13th Floor Elevators

Seven Recent Albums By '60s Artists That Don't Suck

Age gets us all eventually. I'm only in my early twenties and already I'm having to do stupid things like eating healthier, quitting the smokes, and watching my blood pressure. So it really shouldn't come as any surprise that musicians start to slow down in their old age, especially if they've been ... More >>

Moving Sidewalks Dust Off Their '60s Brooms In NYC

This weekend the Moving Sidewalks, best known as the band Billy Gibbons was in before ZZ Top formed, were once again a living, breathing, kaleidoscoping musical being. Gibbons and the other Sidewalks - Tom Moore (organ), Dan Mitchell (drums) and Don Summers (bass), all of whom still live in Texas - ... More >>

The New Escatones 45 Is Indeed Out of Sight!

Yeah, I should probably be beaten badly and left in an alley to think about what I did for making that pun, but trust me; The Escatones' "Out of Sight/East Beach Stomp" is indeed worth the price of the 45 record. The Escatones are usually described in conjunction with their jangling surf guitars an ... More >>

20 Essential Texas Albums From 2012

One of the quiet pleasures of (finally) putting 2012 to bed is mop-up duty. All year, I tried to keep a running list of albums released by Texas-based or Texas-related performers that I enjoyed listening to. Sunday night, I tallied them up. For some reason, besides that we've already handled the ye ... More >>

Rolling Stones Let Psych Flag Fly On '67's Their Satanic Majesties Request

The Rolling Stones' 1967 album, Their Satanic Majesties Request, turns 45 today. The album's subject matter and oddity make it a strange holiday release, but hey it was the '60s. Best-known for the saccharine "She's a Rainbow" and oft-covered "2000 Man," the album gets lost in the Stones' greater l ... More >>

The 30 Best Texas Albums

Ranking the 30 best Texas albums of the past 30 years seemed like an impossible task. We did it anyway.

Behold the Texas 30, Plus Albums 40-31

At this point, hopefully you know what the Texas 30 is and why Rocks Off is counting down to the Top 30 Texas albums of the past 30 years, as determined by a statewide panel of professional music writers. The short answer is, of course, because we can, and because it was a great excuse to listen to ... More >>

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators & 10 Early Texas Psych Bands You Should Know

Forty-six years ago today, rock and roll got a hell of a lot weirder in the state of Texas. On Nov. 30, 1966, Austin garage band The 13th Floor Elevators released their The Psychedelic Sounds Of album on Houston's International Artists label. Powered by the raw, fluttering classic "You're Gonna Miss ... More >>

Last Night: Sir Paul McCartney at Minute Maid Park

Sir Paul McCartney Minute Maid Park November 14, 2012 Seeing Paul McCartney live is a lot of things. It's communing with a spirit that touched millions and will touch millions for as long as humanity lurches forward. It's hearing the old schmaltzy bedrock anthems and the proto-everything blasts tha ... More >>

Who Are the Greatest Metal Bands In Texas Music History?

When I asked our friends on the Rocks Off Facebook wall who they thought were the greatest heavy metal bands in Texas music history, the response was larger than I thought it would be. I assumed five of you would say Pantera, deadhorse and King's X and go back to sleep, but no. You stepped up and g ... More >>

Saturday Night: Roky Erickson at the Continental Club

Roky Erickson Continental Club July 14, 2012 With the arid summer of 2011 fresh in our memories, it's easy to forget that Houston's often a sweaty, swampy mess. Saturday night it was no different, having rained for a week straight. Though the rain was done by evening, the air was thick and balmy t ... More >>

Roky Erickson

Rest Of The Best: Houston's Top 8 Jukeboxes

Along with pickled pig's feet and a steady supply of Slim Jims, a good jukebox is a prime element for any great bar. But, like dinosaurs, jukeboxes are a vanishing breed. Unlike digital jukes, iPods or DJs, jukeboxes require love, care and maintenance, as well as -- among the truly great ones -- som ... More >>

The American Bandstand (Extended) Hot 100

Somehow it's hard to believe that Dick Clark was only 82 years old when he died after suffering a "massive heart attack" Wednesday morning in Santa Monica, Calif. (Since I managed to survive one myself, I've noticed that anytime someone dies of a heart attack, it's always "massive."). Despite his yo ... More >>

Dick Clark, Rock & Roll Benefactor, Dead At 82

Television producer, idol maker, and eternal teenager Dick Clark has died today at the age of 82 from a massive heart attack, TMZ is reporting. Clark's show American Bandstand helped foster rock and roll's development through its early years, and later he branched out into other television franchis ... More >>

Friday the 13th: 13 Ways to Say "Eff You" to The Phobia

It's Friday the 13th. What's good about it: There's not another Friday the 13th movie coming out. What's bad: Awful things may happen to you, according to tradition, lore and urban legend. If you're scared of today (and no, we're not going to attempt to look knowledgeable by cutting-and-pasting ... More >>

Chris Gray Day: A Few Auction Item Photos

On Saturday, there will be some amazing bands at Chris Gray Day, which is completely appropriate when you consider who this is for. There is also the whole "let's raise some money for Chris Gray" thing. Really, this should be enough for you to want to show up and spend some cash. But, yesterday whe ... More >>

5 Bands Your Musician Friends Love...But You Don't

austinpost.comYep. Robert Plant "copped everything" from this guy.​In a 2005 interview with Esquire, Johnny Depp discusses the unwavering authenticity of Hunter S. Thompson, and likens his late friend to another great, often-troubled mind, saying: "...like Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elev ... More >>

The 15 Best Bill Graham Presents Posters And Artwork

Photo By Tony MorelliBill Graham in 1974​Twenty years ago this week, legendary concert promoter Bill Graham went to the big backstage party in the sky after the helicopter he was riding in flew into a high-voltage tower in Vallejo, Calif. Also killed in the crash was Graham's girlfriend, Melis ... More >>

You In Color: The Black Angels' Christian Bland Talks Film Scores

Photo By Craig HlavatyThe Black Angels' Alex Maas at Free Press Summerfest in June​Tomorrow night the Black Angels hit Houston for the third time in about a year, with a gig over at Fitzgerald's with fellow retro-doomers Dead Meadow and Spindrift. The last time the Angels were in Houston it wa ... More >>

Saturday Night: Roky Erickson At The Continental Club

Photos by Jason Wolter​Roky Erickson Continental Club October 1, 2011 Roky Erickson, the godfather of Texas psychedelic music and one of the state's most beloved musical figures, has come far since his days of disabling schizophrenia and poor health. Saturday night he roared through an hour o ... More >>

Finding Austin

The neo city on the hills is a far cry from its cheap pot, cold beer and low-rent former ways.

Seeking Joy

Jill Scott returns to the studio after various screen projects and a son.

The Walking Dead

Texas City's Come See My Dead Person is very much alive.

Van Morrison

Chatter: Say Hey

Spearhead leader Michael Franti's Middle Eastern trip inspires an unlikely Top 40 hit.

Corky's Debt

The Red Krayola's Mayo Thompson isn't sentimental about much...except Houston.

Psychedelic Cheeseburger

For serious meat-on-a-bun surfers