David Byrne

Exploring Songza: Four Offbeat Playlists From the Curated Music Service

We introduced you to Songza -- the service that acts as a "music concierge" -- a few weeks back. Using curated playlists sorted not only by genre and theme, but also by activity, Songza helps you pick the best songs for the occasion. More importantly to me, the playlists are expertly curated, mean ... More >>

10 More Things I'll Be Doing at ACL Festival This Weekend

That's right folks, it's ACL Music Festival time again in Texas, and Rocks Off will be flying to Austin on the private Rocks Off jet this weekend to cover the fest from Friday until the last notes of "Give It Away" at the end of the Red Hot Chili Peppers set on Sunday night. That's my way of telli ... More >>

Saturday Night: David Byrne & St. Vincent at Hobby Center

David Byrne & St. Vincent Sarofim Hall, Hobby Center October 6, 2012 Late, late into David Byrne and St. Vincent's appearance at Hobby Center Saturday, the duo arrived at a song whose title suited the evening to a T: "The Party." The tune itself, from St. Vincent's 2009's album Actor, was formal, s ... More >>

6 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Dinosaur Jr., Some Stones, Big K.R.I.T., Optimo Radio, etc.

Dinosaur Jr. Friday, Fitzgerald's Dinosaur Jr. may be one of the most underrated indie-rock acts of the past 25 years. They weren't as sexy as Pearl Jam or as populist as Nirvana, but the music dripping from the instruments of the criminally-unsung J Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph has ... More >>

Top 5 Weirdest & Worst Musical Collaborations

In the history of music, there have been many meetings of the mind between people with similar attitudes, styles, and ideas. Some of these just felt right from the very beginning and you knew they were destined to produce greatness. That's what happened when Brian Eno met David Bowie and later when ... More >>

Saturday Night: The Tontons at Warehouse Live

The Tontons, Quiet Company, Featherface Warehouse Live Studio September 1, 2012 Rewind: The Tontons Are Deemed Buzzworthy By MTV, Playing PopMontreal It's hard to put my finger on why, but Saturday felt like the most important night for local music since at least Friday's Grandfather Child hoedown ... More >>

The 10 Best Guest Appearances On Other People's Songs

Have you ever had one of those moments when, you're listening to a song and hear something familiar, like maybe a familiar voice or wonder, "Okay, who is really playing this particular instrument?" Many times a band or an artist will guest star on a recording. Sometimes it's a well-known fact, such ... More >>

Josh Samples of BRC Was Once in a David Byrne Movie and Keeps It "Clasual"

This week, I paid a visit to the Big Red Cock on Shepherd. It was happy hour, snacks were half off and they were knocking $2 off all drafts so a little happy hour-ing somehow morphed into a sort of dinner / me completely stuffing myself. I "tried" the charred brisket chile con queso, the mini beer ... More >>

Burn! Music's 12 Best Insults & Jabs

One of the not-so-fun things in the world is to get insulted or, in the words of Kelso from That 70's Show, get "burned." Now, let's imagine what it would be like to be insulted by some musician on one of their albums -- that "burn" I can only imagine was magnified by a million. Nevertheless, som ... More >>

Welcome To My World: 10 Musicians Who Deserve Their Own Reality Show

Ever since The Real World hit the MTV airwaves in the early '90s, reality television has been all the rage. However, since The Osbournes debuted in 2002, some of that reality programming has catered to music fans. Even such music artists as country artist Tanya Tucker, rapper/minister Reverend Run ... More >>

Houston International Festival

Turn The Radio On: Top 10 Musicians Who Should Be DJs

A few years ago, Van Halen front man David Lee Roth filled in for Howard Stern on his nationally syndicated radio show. Roth also served a stint as a deejay for New York's 92.3 Free FM. This is nothing new, because many artists have at some point served as DJs, such as Greg Kihn of the Greg Kihn ba ... More >>

Top 10 Most Underrated Music Video Artists

The Material Girl. The King of Pop (and his sister). The Chili Peppers. Mr. West. Very few artists have become the musical equivalent of the two-sport athlete: Making memorable music and monumental videos. When those people had a new video to premiere, it wasn't a just a video, it was an event. I ... More >>

Apocalypse Now: 2 DJs' Playlists For The End Of Days

Lee E. Wright/Sweaty. Sultry. Sandy.​Sand, surf, carnival - and the apocalypse. It sounds like a lead-in to "One of These Things is Not Like the Others" (although probably a little heavy for the Sesame Street crowd), but that was the theme of Sweaty. Sultry. Sandy., an art/fashion show held ov ... More >>

