Quirky pop-rockers The Decemberists [ tickets ] will perform a series of shows in July backed by local orchestras in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago and the Baltimore area.

The Portland, OR-based group also will play a number of more traditional headlining dates surrounding the five symphonic appearances as it continues to support its 2006 major-label debut, "The Crane Wife." Details are listed below.

The idea for pairing the band with orchestras reportedly came when Los Angeles Philharmonic program manager Johanna Rees, who has booked similar shows at the Hollywood Bowl, approached the Decemberists' booking agent with the idea.

"I was the liaison between the band and the orchestra folks, because they may can't know how the rock world works," Rees recently told Billboard.com. "And if you're a fan, it's such a perfect band to put with an orchestra. Musically, they're just astounding."

The Decemberists' latest album and major-label debut, "The Crane Wife," has sold more than 200,000 copies in the US since its release last October, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

According to the band's publicist, "The Crane Wife" is based on a Japanese folk tale that's been handed down in countless variations and translations through the centuries. Songwriter and frontman Colin Meloy discovered it in a children's section of a local bookstore. The band--which also includes multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk, keyboardist Jenny Conlee, bassist Nate Query and drummer John Moen--has become known for its experimentation, pulling from styles as far flung as classic pop, klezmer, Irish jigs and prog rock.