Ani DiFranco will kick off her world tour in Tokyo late this month in support of

her latest album, To the Teeth.

The folk-punk artist will play another date in Japan before moving on to

Australia and New Zealand for shows through the middle of February, according to

an itinerary posted on the websites of industry magazine Pollstar and

DiFranco's booking agent, Flemin Tamulevich & Associates. She'll turn up in

British Columbia nearly two months later (April 7), and from there she'll begin

her U.S. tour by trailing down the West Coast.

To the Teeth, featuring the acoustic title track (

HREF="http://media.addict.com/music/DiFranco,_Ani/To_The_Teeth.ram">RealAudio

excerpt), was DiFranco's third release of 1999, arriving in stores in

November. The album finds her styling folk songs with funk and dance grooves,

courtesy of The Artist, former James Brown horn player Maceo Parker and rapper

Corey Parker.

DiFranco released her 12th solo studio album, Up, Up, Up, Up, Up, Up, in

early 1999 and followed it this summer with her second collaboration with folk

singer Utah Phillips, Fellow Workers.

Ani DiFranco tour dates:

Jan. 28; Tokyo, Japan; Liquid Room

Jan. 29; Osaka, Japan; Bayside Jenny

Feb. 2; Perth, Australia; Fly By Night Club

Feb. 4; Sydney, Australia; Enmore Theatre

Feb. 6; Brisbane, Australia; Concert Hall

Feb. 8; Melbourne, Australia; Palais Theatre

Feb. 10; Adelaide, Australia; Norwood Town Hall

Feb. 12; Auckland, New Zealand; Mandalay

Feb. 13; Wellington, New Zealand; James Cabaret

April 7; Vancouver, British Columbia; Queen Elizabeth Theatre

April 8; Tacoma, Wash.; UPS Fieldhouse

April 12; Eureka, Calif.; Municipal Auditorium

April 13; Santa Rosa, Calif.; Luther Burbank Center

April 14; Davis, Calif.; Recreation Hall

April 15; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Civic Auditorium

April 17; Santa Barbara, Calif.; Arlington Theatre

May 6; New Orleans, La.; Municipal Auditorium

May 7; New Orleans, La.; Jazz & Heritage Festival