Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are preparing for upcoming album sessions the old-fashioned way: by seeing how new songs go over amidst proven classics in front of a live audience.

The enduring, 26-year-old rock and roll band will undertake a 15-date, near month-long tour of the West and Southwest in the late spring, before they head into the studio to record a new album, according to a band spokesperson. For the first eight shows, the Heartbreakers will be accompanied by the Wallflowers. After the May 21 date, another, as-yet-undetermined, act will open the remainder of the tour.

The Heartbreakers' touring lineup is unchanged from 1999's jaunt supporting that year's release, Echo. Guitarists Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench are, alongside Petty, charter members of the Heartbreakers, while bassist Howie Epstein has been in the band since 1982. Drummer Steve Ferrone and guitarist/keyboardist Scott Thurston will be on hand as well.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' tour dates, according to a band spokesperson: