Fans will have an opportunity to pick five tracks for the album in a contest sponsored by Budweiser beer and Web download queen/pinup girl Cindy Margolis. Given the sponsor, contestants must be at least 21 years old to vote at the Bud site; minors will be shunted to the groups’s record company page.

The tour is the band’s first of the year, with the exception of a few one-off dates last spring. There will be a kickoff show at The Joint in Las Vegas October 16, then the band will head for Norfolk, Va., on the 23rd for a string of East Coast dates. The trip winds down on the group’s home turf at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, S.C., November 17.

Edwin McCain and Virginwool will open on all dates.

Scattered, Smothered and Covered will feature 10 tracks already chosen by the band and another five chosen by fans from a list of eight choices at the Budweiser and Atlantic Records Web sites.

Among the tracks slated for the disc are Bill Withers’ “Use Me,” Roy Orbison’s “Dream Baby” and Tom Waits’ “I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You.”

The list of eight songs fans will choose from include a hodgepodge of personal favorites for band members Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber and Jim Sonefeld. The covers include Led Zeppelin’s “Hey Hey What Can I Do,” The Reivers’ “Almost Home” and The Smiths’ “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want.”

Fans will also be able to choose the final album art from three designs posted on the Web site.