Abilene

The Rocks Off 100: Jack Saunders, Dealer of Grit & Jangle

Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community -- a lot more than just musicians, but of course they're in there too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Jack Saunders is one of Houston's most ... More >>

Westheimer Babylon

Seven popular myths and urban legends about Numbers.

Seven Popular Myths and Urban Legends About Numbers

Not long back I had the opportunity to explore the origin of the name of my favorite Houston club, Numbers. My source explained to me that the name originated from a late '70s slang term indicating a hot guy or girl during the club's original disco days. The upstairs area of the club also sported s ... More >>

Last Night: Ryan Bingham at House of Blues

Ryan Bingham House of Blues March 10, 2013 It's tempting to label Ryan Bingham a "throwback," because nothing he does is especially modern. The former rodeo cowboy's brand of classic rock, country-blues, and flatland boogie feels like it blew in from out of the past, like a dust storm from out beyo ... More >>

Texas Crimes of the Year, 2012

As it turns out, Texans indulged in all seven of the deadly sins.

Things Walmart Frowns On: Trying to Pay $2 for a $228 TV

Fans of the old BBC comedy Blackadder will remember Blackadder's humorously idiotic servant Baldrick and his evermore ridiculous "cunning plans." Baldrick's spirit lives on in an Abilene Walmart, where on Friday 52-year-old William Keltner had a "cunning plan" of his own. According to KTXS, Keltne ... More >>

The First Alt-Country Record? Flatlanders Rediscover The Odessa Tapes

A lot of stellar music came out of that flat land known as West Texas. Bob Wills, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, Terry Allen, Guy Clark, and the Sparkles are just a few artists who found something in the wind, the dust, the heat, the cactus, the mesquite, the sandstorms, the blizzards, t ... More >>

Elizabeth Proctor: Civil Suit Connected to Teacher Sex Case Dropped, for Now

A civil lawsuit filed in connection to a case of teacher-student sex has been dropped, the Abilene Reporter-News has reported. Both the teacher in question and the Abilene Independent School District were named in the suit, which alleged that some teachers and AISD employees were negligent in not re ... More >>

Cover Story: How Black Riders Made Their Way to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Jamie Francies, Jr. grew up in West Houston, for the most part flying under the radar of the local Ku Klux Klan operating in the middle of the 20th century. As a kid, he did see the victim of a lynching where Post Oak crosses Buffalo Bayou and he had to go to colored school in the segregated times. ... More >>

Bryan Ray Roe: Repeat Sex Offender Allegedly Assaults Autistic Boy, 9

Talk about every parent's nightmare...Police in Coryell County say that a nine-year-old autistic Abilene boy was molested at a rural Central Texas bluegrass festival. Charged with the crime is registered sex offender Bryan Ray Roe, a parolee from an earlier sex offense. Roe, 33, allegedly lured the ... More >>

Broken System: Levels of Care

An Arlington-based company called Youth For Tomorrow labels kids but rarely comes into contact with them.

Top Five Clint Eastwood Soundtracks

pasoroblesfilmfestival.comDr. John, Clint Eastwood and producer/director Bruce Ricker in a publicity photo for "Piano Blues," Eastwood's installment of PBS' 2003 series The Blues.​Today the one and only Clint Eastwood turns 81 years old, and he can still kick your ass. According to the Interne ... More >>

The Final Play

After traumatic knee injury, Case Keenum has one more season to prove his talents.

TCEQ Gets An Earful At Town Hall Meeting, Provides The Best In Lip Service

TCEQ listens and promises​It was nearly standing-room-only at Wednesday evening's environmental town hall meeting when Deborah Wilkerson stood at the mic and addressed the panel of legislators, state regulators and experts.A resident of Acres Homes in northwest Houston, she told the story of how a ... More >>

The Rolling Stones At Hofheinz Pavilion In 1972, Firsthand

Ed. Note: Rocks Off's own Lonesome Onry and Mean himself, William Michael Smith, attended the Rolling Stones concert at Hofheinz Pavilion in June 1972 that was filmed for the movie Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones. Since the movie screens at 7:30 p.m. tonight at several Houston-area theaters ... More >>

Guess Who's Skipping Houston This Time?

