Friday Picks

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Picks for March 18

All showcase times subject to change

IAN HUNTER/ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO

6pm, Auditorium Shores Were it not for the fact that Alejandro Escovedo looks good and sounds like a hurricane – all-star tribute Por Vida worked! – you'd have thought he'd died and gone to heaven. After all, how many times have you heard Se–or Velvet Guitar cap a searing set with a reach-for-the-stars version of "All the Young Dudes." Yeah, yeah, Bowie wrote it, but it belongs to one Ian Hunter, who returns to the music business many times bitten, not overly shy, and with Strings Attached (Sanctuary), a reappreciation of all those young dudes and ducessies: "Irene Wilde," "Michael Picasso," and of course your ("I Wish I Was Your) Mother." – Raoul Hernandez

THE CRIMEA

8pm, Exodus Last SXSW, this Welsh fivepiece did more than just help the BBC narrate a documentary about the Festival, they proved bands get signed here. Warner Bros. offered them a deal a month later, resulting in October's brilliantly spacey and superbly written Lottery Winners on Acid EP. Debut LP, Tragedy Rocks, in May. – Andy Langer

SALLY TIMMS

8pm, Red Eyed Fly Sally Timms knows it's a man's man's man's world, and she takes on the role In the World of Him. Taking the No Depression route, Timms spins songs by men (Mark Eitzel, Ryan Adams, and Mekon Jon Langford), applying her own cynical, voyeuristic laments. – Audra Schroeder

TRISH MURPHY

8pm, Lounge She spent most of last year gigging with gal pals Kacy Crowley and Renee Woodward as Braless (now rechristened the New Hot Damn), but Trish Murphy solo is no slouch. 2003's Girls Get in Free flows with nostalgic reflections on her Houston childhood and stoic testimonials of her hard-won inner peace. – Christopher Gray

VIETNAM

8pm, Velvet Spade Patio Forget the Vice EP, The Concrete's Always Grayer on the Other Side of the Street. The divorce is final, and these grimy ex-Austinites have left Brooklyn for Amish country. A recent front room stand at Emo's demonstrated that their Apocalypse Now miasma, tense with jungle rot and deafening, remains Kurtz. – Raoul Hernandez

NITRO RECORDS SHOWCASE

8pm-2am, Emo's Jr. Offspring vocalist Dexter Holland's Nitro Records is proving a grand reinvestment in the Southern California punk scene. Nitro's SXSW showcase starts with theSTART, who combine New Wave with punk fury to build a sonic template somewhere between Missing Persons and Public Image Ltd. The L.A. quartet's latest, Initiation, recalls suburban outcast cruise music circa 1984. On their upcoming Dead Rhythm Machine, Atlanta's Letters Organize kick out the stop/start jams in a screaming, bloody manner that'll make terrorists pee their pants. By contrast, O.C. superheroes the Aquabats combine punk, ska, and Saturday-morning commercials for a sugar-powered festival of fun. Rancho Cucamonga's Rufio take emo, pop-punk, and Eighties metal out in the desert for a three-way game of chicken. Finally, legendary X vocalist Exene Cervenka leads the Original Sinners into battle with some of her hardest, freshest new material in years. The L.A. quintet, which also features former Distillers bassist Kim Chi and drummer Mat Young, resembles X in their melding of punk with strategic hints of country and rockabilly. – Greg Beets

MONTE WARDEN

8:30pm, Austin Music Hall Monte Warden always had that platinum song in him. Warden's been an odds-on local favorite ever since he was a rockabilly teen, and last year the gamble paid off when George Strait recorded his and Bruce Robison's wistful "Desperately." Live, Warden's love of Buddy Holly is No. 1, too. Oh boy! – Margaret Moser

CURSED

8:50pm, Back Room Worshipping Tony Iommi and Ian MacKaye can be draining, but Toronto's Cursed proved they have the stamina on Two. It's simple: Take metal sludge, mix in machine gun drums, add a dash of growl-scream-growl vocals. Speed up, slow down, serve with old-school guitar breakdowns and socially conscious lyrics. – Audra Schroeder

