Amy Winehouse

School's Out: Seven R-Rated "Hot For Teacher" Songs

Another school year has passed, and now all that's left for departing students to cherish are the sweet memories of Friday night football, prom and the loin-burning, unrequited, forbidden lust for their smoking-hot teachers. I know, it sounds kind of creepy. But, admit it, you once had a fantasy te ... More >>

Slapping Bey's Ass May Have Been a Poor Life Choice, Dude

I'm just going to go with the obvious here and say that when you're at a concert, there's a golden rule that one should follow, both with your fellow concertgoers and with the performers. It's a rule that has been reiterated since the dawn of man: keep your hands to yourselves. Sticky paws are not w ... More >>

Top 10 Spitters In Music History (w/VIDEO)

Spitting. It's a symbolic form of communication that means nothing good in any language or culture -- a sign of disrespect that garners admiration or adoration from no one. Well, except for fans. Stars and celebrities themselves get mighty pissed off if you spit on them, but if they spit on you, you ... More >>

I Hate Beyonce's New "Back to Black" Cover With My Entire Soul

Since the first thing that comes to mind about New York during the roaring 1920's is dubstep, Autotune, and, of course, Andre 3000 and Beyonce, the producers of the new The Great Gatsby movie have forced this little ditty upon us from the upcoming soundtrack. Bey and Andre's collaboration on Amy Wi ... More >>

SXSW's Class of 2008: Where Are They Now? (w/VIDEO)

My first true SXSW with the Houston Press and Rocks Off was way back in March 2008, when I was given a wristband to explore/maraud Austin looking for trouble and new bands. This was a time when Justice and MSTRKRFT were what would be called EDM now, and Israel's Monotonix was flipping every wig in t ... More >>

10 Things That Have Happened To Rock Stars' Ashes

Recently, I explored some of the strange things that musicians have been buried with. In the course of researching that article, I came across a lot of tales about the cremated remains of rock stars. Some very odd things have occurred with famous ashes, so being the resident morbid person on staff, ... More >>

The End of the Road: Digital Mourning in 2012

At the Houston Press office, I am usually the first person who finds out when a celebrity or musician dies, usually from a wire or, these days, the fine folks at TMZ. Hell, sometimes even when I am away from my desk I have to be the bearer of bad tidings, like when Adam Yauch passed on a few weeks a ... More >>

The Best (Fake) SXSW 2012 Rumors So Far

It happens every year: an errant rumor turns Austin and SXSW upside down for a few hours or even days, leading to mass hysteria, mild apathy, and sometimes sadness. At my first SXSW in 2001, I got a "hot tip" that the Beastie Boys were going to join Mix Master Mike at La Zona Rosa for a secret show, ... More >>

In Memoriam: Musicians And Industry Giants We Lost In 2011

For Rocks Off, one of the creepiest parts of our job is to report on deaths in the industry. Now matter how old or young the musician or mogul is, it's hard to try to quantify a person's life over the course of a few hundred words. How can you? Professional obit writers must be touched by the hand o ... More >>

Rap Round Table: The Ten Best Discussions of the Year

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Each week Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. Welp. Ya heard? That's that. It's the last week of 2011. That's cool. Or shitty. Whatevs. No matter. Right here, right now, we're going to take a qu ... More >>

Bummer, Dude: The 10 Big Musical Disappointments of 2011

Photo by Marc BrubakerThis guy's crazy rant at Fun Fun Fun Fest made the list.​All things considered, 2011 was a pretty bitchin' year for popular music. It wasn't all high-fives and Grammies for our musical heroes, however. More than few steaming flops, blown gigs and sour notes made the yea ... More >>

Arctic Monkeys & The Rock N' Pop Class Of 2006

Arctic Monkeys, Version 2011​This past decade, 2006 was one of the better years in music, with a ton of debuts, great albums and catchy singles. It was also the year this member of Rocks Off started putting his musical critiques into a computer, joining the great circus known as the music indu ... More >>

Should Amy Winehouse & DJ Screw's Addictions Define Their Legacy?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn't a national holiday (or thereabouts), Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​Ed. Note: Although the results of Amy Winehouse's ... More >>

Four Artists Who Died Before Playing Houston

theindependent.co.uk​When Amy Winehouse died Saturday, almost everyone noted how the troubled British soul singer had joined the "27 Club," the list of legendary musicians who passed away at that age that also includes Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, ... More >>

The Music World Remembers Amy Winehouse On Twitter #amywinehouse

​The music world was rocked on Saturday afternoon by the news that British singer and tabloid fixture Amy Winehouse had passed away in her London home. Results of an autopsy may be released as early as today, and authorities were only saying that the cause of death was unknown. She was 27. H ... More >>

Saturday Night: Sade & John Legend At Toyota Center

Photos by Groovehouse​Sade, John Legend Toyota Center July 23, 2011 See more smooth operation from Sade & John Legend in our slideshow. As word of Amy Winehouse's death spread across the Internet Saturday, another British soul singer was preparing to perform in Houston for the first time in ... More >>