Attention local musicians, music bloggers and music organizations: have something that should be included in Magnolia City Mixtape? Leave a comment below or email brittanie.shey (at) houstonpress (dot) com. • The Caprolites soothe our summer boredom with their new video for "I Need A lot," abov ... More >>

I Wanna Be Your Dog (Or Cat): Oh, For A Muse Of Fire (Hydrants)

Animals wind up at the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care for all sorts of reasons. Regular readers know all too well of the existence of douchey owners who surrender cats and dogs for idiotic reasons. But today's dirty half-dozen are all stray. They've been out there in that cruel world all ... More >>

Man Food for Your Man Cave

Eating Our Words headed over to The Guy Expo at the George R. Brown Convention Center this past weekend, where we found -- as expected -- a plethora of manly products for sale, manly sports to play, manly women to ogle (wait, that came out wrong...) and manly foods to sample. Check out our favorite ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Waterin' Holes

Photo by David A G WilsonHamilton Pool, Austin​School starts soon and Labor Day will eventually herald the unofficial end of summer. But as Houstonians know, the sweaty season lasts well into fall around here. There's still time to dip your toe in a stream or two, so Texas Traveler presents to ... More >>

A Musical Guide to Post-Secession Texas: "Palo Duro"

View Five States of Texas in a larger map As any proud Texan can tell you, the Lone Star State is entitled constitutionally to split into five states if it so wishes. The scenario has rarely been more in the news than it has relatively recently, when Gov. Rick Perry played to the wingnut gallery in ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Buffalo Gap

Photo by Robb WalshBuffalo Gap is a hamlet outside of Abilene whose main claim to fame is the Perini Ranch Steakhouse. The current issue of Food Network Magazine claims that the Perini Ranch Steakhouse makes the best burger in Texas. I love the Perini Ranch and count Tom Perini among my friends. But ... More >>

One-Woman Wrecking Crew

Readers weigh in on the principal at T.H. Rogers

HOUSTON PRESS NEW YEAR'S EVE GUIDE

Kiss 2008 goodbye in style

Know Your Texas Cults

God, Texas and Tom Waits

Tom Waits may not come from around here, but a good chunk of his favorite music does

Bartender, Pour the Wine: Ten Great Country Breakup Songs

We Heart CFS

We Heart CFS

I Love CFS

Thank goodness it's still popular in the small towns of the Chicken-Fried Steak Belt.

Wednesday is CFS Night in Stamford

Wednesday is CFS Night in Stamford

Lights On or Off?

The fight for a TV show about truth, justice and high school football

Freedom, Now!

Get banged this Fourth

Landmark Fajitas

What you order at Herrera's Mexicatessen depends on how you feel about bacon

Micro Management

Van Weldon ekes out a living by farming tiny plants

Grumpy Old Men

Lions tames Duvall and Caine with feel-good cornpone

Soldiers of Misfortune

Ranch Rescue finds its welcome mat withdrawn

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

Coming close wasn't good enough for Brother Luck

Mystery Meat

Maverick's motto may be "Supper + Whiskey," but the restaurant doesn't always deliver on both counts

World Class?

Houston can't join the ranks of other cities until it has an anthem of its own

Texas Thunder

Stay true to Pantera. They're true to you.

The Ballad of the Singing Shuttle Bus Driver

Ellen Trevathan finds her own brand of salvation driving people to and from the city economy lot at the airport

Letters

Brutality Behind Bars, Tall Tales, Dirty Airy

Rotation

What Really Happened To Rodeny Hulin?

Since his death, teenage inmate Rodney Hulin has become a national symbol of why it's wrong to send juveniles to adult prisons. His true story, though, paints a different kind of troubling picture.

Grade A

At the University of Houston, Barron's makes college food like you've never seen

The Insider

You Gotta Have Hope

Why? Because without it, the stadium promises fall apart.

Escargot A Go-Go

Gene Weaver always had a big idea. Selling snail dreams was to have been his last hurrah.

Pop Moment