Bostonist loves stories that prove that the internet is useful for more than virtual poker and porn, and this one's a doozy. When legendary local band Boston lost their frontman, Brad Delp, to suicide last year, lifelong Boston fan Tommy DeCarlo wanted to pay tribute to how much the band's music meant to him. So his daughter created a MySpace page of him singing karaoke to a few of the band's hits. Somehow, through......

--A three-alarm fire broke out at an apartment complex in Framingham yesterday afternoon. Three firefighters and three residents of the complex went to the hospital for minor injuries. [Boston Globe] --Two children died in a tragic fire in Holyoke on Thursday. Allegedly, a 6-year-old boy was playing with a lighter in his home, starting a fire that killed his 4-year-old brother and 9-month-old sister. [Boston Globe] --The pilot who was grounded after breaking away from......

This past Monday French avant garde novelist and filmmaker Alain Robbe-Grillet died at the age of 85. Robbe-Grillet is regarded as the theorist behind the "new novel", which rejects conventional storytelling techniques for surface narratives that focus on objects and details rather than the world at large. Truly, he could suck a story out of an electric shaver like no other. While a favorite name to drop in the literary lounge, Robbe-Grillet is best known......

Music Few acts in hip-hop's young guard come more correct than Berkeley, CA crew The Pack. Roiling, minimalist beats, raps about partying and sneakers, and a whispered menace that keeps you off guard: it's like degree zero of the art form. Sounds great on record (or Myspace), but can they rock an audience? Harper's Ferry, 158 Brighton Ave., Allston, 7:00 pm, $12/$14. Could your music options for tonight be any different? "Lady rapper" Leslie......

Punketta Doilie Presents: SHELTER Saturday, February 2nd Machine Nightclub 1254 Boylston St. Boston, MA 02215 $7 before 10:30 / $10 after 21+ / 10p - 2a MySpace: Punketta Doilie Perceptions of the industrial scene in Boston from those who've never attended the nights nor have become acquainted with some of the individuals that frequent them can really miss the mark. While outsiders may view it as an isolated crowd ridden with a lot of......

Given our current state of divisive affairs - debate about the war, the ever-intensifying drama between presidential candidates, New York versus Boston - it's somewhat nice to know that there's one thing the vast majority of the American people can agree on: we're in The Office withdrawal. It's unclear at the present how long we will remain unified as one nation missing Michael Scott, given that the Writers Guild of America and the majors are......

Music Rodfest is held each year to support the Greg "Rodney" Moynahan Memorial Scholarship. Moynahan, a musician who used to host "Rodfests" to celebrate his birthday, died in a car crash in 2004. Kier Byrnes, Moynahan's cousin and a member of Three Day Threshold, has continued the "Rodfest" tradition, and the money goes to Moynahan's alma mater, Stonehill College. Bands this year include Three Day Threshold, Girls Guns & Glory, Rogue Heroes, Cassavetes, and the......

Even though the guys who held up the "Iron My Shirt" sign during a Hillary Clinton campaign speech were determined to be pranksters from Boston station WBCN, people are still pissed at Adolfo Gonzalez Jr. and intern Nick Gemelli from WBCN's "Toucher & Rich" show. Apparently Gonzalez had several jokes up his sleeve when he was escorted out. The NY Daily News reported that Gonzalez told a reporter that his name was "Hugh Jas." Wonder......

Lest the world find Kevin Youkilis unsavory for signing up to market an energy drink named "SlumpBuster," which refers to an ugly woman a guy sleeps with to break a losing streak, the Track Girls called Youk's rep. Youk's rep informed them that SlumpBuster refers to the other "SlumpBuster": “Unfortunately, like many common sayings, the ‘slumpbuster’ term can also be twisted to having negative connotations,” said Youk’s agent, Joe Bick of Pro Star Management, in......

When an athlete gets famous, his or her image will be slapped on everything in sight. Remember Kobe Bryant's pre-scandal days when he was on jars of Nutella? Well, Red Sox Monster and BevNET are reporting that Kevin Youkilis has signed up to market a new energy drink entitled--ahem--"SlumpBuster." BevNET euphemistically stated that "SlumpBuster" was a "term widely recognized by athletes and fans." Indeed. According to the Urban Dictionary, a "SlumpBuster" is A promiscuous and/or......

