Email Author Jef With One F

2011 Stories by Jef With One F

• UC Radio's Mike Yusi: How To Succeed In Podcasting

  published Jan 31, 2011

  "Traditional radio is as dead as Joey Ramone." Last year, Rocks Off's editor - who will be played by upcoming Celebrity Apprentice contestant Gary Busey for the duration of this article - hauled us ... More >>

• Free Radicals Blend Break-Dancing, Capoeira Into Fitz's Show

  published Jan 28, 2011

  The Free Radicals remain an institution of incredible sound here in H-town, having amassed 13 Houston Press Music Awards in the realms of jazz and funk since their inception in 1996, as well as making... More >>

• A Liberal Author's Defense of Sarah Palin's Book Sales

  published Jan 28, 2011

  Dropping the royal we for the moment. Hey everybody, it's Jef. A recurring theme on various left-wing websites and cable news shows is that Sarah Palin's second book, America by Heart, is bombing. Ap... More >>

• Arthur Rubinstein, Pimp Pianist, Sick-Burns Einstein

  published Jan 28, 2011

  Today is Arthur Rubinstein's birthday, and if he were still alive he would be a) 124 years old; and b) almost certainly banging ballerinas in their early twenties. Perhaps the most celebrated pianist ... More >>

• Megafauna, The Yeti Of Texas Prog-Rock Bands

  published Jan 27, 2011

  It's a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we're trying hard to unravel the meanings behind some of the odder monikers. Sooooooo... Megafauna is ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Gothic Beauty Pageant Contestants: Pre-Register This Weekend

  published Jan 26, 2011

  Houston's gothic social calendar revolves around the annual Gothic Beauty Pageant held at Numbers by DJ Mina's Underworld, in which a Mr. And Miss Spooky are crowned king and queen of all the black-ey... More >>

• 30 Seconds With Escape The Fate's Robert Ortiz

  published Jan 26, 2011

  Rocks Off sat down with Robert Ortiz of Escape the Fate, to find out what we could learn about the drummer for the ball-slappin'est hardcore band we know in 30 seconds. Rocks Off: What is the worst s... More >>

• Tubby Chubcakes' Lyrics Will Melt Your Brain

  published Jan 25, 2011

  Rocks Off was going to write a review of the new Tubby Chubcakes album, Tubby vs. The Musical Brain-Eating Disease, but honestly it's kind of like trying to explain Scientology to a blind water snake.... More >>

• Before "Free Bird," There Was Clementi Vs. Mozart

  published Jan 24, 2011

  It's hard to argue against the guitar solos that make up the second half of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" as being one of the most famous duels of musical virtuosity in audio history. It's Gary Rossing... More >>

• 2011 May Be The Year Of Twenty Eleven

  published Jan 21, 2011

  Rocks Off rarely handles the rap portion of Houston's musical wares. There's not a lot of eyeliner in it, and we prefer silver to gold jewelry. However, since Space City Records won Best Local Label ... More >>

• Top Five: Inanimate Objects That Deserve a Horror Movie

  published Jan 21, 2011

  If you see only one movie in 2011, see the final Harry Potter flick. However, if you see two movies, you gotta see Rubber. The film is the story of a tire with psychic, explodey-head powers that goes ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Black Queen Speaks: The Perfect Band Web Site

  published Jan 21, 2011

  Not too long ago, we did a name dissection of Black Queen Speaks. As we prepared for the article, we did something we rarely do anymore, and that's go to the band's actual Web site rather than just sa... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Seven Ages Of Goth

  published Jan 20, 2011

  This is not meant as a complete history of goth, as that would be a huge book. Instead, we're aiming to give a simple overview of the musicians, songs and albums that have most defined the genre. Man... More >>

• Christian Guitarist Fights Liver Disease With Faith, Metal

  published Jan 20, 2011

  It amuses the assistant editor of this blog to assign the stories about Christian musicians to the former Satanist. Still even our dark, bitter heart is moved by the words of Houston's own Billy Vaugh... More >>

• Edgar Allan Poe, Still Wicked After All These Years

  published Jan 19, 2011

  Today we celebrate the birthday of one Edgar Allan Poe, a man whose influence on music simply cannot be overstated. In fact, Rocks Off is going to go on record and say that Poe's writings have influen... More >>

• Gothic Council Debates Gothiness Of "Graveyard" Video

  published Jan 19, 2011

  Though Gothtopia doesn't get to do our daily music-video column anymore, they're still one of our favorite things to write about. So, while trolling through YouTube yesterday, we came across the music... More >>

• 30 Seconds With The Hates' Christian Arnheiter

  published Jan 18, 2011

  We sat down with legendary Hates front man Christian Arnheiter to find out what we could learn about Houston punk's elder statesman in 30 seconds. Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the worldr Chr... More >>

• Hecklers 2: Electric Booooooo-galoo

  published Jan 17, 2011

  Rocks Off got so many great stories from bands about hecklers that we are proud to present Hecklers 2: Electric Booooooo-galoo. Sorry, the editor has cut our pun budget in half and we have to import s... More >>

• Erasure's Andy Bell: "My Voice Is Stronger Than Ever"

  published Jan 14, 2011

  "I believe I would make a very convincing Russian gangster." Rocks Off went around asking every person in the entire world and found that there are in fact no people anywhere who do not like synth-po... More >>

• Black Queen Speaks Checkmates Other Funk-Rockers

  published Jan 14, 2011

  It's a well-known fact that most band names are essential gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we're working to find some meaning in the monikers. Black Queen Speaks' own description of itself is b... More >>

• Paris Falls Has A Winner With Reverse Mirror Image

  published Jan 13, 2011

  It's very, very hard to talk about Paris Falls' latest CD, Reverse Mirror Image, without using a plethora of adjectives that have already been painted in bright letters across reviews of their first t... More >>

• 30 Seconds With The 71s' Keeton Coffman

  published Jan 12, 2011

  Rocks Off sat down with Keeton Coffman, lead singer of The 71s, to see what we good learn about the man we once called "God's punk-ass kid" in 30 seconds. Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the wor... More >>

• Laurens Hammond, True Synth-Pop Sire, Would Be 115 Today

  published Jan 11, 2011

  Today we celebrate the birthday of one Laurens Hammond, who basically invented everything that Edison and Tesla didn't. For instance, he designed an automatic transmission at age 14 in 1909, but Frenc... More >>

• Tyagaraja, Elephant Aid Cancer Patient's "Obstacle" Removal

  published Jan 10, 2011

  Earlier this year, we covered a video by Deborah Thomas showing the music therapy program at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Thomas was kind enough to pass along her latest video; a simultaneously ins... More >>

• What To Do When The Crowd Yells "Free Bird!"

  published Jan 07, 2011

  Sooooooo.... Thursday, the U.S. Constitution was read aloud on the floor of the House of Representatives, an act that Rocks Off views as the government equivalent of doing your homework on the morning... More >>