Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst [ tickets ] will tackle a handful of headlining shows in April as he continues to back his first solo album since 1995.

The singer/songwriter, who embarked on an extensive tour behind the set last fall, kicks off the outing April 9 in Omaha, NE. The six-city itinerary hits mostly Southwestern locations Oberst missed the last time around. Dates are below.

The prolific performer assembled The Mystic Valley Band to back him on his self-titled solo project, which surfaced in early August and shot to No. 1 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. The players--guitarists Taylor Hollingsworth and Nik Freitas, bassist Macey Taylor, keyboardist/trumpeter Nate Walcott and drummer Jason Boesel--are also backing Oberst on the road.

The album, Oberst's fourth solo effort and first since 1995's "Soundtrack to My Movie," which he released on cassette as a teenager, is streaming in full on both the singer's website and MySpace page.

The singer's main music vehicle, Bright Eyes, released its sixth studio effort, "Cassadaga," last year. That album's lineup includes Bright Eyes full-timers Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott along with special guest performers including Gillian Welch, Janet Weiss (formerly of Sleater-Kinney) and Ben Kweller.