Eurythmics

Seething in the Rain

RIP Gary Kurfirst

Stop Making Sense Music-business legend Gary Kurfirst passed away from undisclosed causes while on vacation in Nassau, the Bahamas, January 13. A venue owner, talent manager, film producer and label founder, Kurfirst opened New York City's Village Theater, later known as the Fillmore East, in 1967 ... More >>

Even the Normal (Get Lucky Sometime)

Craftsman Tom Petty uses the right tool for the right job

The Gospel According to Gnarls

Cee-Lo breaks down the genius behind St. Elsewhere

When Mixtapes Attack!

What if the sound track to your life sucks?

Zevolution

There's more to Z-Trip than the mash-up phenomenon he helped make famous

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

There's more to Z-Trip than the mash-up phenomenon he helped make famous

Nashville Star

The voice that wooed George Clooney comes to town

Hot-Rodding with the Top Down

The DragStrippers show why girls 'n' cars go so well together

Slanguage Arts

It's not your father's English class

Tow Down

By Prescription Only (D.I.M.E.)

Spin Control

Rice University's slow, systematic makeover of KTRU is just the latest example of a college determined to pattern itself after corporate America

Local Rotation

Liquid i Waves of Rain

Five Ways to Improve 107.5 the Eagle

Paging the Purple One... the Eagle Needs You!For Houston music commentators, picking on the sorry state of the city's commercial airwaves is even more fun than sportswriters must have making fun of the Astros. But on the rare occasion a new format does come along - even if it's hardly "new" - it sti ... More >>

He Said She Said: A Stripper Soundtrack, Part 2

You can leave your hat on...but get the rest of that kit off fast. The ladies don't mess around when it comes to superficially hot, oiled-up dudes (of questionable sexuality, but does that really matter?) getting naked on the stage at La Bare. But because the musical content at places like Chippend ... More >>

Inquiring Minds: Crown of Thorns' and the Plasmatics' Jean Beauvoir

​ With his distinctive blonde mohawk, Jean Beauvoir struck not just a memorable visual presence in the '80s, as his hard-charging singing and playing shone first as a member of notorious punks the Plasmatics, then Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul and finally a solo effort, 1986's Drums Al ... More >>

In Dreams: 15 Songs For Mr. Sandman

Rocks Off Sr. is curious why Rocks Off Jr. chose a picture of Christina Hendricks for an article about dreams.​For some reason, Craig's Hlist has been sleeping way too much lately. Blame the booze, fear of the sun, or just plain lack of giving a rat's ass about the daylight. With sleep comes d ... More >>

It's Coming from Inside the Computer

Blissing out on the 3-D, CGI'd, totally incomprehensible head trip of Tron: Legacy.

Beethoven Enters Year 241 Of Total Awesomeness

​Today is Ludwig Van Beethoven's 240th birthday. It's hard to adequately sum up the man's contribution to music because frankly no modern figure comes anywhere close. In honor of the undisputed master of all that is classical music, Rocks Off thought we'd put together some interesting tidbits ... More >>

Last Night: Fitz & The Tantrums At House Of Blues

Photos by Jason Wolter​Fitz & the Tantrums House of Blues Bronze Peacock Room April 18, 2011 Soul music is about power, yoking that gospel id to the pursuit of more worldly affairs, but it's also about subtlety. Grunt all you want, but smooth and steady wins the race (and wins over the ladies ... More >>

Stevie Nicks, Forever The Gypsy

​Tuesday, Stevie Nicks released her first solo album in a decade, In Your Dreams. After looking at promos for the album, Rocks Off is convinced that as often as she's denied "rumours" of witchcraft, the singer may actually be a witch. She has to be - she doesn't look like she's aged since 1989 ... More >>

Last Night: Kylie Minogue At Verizon Wireless Theater

Photos by Marc Brubaker​Kylie Minogue Verizon Wireless Theater May 10, 2011 Kylie Minogue is a wholly heavenly creature among comparably haggard savages in the female pop world. The strangest thing about Minogue's show Tuesday at Verizon Wireless Theater wasn't the intricate Greek-myth produc ... More >>

1986: Best Musical Year Ever?

​For almost two weeks now, Rocks Off has been obsessed with the year exactly 25 flips of the calendar backward from this one. It started when Steve Earle did one of his "Time Machine" shows, where the singer-songwriter who plays House of Blues Wednesday spotlights a dozen or so of his favorite ... More >>

The X Factor: Learning To Let Go

Photo by FOX​Wednesday night The X Factor extended its two-hour format to two and a half hours, allowing us to see each team - Boys, Girls, Over 30s, and Groups - perform, as well as the judges' elimination decisions. While 2.5 hours is quite long, the fact that the show didn't get crazy and m ... More >>

Rocks Off's Annual Descent Into Sunny 99.1's Christmas Music K-Hole

Sometimes being naughty is nice...​Since 2008, I have spent an hour listening to Sunny 99.1 FM's Christmas music for the Rocks Off blog. Right after Thanksgiving, it's the first thing on my checklist, right next to finding new, weird holiday music for you and trying not to gain 20 pounds in me ... More >>

Looking Back at A Very Special Christmas Track by Track

​In the late 1980's, music empresario Jimmy Iovine cobbled together quite a collection of pop and rock artists to record songs for a Christmas album benefitting the Special Olympics. In 1987, A Very Special Christmas was released and rapidly became an instant holiday classic thanks to the star ... More >>