Rock veterans Blues Traveler [ tickets ] are set to open their touring year with a March/April club run that gets underway in Southern California on Saturday (3/6).

The band continues to support its 2003 release "Truth Be Told," which features a dozen new tracks that were recorded over two months in Santa Barbara, CA. Don Gehman (Hootie & the Blowfish, John Mellencamp) produced the set.

In a statement, Blues Traveler frontman/harmonica-player John Popper said that Gehman forced the band to focus on its songs rather than the musical virtuosity of its members.

"Before, there was always some milestone we were trying to reach,” Popper said. "For me, playing the harmonica in a different way, I was very intent on the earlier albums to show what I could do on the harmonica."

Last November, the band followed up "Truth Be Told" with the release of the two-DVD set "Thinnest of Air: Live from Red Rocks," which was shot in high definition with 5.1 Surround Sound. The DVDs chronicle Blues Traveler's 2003 appearance at the Denver-area venue, at which the group traditionally plays during the July 4 holiday. The three hours of performance footage includes a cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry," featuring Marley's son Ziggy.

Among Blues Traveler's upcoming shows is a March 18 appearance at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX.

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