Death Cab for Cutie

The Best Things at Coachella This Year, Weekend Two

Ed. Note: This is the final post of our piggyback Coachella 2013 coverage, with an eternal debt to our friends at LA Weekly and OC Weekly. The Visual Stimulations for People Who Were High Coachella's art installations -- the ones designed to impress you while you're high, aka all of them -- were pa ... More >>

The Best Concerts In Houston This Weekend: JD McPherson, Drew Ireland Benefit, etc.

JD McPherson Continental Club, March 1 Tickets are already getting scarce for one JD McPherson, who is rapidly rising out of obscurity via Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. McPherson came by his bopping R&B/rockabilly sound honestly, by studying vintage labels such as Vee-Jay and Specialty, and then working ... More >>

Top 10 Heartbreaking Holiday Covers

Last week we took a look at some of the most holiday spirit-dampeningly awful songs ever recorded. We aren't quite done ruining your holiday spirit just yet however, as this week we have compiled ten of the saddest holiday cover songs ever recorded. Rewind: The 10 Worst Holiday Cover Songs Ever ... More >>

2012 Turkeys of the Year

Puffed up, plucked and ready for roasting, here's this year's best of the worst.

The 8 Most Bro-Tastic Bands of All Time

"Hipster." The word is older than you think: it pops up in an old Seinfeld episode where Jerry refers to Kramer as a "hipster doofus." It even predates that by many years. A few years ago, it was convenient shorthand to refer to someone who overcompensates, who tries too hard to be unique and inter ... More >>

Last Night: Creed At Bayou Music Center

Creed Bayou Music Center April 30, 2012 Villains are infinitely more interesting than heroes, and have way better origin tales. All human mythology features roguish baddies, who are actually more engaging than their lily-hearted counterparts. Kids of all ages dress up like Darth Vader and the Joker ... More >>

We Tell You Who Will Win Grammys So You Don't Have To Watch Them

SPOILER ALERT​The best thing about the annual Grammy nominations and awards shows is the clamor of anger that rises up when the mere mention of the event even comes up. Immediately people begin calling it a travesty, trotting out all the people who have been snubbed -- Jethro Tull beats Metall ... More >>

The Sound of Flight: 6 Local Musicians That Could Announce Flights at Houston Airports

On Tuesday, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport announced that they will be launching a new program to promote awareness of music native to their region, wherein famous musicians from the area will announce safety procedures and give informational speeches on the airport. In return, the airport wil ... More >>

UGK's Top 10 Most Insightful Songs, Part 1

blastro.com​There's a big difference between being a fanatic and fan of someone's music. We all know this, but let's spell it out for the slow kids in class. For instance, Rocks Off is a fanatic of Death Cab for Cutie. We love their deep cuts as much as the widely known "Soul Meets Body." We ... More >>

Upcoming: Atmosphere, Death Cab For Cutie, Jayhawks, Etc.

​Alien Ant Farm: Sat., Sept. 24. Scout Bar Clear Lake. After The Burial, Veil Of Maya, Misery Signals, Within The Ruins: Thu., Oct. 6. Warehouse Live. The Airborne Toxic Event: Wed., Oct. 12. Warehouse Live. Atmosphere: Thu., Sept. 22. House of Blues. Benny Benassi: Sat., Sept. 3. Stereo ... More >>

Elaine Greer's Favorite Swimming-Pool Songs

Elaine Greer on Facebook​Homesick? Not Elaine Greer. Not anymore. The waifish singer-songwriter and 2009 Houston Press Music Award nominee for Best Female Vocals moved to Austin a couple of years back. After the usual adjustment period, she says she likes it "quite a bit." "When I first move ... More >>

Lyrics That Make Terrible Facebook Status Updates

DTF for sure.​Ever seen a nonsensical, irrelevant Britney Spears or Drake lyric on your Facebook news feed that made you cringe? We have - about 56, and the workday isn't even over yet. Some lyrics should stay on the radio and off the Facebook circuit. Perhaps instead of simply asking, "What' ... More >>

Last Night: Tokyo Police Club At Warehouse Live

Photos by Kendra BerglundCold Thursday Night: Roky Moon & BOLT​Tokyo Police Club, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Roky Moon & BOLT Warehouse Live February 3, 2011 In case you haven't noticed, it's freezing outside. And if you're from Houston, like Aftermath, you're not accustomed to it ... More >>

Does "Indie Rock" Mean Anything At All Anymore?

