Al Green

Har Mar Superstar Brings Bye Bye 17 to Mango's Tonight

Har Mar Superstar hits Mango's on Wednesday night a week before his newest album, Bye Bye 17, hits physical and digital shelves. The collection of songs are heavily-influence by vintage soul and R&B, but still have his cheeky, lovelorn swagger going for them. He recorded the album in Austin at Pub ... More >>

It's 1:30 And Sheila Jackson Lee & Al Green Are Already Sitting In Their Seats For The State Of The Union, And You Can't Budge Them

It's become a tradition for camera-hungry congresspeople to park their butts in aisle seats hours before the State of the Union speech to ensure they get a moment with the President as he leaves the chamber after the speech. It's about 2:30 Eastern time as we write this, and Houston congressmembers ... More >>

Essential Rock and Roll Literature For Budding Music Writers

Right about now young, budding rock writers and nerds are sitting on gift cards and credit from the holidays, and may need to know what books to pick up at the local bookstore or Amazon to further their education. It's not enough to just read every new music blog or (gasp!) pick up a few music mag ... More >>

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 >>

Friday Night: Rev. Al Green At Arena Theatre

Rev. Al Green Arena Theatre April 27th, 2012 Mark my words. If you check the local hospitals exactly nine months from now, you will surely see a spike in activity in the maternity wards. Al Green gets everyone and anyone into the baby-making mood. Even the comedian who opened the show alluded to th ... More >>

Friday Night: Lee Fields & The Expressions At The Continental Club

Lee Fields & the Expressions Continental Club April 27, 2010 A very few singers who missed out on being Al Green and Otis Redding when soul music first got big in the '60s and early '70s, people like Charles Bradley and Bettye LaVette, have been lucky enough to enjoy good second-act careers later i ... More >>

Dear Obama: You'd Make A Great Goth Musician

Dear President Barack H. Obama, I want you to know that I am very impressed by your recent musical endeavors. While it's clear that you could use some practice and professional vocal coaching, it's equally clear that you possess more than enough raw talent to excel as a musician. I know right now, ... More >>

Obama's Best Campaign Strategy: Keep Singing The Blues

After President Obama crooning Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" at a Harlem fundraiser became an unlikely iTunes sensation, even topping the ringtone chart, history is now repeating itself with his version of "Sweet Home Chicago" caught on an episode of PBS' In Performance at the White House Tuesd ... More >>

Houston's Nine Members of Congress: Net Worth of Almost $400 Million

​Welcome to Congress!​The Center for Responsive Politics has put out its list of the net worth of every member of Congress, and the Houston delegation are no slackers. The nine representatives have a net worth estimated to be $392.4 million, which is a pretty impressive figure. Actually, m ... More >>

Rel The Chosen Creates More Beautiful Music

​Back in late January, Rocks Off introduced you to Houston underground MC Rel The Chosen, a highly lyrical individual who favors soulful beats. Here's the Reader's Digest version of what we wrote about his debut project, Beautiful Music, nearly seven months ago: "Calling it Beautiful Music ... More >>

Rel The Chosen Flows With Soul On Beautiful Music

​If Houston's Rel The Chosen was trying to make an impression, the single CD he handed us in a plain white cover at DJ Premier's show a few months ago at Numbers wasn't doing the job. The music on the CD, however, made a spectacular impression and certainly made up for any lack of marketing ... More >>

The Top Five Bank-Robbery Scene Soundtracks

​It's been quite a summer for bank robberies in the Bayou City. It seems like more banks are being plundered than ever before by a rogue's gallery that includes the XXXL Bandit, the "Master of Disguise" and the Bicycle Brigands. Whether coincidence or felonious response to a dismal economy, th ... More >>

Ted Poe, Obsessed With Vagina

When you're named Al Green, of course you're going to talk about the ladies​For hardcore political junkies -- and we do mean hardcore -- capitolwords.org can be downright addicting. Although the actual meaningfulness of the site might be up for debate, its wonkish fun factor is not: the site track ... More >>

Al Green Sanctifies, Electrifies The Arena Theatre

Photos by Marco Torres​ For more pictures from Sunday's show, see our slideshow here. In the middle of "Tired of Being Alone," one feverish mini-symphony of soul and salvation out of an even dozen Sunday night (counting an extended '60s medley), the Rev. Al Green asked out loud what his triumphant ... More >>

Solange Knowles Admits She's A "Blipster"

​ As a white thirtysomething male who digs Merle Haggard, Al Green and Skynyrd, Rocks Off is well aware our hipster cred is pretty much in the toilet. Even the bands we do like that were once considered at least kinda "cool" - Wilco, Spoon, Phoenix - now share air time with Jack Johnson and the Da ... More >>

Too Beaucoup

An unassuming bar and grill turns out some damn good Cajun food.

Un Pueblo Unido: Scenes From Houston's Immigration Protest

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt​An estimated 7,000 people took to the streets of Gulfton on Saturday afternoon, part of a coordinated series of national protests against the passage of Arizona's SB 1070, a bill which many Hispanics in Arizona and across the nation have decried as racial profil ... More >>

Joe, Chico DeBarge

Lonesome Onry and Mean: Another Record Store Day at Cactus Music

Cactus Music and the Record Ranch is having another Record Store Day Saturday, with a lineup of events that borders on serious party happening. The highlight of the day will be a live appearance by red-hot San Antonio band The Krayolas (above). San Antonio's oldest and most respected rockero outfit ... More >>

Before We Go: Devin the Dude, ZZ Top, Camp Jam Houston, The Orb, Something Fierce and More

Free Press Houston has added Devin the Dude, whom Rocks Off is currently trying to track down for a prospective new feature (email us, mang!) and Prince Paul to its Summer Fest August 8 and 9 in Eleanor Tinsley Park. See FPH's or Pegstar's Web sites for ticket info (hint: it's $7 per day). Yesterday ... More >>

Leela James: Let's Do It Again

Benjamin Hall Drops Out Of The Mayor's Race

Benjamin Hall, one of the two black-ex-city attorneys rumored to be running for mayor, is not running for mayor.Hall announced he's supporting his doppelganger, Gene Locke, the Houston Chronicle reports.The deal was apparently brokered by Congressman Al Green, who obviously enough wasn't looking fon ... More >>

The Year in Albums

Obama Inauguration Tickets -- Hotter Than Hannah Montana and The Jonas Brothers Combined

Tonight: Tina Turner at Toyota Center

Soul Day at ACL: I Feel Good!

The Roots Will Not Apologize

?uestlove and company: Those who don't like our angriest album can step right off

Al Green: Lay It Down

SXSW: Ending on a High Note with Darondo

The MLK Day Parade

Two factions turn MLK Day into a competition

Give Us a Hand

Cred Sheet

Stuff you need to know to avoid musical ostracism

Sumo

The Danceband

Oh, Slap!

Tommy Castro

Saturday, March 18, the Continental Club, 3700 Main, 713-529-9666

Lil' Wayne

Tha Carter, Vol. II

Luciano, with Dean Fraser, Irie Time, Bigga Boss and Manjaro

Friday, June 24, at Club Riddims, 8220 West Bellfort, 713-779-0033 or 713-981-6677.

Al Green

Everything's OK

Race for the House

Chris Bell finds it's lonely being white on this campaign trail

Al Green

Thursday, September 18

Festivus Maximus

The Austin City Limits Music Festival's got a roster that won't quit

Clem Snide

Soft Spot (spinART)

Wizard of Boz

Boz Scaggs evolves along with his beloved R&B

Aim to Please

Luther and his Healers know the cure for what ails most local bands

Besides "Let's Stay Together"

Ten other reasons to listen to Al Green

The More Things Change

Rotation

Conference Kudos and Crud

Sound Check

Once More, The Vision Thing

Is "Imagine Houston" fit for the future, or just for a bumper sticker?