Indigo Girls [ tickets ] Amy Ray and Emily Saliers take to the road again in August, when they launch a new set of acoustic dates.

The tour so far is scheduled to visit nine cities, focusing on theaters and small outdoor venues in the Northeast and the South. Kim Richey opens Aug. 8-11, and Cordero appears on the other August dates, with the exception of the Aug. 17 Rocky Mountain Folk Festival.

Indigo Girls continue to support "Become You," an album that reached stores nearly a year ago.

Though Ray and Saliers recorded "Become You" with their touring group--Carol Isaacs (Hammond B-3, Wurlitzer, piano, accordion, penny whistle, recorder, percussion), Clare Kenny (acoustic and electric bass) and Brady Blade (drums and percussion)--their 2003 shows have not featured a backing band.

In April, Ray and Saliers gave short acoustic performances during a speaking tour with Native American environmental activist Winona LaDuke. Dubbed the Honor the Earth tour, the outing was billed as a "speaking and performance tour aimed at educating college students and the general public on current issues related to Native environmental activism and the development of wind power on Native lands, in particular."

Net proceeds from the tour were directed to the Energy Justice Initiative, which will use the money to provide capital and technical support for wind projects on Great Plains reservations.