J-music enthusiasts in the U.S. can count themselves pretty lucky. Every year, it seems that more and more artists come to the States, giving fans across the country plenty of opportunities to discover new music and watch some amazing bands in action.

One of the best options for seeing Japanese bands is Japan Nite, a project organized by the prominent South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas. In cooperation with record label BENTEN Tokyo, SXSW's Japan Nite has for the past several years toured across the country, bringing exposure to a mix of rising and established artists. Past tours have featured bands like ELLEGARDEN, Husking Bee, and Love Psychedelico. Last year's main attraction was GO!GO!7188, and the lineup was bolstered by ORESKABAND, Asakusa Jinta, Pistol Valve, The 50 Kaitenz, THE EMERALDS, and HY.

While last year's roster delivered an amazing show (in my opinion), the 2008 tour is also bringing some solid acts that surely won't disappoint. A few have been on the tour before, but the rest are fresh faces ready to make their mark. This year, the bands are traveling in March to New York, Cambridge, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. More information can be found at the official website.

Petty Booka started out as a female ukulele-playing duo, known largely for their unique covers of pop and rock songs. They made their major label debut in 1997, but both Petty and Booka were later replaced. The current Petty is the daughter of singer Ryoko Moriyama and the sister of Naotaro Moriyama, while Booka is a former member of Candy Eyeslugger. The duo is still known for their ukuleles, but they have experimented with taking their music in a different direction, such as their original song "Petty Booka Loo," produced by Pizzicato Five member Keitaro Takanami.

Petty Booka has previously played on the Japan Nite tour before, delighting crowds with their ukulele style.

• Official site
• MySpace

This will be the 5th consecutive year at SXSW for this self-described "samurai R&R trio." The group has been around since 2002, pumping out powerful but catchy tunes like "Talk About Love" and "Love Fire." They combine their fierce sound and unique vocals with energetic live performances to deliver an intense experience.

• Official site
• MySpace

The pop-punk group ketchup mania is one of the top bands available to U.S. audiences through JapanFiles, and their popularity got a boost in 2007 when they were voted Best Punk Group in Shojo Beat magazine. Their songs are fun, fast, and furious, accentuated by distinctively cute vocals.

The group made a successful U.S. debut at A-Kon last year, and they are looking to build their American fan base with this tour. (Note: ketchup mania will not be playing at the Seattle stop of the tour, but they will perform at Sakura-Con about a week later.)

• Official site
• JapanFiles
• MySpace

detroit7 was formed in 2001 and is led by the "barefooted, left-handed guitarist" Tomomi Nabana, whose vocals are distinctly unlike the cute, high-pitched melodies so common among female-fronted bands. Her mix of mellowness and ferocity combines with the trio's hard and edgy sound to set them firmly apart from the commercial crowd, appealing more to fans of "true" rock.

• Official site
• MySpace

This band formed as The Jerry Lee Phantom in 1996, and went on to receive critical acclaim not only for their many singles and albums, but also for their live performances. They toured overseas as well and previously headlined for Japan Nite. In 2006, they transformed into THE BEACHES. The group continues to blend genres, producing an upbeat sound somewhere between punk, surf, reggae, and dance.

• Official site
• MySpace

The indie unit SCANDAL was formed by four high school girls from Osaka in 2006 and soon gained a lot of local attention with their energetic and catchy pop-rock. Though their sound is unrefined, they have been rapidly attracting fans through their live shows. 2008 will be a critical year for the band as they are releasing three singles in three months, launching a series of short online movies featuring animated versions of themselves, and embarking on a domestic tour after they finish their U.S. performances at Japan Nite and Sakura-Con.

• Official site
• MySpace

For those going to the actual Japan Nite show in Austin, you'll be seeing Petty Booka, ketchup mania, detroit7, and three other acts:

This electronic duo consists of Daisuke Fujiwara on sax and Ken Hata on synthesizer. Fujiwara taps into his jazz training to create "improvised-electro music," which is both intriguing and strangely mesmerizing. While most Japan Nite acts can be classified as some form of rock, quartz-head 02 offers a taste of a very different world of music.

• Official Site

avengers in Sci-Fi has been labeled as "space guitar rock," a fairly apt description of their brand of electro-rock. Their music tends to evoke a sensation of floating in some kind of hypnotic space, both visually and audially, but it's still fast and hard enough that it'll have you moving to the beat.

• Official site
• MySpace

This all-girl rock trio from Kagoshima first got together in 1999 and settled into its current lineup in late 2000. In 2006, they signed with SPICE RECORDS, known for managing bands such as ORANGE RANGE and HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR.

• Official site
• MySpace