This weekend has to be dominated by the various Emo’s Free Week shows -- look for previews to those events on the site....

San Diego’s Grand Ole Party joins a quality bill of local acts this Saturday at Emo’s Lounge. The band is fresh off a jaunt with Vampire Weekend, having toured with Rilo Kiley prior to that. Produced by Rilo Kiley’s Blake Sennett, the trio’s debut record Humanimals (no connection to Manimal) showcases singer/drummer Kristin Gundrer’s powerful vocal chops that pace Grand Ole Party’s raw garage rock. The album has been available through iTunes this year and a more traditional release on DH Records is expected in early 2008....

Maria Taylor is one half of Azure Ray, has supported acts like the Faint and Connor Oberst, and has made her home on Saddle Creek records since 2005. Her latest release, Lynn Teeter Flower, offers more of her beautiful music, featuring softly layered vocals, warming electronics and her multi-instrumentation via piano, keys, guitar and more. To support the album, Taylor is touring with the Watson Twins, who we all know and love thanks to......

Are you a Guitar Hero champion? Find out tonight at Stubb's as 101X and C3 present the first of a three night competition, followed by a performance by Austin's Alice Rose. Here's what you need to know: rounds one and two are strictly for qualifying. Show off your skills this evening and make the cut, then you'll be placed into a bracketing system. The opportunity to qualify is based on a first come, first serve......

THURSDAY [10] music • Learning Secrets with Ramesh (Voxtrot), Ben Craven + Co at Whisky Bar music • Rock of Ages Cover Show with Preserve the Sound (50s), Consider the Source (60s), Seaflea (70s), Promisebreakers (80s), Say Hello to the Angels (90s) at Emo's music • The Postmarks, Shuttle Debris, Raleign at Stubb's music • Future Clouds & Radar at Waterloo Records (5pm, Free) music • Moonhangers, Love Gone Cold, Salvia Family Band, Shot Gun......

Note: Several weekend events will be added in the afternoon. THURSDAY [5] fashion/music/party • Car Stereo (Wars), Visuals by Super!Alright!, and 30-40% Everything at Strut (6-10pm) film • "Military Intelligence and You" at Alamo Drafthouse Lakecreek (7:30pm) art •Opening Reception for Aki Nagasaka's "Yellow Labyrinth" at Women and Their Work (6-8pm) books •Pam Oslie presents Love Colors at BookPeople (7:00pm) books •Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht presents "In 1926: Why and How?" at The Harry Ransom......

FRIDAY [5] film • Sinus Show: Die Hard at Alamo Downtown (7pm & 10pm, $12.50) music • Amplified Heat, Lions, Full Stride, The Flood at Emo's (Inside) music • Grand Champeen, Quien Es Boom, The Fall Collection, The Alice Rose at Emo's (Lounge) music • Lemurs, The Lord Henry, Clap!Clap!, Lomita at Emo's (Outside) music • The Black & White Years, AUX, The Paper South, Aster Years at Stubb's music • Summer of Blood,......

Whether you think of it as a test run for SXSW, a belated Christmas present to local music fans, or an excuse to drink for seven days straight, Emo's Free Week kicks off today with a schedule of acts that reads like a who's-who of local punk, indie, and rock. As the showcases are all without cover, we'd recommend getting there early. Emo's Free Week January 2-8 603 Red River Tuesday, January 2 Inside:......

MONDAY [4] film •The Royal Tenenbaums at Austin Java (9pm, Free) film •Fuck: A Documentary at Alamo Downtown (7pm) film •The Conformist at Texas Union (7:30pm) film •Blue at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) film •The Da Vinci Code at Café Mundi (8pm, Free) film •Sound Unbound 2: Modern American Composers at Alamo Downtown (9:45pm, $2) music •Bound Stems, Rahim, The Shells, Quiet Company, Bello Ragazzo at Emo's music •Moonlight Towers, The Alice Rose at......

Tonight KROX presents the latest installment of Homegrown Live, a weekly concert series showcasing up-and-coming Austin bands for the obscenely low and unnecessarily complex price of $1.01 (please note that despite the gimmicky price, paying entirely in pennies or in Canadian change is not considered funny). Tonight's show features indie-dance sensation Clap! Clap!, who've built a solid reputation around their dancetastic, clap-filled live shows (including a dedicated "clap choir") over the course of the last......

FRIDAY [10] music • Tilly and the Wall, The Tyde, Pony Up at Emo's music • The Places, 4 Hungry Tummies, Ralph White, Ryan Anderson at Emo's Lounge music • Jolie Holland w. Sonny Smith at The Parish Room music • The Alice Rose at Waterloo Records music • CREEPOUT Fest: Chumps, Bulemics, The Ends,The Wolves at Beerland music • Regina Spektor with Only Son at Antone's (Sold Out) music • The Black, Horse......

MONDAY [14] film • Excellent Cadavers, the story of the Italian Mafia, at Alamo Downtown (7pm) ® film • Touches Pas Au Grusbi at Paramount Theatre (7:15pm) film • Brick at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) film • Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels at Austin Java (8pm, Free) film • Bukowski: Born into This at Café Mundi (8:30pm, FREE) film • Classe Tous Risques at Paramount Theatre (9:15pm) ® music • Horns of Happiness,......