Email Author William Michael Smith

2011 Stories by William Michael Smith

• Street Soul

  published May 12, 2011

  Rolling Stone's David Fricke once described Alejandro Escovedo as being "in a genre of his own." Since jumping feet-first into the first... More >>

• Leslie Newman, Last Concert Cafe Fixture, Passes Away

  published May 09, 2011

  Word has reached Rocks Off that veteran Houston singer-songwriter Leslie Newman has succumbed to leukemia. According to sources at Last Concert Cafe, Newman died around 8 a.m. Monday morning. Apparen... More >>

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  Bobby Keys: iFest Nabs Rolling Stones Sax Maniac

  published May 06, 2011

  Born in Lubbock and raised just east in Slaton, Joe Ely's home town, saxophonist Bobby Keys left Lubbock in 1960 looking for kicks. At 14, he was playing with Bob Dylan influence, Bobby Vee, before mo... More >>

• Dengue Fever: Nothing Lost In Translation

  published May 05, 2011

  Cambodian pop-rock seems like an odd choice musical genre to try to earn a living, but Los Angeles-area sextet Dengue Fever is closing in on ten years. All signs are that the band is set for a much l... More >>

• Last Night: Pete Anderson At Dan Electro's Guitar Bar

  published May 03, 2011

  Pete Anderson Dan Electro's Guitar Bar May 2, 2011 Pete Anderson showed up a few minutes late Monday night. He'd gone to the address where he sent the posters for his show and discovered that was Dan... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Friday Night: George Jones At Arena Theatre

  published May 02, 2011

  George Jones Arena Theatre April 29, 2011 For Rocks Off, going to see George Jones radiated much the same feeling of apprehension we had about the Pogues show at House of Blues in October 2009. On on... More >>

• Pete Anderson: Ex-Yoakam Guitarist Evens Things Up

  published Apr 29, 2011

  Pete Anderson hasn't worked with Dwight Yoakam since 2002, but his association with Yoakam was so successful and visible he may never shake free of that shadow. "We had such a great run," says Anders... More >>

• Johnny Dowd Joins Ranks Of Oklahoma Music Greats

  published Apr 29, 2011

  Poet, musician, avant-garde musical thinker and doer, Johnny Dowd may live in upstate New York these days, but that fellow is 100 percent died-in-the-wool Okie through and through. When Dowd opens his... More >>

• Friday The 13th Escovedo, Skarnales Fans' Lucky Day

  published Apr 27, 2011

  While Friday the 13th is universally considered a day of bad luck, in fact it just turned out to be Houston's lucky day. This afternoon Miller Outdoor Theatre announced a free show for that date starr... More >>

• Dangerous Men

  published April 28, 2011

  "I've got that sinking feeling / This town's got a ceiling" — Pale, "That Sinking Feeling" Nothing stirs our self-righteous... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Huey Meaux Not Forgiven Or Forgotten, Says Associate

  published Apr 26, 2011

  The death of legendary - and genuinely kinked-up - record producer Huey P. Meaux is a time of mixed emotions for SugarHill Studios co-owner and chief engineer Andy Bradley. Bradley began working with ... More >>

• Andrew Karnavas' Andyroo To Tour Libraries, Kids' Museums

  published Apr 21, 2011

  Andrew Karnavas is a busy man. But unlike the bands recently signed to outfits like New West and ZenHill, Karnavas is pushing ahead in DIY mode. "Yeah, I'm still just doing everything myself, it's ju... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Tracy Nelson, Victim Of The Blues, Embraces Muddy & Lightnin'

  published Apr 19, 2011

  Long acclaimed as one of the truly great singers of the modern era, at 66 Tracy Nelson still has the fire for performing great songs. Her latest project, Victim of the Blues, is a loving caress to her... More >>

• Punching a Wall

  published April 21, 2011

  From Jessica Lea Mayfield's first utterance, it feels like talking to a fairy. Impish is the word that immediately leaps to mind. Or maybe that... More >>

• Friday Night: The Wagoneers At The Continental Club

  published Apr 18, 2011

  The Wagoneers Continental Club April 15, 2011 Alt-country pioneers the Wagoneers laid down a crisp, essentially flawless 90-minute set Friday night at the Continental Club. They must've used cases of... More >>

• Clint Broussard Has Blues In Hi-Fi After Car Wreck

  published Apr 13, 2011

  Longtime KTRU disc jockey Clint Broussard, whose popular show Blues in Hi-Fi has been a Wednesday-night staple for more than 12 years, is recuperating at home after two surgeries on his leg. Broussard... More >>

• Gourds Drummer Lives The Dream At Levon Helm's Studio

  published Apr 12, 2011

  Hanging out with the Band's legendary drummer Levon Helm would be a dream for almost any other timekeeper. The Gourds have just returned to Austin from two weeks of recording at Helm's studio in Woods... More >>

• Stout and High

  published April 14, 2011

  No one knew it when the Wagoneers burst onto the Texas music scene in 1987, but the band, which lasted only two albums and four years, is now... More >>

• Lonesome Onry and Mean: Colorado Kool-Aid

  published Apr 07, 2011

  Lonesome, Onry and Mean had just begun our phone interview with Monte Warden of the Wagoneers when we heard someone talking to Warden in the background. Warden then asked, "Are you that guy who wrot... More >>

• Lonesome Onry and Mean: Brian Wright's House on Fire

  published Apr 06, 2011

  After a slow start for 2011 compared to the deluge of excellent records that fell upon Lonesome, Onry and Mean at the beginning of 2010, we've received some fine albums in March. Lucinda Williams, Sha... More >>

• Son of a Preacher Man

  published April 7, 2011

  That Mississippi roots-rocker Paul Thorn is a painter comes as no surprise. His music, and certainly his latest album, Pimps and Preachers,... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Hickoids Indulge Deviant UK Fetish On Twits

  published Apr 01, 2011

  hickoids.comAt least for Lonesome, Onry and Mean, a good cover is one that takes an old chestnut in a new direction. And if about halfway through the chorus a light bulb flashes on in the brain: "Eure... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Becoming Kinky: Some Things Beat Being Governor

  published Mar 29, 2011

  Check out our a slideshow from the play's opening night. What a smooth, hilarious thing the opening and world premiere of Becoming Kinky: The World According To Kinky Friedman was Monday night at the... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Last Night: Becoming Kinky At The Mucky Duck

  published Mar 29, 2011

  Becoming Kinky: The World According To Kinky Friedman McGonigel's Mucky Duck March 28, 2011 Check out our a slideshow from the play's opening night. What a smooth, hilarious thing the opening and wo... More >>

• Tony Arata: The Dirt On "The Dance" And Four Other Hits

  published Mar 24, 2011

  This weekend, Conroe's Crighton Theater hosts another big-time writers in the round song-swap with Lee Roy Parnell, Tony Arata and J.D. Souther. Looking at their songwriting credits, which include "Lo... More >>