Butthole Surfers

The New Escatones 45 Is Indeed Out of Sight!

Yeah, I should probably be beaten badly and left in an alley to think about what I did for making that pun, but trust me; The Escatones' "Out of Sight/East Beach Stomp" is indeed worth the price of the 45 record. The Escatones are usually described in conjunction with their jangling surf guitars an ... More >>

Christmas Past: 15 Odd Christmas Gift Ideas for Musicians

While we celebrate the holidays, Rocks Off is resurrecting a few of our best Christmas-themed blogs from the past few years. (Wait... resurrecting is Easter. Never mind.) This blog originally appeared November 21, 2011. As the timeless tale of the Little Drummer Boy reminds us, there is no greater ... More >>

The 30 Best Texas Albums

Ranking the 30 best Texas albums of the past 30 years seemed like an impossible task. We did it anyway.

Behold the Texas 30, Plus Albums 40-31

At this point, hopefully you know what the Texas 30 is and why Rocks Off is counting down to the Top 30 Texas albums of the past 30 years, as determined by a statewide panel of professional music writers. The short answer is, of course, because we can, and because it was a great excuse to listen to ... More >>

Remembering The Island: Where R.E.M. Played, but XTC Wouldn't

Despite the dust of time that usually befalls venues and lore from punk's rambunctious past, The Island has remained a steady icon of Houston's underground movement that swept to the surface as classic arena rock and cosmic country choked the FM airwaves. Rewind: Houston's Island of Misfit Bands B ... More >>

Bayou City Art Festival

Female Demand: Outside the Universe is Really, REALLY Outside

Being loud is an art. Strike that, being artfully loud is an art, being regular loud only requires some amperage. The key seems to be finding a way to harness the sound of collision, to ride on top of the train as it crashed. Few artists have really been able to do it. Iggy and the Stooges pulled it ... More >>

Five Texans Who Will Never Be Official State Musician

​Before the Texas Legislature did something completely predictable and sold out the state's public schools declared Western Swing the state's official music, it did something slightly less predictable and appointed two people not from Austin or the Hill Country as the next two official state m ... More >>

Last Night: Primus At Verizon Wireless Theater

Photos by Jason Wolter​Primus Verizon Wireless Theater May 23, 2011 The most important thing Curtis Armstrong, who would also appear that year as Booger in Revenge of the Nerds, tells Tom Cruise in 1983's Risky Business is this indispensable piece of advice: "Every now and then, say 'What the ... More >>

Avoid Cheap Fog Machines: Building A Better Stage Show

Erica O'BrienProvision​If Rocks Off could talk to ourselves from six years ago, the advice we would give that young aspiring rock star would be to not bother with any gigs for the first year playing with the band, and instead have everyone save up as much money as possible to fund a truly magn ... 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 >>

Tubby Chubcakes' Lyrics Will Melt Your Brain

Tubby Chubcakes: The great beef hunter strikes again.​Rocks Off was going to write a review of the new Tubby Chubcakes album, Tubby vs. The Musical Brain-Eating Disease, but honestly it's kind of like trying to explain Scientology to a blind water snake. Remember Tubby's video "Destroy Nickel ... More >>

1991: Best Music Year Ever?

Rocks Off Sr.'s choice for 1991's best album.​1991 was one of the biggest years in modern music. It was when metal went pop, radio country ruled, grunge went mainstream, and rap began its climb to chart dominance, even if it was spearheaded by a white candy rapper from Dallas. There were man ... More >>

Happy 32nd Anniversary, Rudyard's

Mark C. AustinJandek (right) at Rudyard's, April 2009​Sunday, Rudyard's celebrates its 32nd anniversary with an afternoon barbecue buffet and night of free music with sharp-witted singer-songwriter Teresa Kolo, holy terrors the Hell City Kings and the stuff Rocks Off's dreams are made of, an a ... More >>

Glee: Faking The "Funk"

​"Daddy?" "Yes, son?" "What does regret mean?" "Well son, the funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done. And by the way, if you see your mom this weekend, will you be sure and tell her SATAN! SATAN! SATAN!" - Butth ... More >>

Roky Erickson

Why Do Houstonians Hate Beagles?

