Curtis Mayfield

Last Night: Unknown Mortal Orchestra at Fitzgerald's

Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Foxygen Fitzgerald's February 22, 2013 It took a good twenty minutes, but finally the lights went red (just like last time they were here) and Unknown Mortal Orchestra slithered to the stage. Frontman Ruban Nielson was ominous in a black leather skullcap and what I believe ... More >>

The Rocks Off 100: Frank Zweback, Funkmaster General

Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community -- a lot more than just musicians, but of course they're in there too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Frank Zweback has a lot of Houston Pre ... More >>

The Journey Agents: Flamboyance, Chops & Soul At Summer Fest

The Journey Agents can be described in one word: Funky. When we say funky, we mean like early Red Hot Chili Peppers. If you listen to their 2011 release, All Up In It!, you will either want to dance or turn the bass up to the max level. Rocks Off caught up with St. Clair and Brandon Miles of the Jo ... More >>

Mo' Better Tunes: The Ultimate Spike Lee Soundtrack

​When Spike Lee puts out a new film, I always make a point to check it out, even if I hated his last one. He's directed more hits than misses, and even his duds have been quality duds. The first Spike Lee joint that I saw as a kid was Malcolm X, which I definitely did not understand at all beyond ... More >>

Saturday Night: Boz Scaggs & Michael McDonald At Verizon

Boz Scaggs & Michael McDonald Verizon Wireless Theater October 1, 2011 Now, Classic Rock Bob doesn't want to come off as some sort of out-of-touch curmudgeon ("What do you mean you don't sell cassettes anymore? Hey! You kids get off my lawn!"), but one of the reasons to love classic rock is very si ... More >>

Top 10 Hip-Hop Album Intro Tracks

​Before iTunes and Amazon gave us the luxury of picking and choosing which tracks we want off an album, we had to buy the entire CD or cassette tape to listen to everything we paid for. The intro tracks are usually what help us decide if the album is something we were going to love start to fi ... More >>

Your Weekly Heat Wave Music Blog: Hotter Than Hell Edition

Ed. Note: Remember that "songs about Hell" blog we mentioned a couple of days ago? It's still hot, and here it is. maximumwage.wordpress.comThe Southwest Freeway and Loop 610, 4 p.m.​There's an old saying in Botswana: "Shitfire is it hot!" Wait, maybe that was Bandera. Anyway, whatever hemisp ... More >>

Saturday Night: Robin Thicke At Arena Theatre

Photos by Marco Torres​Robin Thicke Arena Theatre February 12, 2011 Is describing a show as an aural roofie politically incorrect? Because Saturday night's Robin Thicke show at the Arena Theatre seemed to put all the women in the crowd into a sexy soul-fog with a syrupy thicke-ness. We even s ... More >>

The Top 10 Rock-Musician Film Scores

​David Fincher's Facebook creation tale The Social Network has been the No. 1 film in America the past two weekends, and no doubt it will continue that streak this weekend, barring an assault by Jackass 3-D which comes out today. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone is already hailing Network as a ... More >>

Last Night: The Black Keys At The Woodlands

Photos by Marc Brubaker​The Black Keys Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion September 20, 2010 "Howlin' at midnight, winter creepin' in/ Feel like I've gone and lost my best friend" - Lucinda Williams, "Howlin' At Midnight" Did you see the moon Wednesday night? The "Super Harvest Moon" that, acco ... More >>

The Top Five Bank-Robbery Scene Soundtracks

​It's been quite a summer for bank robberies in the Bayou City. It seems like more banks are being plundered than ever before by a rogue's gallery that includes the XXXL Bandit, the "Master of Disguise" and the Bicycle Brigands. Whether coincidence or felonious response to a dismal economy, th ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

Ceviche is always best when served on a salt puck.​Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where there can never be enough varieties of the Newton. We're working on a Boston Cream Pie Newton that should be ready before the end of the year, assuming we can get our taste tes ... More >>

Brown, Out

Macho meets homo in the laudable but terrible La Mission.

