Fourth of July

Summer Sipper: Adults-Only Ginger Watermelon Milkshake

One bottle of Pucker Watermelon Wow Vodka Weekend Boredom = Most Delicious Cocktail Experimentation Ever. In the spirit of approaching summer, I have been sampling fruit vodkas with the vague goal of concocting some sort of killer fruit punch that I can serve on the Fourth of July. (You should ne ... More >>

Texans and Rockets Players Help Launch Crazy Golf Complex, TopGolf

Years ago, I was playing a gig at a sports bar way out on the southwest side of town. The bar was surrounded by a massive ring of softball fields used by adult teams, mostly made up of corporate teams and the like. There was a strange, green glow that came up off the fields as grown men strode in we ... More >>

The Astros And The Fourth of July: 10 Moments to Remember

This is the Astros final season in the National League. And since I was asked to provide a Fourth of July holiday post, I thought I would like back at some of the Astros games played on the holiday. There have been some memorable games, and some not so memorable. And on at least one instance, there ... More >>

Top 6 Rap Songs That Criticize the USA

Word to your mamas, sucka emcees. It's the Fourth of July (or, as the Native American guy that I went to college with used to half-jokingly refer to it, "The Most Fucked Up Holiday I Can Think Of... Why Don't We Just Go Ahead And Start Celebrating 9/11, Because That's Basically What This Is For Me") ... More >>

July 4th Travesty: Joey Chestnut's Annual Hot Dog Beatdown To Be Tape Delayed!

First and foremost, I want to wish a very happy Independence Day to all of the people who read this blog and listen to my radio show, and more than anything else pay thanks and tribute to all of our troops past, present, and future who protect our freedom. Their bravery and sacrifice is exemplary. ... More >>

A July 4 Playlist That Goes Boom!

July 4 is truly America's national holiday, because it combines two of the country's grandest traditions: Taking the day off work and blowing shit up. Because freedom isn't free, fireworks and other explosives are embedded in America's formative myths and our national character. Also, they're pretty ... More >>

Red, White, and Blue Fudge: A Cautionary Tale

Although the Fourth of July is not my favorite holiday (that honor goes to Halloween), I'm always happy for an excuse to to make themed confections. And after learning that up to 21 percent of Americans have no plans to celebrate the holiday (projection, not fact), I felt like I needed to overcompe ... More >>

Top 5 Fourth of July Treats

It's that time of year again. It's the season for an almost reckless amount of patriotism, a generous portion of American pride and a heaping scoop of pure, unadulterated revelry in the name of the Greatest Country on Earth: 'merica. Fourth of July has been and will always be one of my favorite ho ... More >>

Red, Hot, and Blue

Children's Museum of Houston's Kidpendence Day

Oyster Po' Boy with Remoulade: Only One Wine Will Do

At our house, we're already cranking up the A/C and bracing for the Texas summer. But with the arrival of the heat also comes my favorite time of our yearly gastronomic cycle, when fried and grilled foods are guiltlessly consumed in mass quantities. Summertime holidays -- from Memorial Day to the ... More >>

Ingredient of the Week: Hot Dog Buns

Pepperidge FarmTurn those buns into crumbs.​I know what you're thinking: all that smoke from Fourth of July grilling has gone to my head, and now I'm grabbing the first thing I see in the barbecue aftermath and pretending it's worthy of an "Ingredient of the Week" post. But hear me out before ... More >>

Last Night: Taking Back Sunday At House Of Blues

Photos by Matthew Keever​Taking Back Sunday House of Blues July 4, 2011 As we walked into House of Blues Monday night, Aftermath thought to ourselves, "Is this the best way to celebrate our country's independence?" It was a fair question, we thought, because it had crossed our minds that we ... More >>

Noise Complaint Muffles Mango's July 4 Blast

Photos by Allison WagonerMuhammadali​"I Want You To Party" Mango's July 4, 2011 Mango's could have been drastically more packed for its 24-band Fourth of July "I Want You To Party" extravaganza if not for the meddling neighbors and the red and blue. We arrived at 2:30 p.m. and watched the cro ... More >>

