Singer/songwriter/actor Jake La Botz [ tickets ] will take his brand of blues/folk music across the US this summer during his third annual "Tattoo Across America" tour.

The outing will visit tattoo parlors from coast-to-coast, starting Aug. 2 with several shows in Illinois. The trek heads to the East Coast in mid-August and then makes its way out West, wrapping in early September with a few Southern California gigs. Details are listed below.

La Botz said his annual outing is much more interesting than playing traditional venues.

"Playing tattoo parlors, you can be who you really are and relate directly with your fans," he explained in a press release. "There are no dressing rooms, no backstage, nowhere to hide. In a way, this is an evolution of my roots--playing the streets and subways of my native Chicago. It keeps it real."

The tour kicks off the same day La Botz is scheduled to release his new record, "Sing This to Yourself and Other Suggestions for a Personal Apocalypse," which he deems "the most depressing album ever," describing it as "11 sordid tales of human misery and redemption." But don't get him wrong; he's not a "sad-sack."

"I just believe it's important for us to feel all of our emotions fully and then let them go rather than denying or clinging to them," the bluesman said in a statement. "There's so much information arising from within the body. Seeing depression as a pivotal part of the creative cycle has saved my life. My hope is that these songs could be a comfort to those who are struggling."

La Botz honed his craft as a teenager, playing alongside legendary bluesmen in Chicago. He later moved to Hollywood, where he developed a cult following as an indie film actor, appearing in Steve Buscemi's "Animal Factory" and "Lonesome Jim," and Terry Zwigoff's art-house hit "Ghost World."

This year, La Botz played the singing redneck mercenary in Sylvester Stallone's "Rambo." Songs from his most recent album, 2006's "Graveyard Jones," also appear on the soundtrack and are streaming at his website.