With his main musical outlet taking a short break from performing and recording, Death Cab for Cutie [ tickets ] singer/guitarist Ben Gibbard [ tickets ] will launch a solo tour in May.

Gibbard, who formed Death Cab as a solo project in 1997 while attending college in Bellingham, WA, will kick off his solo tour May 3 in Minneapolis. Details are included below.

Death Cab fan club members will be given priority status when purchasing pre-sale tickets to the shows. More information can be found at Death Cab for Cutie [ tickets ]'s official website.

Gibbard, who also makes up one half of the electronic indie-pop duo The Postal Service, will have singer/songwriter Johnathan Rice and David Bazan of Pedro the Lion along on the road to offer opening support.

DCFC's most recent studio album is 2005's "Plans," which earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album. The disc, which includes the cuts "Soul Meets Body" and "Crooked Teeth," is gold-certified for US shipment of 500,000 copies, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Last April, the group issued "Directions," a DVD that houses 11 short films inspired by songs from "Plans."