OXBOW

9pm, Emo's Annex An Oxbow performance is more than a show; it's a modern-day initiation into Artaud's Theater of Cruelty. The San Francisco troupe plays ear-splitting art rock as singer Eugene Robinson stalks the stage with his pants down. Christian Anthony's 2003 documentary, Music for Adults, shot Oxbow's '02 Euro tour in all its confrontational glory. – Greg Beets

THE HEAVENLY STATES

9pm, Antone's Every rock band has goals, but then there are opportunities arising that dwarf them. Case in point, this Bay area fourpiece recently played in Libya, where no American rock band has ever played. No doubt their Velvet Underground-arm-wrestling-the-Replacements sound went over well. – Audra Schroeder

GRETCHEN PHILLIPS

9pm, B.D. Riley's Her work with art punks Meat Joy and lesbian folk ambassadors Two Nice Girls made Gretchen Phillips a legend around these parts, but she's not done yet. 2003's Togetherness, with New York singer Dave Driver, showcased her range along with the most haunting cover of Barry Manilow's "Could This Be Magic?" you'll ever hear. – Greg Beets

REX HOBART & THE MISERY BOYS

9pm, Opal Divine's Freehouse These former punk rockers from Kansas City possess significant honky-tonk chops. They've just released their forth album, Empty House, on Bloodshot. Taking a cue from Dwight Yoakam, they prove it's possible to rock and still keep it country. – Jim Caligiuri

ROBBIE FULKS

9pm, Tambaleo Three years after a doubleheader sweep, 13 Hillbilly Giants and Couples in Trouble, Nashville's mouth of the South re-emerges on Yep Roc with Georgia Hard. No more alt. for Fulks, he's playing his country straight as Bruce Robison now, and it fits him like Billy Joe Shaver. Try it on for size. – Raoul Hernandez

MARTY STUART

9pm, Cactus Cafe One of country music's true traditionalists, Marty Stuart backed both Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash while in his teens. He's won Grammys, had Linda Ronstadt, Wynonna Judd, Del McCoury, and George Strait record his songs, and owns one of the world's great collections of Hank Williams memorabilia. – Jim Caligiuri

GARY CLARK JR.

9pm, Continental Club Gary Clark Jr. resuscitates stomps and boogies from long-forgotten plots. His swampy romps teem with nostalgia, yet lest the 21-year-old's third album, Tribute, pigeonhole the Austin blues classicist, his 2004 video "Thing's Are Changin'" lies on the hammock of contemporary soul. – Robert Gabriel

CAROLINE HERRING

9pm, Lounge @ Crowne Plaza The Best New Artist at the 2002 Austin Music Awards, Caroline Herring has since left Texas for Atlanta. A singer-songwriter who blends country, folk, and bluegrass with the unmistakable spiritual influence of the blues and gospel, she's released two albums on Blue Corn. – Jim Caligiuri

AMOS LEE

9:30pm Austin Music Hall Starbucks and its Hear Music are setting the AAA agenda these days, and this Philly-bred 27-year-old makes for the most obvious coffee-companion since Norah Jones. His self-titled debut balances subtle instrumentation and a magnificent voice that's singularly friendly and world-weary. – Andy Langer

CAITLIN CARY & THAD COCKRELL

10pm, Tambaleo While You Weren't Looking was a sly title for Caitlin Cary's solo debut; it captured the spirit of her recordings after Whiskeytown. Blessed with a gorgeous voice, she toured earlier this year with Tres Chicas and now with North Carolina singer-songwriter Thad Cockrell, with whom she's been recording. – Margaret Moser

