Live music picks for WEDNESDAY APRIL 20 through TUESDAY APRIL 26, 2011.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 20 / JUNIP / LEE'S PALACE / 529 BLOOR ST W / $15 / 19+
Folk-rock Swedes Junip return to Lee's Palace to promote their 2010 LP Fields and their newest EP In Every Direction. Fronted by the charming Jose Gonzalez, Junip performs with a mix of gentle and forceful, and their energy is magical and hypnotic. Opening for them will be Brooklyn's Acrylics.

THURSDAY APRIL 21 / TORONTO TO JAPAN: HOPE BLOSSOMS / TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX / 350 KING ST W / $20-$40 / ALL AGES
Toronto adopts the Japanese variety show tradition with "Hope Blossoms", a charity event that includes writers Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje and performances by Jason Collett, Basia Bulat, Bob Wiseman and a lot more - all of them sharing the stage to help bloom hope for the people of Japan. All proceeds will go to Japanese Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and Second Harvest Japan. Visit the TorontoToJapan website for more details.

FRIDAY APRIL 22 / HEARTBEAT HOTEL / MAGPIE CAFE / 831 DUNDAS ST W / $5 / ALL AGES
Heartbeat Hotel's decision to release their debut LP Fetus Dreams free-of-charge on their Bandcamp page earned them plenty of buzz, demonstrating that the best things in life are free (along with word of mouth). Now, the band plays their third show at Magpie Cafe on Friday, where the band hosts residency in April. Joining the tight-knit Toronto quartet will be fellow shoegaze artist Foxes in Fiction, who returns from his recent mini-tour of California.

SATURDAY APRIL 23 / BEN GUNNING / THE DRAKE HOTEL / 1150 QUEEN ST W / $5 / 19+
Toronto electronic pianist Chris A. Cummings, also known as Mantler, joins indie-pop musician Ben Gunning (Local Rabbits, Swiss Dice) at the Underground. Known to drown his audience with powerful vocal performances, Gunning - who released his second full-length record Mal De Mer last year - plays in support of a new 7-inch release.

TUESDAY APRIL 26 / MOGWAI / PHOENIX / 410 SHERBOURNE ST / $29.50 / 19+
Scottish band Mogwai returns to the Phoenix after a year-long break from touring with a new set list, which will include songs from their latest LP Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. The band fills venues with live cinematic soundtracks - sometimes calm and sometimes distorted instrumentals - that overpower and daze audiences by the end of the night. Glasgow's Errors join Mogwai on Tuesday night.

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Lead photo of Junip by Thomas Henz.