DTL turns into party central this weekend as Folk Fest 22 takes over our old mill town. But nothing seemed old about the lively opening scenes last night, from rain-weary throngs packing BHP to long lines at the ever-popular Filipino food booth to to crowded beer tents to a pack of youngsters trying their hand in the Wii tent set up by Nintendo at the Dutton Street dance stage. Music rocked from the bluesy sounds of piano master Henry Gray to the two-stepping dance tunes of the the Creole cowboys. Loved the free Nestea and Moxie samples. Chowed on chicken on a stick and other Thai delights from Buddachak at Dutton and sampled some yummy grape leaves walking by the Athenian. Feel like volunteering? Mike Wurm of the National Park could use more on Sunday. Just stop in at the Visitors Center on Market St., and they'll give you a job. What turned you on tonight at the Fest? What do you look forward to tomorrow?

Okay, I know the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston isn’t exactly in the neighborhood, but based on the shows I’ve enjoyed there, the Courtyard outdoor performance space in the center of the museum is to smaller outdoor venues what Boarding House Park is to larger outdoor venues – more intimate, better organized, and an all around better time…which makes it worth detailing this season's MFA Concerts in the Courtyard.

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As the Stone Church in Newmarket, N.H., prepares for some benefit shows to keep its doors open, another New Hampshire institution – the Tupelo Music Hall – has just announced that it’s moving to a bigger and better space in late Summer 2009.

Per a message from owner Scott Hayward, the Tupelo will remain in the Derry, N.H., area but will move to a state-of-the-art facility that provides bigger shows with table seating, better parking than the current park-on-the-street-and-walk-if-you-get-here-less-than-20-minutes-before-the-show setup, and a better climate control system.

As you can probably deduce on your own, a bigger venue means even bigger names than the already-impressive roster at the current space. Hayward also promises a 20,000-square foot retail shop and an equal amount of office space at the new venue, which will be on Crystal Ave. in the area of T-Bones/McDonald’s.

Southern New Hampshire residents rejoice. If you weren’t already impressed with the Tupelo, you damn sure will be come 18 months from now.

Since it re-opened in 2004, the Stone Church in Newmarket, N.H., has established itself as a prime intimate venue to see live music from all over the map - jazz, blues, folk, jam, and indie rock artists from New England and elsewhere. Unfortunately, the hefty amount of cash spent to polish the venue before it re-opened four years ago is now coming back to haunt partners Chris Hislop, Paul Nessel and John Pasquale.

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Okay, for a lot of people, this might be old news, but for those of you not in the know, this could be a life-altering post…or at least a music-altering one. That may sound a bit extreme, but seriously – if you’re not careful, you will quickly become addicted to Pandora. It’s that simple.

Pandora is a music service. But don’t roll your eyes yet. This is a next generation Internet music service…one that knows what you want to hear, and plays it for you. It’s the PERFECT way to listen to new music you’ve never heard …continuously and without commercials. It’s almost like having your own custom-made radio station – wait, it IS having your own custom-made radio station.

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I came across this National Lampoon movie by accident on Netflix, and when I found out it was directed by Primus bassist extraordinaire Les Claypool, I had to give it a chance. A jam band mockumentary a la Spinal Tap, Electric Apricot traces the origins of the band in its title and their exciting invitation to play Festeroo, a fictional mecca of jamfests.

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Yesterday was a LaLa day. So was this past Saturday. And last Wednesday. As a matter of fact, I seem to be LaLa’ing about three times a week these days. The truth is, once you start, it’s hard to stop. They make it so easy.

See, I have this borderline-destructive music addiction. I have to have new music…constantly. I have new CD’s that I’ve never listened to. Not even once. And I have a LOT of those. But with LaLa, I don’t feel quite so guilty about this problem.

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Folks, the idea of the music video ain't dead yet. In fact, the uber-hip dudes over at Pitchfork are ready to rescue things with a web site that may change the way you think about Music Television. I've been a diehard fan of Pitchfork for almost ten years, and they've steadily grown in stature and quality over the years. But this site is something new entirely. It really shows what the web is capable of. With categories like "Shows," "Pitchfork Live," "One Week Only" (full-length film streams available for one week), and "Music Video," it covers the full gamut of educational and aesthetic eye candy.

Best of all, the player is crystal clear, the navigation is simple and user-friendly, and...at this point, at least...the amount of content is entirely manageable. If you still appreciate quality visuals with your indie rock, then you probably already know about this site. If not, get over there...like, now.

http://pitchfork.tv