Some of the new acts seemed capable of holding their own next to the legends. Delta 72, led by charismatic frontman Jason Kourkounis, brought soul back into rock and roll--and made the case that rock stars are supposed to look just as good as they play. The Bellrays, one of the highlights from last year's festival, had the Hole in the Wall audience in the palm of their hands as they ripped through their blend of Aretha soul and MC5 rock. Springsteen-like songwriter Matthew Ryan had a hard time getting his songs across to the talkative crowd, but when he finally did, he proved to many that his upcoming release, "East Autumn Grin" would be worth a listen.

Local band ..And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead rocked a full house with songs from their new Merge record, "Madonna." The band ended its set by throwing all the instruments--guitars, drums, everything--into the audience, with basic chaos still screaming into the mike, until security was finally forced to take them out of the building.

Two Austin locals--Doug Sahm [ tickets ] and Alejandro Escovedo [ tickets ]--played a heavy role in this year's festival, one merely in spirit and the other at every venue he could manage. Sahm, Texas' recently deceased king of multiple genres, was honored with a set at the Austin Music Awards that featured his sons Shawn and Shandon--along with Sahm's former Texas Tornado bandmate Augie Meyers--ripping through ''Pop's'' songs. And in various clubs throughout the weekend, Sahm's tunes were covered by artists like Dave Alvin and bluesman Alvin Youngblood Hart.

At the Music Awards, Alejandro Escovedo paid tribute to Sterling Morrison with the help of former Velvet Underground member John Cale and local tango band Tosca. Escovedo, who has always been a presence at the festival, wrapped up this year's festival with his regular weekly show at the Continental Club, joined by friends Richard Buckner, Giant Sand and others. In his spare time, a leather-clad Escovedo played a taco stand, opened for Patti Smith and joined a number of his friends during their gigs.

Other memorable shows included: the Jayhawks joined by ex-Byrd Roger McGuinn; Hank Williams III demonstrating that he can stand up to his legacy; Detroit's Robert Bradley and band joined on stage by 14-year-old blues artist Shannon Curfman and guitarist Audley Freed of the Black Crowes (Freed also performed with the Jayhawks); hip-hop night featuring Doug E. Fresh, the Jungle Brothers and others; David Gray asserting that he should be just as much of a star in the U.S. as he is in the U.K.; the Revolver magazine party featuring performances from Guided by Voices and Nashville Pussy; the annual Sunset on the Border series featuring members of Los Lobos, Joe Ely, Rick Trevino and Steve Earle; and Calexico realizing--thanks to the crowds--that they may be more than just a Giant Sand side project.

Attendees who were able to drag themselves out of bed during the daylight hours were treated to music industry-related panel discussions. One featured Public Enemy's Chuck D, Ian McLagan (formerly of The Faces), McGuinn and others discussing the artists' role in the recent record company mergers. In another, Talking Head-producer Jerry Harrison, musician-producer Jim Dickinson and others discussed the ins and outs of record production.