GREEN DAY SET FOR “WARPED TOUR,” THE BAND’S FIRST U.S. OUTING IN OVER TWO YEARS

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/ AMANDA CAGAN

GREEN DAY SET FOR "WARPED TOUR," THE BAND'S FIRST U.S. OUTING IN OVER TWO YEARS;

BAND ENTER THE STUDIO IN MARCH TO RECORD NEW ALBUM, SLATED FOR AN OCTOBER RELEASE

It's official. GREEN DAY are set to hit the road as part of this year's "Warped Tour," which launches in late June. This marks GREEN DAY's return to the road in more than two years, since their last headlining tour in support of their double-platinum and critically acclaimed NIMROD album.

In studio news, GREEN DAY—BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG (vocals, guitar), MIKE DIRNT (bass, vocals) and TRE' COOL (drums)–will enter a Bay area recording studio with producer Scott Litt (R.E.M.) in March. The as-yet-untitled album is due for release in October on Reprise Records.

In a recent website posting, BILLIE said about the upcoming album: "The overtone of the lyrics seems to be more positive. Not in a Prozac sort of way, but more in the sense of surviving and living to tell about it and taking on new challenges."

Meantime, fans should stay tuned for confirmed "Warped Tour" dates, which will be announced in the coming weeks.