Australian rock sensations Wolfmother [ tickets ] have cut short their latest round of US tour dates after bassist/keyboardist Chris Ross' baby arrived a month earlier than expected.

As a result, the group has postponed a planned in-store appearance at Virgin Records in Chicago today (9/26), for which no make-up date has been announced, and has moved its sold-out show at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles from Sept. 28 to Dec. 12. Existing tickets can be used on that date, or ticketholders can opt to receive a refund at the point of purchase, according to an announcement from the band.

Meanwhile, the band has canceled outright its planned festival appearances in the San Diego and San Francisco areas this coming weekend, but is promising its Bay Area fans a visit during its November/December US tour, and assures San Diego-area fans that it will "do everything possible to return to San Diego at some point in early 2007, according to note posted at the group's MySpace page.

Ross, who performed with the group at last Saturday's (9/23) Virgin Festival in Baltimore, was alerted Sunday (9/24) to the unexpected development.

"Chris received the surprising news of the impending birth yesterday," the group wrote at its MySpace page. "Not surprisingly, he immediately headed for the airport and commenced a 23-hour trek back to his hometown of Sydney, Australia, in an attempt to be at his partner's side for the newborn's arrival. While he was somewhere over Hawaii his son was welcomed into the world by the rest of his family--nearly a month ahead of schedule."

Wolfmother had already planned to take all of October and most of November off to accommodate the baby's arrival. The group will return to the states in late November to tackle a new round of shows that runs through early December. Details are included below.

The roadwork backs Wolfmother's self-titled debut, which hit US shelves in May and has spawned the rock-radio hit "Joker & The Thief."