Part of South by Soutwest‘s appeal are the surprises that the Austin, TX extravaganza manages to come up with. Whether overseeing a Jane’s Addicition reunion, having Metallica play a headlining set at Stubb’s, or watching Kanye and friends don the Fader Fort, the added benefits of attending SXSW are anyone’s guess. (Oh, and by the way, all those examples were just from 2009! Ya…)

As we approach the 2010 edition, set to go down from March 17-21, here’s a few newly announced, unexpected treats worth getting excited for:

First and foremost, the Alamaba surf rock outfit Man or Astro-Man? will reunite for their first performances in four years at this year’s SXSW. Yep, Starcrunch, Birdstuff, and Coco are coming back! Per the issued press release:

So indeed, for all of humanity, 2010 will be the year of contact, or, at least re-contact with the original space cadets themselves: Starcrunch, Birdstuff, and Coco. In addition to all the scientific experiments and live music demonstrations, MOAM? will host a variety of benefits and charities for earth specimens, predominantly in the human or animal form

If you need a refresher, Man or Astro-Man? is the Quarterstick Records trio that has two dozen releases to its name and prides itself for having played in 28 countries and 49 states throughout its decade-long existence. Anyhow, multiple reunion performances are planned, however, exact specifics have not yet been released.

Cool, huh? Well, how’s this sound? Also now scheduled to be included in SXSW’s festivities is a Saturday night showcase curated by none other than Fucked Up. The aptly titled Fucked Up and Friends showcase will feature the acclaimed Toronto outfit joined by the likes of Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis, Cold Cave, Rival Schools, Titus Andronicus, and Katie Stelmanis.

And all this without mentioning all the other acts scheduled to perform throughout the week as well as that cool party going down on the 18th at the Compound. Yeah, go.