127. (Avant/Experimental) English-singing Iranians who favor Bob Dylan ballads. (Tambaleo, 9 p.m.)

Aesop Rock. (Hip-Hop/Rap) Like the Greek fabulist, this MC overflows with narratives, but about NYC and 'Strong' Island. (Emo's Main Room, 12:45 a.m.)

Ambulance Ltd. (Rock) 'We don't kick much (rear) volume-wise,' just 'conceptually,' 'poetically' and 'atmospherically,' admits the driver. (Exodus, 1 a.m.)

American Analog Set. (Rock) Cascades of guitar-drone and jazz ideal for 3 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon. (Blender Bar at The Ritz, 1 a.m.)

Apocalyptica. (Rock) Finnish power-cello trio doesn't just play Metallica covers. (Flamingo Cantina, 9 p.m.)

Apostle of Hustle. (Rock) Broken Social Scene guitarist returns from Cuba with an aromatic, flavorful bouquet of cigars. (Momo's, 8 p.m.)

Ariel Pink. (Avant/Experimental) Atmospheric garble from a DIY loner who plays drums and percussion with his mouth. (Maggie Mae's, 11 p.m.)

Bobby Bare, Jr. (Rock) Country-rock as a Roy Acuff fever dream. (The Parish, midnight)

The Black Halos. (Rock) If their lead singer wasn't in a band, he'd be 'that guy who sits singing on the street.' (Emo's Jr., midnight)

Black Sun Ensemble. (Avant/Experimental) Entranced by the sway of the belly dancer, the spitting cobra surreptitiously approaches; plays absolutely singular North-African inspired psychedelic rock. (Whisky Bar, 11 p.m.)

Bumblebeez 81. (Hip-Hop/Rap) An Arts and Crafts project amalgamated by only the most progressive of genres. (Club de Ville, 1 a.m.)

John Butler Trio. (Rock) White Rasta from down under holds virtue high, finger-picks on the fly. (Stubb's, 8 p.m.)

C-Mon&Kypski. (Hip-Hop/Rap) Dutch turntable champion and partner employ a foot sampler to organically mix beats, instruments, and scratches. (Caribbean Lights, 10:40 p.m.)

Calvin Owens' Blues Orchestra. (Blues) Former trumpeter for B.B. King swings 25-strong. (Town Lake Stage at Auditorium Shores, 4 p.m.)

Cartel de Santa. (Hip-Hop/Rap) 'Ho, ho, ho' isn't their rallying cry for the well-behaved. (Caribbean Nights, 9:30 p.m.)

Castanets. (Alt Country) Dirges manifested from a 15-year-old prodigy's cross-country ride aboard a Greyhound. (Maggie Mae's, 10 p.m.)

Cephalic Carnage. (Metal) Surprise! Banging heads with an "ultra-hardcore" ferocity causes damage. (Room 710, 11 p.m.)

Comeback Kid. (Metal) Coming from behind requires scrappiness, tenacity, and a fair amount of stepping on those in the way. (Bigsby's, 9 p.m.)

The Cuban Cowboys. (Latin Rock) Tip for the band: While in town, go see a guy named Jon Bessent about a gadget called a Surf Bug. (Mambo Kings, 9 p.m.)

Daara J. (Hip Hop/Rap) Mother Africa, unite around these astute, sociopolitical Senegalese rhymers. (Caribbean Lights, 11:50 p.m.)

Johnny Dowd. (Alt Country) A traveling snake-oil salesman in his past life as a preacher. (The Drink, 1 a.m.)

Devil in a Woodpile. (Blues) Down-home instrumentation for an afternoon of sipping lemonade and cleaning 45s. (The Parish, 10 p.m.)

Dr. Pepper Family. (Rock) Effervescent power-blues without the calories. (Co-Op Bar, 10 p.m.)

