Andrew Bird

LCD Soundsystem, Reverend Horton Heat, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Muse, Wilco and Ghostland Observatory: Chris Gray Closes the Notebook on ACL

Top Ten Americana Albums of 2008

Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category. Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen Trapper's fantastic ... More >>

Five Tweeting Musicians Worth Following

The Style Scout Lily AllenBoy oh boy, Rocks Off is getting carried away with this Twitter business. As addictive as it is, though, it's not without its disappointments. We were amazed and flattered when Bjork decided to follow us, and then just a little heartbroken when a quick glance at her ... More >>

Album of the Week: Heartless Bastards' The Mountain

Heartless Bastards The Mountain www.heartlessbastards.com Gnarlier than a century-old Live Oak, Heartless Bastards' The Mountain plugs the Cincinnati-born trio's scorching postmodern blues - their debut, 2006's All This Time, could skin a cat - into the eerie backwoods folk of Greil Marcus' ... More >>

SXSW Journal: The Tontons, Day 2

Justin and I started off the day early trying to do more then the previous day. Driving around town is much more difficult then anticipated, even though we were here last year. We spent a lot of time trying to find parking and searching for boots. Not the most exciting start, but well worth the find ... More >>

Over the Weekend: South by Southwest in Photos

Not sure if you noticed, but we took a ton of photos over the last few days. Click the links for all kinds of action. SXSW, Day One Photo by Mark C. Austin The Austin Music Awards A chronicle in picture form of some of the SXSW live acts you could have caught on Wednesday, March 18, if only you h ... More >>

South by Southwest in Photos

Not sure if you noticed, but we took a ton of photos over the last few days. Click the links for all kinds of action. South by Southwest Day One Photo by Mark C. Austin The Austin Music Awards A chronicle in picture form of some of the SXSW live acts you could have caught on Wednesday, March 18, ... More >>

Moments the Grammy Awards Would Rather Forget

Soy Bombed

Recent Super Bowl Halftime Highlights and Lowlights

Backfield in Motion

J.D. Herman's Matagorda Island Discs

Backfield in Motion

Being There

The Sixth Annual Austin City Limits Festival feels like home...almost

ACL Fest Preview: School of Seven Bells and Prescott Curlywolf

Amanda MertenSchool of Seven Bells​For the next three weeks, Rocks Off will be bringing you two or three short previews a day of artists playing the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park October 2-4. That's right, ACL is 17 days away - where is this year going? (Same place as all the ot ... More >>

Songs By ACL Artists That Should Be Covered By Other ACL Artists

Isn't it fun to imagine all your favorite bands are best friends? And that when they spend time together, as so many of them are doing right this second at the Austin City Limits festival, they would inevitably learn each others' songs? Here are some songs by ACL bands which we'd like to see covered ... More >>

ACL 2009 Day One: Night Falls

Photo by Katharine ShilcuttGoodnight moon!​The sun has nearly set over ACL, the fields of Zilker Park filled with the smell of fresh grass (of several kinds...), happy bodies and the oddly soothing sounds of a cacophonous mixture of Andrew Bird, Reckless Kelly and Them Crooked Vultures. (Although ... More >>

Some Can Whistle: A Playlist To Don't Worry, Be Happy

​It's often the little things that make our favorite songs our favorites - the curious, unforeseen additions of small touches like an understated bit of whistling. For those who like to categorize their playlists into themes, we present you with the Rocks Off approved Whistle Playlist. The S ... More >>

A Birthday Trifecta For Lovers Of Oddball Music

Dwight Frye, aka Fritz, in James Whale's Frankenstein (1931)​Today is George Washington's birthday, so there's that. However, February 22 is also the birthday of some truly bizarre figures in American history, and those figures have been the inspiration to a great many musicians.   For inst ... More >>