Buffalo (New York)

Taco Bell Loaded Grillers Deliver Varying Degrees of Success

The only reason I was interested in checking out the new Taco Bell Loaded Grillers is because I find the commercial for them completely puzzling. In it, Taco Bell promises you will never have to share your appetizers again -- grrr! sharing! -- with their single-serve "loaded grillers" that deliver t ... More >>

The Rocks Off 100: Vik Montemayor, Bang Bangz's Seamless Timekeeper

Who: Vik Montemayor handles the percussion in one of Houston's hottest bands, Bang Bangz. The group started off as an offshoot of Mario Rodriguez's Tax the Wolf, but with the addition of Elizabeth Salazar on lead vocals, BB has really made a name for itself as something special. The trio's debut sel ... More >>

And The Most Gripping Photo Of The Dynamo Game Was Taken By...Me, Mr. Red-Eye?

A few things you have to know before you realize how unlikely the events of Saturday night were. 1. I am completely inept at photography. You want a portrait of a lovely pair of friends, standing perfectly still with smiles cemented impatiently on their faces, waiting waiting WAITING for the flash ... More >>

Combat Veterans Fall Prey to Gambling Addictions at an Alarming Rate

where's the military when the chips are down?

Randy Travis' Arrest: Five Other Country-Music Arrests That Sound Like Country Songs

Randy Travis: Life is like a country song​Randy Travis' arrest sounded like nothing more than the opening verse to a country song. The singer is drunk, late at night outside a Baptist church, drinking wine out of the bottle. If that doesn't set you up for a redemptive last verse after you've ... More >>

So How Much Do You Really Know About the Astros and the DH?

​There has been a strange uproar over the Astros' possible move to the American League. There's been whining over start times, bitching about Bud Selig, and much, much discussion about the designated hitter not being real baseball. And while people are upset, it needs to be noted that the As ... More >>

The X Factor Does Dallas (And Miami)

Fox​Audition round two of The X Factor is held in Miami and Dallas, and they tell a different story than Los Angeles. In my first recap, I was impressed with the consistently great talent The X Factor delivered, keeping the freak-show acts to a minimum. When the judges hit Miami, the dearth of ... More >>

Last Night: Peter Case At McGonigel's Mucky Duck

Photos by David Ensminger​Peter Case McGonigel's Mucky Duck June 28, 2011 Surviving 40 years of rock and roll is not nearly the same as embodying it, preserving artful, poetic, and transcendent song forms that persevere as the world unveils socio-political and cultural shifts, religious uphea ... More >>

Peter Case

Steve Poltz & Peter Case

Sarah Palin's New Show: Houston Blessed Enough To Get Sneak Preview

Saah Palin having some "flippin' fun"​If you've been moping around saying you have nothing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, relax. You now officially have a reason to offer gratitude. There are a whole bunch of cities in the United States, right? (Yes, right.) Well, there are only eight ... More >>

Sara Saco-Vertiz: Astros' "Foul Ball Girl" Gets Arrested For Drinking & Lack Of Hockey Knowledge

Not from Buffalo​Sara Saco-Vertiz had her moment of internet fame this summer when the guy she was attending an Astros game with ducked out of the way of a foul ball that hit her.The couple went on a national TV show, they engaged in an unseemly squabble on Facebook, they moved on. As did the nati ... More >>

Million Miles Away

Plimsouls rocker Peter Case bounces back from heart ­surgery.

For Opening Day: Five Terrific Baseball Movies, None Of Which Star Kevin Costner

Opening Day is finally here, and we can once again try to resolve our love/hate relationship with the Houston Astros.As of this writing, they are undefeated, so -- so far, so good.Baseball, for all its problems, has long had an unbreakable hold on Americans. So have movies. So here are five great ba ... More >>

Hiding on the Backstreets, Part 2: Bruce Springsteen Brings The River, Born In the U.S.A., Tunnel of Love and Tom Joad to Town

Daniel KramerBruce Springsteen and Miami Steve van Zandt at Toyota Center, April 2009​ As Bruce Springsteen fans come to grips with the unfortunate reality that this past weekend's show in Buffalo, N.Y., may well have been the final offical tour date - although surely not the final show - from the ... More >>

Hiding on the Backstreets: Remembering Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band In Houston

Daniel KramerThe Boss at Toyota Center, April 2009​This past weekend's show in Buffalo, N.Y., was the last date on a nearly two-year (and two-album-supporting) trek by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which found them criss-crossing the country and the globe several times to rapt audiences ... More >>

Classic Rock Corner: Ian Gillan's Deeper Shade of Purple

www.gillan.comThough best known as the talented tonsils behind British hard-rock legends Deep Purple, Ian Gillan has also found the chance to log in some serious studio and road time both fronting his own bands and as a solo artist. Gillan's new CD, One Eye to Morocco (Eagle Records) finds th ... More >>

Green Jellÿ

Solidarity, Baby

Alt-Weeklies Provide Web Links to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Home Address

Action Taken in Solidarity with Phoenix New Times

Mail Call

Homeless Alone

Spaghetti Western Art

An Italian cowboy takes over Barbara Davis Gallery

Capsule Reviews

Our critics weigh in on local theater

Capsule Reviews

Our critics weigh in on local theater

Letters to the Editor

Can't Hold a Candle to It

Candelari's Italian sausage pizza is a Washington Avenue wonder

Best Wings

The Specialist

Scott Wizig's bread and butter is first-time home buyers with bad credit. He says he's making dreams come true, but many say dealing with him has been a nightmare.

Horrific Haikus

Death-metal band names make for fun magnetic poetry

Every Time I Die, with As I Lay Dying, Black Dahlia Murder and Scarlet

Friday, April 9

Buffalo Dancers

Unemployed steelworkers regain -- and display -- their manhood in The Full Monty

Power Play

Jim Carrey goes from physical to metaphysical comedy in Bruce Almighty

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Rotation

Earth Crisis: Slither

The Jury's Still Out

Two new exhibitions can make the most judicial viewer question some curatorial judgments

Utopia, Texas

A burger on the deck at Bubba's is the next best thing to visiting the Hill Country

Metal Help

The late William "Tray" Folliard, the Hard Rock, and stories from 'round town

Righteous Babe

Ani DiFranco, poetess, goddess, funky folker, comes to town

Blasted

When you can't trust your partners, you're likely to get burned

News of the Weird

The Sound of Money

Rotation

Off the Wagon

The Insider

Static

Her Wayor No Way

Ani DiFranco's loner's resolve is beginning to pay off

Static

Rotation

Sounds for the Long Haul

Getting Past the Goo

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