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 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."