Ben Harper [ tickets ] & The Innocent Criminals, who found some free time on their hands after the cancellation of the planned Zooma Tour, will fill in the gap with a brief North American club and theater tour.

Harper and his band launch the outing July 12 in Vancouver, and will remain on the road for about three weeks. They'll warm up with a two-night stand in Santa Monica, CA, which kicks off Thursday (6/9).

Singer/songwriter Tom Freund, currently backing his recent release, "Copper Moon," will support on all dates except for the Santa Monica show.

The outing marks Harper's first tour since his summer 2003 trek behind "Diamonds on the Inside," his sixth and most recent studio album. According to a statement posted on his official website, the upcoming tour will be Harper's "last proper shows" before he begins work on a new album.

In 2004, Harper collaborated on a side-project with The Blind Boys of Alabama, which resulted in an album titled "There Will Be a Light" and the 2005 concert DVD "Live a the Apollo."

Harper, a singer/songwriter known for his virtuosity on the acoustic steel guitar, and former Phish frontman Trey Anastasio had been scheduled to co-headline the inaugural Zooma Tour this summer. Last month, organizers canceled the outing due to soft ticket sales.