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The Heart of the New West may seem a little preoccupied right now, what with one-time local girl Feist coming to town. Not to mention Jann Arden, who began her career playing Calgary coffee houses. Both singers are joining local country legend Paul Brandt on home turf for the Junos on April 6. But established stars like these are just evidence of a thriving music scene that will continue to rock and swing this city well after the little awards show blows out of town. Here's just a sample of what music fans can expect to find if they're in Calgary next week - or any time of year.

BEST VENUES TO CATCH

THE NEXT BATCH OF JUNO NOMINEES

Up-and-coming stars such as the Dudes, Hot Little Rocket, the Evidence, Matt Masters and Lindsay Ell can usually be found performing at local clubs Broken City, Ironwood, the Palomino, the Warehouse and the Distillery. Beat Niq is the place to hear jazz performers such as Jodi Proznick. And for hardcore punk, stomp over to the Underground, which takes up the lower floor of the Warehouse and boasts the cheapest beer in town. (For locations, visit http://www.clubZone.com/Calgary.) Of course, during Juno week, even Calgary International Airport boasts a stage for local bands.

BEST PLACES TO SPOT A

MUSICIAN NURSING A DRINK

Calgarians give famous people plenty of privacy when they're out in public, so you never know where you'll rub elbows with a music star. Best bets include the smoky (that's barbecue smoke) basement bar of the Palomino (http://www.thepalomino.ca), a gritty honky-tonk with stellar barbecued ribs and pulled pork. (It's right around the corner from the Fairmont Palliser - http://www.fairmont.com/palliser - the official host hotel of the Junos.) Or try the Ironwood Stage & Grill (http://www.ironwoodstage.ca), where the grilled steak wrap with spicy chipotle mayo is almost as hot as this indie folk and country music venue.

BEST RECORD STORES FOR

HIP-HOP - AND HONKYTONK

You can often find musicians flipping through the record bins at Hot Wax Records (114 10th St. N.W.) or Megatunes (932 17th Ave. S.W., http://www.megatunes.com), two of Calgary's best independent record stores. The former is the place to uncover new and used gems on vinyl or CD, with probably the widest selection of Alberta artists, while the latter has an eclectic selection ranging from blues and jazz to indie artists, bluegrass and metal. While in town, be sure to tune your radio to CKUA 93.7 FM, Alberta's celebrated public radio station, for a taste of local talent and unique music programs.

BEST HOTELS OR BARs

FOR A POST-JAM PARTY

Musicians have been known to jam out in hotel lobbies during other music events here, so listen for guitar riffs outside the Hyatt Regency Calgary (700 Centre St. S.E.; http://www.calgary.hyatt.com) and Fairmont Palliser. But there are some official party venues. After their Aboriginal JunoFest Celebration Friday at The Grand - a restored theatre space with a trendy resto-lounge called Velvet - expect to see Derek Miller, Little Hawk and an array of drummers and fancy dancers at the after-party down at the Legion (116 7th Ave. S.E.). Juno nominees Gord Bamford, Aaron Lines and the other country hopefuls are playing Thursday night at the Alberta Country Music Salute at the Jubilee Auditorium, so check out A Bar Named Sue (1410 4th St. S.W.) for a late-night country jam. But the big blowout will be at the Rockstar Hotel - a.k.a. Hotel Arts (119 12 Ave. S.W.; http://www.rockstarhotel.ca) - which features the fabulous Saint Germain and Raw Bar restaurants. It will host stars for a huge party Saturday after a gala dinner event at the Telus Convention Centre. They'll roll out the red carpet for an invitation-only all-nighter - "from 10:30 p.m. until breakfast the next morning" - complete with E! celebrity interviews and a party around the pool. While no city hotels will dish on their celebrity guests, lets just say Hotel Arts is more Feist-forward (she may have even played the old Westward bar here in her punk Placebo days), Blue Rodeo might feel comfy surrounded by the colourful western canvases at the Hyatt, while the Palliser is best equipped to serve visiting musical royals such as Anne Murray.

BEST SPORTING EVENT

FEATURING JIM CUDDY

Friday night is Hockey Night in Calgary, with such celebrity rockers as Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor facing off against a team of National Hockey League alumni including Lanny McDonald, Doug Gilmour and Paul Coffey for the Juno Cup at the Stampede Corral. Look for them all after this charity match, nursing their injuries and a cool brew (likely a local Wild Rose or Big Rock ale) at Flames Central (219 8th Ave S.W.; http://www.flamescentral.com), a downtown sports bar on steroids.