George Clinton

Lazy Gabacho

The Wayback Machine: 5, 10 and 15 Years Ago in Houston Music

This Just In: You(genious) Not Dead, Is Awesome

Alternative Notion Lollapalooza doesn't say much about its generation, but the music's fine

y Brad Tyer

What's Bootsy Doin'?

James Brown is the hardest working man in show business, but Bootsy's the busiest

What Is It Good For?

James Brown is the hardest working man in show business, but Bootsy's the busiest

Lil Wayne, Live In Living Color

After all the hype and air-guitar awards-show appearances, Lil Wayne's much-anticipated debut as a full-on rock performer, "Prom Queen," has finally leaked. This will be above-the-fold news on whatever content-aggregator supplies your RSS fix, but only because for the music business right ... More >>

Press Picks

After all the hype and air-guitar awards-show appearances, Lil Wayne's much-anticipated debut as a full-on rock performer, "Prom Queen," has finally leaked. This will be above-the-fold news on whatever content-aggregator supplies your RSS fix, but only because for the music business right ... More >>

Funk Historians

After all the hype and air-guitar awards-show appearances, Lil Wayne's much-anticipated debut as a full-on rock performer, "Prom Queen," has finally leaked. This will be above-the-fold news on whatever content-aggregator supplies your RSS fix, but only because for the music business right ... More >>

Young Gun

After all the hype and air-guitar awards-show appearances, Lil Wayne's much-anticipated debut as a full-on rock performer, "Prom Queen," has finally leaked. This will be above-the-fold news on whatever content-aggregator supplies your RSS fix, but only because for the music business right ... More >>

Rooting Interest

The Roots make rap for both your hips and your head

What the Funk?

The Roots make rap for both your hips and your head

Original Punks

The Roots make rap for both your hips and your head

Art Car Block Party

Get your motors revved up for tomorrow’s parade

Aged Peppers

Flea and company prove they can keep it together

Hello, Houston!

Noise breaks down the months of live music ahead

Houston International Fest 2007

The Bayou City's biggest festival continues making strides toward total recovery

George Clinton

Q&A with the master of funk

J Xavier

Q&A with the master of funk

Image of the Week

Atomic Dog...One Nation Under Groove

Free to Jam

Get the blues at the Eldorado Ballroom's Juneteenth Bash

The Youngest Ballerette

Ten-year-old Sucka Free signee Kayla talks about what it means to be young, gifted and brown

Local Rotation

Ten-year-old Sucka Free signee Kayla talks about what it means to be young, gifted and brown

Various Artists

Music from Coffee and Cigarettes (Milan)

Amp Fiddler

Waltz of a Ghetto Fly (Pias America)

Red Light Night

Calling all players to the Pimps-N-Ho's Ball

George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic

Saturday, October 26

End Game

This is the way the year ends, this is the way the year ends, this is the way the year ends, not with a bang but a ... year-end roundup

Are You Ready for That Great Atomic Power? Songs That Go Nuclear

This past week marks the 64th anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S., on August 6 and 9, respectively, bringing an end to World War II. The subsequent decades have brought us a Cold War, explosive proliferation, and largely fruitless attempts to ... More >>

The First Mayoral Ad: A Review

We have our first ad in the mayoral race!! Peter Brown is up with a 30-second spot that will be running on local and cable channels. What we take away from this ad:1. Where's George Clinton? You are the only mayoral candidate in Houston history to be endorsed by P-Funk's George Clinton (actually ... More >>

The Incredible Truth: The Best Southern Rap Albums (and Mixtapes) of 2009, Part 1

​Yeah, it stirred the Yankees to the World Series championship, but was there a more boring album this year than Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3? Perhaps it was a geographic thing; with a few exceptions like Raekwon and Kid Cudi, most of 2009's exciting, innovative rap records came from Southern artists. ... More >>

Miss Rockefeller's? Marcia Ball and Texas Johnny Brown Headline iFest Benefit February 12

brides.com​Like many of you - we're guessing, anyway - Rocks Off never saw a show at Rockefeller's. We didn't get inside the Loop much during high school (too busy checking groceries) and, although we managed to go to Mary Jane's, the Satellite Lounge and maybe the Abyss (it's a little fuzzy) on v ... More >>

Aftermath: Texas Johnny Brown, Marcia Ball And An iFest Preview

Photos by Jody PerryTexas Johnny Brown​ After Friday's benefit for the Houston International Festival's education programs, Aftermath can understand why, in all the recent reminiscing about Rockefeller's we've been doing on Rocks Off, no one has ever had a bad word to say about the place. Never ha ... More >>

Upcoming Events

Yes, George Clinton will be playing this year. You do not want to miss that.​The big party this weekend will be all over downtown, as the city succumbs to two straight weekends of the International Festival (a.k.a. iFest). We thank the festival gods every single year that one of our favorite l ... More >>