Fifteen Of Our Favorite Cheating Songs

zazzle.com​Songwriters find inspiration many of life's varied realms: Joy, grief, sex, drugs, anger and, evidently, two-timing. Some are sad, some cheeky, some violent and revengeful, but we've collected a sad-sack grab-bag of cheating-related songs. Here is our Top 15, along with their lyric ... More >>

The Black Lips

The Black Lips' Favorite Garage Albums & Bands

Zach Wolfe​In the Black Lips' recent video for "Go Out and Get It," the Atlanta garage boys are seen on a cruise ship and on some tropical beach surrounded by vacationing bikini-clad hipster gals, all messy hair and sunglasses, sipping drinks like some endless Sunday Funday. The band will be ... More >>

Top Five Teen-Idol Rehab Alumni

​Checking into rehab is no laughing matter. That said, we at Rocks Off often find inspiration in even the darkest of corners. So when it was announced, much to our surprise, that Dallas-born teen pop starlet Demi Lovato had checked into rehab an inpatient treatment center, we pondered celebri ... More >>

Mullets & More: 17 Signature Musical Hairstyles

​If you have hair, Craig's Hlist hates you. Not in a "you shot my whole family" or "you are the serial killer who dissolved my sibling in a vat of acid" way, more in a "you got the last sausage and cheese kolaches at the office" way. Our hair loss began sometime in high school, when we were ... More >>

5 New Pop-Star Sitcoms We'd Like To See

Today marks the 43rd anniversary of <>The Monkees winning an Emmy for Best Comedy Series, making them the first musical act ever to win that award. 1967 also marked a transitional period for the band, which was moving toward creative freedom on the television show in which they started out as ... More >>

Music's Top 10 Messed-Up Mouths

​Rocks Off went to the dentist this morning for the first time in... well, a long time. The importance of taking care of your choppers is thus fresh in our minds - especially since we have to go back tomorrow, this time to a "specialist." So... yeah. This would probably be a good time to mention t ... More >>

Pop Rocks: Ten Musicians I Want to Have Sex With Less Than Lady Gaga

​I understand Lady Gaga's declaration of celibacy last month was something of a big deal, if only because most of us have a hard time believing everyone in the music business isn't vigorously fellating each other on those off days when they're not sacrificing puppies to Clear Channel or auto-tunin ... More >>

8 Songs Guaranteed To Get Those Damn Relatives To Leave Already

​But if I really say it, the radio won't play it, Unless I lay it between the lines! - Peter, Paul and Mary, "I Dig Rock and Roll Music" We know, we know. It's late Christmas evening, you've had a few too many glasses of nog. That turkey is starting to take its toll, and yet you've still got a hou ... More >>

He Said She Said: Music From the Past Decade of Our Lives, Part 2

​ She Said remembers being a little kid, thinking to herself, In the year 2000, you're going to be 20 YEARS OLD. Thinking of how old that would feel like and how far away it seemed. In truth, She Said feels no different today than she did ten years ago, but one look at her musical tastes over the ... More >>

Five Artists Motel 6 Would Rather Not Give Free Rooms, Including John Mayer

canada.com​In a move sure to boost occupancy among skinny jeans-wearing hipsters while simultaneously driving regular families away by the family truckster-load, Motel 6 is running a promotion to give free rooms to up-and-coming bands: "Here's how it works: Motel 6 will give free rooms to developi ... More >>

"Moon FTW IRL!" -- Apollo 11, As If They Had Twitter Then

You know what sucked about the moon landing? They didn't Twitter it.If it's not on Twitter, we're not sure we can trust that it happened. Even if the headlines say otherwise.Now, however, the problem is solved, thanks to the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.They've put together an impressive "reliv ... More >>

A Classic-Rock-Free Morning

Review: Rockferry, by Duffy

Maxim Magazine Readers: The Uncoolest Boys Around

This Just In: H-Town Remains Soul City

Pharoahe Monch

A hip-hopper takes on politics, culture and a pack of brats

Cupcake Contest: Sugarbaby’s vs. the Cookie Jar

Random Thoughts from a Stupendous Sunday of Sports

Death Race 2008

Amy Winehouse, Chuck Berry, Bobby Brown: Who'll be the first to go?

Rock Star Resolutions

Who vows to stay off the sauce this year?

Musical lowlights of 2007

Shaken, Not Stirred

Our Favorite Albums of 2007

Panning for gold in an avalanche of 2007 releases

Amy Winehouse, Frank

Just released in the U.S., her first album reveals a less troubled Ms. Winehouse

Drenched In Blog: Noddin' After Midnight

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

100 Days, 100 Nights

Miss Pop Rocks: A Brief Love Note to Amy Winehouse

Drenched in Blog: Amy Wino

How (Not) to Name Your Band

The Adjective Nouns

Siouxsie, Mantaray

CD Review

Your Third Nipple Makes Me “Smile”

Confessions of a Classic Rock Whore, or One Man’s Journey

Odd Couples

Strange musical pairings

Amy Winehouse

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