Des Moines

The Houston Aeros Are No More, R.I.P.

The Houston Aeros lost 7-0 to the Grand Rapids Griffins in Grand Rapids on Saturday night. With the loss the Aeros are done for this season, having lost the deciding game of round one of the AHL Calder Cup playoffs. And with the loss, the Houston Aeros are done in Houston. They are no more. The nex ... More >>

The Top 5 Things to Do in Houston Sports This Weekend: Playoff Edition

It's one of the craziest weekends in Houston sports. Every major and minor league franchise in the city is part of a game or a draft and some of the goings-on are damn important. This is not the weekend to be a sports amateur. You need to step your game up to a pro level if you intend to compete wi ... More >>

Top Five Things to Do in Houston Sports This Weekend: Depressed Aeros Edition

Well, it's official. The Houston Aeros is moving to...Iowa. I've been to Des Moines. It's a nice town. But, losing our only tie to professional hockey pretty much sucks. I'm depressed. But, I have to suck it up because there is lots more to do and I can't get bogged down in something like this. I me ... More >>

Say Goodbye To The Aeros & Pro Hockey: The Team Is Moving To, Ummm, Iowa

The Houston Aeros, it now seems assured, will not get to celebrate their 20th anniversary of being the only hockey game in town. The Minnesota Star-Tribune, which covers the Aeros' parent team, the Minnesota Wild, reported today that Wild officials have all but ended negotiations with the Toyota Ce ... More >>

Aeros One Step Closer To Playoffs, One Step Closer To Des Moines

Lost in the talks of the Houston Aeros relocation, of the vitriol being spewed toward Les Alexander, of the jobs being lost, the families uprooted, is one simple thing. The Aeros are still playing hockey. And with four games left in the regular season, the Aeros are still very much in a fight for a ... More >>

Top Five Things to Do in Houston Sports This Weekend: The Upper Crusty Edition

The above image is exactly what we imagine you say when you see the weekly headline announcing the best things to do in sports this weekend. You're all, "FUCK YEAH, MOTHER EFFER! IT'S TIME FOR SPORTS! WOO!" Then you read about the things we have to offer and you're all, "YEAH...wait, what?" That's ... More >>

Report: Aeros To Des Moines; Their Weird Toyota Center Fight Now Includes Talk Of Missing Office Equipment, Bad Ice & Iffy Wi-Fi

I wrote last week that the Houston Aeros might possibly be in the midst of their last-ever regular season homestand. The team's lease with Toyota Center expires at the end of this season, and negotiations though supposedly on-going throughout the season, have not been fruitful. Michael Russo, the M ... More >>

Top Five Things to Do in Houston Sports This Weekend: Dirt, Clay, Mud and Cheerleaders

TGIF, my children. It's time to rev up the weekend and get yo butt in gear. You may want to lie around on your couch watching the Final Four or spend some time absorbing "culture" at a "museum." I say blow all that crap out of the water with an ass kicking good time like any red blooded American. Ho ... More >>

The Last Ever (Possibly Maybe Forever) Disappointing Stand of the Houston Aeros

This time two years ago, the Houston Aeros were making their final push to secure a Western Division playoff spot. They were on a spurt of a fantastic play that would propel them through the end of the season into the Calder Cup finals where they came up just short of the AHL championship. Two year ... More >>

Announcing the 2013 MasterMind Winners

This year's winners danced, sang or delivered their lines in spectaculer fashion. For which we give each entity out thanks, admiration and a check for $2,000.

The Coolest and Uncoolest Songs About America's Coolest City (Us)

Above is Dean Martin doing "Houston" on his television show. Epic fail, but nice outfit. As you may have read, Forbes magazine recently determined that, by their measurement criteria, Houston is now America's coolest/hippest city. Of course, while the rest of the world has looked down its nose for ... More >>

Tyler Gleason: The Messianic Facebook Manifesto of the Man Who Allegedly Left His Baby in the Sun on FM 1960

Along with his wife Tonya Gleason, Houstonian homeless advocate Tyler Gleason was arrested yesterday and charged with child endagerment. Harris County Sheriff's deputies say that the couple left their five-month-old son in a car-seat in the median of FM 1960 near Kuykendahl while they solicited fu ... More >>

Paid to Smile

Vagabond '90s-rock heartthrob Evan Dando goes where the wind blows.

