Facebook Inc.

Keep on Truckin': Oh My Gogi!

Oh My Gogi!​The guys of the Oh My Gogi! truck know exactly what they are doing by parking, on most nights, next to bars until 3 a.m. It's the kind of food you crave at that hour, the kind of food you might have thrown together out of necessity and desperation, using some leftover takeout and e ... More >>

Furniture Store Trades "Likes" For Cancer Care Donations

​Slacktivism on Facebook is usually the bane of any legitimately good cause, but for once clicking "like" on a link may actually help save a person's life. If there is a more beloved figure in all of Houston music than Hates front man Christian Arnheiter, then there can't be many. For longer ... More >>

App of the Week: Five Things Google Will Need to Best Facebook

​Google began allowing invites into its allegedly cool social network (simply named Google ) last week to fairly glowing reviews. The site aims to capitalize on the wildly popular Gmail e-mail platform and other integrated services already offered by Google including its cloud music service an ... More >>

Songs About Fireworks (Since They Are Banned)

​If you are reading this in Texas, you no doubt know that this year, with the drought the state is experiencing, fireworks are pretty much a no-no for regular folks, with only fire officials being able to handle them, and only for public displays. Sadly, us normal people will not be able to pl ... More >>

Masters of Cyberspace

The Press hands out its first Houston Web Awards.

Top 6 Ways To Piss Off A Musician At A Gig

Brian Jackson/Bloodshot RecordsDoes this look like someone YOU'D want to antagonize?​Rocks Off first stumbled onto Scott H. Biram about 10 years ago at the Parlor, Austin's recently closed, extremely cramped "punk rock pizza" joint on North Loop, where patrons scarfed their pies while murals o ... More >>

Five Reasons Facebook's Facial Recognition Feature is a Bad Idea

And you thought this was just some lame Tom Cruise joint.​Last week, Facebook finally launched its much-anticipated facial recognition software designed, at least they claim, to aid in tagging photos of you. Immediately, concerns over privacy were raised and justifiably so. In a world where vi ... More >>

Would You Sell Your Soul For A Million Twitter Followers?

​Recently, Rocks Off was rolling the List o'Craig like we do when an all caps entry screamed at us that for only $50 they would gain us thousands of Twitter followers and Facebook friends. $50? That's less than a the price of a good Lego set! However, is it a good deal? Rocks Off firmly belie ... More >>

NASA Streams ZZ Top's Brand-New "Flyin' High"

​NASA is now streaming "Flyin' High," that brand-new ZZ Top song bound for the International Space Station Rocks Off told you about yesterday, on its Web site. Now all us Earthlings can listen too.

The Sonoma Burger and Salted Caramel Duck Fat Fries at The Burger Guys

Mai PhamThe Sonoma Burger at The Burger Guys. Applewood smoked bacon, cheddar, avocado, arugula, aoili​I am happily burger-obsessed. I crave them, I find them, I eat them, and I enjoy them. I repeat this process regularly, and last week, the process led me to what has got to be one of Houston' ... More >>

Ke$ha Invites Fans To Send Her Their Teeth

Jay Lee​Reigning slutwave queen Ke$ha is requesting than fans send her their teeth in order for her to make a necklace she hopes to wear at a future awards show. Apparently one fan has already done so in the past, and Kesha has taken to wearing the single tooth around her neck. Not content wit ... More >>

More Local Music News Than Flying Elbow Drops

We may have lost Macho Man Randy Savage this morning, but MCM is still alive and dropping that flying elbow full of local music news. Snap into the latest installment of our Magnolia City Mixtape. Ooooohhh Yeeaaahhh! ​Before we dive in, don't forget that the poster show for Free Press Summer ... More >>

Five Healthy Burger Alternatives

karitsu.​With Memorial Day Weekend just around the corner, it may be tempting to heat up the grill and cook up a giant burger. However, the holiday also marks the start of bathing suit season. Whether you are trying to lose a few or are looking for some interesting alternatives to another bori ... More >>

Comment of the Day: Placing Blame for Facebook Addiction

​We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involv ... More >>

Rocks Off Giving Away Pair Of Arcade Fire Tickets

Gabriel Jones/Merge Records​Rocks Off recently reached a pretty cool milestone, and we're about to hit another. So we'd like to say thanks. Last week we got our 3,000th Twitter follower on @hprocksoff, and we are a handful of folks away from our 2,000th Facebook "liker." What are you waiting ... More >>

More Local Music News Than Angry Easter Bunnies

Good Friday? How about great Friday? Here at Rocks Off we try to ensure that each and every Friday our readers get a full and healthy dose of local music news set to tide them over until we return. So without further ado, we present the newest installment of Magnolia City Mixtape. ​The soundt ... More >>

Game Time

1560AM adds humor to lonely, serious workday.

