Ready, set, go ...

There’s just one place to be at 9 p.m. Saturday: watching Radiohead’s only U.S. appearance this year (God and Thom Yorke’s voice willing). But what about 2 p.m.? How does even a savvy rock fan choose among Sahara Hotnights, the Evens, the Stills and Kinky? And what about 5 p.m.? Do you line up for the (International) Noise Conspiracy or Black Keys or Death Cab for Cutie or Savath & Savalas?

Relax. Calendar Weekend’s pop team has put together an opinionated, hour-by-hour guide on where to be at any given moment during the long, sweaty marathon known as the Coachella festival. We were looking for bands with originality, passion and attitude. You’re on your own when it comes to deciding about the curry, enchiladas or egg rolls.

Saturday

THE NOON HOUR

DON’T MISS: Dios (12:30, Outdoor Theatre). What better way to kick off Southern California’s preeminent music festival than with a little local flavor? It doesn’t get much tastier than this Latino quintet from Hawthorne who, on their eponymous debut recorded in their bassist’s basement, frame their Beatles/Beach Boys psychedelia in startlingly imaginative arrangements.

Catch it if you can: The Section Quartet (noon, Main Stage), an L.A. string ensemble that specializes in classicizing the music of popular rock bands from Nine Inch Nails to Radiohead.

Also: San Francisco’s DJ Icon (noon, Sahara Tent).

THE 1 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: The Sounds (1:15, Main Stage). They’re catchy, they’re leather-clad, they’re Swedish. But when the ‘80s-leaning quintet busts into “Living in America,” the title track on its debut collection of synth-infused rock, remember: It’s not about living in America; it’s about how U.S. culture pervades Sweden. Feel free to pogo accordingly.

Catch it if you can: Assaultive dance punk of Bay Area female group Erase Errata (1, Mojave Tent).

Also: the John Mayer-esque Howie Day (1:40, Outdoor Theatre), Argentine electro-folk singer Juana Molina (1:10, Gobi Tent)

THE 2 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Sahara Hotnights (2:15, Mojave Tent). Arriving last year on the coattails of the Hives, this feisty all-girl punk band relies on bursts of aggression, buzzing guitars and shout-along choruses -- not to mention the allure of four Swedish girls thrashing through three-minute anthems. The quartet’s third album, “Kiss & Tell,” is due in May.

Catch it if you can: The Evens (2:20, Gobi Tent), a new project from Ian MacKaye, frontman of indie demigods Fugazi, with drummer Amy Farina.

Also: Montreal shoegazers the Stills (2:45, Outdoor); Kinky (2:25, Main), effervescent, eclectic, Latin-rooted dance-pop. Peretz (2, Sahara).

THE 3 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Hieroglyphics (3:35, Main Stage), Oakland’s inventive, progressive hip-hop crew, a West Coast outpost for smart, often satirical rap packed with pop-culture references. Del tha Funkee Homosapien is the group’s most interesting MC, a weird, fast-talking spoof artist who is the NoCal counterpart to L.A.’s Kool Keith.

Catch it if you can: Seb Fontaine (3:15, Sahara Tent). The London DJ, currently an exponent of progressive house, built his reputation at such hot spots as Creem and Ministry of Sound.

Also: Q and Not U (3:30, Gobi Tent): Punk with an experimental edge from Fugazi’s Dischord label; ‘80s retrograde Stellastarr* (3:25, Mojave Tent).

THE 4 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Beck (4:35, Gobi Tent). The headliner of the very first day of Coachella in 1999 returns as a late addition in one of the festival’s side venues. It sounds like a typically subversive gesture from the unpredictable popster, who’s keeping his plans under wraps. He could show up with a band, with a solo acoustic set or maybe even with two turntables and a microphone.

Catch it if you can: Junior Senior (4:35, Mojave Tent). Two daffy Danes scour the pop pantry and come up with an infectious brand of dance pop.

Also: Urgent young Texas rock band ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (3:55, Outdoor Theatre); protean British DJ Danny Howells (4:30, Sahara Tent).

THE 5 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: The (International) Noise Conspiracy (4:50, Main Stage). The Swedish band is this era’s incarnation of the MC5 spirit, a hard-rocking group formed on the foundation of a radical political vision. The band has built a strong following, but it may be on the brink of a big move, having recorded its upcoming album, “Armed Love,” under the guidance of prestige producer Rick Rubin.