George Clinton To Play Extended iFest Set For King Sunny Ade

​The Houston International Festival has adjusted its schedule to accommodate the cancellation of Nigeria's King Sunny Ade & His African Beats, who scratched their tour after talking drummer Gabriel Ayanniyi and percussionist Omo Olope were killed in a car accident on their way to a video shoot ... More >>

Houston International Festival

​The Houston International Festival has adjusted its schedule to accommodate the cancellation of Nigeria's King Sunny Ade & His African Beats, who scratched their tour after talking drummer Gabriel Ayanniyi and percussionist Omo Olope were killed in a car accident on their way to a video shoot ... More >>

Aftermath: George Clinton & His P-Funk Army Seriously Funk Up iFest

Groovehouse​ For nearly two hours on Saturday night, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic tickled every single funk bone in iFest's sun-drenched body. For a festival so family-friendly and altogether worldly, Clinton and his gang made the lawn in Sam Houston Park feel sleazy in the most ad ... More >>

iFest Aftermath: A Whirlwind Afternoon With Zydepunks, Some Cha-Chas, Taj Weekes And Dave Alvin's Guilty Women

Jason WolterZydepunks​ There was a moment as Aftermath was walking through the Caribbean Market section of iFest Saturday when we had the most visceral of flashbacks -- stepping off a Carnival cruise boat at the rip old age of 14 in Nassau, Bahamas, and being inundated by tourist-baiting marketeer ... More >>

iFest Closes To An Afro-Cuban-Reggae Beat

Eggs/ breakfastontour.comBaba Maal​ If the first weekend of the Houston International Festival felt like a detour down Canal Street, the second evoked the festival's emphasis on "Spotlighting the Caribbean." Summer picked this weekend to descend two months early, as it tends to do, resulting in in ... More >>

Busted! 20 Musician Mugshots

​ Getting arrested and booked isn't the end of the world, by any means. Well unless you just killed a shit-ton of people at a bowling alley or something, it really is. But if you are a rocker or a celebrity who committed a minor offense, it's just a funny footnote in your public life you can look ... More >>

Erykah Badu, Hotter Than July At Verizon

Photos by Jody Perry / Click here for a slideshow​Erykah Badu is a vanishing specimen, a pop star who courts controversy - see the "Window Seat" video, coming soon to a Dallas courtroom near you - not out of some narcissistic need to be in the headlines, but because she is legitimately differe ... More >>

Pat Green Or Monkeys Riding Dogs? A July 4 Dilemma Solved

​Sunday, the City of Houston will celebrate our fine country's independence from the Redcoats in the same way it does every single other year, with the self-proclaimed "Largest Land-Based Fireworks Show in the Nation," Freedom Over Texas. This year, the festival's blander-than-white-bread head ... More >>

Upcoming: Erykah Badu, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Etc.

​Apocalyptica: Wed., March 23. House of Blues. Blu, J*Davey, The Niceguys: Tue., March 15. Groundhall. Deep Dark Robot: Mon., April 4. Rudyard's. Erykah Badu: Sat., May 21. Arena Theatre. Frontline Assembly, Die Krupps: Sat., June 4. Numbers. George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic: Fri., ... More >>

More Local Music News Than Tickets Sold to the Astros Home Opener...a LOT More

​In the land of MCM, it's always Friday and there's always a treasure trove of local music news. That's because we happen to structure it as such, but make no mistake, we've got a full truckload for everyone this week. However, in what might be a MCM first, we don't have an actual mixtape fro ... More >>

Out Today: Steve Earle Is Alive, Bootsy's Aged Funk, And The Late Poly Styrene's Last Disc

​Yep, it's the third week now that we have been listening to the new Foo Fighters album, Wasting Light. We even acquired it on vinyl this weekend, so we are doubly screwed. Now we just need it on cassette tape and one of those toothbrushes that play music in your skull like you are schizophren ... More >>

How Bootsy Collins Became A Bass Player

​Recently Rocks Off had the great pleasure of speaking with one William Collins, known around the world by his platform-heeled nickname, Bootsy. The man with the mellow voice and star glasses is on any short list of best bass players in the world, thanks to his long years with James Brown, as ... More >>

Minister of Funk

Bass god Bootsy Collins is back as mayor of The Funk Capital of the World.

Chromeo

Bass god Bootsy Collins is back as mayor of The Funk Capital of the World.

Boots Electric

Bass god Bootsy Collins is back as mayor of The Funk Capital of the World.

Artist of the Week: Future Kings, The Journey Agents

​A prophecy, delivered by a Golden Dream Eagle with ruby eyes and fire in its belly: In the near future, funk will rule the world. It will be the governing body and it will drive earth's natural process and it will be the sole religion and so on. When you're hungry, you'll eat funk. When you w ... More >>