The 2nd year of the District's Awake! Music Festival is making it's grand sophomore entrance tomorrow night in clubs across town. News about the festival is traveling far and wide, with a sponsorship and podcast from everybody's favorite online radio station, WOXY, an interview on the local news, and more.

A few last minute changes have been made to the festival — namely the unfortunate cancellation of Cloud Cult's set, and of the Rock & Roll Lottery, which we interviewed Eric Boucher about in August. But even without those two things, the festival's still going to give a lot of music-lovers throughout the area enough choices to scratch their chins over this weekend. So to help, we've pulled together our venerable music staff's suggestions for where to spend your DAM! Fest time. The festival's site is well done and provides a profile and samples of the music of each artist involved, so if our suggestions aren't enough to help you make your scheduling decisions, take a look around and give these bands a listen.

THURSDAY
>> There's a lot going on during the festival's opening night but the double header of Dirty on Purpose and A Place to Bury Strangers at the Rock and Roll Hotel will be hard to beat. Both bands hail from Brooklyn, are surrounded by an almost deafening amount of blogosphere buzz and harbor an affinity for shoegazey guitar tones. Here's where they differ: Dirty on Purpose channels all that fuzz into sunshiney indie-pop tunes while APTBS assaults the ears with an almost My Bloody Valentine-level wall of noise (they don't call them "the loudest band in New York" for nothing). Don't forget to pack the earplugs. 7:30pm, $12.

>> Vandaveer's early summer release of Grace and Speed was quite well-received around town, and Mark Charles Heidinger -- the man behind the name -- has spent most of 2007 on the road supporting it. Also a member of Three Stars alums The Apparitions, Vandaveer is supposed to be Heidinger's solo, folksy side project, but really its more a blend. At times, it clamors with a kitchen-sink production that recalls Bottom of the Hudson or even the Russian Futurists, while elsewhere it floats along with a pastoral, guy-and-his-acoustic vibe. It's a bit goofy in parts too, but can likewise be direct and devastating, as on the wonderful "However Many Takes It Takes." Catch him Thursday at the Red and the Black.

FRIDAY
>> The Athens, GA scene has spawned multiple quirky and fabulous psychedelic pop acts such as Of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control and Elf Power. Add Casper & The Cookies to that list. This jumpy eclectic act, led by Casper Fandango (aka Jason NeSmith) and wife Kay Stanton, will fill the Red & The Black's small stage with their kooky, never-boring stage show.

>> The Exit, hailing from New York, are the next step in the reggae-rock fusion with 80s influences revolution, popularized through 90s mainstream bands like Sublime and 311. When not making music, they are out fighting for the environment. Front man Ben Brewer recently helped start up a environmentally friendly record label, Green Owl Records, which is involved in the Live Earth concert series. Friday night you can catch them headlining the Rock and Roll Hotel with former Three Stars The Beanstalk Library — who we discovered also dabble in covering Neil Young tracks -, Dragons of Zynth, and The Teeth.

>> If you've still not had your fill by the time the music winds down, keep hanging out at the Rock & Roll Hotel for the DAM! Fest after party, We Fought the Hej, featuring one of DCist's favorite local song-spinners, DJ Natalya. She'll be battling against DJ Trickster, keeping the party going with Scandanavian pop into the wee hours.

SATURDAY
>> Locals Greenland have been DCist favorites for some time, and for good reason: the trio has formulated their own sound, not easily put into one genre or compared with other bands. They play engaging, intricate rock that's sometimes driving, sometimes swirling, with dual vocals, roiling bass, dense drums and interesting guitar work. They're at DC9 Saturday along with fellow local faves These United States, who wrote a tour diary for DCist earlier in the year.

>> Perhaps the most familiar name on Saturday's lineup is Manhattan's Stellastarr*. Their moody pop recalls glimmers of Joy Division, Pixies and borrows heftily from The Cure. The clear choice for anyone who likes bands in the vein of Interpol and The Editors will be headlining at Historic 6th & I Synagogue.

>> Craig Wedren's association with D.C. music goes back over two decades now, to his days with glammy art-punk outfit Shudder to Think. The band was one of only two to ever make the leap from Dischord Records to a major label, and their debut on Epic, the fantastic Pony Express Record, solidified their reputation as one of the best post-punk exports D.C. ever had. The band eventually dissolved in 1999, but Wedren has maintained a high level of activity, a large part of that continuing with the soundtrack work Shudder to Think first got him into. His most frequently heard work may now be the theme song from "Reno 911," but he's also done films, and is a frequent contributor of music to projects by his old friends from comedy troupe The State. With one solo record under his belt, and another in the works, no one can accuse him of resting on his Shudder to Think laurels. His DAM! Fest homecoming is Saturday night at the Rock and Roll hotel with iLIKETRAINS, Three Stars alums Metropolitan, and Time of Orchids.

SUNDAY
>> Telograph is an old favorite around these parts. Their dramatic, pop-centric rock, lead by handsome and talented lead singer Andy Boliek, is familiar to anybody that's been to a local club over the course of the past few years. These guys are everywhere. They recently did an opening tour for O.A.R., playing bigger venues than most locals get the chance to. And this weekend, you can catch them at Arlington's Iota Club & Cafe. 8:30 p.m., $8.

MONDAY
>> The DAM! festival's pièce de résistance, Monday night's set by Cat Power and the Dirty Delta Blues, is sure to end things on a high note. Sure, Chan Marshall isn't the unpredictable performer that she once was, having traded in alcoholism and stage fright for Chanel runway shows and roles in Wong Kar-Wai films. The upside, however, is that you know that you'll be getting your $25 worth when Chan and her band of seasoned players takes the stage at the 9:30 club to perform songs spanning Marshall's decade-long career (with a few covers probably thrown in for good measure). 7:30 p.m., $25.

You can purchase tickets at the shows, or buy a badge to the full festival for $35. Check out the guidelines for festival passes here.

Valerie Paschall, Chris Snyder, Andrew Wiseman, Mehan Jayasuriya, Ian Buckwalter, and Graham Hough-Cornwell contributed to the picks.