​The American Kennel Club has put out its annual report listing the most popular breeds nationwide and in specific cities. As in most years, Houston generally mirrors the national trends.The nation's most popular dogs:1. Labrador Retriever2. German Shepherd Dog3. Yorkshire Terrier4. Golden Retriev ... More >>

How Texas and Alabama Match Up... Musically

​ For once, Rocks Off is grateful for this sinus-splitting headache (thanks, Mike Stinson!), because it gives us something to focus on besides the fact that we are crawling out of our skin waiting for kickoff tonight. At this point, sports pundits have analyzed the Longhorns and Crimson Tide to wi ... More >>

"My Son Is the Lizard King, and I'm an Admiral": Successful Rock-Star Parents

​Late Thursday, word came across the ticker that legendary comedian and TV star Soupy Sales had passed away at age 83. After a stint in the military and on radio, Sales went on to be one of the major pioneers of televised sketch and children's comedy. In 1965, he pulled a stunt where he asked his ... More >>

Theme Songs for the Most Annoying Characters In the Star Wars Universe, Including Whiny Emo Bitch Anakin Skywalker

www.flickr.com/photos/fuzzcat/And you thought your office was annoying.​ Jar Jar Binks, Pratfalling Mongoloid Looking like some kind of unholy cross-breed between a frog and a duck, Jar Jar was the earliest indication that The Phantom Menace was not going to be up to snuff. The Gungan's antics wer ... More >>

MTV VMA Celebrities Ask The Full-Custom Gospel Sounds of the Reverend Horton Heat

​Dear Full-Custom Gospel Sounds,I am a multiplatinum rap artist and producer who has won several Grammy awards. You'd think this would be enough to satisfy me, but I am unable to allow other people to enjoy their time in the spotlight - I have often interrupted acceptance speeches, ranted and rave ... More >>

Lone Star Scorecard: "God Blessed Texas," "Dracula From Houston" and "The Wasp (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)"

​ You know the drill: every week we sift through several thousand songs (mostly) extolling the virtues of the Great State of Texas to bring you three that still manage to screw it up. And whether written by native sons or godless Yankee heathens, mistakes abound. Little Texas, "God Blessed Texas" ... More >>

Bayou Beat: A 15-Foot Sculpture of George Jones' Head, $10 House of Blues Tickets, Free Tontons Show, etc.

​Heavy metal comedy troupe Steel Panther has cancelled tonight's Warehouse Live show. What's on VH-1 Classic? Tennessee-born artist Wayne White is crafting a 15-foot puppet head in the likeness of Saratoga-born honky-tonk legend George Jones. Entitled "Big Lectric Fan to Keep Me Cool While I Sleep ... More >>

Houston Music Fight Club: Pizza Dude vs. Jerky Guy and 10th Grade Cutie vs. Everyone

​In this episode of Houston Music Fight Club, we yet again pit some of Houston's skuzziest and rocking local musicians and personalities together for a fight to the death. Or at least to the sore hand, bloody lip, and maybe a few tears. Some dudes fight when they cry; we've seen it firsthand. We d ... More >>

Personality Crisis

The New York Dolls aren't too long in the tooth to sing "Jet Boy."

Noise's Handy Holiday Local-Music Gift Guide

Single File

SXSW Last Night: Coconut Coolouts, Black Angels, Young Mammals, Tontons, Studemont Project

Drenched In Blog: Just Can’t Quit You Baby

Retro Active: 1987, Here We Come

Screwed-Up Klick

Bored with Apathy

Houston's old-school punks reunite to aid a stricken legend

Capsule Reviews

A picture of our critics' opinions on local exhibits

RIP, Syd. And RIP, 'Cid.

A psychedelic pioneer and the drug that helped do him in are both sorely missed

"Power" Players

Primary Season

Check out some of the new candidates for this year's Houston Press Music Awards

Band Suicide

Why so many Houston music groups self-destruct right on the brink of having it made

Jammin' on the Sabbath

If the Sunday-afternoon concert series isn't enough, there are still 10,000 free reasons to go to the Space Place

Boxing the Rock

Six of the year's best multi-disc sets (and one of the worst)

Playbill

Country Teasers, with NTX+ Electric Deth

Friday, January 23

Blunt Force

BMC plays ragga jungle at NoDo's Underground Lounge

Big Ass Truck

Butthole Surfers lite

Weird Without Choice

Eccentricity is an inescapable reality for Thinking Fellers

Short and Punky

Sad Pygmy just wants to make more noise

Don't Laugh At a Legend Roky Erickson emerges from the cacophony with his first new album in a decade

Sound Check

Dancing Fool

Swinging and swaying at the Forties Follies

Sprawling Toward Spunk

Weeping at the Metropolis, hiding in the Abyss

End Game

This is the way the year ends, this is the way the year ends, this is the way the year ends, not with a bang but a ... year-end roundup