Catch it if you can: Black Keys (5:45, Mojave Tent), a two-man blues behemoth from Akron, Ohio.

Also: Death Cab for Cutie (5:10, Outdoor Theatre), introspective indie-rock from Seattle; Savath & Savalas (5:40, Gobi Tent), down-tempo project from Prefuse 73’s Scott Herren.

THE 6 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Desert Sessions (6:30, Outdoor Theatre): The closest thing to a Coachella hometown band, this side project from Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme features some of the principals of the valley’s stoner rock scene, along with such sidekicks as Alain Johannes, Mark Lanegan and the Distillers’ Brody Dalle.

Catch it if you can: Sander Kleinenberg (6, Sahara Tent): One of the bright lights of the Dutch dance scene has 90 minutes to showcase his versatility.

Also: At the Drive-In spinoff Sparta (6, Main Stage).

THE 7 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: The Pixies (7:20, Main Stage): With its disquieting music of harsh mystery, the Boston band was an essential trailblazer for the alternative rock eruption of the ‘90s, but during its six-year life it remained an underground force rather than a commercial success. Leader Frank Black faxed his bandmates his decision to disband in 1993, so the reunion that materialized this year was hardly a sure thing. But here it is, probably the weekend’s most buzzed-about attraction next to Radiohead.

Catch it if you can: Laurent Garnier (7:30, Sahara Tent): One of the world’s top DJs, credited with inspiring the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays with his sets at Manchester’s Hacienda; Moving Units (6:55, Mojave Tent), Silver Lake favorites playing advanced dance punk.

Also: LCD Sound System (6:55, Gobi Tent).

THE 8 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: The Rapture (8:10, Outdoor Theatre): Strong, spare and aggressive dance/funk/punk from a New York band whose “House of Jealous Lovers” remains one of the great singles of the past five years. On its debut album, “Echoes,” the band also hardens into the metal-industrial mode of John Lydon’s PiL; onstage, it adds psychedelic visuals to the spectacle.

Catch it if you can: the quirky Euro-pop of England’s Stereolab (8:05, Mojave Tent).

Also: Boozoo Bajou (8:10, Gobi Tent), German dance duo with a taste for Latin beats.

THE 9 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Radiohead (9, Main Stage): Every Coachella has its crowning moment, and the assumption is that 2004 will find that moment in Radiohead’s only scheduled U.S. show this year. Sounding nerve-rattling alarms about psychic and social doom, then creating grand music that promises the possibility of transcendence, the English band has become an essential rock voice of perspective and prophecy. Its Hollywood Bowl concerts last summer showed that its music resonates superbly under open skies, so the Coachella setting should be especially conducive.

Catch it if you can: Eyedea & Abilities (9:15, Outdoor Theatre). The Minneapolis hip-hop duo wowed a full house at the Knitting Factory with its boho rap.

Also: Mindless Self Indulgence (9:20, Mojave Tent), a New York band known for its prankish live spectacles; populous L.A. hip-hop crew Living Legends (9:45, Outdoor Theatre); house DJ Mark Farina (9, Sahara Tent); De Lata (9:30, Gobi Tent), a live band mixing Brazilian rhythms with electronic grooves.

THE 10 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Kraftwerk (10:40, Sahara Tent): The German electronic group got back together last year and released its first album in 17 years, “Tour de France Soundtracks.” Despite the sabbatical, the hugely influential computer cadre picked up where it left off, dancing on the edge of the man-machine interface.

Catch it if you can: Electric Six (10:40, Mojave Tent), hard-rocking, fun-loving Detroit entry.

Also: L.A.’s hydra-headed hip-hop space cadet Kool Keith (10:35, Outdoor Theater).

THE 11 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: MF Doom (11:15, Outdoor Theatre). The multi-aliased, mask-wearing rapper is one of the stalwarts of the hip-hop underground, most recently collaborating with L.A.’s Madlib under the Madvillain moniker. In case you’re wondering, the “MF” stands for “Metal Face.”

Catch it if you can: Phantom Planet (11, Gobi Tent). The L.A. power-poppers now have a national presence thanks to their theme for “The O.C.”

