Punk rock icons Rocket From the Tombs have announced some tour dates this summer in support of the recent Smog Veil reissues of The Day the Earth Met Rocket From the Tombs and Rocket Redux.

After a successful writing session in Cleveland this past April, the band will hit the road and play in seven U.S. cities. The line-up continues to be David Thomas (RFTT, Pere Ubu), on vocals, Cheetah Chrome (RFTT, The Dead Boys) on guitar and vocals, Richard Lloyd (Television) on guitar, Craig Bell (RFTT, Saucers) on bass and vocals, Steve Mehlman (Pere Ubu) on drums.

Rocket From The Tombs debuted at the Viking Saloon, a rock club in downtown Cleveland, on the June 16th, 1974. David Thomas had previously acquired a measure of local celebrity writing for Cleveland's Scene magazine under various aliases. The most prominent of these, the wonderfully named Crocus Behemoth, evolved into a full-fledged alter ego to front the new band. With a mound of wild hair, Behemoth earned himself a reputation as a crazed, completely unpredictable stage performer. Their first set consisted of nearly the entire Kick Out The Jams album, plus an early version of "What Love Is."

Founding members Laughner and Behemoth eventually morphed into Pere Ubu whilst Cheetah Chrome and Johnny Blitz went on to form The Dead Boys.