Cheaps: Earth Day, Mystery Roar & more

Hidey-ho Cheap Thrill seekers. Today's fantabulous column includes this afternoon's free Earth Day show with They Might Be Giants, Mystery Roar's record release party, the French Kiss-a-Thon do-over and some inexpensive sciences. There's also a Belle & Sebastian reference. Good times.

GLOBAL SWARMING
The River 92.5’s Earth Day concert with They Might Be Giants and Citizen Cope. Today from noon to 3 p.m. on the Rose Kennedy Greenway between the Aquarium and Rowes Wharf; all-ages, FREE
In Belle & Sebastian’s song “Legal Man,” the Scottish indie-pop band tells us all to “Get out of the office, and into the springtime.” Never has that advice been more important than today, when the WXRV-FM (92.5, the River) celebrates 40 years of Earth Day with a free concert featuring They Might Be Giants and Citizen Cope on the lush open-air strip of the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Wrap lunch in biodegradable material and hit the greenway, which promises free music, a kids zone and other activities. While alt-rock veteran duo They Might Be Giants began their sturdy career of all-ages radio pop in Brooklyn, N.Y., the Hub can claim them as our own: John Linnell and John Flansburgh first met as teens in Lincoln and attended Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. No surprise then that their 1988 album featuring the town’s namesake remains their best work. Extended lunch breaks are the order of the day.
Info: theriverboston.com, 978-374-4733.

HEAR THEM ROAR
Mystery Roar record-release party with Big Digits and DJs Die Young, Volvox, Baltimoroder and the Foxy Action Group. Saturday from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Great Scott, 1222 Commonwealth Ave., Allston; 21-plus, $10
With the highly anticipated - and sold out - Bacon & Beer Festival hitting the South End Saturday afternoon, legions of full-bellied Bostonians will need to work off a few extra pounds after sunset. So Mystery Roar’s official Dopamine Records release party in Allston not only serves as the rising local electro-funk-disco sextet’s coming-out party, it’s also a public service. Named the No. 1 new Boston band to watch in 2010 by this newspaper’s Hotline column in January, Mystery Roar’s sultry space-disco purr has enough synth-juice on its own to get any dance party moving. But this party will get downright sweaty. Hip-hop hipster duo Big Digits brings rapid-rap stage fury, and DJs from Cambridge’s best dance nights - including Hearthrob, Make It New and Foxy - cross the river to party Allston Rock City-style.
Info: myspace.com/mysteryroar, greatscottboston.com, 617-566-9014

KISS & MAKE-UP DATE
Boston Babydolls’ French Kiss-a-thon. Saturday at 5 p.m., Winthrop Park, in front of UpStairs on the Square, 91 Winthrop St. (Harvard Square), Cambridge; 5 p.m., 18-plus, FREE
Forget what we thought we learned from films like “The Notebook,” “Step Up 2” and “Spider-Man” - it turns out you can’t kiss passionately in the rain. Last weekend’s Boston Babydolls’ French Kiss-a-Thon was postponed to this Saturday after inclement weather clouded up the snoggery. Same deal as before: the open-mouth marathon is free and open to all couples ages 18 and up. Prizes include Oberon tickets and gifts from Peet’s Coffee, Lush Cosmetics and Eastern Standard, and it’s all to promote the Babydolls’ “French Kiss” show Sunday and Monday at the nearby Oberon (2 Arrow St., $15-$40, cluboberon.com). All participants in the Kiss-a-Thon will get a thank-you gift.
Info: bostonbabydolls.net, 617-869-2000

CHEAP SCIENCE
Cambridge Science Festival kick-off day at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Museum. Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 265 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge; all ages, FREE
The nine-day Cambridge Science Festival kicks off with a day of free activities at the MIT Museum. On the agenda is a science carnival, deep-sea robotics demonstrations and quirky science workshops. Running through May 2, there’s enough science for everyone.
Info: cambridgesciencefestival.org, mit.edu.