NICOLAI DUNGER

10pm, Antone's Last year, this prolific young Swede released his ninth album in as many years, Here's My Song You Can Have It ... I Don't Want It Anymore/Yours 4-Ever (Virgin). The real news is the U.S. release of Dunger's "lost" third LP, '99's This Cloud Is Learning (Overcoat), on which he channels everyone from Jeff Buckley to Sinead O'Connor. – Melanie Haupt

THE RESENTMENTS

10pm, Momos Not that Stephen Bruton, Jon Dee Graham, Bruce Hughes, Jud Newcomb, and friends have trouble getting gigs around Austin, but put them together, and it's magic. Their fabled Sunday-night sets at the Saxon Pub are a rich tapestry of original material tightly woven with good humor and camaraderie. – Margaret Moser

THE SILOS

10pm, Soho Lounge Still going strong after all these years, the Silos find themselves a trio fronted by Walter Salas-Humara. As always, they shape roots rock with massive amounts of guts and heart into an utterly attractive whole. When the Telephone Rings (Dualtone) was hailed worldwide as one of the band's finest. – Jim Caligiuri

ESTER DRANG

10pm, Red Eyed Fly This Tulsa quartet celebrates its 10th birthday this year, and what an eventful decade it's been, with transformation from dreamy shoegazers to confident indie rockers. They've found a kindred spirit in recent tour host Sufjan Stevens and just put the finishing touches on their third full-length. – Melanie Haupt

TWO HOOTS & A HOLLER

10pm, Opal Divine's Freehouse With a history as tough and uncompromising as his band's sound, Rick Broussard returns from a self-imposed sabbatical with his hardcore roots-rock intact. Pyschobilly, garage, punk with sprinklings of Cajun, Two Hoots is tough. – Margaret Moser

NEW MODEL ARMY

10pm, Elysium It's been 25 years since Justin Sullivan and his mates embarked on this melodic rock & roll romance, but the Bradford, UK-based political punk powerhouse has yet to sell out. For their first Stateside dates in more than a decade, expect them to pull out big guns "51st State," "Green and Grey," and gobs more. – Marc Savlov

BLOC PARTY

10pm, Stubb's Whether filed under funk-punk or electroclash, these North Londoners are still a band you're more likely to have read about than actually heard. Their Vice debut, Silent Alarm, should change that; it's party music twice as deft and danceable as that of SXSW 04 alumni the Scissor Sisters and Franz Ferdinand. – Andy Langer

THE KILLS

10pm, Emo's Main Anglo-American duos are rare, but singer/guitarist VV and guitarist/drummer Hotel (née Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince) make up for it. Mixing post-punk beats with spare, electronic overtones and some of the most vitriolic odes to joylessness yet heard, the Kills make dank music, like Joy Division fronted by PJ Harvey, on new CD No Wow. – Marc Savlov

ZZZZ

10pm, Friends Palm Reader (Polyvinyl) is the debut from Chicago quartet ZZZZ, whose ZZZZs represent fretless bass, electric piano, amplified alto sax (like Skerik of Critters Buggin', though not as brash), and drums. Obtuse hooks, male/female vox, odd meter beats, and laconic lyrics; ZZZZ could've opened for Seventies King Crimson. – David Lynch

ZYKOS

10pm, Blender Bar @ the Ritz Upon losing guitarist Jarod Harmeier with the release of their second disc, Zykos, it looked grim for Austin's beloved indie rockers. Rather than settle into permanent day jobs, the quintet replaced Harmeier with engineer and Arm guitarist Alex Lyons and began writing their third effort. – Melanie Haupt

THE BLACK LIPS

10:15pm, Beerland By inhaling the volatility of the Stooges, Germs, and Back From the Grave comps, Atlanta's Black Lips illustrate what happens when kids get home from school before their parents get out of traffic. Second album We Did Not Know the Forest Spirit Made the Flowers Grow shows no sign of slowing. – Greg Beets

BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA

10:30pm, Austin Music Hall Time's never a-wastin' with the BBOA; Grammys for their three previous albums in as many years couldn't stem the new Atom Bomb (Real World), another blast of God-refracted pop from this trio of gospel survivors. Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" never sounded so at home. – Raoul Hernandez

RUTHIE FOSTER

11pm, Cedar Street Courtyard Ruthie Foster's amazingly soulful voice is steeped in the gospel tradition, equally at home singing blues, country, R&B, and folk. An East Texas native now living in the Austin area, Foster's recently released second album, Stages, is a live affair that captures her energy and charisma. – Jay Trachtenberg

JOLIE HOLLAND

11pm, Antone's Houston-born Jolie Holland charmed the masses with 2004's rough-hewn Anti- release Escondida, but it's her uniquely odd voice that has folks hooked. Holland plays like her Bay area folk got lost in the Appalachians, spreading her soulful, gravelly blues and country across the Plains. – Audra Schroeder

LAURA CANTRELL

11pm, Parish New York's Laura Cantrell has made a name for herself both as a singer-songwriter and deejay, with her award-winning weekly country music show on Columbia University's WKCR. Just signed to Matador, Cantrell is currently in the studio with producer J.D. Foster. – Jim Caligiuri

JESSE DAYTON

11pm, Opal Divine's Freehouse Austin's Jesse Dayton is originally from Beaumont, but he's been thrilling audiences nationwide with his brand of hard-edged country music since the early Nineties. 2004's Country Soul Brother (Stag) draws from Ray Price and George Jones but also includes a cover of the Cars' "Just What I Needed." – Jim Caligiuri

DAVID HOLT

11pm, Lounge @ Crowne Plaza Austin guitarist David Holt decided to go solo last year, releasing Perpetual Motion (Blue Corn Music), which proved he was a triple threat: singer, songwriter, and guitar slinger. The delicate balance of guitar flash and solid songsmithing. – Jim Caligiuri

JON LANGFORD & THE SEXY

11pm, Continental Club Founding and current Mekon, UK native, and longtime Chicagoan Jon Langford has paintings shown around the globe, sings, and leads the Waco Brothers. Any project with Langford's name will be provocative, literate, country-tinged, and fun. Bloodshot released his second solo album, All the Fame of Lofty Deeds, in 2004. – David Lynch

BOB LIVINGSTON

11pm, Cactus Cafe Livingston has come a long way since the Lost Gonzo Band. 2004's Mahatma Ghandi & Sitting Bull brings together the two prevailing influences on his music, a combo the local singer-songwriter calls "country & Eastern." Livingston, whose son Tucker is carrying the torch, is one of the last real cosmic cowboys. – Margaret Moser

SHEARWATER

11pm, Maggie Mae's This Austin sextet released new EP Thieves smack in the middle of Mardi Gras. A fitting bit of serendipity, since Thieves finds this side-project, specializing in reflective indie rock, kicking things up a notch. Jonathan Meiburg and Okkervil River's Will Sheff keep the beauty, only louder. – Melanie Haupt

RALPH WHITE

11pm, Hideout Going from the Breton-Tex sound of Bourree Texane to the modern mountain music of the Bad Livers was hardly a stretch for Ralph White. After all, he not only plays fiddle, accordion, banjo, and bass, but kalimba, gourd, mbira, and Peruvian drums. His latest CD, Down Along the Waterline, is a roots-rock gem. – Margaret Moser

CALLA

11pm, Blender Bar @ the Ritz South Texans Aurelio Valle and Wayne Magruder started playing together four years before Calla's 1997 Brooklyn birth. That longevity can be heard in the quartet's New Wave influence. The effect is moody, the notes cleanly delivered and immaculately articulated. Collisions, this summer. – Melanie Haupt

THE RAVEONETTES

11pm, Emo's Main This Danish duo of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo swept SXSW in 2003 on the strength of their Buddy Holly-meets-Jesus & Mary Chain musical concoction. Debut LP Chain Gang of Love (Columbia) elaborated further, but the real fun awaits in the live show. – Melanie Haupt

