The Blind Melon-Pearl Jam hybrid has lined up a dozen dates in the West during February and March, including a February 12 kickoff at Palookaville in Santa Cruz, Calif.

They’ll take the roadshow up the coast through Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia before veering east to Denver and then back west, ending up in Los Angeles and San Diego.

The band – made up of former Blind Melon bassist Brad Smith and guitarist Christopher Thorn, ex-Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen, and singer Chris Shinn – have been out since July backing up their recently released self-titled debut, but have been taking a break since mid-December.

The tour will be their second as a club headliner, after successful outings in support of the better-known acts.

It took a few years before Smith and Thorn decided what to do after Blind Melon disintegrated following the drug overdose death of frontman Shannon Hoon in 1995.

The band’s plan to carry on without the singer fell through and Smith attempted a solo career, while Thorn turned to producing. Eventually, the two regrouped with Krusen – an old friend – and lured Shinn away another group to form Unified Theory in 1998, releasing their debut album in August 2000.

The latest leg in the journey coincides with the release of the single “Wither,” a plea for help from one friend to another who is addicted to drugs. Despite what would seem like an obvious reference to Hoon, bassist Smith denies it’s about the singer.

“The song was poignantly inspired by a friend who was going down the same path as Shannon, but it’s not directly about Shannon. The message is quite haunting. Living your life around hard drugs is a dead end … sometimes literally,” Smith said.