Top 5 Worst Fireworks Foul-Ups: A Video Collection

​Jackasses. That's the best way to sum up these best-worst fireworks extravaganzas. Again, like in past lists that are centered around idiocy, incidences where folks were killed and/or little kids were burned were not included in the American-centric nonsense. By the way, King Moron of Fou ... More >>

Top Four Patriotic Sex Positions

Recently, Houston's patriotism has been questioned by Stephen Colbert, who took us to task for our fireworks ban, and Men's Health magazine, who ranked us the 89th most patriotic city. Houston was beat by Austin (21), Dallas (60), and San Antonio (78). Well! We can't stand for that. We're unable to ... More >>

Can You Spot the Real Meat?

Here is George Washington demanding shaved meat from a fellow patriot. (No, really.)​What's more patriotic for a red-blooded American to do on the Fourth of July than eat meat? Grill it, barbecue it, broil it, fry it, tie it to the end of a bottle rocket and shoot it in to the sky (don't reall ... More >>

Upcoming Events

Everybody will be kung fu watching at Jenni's Noodle House.​Starting today, Molina's Cantina is hosting a month-long celebration in honor of its 70th anniversary. In fact, Mayor Parker proclaimed today "Molina's Cantina Day" to mark the occasion, something which Molina's is celebrating with fo ... 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 >>

Rocks Off Smokes On Fourth Of July

After you fire up the grill Monday, fire up the computer and head our way for some leisurely Fourth of July reading. We'll have our weekly True Blood recap, a review of Saturday night's Mana show at Toyota Center, a look at one of our favorite musical years ever (we won't tell you which one), and ... More >>

A Star Spangled Salute

Red, White & Brew Bash

10 Hot Stars-And-Stripes Bikinis, And the Specific Parts Of The U.S. Flag Code They Violate

Flag etiquette, when it comes to the U.S., is pretty strict. As the Fourth of July approaches, it's important to remember that. Especially if you are planning on wearing a stars-and-stripes bikini. We don't want to discourage you, of course, but here are 10 examples of how innocent (or possibly jus ... More >>

Health Department Roundup

We said don't ask. ​In honor of the Fourth of July, we offer Health Department Roundup, a celebration of regulations and code enforcement, concepts as American as apple pie. Provided the pie in question was baked in a code-compliant kitchen. If not, you'll face the consequences. Drinking a sod ... More >>

Five Things to Dread About the Fourth of July

God bless America​This Friday begins a long weekend that culminates in the Fourth of July, the annual celebration of everything American. It's a time when many of us feel the need to do things up the right way, with big barbecues or big public events. There are pitfalls to be aware of, howev ... More >>

No-Bake Summer Desserts

​It's hot. It's so hot I can't even make jokes or try to be witty about it because it's just not funny. And it's only going to get hotter, which kind of makes me want to cry. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have the world's moodiest air conditioner. It works when it wants to, but once it fee ... More >>

Garden Fresh: Corn

John Kiely​For half of my life, a crop was part of my ID. "Where are you from?" "Indiana." "Oh, yeah, I've been there. Lots of corn." I thought it would get better when I moved west to New Mexico. "Oh, yeah, green chiles." It's better to live in Texas, where the stereotypes are more sub ... More >>

THE COZY CORNER'S SALTY DOG

Stirred & Shaken: The Cozy Corner's Salty Dog

Troy Fields​"I'll be with you guys shortly," the bartender at the Cozy Corner (11530 Burdine St., 713-723-4048) said for the fourth time in two minutes. The air conditioning was set on "meat locker," and some sadist had put "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" on the jukebox. The bar was done up with Fourth o ... More >>

Five French Foods That Aren't French

"We are not French! Don't you see the glass of Stella Artois in the background?"​In honor of Bastille Day, many an American will be chowing down on greasy French fries tonight, using the excuse of "Hey, it's French independence day" as an excuse to gorge on the tasty fried potatoes. But, damn ... More >>

We Have Our 4th Of July Contest Winners!! Probably Not You!!

