Folk/bluegrass trio Nickel Creek [ tickets ] will set out in January for a new slate of concerts to support their recently released third album, "Why Should the Fire Die?"

The Californians will launch the outing with two shows in their home state, beginning with a Jan. 6 date in Berkeley, CA, then move on through a patchwork schedule that includes 20 shows in 11 states through the end of January.

"Why Should the Fire Die?," which hit stores Aug. 8, was produced by Eric Valentine (Smash Mouth, Third Eye Blind) and Tony Berg (X, Squeeze), who recorded the set on analog gear. The band stuck with traditional bluegrass instrumentation: mandolin, guitar, violin and bass.

"Seeing the band live is a powerful experience," Valentine said in a press release. "There are moments where they are just explosive on-stage, and I wanted that in the record. I wanted moments on this record, moments where you think, 'How can three people and their instruments sound this big?'"

"Why Should the Fire Die?" was recently nominated for a Grammy award in the Contemporary Folk category, and a song from the album, "Scotch and Chocolate," received a nomination for Best Country Instrumental.

Mandolinist Chris Thile also received a Grammy nomination for his recent solo album, "Deceiver." The disc was nominated in the Best Engineered Album category.