Hot Topic Inc.

The 5 Most Important Years In Goth Music: 2002

Over the course of the week Rocks Off will be looking at the biggest years for goth music and exactly what they meant for the genre. Arguably the last big goth album by a new band to make a crossover splash was Evanescence's Fallen, released in early 2003. That one band led millions of mall-goths i ... More >>

Veronica of Reserve 101 Has Been Featured in Playboy, Is a Sucker for '80s Hair Metal and Wouldn't Mind a Shot of Jack When She's Done with Her Shift

When you walk into Reserve 101, you're immediately greeted by a wall of whiskey bottles. Like, so many whiskey bottles. I grabbed a spot at the bar and ordered one of their house signature cocktails, the Hemingway, because honestly that wall o' whiskey was kind of intimidating. Behind the bar was ... More >>

Gothic Council vs. Marilyn Manson

I was in high school when Marilyn Manson's Antichrist Superstar came out, and yeah, I played it until everyone around me begged me to stop. Though I've grown to appreciate deeper and better artists, Mr. Warner has always had a place in my heart for introducing me to a darker world. I still think he ... More >>

Last Night: Girls At Fitzgerald's

Girls, Young Man, Fanfarlo, Unknown Mortal Orchestra Fitzgerald's March 13, 2012 San Francisco's Girls kept it going strong last night, touring in support of their album Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Another vaunted acted of the Pitchfork set, they held up even better live than their 9.3 album prepared ... More >>

Gothic Council Stages Tim Burton Intervention

Tim Burton has become something of a trial to the goths of the world. On the one hand, his contribution to the sub-culture simply cannot be overstated. Films like Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, and The Nightmare Before Christmas served as the gateway into the spooky side for many of us, and for t ... More >>

In Ten Years, Will Indie Be Remembered Like Nu-Metal?

​What exactly do you remember from the summer of 2002? Stop and think -- of the music on the radio, the CDs you were most excited for, who won the Grammy for Best Album, and so on. What exactly stands out from 10 years ago? If you find that your answer is "Not much," then you're probably l ... More >>

Girl Fight

Steven Soderbergh and his MMA star make impact with Haywire.

Arcade Fire, Civil Wars, Taylor Swift to Pen Hunger Games Songs

You may or may not remember a week ago when we told you about how the head of the largest musicians' union in North America ripped into Lionsgate for farming out the score for the upcoming film Hunger Games to Europe despite the film's Appalachian setting and decidedly American style of music. Well ... More >>

Lyle Monroe Bensley: Galveston Teen Vampire Joins Pantheon of Weird Seawall Criminals

GCSOLyle Bensley: He's a vampire​Man, what is it about the Seawall? There's just something about that place: nuts on the run from all over Texas wind up there because they just can't run any farther. If we can liken the state of Texas proper to a margarita, Seawall Boulevard is the bath-salt ... More >>

30 Seconds With Breathe Carolina's David Schmitt

​Rocks Off sat down with David Schmitt of amazing electronic pop duo Breath Carolina to find out what we could learn about him in 30 seconds. Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? David Schmitt: Ha. I don't know. I know that Kyle [partner Even] personally hates the birthday song. ... More >>

Gothic Council Debates How To Rule Our New Planet

​After years of searching, scientists have finally discovered a planet that may be able to support human life. Gliese 581d, as it is known is 20 light years from Earth, and though it's just a bit on the cool side for comfortable human habitation, it looks like a pretty good bet that he planet ... More >>

Girly Pop Songs We're Not Ashamed To Love

Marc Brubaker​Like CHL's imaginary third uncle always said, "If you gonna eat shit, make sure it's some nice, glitter-covered fancy shit you would buy from one of those kiosks at the mall next to Hot Topic." Truer words were literally never spoken, and it speaks to something that has been foll ... More >>

How Much Damage Has Twilight Done To Goth?

evilpoppy.org.uk​In our last meeting, Gothic Council member Paul Fredric of Asmodeus X said the following... As a gothic union or lobby we'd definitely have a large stake in all things vampiric. How about a class-action lawsuit again the Twilight movies and novels for trying to misrepresent v ... More >>

Gothic Council Debates Unionization, Johnny Cash

evilpoppy.org.uk​In Wisconsin, there's a huge political fight over what form of bargaining state-worker unions will be able to use in the future, and it got us thinking. After all, goths provide many valuable goods and services to the community, such as dark music, disturbing art, and a whole ... More >>

15 Gets You 20: Rock & Roll Jailbait Through The Years

theprettyreckless.com​Friday night, The Pretty Reckless (above) pulls into town for a gig at House of Blues. The band, led by Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen, is known largely for the 17-year-old singer's penchant for wearing something resembling lingerie, chain-smoking and basically being a te ... More >>

Gothic Council Debates Peter Murphy's March 19 Show

Chris GrayPeter Murphy at Meridian, July 2008 - we have waited a long time to get a better picture.​It was announced recently that the Godfather of Goth himself, Peter Murphy, will be making a special trip down to Houston. The former Bauhaus front man and composer of super-hits like "Cuts You ... More >>

The Seven Ages Of Goth

​This is not meant as a complete history of goth, as that would be a huge book. Instead, we're aiming to give a simple overview of the musicians, songs and albums that have most defined the genre. Many deserving artists have been left out, and some that we're sure some people feel are not wor ... More >>

Magic Johnson Takes Over Hotel Icon

This investment is a slam d-- sorry, we just can't say it​The so-hip-it-hurts Hotel Icon's foreclosure auction has a winner: Magic Johnson, the man who toyed with the Houston Rockets and every NBA team except the Boston Celtics back in the days of tight shorts. Johnson's investment company, C ... More >>

