Subject: Dolly Parton

• Fuck-off Friday: It’s Too Hot to Work Anyway

  August 10, 2007

• R.I.P. Porter Wagoner

  October 29, 2007

• Strange Wikipedia Searches I Have Done

  April 18, 2008

• The Year of Living Anxiously

  Are We Having Fun Yet? Or is it just the jangly buzz of advanced urban stress syndrome?

  December 29, 1994

• The Best Christmas Gift Idea Evar

  Thanks to Idolator, Rocks Off nearly had a stroke when he saw Mattel's new "Goth Punk Barbie," available exclusively at the Hard Rock Cafe's online Rock Shop for the not-so-low, low price of $70. Bitchin' lemon-yellow guitar sold separately, though this bad-girl Barbie does come with her own stand and, ahem, "Certificate of Authenticity." Hard Rock already offers "Runway Barbie," with "retro, revival-inspired attire," which it might as well have just named "Beyonce Barbie." What's nex

  November 28, 2008

• Cutout Bin: The New Relations' Great Vibes with Mufftars

  The New Relations Great Vibes with Mufftars (1978) Meet Don and Doug, the Gabriel brothers; better known as the New Relations. Their road to fame and fortune began one slow day at Don Sr.'s muffler shop in Iowa, when the old man decided he would make his sons their own guitars out of mufflers. One came from a '69 Thunderbird, the other a '72 Buick. Soon, the boys and their "Mufftars" were touring the nation, appearing on the Jerry Lewis telethon, and getting national press in the pages of

  January 15, 2009

• Critic's Choice

  December 7, 1995

• Rotation: Steve Martin's The Crow

  Steve Martin The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo (40 Productions) www.stevemartin.com The scenario sounds laughable: comedian Steve Martin, a banjo and 15 original bluegrass songs. Is he kidding? Actually, no. Most of The Crow plays with as straight a face as Joaquin Phoenix had when he fumbled through some lousy, substance-infused rap performances in Vegas. Unlike Phoenix, Martin the actor-turned-musician is not half bad. In fact, his album is more than half good. Hard to

  February 9, 2009

• Press Picks

  January 30, 1997

• Rotation

  August 7, 1997

• Tell No Lies

  August 7, 1997

• Post-Valentine's Day Relationship Rescue Songs

  Dwight McCannSo Valentine's Day is over, and you spent all your dough on Cupid swag for that special sweetie, which hopefully bought your way out of the doghouse for the time being. But if not, Casanova, your Rocks Off homies still have your back - provided you have an iTunes account. Sentimentally speaking, what could be more romantic than the gift of lovey-dovey pop songs? They say so much, and, until iTunes' new pricing tiers take effect this Spring (driving big hits up by as much as a

  February 17, 2009

• Wanted Man

  August 28, 1997

• Rotation

  October 9, 1997

• Aftermath: Reba McEntire at RodeoHouston

  Photos by Mark C. AustinReba McEntire is the closest modern country will ever get to the artistic heights of its pioneering female vocalists. Sure Tanya Tucker had her run but the booze, powders and Glen Campbell took their toll. Shania Twain was just a Nashville/Pat Benatar Frankenstein project. And all the others were B-teamers shoving out their shingle on Music Row in hopes of at least landing a spot a county fair or a gig shilling corn chips. When it comes to heavy-hitting mamas like

  March 12, 2009

• Idol Beat: The Top 11

  Photo by Ray Mickshaw / FOXPictured: Matt Giraud, exquisite gumline Traditionally, I've concluded the first Idol Beat of any given week with predictions as to who the American Idol judges or viewing public will send home the next night. This week I'm upending that, and predicting that no one will go home. That's right: all eleven of the remaining finalists are safe as houses. "But how is that even possible," you ask, you cry, you pound the sides of your PC monitor. Well, the judges have that

