Dolly Parton

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

R.I.P. Porter Wagoner

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Appalachia Calling

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Appalachia Calling

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. Sentime ... More >>

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 proje ... More >>

Loretta Lynn

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 proje ... More >>

Selecting The Proper Valentine's Day Soundtrack

A Fine Romance

Yes, It Can-Can

The delightfully eccentric Moulin Rouge giddily juggles eras

Vinyl Ranch’s tribute to Urban Cowboy

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

Dolly Parton: Backwoods Barbie

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

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade

Watch downtown turn into cowpoke heaven

Big Country

Buddy and Julie Miller --

Brennen Leigh

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

'Bout Time

Give it up for soul survivor Bettye LaVette

Piece of Ass

The Red Hog Saloon

Playbill

The Red Hog Saloon

The Joy of Cooking

Las Nuevas Tamaleras is a corny kitchen comedy

Sonny Landreth

Saturday, April 17

Money Waters

The Porch (Soullsys Music/Noir Sound)

Gracious Angel

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

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. Thi ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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 rele ... More >>

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- ... More >>

Aftermath: Puscifer at Jones Hall, the First Show We've Walked Out On In Years

Photos by Groovehouse​Aftermath considers himself a reasonably tolerant sort of fellow - you pretty much have to be to do this job. And we know for a fact we have a sense of humor, and a pretty off-color sense of humor at that, because it's gotten us in hot water more than once. ​Which is why ... More >>

He Said She Said: Songs That Make Us Feel Like a Natural Woman

​ Despite what Shania Twain may think, feelin' like a woman isn't always about going totally crazy in men's shirts and short skirts. The life of a modern woman is often more about balancing work and social obligations, maybe even with motherhood, while still trying to look good (if you even care a ... More >>

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

Enjoy "I Will Always Love You" on key and sans squeaks

Mark Lanier's 2010 Desperate Christmas Party Performer: Sting

Nah, you're not invited​Mega-lawyer Mark Lanier each year throws an outrageous Christmas party, because there's nothing better to do with money than throw an opulent, look-at-me event that doesn't even serve liquor for all the dads who've had to drag their kids out to ride the rides.The event also ... More >>

Ten Country Covers That Top The Pop Originals

​Our copy must still be in the mail, but Rocks Off figures we have heard enough songs from Jamey Johnson's new album The Guitar Song on Sirius/XM's Outlaw Country to know that we like it a whole lot. But none that we've heard so far are our favorite new Johnson song. It's close. No flies on G ... More >>

9 to 5: The Musical

​Our copy must still be in the mail, but Rocks Off figures we have heard enough songs from Jamey Johnson's new album The Guitar Song on Sirius/XM's Outlaw Country to know that we like it a whole lot. But none that we've heard so far are our favorite new Johnson song. It's close. No flies on G ... More >>

Capsule Stage Reviews: 9 to 5, The Good Body, The Little Dog Laughed, To Cross the Face of the Moon

​Our copy must still be in the mail, but Rocks Off figures we have heard enough songs from Jamey Johnson's new album The Guitar Song on Sirius/XM's Outlaw Country to know that we like it a whole lot. But none that we've heard so far are our favorite new Johnson song. It's close. No flies on G ... More >>

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

​Our copy must still be in the mail, but Rocks Off figures we have heard enough songs from Jamey Johnson's new album The Guitar Song on Sirius/XM's Outlaw Country to know that we like it a whole lot. But none that we've heard so far are our favorite new Johnson song. It's close. No flies on G ... More >>

Six Things The White Stripes Leave In Their Wake

​In the wake of the White Stripes' official breakup last week, the music world reeled with the loss of one of the defining bands of the past decade. Some applauded the end of a band they saw as too simplistic, buoyed by a sub-par drummer and warbling attention-addict. Different strokes, y'all. ... More >>

Rocks Off's Fantasy RodeoHouston Lineup

Photos courtesy of Houston Livestock Show & RodeoGeorge Strait in 1996​If you walk through Reliant Center, hanging from the ceiling are banners listing almost every musical performer RodeoHouston has hosted since the '60s. The names reflect the hallowed history of country and fleeting fancies ... More >>

