H.P. Lovecraft

5 Badass Custom Guitars (That Can Be Used For Murder)

You would think that guitar players could be content shredding awesome solos while holding one of the most worshipped musical instruments on the planet. Jim Morrison certainly didn't give head to Ray Manzarek's organ on stage. No sir, he went down on the all time greatest phallic symbol this side of ... More >>

10 Iron Maiden T-Shirts Sure to Prove Your Metal Cred

According to the unwritten laws of concert etiquette, it's generally unacceptable to wear a band's T-shirt to their performances. It just makes you look as if you're trying a tad too hard. A notable exception to this rule, however, is the legendary Iron Maiden, who just so happen to be taking over t ... More >>

MFAH Film Premieres: Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters

Cthulhu: A Puppet Play

Sanctus Bellum Gallops Down Treacherous New Path on Sophomore Album

For a year supposedly prophesied by the ancient Mayans to herald the end of all existence, 2012 has been disappointingly doom-and-gloom free thus far. No ominous comets, no Biblical plagues -- not even a triple-digit heat wave yet. Luckily, local doom/classic metal band Sanctus Bellum is ready to ... More >>

4 Fictional Rainstorms That Royally !@#$-ed Someone's Day

If you're like us you woke up yesterday thinking that you'd set your alarm for the wrong time because the sky outside was as black as Satan's colonoscopy. The clouds had that look your drunken uncle gets when someone argues with his political views, and then the heavens opened up. Texas has been st ... More >>

Egypt Central: The Anthem of Hate Day

It's a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we're trying hard to find meaning in the oddest monikers. ​It's a good thing Egypt Central caught us in a violent rage because we're pretty sure that's how their music is supposed to be heard. Your ... More >>

Say My Name: Bands Named After Actual, Real People

Punk Rock Elite​This Friday would have been Z.Z. Hill's 76th birthday, but the popular Texas bluesman passed away in 1984 from a heart attack. Most people only know who the late soul crooner is through his connection to ZZ Top. The moniker of that little ol' band from where we are sitting righ ... More >>

The Four Best Books with Corresponding Soundtracks

​It goes without saying when you're talking to a music journalist, but music can be the greatest inspiration for a writer. Even if you're not writing about the music itself, it can still be an indispensible catalyst for the written word. More and more in modern literature, the afterwards featu ... More >>

Edgar Allan Poe, Still Wicked After All These Years

​Today we celebrate the birthday of one Edgar Allan Poe, a man whose influence on music simply cannot be overstated. In fact, Rocks Off is going to go on record and say that Poe's writings have influenced more music than any other written work except the Bible, and when you're second place to ... More >>

Charlie Campbell: Like H.P. Lovecraft On X

​Modern horror films dealing with the supernatural all have the same moment: A minor character, one who you know for a fact isn't going to make it to the end credits alive, stumbles across something very, very disturbing in the basement of an abandoned asylum or old house or something. Usually ... More >>

Good Turn

Turn of the Screw

What's In a Name? Thrashers Owl Witch Explain the Messed-Up Mythology Behind Their Moniker

It's a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off, we're trying hard to decode Houston's oddest monikers in order to find a little meaning. ​ The best way to listen to thrash metal is to turn it up to full volume and then place your hands over your ear ... More >>

Bam, It's Kam!

Houston's genre-hopping indie darling eyes SXSW

Our top DVD picks for the week of June 6.

9,999 Maniacs

Though 10,000 Maniacs is still around, its pop appeal has dwindled a bit.

One Little, Two Little, 40 Little Indies

Worldfest-Houston offers movies you won't otherwise see

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