Wednesday: Built to Spill

BUILT TO SPILL

Built to Spill has not put out an album in three years, so per usual, that's when the Boise fuzz-rock noodlers opted to go out on tour. Doug Martsch and crew are actually working on a new disc, but the centerpiece of their shows is the tight, tornado-spun guitar interludes that make them one of indie-rock fans' favorite jam bands. Helvetia and Sister Crayon open.CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

THE MELVINS

Seattle area pre-grunge sludge-punk heroes the Melvins are trying to get into Guinness World Records by pulling off the fastest tour of the entire United States, including Washington, D.C. A smaller trio configuration of the band led by the light-socket-haired Buzz Osborne, they started in Alaska on Sept. 5 and are stopping into their favorite Minneapolis watering hole two weeks later, working their way to an Oct. 25 finish in Hawaii. Illinois-bred band of brothers Tweak Bird opens.C.R.

WILLIE NELSON

Willie Nelson and outdoor music venues are a match made in heaven, even now that the Texas music legend, 79, has mostly left his hell-raising days behind. Unfortunately, that means fans in the amphitheater-challenged Twin Cities will have to make another road trek to see him play. How fitting to catch him in the middle of farm country, though, given that's he's working his way across the heartland to next weekend's 27th annual Farm Aid concert in Hershey, Pa. His guitar playing and laid-back spirit remain as solid as his charitable commitments.C.R.

DRAGONETTE

It's hard to listen to Dragonette without feeling a little uneasy, like any minute your mom's going to walk in on you, shoving cookies in your face right before dinner. The Toronto electro-pop act is a guilty pleasure to the nth degree and they know it. Steeped in Casio glitz, '80s mall queen Cyndi Lauper tapped two of its members to lend a hand on a track for her 2008 album. The saccharine synth-ticklers are set to release their third album, "Bodyparts," later this month. New Yorkers the Knocks open. MICHAEL RIETMULDER