ASH

11pm, Eternal Ash's melodic pop-punk has taken a turn for the incendiary on Meltdown – featured prominently on the soundtrack to UK smash Shaun of the Dead – merging Tim Wheeler and Charlotte Hatherley's tuneful blend of guitar-driven, vertiginous rock with some seriously metallic riffs. – Marc Savlov

THE ARM

11pm, Blender Balcony @ the Ritz Drawing on the art-punk fury of the Fall, Pere Ubu, and Gang of Four, the Arm's self-titled debut on Last Gasp was one of the best things to come out of Austin in 2004. – Greg Beets

OH, BEAST!

11pm, Nuno's

Formed from two-drummer noise rockers Zulu as Kono, Oh, Beast! continues to explore helixes of cacophony with an eye toward futuristic dystopia. The group's tight 2003 EP, Makin' It in the Scene, was released on Perverted Son, run by members Josh Chalmers and J.D. Fanning. – Greg Beets

BOTTOM

11pm, Room 710 Having toured with Alabama Thunderpussy, High on Fire, Joey Ramone, and the Misfits, Bottom is three ladies – bassist Nila, drummer Clementine, and singer/strummer Sina – who know bottom. Founded in NYC and now in S.F., the sonic alchemy of epic exploration you'rNext (Small Stone) is new booty. – David Lynch

MAVIS STAPLES

11:30pm, Austin Music Hall Watching Mavis Staples sing "I'll Take You There" as the sun set on the first day of the 2003 Austin City Limits Music Festival was a perfect musical moment. Building on the crossover success of gospel's legendary Staple Singers, Mavis' Have a Little Faith (Alligator) made many 2004 best-of lists. – Greg Beets

JOHN CALE

11:30pm, La Zona Rosa At 63, John Cale is experiencing a career renaissance musicians half his age seldom see the first time around. Last year's domestic release of Hobo Sapiens drew richly deserved international acclaim to the Velvet Underground founder's contemporary sound, as electronic and eclectic as it is poetic and whimsical. – Margaret Moser

PELICAN

11:40pm, Emo's Annex "Chicago instro-sorcerers" bring Dungeons & Dragons to mind, but let's say Pelican is more Heavy Metal. Like their eponymous debut, the group's second Hydra Head, Australasia, is an instrumental maelstrom of lava-slow riffs and a touch of axe-battling wizardry. – Audra Schroeder

PORN

12mid, Room 710 Now simply Porn, S.F.'s men of porn now number Melvins hairball Dale Crover and producer Billy Anderson (Neurosis). Tim Moss still directs the trio's obscene grind, coagulating on Motor City imprint Small Stone Records via Wine, Women and Song, Porn's second LP and third release overall. Fluff me. – Raoul Hernandez

DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS

12mid, Buffalo Billiards Resistance is futile when it comes to this Scots outfit's hypermelodic blend of Eighties-influenced pop tones that recall the Beat, Jam, etc. Evidence that the lessons of 1982 have had a lasting impact, DDIHC are proof there's no reason to crack the window when you can simply toss a Glaswegian through it. – Marc Savlov

THE WOGGLES

12mid, Club de Ville Armed with an earthy garage noise aesthetic steeped in Southern rockabilly and soul, the Woggles, formed in Athens, Ga., and now Atlantan, have sanctified clubgoers for 18 years. Their latest, Soul-Sizzling 7" Meltdown (Chicken Ranch), revisits the quartet's prodigious vinyl output over the past decade. – Greg Beets

STEPHEN MALKMUS

12mid, Parish As former singer/guitarist for Pavement, Stephen Malkmus became a patron saint for cynical kids chugging away in their basement. Now solo, Malkmus puts a poppier spin on Pavement. His upcoming Face the Truth is more detuned guitar shrapnel. – Audra Schroeder

