Counting Crows will take a break from recording the follow-up to 1999's This Desert Life to stage a West Coast mini-tour in July.

The rootsy rockers will play smaller venues than usual - including a few wineries - on the nine-date trek, which kicks off July 6 at Humphries by the Sea in San Diego. The outing will hit additional cities in California as well as Portland, Oregon, and Seattle.

Counting Crows plan to take the opportunity to test out new material written for their as-yet-untitled new album, due in early 2002. Fans should go to

" target="new">www.countingcrows.com to find out when tickets are on sale.

The band is nominated for three awards at the 24th Annual California Music Awards next month.

Counting Crows tour dates, according to their publicist: