The band, which pretty much has reinvented itself in the past few years, has announced yet another tour. Starting the new year with a bang and a gig at St. Louis’ World’s Fair Pavilion, The Samples will play clubs and theatres all over the States for at least two months.

Meanwhile, mainman Sean Kelly isn’t about to wait for his band to hit the road. He and guitarist Tom Askin have a couple acoustic shows lined up for the end of November.

Although they’ve been touring non-stop, the band hasn’t released any albums of new work since 2001’s Return To Earth. Maybe it’s because they’re touring so much that they haven’t had time to stop and hit the recording studio.

That’s not to say there haven’t been any albums, though. There’s been Kelly and Askin’s Spirit Of The Season, Seventeen (an acoustic show with the two) and an Anthology since.

But, it appears The Samples have found the time to hit the studio as a group. Kelly writes on the band’s Web site that they’re working on a new album.

Speaking of their Web site, it’s been re-worked recently and now features rare downloads and video clips. There’s also a free download of their cover of Grateful Dead’s “Birdsong.” Check it out at thesamples.com.