Loudon Wainwright III [ tickets ] recently launched a North American tour that will keep him on the road into early 2002. The veteran folk musician is supporting his latest release, "Last Man on Earth."

Released on Sept. 25, "Last Man on Earth" is Wainwright's first release for Red House Records, a label that specializes in acoustic musicians. The album marks his first release of all-new material since 1998's "Little Ship," which was completed prior to the death of his mother in 1997. That event initially resulted in the musician's bout with writer's block, but ultimately became the catalyst for much of the material on "Last Man on Earth."

"My mother died in 1997 and naturally my world fell apart," Wainwright writes in the new album's liner notes. "Twice a week I took the train into the city to see my shrink. I told him I didn't think I'd be able to write songs anymore."

After overcoming the block, he wrote tracks for "Last Man on Earth" that bear titles such as "I'm Not Gonna Cry," "Living Alone," "Graveyard," "Out of Reach" and "Missing You." Streaming samples of all of the album's tracks are posted at Red House's official website.

In addition to his concert appearances, Wainwright can also be seen in his recurring role on the new Fox television series "Undeclared," in which he portrays the father of a college freshman.

Wainwright's real-life son, Rufus, is currently on tour with Tori Amos.