White Stripes hitting road in July

The White Stripes will hit the road this July in the U.S., according to a source at Warner Bros. Records, with tentative plans to play the 16 states that the duo has not yet performed in. Exact dates and venues are yet to be announced, but the group will play cities in places like Montana and Alaska, with the source saying, "They're doing this one for the fans." Following that run, frontman Jack White will take the month of August off to be home for the arrival of his second child with wife Karen Elson, which is due in late July or early August. The Stripes will resume touring in the fall, returning to the bigger, more frequently visited markets.

The Stripes will be supporting their sixth album, Icky Thump, which is due out on June 19th through Warner Bros. Based on hearing six songs, the album is a return to the bluesy, heavily guitar-drenched sound of the band's earlier records, with the usual White Stripes twists.

We have also exclusively learned that Jack White went into the studio last week to begin recording the second album from his other band, the Raconteurs. The follow-up to last year's debut, Broken Boy Soldiers, will probably surface sometime next year on a yet-to-be-determined label.