San Francisco psych-rockers Howlin Rain will spend the fall on the road with The Black Crowes. The rising Bay Area band, which features Comets on Fire co-founder and lead singer Ethan Miller and Drunk Horse’s Joel Robinow, is currently on the road supporting its Birdman/American release, Magnificent Fiend. The group will begin an extended run through the United Kingdom beginning at Belfast, Ireland’s Aunt Annie's this evening, before making stops in Dublin (5/2), Cork (5/3), Manchester (5/4),Birmingham (5/5), London (5/6), Cornwall (5/7), Wales (5/8)  Camber Sands (5/9), Bristol (5/11) and London (5/12). The group will then prepare for a U.S. tour scheduled to run from a May 24 show at Santa Cruz, CA’s Highway 9 through the group’s first appearance at Bonnaroo on June 13, before returning to Europe in late June.

In the fall Howlin Rain will open for The Black Crowes for two legs of the fall tour. As previously reported, The Crowes are expected to hit 90 cities before 2009 in support of the new studio album Warpaint.  Howlin Rain will open for the group throughout September and October, beginning with an appearance at Arcata, CA’s Van Duzer Theater on September 10. As of press time, Howlin Rain will support the Crowes through their October 28 stop at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom.

Howlin Rain is one of the many bands featured in an upcoming Relix feature exploring the new sound of San Francisco. The multi-band profile takes a look at a number of the city’s brightest stars, ranging from jam-staples like Tea Leaf Green and New Monsoon to singer/songwriters like Jackie Greene and Brett Dennen and experimental indie-rockers like The Dodos. Look for the feature in the June issue of Relix.