Tortoise comes out of its shell for early summer shows

Somewhat-reclusive indie-pop experimentalists Tortoise will stake out a brief home on the road this summer with a headlining outing that gets underway in June.

The five-piece ensemble will kick off its trek June 14 in Columbus, OH, just a day before tackling a June 15 slot at the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, TN; the annual four-day event boasts more than 100 bands in addition to headliners The Police, Tool, Widespread Panic and The White Stripes. A full listing of this year's acts can be found at the Bonnaroo website.

Following the festival appearance, Tortoise will play nine headlining shows through the first week of July. Details are included below.

The band released two albums last year, though neither included new material. "The Brave and the Bold," the group's collaboration with singer/songwriter Will Oldham (credited under the nom de plume Bonnie "Prince" Billy) hit stores in January of last year. "A Lazarus Taxon," a three-CD, one-DVD set that collects rare and archival material from various side-projects of the group's members over the years, followed in August.

Tortoise's most recent full-length album, "It's All Around You," was released in 2004, and garnered impressive critical notices. The five-piece ensemble has performed together in various forms since the early '90s and has released several albums in that time, gathering a small but growing following over the years.