YOU THERE! Pay attention! We realize the promise of 4 am last call has your eyes wandering past your computer screen in a debaucherous daze, but there are more (okay, equally) important things at hand this weekend, AKA Canadian Music Week, AKA North by Northeast during jacket weather. THE BANDS! An onslaught of pure, unadulterated Canadian talent ready to blow you away-whether you’ve known them since high school and attended every show, or you’re here for the cheap PBR and you just fell in love. Any way you slice it, treat CMW like a field trip to band camp-take notes, buy albums, wear buttons with pride, and cheer ’til your voice is hoarse. And remember, no one ever got anywhere by going to bed before sunrise. We’ve got some special someones to keep your eyes (ears?) peeled for, as well as all of the best events going on for CMW, and some rogue anti-CMW acts, after the jump.

The Hoa Hoas
Reminds us of: Andy Warhol’s Factory Scene Circa 1967
A good excuse for: Horizontal Stripes and Electric Kool Aid
Expect: Pie-eyed hipsters and an awesome light show
http://www.myspace.com/thehoahoas

Whale Tooth
Reminds us of: Days at the beach with that friend who doesn’t mind getting a little sand in the iPod dock.
Good excuse for: Trying out your twist and swing.
Expect to: Feel like one of the family as these friendly folks take to the stage.
http://www.myspace.com/whaletooth

Flash Lightnin’
Reminds us of: ZZ Top
A good excuse for: Fake beard and sunglasses
Expect: To cut a mean rug to their high energy boogie
http://www.myspace.com/flashlightnin

The Balconies
Reminds us of: A day at the She Does The City offices. Balconies are a staff favourite. Pop-rock at its finest, with touch-my-iTunes-and-die infectiousness.
An excellent excuse for: Bangs, dancing and fist-pumping your sorrows into oblivion, excessive nodding and snapping, “feeling the groove” in public and still blending in, sporadic squeals of joy.
Expect to: Cavort joyously with adorable indie rock n roll kids.
http://www.myspace.com/thebalconies

Parallels
Reminds us of: 1987
An excellent excuse for: Glitter
Expect to: Knock 1000 pairs of ironic spectacles off 1000 beautiful faces.
http://www.myspace.com/parallelsfm

Blood Rexdale and The Walls Are Blonde
Reminds us of: Broken Social Scene and Yo La Tengo writing a space opera; our new favourite band.
An excellent excuse for: Feelings sooo much cooler than CMW
Expect to: Get into a competition with your friends seeing who can pick up more people with their out-there song titles.
http://www.myspace.com/bloodrexdaleandthewallsareblonde

Make Your Exit
Reminds us of: That crazy hour experienced by only the truest of life-livers, after party animals go to sleep, and just before the businessfolk wake up. Pure, unadulterated fun.
Good excuse for: Casually shrugging off the tears in your jeans and the entire pint you just spilled on someone. C’est la vie.
Expect to: Get a little carried away, in a completely respectful and responsible-citizen way. You’ll be that fully-lovable wild child.

Foxes In Fiction
Reminds us of: Thirst quenching juice on a hot day
An excellent excuse for: grins
Expect to: Feel like you’ve crossed into some other dimension where people might float. Maybe.
http://www.myspace.com/foxesinfiction

Dead Famous
Reminds us of: Phoenix
An excellent excuse for: Cheap Monday jeans
Expect to: Make eyes at boys with bangs longer than yours
http://www.myspace.com/thisisdeadfamous

The Besnard Lakes
Reminds us of: Sprawling 90s Indie Rock in the best kind of way
A good excuse for: Swooning
Expect: A hot and sweaty Horseshoe packed to the rafters
http://www.myspace.com/thebesnardlakes

Sandman Viper Command
Reminds us of: That feeling you get when you just know you’re dancing like a champion, surrounded by the best of your best friends.
Good excuse for: Wearing some new holes into your dancin’ shoes.
Expect to: Have more than just a slight inclination to get a small viper tattooed somewhere inconspicuously cool.

Thursday

5 pm Serve! Unplugged @ Roosevelt Room, 2 Drummond Place. A benefit for Serve!, an organization working to engage young people in positive change. $10 at the door, all proceeds going to Serve! DJ Justin Shaw and surprise Canadian guests. Dress code-business swank.

7:30 pm NeXT at CMW Series @ The Velvet Underground, 510 Queen St. W. Dead Famous, Children Collide, Nightmare Air, The State of Things. $10 without wristbands

9 pm Keys N Krates @ Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St. W. 4 AM LAST CALL! With Donnis, Grandtheft, and Piper Davis. $15 advanced tickets at Soundscapes, Play De Record, Rotate This

9 pm Leif Vollebekk @ El Mocambo, 464 Spadina Ave. Mmmmm, folk music. Joining him in the showcase? Other amazing talents like Make Your Exit and Sandman Viper Command.

10 pm The Captain & Star Eyes @ The Social, 1100 Queen St. W. 4 AM LAST CALL Bass showcase. Presented by The Faktory & Pink Mafia. Also with Bombaman, Zeds Dead, Killabits, Spyne. $10

10:30 pm Dinosaur Bones @ Silver Dollar, 486 Spadina Ave.

11 pm Flash Lightnin’ @ Supermarket, 268 Augusta Ave.

11:10 pm, Hollerado @ The Horseshoe, 368 Queen St. W. With Besnard Lakes. Tickets at Soundscapes, Ticketmaster, Rotate This, and The Horseshoe

11:30 pm Samiyam @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. 4 AM LAST CALL, with mymanhenri, and Ultragamma, $10.

FRIDAY

8 pm NeXT at CMW Series @ The Velvet Underground, 510 Queen St. W. The Fantasy Defender, Danger! Danger!, Queen Licorice, Nightmare Air. $10 without wristbands.

8 pm YYZ Records CMW Showcase @ Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St. W. 4 AM LAST CALL! Vitaminsforyou, TMDP, Madrid, Ultragamma, Nasty Nav, Jeremy Glenn, Piper Davis. $10.50 advance tickets at Soundscapes and Rotate This.

9 pm Simian Mobile Disco @ Mod Club, 722 College St. W. 4 AM LAST CALL! with Milano and Andy Ares

Saturday

8 pm Bovine CMW 2010 Showcase @ Bovine Sex Club, 542 Queen St. W. 4 AM LAST CALL. Blind Mule, The Good Times, Corpusse, The Job, Spooky Ruben, and a super secret headliner at 2 am. $10

9 pm NeXT at CMW Series @ The Velvet Underground, 510 Queen St. W. The Bats Pajamas, Ten Kens, The Two Koreas, Nightmare Air. $10 without wristbands.

9 pm Red Bull ThreeStyle Final @ Sound Academy, 11 Polson St. A-Trak, Klever, Skratch Bastid, Meech, Rynecologist, Golden Gloves, Bordello and more. $15 in advance, HTTP://WWW.TICKETMASTER.CA

9:20 pm The Balconies @ Horseshoe Tavern, 368 Queen St. W. With The Wooden Sky, Two Hours Traffic, and more.

11 pm The Hoa Hoas @ Comfort Zone, 480 Spadina Ave.

Sunday

9 pm Comedy Bar w/ Make Your Exit, Hooded Fang, & Whale Tooth Not officially a CMW event, but close on its tail-end, this night is sure to please. Show up if you like good music, stick around for some bonus laughs.