Christopher Guest - actor, director, writer, musician, and Grammy-winning composer - stood solemn in his academic regalia on Friday night as a packed Berklee Performance Center crowd gave him a standing ovation. Looking every part the dignified scholar, Berklee's newest Honorary Doctorate of Music recipient nodded to the crowd. Then he raised his hand, made devil's horns, and got down to business. Guest told a story of a young boy, one who grew up in......

As the saying goes April showers bring May flowers. We're willing to subscribe with that theory. April looks to be a bit soggy for us in the beginning, especially considering the current seven day forecast. That means that frolicking in the outdoors will be limited and heading into the haven of the local rock haunts will be plentiful. Lucky this week provides a host of great shows around the Boston area. Included this week......

Apparently we're supposed to go to work this week. It's the first full week in July. We're not counting last week – there was enough time spent on various roof decks that it can't be called anything but lazy. This week the grind is back, but the music isn't taking a break. An eclectic mix make up this week's picks from indie rock to Elvis Costello to the Boston Typewriter Orchestra, they're not playing......

Time to hit the gym. Time to work off the 19 hot dogs and 12 hamburgers ingested over the last four days. Well, maybe the gym isn't going to do it. Throw down a couple of bucks this week and dance, sweat, and otherwise work off that weight as you listen to some great tunes – played live – around Boston this week. Tuesday 5/30 Lifestyle with What Time is It Mr. Fox, and The......

There is only so long that we’re going to be able to hold out before the entire list of the week’s picks will be outdoor venues. Well, that’ll probably never happen until they dome the roof at Paradise and we can rock under the stars. We are, however, ecstatic about the warmer temperatures and the daylight which stretches until late – it helps us gear up for the night’s show. After a weekend of......

Sample these tracks and let us know what's in your iPod playlist this week. Mike Viola and the Candy Butchers |Local Rock Hang on Mike [download] Bostonist Stefan lists The Candy Butchers among his favorites and although had issues narrowing his track choice down to one, recommends "What to Do with Michael" as your first download. Boston shout out: Mike Viola, lead singer, grew up in Stoughton. Various Artists |International Funk Rio Baile Funk:......

Bostonist gave a little squeal of "Oh no she didn't!" when Natalie Portman's odious Sam, in last year's more odious Garden State, cites Lyle Lovett as an ugly dude who bagged a hottie with his 1993 marriage to Julia Roberts. (PS. Boston-area media: stop citing Portman-who really inspires awful copy from drooling men-as a celeb Boston can be proud of. Just because she went through 4 years at Harvard meant that some hard-working kid......

Admittedly, Bostonist should tell you about tonight's Kathleen Edwards show at the Paradise. She's a Canadian variation of the venerable Lucinda Williams and she has a knack for writing hard-luck songs--Bostonist's personal favorite, "Westby", is a scathing Lolita track with a snotty chorus: "If you weren't so old I'd probably keep you/ If you weren't so old I'd tell my friends/ But I don't think your wife would like my friends." Catty! She's country,......

Bostonist wants to be in two places at once, and not in that wussy, standing over state lines ala Mandy Moore weepie A Walk To Remember, either. While Bostonist will be crying into a beer (metaphorically) tonight at the Museum of Fine Arts’ Magnolia Electric Co. show, there will be an amazingly solid line-up of local music worth checking out at the Middle East Upstairs. This lineup is killer and every band is good.......