Dan Auerbach

SXSW: Health, The Cribs, The Black Keys, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead

Aftermath: The Black Keys at Meridian

The Black Keys

thickfreakness (Fat Possum)

Aftermath Extra: The Best Concerts of the Year, Part 6

Silver Jews, Walter's on Washington, September 18: "[Silver Jews frontman David] Berman strode around the stage with confidence; you wouldn't know he's still getting used to playing live. At times, he looked so loose that he might slump to the floor had he not been leaning on the mic stand." (Troy ... More >>

This Week in SXSW: Katy Perry Kisses the "Lake of Fire"

There's now less than a month to go until we here at Rocks Off throw sobriety and sane living to the wind at this year's SXSW festival. This past week we learned of a boatload of new stuff about the weeklong liver-damaging voyage in March, so here goes... The list of bands keeps growing and gro ... More >>

Aftermath: Derek Trucks Band at House of Blues

Photos by Craig HlavatyAt its best, music has a deeply spiritual quality, an ability to create some connection on a higher level between performer and audience that even someone with a bust of Madalyn Murray O'Hair on their mantle can get on board with. Thursday night at House of Blues, Derek ... More >>

SXSW Day One: Absinthe to Auerbach

Photos by Craig HlavatyIt's official: This author loves absinthe. Or whatever it was that they were serving at the Music Gym off 6th Street that they were calling absinthe. Who the hell cares? It was free and it opened our SXSW 2009 with a strange and weird sensation in the facial area. Plus, it m ... More >>

Annuals, Jessica Lea Mayfield

Photos by Craig HlavatyIt's official: This author loves absinthe. Or whatever it was that they were serving at the Music Gym off 6th Street that they were calling absinthe. Who the hell cares? It was free and it opened our SXSW 2009 with a strange and weird sensation in the facial area. Plus, it m ... More >>

The Black Keys Doggy-Paddle from Akron to Stardom

Rubber City Roots

The Black Keys

The Black Keys perform Sunday, December 10, at Numbers, 300 Westheimer, 713-629-3700. Dr. Dog also performs.

Rust Belt Blues

The Black Keys bounce their Rubber Factory out of Akron, Ohio

MOFRO

The Black Keys bounce their Rubber Factory out of Akron, Ohio

Roll Over, Eric Clapton. And Tell Stevie Ray the News.

The blues is back -- rawer and louder (and punker) than ever

Jessica Lea Mayfield, Castanets

The blues is back -- rawer and louder (and punker) than ever

Bayou Beat: JavaJazz and Meridian Merge

Craig HlavatyButthole Surfers at Meridian, October 2008​Rocks Off has learned that Northside all-ages coffeehouse and music venue JavaJazz has shut down and moved all its shows to the Meridian downtown, and that the two venues have merged into one operation. "All Javajazz shows have moved to Merid ... More >>

Songs By ACL Artists That Should Be Covered By Other ACL Artists

Isn't it fun to imagine all your favorite bands are best friends? And that when they spend time together, as so many of them are doing right this second at the Austin City Limits festival, they would inevitably learn each others' songs? Here are some songs by ACL bands which we'd like to see covered ... More >>

ACL 2009 Day Three: Live Shots

Photo by Mark C. AustinDan Auerbach​As we wait for the final day of ACL coverage to roll in, enjoy some of our favorite shots from the festival below.

ACL Aftermath, Part 2: Now That That "Dillo Dirt" Unpleasantness Is Out of the Way, How About Some Music?

Mark C. AustinSeems like we recognize this guy from somewhere...​ More and more, Aftermath uses ACL more than SXSW to see which recent buzz bands are worth their salt, and of course to check on how some old favorites are doing. This year, tops on our new-to-us list were Blitzen Trapper, who manage ... More >>

Million-Dollar Mud

The 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival became a quagmire everywhere but onstage.

