The Mars Volta, Vegoose Champs

Since splitting from much-adored El Paso, Texas, outfit At the Drive-In five years ago, Mars Volta principals Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez have crafted an identifiably dense blend of musical styles—prog, punk, funk, Latin, electronic and jazz—topped by near-impenetrable (bilingual) lyrics. The band's three studio albums, 2003's De-Loused in the Comatorium, 2005's Frances the Mute and last month's Amputechture, have earned legions of dedicated followers while evenly dividing the critics, as music that far-reaching always must.

In concert, the group is reported to burn even brighter, sending satisfied fans streaming out of TMV-supported Red Hot Chili Peppers shows this fall before the headliners even took the stage. Not sure it's for you? We recommend you carve out 90 minutes on Saturday, wander to the Snake Eyes Stage around 6 p.m. and find out firsthand. You just might leave with a new favorite band, not to mention—if Schools' words prove prophetic—singed eyebrows and blown eardrums.