HAR MAR SUPERSTAR

12mid, Emo's Main Tighty-whitie Detroiter HMS makes a mockery of Britney Spears' hypersexualized image and fancies himself an R&B loverman. His new The Handler (Record Collection) was released last fall, and he also appears on Ben Lee's new disc. – Melanie Haupt

TYWANNA JO BASKETTE

12mid, Hideout Fancy Blue, this Ÿber-quirky Nashville singer-songwriter's 2003 release, was chock-full of songs that make you go, "Hmmm." Picture Emmylou Harris huffing helium and belting out ditties about lung cancer, escaped parakeets, and pink underwear. New songs for Gorman Becher's film You Are Not Alone suggest she's coming into her own. – Andy Langer

TODD SNIDER

12mid, Momos Todd Snider is a Nashville-based songwriter from the other side of Nashville, which is why he titled his most recent CD East Nashville Skyline. Taking his cue from his heroes Jerry Jeff Walker and John Prine, Snider's songs cut deep, but he also possesses a wicked sense of humor that helps leaven some of the pain. – Jim Caligiuri

BRUCE ROBISON

12mid, Mother Egan's Bruce Robison has seen his songs cut by Tim McGraw ("Angry All the Time"), the Dixie Chicks ("Travelin' Soldier"), and in 2004, George Strait ("Desperately"). Robison's beautifully crafted material is being prepared for CD release this year, but until then, his Country Sunshine remains his best. – Margaret Moser

JON DEE GRAHAM

12mid, Tambaleo As with Eliza Gilkyson and Ray Wylie Hubbard, every new Jon Dee Graham album is better than the last. With 2004's The Great Battle, the local singer-songwriter-guitar-monster notched another critically adored solo disc. Bittersweet and worldly wise, Graham's songs are rich and rewarding. – Margaret Moser

The WEARY BOYS

12mid, Continental Club Austin's Weary Boys meld punk, country, bluegrass, and gospel. A quintet originally from California, the Boys' latest, the self-released Holy Ghost Power, is a collection of gospel tunes that finds them repenting, if only a bit, for their hell-raising ways. – Jim Caligiuri

PRESCOTT CURLYWOLF

12mid, Velvet Spade Prescott Curlywolf is more a legend than a band these days. Combining turbo guitars with a free-ranging cover sense – Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher," Bob Wills' "Stay All Night," Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" – Prescott's appearance at SXSW's GBV hoot is a warm-up for this showcase of pure Austin bliss. – Christopher Gray

BLEACH

12mid, Whisky Bar This trio from Okinawa, Japan, has released half a dozen albums in their homeland and was recently glimpsed in OHAYO!, a tour doc of the Three Girls From Okinawa tour with Austin's own Gorch Fock. Pummeling drums, banshee vocals, and breakneck guitar skronk from three diminutive ladies. – Audra Schroeder

THINE EYES BLEED

12:10am, Back Room Let's get it out of the way: Yes, Thine Eyes Bleed bassist Johnny Araya is the brother of Slayer's Tom Araya. The Toronto band's debut, In the Wake of Separation, is fast, brutal thrash and tightly wound chaos. – Audra Schroeder

SPOON

12:30am, La Zona Rosa Locals enamored of Spoon in the Electric Lounge era suspected great things, but this? Songs on The OC and HBO's Unscripted, searing sets at the past two ACL Music Fests, and back-to-back Merge LPs of indie rock perfection. Due in May, the tense, tactile Gimme Fiction will take them even further. – Christopher Gray

ISIS

12:45am, Emo's Annex Three albums, three critical home runs for this white-hot Boston quintet. Last year's Panopticon (Ipecac) was pure saturation, distortion slowly revealing cascading melodies. Aaron Turner's demonstrative gasps prove Isis is the unifying field theory between avant-metal and ambient indie rock. – Michael Chamy

