Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Merritt and the rest of the Magnetic Fields are coming back in April to take you through the highs and lows of love. The epic 69 Love Songs was released in September.

Magnetic Fields tour dates:

April 20;Atlanta, Ga.; The Variety Playhouse

April 21; Athens, Ga.; The 40 Watt

April 22; New Orleans, La.; Tipitina's Uptown

April 25–26; Carrboro, N.C.; The Art Center

May 24; Columbus; The Al Rosa

May 25; Pontiac, Mich.; The Seventh House

May 26–27; Chicago; Old Town School

May 28; Minneapolis, Minn.; The Women's Club Assembly

June 6-7; Los Angeles; Knitting Factory West

June 10–11; San Francisco, Calif.; Great American Music Hall

It's Girl-O-Rama as the Muffs take their brash, energetic punk-pop for a short stroll with ska-poppers Dance Hall Crashers and indie-pop trio Buck, before joining the Vans Warped Tour this summer. The Muffs' latest release, Hamburger (1999), is a collection of singles and rarities.

Muffs tour dates:

April 6; Pomona, Calif.; Glass House

April 7; Ventura, Calif.; Ventura Theatre

April 8; San Francisco, Calif.; Maritime Hall

April 13; San Diego, Calif.; Cane's

April 14; West Hollywood, Calif.; House of Blues

April 15; Las Vegas; Huntridge Theatre

April 16; Tempe, Ariz.; Bash on Ash

Three former Gin Blossoms are on the road with their new band, the harder-rocking Gas Giants. Blues guitar virtuoso Kenny Wayne Shepherd joins them this month, and San Francisco pop-rockers Train will take over in May. The Giants' debut, From Beyond the Back Burner, was released on Atomic Pop in October.

Gas Giants tour dates:

April 1; Minneapolis, Minn.; State Theatre

May 6; Rochester, N.Y.; Institute of Technology

May 7; Washington, D.C.; 9:30 Club

May 9; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Metropol

May 11; Philadelphia, Pa.; Electric Factory

May 12; Norfolk, Va.; Town Point Park

May 13; Greensboro, N.C.; TBA

May 16; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Orbit Room

May 18; Memphis, Tenn.; New Daisy Theatre

Blues-punk-pop combo Boss Hog — featuring Blues Explosion leader Jon Spencer and his wife and former Pussy Galore partner Cristina Martinez — are playing a handful of East Coast dates behind their long-awaited third album, White Out (Feb. 22), before heading off to Europe. A full U.S. tour is planned for May.

Boss Hog tour dates:

March 30; Cambridge, Mass.; Middle East Club

March 31; Providence, R.I.; Met Café