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

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  FEATURED STORY

  Aftermath: Maxwell Loves All the Single Ladies, Who Definitely Love Him Back, at Toyota Center

  published Oct 14, 2009

  Maxwell sure knows his audience. And not just all the single ladies - many of whom were up and dancing to Beyonce's ubiquitous hit the prince of neo-soul used as his intro music Tuesday at Toyota Cen... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Five Great U2 Songs Even the Band Has Probably Forgotten About

  published Oct 13, 2009

  Well, now you've seen the set list from Monday's U2 Dallas show, and it's pretty short on both pre-Joshua Tree songs and surprises in general. This will be Rocks Off's eighth U2 show since 1992, and ... More >>

• U2 and Muse Set Lists from Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Monday

  published Oct 13, 2009

  It's a little less than 36 hours and counting until U2's 360 Tour stops at Reliant Stadium, and Rocks Off is starting to get excited. Really excited. Bono and the boys were in Arlington at Cowboys St... More >>

• Twice-Told Tales

  published October 15, 2009

  Break out the black fingernail polish. Just in time for Halloween, Noise has been curling up with New Tales to Tell, a tribute album to... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Free Press Houston Announces Westheimer Block Party Lineup

  published Oct 12, 2009

  Our friends and neighbors at Free Press Houston just posted the lineup for the next Westheimer Block Party, November 14 and 15 on lower Westheimer. Rumors it's soon to become the Washington Avenue Blo... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Aftermath: Alice Cooper's "Theatre of Death" at Verizon Wireless Theater

  published Oct 12, 2009

  Who needs to go to an Alice Cooper show more: the 34-year-old satisfying his curiosity or the 61-year-old onstage for whom the gate receipts will buy many, many rounds at Pebble Beachr The 44-year-ol... More >>

• Art Rock: Adios, Danseparc...

  published Oct 10, 2009

  9 p.m. at Numbers, 300 Westheimer, 713-526-6551 or www.numbersnightclub.com.... More >>

• Lone Star Scorecard: Puzzling Over Jimmie Rodgers' "T for Texas" and Those Poor Aggies

  published Oct 09, 2009

  It's time for another edition of Lone Star Scorecard, where we perform the valuable service of shining the harsh spotlight of anal retention on classic (and less so) songs about our beloved state. Yo... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Listology: Runaway Sun Choose Their Favorite Album Covers

  published Oct 09, 2009

  On today's Listology hot seat are up-and-coming local blues-rockers Runaway Sun, whose CD release party for debut full-length The Bridge is Saturday night at the Continental Club with Clory Martin. P... More >>

• Slim Thug Laments the Recession's Impact on His Entourage, Video Hos on The Daily Show

  published Oct 08, 2009

  The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cSlim Thug Feels the Recessionwww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorRon Paul Interview Houston's own Boss of All Bosses, Slim Th... More >>

• Have You Seen Craig Hlavatyr

  published Oct 08, 2009

  Our faithful Rocks Off lieutenant was last seen in the company of these people (and many, many more like them) at Wednesday's Insane Clown Posse show at Warehouse Live. We haven't heard from him sinc... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Bayou Beat: Half Price Live Nation Tickets, Last Call for Photo Contest, First Call for Poster Exhibit, Final "They, Who Sound" (For Now) This Sunday

  published Oct 07, 2009

  Live Nation's weekly Wednesday "No Service Fee" ticket offer is pretty stiff this week: Buy one ticket for dozens of shows at House of Blues or Verizon Wireless Theater - such as Alice Cooper, O.A.R.... More >>

• Kings of Leon Update: OK, Maybe Only By the Night Is a Pretty Decent Record

  published Oct 06, 2009

  Rocks Off is back with one final update on our continuing quest to understand/appreciate/give a damn about Kings of Leon before the Tennessee family quartet - sort of like the Statler Brothers with mo... More >>

• Rocks Off Is Going to Become a Kings of Leon Fan Today If It Kills Us

  published Oct 06, 2009

  Rocks Off has always been a little puzzled we're not more of a Kings of Leon fan. It definitely puts us in the minority when it comes to our social circle, because everyone from cranky music critics a... More >>

• Million-Dollar Mud

  published October 8, 2009

  Night fell on the Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park this past Sunday under a full moon and over a sea of mud. (It wasn't strictly... More >>

• The Quotable Bono

  published October 8, 2009

  Singer, songwriter, lyricist, poet, painter, statesman, activist, icon, card — no matter which pair of sunglasses he happens to be wearing,... More >>

• ACL Aftermath, Part 2: Now That That "Dillo Dirt" Unpleasantness Is Out of the Way, How About Some Musicr

  published Oct 05, 2009

  More and more, Aftermath uses ACL more than SXSW to see which recent buzz bands are worth their salt, and of course to check on how some old favorites are doing. This year, tops on our new-to-us list... More >>

• ACL Aftermath, Part 1: Spearhead's "Electric Mudslide" and the Whole "Dillo Dirt" Situation

  published Oct 05, 2009

  Night fell on the Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park this past Sunday under a full moon and over a sea of mud. (It wasn't strictly mud, but more on that in a bit.) Many in the crowd, es... More >>

• ACL 2009 Day Three: Everybody Knows What Black Joe Lewis' Name Is Now

  published Oct 04, 2009

  It was almost like being back in Houston: Sunday was sticky and steamy as Rocks Off arrived at Zilker Park around noon, and the only way we knew we could make it through was with a stiff straight shot... More >>

• ACL 2009 Day Two: The Decemberists, Dapper and a Little Dangerous

  published Oct 04, 2009

  If there's one band Rocks Off didn't envy during Saturday's ACL downpour - seriously, Zilker Park smells like a stable today, moreso because the staff just finished seeding the mud-splattered grounds ... More >>

• ACL 2009 Day Two: Levon Helm, Muted but Masterful

  published Oct 04, 2009

  Levon Helm's doctor must have the patience of a saint. The former Band drummer underwent surgery to remove polyps in his throat barely a week ago, but instead of canceling Saturday's ACL appearance, h... More >>

• ACL 2009 Snapshot: Better Than Nothing, We Suppose...

  published Oct 04, 2009

  This is all the female companionship some people at ACL are going to get, but at least this guy's friends won't have any trouble finding him. If he has any, that is.... More >>

• ACL 2009 Snapshot: Best. T-Shirt. Ever.

  published Oct 03, 2009

  We could not agree more.... More >>

• Live From ACL: Buckets of Rain, and a Bright Spot or Two

  published Oct 03, 2009

  The streak is over. In eight years, Austin City Limits has seen plenty of days of unbearable heat, but hardly any rain. The most significant time was during Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' headlin... More >>

• Live from ACL: Blitzen Trapper, Hopelessly (and Happily) Stuck In the '70s

  published Oct 02, 2009

  ACL was barely three hours old, and we already have a winner in the "New(ish) Band That Totally Sounds Like 1972" contest. It's our new Portland friends Blitzen Trapper, whose heavy folk-rock harmonie... More >>