Saturday Saturday Saturday! It's a bounty of goodness unlike anything most people of privilege (or non-privilege) have seen, seeming that it is filled not only with SXSW's usual wealth of day-funs and joys and diversities, but that it is also privy to the wonderment that is Mess With Texas 2, a noon-to-ten cornucopia of music and comedy at Waterloo Park. It's sort of like a day of Fun Fun Fun Fest plus comedy minus the price plus the knowledge that there's great stuff going on everywhere else as well. So let's get to it, and all the other great stuff going on EVERYWHERE, shall we? Mess With Texas 2 @ Waterloo Park At this event, it's almost ridiculous what a wide range of musics you'll be able to see, from electro-folk to softcore-punk to anti-pop to alterna-world to whatever-other-hyphenated-genre-you-could-possibly-fabricate. Headlining are the Kim Deal-led Breeders and late-nineties punk-stars NOFX, but they are just icing on the cake of a day that features acts as intriguing as the inimitable Islands and the ever-so-subtle Atlas Sound. And, take a deep breath, because also lining up on one of the three stages is rise-from-the-ashes-via-Juno story Kimya Dawson, the mysteriously-spelled Wooden Shjips, hype-machine Simian Mobile Disco, quick risers Yeasayer, Monotonix, and No Age. And in case you haven't already caught them, this may be a convenient time to check out local respectables Shearwater and White Denim. Seriously, though, that's a ridiculous list already, and it's really just the beginning. And it's free, for God's sake! And there was some comedy at this Mess With Texas thing, too, right? Yeah, you can expect some laughs from the likes of Janeane Garofalo, Brian Posehn, Todd Barry, and Eugene Mirman, among a veritable slew of others. Make sure to get there before the sun goes down if you want to check that out, though, because we all know humor goes best with some sunshine....

Thursday Flamingo Cantina takes a break from bringing in bands like The Skatalites and Israel Vibration. Instead, for this free day show they will host the shimmering and sentimental, Swedish alt rock of the Shout Out Louds. You’ll also hear the catchy California rock of Rogue Wave and the love song sing-alongs and quirky experiments of Akron/Family. Sub Pop’s Portland drums-and-guitar duo The Helio Sequence come prepared with spacey indie rock prettiness, and Fleet Foxes are set to impress with charming guitars and melodic tones. Expect a thrilling display from Athens’ psych-folk collective Elf Power. ...

This is what SXSW free day parties are all about. Twelve bands, two venues, and short sets so that you can see as much as you can stomach. Forcefield and Terrorbird are having their blow-out at Emo’s and Emo’s Jr. on the first day of SXSW, kicking things off with quite a bang. ...

When the band Minor Threat dissolved, lead singer Ian MacKaye famously declared he wanted his next project to sound "like the Stooges with reggae.” For about fifteen years, Fugazi was that band, whose atypical sound and grounded approach to touring and performing have made them legendary, and nearly deistic to their many granola-punk followers....

Free Week hits its stride on Saturday with three separate shows at Emo’s Lounge, Emo’s inside stage, and the outside stage as well. ...

Unlike the faux-rockers American Hi-Fi from Boston, Massachusetts, American Mid-Fi are a similarly named musical collective from right here in Austin. A consortium of some eight bands, the American Mid-Fi label, or “movement,” as they’d like to be known, rep North Austin (why not?) and count the garage rock Dr. Zoom and lap-pop computer jams of Prices This Low Won’t Last amongst their associates. ...

Image from the Pipettes MySpace. the Pipettes with Nicole Atkins and the SeaWednesday, November 7The Parish Room (214 East Sixth Street)$12 in advance, All Ages, Door at 8 p.m.[info] | [tickets]Get your 1960s retro fix with the Pipettes, headlining tonight at the Parish Room. The self-aware manufactured 1960s girl group vibe is somehow much more fun than it sounds, and the Pipettes won our hearts when they put out that deadpan Beyond the Valley of......

Tonight at Emo's Lounge be sure to check out a show with some heavy-hitting sponsors (Filter , Both Sides of the Mouth, and Zune) behind it in order to put some great music in front of you. Straight outta Compton (well, LA at least) is Great Northern, a band that's been making waves of late. Listen closely to their instantly appealing pop and you'll hear the burnt edges and dark undertones. Your head will......