Skarnales, Escovedo, Gaines Make Rockin' Nightlife Tour

Photos by Lisa RosatoLos Skarnales​Friday was one of those nights when Rocks Off wished we operated one of those "show you the nightlife" tour buses filled with people from Omaha, Chicago, Des Moines, and Berlin. When's the last time Houston had a gentle north wind cooling the evening in mid-M ... More >>

The United States Of Women In Music

​Rocks Off is no He-Man Woman Hater's Club. We like women quite a bit, actually, especially those women brave enough to wade through the rivers of bullshit in the male-dominated music business. If you'll page back a few weeks, you'll remember the discussion of our favorite female artists from ... More >>

Betting Their Lives

It's easy for a three-time felon to get $20 million for his investment company, as long as no one asks any questions.

Prized Possessions

Homeless in Houston share their most important objects.

Comment of the Day

​Today Katharine Shilcutt posted "The United States of Soda," which got a good discussion going and led to some comments about beer and geography. Reader Megan had a few thoughts: Hell yeah! Green River! Still can only find it in Illinois and one diner in Des Moines, IA. Way too sweet on its ... More >>

Suck On It, New York!! Houston Has Direct Flights To Branson, Missouri!!

​In case you've been experiencing the typical Houstonian's self-doubt about whether or not we're really a sophisticated metropolis, you can relax.Houston is now one of only five American cities with direct flights to Branson, Missouri. On real planes, too!You didn't think he would do "Moon River," ... More >>

Houston 2020: The Future Is Unwritten

But hey, that's not stopping Noise.

Weed Takes Root

Marijuana's steady creep toward legalization nationwide.

The 100 Best Bars in America: None For You!

Hey, Esquire, stick to covering topics like this and we'll all be happy.​The venerated Esquire has released its list of the Best Bars in America, compiled after what we imagine was some serious and excessive binge-drinking that had either mind-erasing or mind-altering effects on the editors ... More >>

Oh, God: Now It's Our Teeth We Have To Be Self-Conscious About

​What is it with Houston and lists? Fattest city, most polluted city; even when it's a good thing, it's only something like being a cheap place to date. You know, we're guessing Des Moines, Iowa, is a cheap place to date, too. It's just that no one bothers to check.Now it's our teeth.Once again a ... More >>

Aeros Running Out of Steam, Goalies

For a team that is just two wins away from clinching a playoff spot, the Houston Aeros have played more than their share of bad hockey this season. And last night, with a chance to move ever closer to that playoff spot, the Aeros turned in one of their worst games of the season. "We felt tonight ... More >>

Aeros Running Out of Steam, Goalies

For a team that is just two wins away from clinching a playoff spot, the Houston Aeros have played more than their share of bad hockey this season. And last night, with a chance to move ever closer to that playoff spot, the Aeros turned in one of their worst games of the season. "We felt tonight ... More >>

What Mainstream Publishers Don't Want You to Know About Door-to-Door Magazine Sales

That kid at your door with a magazine order form will tell you a story -- part sad, part hopeful. The truth will be infinitely worse than you can imagine.

Aeros Staying in Houston for at Least Five More Seasons

Aeros Update

Houston Aeros Best the San Antonio Rampage in a Sluggish Game

Petr Kalus Scores Two for the Aeros, Taking Down the Springfield Falcons

Cal Clutterbuck Levels an Admiral, Gets the Aeros Going

Parish Predators: Are Daniel DiNardo and Juan Carlos Patino-Arango Cut from the Same Cloth?

Houston Aeros Face Off Against the Stars and the Rivermen

Is Benoit Pouliot Gonna Be the First to Go?

Worst and Weirdest

A sampling of some of the most out-there freak-outs and calamitous train wrecks H-Town bands have experienced the last few years

Dissecting the Dirty Dozen

The Doctor Is Insane

Are they any Howard Dean remixes on the Web? Yeeeaaarrrgggghh! And some Texans are leading the charge

Hip-hop, Tejas

Latinos take on rap music and make it their own

Wesley Willis

Wednesday, April 23

All Duct Up

From leftist camps and corporate security to semi-panic and port patrols, Houstonians tackle terrorism threats. Sort of.

Hounded by the Pound

Plus: Tribute to Oliver, Wrapping It Up, Bigotry 101

Dead Weight

Kathryn Bigelow gets Water-logged with too many plots

Shtick and Move

$tocks and Bonding

Boiler Room steams with the stark greed of go-for-brokers

Winning in the Worst Way

Rock Knapp transformed little Northwest Academy from gridiron patsy to playoff powerhouse. So why are some parents calling for his head?

Off Line

Take an ex-con with a smooth line of patter, a group of mystery investors and some gullible journalists. What have you got? Houston's first on-line daily newspaper. At least for a few weeks.

Stupid Is as Stupid Sells

The Ozz man is back, as dreadfully (and delightfully) dumb as ever