Allen Toussaint

Jazz Fest Scores With Willie, John Mayer, Frank Ocean, Fleetwood Mac, Patti Smith, etc.

Well, I never thought that I would have John Mayer and Patti Smith together in the same headline with Willie Nelson and Frank Ocean, but that's why I kinda love New Orleans Jazz Fest 2013, whose lineup was released earlier this morning. Rewind: A Texican in New Orleans: Lessons Learned from Jazz F ... More >>

10 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: December 14-16

Kinky December 15, the Engine Room In the same class as Cafe Tacuba, Kinky is a Mexican alt-rock band no stranger to electronic music and hip-hop. The group formed in Monterrey in the late '90s and has seen its star steadily rise, headlining Central Park's SummerStage this past July during New York' ... More >>

New Orleans Suspects

Switcharoo: 10 Artists Who Tried Other Genres

Have you ever bought an album of an artist you were familiar with and thought, "wow... that's different?" In fact, many artists try out other genres than the one where they originally became popular as a way for them to grow as artists. But a big question remains: Will the audience grow with them a ... More >>

A Texican In New Orleans: Lessons Learned From Jazz Fest

This past weekend was the last for this year's edition of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which started way back on April 27. The festival runs over two weekends, usually Thursday through Sunday. Obviously since it is a uniquely Nawlins institution going back to 1970, it's not a festival t ... More >>

Upcoming: Basshunter, Escape The Fate, Gipsy Kings, High On Fire, Jesus & Mary Chain

7horse: Mon., April 9. Fitzgerald's, 2706 White Oak, Houston. Allen Toussaint: Fri., March 9. Dosey Doe Coffee Company, 25911 I-45 N., Spring. The Wheeler Brothers, The Asteroid Shop, Antonio Estevan Huerta: Sat., April 7. Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel, Houston. Basshunter: Fri., Feb. 24. Rich ... More >>

New Orleans' Ponderosa Stomp: A Photo Diary

Photos by Brett KoshkinNew Orleans' Ponderosa Festival thrives on 45s.​Maybe it's age or my ever-increasing tailspin of stagnating taste, but I just don't find music festivals palatable in the slightest these days. Multi-day romps to summertime smorgasboards is for the birds. No matter if it t ... More >>

Jon Cleary, New Orleans R&B Piano Master, Makes Rare Visit

Rick Olivier​The last time Rocks Off saw Jon Cleary, he was hammering his piano like a blacksmith at the Big Easy, totally surrounded by adoring blues fans - so many, in fact, that it was difficult to even get a glimpse of the British-born pianist from the rear of the crowd. Cleary and his ba ... More >>

Top 10 Louisiana Bands Of All Time

​Pardon the geographical pun, but besides Texas, our neighbor to the east may be the most musical state in these United States. And in terms of per capita, Louisiana, which ranks 25th in population to Texas' second, is probably second to none. Outside Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, the program m ... More >>

Top 5 Mother-In-Law Songs Besides "Mother In Law"

neworleans.comFormer owner Betty Fox at New Orleans' Mother-In-Law Lounge​Q: What is the ideal weight for a mother-in-law? A: About 2.3 pounds, including the urn. Rocks Off has more or less been content with bachelorhood our entire life, so we have no idea what having a mother-in-law is lik ... More >>

Last Night: Boz Scaggs At Stafford Centre

Photos by Bob Ruggiero​Boz Scaggs Stafford Centre February 17, 2011 While mellow modern jazz players have hijacked and ruined the word "smooth" as a synonym for blandness, Thursday night Boz Scaggs helped reclaim the adjective as a positive attribute in a powerful show laden with most of his ... More >>

Allen Toussaint

Upcoming: Allen Toussaint, Dead Confederate, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Vibrators, Etc.

​500 Megatons Of Boogie, The Jonx, Recreator: Sat., Aug. 14. Rudyard's. Allen Toussaint, Nicholas Payton, Joe Krown: Thu., Nov. 4. Miller Outdoor Theatre. Behemoth, Black Anvil, Withered: Tue., Nov. 23. Warehouse Live. Better Than Ezra: Wed., Dec. 29. House of Blues. Big Head Todd & The M ... More >>

The AP's Year-End Album List Proves What We Already Knew: Rock Critics Are Assholes

​Rocks Off has previously lamented the dearth of critically popular acts that truly rock many times. We just can't get over the fact that adding distortion to your guitar is a virtual guarantee you won't get scads of rock critics jizzing all over you with steamy loads of orgasmic praise (unless yo ... More >>

Blind Boys of Alabama

Slip Inside This House: MP3s from S.J. and the Crossroads and the Six Pents

Underground Kingz

CD review

My Darlin' New Orleans

What hath God wrought?

The Radiators

Saturday, April 16, at Fitzgerald's, 2706 White Oak Drive, 713-862-3838.

Playbill

Racket

German culture has been a part of Houston for well over a century

Lady Belts the Blues

Marcia Ball signs with Alligator and gets a new groove on