Live music picks for WEDNESDAY MARCH 24 through TUESDAY MARCH 30, 2010.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 24 / THE WEAKERTHANS (IN-STORE) / SONIC BOOM RECORDS / 512 BLOOR ST W / FREE / ALL AGES
Sonic Boom continues their amazing run of in-store sessions on Wednesday with an intimate performance from The Weakerthans, who will undoubtedly draw a massive crowd to the basement of the record store. John Samson and company are in town to promote Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre, a CD/DVD combination that features incredible artwork from bassist Greg Smith. The Sixth (1642 Queen St W) will be hosting an exhibit featuring Smith's recent paintings - check out more details through faceboook. As always, the in-store performance is free, though fans are encouraged to bring along a few items of canned food to donate to The Food Bank.

THURSDAY MARCH 25 / ORANGUTAN, TRAVIS CAINE & PETE VANDYK / THE REARVIEW MIRROR / 193 BALDWIN ST / $5 / ALL AGES + LICENSED
Toronto's own Orangutan is the solo moniker of Ryan Thompson, former frontman of the now defunct indie rock group Flying Eyes. His EP In The Wild was independently released in 2009, and has drawn comparisons to the late Jeff Buckley. Oakville's Travis Caine & the Lasting Effect is the primary support act, with a pair of burgeoning Hamilton songwriters rounding out the bill: folk/roots singer Pete Vandyk and Amberley B.

FRIDAY MARCH 26 - SUNDAY MARCH 28 / THRUSH HERMIT REUNION / LEE'S PALACE / $17.50 / 19+/ALL AGES
Joel Plaskett, Cliff Gibb, Ian McGettigan and Rob Benvie will reunite as Thrush Hermit for an all-too-brief tour of the Eastern half of Canada culminating with a weekend stop in Toronto. Thrush Hermit will play three shows at Lee's -- two evening sets on Friday and Saturday (openers TBA) as well as a dry, all-ages show on Sunday evening alongside Dinosaur Bones. Considering the band broke up well over a decade ago, the intense demand for tickets and the addition of the third show come as no surprise. Grab your tickets for the Sunday matinee through Maple Music while you still can. For those interested, Plaskett put together an epic, limited-edition 7-disc Thrush Hermit collection through his label New Scotland Records.

SATURDAY MARCH 27 / MAYER HAWTHORNE & THE COUNTY / WRONGBAR / 1279 QUEEN SW W / SOLD OUT / 19+
Michigan's Mayer Hawthorne brings his unique brand of neo-soul to Wrongbar on Saturday night for a sold out show with singer/songwriter Nikki Jean. His debut album A Strange Arrangement was released late last year through Peanut Butter Wolf's Stones Throw Records, and sees the 29-year-old multi-instrumentalist and producer (real name Andrew Cohen) paying homage to the sounds of the classic soul legends of the 60s and 70s like The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and Al Green.

SATURDAY MARCH 27 + SUNDAY MARCH 28 / THE BLACK LIPS / HORSESHOE TAVERN / 368 QUEEN ST W / $17.50 / 19+
Vice Records presents the Garage Punk Weekend at the Shoe, featuring two nights of debauchery from Atlanta's The Black Lips, Montreal's Demon's Claws and Oklahoma's Box Elders. The Black Lips and Vice previously teamed up at NXNE 2009, where side-project The Almighty Defenders (Lips + King Khan & BBQ) made their live debut at Steamwhistle Brewery. The Black Lips will also stop by Sonic Boom on Sunday for a 4pm in-store set. As always, bring a non-perishable food item and get there early if you hope to squeeze into the basement.

MONDAY MARCH 29 / THE BRONX & JAPANTHER / THE MOD CLUB / 722 COLLEGE ST / $15 / 19+
The Mod Club will bear witness to the chaos and fury that is a live set from LA's The Bronx, who have brought along frantic experimentalists Japanther for the Monday night show. Though the night will wrap up with ferocious, fast-paced punk rock, it will start with a much more subdued performance from The Bronx's alter-ego Mariachi El Bronx. Back in 2007 when the Bronx first mentioned their plans to record and tour a full mariachi-style record many doubted their sincerity. While some fans found it difficult to appreciate the changes, I'm simply astounded with their ability to flip between personas while maintaining their technical prowess and intensity.

TUESDAY MARCH 30 / VAMPIRE WEEKEND / SOUND ACADEMY / 11 POLSON ST / SOLD OUT / ALL AGES
NYC's Vampire Weekend headline a sold out show at the Sound Academy in support of their sophomore effort Contra, which debuted at the top position in the Billboard 200 upon its release in January. The record hasn't made quite the splash that their self-titled debut did, but with an upbeat sound made for the summertime I'm sure it won't be long until a few of their infectious pop songs are on heavy rotation. California quartet Abe Vigoda are the lone openers, bringing their playful and energetic style of indie rock north of the border in support of their 2009 EP Reviver. Head to craigslist for a shot at getting your hands on tickets...

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Lead photo: "Japanther" by danepstein, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.