Natalie Merchant kicks off a twenty-one-date tour on March 1st in New Haven, Connecticut, in support of her latest release, Motherland. Merchant credits her tour of two years ago with Billy Bragg and Wilco -- who were performing material from their second album of beyond-the-grave Woody Guthrie collaborations, Mermaid Avenue Vol. II -- as having influenced her latest record. During the brief outing, she performed a variety of American folk songs before heading into the studio with producer T-Bone Burnett (O Brother, Where Art Thou) to record Motherland.

Additional dates are expected to be announced soon.

Natalie Merchant tour dates:

3/1: New Haven, CT, Palace Theater
3/2: Albany, NY, Palace Theater
3/3: Burlington, VT, Flynn Theater
3/5: Harrisburg, PA, The Forum Theater
3/6: Huntington, WV, Marshall University
3/7: Asheville, NC, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
3/8: N. Charleston, SC, N. Charleston PAT
3/10: Melbourne, FL, King Center
3/11: Miami Beach, FL, Jackie Gleason Theater
3/12: St. Petersburg, FL, Mahaffey Theater
3/14: Birmingham, AL, BJCC Concert Hall
3/15: Little Rock, AR, Robinson Center Music Hall
3/16: Tulsa, OK, The Brady Theater Sun
3/17: Oklahoma City, OK, Civic Center Music Hall
3/18: Omaha, NE, Music Hall at Omaha Civic Auditorium
3/20: Boise, ID, The Idaho Center
3/22-23: Lake Tahoe, NV, Caesar's Tahoe
3/24: Santa Rosa, CA, Luther Burbank Center
3/25: Thousand Oaks, CA, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
3/27-28: Cerritos, CA, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
3/30: Escondido, CA, California Center for the Arts

CHRISTINA SARACENO
(January 30, 2002)