With their first studio album in two decades a top-20 hit, jazzy rock

band Steely Dan have announced an initial smattering of dates for a spring U.S. tour.

Confirmed so far are June 13 and 14 shows at Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, according to a representative from the group's management office who asked not to be named. The outing is slated to kick off May 31 at a Pacific Northwest venue that has not been shored up.

"We'll be finalizing that in the next few days," the management contact said.

A full itinerary is expected to be posted on the group's Web site

(www.steelydan.com) April 9.

Two Against Nature, the rock combo's first studio album since

Gaucho (1980), debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 albums chart two weeks ago. It will slide to #19 on this week's chart, according to sales figures released Wednesday (March 22) by SoundScan.

The album, which includes the single "Cousin Dupree" (RealAudio excerpt), finds the core duo of singer/keyboardist Donald Fagen and bassist/guitarist Walter Becker showing their penchant for intricate studio perfection.

Before their U.S. dates, Steely Dan will play five shows in Japan from May 14–20, according to their Web site.

In addition, the band taped an episode of "VH1 Storytellers" last month that will air May 1, a VH1 spokesperson said. During the taping, Fagen and Becker were joined onstage by Jon Herington (guitar); Cornelius Bumpus and Chris Potter (saxophone); Michael Leonhart (trumpet); Jim Pugh (trombone); Ricky Lawson (drums); Tom Barney (bass); Ted Baker (keyboards); and Victoria Cave, Carolyn Leonhart and Cynthia Calhoun

(background vocals). (SonicNet's parent company, Viacom, also

owns VH1.)