Electric Eel Shock. (Rock) Album entitled 'Maybe, I Think We Can Beat Nirvana' sets the bar. (Beerland, midnight)

Edith Frost. (Alt Country) From hot summers in the south to cold winters in the north, a distillation of many emotional landscapes. (Latitude 30, midnight)

Faceless Werewolves. (Rock) The journal entries of a riot grrrl performed under a full moon. (Latitude 30, 8 p.m.)

David Garza. (Singer-Songwriter) Prolific local rewrites the songbook on recreating the wheel. (Cactus Cafe, 10 p.m.)

The George W. Bush Singers. (Pop) Poking fun at Bush never gets old. (Cedar Street Courtyard, 9 p.m.)

Gitogito Hustler. (Punk) After hearing this 'kamikaze' rock 'n' roll, the girls in the band say, 'Everyone will become a very fortunate feeling.' (Beerland, 9 p.m.)

Gore Gore Girls. (Rock) The missing 'tude Al needed to keep the Supreme Court from getting their hands on the commercial-size can of worms. (Continental Club, 10 p.m.)

Half-handed Cloud. (Singer-Songwriter) Between-the-lines interpretations of The Great Book conducted by a one-man orchestra. (Maggie Mae's, 9 p.m.)

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness. (Rock) Spoon's Britt Daniel has taken them under his wing and into the spotlight. (Blender Bar at The Ritz, midnight)

Idlewild. (Rock) On top of the charts in Scotland before the girls who swoon to 'Take Me Out' hit puberty. (La Zona Rosa, midnight)

Ignacio Pena. (Rock) These Puertorriqueños have perfected American alternative-rock down to the quick-cut video montage. (Mambo Kings, 8 p.m.)

Daniel Johnston. (Singer-Songwriter) Flavor-of-the-month has his cake and eats it, too. (Maggie Mae's, 1 a.m.)

Kings of Convenience. (Rock) Elegant, hip, lounge material from two sounding like three sounding like one. (Antone's, 8 p.m.)

The Last Town Chorus. (Alt Country) The sister Cat Power and Gillian Welch sold down the river on account of her lap-steel skills. (Nuno's, 8 p.m.)

Ben Lee. (Pop) Recently dumped by Claire Danes, the Australian wunderkind now has a reason to live up to his potential. (Cedar Street Courtyard, 10 p.m.)

Gary Lucas & Gods and Monsters. (Rock) Nomadic guitar virtuoso befriended Beefheart and Buckley. (The Drink, 11 p.m.)

Aimee Mann. (Singer-Songwriter) Who would have thought 'Voices Carry' would lead to the 'Magnolia' soundtrack? (Stubb's, 9 p.m.)

John Arthur Martinez. (Country) The epitome of mainstream Nashville imports his heritage. (Mother Egan's, 9 p.m.)

Matt the Electrician. (Singer-Songwriter) Protocol says not to ask him about rewiring your house in between songs. (Lounge at Crowne Plaza, 8 p.m.)

Michael Martin Murphey. (Country) Just the guy you want resting his cowboy boots alongside a campfire of beans and chorizo. (Town Lake Stage at Auditorium Shores, 3 p.m.)

Midnight Movies. (Rock) 'Too old for cute, too young for cool,' she sings from behind her drums, as an ethereal tempo crescendos. (Exodus, 11 p.m.)

Mobius Band. (Rock) They can attest to the marketing power of Urban Outfitters' sampler CDs. (Copa, midnight)

The Music. (Rock) These guys don't want to confuse anyone. (La Zona Rosa, 1 a.m.)

Nada Surf. (Rock) Hanging 10 (years) thanks in part to a loyal following of French armchair-philosophers. (Red Eyed Fly, 1 a.m.)

Neville Brothers. (R&B) Voices like butta and the beat to bounce. (Town Lake Stage at Auditorium Shores, 7:30 p.m.)

NRA. (Punk) One member works at a store where he gets skateboards for the rest of the band to destroy. (Beerland, 11 p.m.)

