Just Announced Local folkster Joe Pug plots cheapie tour

Joe Pug, a Chicago folk musician who has toured with M. Ward and Steve Earle, has just announced a month-long scamper across the U.S. with a decidedly pro-consumer twist. Tickets to almost all of the shows will cost $10, with few or no additional surcharges. On a recent blog post Pug railed against the ubiquity of "service" and "convenience" charges implemented by ticket brokers that can often double the listed prices of concert tickets. Recalling his last ticket buying experience, he wrote "half of my money was going to the band I loved, the other half to horse-thieves."

Joe Pug has a history of letting profit take a backseat to integrity. In 2008 he began a popular program on his website that has, to this date, mailed more than 15,000 CDs to listeners worldwide. He plans to use his site as a hub for tickets to many of the shows on his tour as a fee-free alternative to traditional vendors like Ticketmaster.

Pug and his backing group, the Hundred Mile Band, will officially kick off their $10 tour Oct. 9 with a Chicago date at the Metro on Oct. 16.