Guitar Hero

Saturday Night: Helstar at Warehouse Live

Helstar, Sanctus Bellum, etc. Warehouse Live December 1, 2012 Heavy metal has long since proven to be the most virulent and drug-resistant strain of rock and roll, always seething just underground and ready to erupt into a blister the minute the mainstream's immune system weakens. There's certainly ... More >>

Last Night: Heart At House Of Blues

Heart House of Blues March 11, 2012 Sunday night Heart played to one electrified and enthusiastic crowd at House of Blues. There were people of varying ages there: A few teenagers (okay, one I saw), some in their twenties, and quite a big chunk ranging from middle-aged to older adults. After all, ... More >>

Saturday Night: Judas Priest At The Woodlands

Photos by Jay Lee​Judas Priest Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion October 15, 2011 Saturday night, at 10:15 or so, a euphoric chill went up Aftermath's spine. Coupled with the cool weather, standing in the presence of Judas Priest at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion was overwhelming, so much ... More >>

The Best Tony Hawk Video Game Soundtracks

​It sounds like heresy to most older folks, this writer included, but for about the past decade, a lot of younger gamers have been discovering punk rock, ska, and classic and indie hip-hop through the Tony Hawk series of skateboarding video games. The idea may be repellent to those of us who r ... More >>

Friday Night: The Toadies At Warehouse Live

Marc Brubaker​The Toadies Warehouse Live April 15, 2011 Friday night, The Toadies took Warehouse Live's main stage in front of quite a rowdy crowd, hyping the crowd with such well-known hits as "I Come From the Water," "Backslider" and, before the evening's entertainment had ended, a reinterp ... More >>

Friday Night: Chuck Berry At Nutty Jerry's

Photos by Marc Brubaker​Chuck Berry Nutty Jerry's, Winnie March 4, 2011 "Chuck Berry is food" - Keith Richards There is no adequate way to describe the evolutionary gift that Chuck Berry signifies to the world at large. He created everything that we hold dear and true - all the sex, anger, s ... More >>

Adios "Age Of Aquarius": A Zodiac Realignment Playlist

​If Twitter is good for one thing, it's the immediate and rapid dispersal of breaking news. If Twitter is good for two things, it's that, plus the immediate and rapid dispersal of whatever trumped-up rumor, lie, or fakery that manages to draw the ire of the millions of poor saps reading along ... More >>

Hotel California

Celebrity living has its downside in Somewhere.

Lost at the Chateau Marmont

From party girl to Oscar winner, Sofia Coppola's journey to Somewhere.

The Dead Walk, But Do They Have Legs?

Just leave those guns anywhere.​The Halloween premiere of AMC's Walking Dead knocked the socks off critics and viewers alike and earned the network the biggest audience for any of its original series to date. Last Sunday's episode ("Guts") looks to have been just as successful, triggering coun ... More >>

Rocks Off Explains Austin City Limits' "Survival Guide"

Mark C. AustinOne day Austin City Limits will live down last year's "Dillo Dirt" debacle. That day is not today.​This year marks the fourth year that Craig's Hlist will be covering the Austin City Limits Music Festival for the Houston Press and Rocks Off. Each year we get more acclimated to th ... More >>

Live Music in Pearland

Can suburb support a concert venue?

FAIL: Prince, Johnny Rotten, Too Short, Auto-Tune

Photos by John Seaborn Gray​Internet Not As "Over" As Prince Had Hoped: Remember last week when Prince said the Internet was "over," and that was why he's now giving copies of his new CD away for free whenever you buy a copy of that thriving and relevant medium, a British newspaper? Well, ent ... More >>

Top 5 Songs On Jacob Black Of Twilight's iPod

​Well, today is the day Twilight: Eclipse is released, and a million voices are screaming, "Honey, do we hafta?" Since Gothtopia already runs a column on vampires - and may we add that Bill Compton would put some serious maim in Edward Cullen's sparkle motion? - today we're gonna talk about w ... More >>

Why Would Anyone Ever Set Out To Be A Rapper?

Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday (that isn't a national holiday) Rocks Off will have some of them hear discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week's Panel: Fat Tony, Yung Redd, Thurogood Wordsmith and K ... More >>

Houston Musicians Recall Their Own Rock and Roll High School Days

​Tonight Rocks Off is hosting the first annual Texas High School Rock Off, with local bands from area schools fighting for a grand prize of $500 and bragging rights around town. This past week we have profiled the seven bands in the running: The Paperwaits, Useful Information, The Handshake, Livin ... More >>

The 11 Stupidest Events from the World of Music, 2009 Edition

Hi there, 2009. Please have a seat. Are you comfortable? Would you like some coffee, or perhaps a cigarette? No? Okay, good. Let's just cut straight to the point, then. You suck, and frankly we're sick of your bullshit. You were an awful year, filled not just with economic collapse, scary right-wi ... More >>

2009 Concert Rewind, July: Beyonce, Coldplay, Aerosmith/ZZ Top, Judas Priest, Rod Stewart... and the Trae Day Gunplay

Craig Hlavaty​ Wooden Birds, Other Lives, Walter's on Washington, July 2: "This is Andrew Kenny's latest project away from American Analog Set. That band is currently on hold while Kenny and the rest of the group go off to pollinate elsewhere. The Birds don't fall far from the AmAnSet tree at all, ... More >>

Men of Steel

Three decades after a metal classic, Judas Priest keeps "Livin' After Midnight."

Tres Hombres

Discovering why ZZ Top is "critic-proof"

Talking With Air Guitar Master Bjorn Turoque

For the past six years, Dan Crane, aka "Bjorn Turoque" has been the preeminent ambassador for the world of air guitar. He retired from competition in the Air Guitar World Championships in 2005 and made a lateral move to being the touring roadshow nightly MC - or the "Master of Air-emonies," as he ca ... More >>

Turning The Screw: Jay'Ton, Bushwick, Nas, Akon, Dre, Diddy, DJ Hero, Grandmaster Flash, The Kanye, T.I., Three 6 Mafia, Bubba Sparxxx, and more

Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off's weekly rap post. It probably won't rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: "We Here," Jay'Ton feat. Trae and Yung Quis Wire To Wire: Nas is not a fan of Canada. Akon, who ... More >>

Hit Hermann

In time for summer, the park's had a facelift.

Summer Sounds

Enough shows to keep concertgoers busy all season long

Idol Beat: The Top 11

Photo by Ray Mickshaw / FOXPictured: Matt Giraud, exquisite gumline Traditionally, I've concluded the first Idol Beat of any given week with predictions as to who the American Idol judges or viewing public will send home the next night. This week I'm upending that, and predicting that no one will go ... More >>

Aftermath: Slipknot and Coheed and Cambria at Verizon Wireless Theater

Photos by Mark C. AustinCorey Taylor never told his fans that everything would be OK. Not on an album, not in the press and most definitely not at a live show. The lead singer of Slipknot, the Iowa noise-metal band that set up shop at Verizon Wireless Theater Wednesday and tonight, instead alw ... More >>

Aftermath: AC/DC at Toyota Center

  Photos by Daniel Kramer In this season of hard times, there could have been no better band to close out Houston's banner concert year than original Aussie working-class heroes AC/DC, who still look the part to a T. And Aftermath can't think of a better way to begin his review of last night ... More >>

Chinese Democracy's Liner Notes Upstage Axl Rose's Would-Be Magnum opus

Amuse Your Delusion

Artist of the Week, San Antonio Edition: Audiotap (and Mathew Barker)

My First Guitar Hero Lesson

Video Gaming at the Games? Not This Year, Pal

Olympic Scold

Tonight: Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Sole of Houston: Richmond Avenue, Houston’s Street of Dreamz

The Night Diamond Dave Rejoined Van Halen

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love

Beat Down

This DJ simulator is nothing to rave about

Rotation