​Our colleague Shea Serrano has been doing brisk business with his Rap Round Table blogs, corralling local hip-hoppers into talking about events in their scene and in the world at large. No topics are off limits, and everyone is willing to talk. So Rocks Off decided it was time for Houston's ... More >>

Last Night: Mates Of State And Free Energy At Warehouse Live

Photos by Marc Brubaker / Click here for a slideshowFree Energy​Mates of State, Free Energy Warehouse Live July 8, 2010 There's nothing like getting ripped from your lemon grass tofu because there's a magician opening a Mates of State show. Aftermath was sitting down like a real, live human b ... More >>

Friday Night: Wild Moccasins, The Eastern Sea And The Wiggins At Walter's

Photos by Kendra BerglundWild Moccasins Zahira Gutierrez (left) and Cody Swann​Wild Moccasins, The Eastern Sea, The Wiggins Walter's on Washington July 2, 2010 The Wiggins​Friday night at a packed Walter's on Washington, the Wild Moccasins hosted a party to kick off their summer West Co ... More >>

Incoming: A River Oaks Tale

Plus: Band of (Jonas) Brothers

Black Lightning

Top-notch songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson stops by Conroe.

Dust in the Wind

Son Volt's latest album is steeped in Midwestern musical history.

Ghosts of Washington Avenue

Noise goes whistling through the scenester artery's music venue graveyard.

John Mayer Is Full of Crap

​Something about John Mayer just gets under Rocks Off's skin. We'll admit there was a time he made us believe our body was a wonderland, and yes, we've even wanted to "run through the halls of our high school and scream at the top of our lungs." But no more. The quiet little guitar player we once ... More >>

Wooden Birds

Got Live If You Want It

Our Spring/Summer concert preview, part deux

Some Further Thoughts on iFest, and Festivals

Photos by Chris Gray Skyscrapers - something you won't see at Austin City Limits. Western Swing maidens the Quebe Sisters performed in the shadow of the Jesse H. Jones Library.Previously, Rocks Off's idea about what a "festival" should look like, and what to expect, came from his exper ... More >>

Smiths Reunion Rumored at Morrissey's Jones Hall Show

Strangeways, here they come: Rocks Off has learned that former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has requested passes for his ex-bandmate Morrissey's sold-out April 11 show at Jones Hall, leading to speculation that the two will perform onstage together for the first time since the influential Manch ... More >>

Selecting The Proper Valentine's Day Soundtrack

A Fine Romance

Bryan Adams's 11, 11 Times Through

Just Like "Heaven"

SXSW Extra: What's In My Pockets (Again)?

Houston Rock Scene Woes, Continued

A tri-ologue with three scene vets about selling out, not being true to yourself and rocking too hard

Mates of State

Mates of State appear Saturday, December 2, at Numbers, 300 Westheimer, 713-526-6551. Asobi Seksu also performs.

Gooooaaaal!

A few locals are afflicted with World Cup mania; also: Chango Jackson, KPFT and what touring bands really think of Houston

Motorcycle Madness

A local theater troupe brings Daniel Johnston's wild vision to life

Old Folks Rock

McCartney doesn't pretend to be anything but a sap. And Jagger still acts like he's God's gift to sexdom.

Exquisite Corpse

Finally, zombies get some respect in Stubbs

Houston's Gone Gaaga for Haaga

A former king of the Texas metal world unites Houston's warring rock tribes and wins a passel of Music Awards

Local Rotation

Trend-Spotting

In a scandal-ridden election year, the year's top ten music stories were all about winning the popular vote

Smells Like Indie Spirit

Music that made the world safe for the word ³alternative² again

Smells Like Indie Spirit

Music that made the world safe for the word "alternative" again

Trend-Spotting

In a scandal-ridden election year, the year's top ten music stories were all about winning the popular vote

Super Unison Brothers

Ryan Chavez and Andrew Morgan wave good-bye to Hands Up Houston

Playbill

The End Is Near

The day of the Locust is at hand

Reverse Fairy Tale

From Beverly Hills to Omaha with Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis

Emo Over Easy

After hatching a new plan with The Egg, Shiner continues to scramble its sound

Reach for the Sky

The selfishness of Hands Up Houston nourishes Space City's beleaguered indie scene

Crap Shoot

Nothing's guaranteed at SXSW - not even a seat to Dee Dee Ramone's show