David Lee Roth

The Five Most Disappointing Goth Albums: The Cure, Wild Mood Swings

All this week we're looking back over albums by undeniable goth icons and talk about their failures. As we proved in Monday's entry in the series, the mid-'90s wasn't an easy time for the pioneers of the goth genre. On the one hand they were reasonably secure as established and proven acts, but on ... More >>

EPIC: The 20 Most Overused Terms In SXSW Band Bios

Before I take any trip to Austin and SXSW, I always take more than a few days to peruse the schedule and check out a few of the hundreds of names on the roster and read their bios. Some years there are more bands with "wolf" and "space" in their monikers than usual, and some years there are random ... More >>

So, Who Should Play the Super Bowl Halftime Show Next Year?

This past weekend, I was honored to cover the Super Bowl XLVII festivities and game in New Orleans for the Houston Press and local TV outlet KIAH (Channel 39). Great fun, if not for locals in NOLA, who were ravaged by drunken football fanatics puking onto their 49ers and Ravens jerseys in the street ... More >>

5 More Christmas Songs by Houston Artists (and the Butthole Surfers)

5. Butthole Surfers, "Good King Wenceslas" Would you believe me if I told you that a Butthole Surfers song is impossible to explain? There's a version of "Good King Wenceslas" that Mannheim Steamroller made pretty famous on elevators around the world. You wouldn't recognize the words if I told you, ... More >>

Sex Expert Rachel Khona's Steamy Road-Sex Soundtrack

Nevermind the bushes, the parking garage, the vacant tollbooth, the Wendy's bathroom, the Walmart gardening center. I guess we've all been there, when the urge and vapors and blood flow gets to be so troublesome that we just gotta have sex in the car. It has to happen in the car. No exceptions. Th ... More >>

No Fences: Garth Brooks & the Fuzzy Math of 10 Mega-Concerts

Fifteen years ago this week, the greatest country music artist of all time, Garth Brooks, made history by playing a free concert to a massive crowd in New York's Central Park. Now, not just anybody gets to play Central Park, but Brooks had the megawatt stroke in the entertainment biz back then to ma ... More >>

Last Night: Aerosmith & Cheap Trick at Toyota Center

Aerosmith, Cheap Trick Toyota Center July 30, 2012 It always happens. I go into an Aerosmith show full of hate and distrust of laser-lips Steven Tyler and the Aero Posse and end up half-enjoying myself despite all the reservations that the rest of the world pumps into my head. It's like when you a ... More >>

Kool & the Gang: "Houston Better Be Ready"

With more than 70 million records sold, the men of Kool and the Gang stand as some of the most commercially successful funksters of all time. Born in Jersey City, N.J., the band was essentially just a group of friends with a jones for Miles Davis and James Brown. But they hit the big time in 1973 wi ... More >>

Years of Refusal: 8 More '80s Icons Who Should Follow Morrissey Into Retirement

Morrissey announced this week that he plans to retire in two years. That's tragic news in some circles, but we think it's a good move. In 2014, he'll turn 55, and the Smiths thing is never happening. How much longer is he supposed to do this? Another ten years 'til he's 65? He's Morrissey, not a Chi ... More >>

2012 Summer Guide: It's a Scorcher

A summer concert season to melt your face off.

Top 10 Most Outrageous Onstage Incidents, Antics & Meltdowns

Everyone has their meltdown moments, no doubt about it. We make mistakes and, most of the time, we try to correct them. We have them because we are all human. Unfortunately, though, when you are in the spotlight, your hurts, tantrums, mistakes and meltdowns are all magnified for all the world to se ... More >>

La La Love You: Top Ten Cheesiest Love Songs For Valentine's Day

It's that time of year again. Everything is red and full of hearts. Chocolates and roses are marked up. Couples are showing off and singles are desperately searching online dating services for a quick set-up to give them their own special day. That's right, it's about to be Valentine's Day! Some are ... More >>

