J Mascis

Retro Active: 1987, Here We Come

Rosa's Photo Corner: Pasadena Rocks, Balaclavas and J. Mascis

"The sign that Pedro is wiping his ass with says 'Pasadena rules.'"

RIP Ron Asheton

The Stooges, "No Fun" Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton, whose MC5-inspired gutter blues effectively laid the foundation for punk rock guitar, was found dead this morning in his Ann Arbor, Michigan, home, the Ann Arbor News reported. Asheton's personal assistant contacted Ann Arbor police after not he ... More >>

Rotation

The Stooges, "No Fun" Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton, whose MC5-inspired gutter blues effectively laid the foundation for punk rock guitar, was found dead this morning in his Ann Arbor, Michigan, home, the Ann Arbor News reported. Asheton's personal assistant contacted Ann Arbor police after not he ... More >>

Live Shots

The Stooges, "No Fun" Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton, whose MC5-inspired gutter blues effectively laid the foundation for punk rock guitar, was found dead this morning in his Ann Arbor, Michigan, home, the Ann Arbor News reported. Asheton's personal assistant contacted Ann Arbor police after not he ... More >>

The Brits Love Them Some "Blastbeats"

Leave it to the British music press to read more into something than it merits. Any new fad they see pop up they immediately have to make a celebratory month for, or start spending thousands of pounds on to trace its source. It's a dirty habit. They can't leave well enough alone. That's how you get ... More >>

Tori's Story

Leave it to the British music press to read more into something than it merits. Any new fad they see pop up they immediately have to make a celebratory month for, or start spending thousands of pounds on to trace its source. It's a dirty habit. They can't leave well enough alone. That's how you get ... More >>

Lo-fi, High Expectations

Will Sebadoh end up ruling the DIY world it helped create?

Rotation

Will Sebadoh end up ruling the DIY world it helped create?

Unchecked Egos

Will Sebadoh end up ruling the DIY world it helped create?

Dinosaur Jr.

Dinosaur Jr performs Sunday, June 17, at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel St., 713-225-5483.

Dinosaur Jr.

Beyond

A Blighted Slough of Smells, Steel and Chemicals

Touring bands sound off on Houston

Where You Been?

Alt-rock pioneers Dinosaur Jr. return to the freak scene as seniors

Doesn't It Make You Feel Better: Songs About Swine

[Update: Now with the Loco Gringos' "Nurture My Pig" and Houston's own Flying Fish Sailors' "Flu Pandemic."] April is almost over and we're coming into Sweeps Week, when commercial sponsors look at TV ratings to decide where they're going to advertise, and you know what that means: time for another ... More >>

Aftermath: Dinosaur Jr., Built to Spill and a Whole Lotta Gear at Warehouse Live

Photos by Jody Perry​ Fans in the crowd at Warehouse Live's Dinosaur Jr. show Friday night should have known what was in store for them when J Mascis' roadies began setting up his equipment. Six amps for a single guitar player. If you thought the show was loud, imaging standing three feet in front ... More >>

SXSW News: Adds Include DEATH, Voivod, Neon Indian, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Trae Tha Truth and Chamillionaire & Paul Wall, Together Again

This past week a few Houston musicians began getting their dreaded SXSW rejection notices; most notably we heard that Robert Ellis' entry was not accepted. That's a tough bullet to take, considering how well his band does on Wednesday night at Mango's and the quality of his solo album. Either way E ... More >>

Still Not Sold On SXSW? How About Smokey Robinson, High On Fire, She & Him, Band Of Horses, Drive-By Truckers, Deer Tick, Anya Marina, Black Angels, Major Lazer...

Today the organizers of the SXSW Music Festival announced their showcase schedule for the music portion of the industry fest starting on March 17. This is the news Rocks Off has been looking for, so let's get it on. We are now one month away from Sixth Street and one of the world's biggest conglome ... More >>

SXSW As It Happens: Missing Alex Chilton, German Dubstep DJs, J Mascis Stuffing His Face...

Craig Hlavaty12:25 p.m.: Alex Chilton 1950-2010: Memphis misses its native son.​ Welcome back to Rocks Off's minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour breakdown of SXSW's afternoon parties and activites as they happen (almost). Today we've got human Energizer bunny Craig Hlavaty back for more abuse, and ... More >>

Aftermath: Steel Panther On The Hair-Metal Prowl At House Of Blues

Photos by Craig Hlavaty​ As this morning has progressed, Aftermath is starting to slowly piece together exactly what Steel Panther did to us last night at the House Of Blues. Thank God we brought a camera. For one, we can't hear really well, which is a sign that the music was nice and loud. When w ... More >>

SXSW 2011 Still Untainted By Houston Artists

listenlisten: Not playing SXSW 2011... yet.​Rocks Off just got the latest list of names for next year's SXSW conference and festival in Austin, and just like the last time, the conference remains unsullied by any performers from Houston's filthy, rotten, disgusting, in-need-of-quarantine music ... More >>

Rocks Off's Must-See Music Picks For SXSW '11

​As you may have heard, there's a teeny-tiny little music festival going on in Austin later this week. Some of the early birds on team Rocks Off are either already there or well on their way, as a matter of fact. With more than 2,000 artists playing the official part of SXSW alone, trying to ... More >>

SXSW Last Night: Queens Of The Stone Age At La Zona Rosa

Craig Hlavaty​Rolling Stone magazine surely knows how to throw a showcase, bringing forth Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis, Mini Mansions, and Black Angels to open for a reinvigorated Queens Of The Stone Age on Wednesday night. Every band on the bill coalesced with each other beautifully and succinctl ... More >>

SXSW: The 10 Best Of The Fest This Year

Photos by Craig Hlavaty​

The Best Albums Of 2011 (So Far)

​The year isn't quite half over, but as of today, "summer" is officially here - even if the calendar needs a few weeks to catch up - and by the time summer is over, so will 2011. Or close enough. So Rocks Off asked our staff to give us their favorite two albums of the year so far, plus one out ... More >>

True Blood: Best. Episode. Ever. Song Ain't Bad, Either.

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. ​For some reason, Gothtopia has spent the last decade complet ... More >>

And, Uh, Um, OOPS: The Third Members Of Great Musical Trios You Probably Can't Name

​Last night we all watched as Governor Rick Perry blanked on the third department he would do away with if he was elected president. It was one of those moments - a la Scanners - when we all tensely waited for his head to explode, figuratively. Of course we love the guy and he's too precious t ... More >>

5 Bands Lou Reed Should Have Called Instead of Metallica

​As mentioned in Nathan Smith's "Bummer, Dude: The 10 Big Musical Disappointments of 2011", Lulu, the not-at-all-anticipated-by-me aural abortion resulting from the un-Godly union of The Progenitor of All Things Cool, Three Insufferable Man-Children & Kirk Hammett, SUCKED. This was crushing fo ... More >>

A J Mascis Doll With Real Doll Hair? Yes Please!

Does it float? ​The fine folks at punk toy firm Aggronautix, famous for their GG Allin and Keith Morris "throbbleheads," have now outdone themselves, yet again, with the release of a J Mascis model, complete with real doll hair. It's a shame that this is not Mascis' real hair, though. That w ... More >>