Mandell will warm up for the trek with a pair of West Coast shows: a record release party Feb. 19 at The Echo in Los Angeles and a Feb. 21 stop at Casbah in San Diego.
The Artificial Fire tour really gets up and running several thousand miles east, with a March 5 gig at Joe’s Pub in New York City.
So far, the whole thing wraps on a high note March 30 at Denver’s Hi-Dive, but additional dates are expected.
Artificial Fire, which is due Feb. 17, features lots of musical guests including DJ Bonebrake (X, The Knitters) and Inara George (The Bird and The Bee).
Mandell, who is a leading light in the Silver Lake music scene of Los Angeles, is also part of local supergroup The Living Sisters that features George and Lavender Diamond’s Becky Stark.
The singer’s debut release, Miracle of Five, landed up on a number of critics Best of 2007 lists and earned her comparisons to artists like Chrissie Hynde, Joni Mitchell, P.J. Harvey and Elvis Costello.
Mandell recently dropped by NPR studios to talk to “Morning Edition” co-host Renee Montagne about the new album and the inspiration behind it. Click here to listen to the interview or download the title track from the disc below.
Download “Artificial Fire” (Right click and choose “Save Link As” or “Save Target As”).