Comedy --Tracy Morgan is in town. Watch the Track Girls the next day because something crazy is bound to happen. And if you see any Tracy-Morgan-related wildness, send a tip! Even the Comedy Connection felt pressed to issue a warning: "This stand-up show contains very sexually explicit material and the strongest language imaginable. This show is for mature audiences only." He'll be at the Comedy Connection at Faneuil Hall tonight and tomorrow night. Shows at......

Music --Multimedia artist and musician Brian Dewan will join Bostonist faves Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys, the Boston Typewriter Orchestra, and S. Joe Hazelwood at Church. Of course, the Broken Toys are promising frilly panties and corsets. 69 Kilmarnock Street, 9:00 pm. --The Lemonheads make a return to the Middle East. Evan Dando is bringing members of the Descendents with him. Dando still has a wild streak--he talked 'shrooms and Cro-Magnon man......

Already feeling the pressure of holiday family time? Leave the house. Run away. Tonight's events will help add some spice to your Santa. Music --Holiday stress? Family freaking out on you? Swap "Jingle Bells" for "Raw Power" with The Scrooges--a band that dresses in Santa suits and covers the Stooges. They'll be at Great Scott tonight at 9:00. 1222 Commonwealth Ave, Allston. Theater --The New Repertory Theater is showing David Sedaris' Santaland Diaries, which......

COLOR Friday, December 7th Milky Way Lounge 403 Centre Street Jamaica Plain, MA 9pm / 21+ / $5 MySpace w/ resident Joseph Colbourne special guest: David Shaw A recently added night to Boston's blossoming dance party scene, COLOR - hosted by Ben Sisto - takes on a handful of meanings. Open to all, the genres spun cover a vibrant variety. The idea behind it, too, is to join art and music, bringing in guests......

Benefits for Jeanne Sheehy December 6--Tonight!: B.O.D., Willie T & Dr. X, Doug McDonald Band, Roger Fisk, Country Doctors, Wide Iris, The Delusions, The Outlets. Show starts at 8:45 pm. December 21: Jonny Pape, Auto Interiors, Joyce & Chick of Scarce, Downbeat 5, AdFrank, The Pills, The Shods. Show starts at 9:05 pm. December 28: Jules Verdone, The Douglas Fir, Baker, Francine, The Gravel Pit. Show starts at 9:10 pm. December 29: Keys to the......

HEARTHROB Tuesday, December 4th Middlesex Lounge 315 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 9pm / 21+ / FREE w/ special guests: Peppermint Twinz (Christopher Wade + Initiales A.A.) It's surprising that a dance night like Hearthrob could be so successful considering it has hardly more than a MySpace page and does little to no promotion. The reigning master of such success is still word-of-mouth, and that is something that the three New England-based DJs have built......

Tim Blane Gregory Douglass Paradise Lounge Tonight, 9 p.m. doors, 18+, $10 MySpace Boston singer-songwriter Tim Blane isn't just the kind of musician who goes out of his way to talk about his music, he's the kind who will take a phone call when he's enjoying a day off in Florida - on his birthday. He won't mention this to a caller until the interview is already underway and laughs when the secret is revealed.......

BARONESS Friday, November 30th Middle East Downstairs Cambridge, MA w/ Witchcraft, Radio Moscow 18+ / $10 ADV / $12 DOS MySpace: Baroness The debut EP First by Savannah's Baroness was a bit of al ife-changer. More of a life-reinvigorator. Produced by Phillip Cope of Kylesa, the three tracks harnessed much that had been missing from the blend of technical metal with a heavy dose of stoner meticulousity. To call the Southeast band "metal" is......

Jason Webley Lily Pad (1353 Cambridge St) Thursday, November 29, 7:30 pm All Ages $7 Jason Webley is to the accordion what Girl Talk is to the iPod, and his shows are manic celebrations of musical storytelling. Webley takes his audiences on wild journeys--sometimes literal ones that involve actually trekking outside the venue--and leads singalongs (or clapalongs) rife with spirit. He's also widely known for incorporating vegetables (thrown, consumed, or otherwise) into his performances; at......

Or at least they need some sensitivity training. Via Universal Hub, we hear Harper's Ferry has some real racist assholes on its staff. There's one guy who was begging to be fired after insulting black hip-hop performer Bus Driver last week. Bus Driver promptly refused to perform, and the other act, Daedalus, followed suit. Etan at Basstown spoke with Regan Farquhar (aka Bus Driver) and his DJ. They say the sound guy at Harper's Ferry......

