Squirrel Nut Zippers swing into tour mode

Squirrel Nut Zippers, whose new album "Bedlam Ballroom" is set to hit stores next month, have announced plans to head out on a short fall tour of the U.S., according to the group's official website. The 13-date run will kick off with an Oct. 14 performance at the First Annual Crossroads Music Festival in Mississippi.

Following the mid-October opening date, the group will take a short break from the road while "Bedlam Ballroom" hits shelves on Oct. 17. Touring picks back up on Oct. 25 in Washington, D.C., and continues through the Northeast until Halloween, on which day the band has two performances scheduled.

The band's first Halloween engagement is a performance at the 27th annual New York Village Halloween Parade. The group will be performing from atop a float as it travels down New York City's 6th Avenue, according to the band's official website. The event will be hosted by comedian Kathy Griffin, and will be broadcast on both the Sci Fi Channel and USA Network.

The group is then scheduled to perform that same night at New York City's Supper Club.

Following its busy Halloween, the group has a Nov. 3 appearance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." The U.S. tour will then resume on Nov. 8 in Colorado, and will make stops throughout the Western U.S., including a two-night stand at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. The band's itinerary currently ends with a Nov. 19 show in Oregon.

"Bedlam Ballroom" is Squirrel Nut Zippers' fourth album. The group's previous two discs--1996's "Hot" and 1998's "Perennial Favorites"--have been certified gold and platinum, respectively. "The Inevitable Squirrel Nut Zippers"--the band's debut disc--was released in 1995.