First things first, people: enough of this “stop shilling Emo’s all the time” nonsense! You can shout “scene/lifestyle” all you want, but the fact remains that there just aren’t many clubs downtown that attract big-time touring bands and assemble kickass local bills for under $20. Case in point: tonight’s performance by Toronto avant-punks F*cked Up. The notoriously obscurist five-piece, who write 8-minute progressive hardcore anthems about things like anarchist computer hackers and the Chinese......

Neal Kay’s Heavy Metal Soundhouse inspired the first set of air guitarists in London in the late 1970’s and the spectacle has truly evolved into a world wide phenomenon in the last decade. The first World Air Guitar Championships were held in Finland in 1996 (at the Oulu Music Video Festival) and 12 years later, the event is still going strong. Austin is no stranger to the scene, holding regular contests at the Alamo......

KVRX continues to go from strength to strength in the oft-shifting landscape of independent music. The student radio station for UT at Austin broadcasts on 91.7 FM (at certain times) while also streaming online at all times. KVRX’s mantra of “None of the Hits, All of the Time” has always held a soft spot in our hearts and their Local Live broadcast every Sunday night at 10pm usually showcases a quality act in its rawest......

The Books are not like most performers. Paul de Jong and Nick Zammuto’s creative process is impressively genius. The duo composes what the press calls folktronica by weaving samples from obscure videos and tapes they find at various thrift stores with cello, guitar and vocals. The San Francisco Observer described their performances as an “electro-acoustic sound collage.” What’s most intriguing about The Books is their sense of both dark and light humor. This is apparent......

Aqua Teen Hungerforce is one of our favorite late-night TV shows. Cartoon Network's trippy and witty antics of fast food products living in the suburbs of New Jersey has been entertaining inebriated viewers since Adult Swim's debut. One of the signature artists in Adult Swim's motley crew of hip-hop contributers is DJ Spooky, who penned theme songs and more for these cult cartoon favorites. Hailing from Washington D.C. and armed with a degree in......

Perhaps ACL Fest wasn't the ideal venue for Sweden's José Gonzalez. His typically quiet Sunday afternoon set was marred by muddy sound and the strains of Jack Ingram bleeding off of a nearby stage. He jumped offstage after about 25 minutes, likely running for the exit and some air conditioning. If you are a fan of José and his Pitchfork-approved Veneer disc, you will likely have a much better experience tomorrow night. A scant......

J.K. Rowling has truly secured her place in the world’s collective consciousness. Not only does the Harry Potter Empire reach into bookstores and retail outlets and movie theatres all across the globe, but it’s inspiring the creation of indie pop bands whose music is based solely on HP characters and plotlines. Seriously, Rowling just might be the most powerful media force on Earth. But, self-made billionaires aside, it’s really all about kids having a good......

[festival/music/art] First Night at Congress Avenue (All Ages, 2pm, Free/$10) [info] [tickets] [music] Nic Armstrong and the Thieves, Moonlight Towers and DJ Polecat at Club de Ville (21+, $5, Call 512-457-0900) [fabulous] Studio 54 Par-tay! at Rain (21+, Call 512-494-1150) [info] [music] White Ghost Shivers and The Small Stars at Blue Genie Art Industries (21+, 9pm, $37) [info] [tickets] [music] Flametrick Subs with Satan's Cheerleaders, Slick 57 and Basin Street at Emo's (All Ages,......

Last minute entry here: The Ruta Maya World Headquarters down on South Congress (right by Expose, for the naughtier readers), is having a free show tonight! Here are the details we received: WED. AUG. 31ST 8:30PM FREE SHOW!! ALL AGES!! RUTA MAYA INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS In The Round with Noelle Hampton/Andre Moran, Niki Duncan/Rob Jewitt, and Teal Collins/Josh Zee (of The Mother Truckers)! Yes, this is a Couples In-The-Round, with 3 very diverse and talented......

Apparently when your concert ticket says ALL AGES, it really means that if you are over a certain age you are either A) there with your kid, B) a narc, or C) a pedophile. We guess that’s what happens as you get older; the kids at shows look at you funny as they wonder what category you fall into. It’s strange to be only one of 15 people in a sold-out venue old enough......

Tonight you can catch glitch-hop wonder kid Scott Heren (aka Prefuse 73) at the Parish as he wraps up his US tour in support of his latest release, Surounded by Silence. Fans of Prefuse might be excited to know that Herron will be backed by a live band for his performance. What band would be up for the challenge of reinterpreting the breaks and bleeps found on his records. None other than instrumental math......