CHINGO BLING

12:50am, Fox & Hound Houston's Chingo Bling asserts that "the recipe for $1 million starts with a pound of masa." Slinging tamales out of an Igloo might sound like meager beginnings, but the last laugh comes as the 2005 Chingo Bling 4 Presedent campaign gains significant national momentum. – Robert Gabriel

SHONEN KNIFE

1am, Elysium Sprinkling the jaded alterna-masses with their patented sweetness, sisters/founders Naoko and Atsuko bring it Stateside to celebrate the reissue of their early LPs and to invite us to revel in their Candy Rock (Burning Farm/Warner Indies) again. – Kate X Messer

PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES

1am, Parish Bouncing back from a stolen van and lost gear following the 2003 release of sophomore effort The New Romance (Matador), Seattle's Pretty Girls Make Graves are road-tuning tunes from their upcoming release. Behind Andrea Zollo, the quintet rocks more dancey than indie. – Darcie Stevens

THE BRAVERY

1am, Exodus Last year, this electroclashing New York fivepiece broke out big overseas, gaining an international reputation for caustic live shows, clothes horsiness, and "raging hedonism." Island won the rights to their self-titled debut due at the end of March. – Andy Langer

CALEXICO

1am, Antone's Tucson's Calexico recalls the sweeping vistas of their Southwest home, drawing on spaghetti Westerns, Latin influences, Fifties jazz, country rock, and surf. They collaborate with such disparate artists as Nancy Sinatra and Iron & Wine and played a big part in the upcoming Los Super Seven project. – Jim Caligiuri

BURRITO DELUXE

1am, Opal Divine's Devotees of the Broken Spoke's Hardcore Country Night will vouch for this all-star lineup including Sneaky Pete Kleinow on steel and Garth Hudson on keyboards. Last year's The Whole Enchilada was as satisfying as an extra helping of rice and beans. – Margaret Moser

CENTRO-MATIC

1am, Maggie Mae's Denton transplants Centro-matic have been quiet of late as frontman Will Johnson focuses on his solo work and the band's side project, South San Gabriel. – Melanie Haupt

PEDRO THE LION

1am, Red Eyed Fly Dave Bazan makes indie rock for people who've found Jesus but haven't forsaken their brains. Achilles Heel (Jade Tree), Pedro's fourth full-length, speaks some awful truths, but that rawness keeps you listening. – Melanie Haupt

STEVE WYNN & THE MIRACLE 3

1am, Tambaleo Those who haven't seen Steve Wynn lately and only remember him from his days in the Dream Syndicate or Gutterball owe it to themselves to witness the new groove he's captured with the Miracle 3. – Jim Caligiuri

IAN McLAGAN & THE BUMP BAND

1am, Cedar Street Courtyard Even if Ian McLagan hadn't released Rise and Shine last year, he'd still be one of the Faces on the local scene. Ever since settling in Austin last decade, McLagan's turned his stellar career with Rod Stewart & the Faces and the Rolling Stones into England's loss and our gain. – Margaret Moser

PATRICE PIKE

1am, Momos Pike has been gigging in Austin for longer than it's polite to mention. She first made her name in Sister 7 but solidified her rep with her solo, sultry blues-rock cocktail and endless gigging. She won last year's USA Songwriting Competition and will share her winning composition with us during SXSW. – Melanie Haupt

THE FORTY-FIVES

1am, Club de Ville Rock revivalists from Atlanta, the Forty-Fives are a throwback to the days when punk was raw but with real melodies and occasional Farfisa. The Forty-Fives have released three LPs so far, the latest being High Life High Volume on Yep Roc. – Jim Caligiuri

DIXIE WITCH

1am, Room 710 Austin's Dixie Witch utilizes Blue Cheer/Black Sabbath aesthetics and Southern-flavored coliseum jams with the prowess of committed roadhogs. After two years of touring 2003's One Bird, Two Stones (Small Stone), Dixie Witch heads north of the Mason-Dixon this summer to record their third album, in Brooklyn of all places. – Greg Beets