Mike Doughty proved Saturday night that the Hannah Montana scalping uproar could be easily solved if Miley Cyrus and her target audience were old enough to drink. While welcoming his audience of about 75 people to the intimate basement space of the Lizard Lounge, the singer-songwriter and former Soul Coughing front man explained that tickets to the evening’s show had sold out in one minute. There had been postings on Craigslist charging $100 a ticket.......

Sia Willoughby Paradise Rock Club Tonight, 8 p.m., $16.50 (18+) Ticket information Sia Myspace | Willoughby Myspace If Sia's voice sounds familiar on her forthcoming EP, "Some People Have Real Problems," you can thank or blame Zach Braff, depending on your point of view (Bostonist, for the record, thanks profusely). Slow down the bright and catchy pop beats of "Buttons" and you'll recognize the breathy voice that provided the vocals to Zero 7's "In the......

Juliette and the Licks Scissors for Lefty, Suffrajett Middle East Downstairs Tonight, 8 p.m., $15 (18+) MySpace She's a J. Lewis making a name for herself in music after an acting career, the frontwoman of an otherwise all-male band, someone known for keeping audiences guessing about how she's going to look, what she's going to wear, what she's going to do. But whereas Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis takes the demure route (as much as one......

International Pop Overthrow The Great Scott, Allston Friday Nov 2 - Tuesday Nov 6 $10 // 7 PM // 18+ except for 11/3, 21+ Sounds cool, doesn't it? Well, we certainly think so. The International Pop Overthrow, the brain child of creator David Bash, comes to Boston for the Festival's 5th year. The 5-day long event will showcase local bands whose sound can be classified as indie, rock and/or pop. But wait - pop?......

DJ David Day MAKE IT NEW Thursday, November 1 Middlesex Lounge 315 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 21+ / 9:00 pm - 2:00 am / FREE MySpace: Make It New This has been an incredibly eventful year for the youth in Boston's club scene, and it's about to experience another resurgence. In February, an event happened where three newly acquainted DJs got together to spin at Shine, the tucked-away haven in Kendall Square. Since then,......

Ryan Montbleau Band Paradise Rock Club Saturday and Sunday Doors at 8 p.m., 18+ Ticket information With Nate Wilson Group and Tom Bianchi on Saturday; Dwight & Nicole and Jesse Dee on Sunday Website At first glance, one could believe that this weekend brings a perfect confluence of two of Ryan Montbleau's long-standing passions: making music and the Red Sox. On Saturday and Sunday, Montbleau and the rest of the Ryan Montbleau Band will return......

Halloween weekend is upon us, and much like last year's festivities there are far too many options to choose from. In addition to that, Boston has gone completely bonkers over the Red Sox kicking ass in the World Series, so you can be sure to find extra excitement in every neighborhood you party in over the next few days. (pssst! click image for larger flier) THUNDERDOME VIII Friday, October 26th Greek American Political Club 288......

MUSCLES Jokers Of The Scene @ Hearthrob Middlesex Lounge 315 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 9pm - 1am 21+ / $5 MySpace: Muscles MySpace: Jokers Of The Scene MySpace: Hearthrob The UK-based Modular Records is fast becoming one of Britain's most important electronic music exports on a global level. Now, Klaxons are one of the biggest indie bands to carry the dance party torch, uniting it with the rock venue atmosphere and audience. Stepping up......

Mighty Mighty Bosstones December 26-30, 7:30 Middle East Details on tickets in post Bosstones MySpace site Common November 10 UMass-Boston, Clark Athletic Center FREE Yo La Tengo November 15, 9:30 pm Museum of Fine Arts, Remis Auditorium, $25 Better hope you have some money in your wallet because there's some huge acts that are on their way. First off, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones are reuniting at the Middle East for a "Hometown Throwdown." Tickets go......

WGBH Open House Sunday, October 14 9:00 am to 6:00 pm One Guest Street, Brighton More info. Bostonist had the opportunity to visit WGBH's new studio and monster digital wall recently. While the digital wall screams for attention from anyone passing by on the Pike, get a little closer, and you'll discover the architecture and all WGBH's new offerings for locals. Those offerings include theater that will show WGBH programming, and a top-notch recording studio.......