Jamey Johnson

RIP George Jones: Texas-Born Country Legend Dies at Age 81

George Jones, the Southeast Texas-born Country Music Hall of Famer whom most agree would be a face on Nashville's Mount Rushmore, has died at age 82. According to Fox News, repeating information from Jones' longtime publicist Kirt Webster, the singer died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center late ... More >>

RIP George Jones: Texas-Born Country Legend Dies at Age 81

George Jones, the Southeast Texas-born Country Music Hall of Famer whom most agree would be a face on Nashville's Mount Rushmore, has died at age 81. According to Fox News, repeating information from Jones' longtime publicist Kirt Webster, the singer died early Friday at Vanderbilt University Medica ... More >>

The Best Concerts In Houston This Week: Tianna Hall, Tom Russell, Bruno Mars, etc.

Tianna Hall Sambuca, March 4 You could argue that Tianna Hall is the best jazz singer in all of Houston. I mean, you could argue against it too, but it's like arguing that the moon landing was faked. Her smoky voice is a fine mix of skill and improvised magic, and it's landed her on the Grammy nomi ... More >>

Upcoming: Maroon 5, Jamey Johnson, Smokey Robinson, FallCore, Reagan Youth, Etc.

10th Annual Christmas Bash With The Handsomes, Thunderado: Tue., Dec. 25, 9 p.m. Continental Club, 3700 Main, Houston. Adventure Club, Fredster, Pharmer: Sat., Nov. 10, 8 p.m., $15-$25. Stereo Live, 6400 Richmond, Houston. B.J. Thomas: Sat., Feb. 9, 5:30 & 9:30 p.m., $78-$118. Dosey Doe, 25911 I-4 ... More >>

Upcoming: Band of Horses, Devin the Dude, Keane, Shadows Fall, Etc.

The Abyss, PuraPharm, The Scars Heal In Time, Obscured by Echoes: Sat., Oct. 13, 8 p.m., $5/$8. Notsuoh, 314 Main, Houston. Amplified Heat: Fri., Oct. 19, 9 p.m., $10. Continental Club, 3700 Main, Houston. Band of Horses: Wed., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., $25.00-$30.00. House of Blues, 1204 Caroline, Houston ... More >>

UPDATED: Railroad Revival Tour With Willie, etc. Cancelled; Band of Horses Adds House of Blues Date

UPDATED (3:15 p.m.): According to Live Nation, Band of Horses has added a show October 24 at House of Blues. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at noon at livenation.com. The Railroad Revival tour, featuring Willie Nelson, Band of Horses, Jamey Johnson and actor John C. Reilly's band, has been canceled, a ... More >>

Upcoming: Cypress Hill, Merle Haggard, The Wallflowers, Roberta Flack, Etc.

The 71's, The Rocketboys: Fri., Dec. 14, 8 p.m., $10/$14. Fitzgerald's, 2706 White Oak, Houston. Authority Zero: Fri., Nov. 23, 8 p.m., $12/$14. Scout Bar Clear Lake, 18307 Egret Bay Blvd., Houston. Bombay Bicyle Club, Vacationer: Thu., Oct. 11, 8 p.m., $12/$16. Fitzgerald's, 2706 White Oak, Houst ... More >>

7 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Bang Bangz, Praia Urbana, Greezy Wheels, Etc.

First up: Damn. According to Space City Rock (via Pegstar), the upcoming Guided by Voices show next Monday (Sept. 24) at Warehouse Live has been canceled. That would have been cool. Anyhow, if you're a fan of shimmery guitars and sad songs, get thee to Cactus Music this evening at 5 p.m. sharp, for ... More >>

CMA Nominations Don't Forget Texans Miranda Lambert, Eli Young Band

Nothing says country music like Times Square. Or is that the other way around? Regardless, the 2012 nominees for the Country Music Association were announced by stars (and nominees) Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean earlier this morning. It helps that Times Square is the home of Good Morning America's st ... More >>

Willie Nelson-Led Second Railroad Revival Tour to Stop In Old Town Spring

Last year the newborn Railroad Revival Tour made waves with Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Mumford & Sons on a six-show jaunt from California to Louisiana with a stop way out west in Marfa. The tour even spawned a concert film, Big Easy Express, that premiered at th ... More >>

