The first dozen cities have been announced for Widespread Panic [ tickets ]�s fall tour, with the Athens, Ga.-based rock band promising to add more in the coming weeks. As usual, the group will focus its touring efforts on the southern U.S.

The fall jaunt is scheduled to open on Oct. 19 in South Carolina, with dates currently running through late November. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale on Friday (9/8) in some markets; detailed ticket on-sale information is available at the band�s official website.

Widespread Panic released its latest album, �Another Joyous Occasion,� in May. The LP--the first released by the independently distributed label Widespread Records--features 11 tracks that were recorded during Widespread Panic�s 1999 summer tour. The band decided to release the album independently while mulling its next step at the conclusion of its contract with Capricorn Records.

Widespread Panic has built a strong following over the last dozen years, particularly in the South, through constant touring and grassroots marketing driven largely by a fan newsletter and, more recently, the Internet.

The jam-heavy band sold out three nights at the 9,000-plus capacity Oak Mountain Amphitheatre in Birmingham, Ala., during an August stop at the venue. Its summer tour opened with three consecutive sold-out gigs at Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver.