Blue Oyster Cult

Seven Spring Music Festivals In Texas That Beat Staying Home

SXSW is officially over, thank the sweet baby Jesus. Now music fans have already begun to fan out to the four winds, seeking sunshine, swimsuits, alcohol, easy hookups and all the tunes they can handle until it gets ridiculously hot. Texans: you have about three hours. It's already begun over in Mi ... More >>

Upcoming: Miranda Lambert, Hall & Oates, Public Enemy, Smashing Pumpkins, etc.

.38 Special: With Kansas, Blue Oyster Cult., Fri., May 31, 8 p.m., TBA. Arena Theatre, 7326 SW Freeway, Houston. Attack Attack!: With The Plot In You, Get Scared, Dangerkids, Closer to Closure., Thu., May 16, 6 p.m., $13.50/$17.00. Fitzgerald's, 2706 White Oak, Houston. Bret Michaels: Sat., June 2 ... More >>

Molly Flogs Houston

Flogging Molly makes the walls sweat at the House of Blues.

Revisiting Robertson Stadium's Forgotten Concert History

After years of dreaming, planning and even a little begging, the University of Houston broke ground on a new on-campus football stadium this month. It's a pretty darn exciting development for the Cougars that marks the beginning of a new era of UH athletics: The program will play its first season in ... More >>

Business as Usual at Music Town CDs & Records, Since 1979

When James May unlocks the doors to Music Town each day at noon, his little shop on Stuebner Airline across from Klein High School is mainly filled with CDs, new and used vinyl and an enormous amount of cassettes. When he first opened the shop in 1979, the sign actually said "Music Town Records and ... More >>

Your Halloween Playlist: Don't Play That, Play This

Recently Rocks Off told you how to put together a solid party playlist. We're coming up on the time of year when people start throwing Halloween parties, so now it's time to get a little more specific. Don't be content to throw on the old 30 Spookiest Halloween Hits album and walk away, because gue ... More >>

Upcoming: Pitbull, Gillian Welch, Ringworm, El-P, Explosions In The Sky, Etc.

Two Star Symphony: Tue., May 22, 8 p.m., Free. Leon's Lounge, 1006 McGowen, Houston. Bad Romance (Lady Gaga Tribute): Fri., May 25, 8 p.m., $13-$20. House of Blues, 1204 Caroline, Houston. Black Breath, Martyrdod, Power Trip, Burning Love: Fri., June 29, 8 p.m., $10/$12. Walter's, 1120 Naylor St., ... More >>

Travelin' Band: What Do The Features Listen To On The Road?

So The Twilight Saga has exactly two things that keep the films from being absolute torture. The first is Ashley Greene in all her pixie-hotness, and the second is that there really are some excellent bands that end up on the soundtracks. Case in point, the Features were featured recently in Break ... More >>

Happy Birthday, Jim Morrison: Top 5 Songs About the Lizard King

​We've always felt a deep connection with Jim Morrison, so much so that we'd rather read No One Here gets Out Alive than listen to any one Doors song. The poet and legendary front man left us far too soon, and in his wake is a wealth of stories and music that continues to echo down and find an ... More >>

Prog-Rock Bassist Enters Stupid Criminal Hall Of Fame

GroovehouseCoheed's Claudio Sanchez: Now auditioning bassists.​Sometimes when Rocks Off interviews this musician or that one, we'll ask them what they do to kill time on the road. Some of them read, others take in the local sights if they have time, obviously a lot of them listen to music. The ... More >>

New Venue The Flamingo Room Has A Leg Up

Photos by Marc Brubaker​Astute readers of the Houston Press' and Rocks Off's local concert calendars might have noticed that a new venue is pulling some names into town. Sidled up to the Gulf Freeway just minutes from Hobby Airport, The Flamingo Room is Houston's newest mid-level venue. Rumor ... More >>

Pumping 1983 Iron With Arnold Schwarzenegger's Total Body Workout

​It's no secret that Arnold Schwarzenegger, the onetime Mr. Universe, former California governor, and action hero has found himself in the ultimate life pickle. A failed marriage and 10-year-old love child with a family maid are straining at the image that we all had of the gentle actor and (s ... More >>

Nine Songs on Gary Busey's Playlist with Video Evidence

​We've all been so caught up with Charlie Sheen's personal life that it seems we've forgotten about the O.G. Gary Busey. He might not be "winning" as much as Sheen, but at least he still has an acting job with Celebrity Apprentice and the occasional TV movie like Gingerdead Man. We did some ... More >>

Friday Night: Blue Oyster Cult & Marshall Tucker Band At Arena Theatre

Photos by Bob RuggieroMarshall Tucker Band​Blue Oyster Cult, Marshall Tucker Band Arena Theatre March 18, 2011 An odd co-headlining bill on the surface had the Marshall Tucker boys opening Friday's show. Though only singer Doug Gray remains from the classic lineup, the rest of the group are a ... More >>

Marshall Tucker Band Singer: "This Ain't A Jerk-Off Contest"

The Marshall Tucker Band today​While they were often tagged strictly as "Southern Rockers" after starting out in the early '70s, the Marshall Tucker Band also freely incorporated blues, jazz, country, and other sounds into their music. They had a flute player, for chrissakes! Led by guitarist ... More >>

RIP Guitar Hero: 10 Songs The Game Gave New Life

​Thursday, Activision killed the musical video game Guitar Hero after six years of turning young ears into heshers, glammers, and classic-rock devotees. The debt that older bands like the Ramones, Poison, Black Sabbath and Rush owe to the game is immense. True, the kids (and drunk adults), wer ... More >>

Upcoming: Blue Oyster Cult, Foals, Ice Cube, Etc.

​10 Years, Digital Summer, A Cry Farewell: Mon., Feb. 28. Scout Bar Clear Lake. Al Staehely: Fri., Feb. 11. Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe. Blue Oyster Cult, Marshall Tucker Band: Fri., March 18. Arena Theatre. Cults, Small Black, Sun Airway: Tue., March 15. Fitzgerald's. Destruction, Destroye ... More >>

Baytown's 4th of July Parade and Celebration

Houston's small-town neighbor throws a big, big independence bash

Nature's Revenge: Tunes For A Vengeful Planet

Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​ We like to think of the planet we live on as "Mother" Earth, a caring, nurturing parent figure who we thoughtlessly abuse. Well, we at Rocks Off don't know if you've noticed, but Mom ain't exactly helpless. In fact, sometimes she seems less like a benevolen ... More >>

Distant Early Warning: Chamillionaire & Paul Wall, Jordin Sparks, Local Natives, Passion Pit, Paramore, Toots & The Maytals, Weird Al Yankovic, Etc.

​Aziz Ansari: Fri., July 30. House of Blues. Black Congress (7" Release Show), Golden Axe, Omotai: Sat., April 10. Rudyard's. Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat: Sat., May 29. The Showgrounds @ Sam Houston Race Park. "BuzzFest XXIV" With Limp Bizkit, Deftones, Metric, Three Days Grace, 30 Seconds To Mars, ... More >>

He Said She Said: Fire In The Earhole!, Part 2

​To be honest, She Said can't really remember the last time she stepped foot inside Mai's. It was definitely several years ago, before she left Houston and then came back again, and it was probably with this guy, probably after a show. She Said probably had some Thai curry and hot tea, but she can ... More >>

KISS Off

The makeup-clad rockers may be hilarious, but they're hardly metal.

Distant Early Warning: Cactus Music Second Anniversary, Delbert McClinton, the Marley Brothers, Mindy Smith, Queen Latifah, the Slackers, Vallejo, etc.

​"Cactus Music 2nd Anniversary Party" With The Flamin' Hellcats, DJ Joey McKeel: Fri., Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Cactus Music and Video. Arthur Yoria, Colin Lake: Wed., Oct. 28. Warehouse Live. Delbert McClinton: Sat., Dec. 26. Verizon Wireless Theater. Dir En Grey: Mon., Nov. 2. Warehouse Live. "ArrowFest ... More >>

Touring with Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

Get on the bus, it's a family affair.

Classic Rock Corner: The Greatest Band Logos of All Time, Part 2

An early example of rock art... We're back to reveal the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the cappo di tutti cappi of classic-rock band logos evah! And when we say "greatest," we look for a combination of things including memorability, longevity, graphic design, influence and appearances. ... More >>

Music to Shuffle Off This Mortal Coil

HPMA Aftermath: Small Sounds, Yoko Mono, Katie Stuckey and the Swagger, Espantapajaros, Buxton, Los Skarnales and Thee Armada

2008 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase

A preview of the 60 bands and five DJs that are taking over downtown this weekend

If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On

Gamers Become Stars with Rock Band or Guitar Hero

Meet the newest kind of bar band

Rock Band

It's never been easier to start your own (fake) band

Last Night: Arrowfest at the Woodlands Pavilion

Paul Rodgers: All Right Now

Paul Rodgers, Blue Oyster Cult, Kansas, Marshall Tucker Band, the Knack, Loverboy, Mickey Thomas with Starship

"To 25!" and "David McGee: El Soñador Elegante,"

DiverseWorks celebrates its 25th anniversary with two exhibits

Deep Öyster Dilemma

A heavy-metal coin flip

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

DPS, Driver's License Renewals, Mardi Gras in Galveston, Tales from the BBB

This past week may be a preview of driver's-license hassles

Play "Free Bird"!

Using the Bob-O-Meter to rate cover songs

Jam Session

Roadie Royalty

Houstonian author and Webmaster Karl Kuenning is a prince among road dogs

Rock and Roll Never Forgets

Classic rock finds a new generation of fans and keeps on keepin' on into the new millennium

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

They Want You to Want Them

Shine up your old brown shoes, put on a brand-new shirt, Cheap Trick's in town

Coming Through in the Clutch

Even a wayward washing machine can't drop these sludge-rockers to the canvas

Party On, Dude

The Me Generation hasn't stopped believin' in its own soundtrack

Soft Core

Now They're Cooking

Static

Getting Past the Goo

Their name's a drunken joke, but the Goo Goo Dolls' music is serious