Asia (Band)

Capsule Stage Reviews: Chinglish, MBTV, Ravenscroft, Six Degrees of Separation, There Is a Happiness That Morning Is, Tribute

American Idol Returns, Selling More Drama Than Music

If you can believe it, American Idol kicks off its twelfth season tonight on Fox. But not just on Fox. Here is how One India Entertainment, "India's No. 1 Language Portal," announced the news at 18:03 IST (India Standard Time) today: MUMBAI: After the successful run of The X Factor USA while cashin ... More >>

Do the Curry Crawl

The top 10 restaurants in Little India.

6 Ancient Classic Rockers You Didn't Know Put Out Music In 2012

We live in an era of classic-rock revivalism. We go crazy for reunions, we buy as many tickets as we can, and sometimes we even pay attention to the new records these bands put out, even though the general consensus is that no reunited band will ever put out a record as good as the ones they did in ... More >>

Radioactive Duo

Classic-rock station 93.7 The Arrow yanks controversial morning DJs Walton and Johnson off the air.

RIP Ravi Shankar, Sitar Pioneer And Beatles Buddy

One of the greatest musicians of all-time has died. Ravi Shankar, sitar legend and easily one of India's most revered cultural ambassadors, passed away Tuesday afternoon at the age 92 in San Diego. According to ZeeNews, he had been having trouble breathing and was admitted into the hospital last w ... More >>

6 Thoughts On Tracy McGrady's Exporting Himself To China For The 2012-13 Season

No one wants to spend their twilight years alone. It's often said that when the years are winding down, people want to be around their loved ones, around people who appreciate them and would do anything for them. If that is indeed true, then Tracy McGrady's signing a one-year contract with Qingdao ... More >>

Michael Phelps: What the Heck Is He Listening To?

When he competes, U.S. Olympian Michael Phelps is usually seen walking into the arena with headphones on, blasting music in order to get him pumped up for the upcoming race. But what the hell is he listening to? It's rumored that Phelps is a huge rap and hip-hop fan, but there's no telling what is ... More >>

Shen Yun Performing Arts

Ex-Rocket Steve Francis Turns Rapping Twitter Phenom

Every rapper dreams to be a baller and every baller dreams to be a rapper. It rings true today and former Houston Rocket Steve Francis renews the saying with his recently discovered hip-hop label Mazerati Music. Rocks Off cringed when we saw Dan Devine's Ball Don't Lie sports blog on Francis' rap ... More >>

Here's a List of All the Restaurants You'll Get to Taste at Menu of Menus 2012

In my years of covering and attending our yearly Menu of Menus event, I've never been quite as excited for the grand tasting as I am this year. Why? In addition to the first annual Iron Fork competition -- which pits two of Houston's best young chefs against each other, Iron Chef-style, while chef ... More >>

Tears In Heaven: The 10 Best Songs To Come Out Of Tragedy

Since the dawn of time, great art has been birthed out of great tragedy, happening numerous times with playwrights, artists, and musicians. In many ways, expressing grief through music serves as a healing agent that gets the artist through tough things such as the loss of a loved one. It also helps ... More >>

SXSW: World's Youngest DJ, BabyChino, On Sixth Street

When I was nine years old, I was taping Nirvana and Soundgarden songs off the radio from a tiny boombox and learning to pee at a urinal without pulling my pants down to my ankles, but DJ BabyChino is gigging around the world. I caught him on Friday night close to midnight on Sixth Street at Status, ... More >>

Mall Mixologists

There's a bar in the Galleria. It is excellent. Is your mind blown?

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change: A Sweet, Rosy-Cheeked Revue

The setup: This intimate, four-character, Off-Broadway musical revue about relationships (1996) makes you feel better when you leave than when you come in, as its visionary producer James Hammerstein once said. There's magic in that pronouncement, for this pleasant, unexciting, eager-to-please litt ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Kevin Bryant of The Capitol at St. Germain

Photo by Mai PhamKevin Bryant, Executive Chef at The Capitol at St. Germain​Kevin Bryant epitomizes Southern charm. There's just something about him that puts you at ease immediately, so for our chat, I felt like I catching up with an old friend. Maybe it's the fact that he loves dogs. Alth ... More >>

Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano On Halloween & The Pressures Of Bloodletting

Photos by Amber Boggs​Concrete Blonde emerged from the crucible of 1980s post-punk L.A., fueled by Jim Mankey's signature guitar riffs and the introspective lyrics and distinctive wail of singer/bassist Johnette Napolitano. Their early history is well known, down to the oft-repeated story of h ... More >>

Hybrid Theory

Stars in Indonesia, Houston rockers VerseCity hope their new album catches them up at home.

