Bela Fleck & The Flecktones Map Large 2006 Tour + Bonnaroo Gig

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones have announced dates through September in support of their upcoming CD, "The Hidden Land."

The virtuosic band--which consists of banjoist Fleck, bassist Victor Wooten, percussionist Future Man and saxophonist Jeff Coffin--will start the new year at sea. The group will join the likes of Galactic, Keller Williams, Gomez, Steve Kimock and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe Jan. 7-13 on Jam Cruise 4.

Once back on land, the highly experimental troupe, which melds bluegrass, jazz and pop influences, will spend the rest of January touring the Southeast. The band is scheduled for two-night stands in Nashville(1/13-14), Richmond, VA (1/19-20), and Greensboro, NC (1/22, 24).

After a two-gig Valentine's Day run (2/13-14) in Chico, CA, the Flecktones will return to the Southeast for more shows in March and then continue through the Southwest, Midwest and Northeast until the end of April. June and July will see the band perform at a number of festivals, including Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN (6/18) and the High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, CA (7/1-2). The tour is currently scheduled to end on Sept. 18 in Rutland, VT, which caps off a week-long run through the Northeast.

"The Hidden Land," which is said to be a stripped-down return to the band's roots, is set to be released by Columbia Records on Jan. 31. The entire album was recorded in Fleck's home studio in Nashville.

"There is a hidden land out there, a territory where people push the boundaries of music," the banjoist explains of the album's title in a press release. "In some ways (the band lives) under the radar, but at the same time we have had some amazingly large numbers of people interested in what we're doing. This album reflects that--it's an uncompromising album. It's serious Flecktones."

The band has always been serious about touring. The group regularly plays more than 200 dates per year. All that road work has paid off for the band. In 2004, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones reportedly moved more than 500,000 concert tickets.

January 2006:

7-9 - Jam Cruise 4

13-14 - Nashville, TN - Andrew Jackson Hall

19-20 - Richmond, VA - Modlin Center for the Arts

21 - Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

22, 24 - Greensboro, NC - Carolina Theater

26 - Jacksonville, FL - Lazzara Theater

27 - Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theater

28 - Charleston, SC - Performing Arts Center

February 2006

13-14 – Chico, CA - Sierra Center Stage

March 2006

15-16 - Lexington, KY - Kentucky Theater

18 - Savannah, GA - Trustees Theater

22 - Tampa, FL - Tampa Theater

23 – Pompano Beach, FL – Pompano Beach Amphitheatre

24 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues

25 - Live Oak, FL - Suwannee Springfest

26 - Birmingham, AL - Alabama Theater

28 - Ft. Worth, TX - Bass Performance Hall

29 - Austin, TX - Stubb's BBQ

30 - Tulsa, OK - Brady Theater

31 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater

April 2006

1 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant

18 - Albany, NY - Hart Theater

19 - Verona, NY - Turning Stone Casino

20 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden

21 - New York, NY - B.B. King's

22 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza

26 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater

28 - Grand Rapids, MI - DeVos Performance Hall

29 - Cleveland, OH - State Theater

30 - Wilkesboro, NC – Merlefest

May 2006

11 - Columbus, OH - Southern Theater

June 2006

10 - Council Bluffs, IA - Harrah's Stir Cove

11 - Lawrence, KS - Clinton Lake State Park

16 - Telluride, CO - Bluegrass Festival

18 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Festival

July 2006

1-2 - Quincy, CA - High Sierra Festival

September 2006

13 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall

14 - Easton, PA - State Theater

15 - Lewisburg, PA - Bucknell University

16 - Princeton, NJ - Princeton University

17 - Lancaster, PA - American Music Theater

18 - Rutland, VT - Paramount Theater

Source livedaily.com.

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