The Black Crowes [ tickets ] will thank their New York fans for the instant sell-out of their January 11th stop at the Bowery Ballroom by offering free tickets to a free show at Irving Plaza to the first 500 fans who make the trek to meet the band at a Tower Records autograph session in Lower Manhattan on January 12th, the day their Columbia Records debut hits the street. The free-ticket offer is contingent on the purchase of an album at the store.

The Crowes have been on the road since December 1st, performing a final stretch of ''Sho' Nuff'' club tour dates in preparation for the release of By Your Side, their long-awaited and oft-delayed debut effort for Columbia Records. The album is intended as a return to the Black Crowes sound of their early-90's releases Shake Your Money Maker and The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion.

Over the course of endless tours supporting those albums, the Crowes began to develop a fascination with easing their easily-identifiable radio hits into long, experimental jams. Those elements carried over into their recorded work in 1994's Amorica and 1996's Three Snakes and One Charm, earning the band some critical endorsements but scant support at radio and retail.

In the nearly three years since Three Snakes' release, the Crowes have done some housecleaning, sending both guitarist Marc Ford and bassist Johnny Colt on their way and bringing in new bassist Sven Pipien, formerly of the Suicide Kings, and for the tour, second guitarist Audley Freed to free up Rich Robinson to take on the lead guitar position. The band also ended a lengthy relationship with American Records, moving into the Columbia stable prior to the recording of By Your Side.

As the Crowes finish up their club work, they'll perform their current rock radio track, Kicking My Heart Around on the David Letterman show tonight (1/11) before the Bowery Ballroom show and appear at the lower Manhattan Tower Records store from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (1/12) for the autograph session / ticket giveaway, followed by the Irving Plaza show.

The band's theatre tour picks up February 12th at Milwaukee's Eagles Ballroom. An initial set of 19 dates will route the tour through the midwest and back into the northeast. Here's the latest itinerary for the Black Crowes: