Alex Chilton

Top 5 Old Musicians Actually Using Twitter

Like youth itself, Twitter is wasted on the young. But not everyone over 35 has completely tuned it out -- after a recent upgrade to a smartphone, even I'm using it now after years of Twitterphobia. (Hit me up at @ThePhantomTX.) Since I've been on, I've learned that most musicians have handed off t ... More >>

Tennessee Time

Bluesy Memphis singer-songwriter Valerie June already has a Black Key in her corner.

Top Five Cannibal Country Songs

​Songs about singers and other songs has long been one of Rocks Off's favorite fields of study within the wide-ranging curriculum of popular music. Off the very tippy-top of our heads, ABC's "When Smokey Sings," the Replacements' "Alex Chilton" and the Pogues' "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda ... More >>

New Music Releases April 5: Leon Russell, Robbie Robertson, The Ravonettes, The Kills, Etc.

​Last week brought new releases from Britney Spears, Radiohead, and a few Pearl Jam re-issues hitting store shelves amid reports that the industry was finally starting to see some improvement. Spears' Femme Fatale is currently projected to enter the top spot of the Billboard 200 chart with sal ... More >>

SXSW Last Night: The Strokes At Auditorium Shores

Craig Hlavaty​Of all the free shows going on around Austin this week, the biggest ones can be found over at Auditorium Shores. They may not have free finger foods and booze galore, but they do have some pretty stellar acts most of the time. Case in point, last night's sundown set from The Stro ... More >>

R.I.P.: Notable Passings Of 2010

​Editor's Pick: Dio, man. Neph Basedow: 2010 commenced on a sad note with the passing of Memphis garage rocker Jay Reatard (aka Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.). I'd seen him play a tiny show at Chicago's Empty Bottle in 2008 and still consider it one of the best shows I've ever seen. It was definitive ... More >>

More Like "Hall Of Lame," Am I Right?

​Ladies and gentlemen, your 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is ready to admit a new class: Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, Darlene Love and Dr. John have all been inducted for 2011, the foundation announced Wednesday. With the exception of Wai ... More >>

Saturday Night: The Posies And Brendan Benson At Groundhall

Photos by Jason Wolter​The Posies, Brendan Benson Groundhall November 27, 2010 "Do you guys remember the '90s?" queried Posies guitarist Jon Auer to Saturday's Groundhall crowd. A moderate cheer proved the audience not only remembered the decade, but also eagerly supported its recent revival ... More >>

Happy 32nd Anniversary, Rudyard's

Mark C. AustinJandek (right) at Rudyard's, April 2009​Sunday, Rudyard's celebrates its 32nd anniversary with an afternoon barbecue buffet and night of free music with sharp-witted singer-songwriter Teresa Kolo, holy terrors the Hell City Kings and the stuff Rocks Off's dreams are made of, an a ... More >>

Pop Rocks: Katy Perry -- Boob Job

​There are a lot of musicians with the surname "Perry." There's Joe Perry, venerable (and occasionally addled) guitarist for venerable rock group Aerosmith; Steve Perry, still the only vocalist of any distinction for Journey; Lee "Scratch" Perry, the possibly insane creator of dub music; Linda ... More >>

Top 5 Daniel Lanois Productions

​This past Saturday in Los Angeles, legendary producer Daniel Lanois, known for his trademark echo-heavy sound and work with the likes of U2 and Bob Dylan, was involved in a near-fatal motorcycle accident. Lanois was slated to soon begin work on Brandon Flowers of the Killers' solo debut and the u ... More >>

Further On Up the Road

Excerpts from the Press's copious online coverage of SXSW.

SXSW Aftermath: Roll Call At Saturday Night's Alex Chilton Tribute

Philippe Brizard/ WikipediaAlex Chilton in France, 2004​Which big names played the Big Star tribute? In the wake of turmoil of the death of Alex Chilton, local media bandied names including Cheap Trick, fresh off a sterling SXSW show at Auditorium Shores, and Paul Westerberg - who had his say-so i ... More >>

SXSW Aftermath: Alex Chilton Haunts A Festival Full Of His Musical Children

Dan OkoThe line for the Black Keys outside the Mohawk Saturday afternoon... we have no idea about the pinata truck, either​ After the mega-shows last SXSW with Metallica and Kanye West, the 2010 version of SXSW launched struck your humble badgeholder as busier than last year, just on a smaller ... More >>

SXSW Aftermath: Wild Moccasins Strike, Ray Davies Quakes, Deer Tick Boogie

Photos by Craig HlavatyWild Moccasins​Aftermath roused ourselves from our quick hour-long vegetative session after Thursday's day-party frolicking to venture into another night of SXSW music, that would include a local band's breakthrough, a legend reconnecting with his base and two indie-twang ba ... More >>

SXSW Aftermath: A Spry Wanda Jackson And Our Friends Mariachi El Bronx

Photos by Craig HlavatyWanda Jackson​ As the first night of SXSW 2010 got underway a pall came over the crowd, at least from those who had been glued to their smart phones by the news of the passing of Big Star lead singer Alex Chilton in New Orleans. The influential power-pop band was due to clos ... More >>

SXSW As It Happens: Missing Alex Chilton, German Dubstep DJs, J Mascis Stuffing His Face...

Craig Hlavaty12:25 p.m.: Alex Chilton 1950-2010: Memphis misses its native son.​ Welcome back to Rocks Off's minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour breakdown of SXSW's afternoon parties and activites as they happen (almost). Today we've got human Energizer bunny Craig Hlavaty back for more abuse, and ... More >>

Breaking News: Alex Chilton Of Big Star Dies In New Orleans

​Alex Chilton, the influential and undeniably odd yet talented musician who fronted the Box Tops and later Big Star, has died in New Orleans at the age of 59. Originally from Memphis, Chilton was wildly prolific from his initial days as a 1960s teen idol and through the 1970s while he fronted ... More >>

He Said She Said: 10 Artists Who Never Got Their Due

In the course of music history, some bands get that extra push by pop culture and become uber-iconic, while others, though just as deserving, go largely unnoticed except by those who choose to dig even deeper. For every Elvis Presley, there is a seedier Carl Perkins off to the side. David Bowie get ... More >>

Lonesome Onry and Mean: Chuck Prophet's ¡Let Freedom Ring! Doesn't Disappoint

"American man in the laundry pile/ With the rain check claims and the skateboard child" - Chuck Prophet, "American Man"​We admit to being full-fledged, card-carrying members of the Chuck Prophet Party, but it still took Lonesome, Onry and Mean longer than usual to get the ears and head wrapped aro ... More >>

Texas Beer

New North Heights Hipster Hang: Big Star Bar

Bad Motor Scooter

Reverberations: Young Mammals, Guilty Hearts, Born Liars, Pope Jon PPP, Welfare Mothers and Paul Collins' Beat

Reverberations: Bellrays, Power-Pop and Chevelles

Yo La Tengo in Hoboken

A Hanukkah pilgrimage

Q&A: Linus Pauling Quartet

Wigged Gigs

A selection of some of the wildest, weirdest, and most dangerous bands and shows in Houston history

Smart Pop

Rotation

Tupelo's Curse

Hail to the '80s

A rash of new compilations makes a case for the Me Decade's place in rock history

Lip Service

Cowboy Mouth has learned about responsibility, but not forgotten about fun

Rotation

Hum Along with Marshall

Lesson in Survival

Seattle's Posies go their own soft way, no matter who likes it

Rotation

Rotations

Ardent Idea

Can a Spot from Dallas do better than a Big Star from Memphis?

Rotation

Rotation