10 Rock Stars the GOP Should Nominate for President

As the 2012 presidential race begins to heat up in earnest, Rocks Off can't help but feel that the front-runners for the Republican nomination are lacking a certain je ne sais quoi. Call it star power. Call it sex appeal. Whatever it is, these guys ain't got it. If the GOP is serious about wresti ... More >>

Heavy Fuel: How to Drink Like a Rock Star

If you want to be a real rock star, you can go ahead and forget about those Red Bull and vodkas you're so fond of. Legit rockers are fueled by bigger, harder and flat-out weirder doses of alcohol than the mere mortals hitting on the bartender at your local watering hole. Sure, a few of our musical ... More >>

How To: Drink Like a Rock Star

Sure, most rock stars are probably happy with any bottle that happens to be within reach. Some rock stars, however, prefer to refine and perfect their booze intake, settling on a signature cocktail that suits their outsized personalities and consequence-free lifestyles. Rocks Off salutes these exc ... More >>

The 2012 Katy Perry Fantasy Relationship Draft: Which Rappers & Rockers Should She Date Next?

​The pop and tabloid world was rocked last Friday as we got word that Russell Brand was divorcing his wife of 14 months, Katy Perry, smack in the middle of the holiday season. The pair spent Christmas apart, with Perry cavorting in Maui in a bikini - yes, there are boob shoots - and Brand repo ... More >>

The 10 Greatest Rock Bassists of All Time

Me (right), God help me, and Billy Sheehan circa 1990.​Last week, Neph Basedow wrote her list of the 11 greatest female rock bass players and she took a little heat for it, including some from me. But, she also got a lot right. At the very least, she highlighted the most under-appreciated musi ... More >>

Father Figures: 100 Famous Musicians' Paternal Professions

If you're a Texan of a certain age, this week you've probably spent some time mourning the death of Jerry Haynes, the children's TV host better known as Mr. Peppermint. Haynes' show on WFAA-TV in Dallas, Peppermint Place, ran from the '60s to the '90s and was widely syndicated across the state, incl ... More >>

Iggy Pop, the Bordeaux Connoisseur: The Funniest Food Requests on Riders

ITO EN, you're all that I wanted in a tea.​The next time someone calls you a picky eater, direct them to Weezer's backstage rider for their 2010 tour. Weezer demands that both regular and Canadian bacon be available for breakfast, that there be almond butter but no peanut butter, that there m ... More >>

Get Your Tinfoil Hat, Consortium of Genius Is Coming

Artwork courtesy of consortiumofgenius.com​Rocks Off loves extreme personalities. Whether it's the serene, spiritual symphony that is Tyagaraja, or the pre-frontal lobe melting experience that is Tubby Chubcakes we just can't get enough of people who go screaming over the edge of normalcy like ... More >>

Guns N' Roses, Rolling Stones, Prince Coming In 2011?

Sind Axl und Slash wieder Freunde geworden?​Rocks Off is in the concert business for all intents and purposes. We scour Pollstar and other Web sites and almost hourly looking for new shows and tours to tell you about around the clock. In the span of writing this introduction we just listed Luc ... More >>

30 Seconds With Black Congress' Dann Miller

Laura Lopez/ Black Congress on Facebook​We sat down with Dann Miller, the bassist of Black Congress, to see what we could learn about him in 30 seconds. And here we go! Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? Dann Miller: The first that come to mind are "Old Time Rock and Roll" by ... More >>

Are You Totally Goth?

