Canada Day, with the Drams

Houstonians who know when Canada Day is are few and far between, but not at the Maple Leaf Pub, where hockey is king and stellar Denton rockers the Drams will lead lovers of the frozen north through an all-day festival featuring local slide guitar ace Aaron Loesch, long-running folk trio Fahl and Folk and what the flyer calls the "Canadian covers" of Red Black Tree.

Born from the ashes of long-­running Denton alt-country gonzos Slobberbone (love the band, hate the name), the Drams rock harder than anything remotely resembling "Texas music." Frontman Brent Best's pen is still one of the sharpest around, and his bandmates supply plenty of muscle and panache onstage. Their 2006 debut Jubilee Dive garnered great reviews and immediately established the Drams as an important national act, especially after a couple of torrid tours with the like-minded Drive By Truckers. One thing is certain about our northern neighbors: They do like their rock, which makes The Drams a perfect choice to close out a Canada Day festival in the subtropics of southeast Texas.