ZZ Top & Their Gang Of Outlaws Hit The Woodlands June 23

ZZ Top is returning to the Houston stage June 23 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, for their "Gang Of Outlaws" tour, along with openers 3 Doors Down and Gretchen Wilson. Before you complain, Rocks Off would like to kindly remind that ZZ Top is the greatest group to come from Texas and the Ho ... More >>

Last Night: ZZ Top At Reliant Stadium

ZZ Top RodeoHouston, Reliant Stadium March 8, 2012 See more photos from Thursday, even some without beards, in our slideshow. I admit, I had almost given up on waiting for ZZ Top to show me something new. Not even something from their new album - which is finally completed but caught up in the mus ... More >>

Jason Cassidy's 10 Country Songs You Should Hear Before You Die

Tonight traditional country upstart Jason Cassidy headlines Big Texas Dance Hall & Saloon out in Clear Lake. The strip-center venue, known for it's pretty girls with painted-on jeans and copious amounts of trucks in the parking lot and a Bud Light in every hand, has been host to Cassidy many times b ... More >>

Mary Sarah Sings With the Oak Ridge Boys

Mary Sarah is Houston's fastest rising star. At 16 she's already a veteran of the road with big name gigs under her belt like performing the national anthem for the Astros and the Texans, and a recording project that we're not allowed to tell you about yet but can assure you is something that every ... More >>

Happy Gorilla Suit Day! 5 Music Videos for Celebrating.

Today is National Gorilla Suit Day. We're not explaining it for you because something so magical needs neither intellectual discourse, nor to be held up against the scrutiny of skeptics who are clearly dead inside. Just accept it. Today is National Gorilla Suit Day, and all are commended to observe. ... More >>

Real Men

Lukas Nelson and his drummer Anthony LoGerfo talk friendship, music and life on the road.

New ZZ Top Tribute Disc Frightens, Titillates, And Confuses Us

Photo By Jim Bricker​If you don't know that Rocks Off is a ZZ Top-friendly place, then you have probably only been reading the blog for the past two or three hours. The two men who run this blog love Billy, Frank, and Dusty with the energy from one thousands suns, and their whole catalog runs ... More >>

Nick 13

Upcoming: Chromeo, Dawes, Kaiser Chiefs, M83, Etc.

​"The 94.5 The Buzz/Bud Light Weenie Roast" With Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Puddle Of Mudd, Crossfade, P.O.D: Sun., Aug. 28. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The Aggrolites: Sat., Sept. 24. Warehouse Live. Better Than Ezra: Thu., Dec. 29. House of Blues. Big D & The Kids Table: Sun., Oct. 16. ... More >>

30 Seconds With Miss Leslie

Rocks Off sat down with Miss Leslie to see what we could learn about Houston's reigning queen of country in 30 seconds. Miss Leslie on Facebook​Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? Miss Leslie: So many songs to choose from, but I'd have to say "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" because I l ... More >>

Out Today: Arctic Monkeys Suck It And See, Black Lips Get Cosmic, Joe Ely Satisfied At Last

​This week of new releases brings a Mark Ronson-produced Black Lips album, the country debut of psychobilly idol Nick 13, an inventive career-spanning set from Randy Travis, and another Arctic Monkeys album, continuing their interesting progression from Brit garage brats into muscular rockers ... More >>

Cracker: A Belated Hillbilly Revelation At Fitzgerald's

Photos by Jason Wolter​Sometime after Cracker deposited Rocks Off's jaw on the floor of Fitzgerald's Thursday night, we decided reviewing the show would be superfluous. Our buddy Lonesome Onry and Mean was standing next to us the whole time, and we told him afterward it was hard to think of an ... More >>

Last Night: Jamey Johnson At Warehouse Live

dirtymitten.comJamey Johnson also doesn't approve photo requests, but he still looks like this.​Jamey Johnson Warehouse Live May 11, 2011 Ladies and gentlemen, the feel-good show of the year. Aftermath had never seen Jamey Johnson live before Wednesday, so we don't know if what happened is h ... More >>

Jamey Johnson

Upcoming: Charlie Sheen, Jamey Johnson, Jane's Addiction, Etc.