"In The Dark": The Birthday Massacre's Beautiful Nightmare

​Since the tail end of the last millennium, The Birthday Massacre has quietly, but steadily built themselves a following as one of the pre-eminent goth synth-rock bands in the world. They're like Evanescence without all that nu-metal and Top-40 crap slathered on top to make the Hot Topic set b ... More >>

Mullets & More: 17 Signature Musical Hairstyles

​If you have hair, Craig's Hlist hates you. Not in a "you shot my whole family" or "you are the serial killer who dissolved my sibling in a vat of acid" way, more in a "you got the last sausage and cheese kolaches at the office" way. Our hair loss began sometime in high school, when we were ... More >>

Hot Topic's Music Buyer Tells How He'll Put Your Band In Stock

​Gothtopia is almost certain he is the only Houston Press staff member to have an album that was sold in Hot Topic stores. [Ed. Note: Rocks Off No. 2's debut Hlocked and Hloaded should be in stores next year.] That came to be purely through dumb luck. In order to further the careers of Texas ... More >>

Jen's Ego Makes Staring At Twilight: Eclipse Less Painful

​This Wednesday is the premiere of Eclipse, the third film in the four-part Twilight trilogy. Like many other husbands, boyfriends and the better half of lesbian relationships, Rocks Off will be dragged kicking and sober to the theatre in order to watch exactly how a love triangle between a va ... More >>

Aftermath: A Lesson In Emotional Violence With Taking Back Sunday at House of Blues

Photos by Groovehouse​ "It's going to be so different without Fred," that's all he kept saying as we entered downtown. "Who?" was the response he got in return. "Fred...I can't pronounce his last name, but he was the lead guitarist, you can totally tell which songs he wrote in comparison to the ot ... More >>

Are You a Washington Avenue Douchebag? Read This and Find Out

www.ebaumsworld.com​In the past weeks since word sprung forth that Walter's On Washington would be moving, in no small part due to the influx of upper-crust cats looking for love in all the right places at Washington Avenue's nouveau-trendy bars, the word "douchebag" has made a big resurgence. The ... More >>

(Very) Oldboy

Park Chan-wook gets positively trendy with his latest: a vampire pic!

Houston Music Fight Club: Pizza Dude vs. Jerky Guy and 10th Grade Cutie vs. Everyone

​In this episode of Houston Music Fight Club, we yet again pit some of Houston's skuzziest and rocking local musicians and personalities together for a fight to the death. Or at least to the sore hand, bloody lip, and maybe a few tears. Some dudes fight when they cry; we've seen it firsthand. We d ... More >>

Aftermath: No Doubt, Paramore, and The Sounds at Cynthia Woods

Photos by Mark C. Austin Any returning mega-band thinking of mounting a huge reunion tour to drain poor folk of their cash (cough Blink-182 cough) need look no further than No Doubt's current tour and sold-out set last night at Cynthia Woods to see how it should be done. For the bands that we ... More >>

Idol Beat: The Top Seven Results

Michael Becker/ Fox Bottom Feeding: Lil Rounds and Matt Giraud will likely be right back here next week.At the beginning of Wednesday's American Idol, I was pretty sure that whoever the week's lowest vote-getter was - Lil Rounds or Matt Giraud - would go home. No save for them. So when Simon ... More >>

Balaclavas, Future Blondes

Aftermath: "Beatdown" at Baybrook

Photos by Craig Hlavaty "These aren't the droids we're looking for."Friday, Aftermath ran over to Baybrook Mall after work to catch the guerilla acoustic show in front of the Hot Topic, pitting Friendswood's own "Christian death metal" band Hematidrosis and scum-punkers 10th Grade Cutie. ... More >>

Feuding Friendswood Bands to Throw Down at Baybrook Mall

Rocks Off been so far removed from mall culture that we had almost forgot that Hot Topic existed. Not that we ever meditated on where on 14-year old girls get their "Twilight" shirts and metal gauntlets from or anything... Apparently local Hot Topic locations have been hosting acoustic shows by ... More >>

The Twilight Tour Hits Houston

The Twilight Tour hit Hot Topic in the Galleria last night, and while there were a few screams and a few tears, the chaos that hit malls in other cities was avoided here. That could be because neither of the movie’s main stars, Kristen Stewart (human Bella) or Robert Pattinson (vampire Edward) ... More >>

Weekend Music: Happy Birthday, U.S.A.!

Emo Poems About Adult Every Day Life

No More Heroes is hip, bloody and indispensable

The Melvins

Harry Potter and the Sisters of Mercy, or Goth Like Me

One Piece at a Time

Psychobilly at the gates

Black Eyeliner Blitz

Idol Chatter

Opening day for America's fourth national sport is upon us

Like Star Trek with Worms

This Game Bites

The new Castlevania is the last nail in the franchise's coffin

Avril Lavigne, with Gavin DeGraw and Butch Walker

Tuesday, August 16, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2025 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands, 281-363-3300.

Warped Minds

A day at punk rock's biggest summer tour takes more than just stamina

Hip to Be SquarePants

There's nothing absurd about the appeal of SpongeBob's first movie

Living Large

A trendy clothing line for plus-size girls

Not So Complic8ted

Our latest pop phenomenon, Avril Lavigne, deconstructed for your convenience

Thrown for a Loop

Plus: Hot Topic, Shooting Fish?, Sympathy - Not

Betty Blowtorch

Saturday, December 15

Herald and Mod

My First Mister's odd couple transcends the silly stuff.