Pop Rocks on Sting: "Rock Stars...Is There Anything They Don't Know?"

You rotten flexible bastard.​ Sting. He's the artist we love to hate: Sting, everyone's favorite somnambulant acoustic pop star, has developed a somewhat checkered experience in Central Asia. In 2009, Gulnara Karimova--herself a fledgling pop singer under the name GooGooSha and daughter of ... More >>

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap: Music Fans Love Their A-Holes

You rotten flexible bastard.​Sting. He's the artist we love to hate. From The Atlantic: Sting, everyone's favorite somnambulant acoustic pop star, has developed a somewhat checkered experience in Central Asia. In 2009, Gulnara Karimova - herself a fledgling pop singer under the name GooGooSha ... More >>

Greatfully Delicious

The owner is eccentric and the tacos fabulous at this laid-back new spot.

Broken Promises

Readers recount problems with DFPS

iFest's First Weekend Thick With Music, Humidity

GroovehouseJimmie Vaughan (left) and his band gave the large iFest crowd some saxual healing Saturday.​Lots more iFest in our slideshows: The bands, the performers, the crowds and even the food. For something that was still going on 24 hours ago, the first weekend of the Houston International ... More >>

Menil Community Arts Festival

Silk Degrees of Separation

Boz Scaggs turns to jazz, knows his Lightnin' Hopkins.

Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit This Lunar New Year

​Today, February 3, is the first day of the Lunar New Year, celebrated throughout Asia from China to Vietnam (yes, Tết is today too). 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, which should usher in a much calmer and more fruitful year than we experienced with the Year of the Tiger. The rabbit also me ... More >>

No-Good Goods

Readers on American Grocers

iFest Concert Series

Friday Night: "Jai Ho: The Journey Home" At Toyota Center

Photos by Marco Torres​A.R. Rahman "Jai Ho: The Journey Home" Toyota Center September 17, 2010 The Indian film-score composer A.R. Rahman, now widely known as the winner of two 2009 Academy Awards for Slumdog Millionaire, is the master of the movie-musical genre known as Bollywood. He is also ... More >>

Kung Fu Hustle

Karate Kid remake too cynical to catch a fly with chopsticks.

The Royal Treatment

These super-kind folks have been doing knockout Pakistani and Indian food for more than 16 years.

Mudbug Mania at the Texas Crawfish and Music Festival

​ Coming from the Midwest, where "crawdads" were something you marveled at in creekbeds during grade-school field trips, a visit to the Texas Crawfish & Music Festival in Old Town Spring last weekend was a revelation. The festival, now in its 24th year, will run each of the next two weekends ... More >>

Fails Of The Week: Insane Clown Posse Hates Science, No Dylan In China, Rihanna & Ke$ha's Auto-Tour

If you're reading this, you're either on the Internet, or else you've mastered multi-dimensional thought-projection processes that would make Michio Kaku cry like a little girl. We'll assume the former, and just in case you don't already know, the Internet has decided that the word "failure" is too ... More >>

A Few Possible Cures For Rocks Off's Acute "Can't Stay Home" Syndrome

Lev Kuperman/ myspace.com/viaaudio​ Monday night, an obviously delirious Rocks Off found ourselves upstairs at the Mink's Backroom instead of where we should have been, home in bed asleep. We enjoyed high-energy/lo-fi trio Vivian Girls, but at this point we are starting to realize we may have a pr ... More >>

Pop Rocks: What We Learned From The Olympics

Another edition of the Winter Games has come and gone, and while the last two weeks have been marked by triumph (the first American medals in Nordic Combined) as well as tragedy (Nickelback's closing ceremony performance), it's time to contemplate the important lessons we'll take away from Vancouve ... More >>

Artist of the Week: Cum On Feel the Noiz with DOGGEBI

Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com.​During the summer, we taught a ... More >>

The National Acrobats of China

Web exclusive!

Divine Performing Arts World Tour

Get your glow on

The Cuisine of India

Get a taste of peace at this benefit for the Boniuk Center

The Cuisine of India

Get a taste of peace at this benefit for the Boniuk Center

Jigu! The Thunder Drums of China

This company of 28 musicians beats the hell out of their instruments

Alma y Fuego (Soul and Fire)

Lucia y Valdemar Gitanerías Flamenco brings passion and expertise to the complicated Spanish music

Ajoy Chakraborty

This Indian singer carries on humanity’s oldest vocal tradition

Spiraling into Motion

Twister Mixer

Flex Appeal

Dragon On

Six Flags over China

Qin Dynasty puts a Disney spin on Chinese cuisine

A Dose of Dosai

At Madras Pavilion, a South Indian treat is given its due

Crossed Cultures

Is "A" for Asia, America -- or both?