Piano-based rock trio Ben Folds Five will tour North American clubs and

theaters beginning Tuesday.

The group begins the monthlong jaunt with a show at Roseland in Portland,

Ore. From there the tour continues on through the Northwest, the Midwest and

the Northeast before ending Oct. 31 at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans,

La.

The band, known for groove-heavy rock 'n' roll built around bandleader

Ben Folds' piano playing, released its third studio album, The

Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, in April. The album

continues to build on 1997's Whatever and Ever Amen, which put

an emphasis on vocals with such songs as the hit "Brick."

The new album contains ballads and midtempo songs that give Folds a

chance to croon. The vocals, in several cases, are overdubbed.

Messner's tracks include "Don't Change Your Plans"

(RealAudio

excerpt) and "Your Redneck Past" (RealAudio

excerpt).

Last year Folds' side project, Fear of Pop, released Volume One,

an album that included guest vocals by William Shatner on the song "In

Love."

"The kid-in-the-candy-store vibe of [Fear of Pop] may be carried into

the studio with me now," Folds said in January.

Ben Folds Five Tour Dates:

Sept. 28; Portland, Ore.; Roseland

Sept. 29; Seattle, Wash.; Moore Theatre

Sept. 30; Vancouver, British Columbia; Rage

Oct. 2; Salt Lake City, Utah; Utah State Fair Park

Oct. 4; Omaha, Neb.; Sokol Auditorium

Oct. 5; Minneapolis, Minn.; First Avenue

Oct. 6; Columbia, Mo.; Jesse Auditorium

Oct. 8; Atlanta, Ga.; Alexander Memorial Coliseum

Oct. 9; Boston, Ma.; Boston City Hall Plaza

Oct. 10; Rochester, N.Y.; Harrow East Theatre

Oct. 12; Toronto, Ontario; Warehouse

Oct. 14; Chicago, Ill.; Riviera Theatre

Oct. 15; Cincinnati, Ohio; Taft Theatre

Oct. 16; Columbus, Ohio; Newport Music Hall

Oct. 17; Detroit, Mich.; Clutch Cargo

Oct. 19; Bloomington, Ind.; Indiana University Auditorium

Oct. 22; Philadelphia, Pa.; Electric Factory

Oct. 24–25; Washington, D.C.; 9:30 Club

Oct. 27; New York, N.Y.; Hammerstein Ballroom

Oct. 30; Baltimore, Md.; Reitz Arena

Oct. 31; New Orleans, La.; Tad Gormley Stadium