Avett Brothers Postponed To May 20

The Avett Brothers on Facebook​Bluegrass stars The Avett Brothers' show scheduled for Thursday at Verizon Wireless Theater has been rescheduled to Friday, May 20, due to the birth of banjoist/singer Scott Avett's first second child. The group, which performed on this year's Grammys alongside ... More >>

Meridian Giving It Another Go As The Orchid Club

Photos by Marc Brubaker​Look out, Houston. The Meridian is about to bloom into The Orchid Club. Another new management group is about to attempt to give the long-embattled venue a new lease on life. As Space City Rock reported Friday, the venue (listed as Space City Hall) had a ska show over ... More >>

KUHF Head Mocks GOP

As if NPR wasn't in enough trouble.

KUHF CEO John Proffitt Thinks You Are Stupid, Rejoices He Is No Republican

John Proffitt gives ammo to the NPR hatahs​KUHF John Proffitt thinks you are a moron.Well, that's what you could say if you saw his Facebook page a little earlier this week.With NPR dealing with the fallout from its recent right-wing sneak attack, you'd think everyone even remotely in a position ... More >>

Comment of the Day: Oy, Those Facebook Friends

​We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involv ... More >>

Why We Can't Be Friends on Facebook

Why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends.....​Something interesting happened when social media started bearing down on us a few years back. We began to yearn for friends, and not the kind that you can call up on a Tuesday night for a bull session at the bar, or someone to watch your pu ... More >>

Bullet Cell: Not Family Friendly, But Close Enough

Photos via Bullet Cell on Facebook​Sometimes you just need to, as the children say, rock your balls off. That feeling just gets into your brain (or your balls, we suppose). You want some guys to just beat the hell out of their instruments, preferably in at least a semi-ear-pleasing manner, pre ... More >>

The True Value Packs Serious Independent Hardware

Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to introducingliston@gmail.com. ​Here's the one thi ... More >>

Jesse Dayton's "Fans": Singer Is "Faggy," "Douchebag"

​Jesse Dayton is learning the joys of Facebook. The ex-Houston honky-tonker and Rob Zombie rockabilly muse, who plays the Armadillo Palace February 26 and Conroe's Texas Independence Day Festival March 5, took to YouTube Tuesday to explain why he had to start a new fan page. Not only had his ... More >>

Remember Simple Success' Smash and Dash EP?

Houston's history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We'll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Photos by Sarah Levit​Simple Success opens up for Mac Miller tonight at Warehouse Live. They p ... More >>

Promoter Mike Kelley: "Numbers Is Houston's CBGB"

Marco TorresWu-Tang Clan's GZA and Ghostface Killah at Numbers, December 2010​Numbers' credentials as a concert venue are undeniable - everyone from Siouxsie and the Banshees to Green Day to Type O Negative has played there. It's hard to argue, though, that the past decade hasn't been a rough ... More >>

App of the Week: Five Ways to Improve the Facebook App

​Dear Mark, please improve the Facebook app. Sincerely, Everyone.​​App: Facebook Platforms: All Smart Phones Web site: Facebook.com Cost: Free Facebook has become such a part of the way most people connect online, it's hard to imagine that the app Mark Zuckerberg and company produce coul ... More >>

Things You Should Know Before You Start A Band

​A few weeks back we asked our round table what advice they would give other bands in town. Their answers ranged from solidly DIY nuggets from April Brem Patrick to smart business ethos from Andrew Karnavas. Now Rocks Off even feels like we could be in a band. Our powerviolence/noise project ... More >>

Black Queen Speaks: The Perfect Band Web Site

​Not too long ago, we did a name dissection of Black Queen Speaks. As we prepared for the article, we did something we rarely do anymore, and that's go to the band's actual Web site rather than just sampling them on Facebook or (ugh) MySpace. For some reason, we decided to go straight to the o ... More >>

Mexican Girls

The 12 Stages of Facebook Addiction

No one is safe.​The Internet is addicting and there are studies to prove it. Once people get involved with watching videos of kids falling down, leaving overly harsh anonymous comments on news stories and reading about how Swiffer will kill your dog, well, it's just damn difficult to stop. So ... More >>

Facebook v. Leaky Boob

Houston mom in a FB face-off.

