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MYSPACE MUSIC TO BROADCAST FIRST INSTALLMENT OF NEW MUSIC PROGRAM “FRONT TO BACK” BROUGHT TO YOU BY NOWWHAT.COM ON OCTOBER 23 PROGRAM REUNITES SEMINAL ALT-ROCK BAND BEN FOLDS FIVE FOR SPECIAL ONE-TIME CONCERT

MYSPACE MUSIC TO BROADCAST FIRST INSTALLMENT OF NEW MUSIC PROGRAM “FRONT TO BACK” BROUGHT TO YOU BY NOWWHAT.COM ON OCTOBER 23 PROGRAM REUNITES SEMINAL ALT-ROCK BAND BEN FOLDS FIVE FOR SPECIAL ONE-TIME CONCERT

MySpace Music (http://www.myspacemusic.com) the world’s premier music community, today announced the airing of its newest music program, Front to Back, celebrating iconic albums that have helped shape the MySpace Generation. MySpace Music kicks off this program by reuniting beloved alt-pop band Ben Folds Five with an exclusive one-time live performance of their final studio album together, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, in its entirety. The program is being presented by NowWhat.com

The concert, which was the band’s first performance together in nearly ten years, took place in the band’s original hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina on September 18, 2008 at the UNC Memorial Hall. The show is being rebroadcast, starting today, on the Front to Back official MySpace Music profile http://myspace.com/fronttoback.

Front to Back asks leading artists to perform one of their own seminal albums, from front to back, in a live concert that is then later aired on the site. The inaugural episode will feature interviews with the original members of Ben Folds Five, along with Chris Walla from Death Cab For Cutie, Andrew McMahon from Jack’s Mannequin and Ben Lee. The programs can be viewed on myspace.com/fronttoback as an uninterrupted hour-long feature or by individual song.

Piano-based rock trio Ben Folds Five formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1993. Comprised of Ben Folds on vocals and piano, Robert Sledge on bass and backing vocals and Darren Jessee on drums and backing vocals, the group quickly became one of the most beloved in the world of indie alternative-pop. The band, well-known for their hit single “Brick” from their platinum-selling 1997 album Whatever and Ever Amen, was together seven years before disbanding amicably in 2000, at which time Ben Folds began his esteemed solo career while Darren Jessee went on to form the band Hotel Lights and Robert Sledge went on to play in the now defunct International Orange.

Folds’ third solo studio album, Way to Normal, was released on September 30, 2008 and debuted at Number 11 on the Billboard Album Charts, his strongest showing to date. The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner was released in April 1999 and was the fourth and final album from Ben Folds Five. It cracked the Top 40 of Billboard’s Album chart and reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Internet Albums chart.

The performance of Reinhold Messner for “Front To Back” found the band backed by a four-piece horn section. For the song “Your Most Valuable Possession,” the spoken word narrative was performed by Ben’s father Dean Folds who reprised the role he had on the original album.

The proceeds from concert will benefit Operation Smile: Changing Lives One Smile at a Time. For more information, please go to operationsmile.org.

Additional “Front to Back” performances will be announced by MySpace Music in the coming months.

About MySpace Music
MySpace Music is a landmark joint venture among MySpace, EMI Music, SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony ATV, and whose independent music distribution partners include The Orchard, Alternative Distribution Alliance, RED, Fontana, and Caroline. MySpace Music, with more than five million artist profiles and 35 million monthly unique users, offers an ever-growing catalog of freely streamable audio and video content, user-friendly e-commerce solutions, personal music players, and user and artist playlisting. MySpace Music aims to empower major, independent, and unsigned artists to monetize their content through multiple revenue streams. By allowing the MySpace community to freely stream premium content in an ad-supported environment, purchase MP3s and ringtones, create and share playlists, and ultimately buy merchandise, concert tickets, and other digital and physical goods. MySpace Music also connects artists and fans in the offline arena through various concert series and live events including Secret Shows, MySpaceLIVE!, Transmissions, The Release, Front to Back and The List.