​Average White Band: Thu., June 16. House of Blues. Born Liars, Talk Sick Brats, Disfrutalo: Sat., April 16. Lee & Joe Jamail Skatepark. "Buzzfest" With Jane's Addiction, Social Distortion, Seether, Puddle Of Mudd, Dirty Heads, Flogging Molly: Sun., May 1. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. ... More >>

Slideshow: Gary Allan At RodeoHouston

Photos by Groovehouse​Rocks Off has the worst luck with Gary Allan. It's starting to give us a complex. It's ironic, because out of all the artists who get semi-regular play on country stations we hardly ever listen to like KILT and 93Q, Allan lines up the most with the kind of country we act ... More >>

Miranda Lambert

Balaclavas, Moccs, Fat Tony Place In Pazz & Jop Poll

Show of hands, everyone who is surprised this is No. 1.​Music writers all know that once they get their Village Voice Pazz & Jop ballot in their e-mail inbox, that it's time to tally their loves from the last year. It's sort of like the leaves changing or the first freeze of winter coming. You ... More >>

Rocks Off's Favorite Songs Of 2010

​Editor's Picks: Jamey Johnson, "Lonely at the Top": Ouch. Merle Haggard, "I've Seen It": Double ouch. Patty Griffin, "Move On Up": Help me, Jesus. Please.

Texans Have Down Year In Grammy Nominations

​Texas artists, or artists with Texas roots, scored fewer nominations than usual when the Recording Academy announced its choices for the 53rd annual Grammy Awards Wednesday night. Perpetual nominees Beyonce and George Strait were nominated for residual tracks from I Am... Sasha Fierce and Twa ... More >>

Katy Perry? For Album Of The Year? Seriously?

​Don't get Craig's Hlist wrong, we think that Katy Perry is extremely attractive. In fact, if we think about her long enough, it makes us want to cry and punch a wall. She's a buxom, bubbly, raven-haired pop star who dresses like she's expensive grandma candy. We even interviewed her last ye ... More >>

Ten Country Covers That Top The Pop Originals

​Our copy must still be in the mail, but Rocks Off figures we have heard enough songs from Jamey Johnson's new album The Guitar Song on Sirius/XM's Outlaw Country to know that we like it a whole lot. But none that we've heard so far are our favorite new Johnson song. It's close. No flies on G ... More >>

The Grand Theatre

Old '97s snap back with new album.

The Ten Bleakest Songs In Country Music History

decodedstuff.com​Country music isn't all high-tech rednecks and honky tonk badonkadonks. Country artists have a tendency to, every now and then, sing about some dark, disturbing stuff. Sometimes scary, sometimes violent, and sometimes just weird, here are some country songs that rival the blac ... More >>

Nothing's Wrong

Scott H. Biram cuts back on the craziness...just not in his music.

Lonesome Onry and Mean: John Conquest Turns Both Barrels on Country-Music Poll

People have often referred to Lonesome, Onry and Mean as a curmudgeon (look it up), as a guy with a permanent hangover, bad temper and well... you get the idea. But compared to Austin-based 3rd Coast Music publisher (and main writer) John Conquest, LOM is a pussy cat, a cookie and a warm glass of m ... More >>

Lonesome Onry and Mean: Nashville Scene Critics' Poll Lauds Brad Paisley's So-Called Edginess

Lonesome Onry and Mean didn't vote in Houston Press ex-sister paper Nashville Scene's annual Best of Country Music poll, but that doesn't mean we won't comment on the results. This year's poll essentially boils down to the Big Four: Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson. Com ... More >>

Jamey Johnson

Got Live If You Want It

Our Spring/Summer concert preview, part deux

Playing Favorites

Saving Country Music Rides to Rocks Off's Aid

TK's atomic mullet is no match for Rocks Off and Saving Country Music's poison pens.This has been a fun week down in the Rocks Off foxhole, as Toby Keith's loyal minions have besieged us with comments taking issue with our review of the Big Dog Daddy's lackluster RodeoHouston performance Wedn ... More >>