Pitchfork

Bands. Beer. Barbecue. Bands. Burritos. Band-Aids on feet. Babes in promotional t-shirts. Boys in leather jackets in 90 degree heat. Bands. Billions of flyers on every possible surface. Also, bands.

Welcome to SXSW, folks.

Over the weekend, the organizers of the 2007 SXSW Music Conference revealed the schedule for their massive orgy of live music taking place in Texas from March 14 through March 18 (though nothing much happens on March 18). As usual, it's full of odd lineups (Andrew Bird, Alice Smith, Perry Farrell's Satellite Party, Badly Drawn Boy, and the Good, the Bad & the Queen?), heartbreaking decisions (Sub Pop vs. Merge vs. Frenchkiss vs. Beggars/4AD--nooo!), and soul-searching questions (Why is Tom Morello playing, like, six times? Who are the "special guests" at the Merge and Arts&Crafts showcases?).

Remember, the fun isn't all during the nighttime, though. Pete Townshend, Iggy Pop, Emmylou Harris, Gilberto Gil, David Byrne, and Booker T. Jones are just a few of the artists giving talks or being interviewed during daytime hours at the Austin Convention Center. There are also panels on comedy (with Patton Oswalt and David Cross, among others), Nick Drake (with his sister Gabrielle Drake, Robyn Hitchcock, and producer Joe Boyd) and the mysteriously titled "What Do You Want From Life?" (with Britt Daniel of Spoon, Corey Rusk of Touch & Go Records, some guy from Aqualung, and, why not, Tom Morello).

And, of course, don't forget about the Pitchfork Music Festival/Windish Agency bash on Friday, March 16 at Emo's and Emo's Jr. from noon to six p.m. We've got the Pipettes, Girl Talk, Deerhunter, Crystal Castles, Rjd2, Menomena, the Ponys, Do Make Say Think, Simian Mobile Disco, Fujiya + Miyagi, Beach House, and Marnie Stern! Party!

Here's a very, very brief guide to what's happening at SXSW 2007:

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14

Battle of the indie label titans! The Merge, Sub Pop, Beggars/4AD, and Frenchkiss showcases all take place simultaneously tonight.

Merge holds it down at Antone's with the Ladybug Transistor, Imperial Teen, the Broken West, the Rosebuds, Oakley Hall, and "Special Guest" headliners. (Sorry kids, it's not the Arcade Fire-- they're playing in London that night.)

Sub Pop takes over Emo's IV with Tiny Vipers, Loney, Dear, Oxford Collapse, Kinski, Patton Oswalt, and Maps & Atlases. (Hey! Did Sub Pop sign Patton Oswalt and Maps & Atlases when we weren't looking?)

The Beggars Group invades the Emo's complex, with Beggars Banquet acts iLiKETRAiNS, Future of the Left, the Early Years, Calla, and Voxtrot holding it down at Emo's Jr. and 4AD acts Wolf & Cub, Emma Pollock, Beirut, the Mountain Goats, and Blonde Redhead in the main room.

Over at the Red Eyed Fly, Frenchkiss showcases Rahim, Call Me Lightning, Fatal Flying Guilloteens, the Big Sleep, Thunderbirds Are Now!, and (yes!) Les Savy Fav.

If all that wasn't enough, there's also Peter Bjorn & John and Tuung at La Zona Rosa and Lily Allen at Stubb's.

AND THAT'S JUST THE FIRST NIGHT, PEOPLE!

THURSDAY, MARCH 15

Astralwerks represents at Antone's with Small Sins, Sondre Lerche, the Little Ones, and Sparklehorse, while Barsuk sets up shop at Buffalo Billiards with Rocky Votolato, Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, Aqueduct, and Menomena.

Hydrahead pummels Emo's Annex with Pelican, Jesu, Big Business, Daughters, Oxbow, and Stephen Brodsky's Octave Museum, Zero Degrees gets hyphy with the Pack, Balance, the Federation, and more, and Deerhunter and Do Make Say Think play Soho Lounge.

