The Melvins, currently on tour in their "standard" four-piece configuration in support of the just-released 'The Bulls and the Bees' EP, have announced the first round of summer tour dates for their new three-piece Melvins Lite lineup.

But first, the four-piece version is going to appear on NBC's 'Last Call with Carson Daly' on Wednesday night (April 25) -- or in the wee hours of Thursday (April 26) if you want to be more accurate.

Got all that? Good, because frontman Buzz Osborne isn't about to apologize for keeping things interesting: "The Melvins have a long history of mixing up our line-ups and I think that's what has kept us relevant for so long," he explains.

The three-piece lineup, which finds Osborne and long-time drummer Dale Crover joined by frequent collaborator Trevor Dunn (Tomahawk, Fantomas, Mr. Bungle) on stand-up bass, will release the full-length album 'Freak Puke' on June 5.

Osborne suggests fans consider the album "the fifth side of the four-sided Melvins triangle," which is such a great quote that we're creating an entire sentence around it strictly to give it a home on our site.

The Melvins Lite tour kicks off July 1 in Rochester, N.Y. -- wonder if they'll pick up a garbage plate while they're there -- and winds up July 20 in San Francisco. You'll notice most of the shows are in Canada so far; presumably these dates will be supplemented with more U.S. dates shortly.

Melvins Lite 2012 Tour Dates:

07/01 -- Rochester, N.Y.
07/03 -- Montreal, QC
07/04 -- Ottawa, ON
07/05 -- Toronto, ON
07/06 -- London, ON
07/07 -- Hamilton, ON
07/09 -- Winnepeg, MB
07/10 -- Regina, SK
07/11 -- Saskatoon, SK
07/12 -- Calgary, AB
07/13 -- Edmonton, AB
07/15 -- Vancouver, B.C.
07/17 -- Bellingham, Wash.
07/18 -- Portland, Ore.
07/20 -- San Francisco, Calif.

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