The second outing for the band – a side project for Tool’s Maynard Keenan and guitar tech Billy Howerdel, and a few friends – launches January 31 in Portland, Ore. The tour is scheduled to touch down in 40 cities and closes March 31 in Minneapolis.

A Perfect Circle will play mainly theatres in secondary markets, but there will be stops in major cities including Atlanta, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Toronto, St. Louis and Chicago.

It’s been a good year for the band, with their debut album, Mer de Noms, recently certified platinum and sold-out North American and European tours already under their belt.

The collective recently learned that they’ll break some political and cultural boundaries as well. Virgin Records has announced that their record has been approved by the Chinese government for sale in their country, albeit with an “explicit language” warning sticker.

The last Western rock albums to get China’s seal of approval were Use Your Illusion I and II by Guns N’ Roses in 1997.

Keenan and Howerdel haven’t been neglecting their Tool duties, despite the banner year for APC. Tool’s box set, Salival, is set for release December 12. The package includes a DVD and a disc of unreleased material.