I, for one, welcome our new McFlurry overlords.It's hot as balls in Houston. You can do your best to hurry from air-conditioned house to air-conditioned car to air-conditioned movie theater / bar / restaurant / etc., but at some point you're going to be forced to spend more than 30 seconds outside. Just last night, Eating Our Words got stuck at an outside table for three solid hours because our friends are smokers, and of course smokers would cut open your still-beating heart if they thoug
There are so many artists coming to Houston this summer and fall who should pick up on the "classic album" trend Rocks Off could hardly stop at just five. See our picks for Nos. 6-10 here.
5. Blondie (Arena Theater, August 23)
Album: Eat to the Beat (Chrysalis, 1979)
After 1978's Giorgio Moroder-assisted "Heart of Glass" ripped Blondie's CBGB past to shreds but brought the band massive pop success, Eat to the Beat, which opens with the practically perfect "Dreaming," continued down those paralle
Paging the Purple One... the Eagle Needs You!For Houston music commentators, picking on the sorry state of the city's commercial airwaves is even more fun than sportswriters must have making fun of the Astros. But on the rare occasion a new format does come along - even if it's hardly "new" - it still inspires a glimmer of hope in even the most jaded among us. That's why Rocks Off still can't quite bring ourselves to give up on the Eagle (107.5 FM), "Houston's Classic Hits."
For one thing, morni
This past week marks the 64th anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S., on August 6 and 9, respectively, bringing an end to World War II. The subsequent decades have brought us a Cold War, explosive proliferation, and largely fruitless attempts to eliminate the threat presented by nuclear weapons. And while we no longer live with the spectre of nuclear annihilation constantly hovering over us like we did in the '70s and '80s, the danger remain
Photos by Daniel Kramer
Even at today's prices, dreaming is free. That's why an evening with Blondie is such a bargain. Sandwiched between the Donnas (who sounded tight and sassy from the will call line) and Pat Benatar (still "Invincible"), Debbie Harry's crew navigated the Arena's revolving stage with casual grace and veteran cool. Once they got used to it, anyway - "I'm dizzy," laughed singer Debbie Harry at one point.
Today marks what would have been John Lennon's 69th birthday. Just let that sink in for a moment. He was only 40 when he passed away, but in those four decades he did enough to change the world and its inhabitants for pretty much the rest of natural human history - not just in music but also in forward progressive thinking.
Rocks Off mourns Lennon anytime he hears a Beatles song on the radio or whenever he throws John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band on his turntable. There's really no way to adequately
All this week, Rocks Off is previewing Saturday and Sunday's Westheimer Block Party by asking WBP performers to fill out a list from Lisa Nola's Music Listography book we're so fond of. It's not too late for your band to be up here, either; just email chris.gray@houstonpress.com by noon Thursday if you want to play.
Next up, rabid Tom Petty/Replacements fans and infrequent performers (though more frequently of late) Bright Men of Learning remember the music their parents loved.
Benjamin Davi
