Starting next Monday, North By Northeast Festivals and Conference will be taking over Toronto. NXNE is known as the Canadian destination for emerging artists and some major-label headliners, as well as a place for artists, industry and fans to come together.

The festival stretches over 7 days and nights, presenting over 780 bands and 40 films with an expected attendance of over 300,000. And NXNE Interactive's media conference brings together content-creating artists, tech entrepreneurs, digital marketing gurus, web business experts and social media aficionados over four days. To celebrate its 18th year, we've pulled together some of our essential picks for music, film, comedy and interactive at the festival.

George Tonight's Tim McCready, audience coordinator and resident photographer, made his selections for this years underground rock showcases.

Wavelength at NXNE @ the Garrison (June 13)
Wavelength is Toronto's longest-running and most influential underground music forum, dedicated to presenting genre-smashing concerts and festivals, building innovative bridges within our city's musical communities and throughout our country's artistic landscape. Their NXNE showcase will feature We R Dying 2 Kill U featuring Penny Rimbaud of Crass, along with performances by Toronto up-and-comers Thighs, Silkken Laumann and Teenanger.

Bleached "Triple Header" @ the Silver Dollar (June 14 - 16)
Infamous Toronto rock n roll promoter Dan Burke presents his annual NXNE Triple Header. This years chosen headliner is Bleached, featuring LA-based sisters Jessica and Jennifer Clavin (formerly of Mika Miko) at the Silver Dollar Room on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.. Previous years triple-header headliner's have included San Diego's Crocodiles, Montreal's Red Mass, and Tokyo Japan's Zoobombs!

Jansport Bonfire Sessions w/Dusted and Smith Westerns on Toronto Island- (June 14)
VICE has long been known for many things including over-the-top parties. Their contribution to this year's NXNE is no exception. Featuring performances by Chicago's garage rock youngsters the Smith Westerns and Toronto's Dusted, fronted by Holy Fuck's Brian Borcherdt; their Thursday night bonfire party on Toronto Island is sure to be bursting at the seams with too-cool-for-school 20-somethings and free beer.

4th Annual 159 Manning BBQ - What We Do is Secret (June 15)
Tim McCready's annual backyard pig-roast at his house at Manning and Dundas has become somewhat of a legend. Inviting the public (for the price of a ticket) to see 10 musical acts on 3 stages, plus food, art, poetry and who knows what else? This year's theme "What We Do Is Secret" means he's playing coy on who exactly will be performing, but if past years' acts like Buck 65, Rich Aucoin, Choir! Choir! Choir!, Burning Love and Eamon McGrath are any indication, it's sure to be an afternoon house party to remember.

M for Montreal + Bruise Cruise (June 16)
M for Montreal music festival and US-based Bruise Cruise have teamed up for their second annual NXNE Saturday afternoon on the lake with Mariposa Cruises' Captain Matthew Flinders. The afternoon cruise will feature performances by Bleached, Mac Demarco, Teenanger, Hooded Fang and DJ Jonathan Toubin.