THE MANATEE WITH THE PLANATEE

SXSW VI, reporting from Austin Texas. most every show below is free and some may offer free food/drink. click on names for event details.

early on TUESDAY, Fol Chen performs at Red 7 around 3 o'clock. Wavves at 10PM at Viceland, with Japandroids and Divine Fits to follow, promises to rank among the best closers of the week. Flying Lotus will also do a multi-media set at the Jones Center AMOA Arthouse.

WEDNESDAY, starting out at noon at Waterloo Records, we'll have to catch Thurston Moore's new project, Chelsea Light Moving, and we'll probably stay for Tegan & Sara at 2. then it's off to see either Peanut Butter Wolf at Red 7 or !!! at Lustre Pearl, with Dead Prez to end the evening early at Antone's (for $).

THURSDAY, Caveman and Foxygen play the Flamingo Cantina starting around 2, King Tuff plays the Scoot Inn at 3. then Waterloo again for The Joy Formidable at 4 and The Coup at 5. at 1100 Warehouse, they'll likely make us chose between Foxygen/Youth Lagoon and Toro Y Moi/Andy Stott - a fine outcome either way. lastly, Cafe Tacvba play the big bad Audiorium Shores at 8.

the Walkmen and Foxygen show at the Club De Ville on FRIDAY appears RSVP-ed out, but we'll try to get in anyway. earlier that day, Dosh performs at Holy Mountain around noon, Caveman and Phosphorescent perform at Red Eyed Fly around 3, and The Zombies (yes, Colin Blunstone's Zombies) perform at The Stage On 6th at 4. Divine Fits, Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) and the big bad Flaming Lips close Auditorium Shores, with Daedelus monoming an after-midnight set at Emo's East (for $).

on SATURDAY, Austin's own Balmorhea opens the day at Mohawk at noon, and we may stay for The Thermals at 3. ...unless we missed The Zombies, in which case they're playing Waterloo at noon or Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop at 2. and if we somehow missed the most ubiquitous band of the festival, Foxygen plays Jo's Coffee at 4, with Phosphorescent and Heartless Bastards to follow. or Toro y Moi plays the Hype Hotel at 5. or Talib Kweli the Lustre Pearl at 6, or Thee Oh Sees at Clive Bar same time. or we might just make this a hometown music day, as three bands from San Antonio will tear up Flat Top Burger Shop starting at noon - Deer Vibes, We Leave At Midnight, and Hawks of Holy Rosary - a party thrown by KRTU Indie Overnight's Music For Listeners. it all depends on the motion of the ocean.

and if we haven't swam away by ST. PATTY'S DAY SUNDAY, the best new band in Austin, Megafauna, plays the historic Hole In The Wall at 10PM.

we also compiled a list of the best worst band-names playing the fest, for the comedy pleasure of attendees and non-:

Bleeding Rainbow

Guantanamo Baywatch

Energy Voidoids

Fat Fuxxx

Zero Skills

Diarrhea Planet

How I Quit Crack

Dead Earth Politics

RUN DMT

Streptococcus Faggotrophia 

Ringo Deathstarr

Burgess Meredith

Did You See Those Bats?

Bombay Show Pig

The Goatbangers

The Blind Shake 

Timmy's Organism

Foxygen

Pernicious Phenom 

Stak5

You Won't

...& the best band name ever: 

Manatees (from Memphis)!