Deer Tick

Slip Slidin' Away: My Life as a Rock Journalist With the Houston Press

I had a hernia operation in the early summer of 2006, and had nothing to do all day but hobble around with cool cane a borrowed from Grandpa Hlavaty and play on the Internets for two months or so. I had developed the injury while working at Domino's, but it was cool because their insurance helped ... More >>

Dust Off Your Flannel

Does the looming '90s revival presage a Nirvana-style breakthrough?

Yes, Public Image Ltd Is Playing Scout Bar

The runoff attached to Fun Fun Fun Fest during the first weekend in November has paid off for Houston, which will see dates from Baroness -- fingers crossed, Tomahawk, Converge, Red Fang, Valient Thorr, and now Public Image Ltd. The post-Sex Pistols John Lydon project will play Clear Lake's Scout ... More >>

Bun B, Murs Guest On Fat Tony's New Double Dragon LP

Double Dragon, rapper Fat Tony's sophomore album hits the streets on June 1, with help from Tecla, Bun B, Murs, and others. The disc will be released on the brand-new imprint Young One Records, based out of Brooklyn. The youthful Young One label is an off-shoot of Partisan Records, home to Deer Ti ... More >>

New ZZ Top Tribute Disc Frightens, Titillates, And Confuses Us

Photo By Jim Bricker​If you don't know that Rocks Off is a ZZ Top-friendly place, then you have probably only been reading the blog for the past two or three hours. The two men who run this blog love Billy, Frank, and Dusty with the energy from one thousands suns, and their whole catalog runs ... More >>

A Band to Save Me

The first Best of Houston® BestFest makes itself at home in Midtown.

BestFest: Buxton Incite Swoons, Deer Tick Get A Little Goofy

Photos by Marc BrubakerBuxton​Maybe I've just never seen Buxton at a venue as large as this one before, but I've seen them play some pretty big places, and so far this is the biggest they've ever sounded. It was just confirmed for me that those guys can thrive equally well in either a modest, ... More >>

Countdown to BestFest: It All Starts Tomorrow

​The 23rd annual Houston Press Best of Houston® issue is coming out on Thursday, September 29. But you don't have to wait until next week to celebrate: Come join us as we celebrate the issue's release at this weekend's BestFest block party. Headlining bands the Toadies and Cake will play on ... More >>

Midtown Throwdown

Your guide to our very first Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest.

BestFest Single-Day Passes Now On Sale For $25

Marco TorresBun B: As trill as it gets.​You asked for it, you got it. Like KISS. Now, right now, you can buy single-day passes for this weekend's Best of Houston® BestFest on the festival's Web site, bestfesthouston.com. If the virtual ticket window isn't quite ready, give it a minute or to ... More >>

Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest: Five Best (Get It?) Reasons To Go

Monica FuentesIt's a-comin'​The Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest is this weekend, and it promises to be great. Here are just five reasons, out of many, why you should be there: 5. To see what they've done to the "superblock" They -- and by "they" we mean Metro and property owners anx ... More >>

BestFest Finalizes Lineup, Releases Schedule

​As much as Rocks Off has been talking about it, planning it, and writing about it these past two months or so, it doesn't seem possible that our first-ever Best of Houston® BestFest is only 10 short days away. By the time we finish coughing up all the dust from our trip to the no-smoking Aus ... More >>

J Roddy Walston & the Business

BestFest Adds Los Skarnales, The Last Place You Look, Umbrella Man & Honky Tonk Blood Trio

Half-price GA passes = today's "Deal of the Day" GroovehousePachuco Boogie: Los Skarnales' Nestor Serrano (left) and Felipe Galvan at the 2011 Houston International Festival​The first Best of Houston® BestFest is shaping up nicely. Today it gives Rocks Off great pleasure to announce four mo ... More >>

Lord of the Hipsters

Whatever mashup-pioneering DJ Diplo decides to spin, it's a guaranteed party.

Chamillionaire Comes Aboard BestFest Lineup

Marco TorresChamillionaire at House of Blues, April 2010​Remember that announcement Rocks Off promised you about another addition to next month's Best of Houston® BestFest lineup lo those many years months days hours ago? Like, yesterday? Here it is: Chamillionaire. Sorry it took so long, ... More >>

Tontons Added To BestFest; Tickets On Sale Now

Mark C. Austin​ Rocks Off is thrilled to announce that Houston's The Tontons will be joining Bun B (with the band, above), Cake, Buxton and Deer Tick at the very first Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest at the Midtown "superblock" September 24 and 25. We will have a review up shortly of ... More >>

BestFest Tickets Went On Sale At 10 a.m.: Get `Em While They're Hot

​ Tickets for the Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest at the Midtown "superblock" September 24 and 25 officially went up for sale this morning at 10, meaning you are already at least two hours late in getting yours. Cake, Bun B, the Tontons and Deer Tick have been announced, with more ad ... More >>

Bun B, Deer Tick Come Aboard BestFest Lineup

Jason WolterDeer Tick at HOB's Bronze Peacock Room, October 2010​Rhode Island rockers Deer Tick do so wish they were from Houston. They have a deep-seated ZZ Top fetish that manifested itself in a cover of "Cheap Sunglasses" at SXSW a couple of years back, nearly causing a couple of members of ... More >>

ACL Fest Schedule Released; Your Guide To The "Death Duels"

Stevie Wonder on FacebookStevie Wonder: Even My Morning Jacket will be watching.​This morning, the organizers of the Austin City Limits Music Festival announced the schedule for the September 16-18 Zilker Park throwdown. We all knew there would be some tough choices, but Rocks Off found that w ... More >>

