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The Rocks Off 100: Alphonso "Fonz" Lovelace, Righteous Drummer

Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community -- a lot more than just musicians, but of course they're in there too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? All of the greats start out in church ... More >>

John Egan Gets His Mojo Working For IBC Challenge

John Egan has been brushing up on his networking skills, while working up his mojo for the world's leading blues competition. "They told me I needed fresh business cards," says the solo Houston bluesman known for twisting barbed licks out of his his silver hollowbody Resonator guitar. "It's totally ... More >>

The Best Concerts In Houston This Weekend

Down Warehouse Live, January 11 Long-running sludge daddies Down are still riding high from last year's six-song EP, Down IV Part I - The Purple EP, and rightfully so. The effort was one of 2012's best releases, making it onto plenty of year-end lists and satisfying Down fans' hunger for new materi ... More >>

Christmas Past: 15 Odd Christmas Gift Ideas for Musicians

While we celebrate the holidays, Rocks Off is resurrecting a few of our best Christmas-themed blogs from the past few years. (Wait... resurrecting is Easter. Never mind.) This blog originally appeared November 21, 2011. As the timeless tale of the Little Drummer Boy reminds us, there is no greater ... More >>

Monte Pittman: Madonna's Texan Guitarist Has Deep Metal Roots

Just a guess, but when Madonna played to tens of thousands of fans at Toyota Center last week, most of them probably didn't know that onstage with her was a member of one of the most severe metal bands of the past 20 years. Rewind: Last Night: Madonna at Toyota Center But it's true. Native Texan ... More >>

School of Rock Franchise Opens Katy Outpost

It was hard not to use a famous Who song as our headline here. But Katy, the Houston exurb known for Katy High's football dominance, now has a different kind of after-school practice for its youth. For the past few weeks, about 20 area Katy-area kids between ages seven and 18 have enrolled in Schoo ... More >>

Rebecca Laird, Mojo Girl

20-year-old Katy guitar slinger could be a budding Bonnie Raitt.

7 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Susan Alcorn, Steel Lounge Underground, Etc.

This ain't honky-tonk: Presented by They, Who Sound and Signal To Noise, Baltimore-based composer and avant-garde steel guitarist Susan Alcorn performs three sets starting 8 p.m. tonight at 14 Pews (800 Aurora): One solo, and two in trios with David Dove (trombone) and Damon Smith (bass), and Jo Bir ... More >>

The 2012 Houston Press Music Award Nominees

Already? Indeed. It's only been seven months and change since the 2011 Houston Press Music Awards, but that was enough time for more than 7,000 local music fans to nominate their favorites in some 40 categories, a figure well north of 200 talented Houston artists. So let's get to it. Here are your ... More >>

5 Ridiculous/Offensive Memorial Day Commercials

Some businesses are jerks for pimping a junk heap on wheels on Memorial Day. Others are silly for trying to sell sexual innuendo-heavy mattresses ("firm," "spread out," "not squishy") on a day that's supposed to be all about giving it up to American servicemen and women. Then there are these super- ... More >>

Last Night: Calle 13 At House Of Blues

Calle 13 House of Blues May 10, 2012 Repeat after me: "Ka-yeay, Tress-say." OK then, now that we can all pronounce their name, I can begin to tell you how this trio of siblings from Puerto Rico turned a bouncy party song (Atrévete-te-te) into an anthem that helped evolve the group into a revolutio ... More >>

15 Odd Christmas Gift Ideas for Musicians

​As the timeless tale of the Little Drummer Boy reminds us, there is no greater gift than the gift of music. But what about those on your Christmas list who already have plenty of music in their lives? Buying gifts for musicians is no easy task -- most of them already own the entire Rush disco ... More >>

Your 2011 Houston Press Music Awards Winners

Photo By Marco TorresAll night, attendees to the awards show signed a special banner for Chris Gray.​Check out our slideshow of this year's Houston Press Music Awards winners. It was a dandy of an evening last night at Warehouse Live as we handed out those silver records to some of Houston's ... More >>

The 2011 Houston Press Music Award Nominees

​Took us long enough, right? It's been so long since we've had the Houston Press Music Awards, which were last handed out the evening of August 11, 2010, that we almost forgot we were having them. Not really. How could we? If our numbers are correct, in the two weeks this year's nomination b ... More >>

