We’ve always had this weird love/hate relationship with instrumental music and the bands who play it. One the one hand, instrumentals are transcendentally personal, evoking a different image or concept in every listener. What’s sad to one person might be peaceful to another. There’s no singer telling us exactly what the piece is about. Also, instrumentals require a certain technical mastery on the part of the musicians that songs with vocalists can slide on, less......

Say hello to new columnist Ol' Scratch, who is posting on all things retro in Boston. Here's how he describes "Retroville" to us: "Amongst Boston's many underground scenes and small, quirky social groups, a segment who are passionate about the 'classic' lifestyle has arisen. Whether it's the greasers who love rockabilly, the classy cabaret kids, the swing dancers, or the bodacious burlesquers, they've all got one thing in common: They all live in Retroville." With......

Music --The Magnetic Fields, on Valentine's Day? Could anything be better for a first date, or any sort of date? They even work well for a broken heart. Well, only if you got tickets in time. Check the Craig, as this one is a hot ticket. Somerville Theatre, Davis Square, 8:00 pm, $27.50. Good luck getting in! --Drown your Valentine's Day sorrows with a night of indie rock and dancing at Viva Viva's Valentine's......

Vaudeville This event sounds freaking crazy, even crazier than Sxip's Hour of Charm, and that was a grand old time. "Titler" will host a show featuring Red Peters from "Howard Stern," comedian Shane Mauss, and the Yo-Yo People, who do exactly what you think they will do. The Beehive, 10 pm-midnight. Cheap Thrills Boston has an interview with "Titler" in which you hear what the guy is all about. Burlesque After a two-month hiatus,......

The next season of America's Next Top Model will air on the CW starting February 20, and the new cast has been revealed. Last time, Sarah Hartshorne, aka "Vita Lightly" of the Boston Babydolls, represented Boston well, and now not one, but two women from Massachusetts will be undergoing extreme makeovers and wearing ridiculous clothes. Kimberly is a waifish 20-year-old banker from Worcester, and Fatima is a 22-year-old student from Boston. Both of them......

Brrrrlesque Saturday, December 15, midnight Coolidge Corner Theater, 290 Harvard St., Brookline (T: Coolidge Corner) $12.50 in advance, $20 at the door Official Boston Babydolls site In the press release we got, Boston Babydolls impresario Scratch declares, "People hate the cold, the rising gas prices, and - of course - the snow. But there's a lot that's beautiful about new England in the winter, and we wanted to remind people of some of those things."......

Sarah Hartshorne, also known as Vita Lightly of the Boston Babydolls, was eliminated from this week's America's Next Top Model. She took the time to answer a few of Bostonist's questions about the experience and her future plans. 1. What advice would you give anyone who is considering trying out for America's Next Top Model? I would say to take everything seriously except for yourself. There is so much to learn and so much to......

Rack 'Em Up With the Boston Babydolls Sunday, November 11, 8:00 pm Flat Top Johnny's, 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge America's Next Top Model competitor Sarah, of Heath, was eliminated from the show on Wednesday (check out our interview with her, which will appear this afternoon at 1:00)--and the Boston Babydolls are none too happy about it. Sarah is a member of the burlesque troupe and performs as Vita Lightly. The Boston Babydolls put out a......

Bostonist has scoop? Yup, looks like we have a gossip scoop! A little bird told us that tonight tomorrow night may be Sarah's last appearance on America's Next Top Model. While we're happy to have some scoop, we're also hoping it's not true for many reasons. A) Sarah is from Heath, Massachusetts. B) She's Vita Lightly of the Boston Babydolls. And C) she has a normal body, which is something to cheer about after seeing......

Boston Babydolls Creepshow Peepshow Sunday, October 28, 8:00 pm The Paradise Lounge 969 Commonwealth Ave, Boston $10, but $8 in costume More info Boston Babydolls Official Site Cirkestra Official Site If you're sick of pickle-dispenser costumes and tired old "naughty nurse" getups at the Halloween party, the Boston Babydolls are celebrating in a grown-up, clever, and sophisticated fashion with a Creepshow Peepshow. Scratch, the Boston Babydolls' businessman/director/all-around-person, described a few of the treats and tricks......

The Wet Spots With the Boston Babydolls Coolidge Corner Theatre Saturday, October 13, midnight, $16.50 Official site The Wet Spots are a self-proclaimed "kinky" musical duo that claims to be the "product of a foursome between Cole Porter, Annie Sprinkle, Ira Gershwin, and Dr. Ruth." Frankly, that offspring sounds scary as hell, and the Wet Spots are actually a duo--Cass King and John Woods. The pair specializes in bawdy songs with titles such as "Labia......

--Beauty and the Geek: John, the MIT student Bostonist thinks is most likely to get some, received a "booty dance" from one of the beauties and admitted, "I didn’t know where to look." Romance was also on the minds of the other local contestants. Girl geek Nicole admitted that she had a crush on one of the boy geeks. Somerville LARPer Dave said of her revelation in his confessional, "I have to admit, my curiosity......

America's Next Top Model airs on the CW (WLVI) tonight at 8:00 pm. One of the Boston Babydolls is going to tangle with Tyra starting tonight. Sarah, also known as Vita Lightly, will be bringing the poise and charm that she's picked up from being a Boston Babydoll. Plus, being a burlesque dancer makes her a helluva lot more interesting than all the other clotheshangers on that show. Sarah Hartshorne, 20, has been a member......

The Boston Babydolls will perform "Burlesque: By Women, For Women" on Tuesday, May 15, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $12, and no men will be admitted. OK, men can read this to whet their appetite for burlesque, but they're not invited to the Boston Babydolls Ladies Only burlesque show at Coolidge Corner. The Babydolls are recreating the heyday of burlesque, when shows "for ladies without escorts" sold out. Bostonist asked Miss Mina some questions......

Boffo Box Office, with a lecture from burlesque historian David Kruh, a screening of Lady of Burlesque and a performance from the Boston Babydolls Burlesque Troupe, will start at Coolidge Corner Theater tomorrow night at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $12. Boffo Box Office at Coolidge Corner Theater kicks off a month packed with burlesque events. Tomorrow night, historian David Kruh will talk about the Old Howard theater, which used to be Boston's home of burlesque......