The Panda Band. (Pop) A rare breed indeed, Rolling Stone says, in naming them a Top 10 band to watch this year (or maybe it was last year). (Nuno's, 11 p.m.)

Petty Booka. (Bluegrass) Kitschy combo of country covers on a lazy Hawaiian day will forever stay fresh. (Elysium, 11 p.m.)

Phoenix. (Pop) Roman Coppola's answer to Sofia Coppola's Air. (Antone's, 12:30 p.m.)

Piccola Orchestra Avion Travel. (Jazz) Suave, Italian 6-piece aboard a Gulfstream en route to Brazil. (Tambaleo, 10 p.m.)

Pig Destroyer. (Metal) Hot off their record label's Web site, an assurance of 'envelop(ing) the listener in a cocoon of grisly nihilism.' (Room 710, midnight)

Po' Girl. (Alt Country) After SXSW, they're heading to Cameroon for the MASSAO music festival, a celebration of women's voices. (Fox and Hound, 9 p.m.)

Raul Malo. (Alt Country) Señores and señoras, you know him as the debonair front man for the Mavericks and member of Los Super Seven . . . (The 18th floor at Crowne Plaza, 11 p.m.)

Read Yellow. (Rock) Hardcore D.C. bands from the '80s taught them a thing or two about syncopated political-speak. (Pecan St. Ale House, 11 p.m.)

Robbers on High Street. (Rock) Totally honest about thieving the sound that gave Gotham its rock 'n' roll rejuvenation. (Exodus, midnight)

Rose Polenzani. (Singer-Songwriter) You know she's in it for the love of the game when she signed to the not-for-profit label run by an Indigo Girl. (Fox and Hound, 10 p.m.)

Tia Carrera. (Metal) All play and no rehearsal makes for never-a-dull boy out of these three. (Whisky Bar, 8 p.m.)

Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. (Avant/Experimental) Forget the music; it's worth the price of admission to see the slide show and 10-year-old drummer, Rachel. (Eternal, 8 p.m.)

Vanilla Ice. (Hip Hop/Rap) Rob Van Winkle woke up after Suge Knight hung him upside-down over a ledge — and started bringing it. (Cedar Street Courtyard, 1 a.m.)

The Waco Brothers. (Rock) Yet another diversion for Jan Langford's painterly works currently on display at Yard Dog on South Congress. (The Parish, 1 a.m.)

The Wallflowers. (Rock) Jakob, your dad's fifth album yielded 'Mr. Tambourine Man,' so no pressure when yours drops on May 24. (Stubb's, 10:30 p.m.)

Saul Williams. (Rock) W-himsical, o-riginal, r-ude, d-ope. (Emo's Main Room, 10 p.m.)

Say Hi To Your Mom. (Rock) Eddie Haskell was never this much of a weisenheimer, but then again, he didn't work at a robot factory. (Copa, 10 p.m.)

Sluts of Trust. (Rock) Their video for 'Piece O' You' is a Sadie Hawkins dance with more blood than 'Carrie.' (Latitude 30, 10 p.m.)

Son Volt. (Rock) The defense offers its closing argument in the eternal case against Wilco. (Stubb's, 11:45 p.m.)

South Austin Jug Band. (Bluegrass) Don't show up with a mullet unless you've got thick skin. (Mother Egan's, 11 p.m.)

Stars. (Pop) 'Set Yourself on Fire' is nominated for best alternative-rock album of the year by Canada's Juno Awards. (Blender Bar at The Ritz, 11 p.m.)

Swearing at Motorists. (Rock) Exercising their right to freedom of expression. (Buffalo Billiards, 10 p.m.)

What Made Milwaukee Famous. (Rock) On SXSW: 'The whole SXSW getting-signed thing is kind of a pipe dream — you can't bank on it.' (The Velvet Spade, 11 p.m.)

Wolfmother. (Rock) Howling, instead of barking, will throw critics off the tracks of Black Sabbath comparisons. (Club de Ville, 11 p.m.)