What Do Rappers Have Against Facebook?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday (or thereabouts) that isn't a national holiday, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Z-Ro, Slim Thug, hasHBrown, Kirk ... More >>

Facebook Bows Down to Houston's Leaky Boob

At least someone appreciates a leaky boob​We think Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said it best: "NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE HEART OF A LEAKY BOOB!!!!" Facebook has learned that harsh lesson. Houston blogger/tweeter/Facebooker Jessica Martin-Weber, the founder of the Web site theleakyboob.com, ap ... More >>

Common Social Media Mistakes Musicians Make

Note spelling in poster is different from band's actual name.​As we speak, Rocks Off is going through the concert listings one by one looking for something of interest for which to write amusing articles laced with the finest penis jokes. "What, ho?" says we. "This band Indiginis has a caprici ... More >>

Before Networking Was Social: Ten Early Social Websites That Are Dead or Dying

Who needs Classmates.com when we have Facebook?​Social networking today is a foregone conclusion. Many of us wake up and check Twitter on our smart phones or pull up Facebook on our laptops. We surf YouTube videos in our spare time, find dates on Match.com and spend hours reading music, politi ... More >>

Juggalo Hijinks

A Facebook crime spree.

Getting Animated About Child Abuse

The Groovie Goolies are reportedly ambivalent about children's issues.​Some time ago, I noticed a number of my Facebook friends switching their profile pics to mostly classic cartoon characters (I say "mostly" because I do know a handful of people under the age of 30). Perhaps shocked by vario ... More >>

Loko Oh No

Testing the new fad drink

YouTube Sports Time Wasters (i.e. VIDEO!!) -- "Fans Running On Field" Category

About to get more than he bargained for​"All things end badly, or else they wouldn't end." -- Brian Flanagan, Cocktail (Yeah, you saw that right. I just started a sports post with a quote from Cocktail, which, having now seen my first episode of Glee, is strangely only the second gayest thing I' ... More >>

Pop Rocks: Let's Have An Accurate Social Network Movie

​The Social Network, David Fincher's movie about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg, AKA "The Discount Michael Cera"), opens in October. Virtual fur is already flying, however, over alleged liberties taken by Fincher and author Ben Mezrich (the movie is based on his bo ... More >>

Five Reasons Your Facebook Friends Hate You

It's true. Your Facebook friends hate you.​It's true. Your Facebook friends all hate you. You don't know it, but most of them hid your sorry ass long ago. That's how it came to be that nobody ever likes or comments on anything you ever post. But we polled our Facebook friends to delve deeper into ... More >>

Passionate Prius Drivers

A Facebook page for the victims

Respect and Statistics

HPD Officer Deyna Carabajal Loves Facebook, Apparently Hates Hondurans

Is that a drunken Honduran over there?​Channel 2 broke a story last night about Houston police officer Deyna Carabajal, who patrols the Fondren Southwest division.Girl loves her Facebook, and she's hip with all the abbreviated lingo that people -- sorry, we meant to say "ppl" -- use because they'r ... More >>

Wild Moccasins Get CD Release Crowd A-Twitter

Jay Dryden via Wild Moccasins' Facebook​Between SXSW, the band's tour kickoff show last month and the interview in this week's print edition, Rocks Off has had plenty to say about the Wild Moccasins lately. So for the band's CD release of debut full-length Skin Collision Past Friday at Walte ... More >>

Dead Prez Taps "Richmond Revolutionary" Lee-Coc To Open

Photos by Kris SearsM1 of Dead Prez at the Houston Palestine Film Festival​ Lee-Coc at the HPFF​The Houston Palestine Film Festival (HPFF), which features a wide range of films that highlight the unique strength and struggle of the Palestinian people featured the legendary M1 from Dead Prez on S ... More >>

A Cooler Coke: Colombiana La Nuestra

​Each Tuesday and Thursday for the next few weeks, we'll be taking a look at alternatives to cokes for the sticky Houston summer that lays ahead. There is a Facebook fan page for just about anything these days. That's how we as a collective managed to get Betty White to host an episode of SNL ... More >>