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WE'VE BEEN MISSING the big outdoor festival action since the demise of Music Midtown, but the Echo Project is coming to fill the void. The three-day, eco-centric fest will cover a lot of musical ground. Here are some of the best of some of the most notable genres filling the air at the festival.

RAP/HIP-HOP

Stefano Giovannini (ENLARGE)
Cat Power
JIM COOPER/AP (ENLARGE)
The Killers
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• The Roots — It seems unjust that this Philadelphia combo isn't one of the biggest hip-hop acts on the planet. They continue to wipe the floor with bigger stars who sell far more discs. Long after many of today's shooting stars have become trivia questions, this band's albums will stand as classics. (5:30-7 p.m. Sunday)

• Common — Outside of indie-rap enclaves like Definitive Jux and Anticon, you won't find hip-hop more adventurous and welcoming. His best is still 2002's "Electric Circus, " but his albums are always a cut above, including the recent "Finding Forever," which includes contributions from D'Angelo, Bilal, Lily Allen, Dwele and friend and producer Kanye West. (8:45-9:45 p.m. Saturday)

• RJD2 — Cut-and-paste musical invention is raised to artful new levels by this creative dynamo, though it's hard to tell how much of his work is sampled and how much he's creating himself. This year's ultra-cool "Since We Last Spoke" finds him rummaging through a bigger box of tricks — hair metal, power pop, disco, lounge, indie rock and '70s soul are all fodder for his musical blender. (2-3 p.m. Sunday)

JAM ROCK

• Phil Lesh and Friends — The Grateful Dead bassist and his band — Jackie Greene, Larry Campbell, John Molo, Steve Molitz — are headlining the final night of the Echo Project. In the time-honored Dead tradition, Lesh and his friends change up the set list every night, but among the Dead classics popping up in recent shows are "Sugaree, " "St. Stephen, " and "Friend of the Devil." (7-11 p.m. Sunday)

• moe. — No relation to Larry and Curly, these upstate New Yorkers, like many jam-oriented players, are at their best on stage. That doesn't mean their studio albums are useless. In fact, moe. makes some of the jam-band genre's most adventurous and engaging albums. The quintet's perfect classic-rock flow doesn't sound dated — a remarkable feat in itself — and there are memorable rootsy songs underpinning the inventive riffing. (Midnight Saturday-2 a.m. Sunday)

ELECTRONIC/DANCE

• Thievery Corporation with Full Live Band — Echo Project offers a rare chance to see the D.C.-based duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton with a full band set-up. The pair makes memorable, atmospheric dance music that's good for both the mind and body. (6:45-8:15 Saturday)

• MSTRKRFT — No artist has made synthesizers sound this dirty and funky since Parliament's "Flashlight" conquered the charts and the dance floors. If you miss the days when Daft Punk ruled and the Basement Jaxx were brilliant, check out this project from former Death From Above 1979 member Jesse F. Keeler and producer Al-P. (Midnight Saturday-2 a.m. Sunday)

ALTERNATIVE/INDIE ROCK

• The Killers — Think of Las Vegas and music and what comes to mind? You might think Elvis Presley, perhaps, or smooth lounge singers trying desperately to recapture the suave sophistication of Frank Sinatra. In the modern rock world, there's just one name that springs to mind: the Killers. The new-wave-of-new-wave blast displayed in their debut album "Hot Fuss" got an injection of heartland Springsteen-isms on the follow-up "Sam's Town." It doesn't really matter, because the quartet didn't lose its mastery of pop hooks. (10:15-11:30 p.m. Saturday)

• The Polyphonic Spree —They've been called indie rock's church choir, and this mass of musicians and singers lead by Dallas-based Tim DeLaughter creates a pop soundscape of unprecedented grandeur. They were a live favorite for years, but the albums never quite captured that onstage magic until this year's beautiful "The Fragile Army." (3:15-4:30 p.m. Friday)

• Cat Power — On her seventh album as Cat Power, 2006's "The Greatest," Atlanta's Chan Marshall found the perfect setting for her singular voice. Like a modern-day Dusty Springfield, she melded her reticent, indie-folk vibe with Southern soul and created one of last year's best albums. Since she's bringing along the Dirty Delta Blues Band for this gig, expect a good chunk of that album to find its way onto the set list. (7- 8:15 p.m. Saturday)

• Man Man — What at first seems like a cacophony of clarinet, marimba, piano and more is actually a crafty piece of music-making that creeps up on you. This is music hacked into weird shapes by art's machete. (2-3 p.m. Sunday)

LOCALS

• Snowden — "Anti-Anti, " the debut CD from Atlanta quartet Snowden, was among our picks for in our annual Best of the Big A. We called it "a cyclonic swirl of guitars approximating jet-engine drones, brackish cascades of water emanating from the bottom of a dank cave and shards of tuned barbed-wire." (4:45-6 p.m. Friday)

• Spencer Durham Band — Durham was already an accomplished singer-songwriter with a guitar, but seeing him with his watchspring-tight and enthusiastic band of fellow teenagers was a revelation. He has a classic rock vibe that should speak to music fans more than twice his age, but he has the charisma and talent that should spread that appeal to folks of all ages. The kid is a star. (noon-12:45 p.m. Sunday)

AMERICANA/FOLK

• Son Volt —When Uncle Tupelo splintered, two new bands were created. Son Volt hews closer to the intersection of country and rock than the other spawn of Tupelo, Wilco. And there's nothing wrong with that. (2:30-3:30 p.m. Saturday)

• The Avett Brothers — Take a look at the instrumental lineup of the Avett Brothers, and you'd swear you're going to hear bluegrass. And it's in there, but so are many other bits and pieces of traditional and contemporary music. The Avett Brothers have created a world where Jimmie Rodgers and Ralph Stanley jam with X and the Violent Femmes. (3-4:15 p.m. Saturday)

• JJ Grey & Mofro — If you don't think Florida is Southern state, you chould hear these guys. The swampy Floridian funkiness will make you believe. JJ Grey's evocative songs about the vanishing landscape of his home state of Florida are buoyed by the band's deeply funky execution. (6:45-8 p.m. Friday)

FEELING IMPORTANT?

Want to see Echo Project in comfort? The fest is offering a VIP option for $250 above the ticket price. Among the perks associated with VIP status are a special entrance and camping area, shuttle service from the airport, bathroom and shower trailers, free and discounted food and beverage options and front-row pit access. There'll also be a covered VIP Lounge with couches, big screen TVs, video games and free wireless Internet access. They'll even provide complimentary massages.

• THE 411: The event will take place on 350 acres along the Chattahoochee River in South Fulton. Gates to the parking and camping area will open at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11. Music starts at noon Friday-Sunday. Three-day passes are $155.50, but they'll be going up to $178.50 soon. Single day ticks Saturday and Sunday are $135; Sunday only, tickets are $85. Details at www.the-echoproject.com.