The Harters are gearing up to head back north to Canada with Alan Jackson as his opening act for another string of dates, this time covering the Western division of the country.

The sibling trio started the year by opening dates for the superstar in eastern parts of Canada, as well as in the States. The 2011 performances with Jackson marks the second year in a row Mike, Leslie and Scott Harter have toured with him.

"Being out on the road with Alan Jackson is amazing," Leslie Harter tells Taste of Country. "The biggest perk is his sound people [because they] are so good. They know what they’re doing. Everywhere you play, it’s not like that. Every place is drastically different. Every microphone is drastically different. They have it perfect and sounding great every night. Our sound checks are so short because they just keep our stuff from the night before."

The time spent on tour with Jackson has also allowed the Harters to test run their new music, which will be on their debut album, slated for release later this year.

"We wrote a new song called 'Brokenhearted Wichita,' which we've been playing ... that has gotten a great response," Scott Harter says. "We finally convinced the [record label] staff and [our producer] Keith Stegall to let us go in and cut one more song for the record because we think it could be the second single or third single."

Their current single, 'If I Run' -- a tune about the importance of love and keeping a strong unity -- continues to climb the country singles chart and impact their fans everywhere they go.

"The response we get after the show has been really cool," Mike Harter says. "We do a little signing/meet and greet thing before Alan comes on. We’ll sometimes have 200 people there that have something to say about the song and how it touched their lives. They thank us and shake our hands. We've even had a couple of people tell us they are going to have 'If I Run' as their wedding song … it’s really cool!"

The Harters head back out with Jackson on March 29 for a show in Calgary in Ontario, Canada. The trio will also link up with Thompson Square for a series of performances in May. For a complete list of dates where the Harters will be performing, visit their official website.

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