The short story about Ben Folds' forthcoming album Lonely Avenue is that it will come with four short stories — the deluxe version anyway — by the man who wrote the lyrics for the record, author Nick Hornby.

The 43-year-old piano man and Hornby came up with the idea for the album last year. Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy) sent the songwriter about 30 sets of lyrics, Folds told Billboard.com, and he put 11 of them to music. Sound like a challenge? Folds went on to say:

“There's such a wide world of things you can do with music. I feel like I can get a football player and have him tell his life story and turn it into music and I think it would be unique. With Nick, my biggest fear was he would send me great lyrics and I wouldn't be able to do anything good with them. I had complete confidence in him.”

One song, “Things You Think,” features an appearance by the duo Pomplamoose as well as Hornby. Check out the video. The album is out Sept. 28.

Folds appears solo tonight at Bardot as part of the RSVP-only It's a School Night.

Elsewhere: Three excellent residencies start in the Silver Lake/Echo Park environs — Eastern Conference Champions at Spaceland (with Two Years Before the Mast and the New Limb supporting); Vanaprasta and Pacific Hurt doing a co-residency at the Echo; and Family of the Year holding forth at the Bootleg Theater (with Death Kit and Hi Ho Silver Oh).

Also: As the Ashes Fall at the Viper Room; the Peculiar Pretzelmen at the Mint; and NASA Space Universe at Pehrspace.

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