Indie singer/songwriter Sam Beam--better known by his stage name, Iron & Wine [ tickets ]--will launch a headlining tour this weekend ahead of "The Shepherd's Dog," his latest studio album.

The South Carolina-born, Austin, TX-based artist, will kick off his trek Sept. 23 in Chicago, IL, two days before his new album hits stores. The tour will hit 18 cities and will break into two legs, the second one following Beam's planned visit to the UK in October.

All American dates are shown below, and the overseas schedule is posted at Beam's official website.

Beam spent six months recording "The Shepherd's Dog" with longtime producer Brian Deck and engineer Colin Studebaker, working mainly in his home studio in Texas.

"I budgeted three weeks, thinking that I was being real generous," Beam recently told the UK's Independent newspaper, "but songs developed in the recording process into things that were bigger than we imagined."

The singer expanded his instrumental palette on the new album by including help from his sister, Sarah Beam, along with Patrick McKinney and EJ Holowicki. Calexico's Joey Burns and Paul Niehaus also contributed to the set's recording.

Iron & Wine previously released a pair of EPs in 2005: "Woman King," released in February, and "In the Reins" in September, with the latter a joint effort with Calexico.