This time around, the wry British expatriate is being joined by Canadian quinte Blue Rodeo, which will co-headline all but the final three dates. On those dates, Harding meets up with Soft Boys to close out the tour. (Stay tuned for details on the Soft Boys reunion).

They’ll kick it off in Harding’s adopted home base of Seattle on February 27, then head down the Pacific Coast to Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

One highlight of the outing is a March 2 and 3 stand at the new Knitting Factory in L.A., after which they’ll make the long drive east to New Orleans for a March 7 concert at the House of Blues.

Other eastern U.S. dates include Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia (with Blue Rodeo), and Detroit, Chicago and Minneapolis (with Soft Boys).

Harding, whose real name is Wesley Stace, has been a critics’ darling since his 1990 debut, Here Comes The Groom. In a typical display of moxie, he lifted his stage name from a Bob Dylan album title.

He’s backed on this tour by Robert Lloyd (keyboards, mandolin), Kirk Swan (guitar), Chris von Sneidern (bass) and Kevin Jarvis (drums).

Toronto-based Blue Rodeo has been performing for more than 20 years, despite not formally taking the name until 1985. They’ve become one of Canada’s most-recognized bands, though they aren’t well known outside the Great White North.

The roots-rock outfit came close to a breakthrough in the United States with their 1990 album, Casino, aided by the considerable production skills of Pete Anderson (Michelle Shocked, Dwight Yoakam). They will be supporting their latest release, Days In Between.