Aftermath: Justin Townes Earle, Gaining on His Dad and Lightnin' Hopkins at House of Blues

Photos by Craig Hlavaty​ It seems every time Aftermath encounters Justin Townes Earle live, the guy has peeled another layer off himself revealing another astounding bit of his promise. Barely three years into his career, Earle is seemingly moving at an accelerated rate, even if the casual listene ... More >>

Black Keys-Approved, Hacienda Debuts Here In November

West Vita/ myspace.com/haciendaspace​Hacienda, the rapidly ascending San Antonio rock band that recently released its second album, Big Red and Barbacoa, to rave reviews across the spectrum, will play its first-ever Houston-area show at Under the Volcano Thursday, November 4. The band spent m ... More >>

Kings of Leon, The Black Keys

West Vita/ myspace.com/haciendaspace​Hacienda, the rapidly ascending San Antonio rock band that recently released its second album, Big Red and Barbacoa, to rave reviews across the spectrum, will play its first-ever Houston-area show at Under the Volcano Thursday, November 4. The band spent m ... 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 >>

Live From The Austin City Limits Festival, Day 1

Brittanie SheyThe Ettes​Brittanie Shey: Things seem incredibly crowded, and hotter than Houston, if that's even possible. The dust is already flying. Some of us here braved the bro-crowd at the Black Keys (see jump) but some of us, seeing the mile of bodies wobbling before the stage, decided t ... More >>

Loud Is the Night

San Antonio's Hacienda blossoms under a Black Key's patronage.

Top 10 Honorary Texas Musicians

West Vita​Right here, right now, and in print all damn week, you can read the Houston Press' interview with perhaps the hottest new band on the South 40, San Antonio's Hacienda (above). Whether or not they go on to become a South Texas Kings of Leon - Hacienda is also three brothers and a cous ... More >>

Lonesome Onry And Mean's Top 11 Shows Of 2010

Jason WolterToots & the Maytals at House of Blues, May 2​Along with the season of shopping madness and suicidal depression comes the season for Best-ofs. Live show-wise, 2010 was very benevolent to Lonesome Onry and Mean. Some of our favorites from 2010: 11. Jon Cleary, The Big Easy: Cleary ... More >>

Meridian: A Retrospective Of Better Days

Mark C. AustinKings of Leon at Meridian, 2006​The Meridian Saga seems to have ended, after close to a year of weirdness and shady business dealings. In the past twelve months it went through overhauls, new management, lockouts, changes in image, mild scandals, and even a name change. Remember ... More >>

Rocks Off's Favorite Albums Of 2010

​Editor's Picks: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Mojo: Big surprise, I know. But not only did "I Should Have Known It" vault into my Top 5 Heartbreakers songs the first time I heard it - and make me a bigger Led Zeppelin fan in the process - but others like "Candy" and "Good Enough" also held ... More >>

Punching a Wall

Jessica Lea Mayfield goes from a bluegrass childhood to buzzworthy "goth-blues drama queen."

Friday Night: Jessica Lea Mayfield At Fitzgerald's

Photos by Marc Brubaker​Jessica Lea Mayfield, David Mayfield Fitzgerald's April 22, 2011 You know those situations where you're thinking to yourself, "Wow, this looks like it doesn't make sense...perhaps some further investigation might prove me wrong"? Friday night was one of the very few ti ... More >>

Valerie June Out, Krayolas In At Leon's, Volcano

Craig HlavatyValerie June at SXSW​Win some, lose some. Pete Mitchell, owner of Under the Volcano and the recently reopened Leon's Lounge, just called to bemoan the fact that rising star Valerie June had cancelled her July 26 solo date at Leon's. "She's doing a record with Dan Auerbach [Black ... More >>

2 Become 1: Musical Match-Ups We'd Like To See

​Kanye "Hitler" West and Jay-Z released their (overused music writer word alert) epic Watch the Throne album this week, to mostly great reviews. This fall the first fruits from the recently announced Lou Reed/Metallica collaboration should be on the store shelves, which still sorta weirds us o ... More >>

Ten Albums That Should Be Grammy Nominated Over Linda Chorney's

Photo by Jason WolterJason Isbell (left) and Amanda Shires (right) are both more deserving than Chorney.​The small world of Americana music is all a-twitter over New Jersey woman Linda Chorney's nomination for a Grammy in the Americana category. In case you haven't been following the story, Ch ... More >>

5 Places I'd Rather Play Than Saturday Night Live

​Recently I returned to being an active musician, and that is peachy with a side of keen. Like most musicians, I'm a day dreamer who spends his bathtub time answering in-depth questions from imaginary hot, red-headed music journalists about the undeniable genius of my art. Also returning are t ... More >>