Czech Republic

Austin Is Overrated, Try Houston Instead, Says Most Insightful Travel Writer To Ever Grace The Web

We -- to be frank -- had absolutely no idea who David Landsel was...until we opened an e-mail to discover that he is the single most insightful, knowledgeable, trenchant and trustworthy travel writer to ever be on the web. Why he has no multi-platform empire of his own -- why he's not the Martha St ... More >>

Guy Roberts: Into the Breech

Guy Roberts returns to Houston in a co-production with Main Street Theater of Shakespeare's heroic blood, guts and mud epic Henry V.

Lamb of God

The 5 Best Shows In Houston This Week: December 3-6

Of Montreal, Wild Moccasins, French Horn Rebellion Warehouse Live, December 3 Of Montreal's sunny psych-pop brims with such starry-eyed youthful bliss that it might be a little sobering for aging hipsters to remember that Kevin Barnes' crew was once peers with Elf Power, Olivia Tremor Control and T ... More >>

Celebrate Oktoberfest Like the Germans Do at King's Biergarten -- With Beer

When it comes to German beer on draft, there are two places to beat in Houston -- even if one of them is technically in Pearland. Closer to the heart of the city, Midtown's Bar Munich has an impressive array of taps that includes all six varieties of Hofbräu München (including their Oktoberfest b ... More >>

ZZ Top Sucks. There, I Said It.

ZZ Top Sucks. There, I Said It.

Today ZZ Top is releasing their 15th studio album and first in nine years, LA FUTURA. By all accounts is it much-anticipated. But I'm going to out myself here and now: I do not get why people love ZZ Top. If you are one of those people, can you explain it to me like I'm five years old? Chances are ... More >>

Freed Randy Blythe, Lamb of God Coming to Houston December 6

Now that Lamb of God front man Randy Blythe's Czech prison vacation is over, he and his bandmates are heading out onto the road to make up the dates they had to cancel over the summer. The metal act will be in Houston on December 6 at Bayou Music Center. The band, plus Dethklok and Gojira, were se ... More >>

Houston Theater Awards

From actors to designers, directors to technicians, the city's brightest talent gets its due.

"Free Randy Blythe": Lamb of God/Dethklok Tour Canceled; No Houston Sept. 7 Show (UPDATE: Blythe Has Been Released)

(UPDATE: From Adrenaline PR: "After five weeks in a prison in Prague in the Czech Republic, Randy Blythe has been released on bail and is returning to the United States. Although Lamb Of God has cancelled their summer co-headline tour with Dethklok, the band is currently targeting October 26th as t ... More >>

''NeoPopStreetFunk 4''

Don Giovanni

Main Street Theater's Richard III is punk-goth magnificence

Richard III

In Search of Spring Break: Then and Now

How Spring Break '89 stayed with me

The Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck

Gothic Council Makes Its News Year's Resolutions

Well, Christmas is over, as is Festivus for the rest of us, and now 2012 is barreling down at us like Donkey Kong threw it. Some people say that this year will be humanity's last, but since we say that as often as we can we're not too worried about it. Personally, we think the Mayans were just too b ... More >>

Bartender Chat: Piran Esfahani of Zimm's Martini & Wine Bar

​Piran Esfahani came to Houston from Vienna, Austria to study business and graduated from St. Thomas University. Shortly thereafter, he left Houston for Roatan, Honduras (it's not ugly...) to sell beachfront real estate. Now he's back masterfully crafting martinis at Zimm's Martini & Wine Bar ... More >>

Cover Story: Concussions in Youth Sports: Is The Risk Worth It?