Photo by allison_b216​Thanks to everyone for the great response to our Fourth of July photo contest.You went out, you saw, you clicked, you uploaded to our Flickr page.And two of you won prizes. First place went to allison_b216 who, in addition to taking the winning shot, took the photo to t ... More >>

Upcoming Events

You could also stay inside and make Martha Stewart-inspired berry cakes, but that isn't nearly as fun.​With a three-day weekend ahead, you can make the most of it (rain or shine) by heading to one of the patriotic parties hosted by some of the city's best restaurants. Branch Water Tavern is h ... More >>

Patriotic Pastries For Your Fourth

Tiny hot-dog- and hamburger-toppers on cupcakes at Randall's.​No holiday in America is complete these days without an amusing and sometimes absurd selection of appropriately holiday-themed baked goods available for sale at your local grocery store. We hit up Randall's, Kroger and H-E-B in a s ... More >>

Commute Home If You Dare

Freeways and some streets are a mess with the rain, so don't expect to get home quickly anytime  soon.TV, of course, has sought out the worst intersections, so there's a lot of video of reporters standing in water as cars go splashing by.The worst of it seems to be over, judging by the radar on ... More >>

Don't Forget Our 4th Of July Photo Contest -- Free Food For The Winner!!

Photo by AlphaTangoBravo/Adam Baker Fifty bucks of free food​Are you getting off tomorrow or Monday for the Fourth? There seems to be differing theories out there.Here in Hair Balls land, we're calling tomorrow the Fourth -- we'll still be posting plenty of stuff, so be sure to check in, th ... More >>

Baytown's 4th of July Parade and Celebration

Houston's small-town neighbor throws a big, big independence bash

Post-Apocalyptic Videos, Rap Cartoons And Plenty Of Punk History

Catastrophic Skies (extended cut) from Chase Rees on Vimeo. • Pale, the mainstream-y dark rock band from Houston, has a new video out for their song "Catostrophic Skies," featuring a high-concept post-apocalyptic motorcycle gang. It's kinda goofy. But hell, look at those production values. • L ... More >>

Soldier's Girl

Don't ask, don't tell, don't kill

MP3 of the Day: Grizzly

There's nothing better on the Fourth of July than stumbling across a new band from your hometown whose surly, punk-flavored roots-rock is as American as hot dogs and waterboarding. That's what happened to Rocks Off this past Independence Day when, while wandering around the Island taking pictures, ... More >>

Slide Show: July 4 at 3700 Main

Chris GrayHats off to a fine Fourth of July on the Island. With the sun beating down to the tune of 100 degrees in the shade and police checkpoints every mile or so, Rocks Off decided the most prudent way to spend his Fourth of July was to stay put. Luckily, the Island was hopping with a burlesque s ... More >>

Last Call for Art: Everyday Life & Natural Disasters

There are lots of fireworks planned for this 4th of July weekend, but all the colorful explosions won't be in the sky. There are a couple of stage shows closing this weekend you may want to see that are also full of sparks. First is Thom Pain (based on nothing) by N ... More >>

Things to Do This Weekend If You're (Almost) Broke: Happy Fourth, Houston

If you're celebrating independence from a lot of money this Fourth of July weekend, believe us, Rocks Off feels your pain. If you can pry yourself away from the barbecue pit, here's a few other things to do that won't cost much. Friday Grrrl Parts and Dave Wrangler glam it up at Boondocks. Fre ... More >>

North American Scum: Songs for Independence Day

Here in America, we enjoy more personal freedoms than most countries. We can say what we want (provided we don't swear on network TV or radio), do what we want (provided we're not one of these people who wants to marry someone of the same sex), and go where we want (provided where we want to go is ... More >>

Independence: A Tour of America

MECA's 4th of July party is a multicultural affair

Star Spangled Salute

The Houston Symphony brings out the big guns

Washington-on-the-Brazos Fireworks

Web exclusive!

Lindale Park 4th of July Parade

Web exclusive!

Stirred and Shaken

Cadillac Bar's American Flag cocktail