Lethal Bizzle, Lo Fi Fnk, Matt & Kim, Shitdisco, and the Presets are at Beauty Bar (and its Patio), Bloc Party and the Dears play Stubb's, Vice Records kicks it at Flamingo Cantina with 120 Days, Panthers, Black Lips, and Chromeo, and Asthmatic Kitty hits Emo's IV with the Field Guides, the Weird Weeds, Old Time Relijun, Rafter and Friends, Shapes and Sizes, My Brightest Diamond, and Castanets.

For a spiritual experience, head to the Central Presbyterian Church for the FatCat, DiCristina, and friends showcase featuring Shearwater, David Karsten Daniels, Jana Hunter, Tom Brosseau, Nina Nastasia & Jim White, and Vashti Bunyan.

Count the people live-blogging at La Zona Rosa when Elvis Perkins, Cold War Kids, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Architecture in Helsinki, and Ghostland Observatory hit the stage.

And finally, Secretly Canadian and its sub-labels take over the Mohawk, with performances from Dirty Projectors, Frida Hyvonen, Catfish Haven, David Vandervelde, Ladyhawk, Evangelicals, Besnard Lakes, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, Bishop Allen, Richard Swift, and Okkervil River.

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

After recovering from our party, get crunk with Kid Sister, A-Trak, Bonde do Role, Flosstradamus, CX Kidtronik, and the Rub at the Biz3/Kork showcase at Beauty Bar, or get dancey with Simian Mobile Disco and Rjd2 at the Urge Dance Party at Karma Lounge.

Or space out with Boris at Spiro's, the Carpark showcase at Tap Room at Six featuring Beach House, Ecstatic Sunshine, Dan Deacon and others, or the Ecstatic Peace showcase at Mohawk, featuring Thurston Moore, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Pagoda, Black Helicopter, Monotract, MV/EE and the Bummer Road, Tall Firs, Magik Markers, Charalambides, and Gown.

The Walkmen are at Emo's Annex, while it's undie hip hop heaven at Emo's main room with Cage, Brother Ali, Aesop Rock, El-P, and Galactic with Lyrics Born, Gift of Gab & Boots Riley.

The Faint and Peter and the Wolf provide a nice yin and yang at Eternal, while Alice Smith, Andrew Bird, Badly Drawn Boy, the Good the Bad & the Queen, and Satellite Party get schizophrenic at Stubb's.

Finally, Arts&Crafts holds its showcase at Habana Calle 6 Annex with Young Galaxy, Amy Millan, Apostle of Hustle, and those elusive "special guests". Broken Social Scene? Stars? Feist?

SATURDAY, MARCH 17

Spend the afternoon with Boris, who play at five p.m. at the Town Lake Stage at Auditorium Shores. Stick around that same venue to see Mastodon at eight o'clock.

Get happy with Junior Senior at Exodus or at the Memphis Industries / Saddle Creek / Team Love showcase at the Beauty Bar patio, featuring Cursive, Tokyo Police Club, the Pipettes, Tilly and the Wall, Field Music, and Art in Manila, a new band featuring Orenda Fink of Azure Ray and Adrianne Verhoeven of the Anniversary.

In the old crazy dudes department, Daniel Johnston is at Blender Bar, Jandek is at the Central Presbyterian Church, Qui with David Yow is at Emo's Jr. and the Buzzcocks, Meat Puppets, and Poison Idea are at Emo's Main Room. The Stooges are at Stubb's, along with Spoon.

Kill Rock Stars ply their wares at Emo's IV with Erase Errata, Mary Timony, Two Ton Boa, Marnie Stern, Macromantics, and Mika Miko, while Absolutely Kosher and Misra do the same at Habana Calle 6 Patio with Frog Eyes, +/-, Palomar, Chris Garneau, and the Affair.

Heard too much music? Head to Friends to see the Human Giant showcase featuring comedians Aziz Ansari and TimandEric.com. If they can make you laugh after four straight days of standing on your feet, they are indeed Human Giants.