The South by Southwest Music Festival--which each year draws more than 1,000 performers from around the world to Austin, Texas, to showcase their talent--kicks off tonight with the 22nd annual Austin Music Awards.

The ceremony, which gives the thousands visitors who descend upon the city a good overview of the host city's fertile music scene, opens at the Austin Music Hall (208 Nueces St.) at 8 p.m., and dozens of local and national favorites are expected to make appearances.

Among those scheduled to perform at the event are Greencards & Cluan, Tia Carrera, Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez and Friends, and Los Lonely Boys [ tickets ]. Also scheduled is an Austin Music Awards "Class of '78" reunion featuring Larry Seaman, Jesse Sublett, Randy "Biscuit" Turner, Stephen Marsh, Ty Gavin, Randy Franklin and Terri Lord.

Award winners were determined via a reader's poll conducted by local alt-weekly the Austin Chronicle.

Though the Austin Music Awards will draw the night's biggest crowds, dozens of other acts will take stages throughout the central city. Among the night's other highlights:

• Various Mexican and Mexican-American alt-rock acts at Exodus (302-304 E. 6th St.)--topped by Ozomatli [ tickets ] at 1 a.m.
  
• Pop-rockers The Go [ tickets ] at 10:30 p.. at the Hard Rock Cafe (222 E 6th St.)
  
• Electronic act Particle [ tickets ] at 11:15 at Rockstars (418 E. 6th St.)
  
• Country singer-songwriter Dierks Bentley [ tickets ] at midnight at Fox and Hound (401 Guadalupe St.).
  
• Joan Jett & The Blackhearts at 12:30 a.m. at Stubb's (801 Red River St.)
  
• Alt-rockers Modest Mouse at 1 a.m. at La Zona Rosa (612 W. 4th St.)
  
• A Merge Records showcase topped by Richard Buckner at 1 a.m. at The Parish (214-B E. 6th St.)

Wednesday's SXSW Links:
Click here to visit the SXSW homepage.
Click here for a printable list of Wednesday's SXSW performance schedule.
Click here for a printable venue map.