NEW YORK, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to venues selling out for his very first acoustic tour, Columbia Records artist Pete Yorn is scheduling special free afternoon mini-concerts day-of-show at local independent record stores at every city along his tour route (see full itinerary following).

The set lists for each of Pete's in-store performances will uniquely vary from location to location. Each of Pete's in-store performances will be recorded for a limited edition souvenir CD series, "Live From...," to be sold exclusively at the local independent record store originally hosting the mini- concert.

The complete list of local independent record stores participating in Pete Yorn's "Live From... " mini-concert/CD recording series follows.

Pete launched his free in-store mini-concert series at Rhino Records in Claremont, California on June 20.

Fans pre-ordering Pete Yorn's upcoming album, Nightcrawler, at Pete's in- stores and concerts will receive a special limited edition six-song EP, "Westerns." Pete calls Nightcrawler the final installment in a musical trilogy that began in 2001 with his debut album, musicforthemorningafter, and continued through 2003's Day I Forgot.

"I've been in this lonesome cowboy phase for a while," Pete told Billboard.com. "I've been really inspired by guys like Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash. 'Westerns' has a twang to it and is a real departure for me, but Nightcrawler is most definitely the rock record."

Pete Yorn's very first acoustic tour began June 22 at Soho in Santa Barbara and ends August 12 at the fabled Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey (see itinerary following).

Yorn's "You & Me" Acoustic Tour gives fans a rare opportunity to catch the critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter performing his classic repertoire and new material up-close-and-personal in a series of small, intimate venues.

Pete's upcoming acoustic tour will provide fans with an exclusive preview of songs from his upcoming, third, full-length studio album, Nightcrawler, now slated for release on Red Ink/Columbia on August 29.

"I encourage you all to rise up and UNITE this summer and join me as I embark on my first ever nationwide acoustic tour (with friends)," wrote Pete to his fans on his website (http://www.peteyorn.com). "I will be showcasing selections from the new record, as well as plenty of songs from the old catalogue."

From the beginning of his career, singer/songwriter/rocker Pete Yorn has been the topic of numerous critical accolades. Rolling Stone, who picked Pete as one of the magazine's "Ten to Watch in 2001," gave Pete's debut album, musicforthemorningafter, a four-star (****) rating calling the album " ... atmospheric, gently lit by sunlight and regret." Pete's debut album was certified RIAA gold as of April 24, 2002.

USA Today observed "The latest last great hope for the ailing singer/songwriter genre may vaguely resemble a young Springsteen ... His insinuating melodies and lean ... driving graceful arrangements evoke R.E.M.'s early work. It's impossible to pigeonhole Yorn's music ... inspired quirkiness makes him, if not the future of rock 'n' roll, at least a promising new disciple."

Pete Yorn has toured actively since the release of musicforthemorningafter and has shared bills with the Foo Fighters, Semisonic, Coldplay, REM, and others. He was the headline artist on the inaugural MTV2 Handpicked Tour and played drums on a set of Stooges covers with Iggy Pop, Mike Watt, and the Hives' Mike Vigilante and Pelle Almqvist at the second annual Shortlist Prize for Artistic Achievement at Los Angeles' Henry Fonda Theater.

Day I Forgot, Pete's eagerly-awaited successor to musicforthemorningafter, was released in April 2003 to widespread critical acclaim and debuted at #18 on the Billboard 200 best-selling album chart.

Pete Yorn's last release, Live from New Jersey, a stunning full-length performance recorded live at the Community Theater in Morristown, New Jersey, on October 29, 2003, was released in January 2004. Like Yorn's concerts themselves, his live album was a treasure trove for fans as well as an ideal introduction to the scope of Pete's music.

    Pete Yorn - "You & Me" Acoustic Tour Itinerary


    Date   City/State         Venue               In-Store
    6/30   Lawrence, KS       The Bottleneck      Kief's /2429 Iowa Street
    7/1    St. Louis, MO      Blueberry Hill      Vintage Vinyl/6610 Delmar
                                                   Blvd
    7/2    Madison, WI        The Annex           The Exclusive/508 State St.
    7/5    Indianapolis, IN   Music Mill          Luna Music/1315B E Locust
                                                   St.
    7/6    Columbus, OH       The Basement        The Singing Dog/1644 N. High
                                                   St.
    7/7    Louisville, KY     Phoenix Hill Tavern Ear Xtacy/1534 Bardstown Rd
    7/8    Buffalo, NY        Town Ballroom       New World Records/765
                                                   Elmwood
    7/10   Rochester, NY      Water St Music Hall Record Archive/1880 East
                                                   Avenue
    7/11   Portland, ME       Asylum              Bull Moose/151 Middle Street
    7/12   Boston, MA         Paradise Lounge     Newbury Comics/33 Newbury St
    7/13   Baltimore, MD      Sonar               Record & Tape Traders/736
                                                   Dulaney Valley
    7/15   Raleigh, NC        Cat's Cradle        Schoolkids/2712-100
                                                   Hillsborough St
    7/17   Nashville, TN      Exit/Inn            Grimey's/1604 8th Ave S.
    7/18   Atlanta, GA        Smith's Olde Bar    Criminal Records/466
                                                   Moreland Ave
    7/19   Birmingham, AL     The Nick            Lasers Edge/2825 18th St So.
    7/21   Council Bluffs, IA Whiskey Roadhouse   Homers/ 1114 Howard St
    7/22   Minneapolis, MN    The Varsity Theatre Electric Fetus/2000 4th Ave
                                                   S.
    7/24   Denver, CO         The Walnut Room     Twist and Shout/303 E.
                                                   Alameda Av
    7/25   Boulder, CO        Fox Theatre         Barts/1015 Pearl Street
    7/26   Salt Lake City, UT Club Sound          Graywhale/248 S 1300 E
    7/28   Seattle, WA        Crocodile Cafe      Easy Street/20 Mercer Street
    7/29   Portland, OR       Doug Fir Lounge     Music Millennium  / 801 NW
    23rd
    7/31   San Francisco, CA  Great Am Music Hall Rasputin/2401 Telegraph Ave
    8/1    San Diego, CA      The Casbah          Lou's/434 N Coast Hwy 101
    8/2    Phoenix, AZ        Martini Ranchi      Zia/1940 W Chandler Blvd
    8/7    Rockville, MD                          Olsson's/12350 Parklawn Dr.
    8/8    Alexandria, VA     Birchmere
    8/9    Richmond, VA       Alley Kats          Plan 9/3012 W. Cary Street
    8/11   Philadelphia, PA   Northstar           AKA/27 N 2nd Street
    8/12   Asbury Park, NJ    Stone Pony          Vintage Vinyl/51 LaFayette
                                                   Rd.