Etheridge to tour solo, with Blondie this year

Melissa Etheridge fans will have plenty of ways to see the singer in the U.S. this summer.

Playing with a full band — check.

Performing with just her guitar — check.

Co-headlining with Blondie — check.

"It's kind of a mixed-up tour," says the singer of Bring Me Some Water and Come to My Window, who'll begin her North American dates June 10 in Chattanooga, Tenn. "I love stretching myself and doing the solo gigs. it's a lot of fun. And then, in July, we have the gigs with Blondie — and one with Blondie and Joan Jett. Then I have some gigs on my own with the band and some more solo gigs. So it covers the whole spectrum this summer."

Etheridge has nine dates set with Blondie, and Jett will join the two acts July 20 in Airways Heights, Wash.

Jett, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Saturday, provided a template for aspiring female rock singers like Etheridge during the early '80s. "I remember 1980, when (Jett's first solo) album came out," Etheridge says, "I was like, 'Oh, OK, there's rock and roll. There's a woman who's really playing rock and roll. That's it, right there."

Etheridge released her first album, Melissa Etheridge, eight years later. She released her 13th studio album, This Is M.E., in September.

On Sunday, Etheridge will appear on the season finale of the genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? (TLC, 10 p.m. ET/11 PT). "That was so much fun," she says. "It's priceless, the research they did into my family. I learned that on my father's mother's side, I am French-Canadian. I learned a lot about New France and our American history. We kind of leave out the French part."

The day before her U.S. tour begins, Etheridge will release a live concert recording, A Little Bit of Me: Live in L.A., shot at her December 2014 concert at Los Angeles' Orpheum Theater. A Little Bit of Me will be available digitally, as well as on CD, Blu-ray and DVD.

Paste BN is premiering a live performance video of Monster, which Etheridge says is her favorite song from This Is M.E.

"I love the message that diversity is our strength, and that everyone is different," she says. "You can be afraid of me, but I'm still full of love. Whether it's the way I look, who I am or what I love, there's no need to be afraid of me."

Etheridge's North American tour dates follow:

June

10 - Riverbend Festival, Chattanooga, Tenn.

12 - Caesars - Circus Maximus, Atlantic City (solo)

13 - Mount Airy Casino Resort - The Sherman Theatre, Mount Pocono, Pa. (solo)

14 - Bardavon 1869 Opera House, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (solo)

16 - Tarrytown Music Hall, Tarrytown, N.Y. (solo)

17 - Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, N.J. (solo)

18 - The Paramount, Huntington, N.Y. (solo)

20 - Casino Rama - Entertainment Centre, Toronto, Ont. (solo)

21 - Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center, York, Pa. (solo)

22 - Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead, Munhall, Pa. (solo)

24 - Uptown Theater, Kansas City, Mo. (solo)

25 - Mystic Lake Casino - Mystic Showroom, Prior Lake, Minn. (solo)

27 - Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, Riverside, Iowa (solo)

28 - Lake Superior Big Top Chautau, Bayfield, Wis. (solo)

July

1 - Rose Music Center @ The Heights, Huber Heights, Ohio (with Blondie)

2 - Ravinia Pavillion, Highland Park, Ill. (with Blondie)

3 - Fair St. Louis, St. Louis (with Blondie)

7 - Artpark Ampitheater, Lewiston, N.Y. (with Blondie)

8 - The Freeman Stage @ Bayside, Selbyville, Del. (with Blondie)

20 - Northern Quest Casino - Ampitheater, Airways Heights, Wash. (with Joan Jett and Blondie)

22 - Athletic Club of Bend – The Courtyard, Bend, Ore.

21 - Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle (with Blondie)

24 - The Mountain Winery, Saratoga, Calif. (with Blondie)

25 - Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa (Oakville, Calif.)

26 - The Greek Theater, Los Angeles (with Blondie)

August

1 - Peppermill Concert Hall, West Wendover, Nev. (solo)

3 - Denver Botanic Gardens - York Street, Denver (solo)

4 - Belly Up Aspen, Aspen, Colo. (solo)

5 - Chautauqua Auditorium, Boulder, Colo. (solo)

7 - Palms Casino - Pearl Concert Theater, Las Vegas (solo)

8 - Thornton Winery, Temecula, Calif.

9 - Humphreys, San Diego

22 - Atlanta Botanical Garden - Event Lawn, Atlanta (solo)

23 - Blumenthal Arts Knight Center, Charlotte (solo)

25 - Longwood Gardens Open Air Theater, Kennett Square, Pa.

26 - Music Center @ Strathmore, Bethesda, Md. (solo)

28 - NY State Fair - Chevrolet Court, Syracuse, N.Y.

29 - Boarding House Park, Lowell, Mass.

30 - Cape Cod Melody Tent, Hyannis, Mass. (solo)