In 1958, when Link Wray punched pencil holes in his amps and banged out the fuzz-toned, raunchy chords of his instrumental “Rumble,” he took then-nascent rock ‘n’ roll to a whole other dimension. Wray’s distortion-filled yet never self-indulgent attack wowed audiences at D.C. biker bars and Glen Echo, as well as wowing Brits like Pete Townsend. Myriad label and management problems have prevented Wray from attaining the financial rewards his groundbreaking repertoire deserved; now 68 and living in Denmark, Wray is returning for his first U.S. tour in over a decade. Refusing to play in the District itself, according to his booking agent, he’ll instead be wreaking havoc across the river at a sit-down location where they shush people for whispering. Wray will be backed by San Francisco cowpunks Dieselhed, who open with their own set at 7:30 p.m. at the Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. $18.50. (703) 549-7500. (Steve Kiviat)