This guy is definitely Goth.​Being a Goth often requires a constant image check. How many points do you lose for owning a Cher album? If you don't wear black leather in the summer, does that show a lack of dedication? These are the questions and queries and posers that whip up a Goth into a fr ... More >>

Eddie Van Halen Can't Drive 55, But He Is 55

Daniel Kramer​Today marks the 55th anniversary of the world receiving the gift of the illustrious finger-tapping stylings of Eddie Van Halen. Hard rock wouldn't be the same without his goofy face on stage wailing away on his "Frankenstrat" and his strong arm tactics behind the scenes. Rocks Off ha ... More >>

2009 Concert Rewind, August: Weezy, Blondie, Depeche Mode, JoBros, Katy Perry, Mos Def, De La Soul, Blue October, Green Day and an Audience With King George

Shea Serrano​ Asher Roth, Kid Cudi, House of Blues, August 1: "[Cudi has] tapped John Goldstein, Kanye's famed stage light guy, to help him create an actual feel to his show. Hipster rappers get derided a lot as not being "real rappers," but they put on a hell of a show. The crowd is already his." ... More >>

Artist of the Week: Hormone-Free Vocabularian Herds-Men the Jonx

Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to introducingliston@gmail.com. ​ We first noticed The J ... More >>

Glee: Going to the Mattresses

Holy crap! Glee brought it hard this week, like thirtysomething EXTREME brought it. The drama was up, the tension was great, and everything was perfectly set for next week's fall finale, the show's final ep until April. "Mattress" opened in the teachers' lounge, with Ken (hey look he's back!) s ... More >>

A Cruel Perfumed World of Amazon Women: Auditions for America's Next Top Model

Photos by Katya HornerPerfecting the vapid mannequin look​On Saturday morning women of all races, creeds, and subcultures converged on the Hilton Post Oak near the Galleria to take their crack at professional modeling. The producers and talent scouts for the Tyra Banks-helmed America's Next To ... More >>

Aftermath: Katy Perry at Verizon Wireless Theater

Photos by Kim Douglass​ Katy Perry kissed a girl. She liked it, and now she's a huge pop star. If things broke the same way for boys, Aftermath would have been a huge pop star for the past 19, 20 years. But we're not bitter.​After bailing on two previously scheduled Houston shows - once due to i ... More >>

Aftermath: Darius Rucker at RodeoHouston

Photos by Craig HlavatyAftermath always wondered what it was like to not be known to the public by your birth name, but by the name of your band. In the beginning, some club owners thought that David Lee Roth's name was Van Halen. I'm sure somewhere along the line Ian Anderson was called Jethr ... More >>

WTF Island: Jackson Five, Kid Rock, Glenn Danzig, Rock Camp and Assteroids

Even as our economy continued to go up in flames like the Toyota Center, the carnival of WTF kept trolling along this week. It seemed that every day we saw something so asinine and foolish that we couldn't keep up. Jackson Family slavery museums, rock and roll fantasy camps, Kid Rock's new beer, "As ... More >>

Classic Rock Corner: The Greatest Band Logos of All Time, Part 1

Daniel Kramer With our ears still ringing from last night's AC/DC concert at Toyota Center (I knew we should have stayed away from the end of the stage with the cannon...), we got to thinking about the Aussie boys' iconic band logo. Sketched in pen on a million different school notebooks, and gr ... More >>

Lost Tuneage: Cactus

Introducing a new column in which Rocks Off delves into the music of short-lived or overlooked performers of the classic-rock era... Who Dat? Billed as "America's answer to Led Zeppelin," this quartet was formed in 1969 by Vanilla Fudge rhythm section Tim Bogert (bass) and Carmine Ap ... More >>

Ignore the set of Billy Budd, and you'll hear a masterpiece

Listen Up

Saturday Afternoon: Cobra Starship at Cactus Music

Three Nights Ago: Hives and Maroon 5 at Toyota Center

Drenched In Blog: Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want

“Thunderstruck” on I-45

True Blue Confessions

Let's join Madonna for a friendly round of Celebrity Breach of Confidentiality

How Low Can You Go?

Let's see with the last installment of our guilty-pleasures project

Playbill

Dem Blues

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

New Bands from Old

Or "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Ignore Audioslave"

Sacred Blues

Blues 2 Joy writes a new testament for the devil's music

Born in the USO

Created by the folks who provide "entertainment" to military bases, VQ Live hopes to keep the non-GI Joes happy

Rotation

Bang with Brains

Unchecked Egos

It's a Mystery

At the Ensemble and Main Street, death is summer fun

Static