Zoo Station: A Noah's Ark Of 75 Animal Songs

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee ... More >>

Fifteen Of Our Favorite Cheating Songs

zazzle.com​Songwriters find inspiration many of life's varied realms: Joy, grief, sex, drugs, anger and, evidently, two-timing. Some are sad, some cheeky, some violent and revengeful, but we've collected a sad-sack grab-bag of cheating-related songs. Here is our Top 15, along with their lyric ... More >>

Out Today: Bon Iver's Bandwagon Bait, Weird Al Goes Gaga

Greetings From Bon Iver Land! Now, grab a rifle. It's almost dinner time.​In the next few weeks, you may be reading about the new Robert Ellis album, Photographs, so we are just giving you fair warning. It's a stunner through and through, and goes nicely with early morning traffic. Have you ev ... More >>

Out Today: Beyonce's 4 Is Square, Limp Bizkit Chokes The Cobra

What is this I don't even....​This week in new releases sees is one of the most varied in months, with new discs by Beyonce, Limp Bizkit, Dolly Parton, and Thievery Corporation hitting shelves and digital outlets today. By far though, the sexiest album cover is the Beyonce art for 4, and the m ... More >>

Boobylicious: Music's 20 Most Memorable Breasts (Semi-NSFW)

ztams.comWendy O. Williams, seen here with Motorhead front man Lemmy Kilmister​It may sound silly, but boobs are powerful things. Men are fascinated and entranced by them, while women constantly obsess over their size and shape. In a way, they're not unlike the ring in Lord of the Rings: Capab ... More >>

9 Musical Costumes Couples Should Avoid This Halloween

Norman See/last.fmNice threads, but... yeah. Don't go there.​The other day, a friend of ours asked us for our opinion on some ideas for "couple costumes," as in Halloween, including Han Solo and Princess Leia. Ugh. Do you happy couples really start this early in September? Rocks Off thinks ... More >>

The Five Worst Music Movies Ever*

* That aren't actual musicals *eye roll*​It would be easy to pick out a bunch of terrible musicals to make fun of. First off, most musicals seem stuck in the 1930s, when every song everywhere sounded like a show tune, and therefore stank. Second, we're afraid of polarizing our audience. You ... More >>

Top 10 Songs About Other Musicians

​When you make music your life, it's only natural that you'd look at the people around you doing the same and find someone who just moistens the muse's panties. What we've tried to put together here is a list of those best efforts. Bear in mind, with one notable exception we've steered clear ... More >>

Dolly Parton

​When you make music your life, it's only natural that you'd look at the people around you doing the same and find someone who just moistens the muse's panties. What we've tried to put together here is a list of those best efforts. Bear in mind, with one notable exception we've steered clear ... More >>

Oh Jesus! Rock's Top 5 Religious Conversions

allmusic.comJesus was always a knockin' for the Reverend Little Richard.​Rocks Off understands the need for a good detox now and then, as most of our evening antics often leave us feeling less than bright-eyed and bushy-tailed come morning. We also imagine the damage inflicted by lifetime of h ... More >>

Last Night: Dolly Parton At Verizon Wireless Theater

Photos by Jason Wolter​Dolly Parton Verizon Wireless Theater October 11, 2011 Dolly Parton seems like the kind of person so determined to make sure her audience has a good time, she's not above putting them to the thumbscrews to make sure that happens. Luckily, it didn't come to that Tuesday ... More >>

Dallas Makes a Damn Fool of Itself on Top Chef: Texas

Hi, y'all! I'm country singer Dolly Parton and according to Top Chef contestants, I'm also from Texas!​Thoughts: Is it really a "Healthy Choice" when so many of your frozen dinners are laden with preservatives and other chemicals? With that, we're hitting the road to Dallas, better known these da ... More >>

Houston's Mezzanine Lounge Named Smartest Bar in America

mezzaninelounge.com​Contrary to what you may have heard up north, Texas isn't a congeries of lazy, narrow-minded, horse-riding, Dolly Parton-blasting moon calves. The truth is, we're just some easygoing folks who happen to kick ass at bar trivia. That's right, bar trivia. And it's official no ... More >>

Lauren McAdams: Going Up

mezzaninelounge.com​Contrary to what you may have heard up north, Texas isn't a congeries of lazy, narrow-minded, horse-riding, Dolly Parton-blasting moon calves. The truth is, we're just some easygoing folks who happen to kick ass at bar trivia. That's right, bar trivia. And it's official no ... More >>