Ben Folds to release a capella album, maybe gets snubbed by UNCG

A cappella fans rejoice! Ben Folds is soon to release an album entitled University A Capella and well, that about explains it.

Folds and his team have been traveling the nation, recording student a cappella groups perform his songs for the album, which he hopes will be released in April. There's no complete list of schools or songs yet, but we'll post it when there is. Two tracks, "Boxing" and "Effington," were recorded by Folds so that Epic could justify the release, he says.

It's a long post, but this part caught my attention more than anything:

One group is from a university who's lawyers called us up and told us we weren't allowed to mention any association with their university. Funny, because I attended that school and was proud to work with these guys and try and pass on a little of my post college professional experience. Ironically I felt like I learned more from watching these kids work than I ever did during my stint there as a student.

HELLOOOOOOO, UNC GREENSBORO!!! Leave it to my alma mater -- the school that refused to have Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds on its campus in 2001, worried it wouldn't sell (I was the lone student member on the arts council...and pissed) -- to not want to get a mention on Ben Folds' album. Yeesh.

The Spartones, UNCG's men's a capella group, just happen to perform "Not The Same," and even released an album with that title. Seeing as Ben Folds did go to school there briefly, something he joked about on stage in Raleigh a couple years ago, there's really no other explaination. (Though if anyone else has a different explaination, please let me know!)

Whether this group is the Spartones or someone else, it sucks that they won't get the recognition for their work -- especially on something as cool as this project.

Either way, here's a video of the UNCG Spartones performing "Not The Same."