Liz Isenberg

Rocks Off's Must-See Music Picks For SXSW '11

​As you may have heard, there's a teeny-tiny little music festival going on in Austin later this week. Some of the early birds on team Rocks Off are either already there or well on their way, as a matter of fact. With more than 2,000 artists playing the official part of SXSW alone, trying to ... More >>

I Put A Spell On You: The Vixens And Visuals Of Voodoo Fest

Photos by Mark C. AustinMGMT: "Ruh Roh! Better play something off the first album!"​Village Voice Media dispatched Houston photographer Mark C. Austin to New Orleans this past weekend for the Voodoo Music Experience, the Crescent City's annual three-day Halloween engorgement of live music and ... More >>

Local Music Photographer Wins Deer Tick's Tour Bus

Photos courtesy of Mark C. Austin​Mark C. Austin just keeps on living the dream. Last month he opened "Three Songs, No Flash," his first-ever exhibition of his bountiful collection of concert photography - many shot for these very "pages" - now on permanent display in Warehouse Live's Green Ro ... More >>

Last Night: Deer Tick At The Bronze Peacock

Photos by Jason Wolter​Deer Tick House of Blues (Bronze Peacock Room) October 13, 2010 What makes a Deer Tick? Equal parts The Band, Nirvana, Ritchie Valens, Duane Eddy and a heap of firewater. It's hard to describe Deer Tick to people who haven't heard them, but those are the best terms we c ... More >>

Upcoming: Buzzfest XXV, Chuck Prophet, Deer Tick, Lights, Posies, Etc.

Update/correction (10:03 a.m.): Big Boi is not playing Ghoulsfest after all. But if you happen to be on the U.S.S. Yorktown aircraft carrier in Charleston S.C. on October 28, you can see Sir Luscious Left Foot there. ​Bob Schneider: Thu., Oct. 28. McGonigel's Mucky Duck. Buxton, Cotton Jone ... More >>

Into the Jungle

The Jungle Rockers are wound too tight for Vietnam...what about Texas?

The Happen-Ins, Mark May And More Weekend Happenings

Alexandra Valenti/ myspace.com/thehappeninsThe Happen-Ins​ Rocks Off is always looking for a cheapo weekend filled with wine, song, art and, well, debauchery if possible. The cheaper the better. So in that spirit... Rockers the Happen-Ins have been getting considerable buzz in their hometown of Au ... More >>

Dr. Dog, Deer Tick

SXSW Aftermath: Wild Moccasins Strike, Ray Davies Quakes, Deer Tick Boogie

Photos by Craig HlavatyWild Moccasins​Aftermath roused ourselves from our quick hour-long vegetative session after Thursday's day-party frolicking to venture into another night of SXSW music, that would include a local band's breakthrough, a legend reconnecting with his base and two indie-twang ba ... More >>

Run Through The Jungle: A Zoological Field Guide To SXSW 2010

​ Even if you've never pulled a trigger in your life, SXSW is, on some level, an exercise in hunting. Rocks Off had no idea how true this was until earlier this afternoon. As we were looking over the schedule at sxsw.com, we got the brilliant idea to note every band named after any kind of animal, ... More >>

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 >>

Distant Early Warning: Atreyu, Black Joe Lewis, Dr. Dog, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, Soulfly, Vivian Girls, etc.

​Atreyu, Drive A, Otenki: Sun., Feb. 28. Meridian. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Grandfather Child: Fri., April 2. Walter's on Washington. Camera Obscura: Sun., April 11. Warehouse Live. Cold, Nonpoint, Day Of Fire, Chrome 44: Fri., March 19. Scout Bar Clear Lake. Deer Tick, Dr. Dog: Sun., ... More >>

Our Texas High School Rock Off Preview, Part 1: Useful Information and The Paperwaits

This Friday, House of Blues hosts the first (and perhaps only) Texas High School Rock Off, co-sponsored by Fuse, Sonicbids and Rocks Off our own damn selves. See here for information on tickets, which start at the allowance-friendly price of $8. The winner receives $500, a trophy and an opening slot ... More >>

Aftermath: Deer Tick Remembers Lightnin' Hopkins - Do You? - at Warehouse Live

Photos by Eggs/ breakfastontour.com​ Deer Tick's set Sunday night at Warehouse Live, opening for the lovely and photo-shy Neko Case, was the perfect capper to a weekend that saw us become sleep-challenged conspiracy hounds and road-weary travelers all within the span of a day. Too bad that the ban ... More >>

Inquiring Minds: Deer Tick's Front Man Goes for That Chased-by-Alligators Sound

Providence, R.I., band Deer Tick may hail from "Up North" but their sound is purely steeped in grungey folk and rockabilly yelp. They, in fact, hear this description so much that the band has started to rebel against it by in fact upping the dosage on their new More Fuel For The Fire EP, which just ... More >>

No, We Haven't Forgotten About That Other Guy Playing House of Blues Thursday

​Amidst all the rum, sodomy, and lashing going on this week about the Pogues hitting House of Blues Thursday, it's easy to forget that they have a pretty stellar opener warming up the crowd. Hmm, kinda reminds us of another Irish band that brought a really kick-ass young band with them a few weeks ... More >>

Ramon Medina's Matagorda Island Discs

(In which locals sound off on the ten records they would take to Matagorda Island, the nearest major unpopulated sandbar to Houston.)

Deer Tick

War Elephant

The Long, Painful Genesis of Bring Back the Guns' First Album

Breaking a drought with Dry Futures

Rough Justice

Randall Jamail rides again