Eugene Chadbourne & Walter Daniels: Warped stringmaster and harp hellhound send Texas country-blues through the looking glass. (Thursday, Rudyard's)
Scott Miller: Sharp-witted Tennessean secedes from the Commonweath for solo acoustic show; with Oklahoma "Deviant" Mike McClure (Thursday, McGonigel's Mucky Duck)
Jonbenét/O Pioneers!!!: Two of Houston's most joyful noisemakers ring out the old year; with Brian's Johnson, This Year's Tiger and City of Compton. (Friday, Walter's on Washington)
David Allan Coe: "Well I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison..." (Friday, Firehouse Saloon)
Cyrus Chestnut: Have a "Blue Christmas" with acclaimed jazz pianist whose last LP was Cyrus Plays Elvis (Koch). (Friday, Cullen Theater, Wortham Center)
Sleeping in the Aviary: Rowdy Midwesterners spew wiry post-punk on Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel (Science of Sound); with Dizzy Pilot and Hearts of Animals. (Saturday, Walter's on Washington)
Dan Dyer: Austin blue-eyed soulman has all the ladies swooning with this year's self-titled Fat Caddy LP. (Saturday, McGonigel's Mucky Duck)
The Watermarks: Bunnymen-approved local trio mingles guitars, synths and hooks for days; with Paris Falls and Austin's Boxing Lesson. (Saturday, the Mink)
Appetite for Destruction: Thanks to Raleigh GN'R tributeers, "It's So Easy" to forget Chinese Democracy ever happened. (Sunday, House of Blues)
Thriving Ivory: VH-1 thinks "You Oughta Know" sensitive San Francisco piano-rockers; with the 71's and Evangeline. (Monday, Warehouse Live Studio)
Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison: Austin's adorable First Couple of Twang role-play "Santa Baby" at annual holiday show; come early. (Wednesday, McGonigel's Mucky Duck)
Aaron Neville: Big Easy brother puts glass-shattering falsetto in the service of seasonal songs; band includes saxophonist frère Charles. (Tuesday, House of Blues)