Jeff Beck, Speaking Without Words

Photos by Jason Wolter​ Aftermath supposes that, when it comes to music, poetry is where you find it. But unlike the evergreen Beatles vs. Stones debate, or the even more pronounced vinyl/CD/MP3 back-and-forth, the line between those who prefer their music with lyrics and those who can take it str ... More >>

Listology: Lucas Gorham Of Grandfather Child's Favorite Voices

Brittanie SheyGrandfather Child's Lucas Gorham at Walter's, opening for Black Joe Lewis last Friday​ Grandfather Child is ridiculous. Seriously, the band's lineup is like some sort of musical Fantastic Four, banding together to demolish all comers. They all have their own spin-off books too in for ... More >>

Leon's Lounge Needs Some Soul. Brett "Dirty Honey" Koshkin Has The Platters.

​ Leon's Lounge, the venerable Midtown throwback dive, is currently closed for renovations as new owner Pete Mitchell (Under the Volcano) gives it a good scrubbing, but it should be back open before too much longer. Maybe as soon as next month. Earlier this week, Rocks Off heard some equally good ... More >>

They Were Kinky Before Kinky Was Kinky: Musicians Who Have Held Public Office

From Ted Nugent to Bruce Springsteen to those adorable Dixie Chicks, "Masters of War" to "George Bush doesn't care about black people," musicians have never been shy about voicing their political opinions. But when it comes to putting their money where their mouths are and filing the necessary pape ... More >>

A Third Ward Pawnshop iPod and the Mysterious Fate of Previous Owner "Scooby"

Whoever he is (was?), Scooby's iPod wasn't short on R. Kelly.​So a couple of weeks ago, after three or four years of increasingly faltering service, Rocks Off's 30 GB iPod finally died. Completely. Out of sheer broke-assedness, we had held on to it for longer than most. By the end, its quirks and ... More >>

The Station Showcases Work "Defending Democracy"

Making Change

David Beebe's Matagorda Island Discs

(In which locals sound off on the ten records they would take to Matagorda Island, the nearest major unpopulated sandbar to Houston.)

SXSW: Ending on a High Note with Darondo

Future Shock: the iTaser

Listen to tunes while you tase

Nothing Happening Here: Protest Music, Then and Now

Electroma

Daft Punk duo make their big-screen debut

Drenched In Blog: Superbad Tracks

The Gospel According to Gnarls

Cee-Lo breaks down the genius behind St. Elsewhere

Papa Didn't Take No Mess

RIP, James Brown

The Gourds

The Gourds perform Saturday, December 30, at the Continental Club, 3700 Main, 713-529-9899.

RIP, James Brown

Shine It Up

With its sluggish pace and fuzzy focus, Sparkle lacks luster

Irie iFest

Finding the coolest runnings at this year's Jamaica-themed Houston International Festival

Scarface

My Homies Part 2

Bun B

Trill

The Derek Trucks Band

Friday, April 22, at the Meridian, 1503 Chartres, 713-225-1717.

On the Down-Low

Shovel away all that Usher, Prince and Lil Jon you've been jamming, and dig this year's buried black-music treasures

On the Down-Low

Shovel away all that Usher, Prince and Lil Jon you've been jamming and dig this year's buried black-music treasures

Rockin' in the Free World

Soundtracks for your Election Night shindigs

Van Hunt

Van Hunt (Capitol)

The Gift of Gab

Fourth Dimensional Rocketships Going Up (Quannum)

Dem Blues

The left, turning right, was plain wrong to attack pop culture

Barfin' Green

Hangover planning for St. Patrick's Day

Jenny Toomey

Friday, November 2

Bowing to Pop

A Muslim by choice, Jawad couldn't deny the will of his music

Rotation

Boozoo Chavis and the Magic Sounds, Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band, Verbena

Who R. You?

The enigma that is R. Kelly keeps audiences enthralled, guessing

The Return of Superfly

Uncommon Cause

Rotation

Rotation

Black Is Back