The 25 Most Influential Music Videos Of All Time

​It's hard to fathom a time before music videos, and it's even sadder to remember when channels like MTV and VH1 were wall-to-wall music videos. In between there was a golden age, when with every clip that you watched could spark a revolution in you, or at least change your fashion sense. It's ... More >>

I Wanna Be Your Dog (Or Cat): The Name Of This Blog Is I Wanna Be Your Dog (Or Cat)

Hair Balls was glad to learn that one of our musical heroes, David Byrne, is taking on The Man; namely, Florida Governor Charlie Crist, for using the Talking Heads song "Road to Nowhere" in his U.S. Senate campaign without permission. (Crist is running as an independent, but historically has belonge ... More >>

Houston International Festival

What Can Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne And Other Stars Claim On Their Taxes?

Photo illustrations by John Seaborn Gray​ Got your taxes done? No? You poor dumb bastard. They won't let you just not do them, you know that, right? Unpleasant as it is, finding out you owe still more money after having paid a sales tax all year, it's nothing compared to what the government will d ... More >>

David Byrne Mystified by Houston's Sprawl, Loves Jones Hall

Craig HlavatyYesterday one of our readers (thanks, Mimi!) posted a comment with a link to David Byrne's blog about the white-haired world-pop eminence's thoughts and experiences while on tour. Apparently Byrne got to spend quite a bit of time in Houston, because the entry surrounding ... More >>

David Byrne Bikes Houston

Photo by Craig HlavatyFormer Talking Head David Byrne (we're nor sure, but we're guessing he hates that description) was in town recently for a show at Jones Hall.Byrne has become a biking fanatic these days; he's also an occasional diarist about his tour.His piece on Houston has him complaining abo ... More >>

Aftermath: David Byrne at Jones Hall

Photos by Craig Hlavaty David Byrne knows about living in the moment. The white-haired former Talking Heads frontman and unofficial U.S. ambassador for Third World pop, whose hair was as white as his (and his band's) wardrobe, was a genial host at Jones Hall Monday night. "It's nice to be in Mr. Jes ... More >>

The Big Tweet: Special David Byrne Edition

Craig HlavatyRocks Off was hardly the only one who enjoyed David Byrne's show Monday night at Jones Hall. His eclectic, polyglot post-punk/funk presentation brought out all sorts of Twitterers, or those who wished they were there... @CodyScott: "Wilco tonight. Though I think I'd rather be at David B ... More >>

Byrne's Eye View

The ex-Talking Heads front man takes stock of his homeland on his second Brian Eno collaboration.

Going Viral

The infestation of classic-rock threatens the cultural legacy of an entire generation and must be stopped.

Afropop Arrives

Motherland music hit a fever pitch with U.S. bands this year

Tonight: Gentleman Auction House at Rudyard's

Lauren Winchester Within about 20 seconds of "A Banner Year," the opener of Gentleman Auction House's new Christmas In Love EP, the St. Louis indie-pop hydra has managed to recall Belle & Sebastian, Arcade Fire and another dozen or so boy-girl bands that are equally earnest and invigorating. I ... More >>

Stop Making Sense

Talking Heads concert film is a good reason to stay up late

ACL Fest: Drive-By Truckers, Man Man, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, and MGMT

ACL Fest, Day One: Delta Spirit, Jamie Liddell, Hot Chip, Gogol Bordello and Yes, Even Louis XIV

ACL Is Underway, Rootsy Early On

ACL Dudefest: M. Ward, David Byrne, Bobby Bare Jr. and Ryan Bingham

Saturday Night: Radiohead in the Woodlands

Has ACL Festival Jumped the Shark?

MGMT, Yeasayer

David Byrne, The Knee Plays

DVDs

Cannibal Corpse

Terry Allen

Terry Allen performs Friday, December 29, at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk, 713-528-5999.

Architecture in Helsinki

Wednesday, September 20, at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel, 713-225-5483

Pop Goes the Dead

A Beat of One's Own

Founding front man Dave Wakeling is the only original member left in the English Beat, but not for lack of trying

Various Artists

Bonnaroo 2004

Legendary Beats

Get a heady dose of drum 'n' bass at Planet of the Drums

Dogs Die in Hot Cars, with Phoenix and Longview

Tuesday, March 22, at the Meridian, 1503 Chartres, 713-225-1717.

A Thin Line...

Introducing the most hated men in rock (besides Sting)

Playbill

Mighty Mediocre

Wind bags a few charming laughs, but mostly meanders

Made With Love

Rosanne Cash is the friend who will say, or sing, what you can't

Twice in a Lifetime

Stop Making Sense

Rotation

Sound Evidence

A documentary delves into theera of electronic music