Pop & Hiss will covering the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas, from March 18-22. Most of our time there will be spent chasing down bands that don't live in our own backyard, so in the days leading up to the industry event, we'll be looking at some noteworthy locals heading to Texas.

Who: Roll the Tanks

What to listen to: "Police Me," which you can stream below, offers a nice snapshot of Roll the Tanks'  arena-ready punk rock, with its descending melodies, shout-along chorus and an up-all-night vocal scruff. Coming to Los Angeles via Massachusetts, Roll the Tanks' late 2008 debut, "Suffer City," melds some old-school crust -- vocalist Danny Carney sometimes sounds as if he's channeling the Clash's Joe Strummer -- with a briskly clean, contemporary feel. Check "Bonnie Brae," a local street that was also romanticized by the Twilight Singers, for an acoustic-enhanced clap-along.

They're playing Austin: On March 18 at 11 p.m. at the Music Gym Patio. If you're not going to Austin, they're playing with Sum 41 at the Glass House in Pomona on March 29.

-- Todd Martens

Related: L.A.@ SXSW: Great Northern
Related: L.A. @ SXSW: Afternoons

Photo credit: Intelligent Noise