Live music picks for WEDNESDAY MARCH 31 through TUESDAY APRIL 6, 2010.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 31 / TWM: THE HEAVIES & LITTLE INSECTS / RANCHO RELAXO / 300 COLLEGE ST / $5 / 19+
This Wednesday, Rancho hosts Orlando's Little Insects, local singer/songwriter Steve Gleason and The Heavies, a new Toronto band that craft brooding and haunting folk songs. Little Insects is the brainchild of Omar Delarosa, who is bringing his melodic indie-pop gems north from Florida in support of the release of his debut album Almost Ghost. Not only does the Two Way Monologues bill feature three diverse acts, but it will only set you back five bucks. Can't go wrong with that...

THURSDAY APRIL 1 / PAST LIVES / THE GARRISON / 1197 DUNDAS ST W / $10 / 19+
We are Busy Bodies presents Past Lives at the Garrison on Thursday night. Comprised of former members of the now defunct Blood Brothers, Past Lives are touring in support of their debut full-length album Tapestry of Webs which was released just over a month ago through Suicide Squeeze. While the album is definitely more subdued than one might have expected, a penchant for experimentation and sporadic sonic explosions remains at the forefront of Past Lives' style. Toronto's own Heartbeat Hotel will kick off the evening's festivities with a set from Doldrums (the new project from Airick of Spiral Beach) filling in the gap.

FRIDAY APRIL 2 / BONOBO / OPERA HOUSE / 735 QUEEN ST E / $18.50 / 19+
Though Bonobo is the solo alias of British multi-instrumentalist, DJ and producer Simon Green, he will be accompanied by a full band for Friday night's show at the Opera House. Earlier this week Green released Black Sands: his fourth studio album under the Bonobo moniker and the much anticipated follow-up to 2006's Days to Come. Fellow Brits and Mercury Prize nominees The Invisible are the lone openers -- grab their cover of "Come Together" by The Beatles for free here.

FRIDAY APRIL 2 / SERENA MANEESH / THE DRAKE UNDERGROUND / 1150 QUEEN ST W / $14 / 19+
Essentially the solo project of Norwegian singer/songwriter Emil Nikolaisen, Serena Maneesh will make a stop at The Great Hall The Drake Hotel on Friday night for a show in support of their recently-released sophomore effort S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor. The much-anticipated album is the product of two years of underground hibernation for Emil, who built his own "rock'n'roll chamber of magic" in a cave outside of Oslo to record the effort. Brooklynites The Depreciation Guild are the sole openers, making Friday night's show the perfect fit for pop and shoegaze fans alike.

SATURDAY APRIL 3 / WL501: POLYDACTYL HEARTS COLLECTIVE / WORKMAN ARTS / 651 DUFFERIN ST / $10 / ALL AGES
Workman Arts hosts the first monthly event from the wonderful folks at Wavelength -- the co-presentation of the Images Festival featuring a multimedia performance from Guelph's Polydactyl Hearts Collective, as well as a screening of Ben Rivers' film I Know Where I'm Going. Best known for the creation of the "graphic novel bike opera" Le Cyc, PHC were commissioned by Wavelength to premiere a new piece at the 2010 Images Festival. Split into three segments that explore themes of transition and change, the performance will synchronize paintings, drawings and visual projections with the original compositions of a six-piece orchestra.

SATURDAY APRIL 3 / JAPANDROIDS / HORSESHOE TAVERN / 368 QUEEN ST W / $15 / 19+
Saturday night at the Shoe features Unfamiliar Records' The Two Koreas, Swedish buzz band Love is All and a midnight headlining set from Vancouver lo-fi garage rockers Japandroids, who just announced that they'll be releasing a new 7" every month from now until December through Polyvinyl Records. The first single drops April 13 and sees "Art Czars" paired with a cover of Big Black's "Racer X."

SUNDAY APRIL 4 / THE XX & jj / PHOENIX / 410 SHERBOURNE ST / $20.50 / 19+
London trio The XX, Swedish duo jj and LA electronic experimentalist Nosaj Thing sold out the Phoenix well in advance, so tickets will be hard to come by at this point. After self-producing their critically acclaimed debut album xx, The XX have enjoyed massive success on both sides of the Atlantic. They'll be back before the end of April -- opening up for Hot Chip at the Kool Haus on April 20.

MONDAY APRIL 5 / ROCKY VOTOLATO / THE DRAKE HOTEL / 1150 QUEEN ST W / $13.50 / 19+
Seattle's Rocky Votolato and Nashville's Brooke Waggoner will perform back-to-back in the Drake Underground on Monday night. Rocky released his sixth solo album True Devotion through Barsuk Records just over a month ago and you can check out the lead single "Red River" for free (MP3). Classically trained composer and orchestrator Brooke Waggoner is touring in support of her 2009 LP Heal for the Honey.

TUESDAY APRIL 6 / DEER TICK / HORSESHOE TAVERN / 368 QUEEN ST W / $15 / 19+
In lieu of Bookie's free new music nights at the Shoe on Tuesday, indie folk/country quintet Deer Tick headline a country-filled bill with Tennessee's Those Darlins' and Toronto-based rockers The Treasures.

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Lead photo: Spiral Beach at the Horseshoe Tavern - taken by Matthew McAndrew.