his former group, in 2000.

Folds earlier this month announced he would be performing with the Nashville Symphony, from his hometown, later in the year. He will be help open the 2008-2009 season for the orchestra at a special event on September 7.