With summer comes the urge to fill up the tank, pile into the car and drive until you reach something fun.

If you’ve got your ear tuned to what’s hot in music, you’re looking for a few really good concerts to attend this summer. Sure, there’s always Boston, but who wants to make the five-hour-plus trek south to tangle with traffic? Or worse, go to some huge arena show, where a bottle of water costs eight bucks and you might be able to make out the lead singer, if you had some binoculars.

Fear not – some of the summer’s hottest tours are swinging right through Maine. Here’s a list of some of the big (and not-so-big) acts that are hitting our fair state, in venues both large and small.

. Modest Mouse pays a visit to the State Theatre in Portland on Thursday, June 23. While you’ll be sure to hear its jubilant, monster hit “Float On,” make sure you keep an ear out for some older nuggets off some of its previous albums such as “The Moon and Antarctica” and “Building Nothing Out of Something.” Also at the State Theatre, ska mainstay Reel Big Fish will bring its propulsive ska-punk on Saturday, June 25.

. Everybody’s favorite power-pop group, Weezer, will grace Lewiston with its presence on Monday, July 11, at the Colisee (formerly the Central Maine Civic Center). They’re bringing with them Spoon, whose latest album, “Gimme Fiction,” is a delicious slice of summertime indie rock, complete with uber-melodic piano lines and the dangerously cool presence of singer Britt Daniels.

. Metalheads rejoice – a quintuple threat will hit the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, with the “Gigantour” bringing Megadeth, Fear Factory, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Dream Theater and Nevermore to Maine. Later, check out Chevelle, Taproot and 30 Seconds to Mars at the State Theatre on Aug. 1.

. For the folkier, countryfied side of things, Maine native Ray Lamontagne will play at the State Theatre on Aug. 7. His sweet, smooth folk-rock was borne out of a dead-end job at a shoe factory in Lewiston, but he has now risen to national critical acclaim with his debut album, “Trouble.” Maine favorite and outlaw guitar-slinger extraordinaire James McMurtry (with his Heartless Bastards) will return to Maine for the third time this year, playing on the Maine State Pier in Portland on Aug. 13.

. If big-name acts aren’t your thing, the Space Gallery in Portland brings the obscure, the intelligent, and the just plan quirky to Maine on a regular basis. While their full summer schedule isn’t completely set, a few shows have been announced. On Thursday, June 30, Erin McKeown brings her self-described “oddball punk cabaret pop” to Space, along with the lush New York-based band Hem. On July 31, Kid 606 will present a night of alternately euphoric and soothing electronic music. Space doubles as an art gallery, and also presents lectures, documentaries and other creative endeavors.

For information on times, ticket prices and seating arrangements, call the venues or visit their Web sites. All tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster, except for Space Gallery shows, which can be purchased at all Bull Moose Music locations.

. The State Theatre: 775-3331, www.liveatthestate.com.

. Cumberland County Civic Center: 207-775-3331.

. The Colisee: 783-2009.

. Space Gallery: 828-6500, www.space538.org.

Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.