Email Author Bob Ruggiero

2003 Stories by Bob Ruggiero

• Blue Christmas

  published December 18, 2003

  Here we are at the end of the U.S. Congress-declared "Year of the Blues" (insert your own Executive Branch joke here), and it's actually been a... More >>

• Shawn Pander Homecoming Show

  published December 18, 2003

  If you're like me, you've often found yourself waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat thinking, "My God! I wonder what Shawn... More >>

• Neil Young & Crazy Horse

  published November 20, 2003

  Just hearing the words "concept record" sometimes sends music critics and fans running. From the Who, Pink Floyd and the Kinks to the Drive-By... More >>

• They Want You to Want Them

  published November 13, 2003

  Cheap Trick appears Friday, November 14, at the Verizon Wireless Theater, 520 Texas Avenue. Wayne Kramer (former guitarist for the MC5) opens.... More >>

• Tennessee Tornadoes

  published November 6, 2003

  It is the inevitable outcome of the fact that rock and roll now has a well-established history: Whenever a hot new band comes out, the first thing... More >>

• The Kids in America

  published October 30, 2003

  It's a Friday night at the Continental Club, and an elbow-to-elbow crowd is partying like Nirvana and Bill Clinton never happened. The band on... More >>

• The New Constitution/Stroller

  published October 23, 2003

  Though neither band hails from anywhere near Houston, the labels on which they've released their debuts do. They also have another thing in... More >>

• Triggerfish

  published October 16, 2003

  This Austin-based quintet formed in early 2001, its members coming from a far-flung variety of backgrounds and their ex-bands more numerous than... More >>

• Holly Golightly

  published October 9, 2003

  Her highest-profile gig in this country has been the recent sonic three-way with Jack and Meg on "It's True That We Love One Another," which... More >>

• Puffy Shirts, Turkey Legs and Thee

  published October 2, 2003

  Calling all lords, ladies, dragons, trolls, wenches and harlots. The time has come to descend upon the fantasy village between Magnolia and... More >>

• Woodlands Wonders

  published September 25, 2003

  They say that the road to fame is a bumpy one. Well, so is the road to the rehearsal space of Woodlands-based rockers Paris Green. Actually, to... More >>

• Super Furry Animals

  published September 18, 2003

  Though the Wales-based Super Furry Animals are sometimes known for their off-kilter sense of humor (driving around England in a purple tank,... More >>

• Drive-By Truckers

  published September 18, 2003

  On their last effort, the double-disc Southern Rock Opera, the DBTs dropped an expansive magnum opus that addressed Big Themes like... More >>

• Smokin' Joe's Roadhouse Live Broadcast Anniversary Show

  published September 11, 2003

  KPFT/90.1 FM has long been admired by local blues fans for its eclectic and numerous weekend blues programs, including Joe's Roadhouse... More >>

• Angry Young Men

  published September 11, 2003

  Robert Turner is apologizing profusely. The soft-spoken singer-bassist for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is admittedly "scatterbrained" at the... More >>

• Toni Sicola

  published September 4, 2003

  In the Sun White Cat Productions More >>

• Sky Pilots

  published September 4, 2003

  I feel like someone is stepping on my neck, and it's time to let off," says Nick Midulla, the guitarist/songwriter/leader for Houston's modern... More >>

• Legends of the Oldies Dance Party with Roy Head and Archie Bell

  published August 28, 2003

  This interesting bill brings two Houston-bred artists, each with a massive national hit, out of semiretirement. Soul man Archie Bell is best known... More >>

• Rodney Crowell

  published August 21, 2003

  Of all the Houston-bred musicians who left for greener pastures, none draw more inspiration from the Bayou City than Rodney Crowell. Talk about... More >>

• Drop Trio

  published August 21, 2003

  There's something eternally cool and otherworldly about the sound of a Hammond B-3 organ. Instantly identifiable and soaked with a distinct... More >>

• Serious Cinema

  published August 21, 2003

  Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai is arguably the best-known Israeli filmmaker, but his work isn't what you'd call pure entertainment. Serious and... More >>

• Rage Against Shawn Pander

  published August 14, 2003

  They are Houston's own spin on the Rage/Soundgarden/ Audioslave story. Lead singer from a popular band splits off to pursue a solo career,... More >>

• Soaring on the Wings of a Demon

  published August 14, 2003

  It's a ubiquitous sign for the ages. Whether thrown in rapture or irony, the pinky-and-index-finger extended "devil horns" might mean something... More >>

• The Black Keys

  published August 7, 2003

  Though guitar 'n' drums blues/punk duos are proliferating faster than the offspring of Screamin' Jay Hawkins, none of them plays more down and... More >>

• Alphabet Soup

  published August 7, 2003

  Confidence is a big part of the rock and roll game. If you're a young band and you don't have it, don't present it and don't believe in it, then... More >>