Thursday Happenings

Image of Animal Collective from Myspace.

Bostonist has watched Animal Collective go from a fringe freak-out group with a naive knack for harmony to a polished indie rock outfit that plays the House of Blues. We aren't sure if fashion caught up with them, or vice versa, but the fogey in us doesn't like it. House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St., 7 p.m. $20.

Salsa

If you don't get salsa, then you have to see it live. Grupo Fantasia's performance will range from salsa scorchers to traditional dance numbers, spiced with a helping of merengue and bachata. Johnny D's Uptown, 17 Holland St., Somerville, 9 p.m.

Movies

The GLBT Film Festival continues at the Brattle with a pair of films about hustlers. The Good American (2008) is a documentary about Tom Weise, the creator of the Hustlaball and rentboy.com, the world's largest male escort Web site. The evening continues with Sex Positive (2007), the story of an S&M hustler who pioneered safe sex during the early years of the AIDS epidemic. Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. Tickets and showtimes.