Wistful Americana torch singer and former Be Good Tanya, Jolie Holland takes to the road next week in support of her latest, electrified effort, The Living and the Dead (via ANTI-), which features cameos from M Ward and Marc Ribot. It’s too bad that so many venues have gone smoke-free, as smoke-filled rooms accent perfectly the intimately dark, roots-tinged western folk that radiates through most of her catalog.

If you haven’t seen her before, Holland jumps through multiple genre hoops on stage, combining musky vocal jazz with sparse remnants of blues, gospel, and, of course, folk, serving as equal parts Nina Nastasia, Tom Waits, and Andrew Bird. More than anything else, she’s an excellent orator and narrator in the fabled troubadour style. Oh look at that, she’s even playing the Troubadour, lol, etc.

10.12.08 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern 10.13.08 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour 10.14.08 - Santa Barbara, CA - SOhO Restaurant & Music Club 10.15.08 - San Francisco CA - Bimbos 365 Club 10.17.08 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir 10.18.08 - Olympia, WA - Capitol Theater 10.19.08 - Vancouver, BC - Richards on Richards 10.20.08 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door 10.22.08 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge 10.23.08 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater 10.24.08 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Lounge 10.25.08 - Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Culture Centre 10.27.08 - Lakeshore Theatre - Chicago, IL 10.28.08 - Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room at The Crofoot 10.29.08 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern 10.30.08 - Montreal, QC - Cabaret du Musee Juste Pour Rire 10.31.08 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground South 11.01.08 - Boston, MA - Museum of Fine Arts 11.03.08 - Philadelphia, PA - Tin Angel 11.04.08 - Arlington, VA - IOTA 11.05.08 - Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle 11.06.08 - Decatur, GA - Eddie’s Attic 11.08.08 - Louisville, KY - The 930 Listening Room 11.09.08 - Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Cafe 11.13.08 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom