Isaac Hayes

Bruce Kessler's Incredible Houston Concert Photo Archive

Saturday Night: Kashmere Stage Band at Fitzgerald's

The Legendary Kashmere Stage Band Fitzgerald's July 21, 2012 Craig Baldwin, the passionately loud and boisterous band director of the Kashmere Stage Band, broke his ankle recently and was forced to perform in a boot and with a cane Saturday night at Fitzgerald's in the Heights. Music, however, is a ... More >>

The American Bandstand (Extended) Hot 100

Somehow it's hard to believe that Dick Clark was only 82 years old when he died after suffering a "massive heart attack" Wednesday morning in Santa Monica, Calif. (Since I managed to survive one myself, I've noticed that anytime someone dies of a heart attack, it's always "massive."). Despite his yo ... More >>

Lucero: Memphis Band Loves Horns, Texas "Knuckleheads"

It's always reassuring to know that some things never change - like Houston concert audiences' loutish reputation. "Houston is notorious for its knuckleheads," says Lucero lead guitarist Brian Venable, who doesn't seem to hold a grudge. If there were any doubt that the Memphis alt.country rockers ... More >>

Soul Power

Still sportsmen after all these years, Huey Lewis & the News settle into some of their favorite Stax grooves.

Oh Jesus! Rock's Top 5 Religious Conversions

Rocks Off understands the need for a good detox now and then, as most of our evening antics often leave us feeling less than bright-eyed and bushy-tailed come morning. We also imagine the damage inflicted by lifetime of hard partying and endless touring in the company of morally compromised music-in ... More >>

Five '60s Soul Stars Jay-Z & Kanye West Should Hit Next

thelocal478.comWelcome back to Billboard, Otis.​Say what you will about Watch the Throne - and people, including several members of Team Rocks Off, have said a lot - but it's all anyone in music seems to be talking about these days. Which makes sense; it's not every day that two megastars (the ... More >>

Bobby Whitlock: Derek's Main Domino Dishes On Layla & More

Derek & the Dominos​It's been an active, and retroactive, time for singer-songwriter/keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, best known as one of the playing pieces in the Eric Clapton-led group Derek and the Dominos, along with bassist Carl Radle (who died in 1980) and drummer Jim Gordon, currently in pr ... More >>

Soultron

At an Ozeal show Nobody talks, but everybody dances.

10 Sexually Suggestive, Food-Related Album Covers

​ If there are three things we report on quite well here at Houston Press Blog Central, it's food, sex and music. So, hell, let's merge 'em! Here is a rundown of ten of the most sexually suggestive, food- related album covers that caught our eye and gave us the craziest cravings. 10. Katy Pe ... More >>

The Top 10 Rock-Musician Film Scores

​David Fincher's Facebook creation tale The Social Network has been the No. 1 film in America the past two weekends, and no doubt it will continue that streak this weekend, barring an assault by Jackass 3-D which comes out today. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone is already hailing Network as a ... More >>

The Top Five Bank-Robbery Scene Soundtracks

​It's been quite a summer for bank robberies in the Bayou City. It seems like more banks are being plundered than ever before by a rogue's gallery that includes the XXXL Bandit, the "Master of Disguise" and the Bicycle Brigands. Whether coincidence or felonious response to a dismal economy, th ... More >>

Last Night: Rodrigo y Gabriela At House Of Blues

Photos by Liana Lopez​Rodrigo y Gabriela House of Blues September 2, 2010 Aftermath is not going to lie. Thursday night was about as cold as we've ever gone into a concert. We knew next to nothing about Rodrigo y Gabriela besides the fact that they are a male-female duo from down Mexico way. ... More >>

Booker T

Leon's Lounge Needs Some Soul. Brett "Dirty Honey" Koshkin Has The Platters.

​ Leon's Lounge, the venerable Midtown throwback dive, is currently closed for renovations as new owner Pete Mitchell (Under the Volcano) gives it a good scrubbing, but it should be back open before too much longer. Maybe as soon as next month. Earlier this week, Rocks Off heard some equally good ... More >>

Rocks Off's Brother Once Stepped in Human Shit at a U2 Show... Got a Better Astrodome Story?

Smash Mouth had just finished playing, and not coincidentally, Rocks Off's brother John had just returned from a trip to the bathroom. It was November 1997, and we were watching the stagehands putting the finishing touches on U2's ginormous set in the Astrodome. The Irish rockers were touring behin ... More >>

Jimmy Webb

Truck Turner

Web exclusive!

SXSW Update: Sonics, Bar-Kays, Black Lips, Young Mammals, Wild Moccasins Added

The Sonics, "Psycho a Go-Go" Another week goes by, with yet gigantic list of SXSW performers coming to Austin in March. The final list comes out January 30, so be prepared for maximum bloggage. We're still crossing our fingers and polishing up the nondescript white van in the hopes that Katy Perry ... More >>

Classic Rock Corner: Blues/Soul/R&B In Memoriam 2008

Ah, that nasty Grim Reaper took a lot of great musicians this year, and his scythe cut a wide swath across all genres, including many heavyweights in the blues and R&B world. The greatest loss comes in the form of someone who was a man, a song, and a beat all in one... Bo Diddley, singer-songw ... More >>

Soul Men Pays Fitting Tribute to the Late Bernie Mac

Blues Brothers

Turning the Screw: K-Otix, T-Pain, Bun B & Face?, Jay-Z & Coldplay, Master P, The Game, The Kanye, MF Doom and More

Where's Houston's Hurricane Relief Benefit?

R.I.P. Isaac Hayes: See Ya Later, Chef...

New Life for Soul Train

Rotation: Chicago, The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary Edition

Houston's Very Best Songs Ever

...otherwise known as the H-Town 20

Dream Deferred

Baron Guy, again

Tony Joe White

Friday, September 30, at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk, 713-528-5999.

Boyz N the Studio

Hustle & Flow is short on action, long on scenes of recording

Sammy's Way

A former Gallant Knight singer hopes to conquer downtown with his own club

Mouth of the Dirty South

The Geto Boys showed the nation hip-hop with real staying power

Big Moe

Purple World (Wreckshop/Priority)

Do Little Indeed

Who needs a plot when you have Eddie Murphy talking to the animals?

Shelf Life

Long after Britney Oops her way to obscurity, these releases will continue to sing

Amplified

All People Considered

Splendor in the Crass

Best of Burt

Rotation

Catching Up with Gil

A new series of reissues reaffirms the genius of rap's granddaddy

The Return of Superfly

Rotation

Baby, It's Him

Burt Bacharach isn't making a comeback -- he never left

Groove United

Heavy on the Lite

Ultra Lounge puts on paper a simple truth: Easy listening ain't easy

Doesn't Suck

Beavis and Butt-head get off the couch and onto the big screen

Rotation

Perry Deep

Rotation

Into the Tank