Melissa Etheridge [ tickets ] has unveiled a handful of new US dates this summer as part of the "Live & Alone 2009" tour.

The jaunt, which so far is a brief one, kicks off June 13 in Del Mar, CA, and stops at casinos in Hammond, IN, and Fiant, CA. A two-night stand June 19-20 at Niagara Falls' Fallsview Casino Resort is also planned. The itinerary is detailed below.

Etheridge spent much of last year touring the nation behind her first new studio release in three years, 2007's "The Awakening." The 49-city outing kept her on the road for more than two months behind the record, which debuted at No. 13 on The Billboard 200 chart. The album's first single, "Message to Myself," peaked at No. 35 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.

Late last year, the award-winning singer/songwriter released the holiday album "A New Thought For Christmas," a compilation of classic carols and newly composed songs, including "Ring the Bells" and "It's Christmas Time."

Etheridge is a key player on the environmental activism front. Her 2006 single "I Need to Wake Up," penned for use in Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song and appeared on the enhanced version of her 2005 greatest-hits album, "The Road Less Traveled."

In February, Etheridge received a standing ovation for her speech and brief acoustic performance at the National Biodiesel Conference in San Francisco, as well as the 2009 Influence Award from the National Biodiesel Board for her environmental efforts.