Singer/guitarist David Lowery pulls double duty this winter at the helm of Cracker [ tickets ] and Camper Van Beethoven [ tickets ] during a joint outing.

Following Cracker's January run through Spain, Lowery teams with his Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven cohorts for a North American jaunt that kicks off in Arizona on Feb. 2. The itinerary comprises stops throughout the U.S. and Canada, including three Alaskan dates.

Cracker, best known for its 1993 hit "Low," is backing its October release, "Countrysides." The set features cover versions of eight of the groups' favorite country songs, as well as a new cut titled "Ain't Gonna Suck Itself," in which the group vents about Virgin Records; Virgin dropped the band after releasing 1998's "Gentleman's Blues."

Camper Van Beethoven split in 1990, but Lowery reunited with some of the members in 1999 to assemble a collection of rarities and live cuts. Titled "Camper Van Beethoven Is Dead, Long Live Camper Van Beethoven" the album surfaced in early 2000 on Lowery's independent label, Pitch-a-Tent, and some reunion concerts followed.

In 2002, Pitch-a-Tent issued "Tusk," Camper Van Beethoven's song-for-song cover of the 1979 Fleetwood Mac album. The Camper Van Beethoven version was first recorded in 1987, then shelved.