Few bands make it out of the basement, let alone to their 10-year anniversary, so celebrating a decade of blowing minds and eardrums with Hot Little Rocket is no small affair. Few Calgary bands have the power and presence of this post-punk juggernaut. Between front man Andrew Wedderburn’s sharp word play, guitarist Aaron Smelski’s ear for melody, bass player Matt Swann’s lanky hooks and drummer Joel Nye’s quartz-precision at the kit, you’d be hard-pressed to find any band with as compelling a stage presence or as engaging a signature sound. Since no rocket launch is complete without a countdown, this is a look back at the 10 most explosive moments in the history of these local heroes.

10. Hot Little Rocket scale down. Longtime fans remember when HLR was a female-fronted five-piece Britpop act. Now all that remains of vocalist Angela Marra’s tenure is a limited-edition two-song cassette. When she stepped aside, it opened the door for Wedderburn to take her place at the mic, armed with an arsenal of 25-cent words and the ability to twist them any which way.

9. Wedderburn and Smelski meet halfway. Smelski was known for his ethereal work with Lotus Galaxy. Wedderburn was more likely to make you a mixtape featuring Drive Like Jehu. On their debut, Laika, you can hear these sensibilities clashing in all their sonic glory. Over time Smelski put some of his pedals away and Wedderburn learned how to tune his guitar.

8. Releasing Danish Documentary. On the band’s second album, the material was more complex, the approach was more ambitious and the songs were even better. Label support from Winnipeg indie Endearing caused a mini-backlash, but critics were silenced at the CD release party. When the band fell silent during “Viva Death,” most of the audience shouted along. They had arrived.

7. Chris Vail becomes the all-purpose fifth member. During the extensive preproduction for their third album, Our Work and Why We Do It, the band enlisted the help of multi-instrumentalist Chris Vail (XL Birdsuit, Shecky Forme, Vailhailen). Shimmering organ accents, pitch-perfect harmonies and comic relief guided the band to some of their finest moments.

6. Mark McArthur leaves the band. Most Hot Little Rocket shows were known for spectacular acrobatics on the part of founding bass player Mark McArthur. More impressive than his final show was the fact that the band survived that lineup change with the help of Patrick May (Mico).

5. The heat goes out at 1409. For years HLR shared the basement at 1409 Seventh St. S.W. with two other bands. One particularly cold winter day, the furnace conked out and everybody had to evac their equipment. Wedderburn also lived in the house and admits that the house’s fixer-upper nature provided more lyrical material than he could have imagined.

4. Going Coastal. HLR rocked the nation’s music station, but the band’s Much Music debut is notable for the way they levelled the crowd with “Johnny Come Lately.” When the throbbing chorus ripped open, everyone in the Den lost it. It was the Calgary equivalent of the first time Nirvana played “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

3. Recording with Steve Albini. When the time came for the band’s fourth album, How to Lose Everything, they went all out, travelling to Chicago to record with legendary engineer Steve Albini. The result mirrors the band’s live sound perfectly.

2. Touring to China. Sure, HLR played the Night Gallery more times than you can count, they were regulars in E-Town and even did a few national tours. But how many other local bands do you know that played China?

1. Hot Little Rocket nearly bring the house down (literally). When the landlord at 1409 finally decided to upgrade the place, the house’s long history of indie rock was booted to the curb. This didn’t stop the tenants from throwing a farewell bash where resident bands set up in the living room. As Hot Little Rocket roared through their set to a handful of friends and devoted fans, they proved that they could play any venue regardless of size or sound system.