10,000 Maniacs is primed to make a handful of Buffalo appearances in the coming weeks to coincide with the release of its newest endeavor, “Twice Told Tales.”

Most notably, the band will take the stage at Buffalo Iron Works on Friday, May 8, for an album release party. The album, which contains the band’s renditions of a wide selection of traditional folk tunes from the British Isles, is scheduled for an official worldwide release today.

The band spent a majority of the past summer preparing for and recording its follow-up to 2013’s “Music from the Motion Picture,” opting this time to take a different direction from their previous releases by rearranging previously written songs rather than composing original ones. According to Dennis Drew, keyboardist, the idea was conceived from the musical musings of lead singer and violinist Mary Ramsey, Fredonia native, during their 2013-14 tours of “Music from the Motion Picture.”

“During many of our shows, Mary would take a break to play a violin solo and sing an a capella version of ‘The Song of Wandering Aengus,’ the lyrics of which come from the William Butler Yeats poem of the same name,” Drew said. “It was very dramatic, and people just loved it. It was also something that you would really only get to hear if you came to see us, so we initially thought it would be a good idea to record some of that and put it out over the Internet. Well, one idea led to another and, next thing you know, we ended up getting a whole album out of it.”

Ramsey said she had known of several of the songs since her childhood, and chose to punctuate the band’s set list with certain selections during recent live performances.

“It’s interesting because, when you’re playing with a lot of volume, people tend to either crave more loud volume or find solace in something more intimate as a contrast,” she said. “These were songs I had known for a long time, and I think they lend themselves to having solo violin or a capella vocals to really change the mood of the show.”

Drew said the album is unique to the 10,000 Maniacs’ discography from the standpoint that the group was working with songs that had already been written, making for a much more stress-free arranging and recording process.

“Doing a record like this is a lot less pressure and angst because the real bones of the song are there, so you just get to goof around a bit and try different things and arrangements,” he said. “Musically, it’s a lot of fun and pretty easy because you get to experiment a lot; whereas, when you write your own material, you’re always wondering if it’s good enough. In this instance, we just got to enjoy the songs for what they were.”

The album is also notable for its inclusion of John Lombardo, guitarist, who makes his first appearance with 10,000 Maniacs since his departure in 2002. Drew said Lombardo was a main contributor to the determination of which songs would appear on the album, as he is very knowledgeable in British folk music. Drew credited Lombardo with having initially turned the group onto the genre back in the early ’80s, which would play a role in the band’s inspiration for writing its own music.

Additionally, Lombardo and Ramsey had also performed as a folk rock duo in the early ’90s, prior to her becoming a member of 10,000 Maniacs. Ramsey said this made for a “natural” fit to include Lombardo as a creative director of sorts on “Twice Told Tales.”

“When Dennis had told me this was a direction we could go in, I agreed because it was so natural for me to play those Celtic songs,” she said. “We all felt like it worked nicely; it’s kind of like a family being back together and having everybody bring their own unique talents to the table.”

The process began when the group made a handful of demo recordings at its rehearsal space in Jamestown, and then proceeded to Tarbox Studios in Cassadaga to record basic tracks with audio engineer and producer Armand Petri, who also works part-time as an adjunct professor at the State University of New York at Fredonia. Overdubs and vocals were then recorded at Petri’s private studio in Silver Creek.

When it is officially released, “Twice Told Tales” will be available in a variety of formats, including digital, CD and vinyl – all of which can be purchased at the Buffalo Iron Works show next month. Drew said the band will be joined onstage by Amanda Barton on violin, who has established herself regionally as a longtime member of Big Leg Emma, and Brian Eckenrode on cello, who also serves locally as conductor for the Chautauqua Regional Youth Symphony and the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra in Pennsylvania.

The event is 18-and-over, and tickets are available at $30 presale and $40 at the door. There are also $50 VIP tickets available that include access to the VIP balcony, a meet-and-greet with the band, a copy of the new album and access to a private bathroom.

The album will also be available online for digital download through Amazon and iTunes.

In addition to playing the Iron Works, the band will also make an acoustic pre-release appearance at Buffalo’s Record Theatre on Monday, and will also appear on WKBW TV on Monday.