Happy Birthday Leon Theremin: His Invention's Greatest Hits

You wish.​Today marks the 115th birthday of Russian inventor Leon Theremin, inventor of the theremin, one of the eeriest and ookiest instruments created in this past century. Mr. Theremin celebrated quietly with family and friends in his native Russia. Just kidding, he died in 1993. The ther ... More >>

Girls Rock Camp Houston Readies For Second Summer

Natalie HebertLast year's camp​Remember when you were growing up as a an odd kid and there were a few people you admired for reminding you that you didn't have to play with dolls or listen to the Spice Girls? They encouraged you to get the Penny Hardaway basketball shoes you wanted and play he ... More >>

Kris Krunk Offers Online Mastering Magic

​It's good to be Chris Folmer, better known as Kris Krunk, rapper and owner of the award-winning Space City Records. His latest projects promises to be a real game changer for the broke independent musician. Last week Folmer launched Real Studio Magic http://www.realstudiomagic.com, a user-fri ... More >>

Flying V Hall Of Fame: Saluting One Rockin' Guitar

thestoneband.com​Today is the 53rd birthday of the Gibson Flying V, which since its debut has become synonymous with metal and hard rock of all stripes. The image of that V-shape is as iconic as the power chords it generates. Rocks Off has seen reverse V's and even bass V's in our time, and ha ... More >>

Keyboardist Seeks Arabic Players To Explore Local Scene

​Rocks Off combs through Craigslist's postings hoping to find the genesis of some great musical endeavor. So when we saw a posting looking for Arabic singers, we were intrigued. After all, this is a time of mosque burnings and our upstairs neighbors passing anti-Sharia laws. It must take a he ... More >>

Like Hell Yeah

Upsets and upstarts at the 2010 Houston Press Music Awards

Sunday: Girls Rock Camp Showcase At Walter's On Washington

Photos by Brittanie SheyHouston's Girls Rock Camp 2010 alumni join together to close out Sunday's showcase with their self-penned anthem, "Don't Be Afraid to Be Weird."​Girls Rock Camp Houston 2010 Showcase Walter's on Washington August 15, 2010 Sunday evening, Walter's on Washington was the ... More >>

2010 Music Awards Nominees, Part 2

​Friday, Rocks Off announced the nominees for the 2010 Houston Press Music Awards in as many genres as we could think to put on the ballot this year. Here are the rest, covering recordings, individual achievement, personalities and peripheral categories (radio, retail, etc.). Voting begins Ju ... More >>

Invasive Exotics

Indian Jewelry continues to defy easy description on new album Totaled.

Discount iFest Tickets Through KPFT; GaGa On Sale Next Friday; Husk Blows Away; Free Ani D Tickets & Poster Show

Courtesy of iFest.org​The 40th anniversary of iFest is coming up next weekend, and this year music from the Caribbean will be spotlighted, with headliner and President of Funkadelia George Clinton (right; no relation to that other President). KPFT is also turning 40 this year, and for a limited ti ... More >>

Cesar Lozano, Illegal Alien, Is Now Big Cease, American Dream Come True

​ The video that usually crowns our Latino hip-hop blog is going to come at the end of our story today, because without explaining how the American Dream has evolved, the music video won't be given the meaning it deserves. First, you need to know that the American Dream takes on many forms. The Am ... More >>

The 2008 Houston Press Music Awards Ceremony

UGK for Life

Get Lit: W.A.R.: The Unauthorized Biography of William Axl Rose, by Mick Wall

Guitar Center Gives the Drummers Some

That's a Lot of Levi's

Aaron Loesch Vies to Become the Guitar Center King of the Blues

A dying Houston scene suddenly might have new life

Houston Radio Still Sucks

David Sadof shares his dream station with Racket

One Toke Wonder

Tenacious D gets the band back together, and...and... and ?

The Good, the Blog and the Ugly

Great moments in HouStoned history

Jailhouse Rocks

Road Trip

How a mid-list band spent six weeks in an RV, fueled by chili

Fountain of Youth

The kids in Shulton's Youth have talent, ambition and a record deal. But is that enough?

Fantômas

Suspended Animation

Playbill

Sweet Recovery

Some local instrument thieves run afoul of Joey Wyatt -- the Dirty Harry of Houston musicians

Potty Mouths

Tamales overhead, beer cans underfoot, drug references and cussing from the stage — it's the return of the Westheimer Street Festival to its old home

Hot Tunes, Summer in the City

Houston Press Music Awards Showcase 2002