​Kayla Meyer was a normal kid growing up on the family farm in New Prague, Minnesota, where she used to ride horses around the property. But now, the 14-year-old can no longer ride or even attend school on a regular basis after receiving two concussions in ice hockey. Ali Champness, too, is ... More >>

Capsule Stage Reviews: The Marriage of Figaro, King Lear, Come Back, Little Sheba,  Under the Big Dark Sky

The Marriage of Figaro

European Travel Tips For First-Time Bands

​Local favorites the Wild Moccasins embark on a six-week European tour this weekend. Rocks Off knows how daunting international travel can be, especially when you're on a multi-country blitzkrieg that exposes you to numerous languages and many differing cultural mores in a relatively short per ... More >>

World Cup 2010: These Teams Will Make It Out Of The Group Stage. Guaranteed

Now THAT was a USA World Cup squad​The 2010 edition of the FIFA World Cup is finally here. Thirty-two teams made it to the big dance to see just who is the best in the world. Realistically though, only a handful of teams have a shot of winning the cup. It's all going to come down to matchups ... More >>

Game Time: Okay Rockets, It's Your Move In The "Summer Of Trying To Be Moderately Interesting" In Houston

Photo by Daniel KramerYou're on the clock, Morey. Entertain us​"Can you really not be aware we've been building a RICO case against Tony Soprano for five f**king years? And then you blow this popcorn fart?" -- Federal agent to local prosecutor in Sopranos episode "Soprano Home Movies""Popcorn fart ... More >>

Bartender Chat: Mike Sims of Rudyard's

​For the last ten years, Mike Sims has been working at Rudyard's British Pub (2010 Waugh Dr.). But he hasn't always been the bartender. He started out helping a friend bar-back, and then he moved to working the door. Eight years ago, he started working as a bartender.

"Carlos Torralba, Aleksandar Mladenovic and Xénia Hoffmeisterová"

Printmakers from three countries contribute to a new art exhibit at UHCL

Still Not Sold On SXSW? How About Smokey Robinson, High On Fire, She & Him, Band Of Horses, Drive-By Truckers, Deer Tick, Anya Marina, Black Angels, Major Lazer...

Today the organizers of the SXSW Music Festival announced their showcase schedule for the music portion of the industry fest starting on March 17. This is the news Rocks Off has been looking for, so let's get it on. We are now one month away from Sixth Street and one of the world's biggest conglome ... More >>

Last Call: One-Man Hamlet, A Gritty Greenwich Village And Brazilian Elections

​The Classical Theatre Company's well-received production of Hamlet comes to a close on Sunday; it's a show we highly recommend.An original one-man adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet stars Guy Roberts, who adapted the piece and also co-directed with John Johnston. During the ninety-mi ... More >>

Classical Theatre Company: Hamlet

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark," but it's all good at CTC

My Top 5 Summer Beers

In the winter, a cold beer is a nice thing to drink with a sandwich. In the Texas summer, a cold beer is a necessity. It is a cure for the malaise brought on by too many days without a fucking break from this heat -- the short term solution to global warming. And here are my five top beers of the su ... More >>

Defending the Polka

Loves of a Blonde

Milos Forman takes a look at love, lust and living with your parents

Alley Theatre: Rock ‘n’ Roll

Groove to the rhythm of Stoppard’s big ideas

U2 Closer to Firming Up Reliant Stadium Date

u2.com U2's free concert last Friday at Fordham University, the BronxUpdate: No Line did indeed debut at No. 1, selling 484,000 copies. U2 has sent out the equivalent of a "Save the Date" card. Today the Irish rockers, whose new album No Line on the Horizon opened to mixed reviews but d ... More >>

“New Visualism: Abstractions in Photography”

FotoFest’s latest exhibit is a Peruvian-Czech mix

Polka Party

Maybe it’s the beer that makes all these stoic countries produce such jubilant dancing

Last Week: Jason Webley at Notsuoh

Various Artists

Putumayo Presents Gypsy Groove

The Measure of Kielbasa

Real Polish sausage is a lot more exciting than the nasty Polska kielbasa they sell at the grocery store

God Save the Queen

A talented rapper narrowly survives another lousy movie

Flirt for the Cure

Peddling flesh in the fight against cancer

Spoken Like a Champion

Saul Williams -- poetry's only rock star -- aims for the lizard brain

Modern Vintage

Photo shows at Sicardi Gallery and FotoFest merge the past and the present

Rave Rules

No one over 25 should be in attendance, but if you are, here's the game plan