Brandon Rhyder slings the sort of country-fueled solo work that Texas has become known for. Full of hooks and smooth, slightly twangy vocals, Rhyder's songs focus on longing for the small towns and small-town friends left behind, telling stories about football games, girls from Fort Worth, and winding backroads. Working out of Austin, Rhyder has been touring somewhat relentlessly, playing everywhere he can and releasing a live album recorded in College Station and Nacogdoches -- you just can't get much more Texas than that.

Brandon Rhyder
Austin, TX
Latest Release: Brandon Rhyder Live, 2007
Sunday the 16th, 12:40 p.m., BMI Stage

Ocote Soul Sounds is the latest musical project of Martín Perna, Brooklyn musician and frequent TV on the Radio collaborator. Relying heavily on flute, Spanish guitar, and interesting percussion, Ocote Soul Sounds creates Afrobeat-inspired music that sounds like it could be from any time in the past 50 years, with an origin point at some undisclosed place in the Americas.

Ocote Soul Sounds
Brooklyn, NY/Austin, TX/Michoacán, Mexico
Latest Release: El Niño y El Sol, 2004/2006 (re-issue)
Saturday the 15th, 4:30 p.m., WaMu Stage