Freed from the alt-country ghetto by its decidedly poppy 1999 release "Summer Teeth," Wilco [ tickets ] begins a summer tour on July 6 in Boston at the FleetBoston Pavilion. The 12 announced dates are a mixture of outdoor shows, festival gigs and theaters, with the current itinerary running through an August 12 gig in the band's home base of Chicago.

"Mermaid Avenue: Vol. II," Wilco’s second collaboration with singer-songwriter Billy Bragg [ tickets ], is set for release on May 30. Like the first "Mermaid Avenue," which earned Wilco a Grammy nomination, "Vol. II" contains songs with music by Wilco and Bragg and lyrics taken from the writings of Woody Guthrie.

Prior to the tour's opening, Wilco [ tickets ] will appear on "The Late Show" with David Letterman on June 15.

A pair of Wilco songs are set for inclusion in movies set for release in June, with an alternate version of "Airline to Heaven" popping up in "Jesus’ Son," and a cover of Steely Dan’s "Any Major Dude" slated to surface in "Me, Myself and Irene."