If you're looking to be touched, warmed and uplifted by a movie these days, don't go to the multiplex. You know this already, of course. Instead, make sure you live in a city where they host a film festival, where you might run into something as special as Dave McLaughlin's On Broadway, which premiered this weekend at the Independent Film Festival of Boston. It's the story of blue-collar Jack O'Toole (played by, yes, that Joseph......

If you look past the fact that the Sox are back at home for their first few games at Fenway this season you'll be able to hear a greater beat on the street. As is often the case there is more good live music going on in town this week than any one person could possibly listen to. Time to clone yourself so you can scoop up a standing room ticket to watch Dice-K......

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......

Since daylight savings time kicked it's been hard to get a good nights sleep. Up too late, and up again the next day too early. This week promises to keep us in that very same groove with a list of great music coming to Boston. Who needs sleep anyway? Don't forget to give your support to Exploit Boston Radio, they've got their fingers crossed that Congress and their favor of big label music will......

Because Akon obviously isn't getting enough exposure these days, Congress threw their weight around and has all but boxed the little guy out of providing radio service to rabid fans. Ever since midi files essentially died and MP3s rose from the ashes, streaming audio has been a source for many to listen to and discover new bands via the Internet. Locally, Sooz has been creating and updating Exploit Boston Radio featuring all local bands, all......

The state of the sidewalks around Boston kept us on our asses this weekend. Not so much of the figurative kind where we sat at home and skipped a show because it was too hard to get around. No, more the literal kind where we kept falling down because of that damn 2" layer of ice that was pretty much everywhere. This week they tell us that the temperature is rising by week's end.......

Frigid temps all week. Hot shows all week. Put them together and you've got a warm soul. Brave the cold and make it out this week, it will totally be worth it. Looking for a little inspiration while you're sitting at your desk this week? Plug in the headphones and pop on over to tourfilter to check out the HypeMachine powered mixtape. Look in the upper right corner and click mixtape, sort it by......

The internets ungulate more than any other of our friends. There seems to be a new kid on the block every other day with others just disappearing. It’s nice to know that some friends stick around for a while. Exploit Boston officially turned five years old today. That means it was post-boom, pre-web 2.0, and, oh, does any of that nonsense even matter? In the last five years the website has served as an events......

When we're the only one in the office we like to crank the juice up to the max on the built in speakers on the computer (they suck, the rock doesn't). The week between Christmas and New Years holiday makes for five days of paid time rocking out to our favorite local bands while we listen to Exploit Boston Radio. The internet radio station is spilling over with local music to get us thinking about......

Exploit Boston has toyed with the format of Game Night they began collecting games to play. It was in Ball Square for a little while, The Paradise Lounge on occasion, then camped out at Common Ground in Allston for a while. But the Common Ground just didn't seem to be the right fit for Game Night. So Sooz ventured out down Harvard Ave and found a new soul for the more-or-less monthly get together. Tonight......

If you ventured out after Thursday's holiday to participate in the great American tradition – shopping – you likely were subjected to all sorts of Christmas music. From Clay's Merry Christmas with Love to Nat King Cole's classics it's upon us. More and more radio stations are picking up the radio formatting. It may not be "too early" but it's certainly not what you'll find if you check out this weeks shows. And remember......

Don't peace out just yet. There's a music agenda to complete before you're off for the holiday. After you've stuffed yourself full of all the mashed potatoes, yams, and turkey – oh, and the cranberry sauce, come right back. Tuesday 11/21 Francisco Mela Quintet Drummer Fancisco Mela recently played sold out shows at the Blue Note in NYC with heavy weights Joe Lovano, Jason Moran, Mark Turner, and Paquito D'Rivera. Now you can catch......

There's no good reason to be sitting at home carving pumpkins this week with all the good shows happening around the Hub. Take a moment to put down your $3 carving kit and your pumpkin to sing the pumpkin carving song as you head out to catch some live music. Oh, and if you wear your costume we won't tell. Tuesday, 10/24 Project Move with Elemental Zazen Local hip hop heroes Project Move and......

We're thinking of format. No, not like the formatting changes that WERS just made to their programming. More like readability of the weekly picks. It's fall now, and since we never really get around to spring cleaning in the spring, maybe we'll get to it in the fall. If you've got suggestions drop them in an email to music at bostonist.com or just right in the comments. But be on the lookout – this......