Sunday

THE NOON HOUR

DON’T MISS: Hybrid (12, Sahara Tent). One of the best dance acts of the festival, the three English remixers put together an impressively diverse collection of beats and grooves with last year’s “Morning Sci-Fi,” which featured a guest appearance by New Order’s Peter Hook on two tracks.

Catch it if you can: Supernatural (12:45, Gobi Tent), a freestyle rapper from Milwaukee known for taking topics from the audience and spinning them into raps.

THE 1 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Thelonious Monster (1, Main Stage). The L.A. grass-roots rock scene’s perennial scrappy survivors have resurfaced with a new album, “California Clam Chowder,” in which Bob Forrest and company bring their customary passion and rambunctious camaraderie to their tales of hanging in against the odds.

Catch it if you can: Whitestarr (1, Mojave). Southern and Stonesy rock from a Malibu band that includes sons of Roy Orbison, Dickey Betts and Lou Adler.

Also: The Goth-punk of Pretty Girls Make Graves (1, Outdoor Theatre).

THE 2 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: !!! (2:05, Outdoor Theatre): The band’s name is pronounced “Chk Chk Chk,” and the New York-via-Sacramento outfit created a stir on the disco punk scene last year with the EP “Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story).” Do they have more dance-dance-dance in them? Their follow-up full-length, “Louden Up Now,” is due in June.

Catch it if you can: Saul Williams (2:10, Main Stage), a hip-hop-flavored poet who has developed a strong following with his socially conscious commentary.

Also: Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra (2:25, Main Stage), a Brooklyn ensemble that mixes world grooves with funk and Latin; Peretz (2:30, Sahara Tent): That’s the DJ moniker of Jane’s Addiction’s Perry Farrell; Hometown Hero (2, Mojave Tent) The California rock band has its second album due in August; Section Quartet (2:10, Gobi Tent).

THE 3 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Elefant (3:10, Mojave Tent). With antecedents such as David Bowie, the Cure and the Psychedelic Furs, this New York quartet is creeping slowly to the forefront of the new new wave thanks to the strength of the songwriting on its debut, “Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid,” and the star qualities of frontman Diego Garcia.

Catch it if you can: Saul Williams (3:20, Gobi Tent). See 2 p.m.

Also: Textural guitars with arena-rock theatrics from England’s Muse (3:45, Main Stage), fractured pop from Canada’s Broken Social Scene (3:20, Outdoor Theatre), solid house from West Coast stalwart Donald Glaude (3:45, Sahara Tent).

THE 4 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Atmosphere (4:30, Outdoor Theatre): Another leading force in the developing scene that’s been dubbed “emo-hop,” signifying an organic confluence of earnest rock impulse and classic hip-hop form. The Minneapolis duo of rapper Slug and DJ Mr. Dibbs are currently the movement’s most popular act.

Catch it if you can: The Thrills (4:30, Mojave Tent): The English band took a San Diego sabbatical a few years ago, deepening its grasp of the California country rock that’s its stock in trade.

Also: Cure-influenced rock from the Killers (4:15, Gobi Tent).

THE 5 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Sage Francis (5:30, Gobi Tent). Exhibit three in the weekend’s showcase of hip-hop as generated by an audience raised on rock and rap in equal measure. Providence, R.I.-bred Francis is one of the scene’s linchpins, a charismatic character with takes on social issues and personal quests.

Catch it if you can: Cursive (5:45, Outdoor Theatre). Not quite the critical darlings that fellow Omahans and Saddle Creek label mates Bright Eyes are, this quintet has no less cred in the indie rock community, thanks to its angular emo-punk and the poignant themes explored by frontman Tim Kasher.

Also: Thursday (4:55, Main Stage), a band in the earnest, restless rock vein of At the Drive-In; 2 Many DJs (5:15, Sahara Tent): raucous DJ team; dark-wave rock from England’s Cooper Temple Clause (5:45, Mojave Tent).

THE 6 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Belle & Sebastian (6:15, Main Stage). So wistful they’re winsome, so genteel they’re arresting, the Scottish ensemble keeps the soft-rock torch ablaze with a body of lush, spacey music that harks back to simpler times, despite its complex arrangements. Performing with as many as a dozen musicians, the group figures to lend a folksy air to the proceedings.

