It seems like everyone is becoming enamored of local indie rock outfit Miniature Tigers and their catchy songs these days, including Ben Folds.
The Sony power pop pianist is reportedly a fan of the band and decided to tap them as an opening act for an upcoming tour of of the eastern United States next month.
The tour starts on February 11 n Princeton, New Jersey, and hits a variety of venues in the rust belt states and the south (as well as a stop in Toronto), wraping up in Atlanta at the end of the month.
Miniature Tigers were already scheduled to spend most of the late winter and spring on the road, opening up both Austalian pop artist Lenka and locals Dear and the Headlights, including a stop at the South by Southwest festival in March.
The band will have to miss a number of west coast dates during the first half of the Dear and the Headlights tour to be able to perform with Folds, but frontman/guitarist Charlie Brand says they'll make up the gigs after SXSW.
Brand, who announced the news yesterday through a MySpace bulletin, is also still in shock over the whole deal.
"I still don't believe all this is happening. It still hasn't sunk in yet," he says. "I grew up listening to Ben Folds, so this is completely amazing."
If you'd like to see Miniature Tigers before they take off touring, the band is scheduled to perform this Wednesday at the Yucca Tap Room in Tempe with Mia Riddle, Milo the Mayor, and Art for Starters.
