On the eve of the release of the band's first studio recording, Ratdog, a project founded by Grateful Dead member Bob Weir, is set to embark on a 29-date U.S. tour. The outing will kick off with a two-night stand at West Hollywood, Calif's House of Blues on Oct. 18-19, according to the band�s management.

Immediately following the tour openers in the Los Angeles area, Ratdog is scheduled to play a two-night stand at the famous Fillmore in San Francisco, one of the hallmark venues from Weir�s days with the Grateful Dead.

Other back-to-back performances are scheduled on Nov. 27-28 at Washington D.C.�s 9:30 Club, and Dec. 1-2 at Philadelphia�s Electric Factory. The Philly shows are the last on the band�s current itinerary.

Several dates on the tour are currently on sale, and additional shows are scheduled hit the market on Saturday (9/23). In addition to sales at traditional outlets, tickets for Ratdog�s upcoming fall tour are available through the Grateful Dead�s mail-order ticketing program.

Ratdog's CD "Evening Moods" is scheduled to hit shelves next Tuesday (9/26). It will mark the first official album release from the band. One of Weir's collaborators on the disc was Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, according to Grateful Dead Productions.

Weir is currently on the road with the Furthur Festival, which was founded in 1996 by surviving members of the Grateful Dead. Dead percussionist Mickey Hart and Weir, along with several other musicians, are participating in the tour under the group name the Other Ones, a reference to Weir�s tune "That�s it for the Other One."

The Furthur Festival is scheduled to hit Florida Saturday night (9/23) and wrap up in Atlanta on Sunday night (9/24), according to the itinerary on the tour�s official website.