Also: British DJ Adam Freeland (6:45, Sahara Tent); German DJ T. Raumschmier (6:45, Gobi Tent).

THE 7 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Bright Eyes (7, Outdoor Theatre): Conor Oberst is a mix of sensitive poet, angry young man and musical adventurer, a heartthrob, a role model and, dare we say it, a potential voice of a generation. Side projects such as the rocking, social-critiquing Desaparecidos and a recording with the band Neva Dinova are noteworthy, but the fluid Bright Eyes collective is his most eloquent outlet.

DON’T MISS: Dizzee Rascal (7, Mojave Tent): Coachella’s most difficult decision comes with the head-to-head scheduling of Bright Eyes and this intriguing British rapper. At 19, he’s still feeling his way toward an effective stage delivery, but his debut album, “Boy in Da Corner,” employs eccentrically inventive tracks and an almost Joycean sense of language to create poignant, absorbing panoramas of life in London’s East End.

Catch it if you can: Air (7:35, Main Stage): The French duo has long been the sine qua non of atmospheric electronics.

THE 8 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: The Sleepy Jackson (8:10, Mojave Tent). With an album, “Lovers,” full of eclectic guitar music that references everything from George Harrison to the Flaming Lips to ‘80s new-wavers, these Australian pop subgenre-hoppers keep listeners on their toes. Now, about frontman Luke Steele’s eye makeup ...

Catch it if you can: Crystal Method (8:15, Sahara Tent): L.A.’s leading electronic duo will be highlighting music from its “Legion of Boom” album.

Also: The deep, dark moods of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (8:15, Outdoor Theatre); Prefuse 73 (8:05, Gobi Tent): Atlanta’s highly regarded dance/hip-hop/electronic hybrid.

THE 9 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Flaming Lips (8:55, Main Stage): The perseverant indie-rock veterans have enjoyed a later-career surge in the last couple of years, finding a growing audience for their mix of whimsy and poignancy. They’ll be back in the summer as a Lollapalooza co-headliner, and watch for their science fiction movie “Christmas on Mars” in December.

Catch it if you can: Basement Jaxx (9:40, Outdoor Theatre): English dance duo known for its wide-ranging, high-energy sets.

Also: Danger Mouse (9:20, Gobi Tent): No lawyers allowed; Ferry Corsten (9:15, Sahara Tent): The Dutch trance master was a standout at the recent Winter Music Conference; Mogwai (9:25, Mojave Tent): Loud, hard instrumentals are the Scots’ specialty.

THE 10 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: The Cure (10:20, Main Stage): After a long hibernation, the godfathers of Goth seem more current than they have in years, with 311’s version of their “Love Song” a big hit and the Robert Smith vocal influence permeating the indie and garage-rock worlds. The Cure has its first album in four years coming out in June.

Catch it if you can: Paul Van Dyk (10:15, Sahara Tent): The influential German trance DJ’s Coachella debut.

Also: Sidestepper (10:40, Gobi Tent): British producer Richard Blair’s fusion of dance and Latin styles.

THE 11 P.M. HOUR

DON’T MISS: Le Tigre (11, Outdoor Theatre): As the former leader of Bikini Kill, Kathleen Hannah is an underground rock icon, and her current political punk/electronic/industrial band seems to be taking root. Le Tigre releases its third album (which includes some production from Ric Ocasek) in September.

Catch it if you can: Ash (11, Mojave Tent). The Irish indie-rockers have a thing for the California vibe, so closing Coachella figures to be a career highlight.

*

More shows

The restrictions on a band playing area shows around the Coachella dates vary from act to act, determined on a case-by-case basis. Here are some local shows being offered by some of this year’s Coachella performers:

* Friday night’s Coachella Pre-Party at the Glass House in Pomona features L.A. rockers Moving Units, with “special guests.” The guests are the Pixies. The show is sold out.

* The Evens perform Monday at the Glass House.

* Danger Mouse has a Wednesday date at the Henry Fonda Theatre.

* Promising local rockers Whitestarr perform Wednesday at the Malibu Inn.

* And rising British rockers Muse have announced a Wednesday show at the Mayan Theatre.

Kevin Bronson, Steve Baltin, Steve Hochman and Dean Kuipers contributed to this report.