Why ramble? We've got shows to get out and see. We could put up a whole narrative about the state we were left in after NEMO and BeanTown Jazz swept through this weekend. But not now. Monday 10/2 Built to Spill with Helvetia Built to Spill delivers Indie Rock from when they first hit our radar on college radio and they actually were an indie band. They've been with Warner Bros. for what seems......

This weekend both NEMO and the Beantown Jazz festival will be taking place in town. NEMO is a showcase for New England artists, a networking opportunity for the little-known and the big fish. The performances will invade, occupy, and entertain at just about every venue in Boston. It's a great opportunity to see your favorite local band – or discover a favorite you never knew you had. It's a whole lot to take in,......

Exploit Boston just showed us a new tool. We're totally keen on it. Though our preference has been for Google Maps since they launched, we knew Yahoo would do something to integrate their purchased web properties to try and win us over to their map world. This. Could. Be. It. You've been able to geotag your photos for some time. Now all you have to do is drag and drop photos on a map. Using......

This short work week is long on music. The small show battles the bigger venue this week as the students invade the city. When they come back it seems the shows start up with vigor. Lots of 18+ hit the mark – and they've still got summer money in their pockets. What's this mean? Quite possibly there will be a few more sell outs than usual as the concert funds still run high. Fair......

What's going on this week? Everyone is moving. Hipsters are swapping apartments in Allston. Scenesters are invading Cambridgeport. Undergrads and grad students are making their way into the new rental for September. The lucky ones have renewed their lease (or are keeping up with payments on the mortgage). The music you'll be hearing is blaring from the cab of the U-Haul and out of the windows of that f*ing third floor walk-up you offered......

The temperature heats up a little this week. There will be a bit more humidity in the air. But unlike last week we're not going to be engaged in the same mad-dash around the city every night to catch all the good music. This week we can take our pick, settle in with a pint, and catch the good tunes at a single venue. Fantastic line-ups mark this weeks picks. From the opening band......

Eight Days a Week. The music scene is hot, and we realize that we're not giving you enough lead time on some of the best way to cure a case of the Mondays – with a Monday evening show. This week we're putting eight days into our weekly music picks. Starting on Monday and running through the following week. This week we're eating locally – and listening locally. Several local acts find prominence on......

Tomorrow night, July 11, is the Exploit Boston Game Night at Common Ground in Allston. The evening has grown from it's humble beginnings at True Ground in Somerville to a still modest collection at the Paradise Lounge to the current incarnation of nearly 40 games to choose from at Common Ground in Allston. From 7 to 11 pm the cardboard lids will be removed, childhood memories relived, and good wholesome fun (and beer) will......

We're booting up the contest machine again to bring you a few more tickets for the Paradise Rock Club show coming up July 30 with Editors. Straight out of the UK, these post-punk revival rockers have gained much attention with their album infused with sounds of some greats like Joy Division, Doves, and Echo and the Bunnymen. They caused quite a buzz last year when they hit the world with their debut album "The Back......

Exploit Boston and Bostonist are bringing you a two part contest. The first part comes tomorrow, Tuesday, night at the Exploit Boston Game Night at Common Ground in Allston. The second part is all-internets-all-the-time. Two great guilty pleasures, Jewel and Rob Thomas, are playing a show at the Bank of America Pavilion on Friday night, June 9. Toby Lightman will open the show for the two pop superstars. Rob Thomas and Jewel share something in......

WBOS' EarthFest played host to upwards of 100,000 people yesterday – with nearly 7,000 of them waiting in line not for music, but to turn in their losing scratch tickets. The Herald reports on a bad experience had by one man trying to redeem 60,000 losing instant win tickets, while the Globe reports a win for recycling on the day as The Lottery reclaimed 50 tons of paper. For every 25 losing tickets returned a......

The internets were abuzz yesterday with the launch of Flickr: Gamma Edition. They've been living in Beta as the site has been growing exponentially recently. Flickr is owned by Yahoo!, it was purchased in March '05. Since then Yahoo! photos have migrated to Flickr, a bit more storage and a few more features added, and the servers moved from Vancouver to California. But they've yet to roll into Flickr 1.0 as promised, yesterday they took......

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......