Email Author Chris Gray

Awards

• 2012 - Best of the West/First Amendment Funding, Inc., published February 10, 2011

  "Getting Past the Bouncer"

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2009 Stories by Chris Gray

• 2009 Concert Rewind, September: Taylor Hicks, Chickenfoot, Abbey Road, Monotonix, Butthole Surfers, Happy Mondays... and Creed

  published Dec 31, 2009

  Collective Soul, House of Blues, September 1: "Collective Soul is no one's idea of a Southern Rock band, but the band did manage to prove a point or two. First, nostalgically speaking, the '80s are o... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  2009 Concert Rewind: Backtracking to Free Press Houston Summerfest

  published Dec 30, 2009

  Craig Hlavaty: "The two-day concert reminded us of a fun-size Austin City Limits Festival, with the best bits of Westheimer Block Parties of yore thrown in for good measure, with sprinkles of Ho... More >>

• Last Call for Texas High School Rock Off Entries

  published Dec 30, 2009

  The deadline is midnight tonight. See all the information you need here.... More >>

• Archie Bell, Roy Head Tapped for Free Mayoral Inaugural Concert at Discovery Green

  published Dec 29, 2009

  Houston mayor-elect Annise Parker's office announced Wednesday afternoon that '60s soul stars Archie "Tighten Up" Bell and Roy "Treat Her Right" Head will be part of a free evening concert at Discove... More >>

• Aftermath: Robert Earl Keen and His Touchy-Feely-Talky Fans at House of Blues

  published Dec 29, 2009

  Aftermath hasn't completely coughed up all his holiday goodwill yet, so we're going to try really hard to keep this review from turning into a rant against the audience that showed up to see Houston'... More >>

• 2009 Concert Rewind, August: Weezy, Blondie, Depeche Mode, JoBros, Katy Perry, Mos Def, De La Soul, Blue October, Green Day and an Audience With King George

  published Dec 28, 2009

  Asher Roth, Kid Cudi, House of Blues, August 1: "[Cudi has] tapped John Goldstein, Kanye's famed stage light guy, to help him create an actual feel to his show. Hipster rappers get derided a lot as n... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  2009 Concert Rewind: The 2009 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase and Ceremony

  published Dec 25, 2009

  Showcase Sunday, Part 1 r Dominique: "We guess critics would call her style 'neo-soul,' but it didn't seem very 'neo' to me, more like 'jazzy soul.' She fronted a piano-led trio with two backing vocal... More >>

• Inquiring Minds: Pocket Full of Soul Director and Harmonica Apologist Marc Lempert

  published Dec 25, 2009

  As you can also see in this week's print edition of the Press - yes, we still make those - Rocks Off recently had a chance to chat via email with Marc Lempert, director of the harmonica documentary P... More >>

• 2009 Concert Rewind, July: Beyonce, Coldplay, Aerosmith/ZZ Top, Judas Priest, Rod Stewart... and the Trae Day Gunplay

  published Dec 24, 2009

  Wooden Birds, Other Lives, Walter's on Washington, July 2: "This is Andrew Kenny's latest project away from American Analog Set. That band is currently on hold while Kenny and the rest of the group g... More >>

• 2009 Concert Rewind, June: Roky Erickson, David Byrne, Heartless Bastards, Santigold, Clapton & Winwood, the Jenny Lewis Shushing and '90s Alt-Rock Back from the Dead

  published Dec 23, 2009

  New York Dolls, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, House of Blues, June 4: "What we got last night at the House of Blues was an hour-long set of sporadic and confounding re-workings of their bedro... More >>

• 2009 Concert Rewind, May: No Doubt, Dave Matthews, Fleetwood Mac, Steve Earle, Fischerspooner, Bob Log and, Um, BuzzFest

  published Dec 22, 2009

  Dave Matthews Band, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, May 1: "It's hard to label what exactly they do, but it can't be called 'jam.' As limitless and expansive the bands who get stuck in that genre may... More >>

• Robert Earl Keen

  published December 24, 2009

  Previewing Robert Earl Keen's House of Blues date last December, we noted, "Since he hasn't released any new material since 2005's What I... More >>

• Hayes Carll

  published December 24, 2009

  Home for the holidays...Hayes Carll may not live here anymore, but The Woodlands native has become one of Southeast Texas's leading musical... More >>

• Somewhere Trouble Don't Go

  published December 24, 2009

  Remember how Noise was bitching and moaning last week about the lack of solid front-to-back albums released in 2009? Add the following 15... More >>

• Blow Out

  published December 24, 2009

  Believed to date back to an ancient Chinese wind instrument called the sheng, the harmonica as we know it today was developed in Europe in... More >>

• Texas High School Rock Off Deadline Extended to December 30

  published Dec 22, 2009

  ...at midnight. Everything else you need to know is here; you just have more time to practice now.... More >>

• 2009 Concert Rewind, April: Springsteen, Jandek, Morrissey, The Faint, iFest, Cake... and Nickelback

  published Dec 21, 2009

  Kevin and Dustin Welch, McGonigel's Mucky Duck, April 2: "Dustin (son of Kevin) Welch stunned the sparse crowd at the Duck last night from the first note of "One False Move," the brilliant opener to ... More >>

• 2009 Concert Rewind, March: Erykah Badu, Britney, Billy Joel & Elton John, A Baybrook Beatdown and A Whole Lotta Rodeo

  published Dec 18, 2009

  Rascal Flatts, Reliant Stadium, March 3: "It's almost devious how much these guys sweetened and tune their songs up, close to the point of an almost automaton-like perfection. Each song is custom-bui... More >>

• 2009 Concert Rewind: SXSW 09 Revisited, Broken Arm and Everything Else

  published Dec 17, 2009

  Balaclavas: "On the way to see Houston's own Balaclavas at the Independent to debut new stuff off the soon-to-be released Roman Holiday, I abruptly hit a curb with my bicycle. Luckily my elbow took o... More >>

• Someone Is Driving Around In a Cherry El Camino That Does Not Belong to Them

  published Dec 17, 2009

  From Hands Up Houston this morning: Someone stole Kirston Otis's sweet red-and-white vintage El Camino (license BB77SD) from in front of his house last night. You may remember this particular car fro... More >>

• News You Can Use From Ye Olde House of Blues

  published Dec 17, 2009

  Back around Labor Day, you may remember that the Tontons played a free show in House of Blues' Bronze Peacock Room that the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau filmed for a promotional v... More >>

• Some of Us at Rocks Off Research Handel's Messiah for Hours, While Others...

  published Dec 16, 2009

  This link should explain things well enough. We're too busy weeping.... More >>

• Aftermath: Catastrophic Theater's Life Is Happy and Sad at Diverseworks

  published Dec 16, 2009

  As well-conceived and executed as Catastrophic Theater's latest Daniel Johnston-inspired production is, it's also more than a little discomfiting. Based on an oral letter the famously troubled singer... More >>

• 2009 Concert Rewind, February: Killers Kill, Annuals Amuse, Hammered at Hank III, Spewing Slipknot and More

  published Dec 15, 2009

  The Killers, Verizon Wireless Theater, February 2: "The general knock on the Killers is that they've achieved their relatively lofty position by standing on the shoulders of giants, which may well be... More >>

• Art Rock: Neptunes In the Bayou Art Show/Food Drive at the Continental Club

  published Dec 15, 2009

  ... More >>