Gather ’round, Canadian patriots, another chapter in our rivalry with the United States is about to reach endgame and it’s up to all of us to make sure that we win this one.

In case you haven’t been following the odyssey of Canada’s other poster children for sticking it to Uncle Sam, The Sheepdogs, allow me to elaborate. Rolling Stone magazine has offered one relatively unknown band the chance to appear on its cover, chosen exclusively by the public. The Sheepdogs, who hail from Saskatoon, have outlasted all but one of their competitors, California-based Lelia Broussard.

Each artist has had their work extensively featured at RollingStone.com, and both finalists played the Bonnaroo Festival recently in order to drive up the numbers. But the voting deadline is fast approaching.

The polls close at 11:59 p.m. on July 1 — an auspicious day, to say the least! Helping, say, The Sheepdogs to win, Canada? Your vote is one click away.

You might be wondering what the band sounds like… Then again, no offense to the ’Dogs, but since voting for Canada is the issue here, does it matter? Of course it matters: The Sheepdogs are an old-school rock and roll outfit, with a sound reminiscent of acts like The Band, the Doobie Brothers, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. They have independently released three full-length albums, all of which have charted on Earshot’s National Campus and Community Radio Report, with 2010’s Learn & Burn reaching #21. The band was also nominated for 2010 Artist of the Year on XM Radio’s The Verge. They’re distributed through super-cred Canadian label/distributor Sonic Unyon (Tim Horton’s put Hamilton on the map, but the Unyon has also done its part to distinguish the Hammer as more than just our country’s answer to Cleveland).

Once again: VOTE FOR THE SHEEPDOGS HERE. Let’s score another victory for Canadian music. After all, we can only coast on Arcade Fire and Bieber “Fever” for so long.

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image courtesy of Listen Harder Music Publicity