AUSTIN, Texas--Six weeks from now, Tom Morello will be leading one of the most hotly anticipated rock reunions in a year chock-full of them.

But under his solo moniker of the Nightwatchman on Saturday night at the Central Presbyterian Church here, Morello channeled his rage against the machine into a set of solo American protest songs that would make Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger proud.

Best known for his distinct, fiery electric guitar sound as a member of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, Morello on Saturday night showed off a deft songwriting ability and a deep, unambiguous singing voice, like a young Johnny Cash or Leonard Cohen.

It was quite a surreal scene, with the decidedly secular Morello holding his acoustic guitar and standing beneath a giant cross, defending the poor and the persecuted and wailing against the man.

"One thing that gets lost in places like Fox News when it comes to the Middle East is that Jesus and Mohammed had one thing in common," Morello said during the set. "They both stood up for the poor and against the rich."

Those searching for nuances and subtleties would have been disappointed, as this was uncompromised, fist-in-the-air protest music, with Morello even punctuating several songs with a raised fist.

Most of the songs were from Morello's forthcoming solo album, One Man Revolution, which hits stores April 24. They included tales of despair like "House Gone Up in Flames" and "Midnight in the City of Destruction, as well as some of the get-up, stand-up variety, like "Maximum Fire Power" and "Union Song."

On this night, Morello's singer-songwriter alter ego was on display, a persona and talent strong enough to overtake his reputation as an acclaimed hard rock guitarist.

Redman, brief and to the point

In what had to be one of the shortest sets at SXSW, Redman finished off the final day at the Fader Fort with a bombastic performance that was equal parts nostalgic teaser and marketing pitch. In town to promote his forthcoming album, Red Gone Wild, which hits stores March 27, the New Jersey rapper spent most of his 15 minutes on stage hyping the album.

He performed "Put It Down," the album's first single, an electro-funk track reminiscent of his "Da Rockwilder," Red's 2000 club hit with Method Man. Red also played "On Fire" from 1996's Muddy Waters and set the stage ablaze with the aforementioned "Rockwilder." Gone in a flash, Redman sent a charge through the venue and gave fans plenty of reasons, and reminders, to go buy his new album.

The classic rock of Vietnam

Following years of struggling to catch a break, the Brooklyn-based retro psychedelic band VietNam returned this week to Austin, where co-frontmen Michael Gerner and Joshua Grubb formed the band in 2000, with more momentum than ever. But at the Fader Fort Saturday afternoon, with much of the crowd dancing to a set from DJ A-Trak and getting hyped for the arrival of Redman, VietNam took a while to make its mark. The quartet's 30-minute set started slowly but picked up the pace midway through and took off, with Gerner eviscerating the "cash-filled American Dream" in a voice eerily similar to a young Bob Dylan.

Most of the songs featured undulating tempos, moving from a psychedelic, Spiritualized-esque haze to scorching guitar jams. This was drug-fueled classic rock, complete with a 10-minute anti-anthem ("Makes No Difference") that alternated between searing guitar solos and the refrain, "It makes...No diiiifference...To meeee..." Despite a tough time slot, VietNam left Redman with a tough act to follow.

Rocky Dawuni's African roots reggae

As day turned to night on Saturday and St. Patrick's Day revelers joined SXSW-goers on the streets of downtown Austin, Rocky Dawuni and his band attracted a crowd of Rastas and wannabes to the Flamenco Cantina. Backed by a six-piece band, the Ghana-born roots reggae singer stuck to well-worn themes of peace, love, and unity, but the short set never truly caught fire.

Dawuni's spirit shined with lines like, "I have the power to change the world whenever I want to," and his band was solid. But on a stage that the legendary Lee "Scratch" Perry would later grace, Dawuni failed to live up to that standard on this night.

The electro pop of Au Revoir Simone

The Copa club is a bit off the beaten path from the rest of the SXSW madness, but it was filled to the brim by the time Brooklyn-based female pop trio Au Revoir Simone took the stage. The group--Erika Forster, Annie Hart, and Heather D'Angelo--makes the kind of dreamy, sweet electronic pop that seems ripe for an upcoming episode of your favorite hit TV drama. The group's "Through the Backyards" has already made it onto Grey's Anatomy, in fact.

After a lengthy sound check, the women each got behind their respective electronics and keyboards and jumped into "The Lucky One," from their sophomore album, The Bird of Music, which hit stores March 5 on Moshi Moshi Records. While Forster and D'Angelo seemed shy and reserved, playing their instruments and singing without much verve, Hart was the picture of spunkiness, jumping up and down and rocking her head back and forth as she played. The music was sweet and really nice at times but seemed better as an accompaniment for something visual than as a stand-alone piece of art.

Soulico turns the party out

After packing a year's worth of music into less than a week, the final night concluded with a visit to Habana calle 6 Annex for the JDUB Records party, where Balkan Beat Box, the Gypsy-inspired dance collective that has been tearing up stages the world over for the past two years, was set to perform. Alas, an East Coast snowstorm grounded the band's flight, and they were a no-show.

Luckily, the super-charged Israeli DJ group Soulico was in the house, scratching and mixing its way through an eclectic set of dance-floor favorites, from Jay-Z and Nirvana to the B-52s and Sean Paul. Most bands came to Austin this week with something to prove and to have a good time. Soulico stuck with the latter, making for a nice, smooth fade-out from SXSW.