  March 18, 2009

• Living Doll

  June 17, 1999

• Loretta Lynn

  February 19, 2009

• Selecting The Proper Valentine's Day Soundtrack

  February 12, 2009

• Texas Music on Sirius/XM's Outlaw Country

  December 4, 2008

• Rodney Crowell, Forever the Houston Kid

  Gasoline Dreams

  November 6, 2008

• The Secret Life of Bees Is All Honey, No Sting

  Buzz Kill

  October 16, 2008

• Yes, It Can-Can

  The delightfully eccentric Moulin Rouge giddily juggles eras

  May 31, 2001

• Vinyl Ranch’s tribute to Urban Cowboy

  Leon’s monthly country-music installment pays tribute to classic country cinema

  June 5, 2008

• Dolly Parton: Backwoods Barbie

  March 20, 2008

• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade

  Watch downtown turn into cowpoke heaven

  February 28, 2008

• The improbable redemption of Ashlee Simpson

  "La La" Love You

  February 14, 2008

• Music Deaths

  The Greil Marcus Rock Death Meter returns

  December 27, 2007

• Big Country

  Buddy and Julie Miller --

  April 27, 2000

• Patty Griffin

  Children Running Through Ato Records

  February 15, 2007

• Brennen Leigh

  Thursday, February 16, at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk, 713-528-5999.

  February 16, 2006

• 'Bout Time

  Give it up for soul survivor Bettye LaVette

  January 19, 2006

• Piece of Ass

  The Red Hog Saloon

  November 17, 2005

• Playbill

  December 2, 2004

• The Joy of Cooking

  Las Nuevas Tamaleras is a corny kitchen comedy

  November 11, 2004

• Sonny Landreth

  Saturday, April 17

  April 15, 2004

• Money Waters

  The Porch (Soullsys Music/Noir Sound)

  February 26, 2004

• Norah Jones

  Feels Like Home (Blue Note)

  February 12, 2004

• If That Ain't Country

  Stampeding horses and twangy riffs at the HMNS

  January 1, 2004

• This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

  December 11, 2003

• Number One with a Bullet

  Our take on "rare" Nirvana

  January 9, 2003

• The Great Escape

  Baz Luhrmann makes movies--and audiences--in his own image

  June 7, 2001

• The Reluctant Romantic

  Amy Rigby softens her cynical edge with the pop-inflected Sugar Tree

  February 1, 2001

• She Sings Hard for the Money

  May 4, 2000

• Gracious Angel

  A box set doesn't mean Emmylou Harris's career is done; it may mean it's just beginning

  January 2, 1997

• MP3 of the Day: Miss Leslie & Her Juke Jointers

   It seems for every great female country singer, there's a man who has invented a new way to break her heart, be it by leaving or simply not returning her desires. The latter is the case on Miss Leslie's HPMA-nominated "Between the Whiskey and the Wine." This song will make your heart ache. This is traditional country all the way, complete with whining guitar that'll pulls at the heartstrings. Vocally, Miss Leslie takes a page from prominent country artist like Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parto

  July 23, 2009

• Lone Star Scorecard: All Tanya Tucker Edition

  ​The history of country music - or any music until recent years, for that matter - is largely represented by men, with female artists popping up more and more frequently as time passed and concert/record promoters realized there was a market for women in the business. In country, you started with pioneers like Kitty Wells, who were followed by the next wave (Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee) and then the Big Three (Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette) before female artists became relatively commo

  September 9, 2009

• The Nine Five Movies You Must See On 9-9-09

  It's September 9, 2009, a date which has absolutely no significance to anyone except those celebrating Shane Battier's 31st birthday and people who regularly say things like, "Well of course you're having communication issues; you have retrograde Saturn in your 5th house." Today also marks the release of the movie 9 which promises to delve deeper into the world of post-apocalyptic rag dolls than any film before.We at Hair Balls have never been ones to ignore pointless calendar shenanigans, howe

  September 9, 2009

• Steve Young

  October 15, 2009

• More Musical Medocrity For Houston's Private Party Of The Year

  ​For those folks out there wondering if superlawyer Mark Lanier had suddenly -- after all these years -- finally developed good musical taste, you can rest assured: He hasn't.Tort King Lanier is famous for his Christmas parties, elaborate (if liquor-free) bacchanals that feature kiddie rides, top-notch food and high-priced entertainment.In the past, the acts have included Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Brooks & Dunn and Reba McEntire. (Dolly and Reba have their moments, but tend to play their

  October 22, 2009