Iron & Wine [ tickets ]--the stage vehicle for singer/songwriter Sam Beam--checks in for some April headlining dates behind last year's "The Shepherd's Dog" LP.

The singer and his eight-piece touring band (which includes percussionists Chad Taylor from The Sea and Cake and Benny Massarella of Califone, former Wilco keyboardist Leroy Bach and Calexico's Paul Niehaus, among others) kick things off April 9 in New Orleans. The brief run will hit 11 cities, with the bulk of shows taking place in the southern part of the country.

The singer will also appear, sans backing band, at a Feb. 15 solo acoustic show in Wheaton, IL. All dates are shown below.

Beam spent six months recording "The Shepherd's Dog," Iron & Wine [ tickets ]'s third full-length album, with longtime producer Brian Deck and engineer Colin Studebaker.

Working mainly in his home studio in Texas, 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. Niehaus and Joey Burns--also from Calexico--also contributed to the recording, which debuted at No. 24 on The Billboard 200 album chart following its release last September.

Previous to "The Shepherd's Dog," Iron & Wine released a pair of EPs in 2005: "Woman King," released in February, and "In the Reins" in September, the latter of which was a joint effort with Calexico.