Five members of the local gang “MMG” were indicted by a federal grand jury on Friday for selling crack and illegally possessing firearms, U.S. Attorney Dane Boente's office announced Tuesday. The men, who operated the drug ring out of the 7th Ward, were found to have used the guns and distributed the illicit substance, to “further drug trafficking” activity in that area, according to Boente's office.

After a brief hiatus, DJ Soul Sister's Musically Speaking film series is back on the calendar tonight, with a new place and time. In November, the moves will start rolling at 6 p.m. Sunday nights at Mimi's in the Marigny. Don't worry, they're still free. The action begins tonight with a look at James Brown's role in calming racial tensions in the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. Settle in, The Night James Brown Saved Boston runs for close to three hours.  Click through for the rest of this month's schedule.

Today, a lecture on James Brown at Octavia Books, Kermit holds it down at Bullet’s, the second season of the web documentary Black Folk Don’t screens at Ashe Cultural Arts Center, Van Halen ends their tour in New Orleans, and Rory Danger & the Danger Dangers do rockabilly at Allways Lounge. On this day in history, soul singer Brenton Wood was born in Shreveport, LA (1941), funk singer Eldridge Holmes was born in Violet, LA (1941), and fans began leaving the Celebration of Life Festival in Point Coupee Parish, LA, due to heat and a lack of facilities, food, water and music (1971).

Hola Nola- and hola storytelling, Chazfesting, Alex McMurray, king of the local music grind, and father of keeping his colleagues in (and around) the Jazz Fest scene. Whether going solo or jumping in with two, three, and four piece bands (hola the Valparaiso Men’s Chorus, hola the Tin Men), Alex has made a name for himself as a man of music and musings, generously sharing words through thought and song. 

Whenever I do a set, it's never planned out, always improvisational, always going from how I feel and what's going on with me that minute.  My sets are very artistic in that way, very different. That's why I'm blessed that the lovely people who come to my parties allow me to express myself in that way.  It's the kind of mode that you expect from a musician, and not so much from a DJ - but you should.