Joe Ely

Playbill: Albert & Gage

Weekend Music: No Money, No Problem

Tonight: Joe Ely and Joel Guzman at Dosey Doe in The Woodlands

Ely, Allen and BBQ: The next best thing to Lubbock

Karp, the Good Crap

Postmarked Texas

Joe Ely sends a sad, beautiful Letter to Laredo

Lonesome Onry and Mean: A Tribute to Chris Gaffney

Chris Gaffney Right on the heels of Wednesday's announcement of Vanguard's new Doug Sahm tribute album comes Yep Roc's tribute to Chris Gaffney, The Man of Somebody's Dreams. Ironically, it includes some of the same high-profile roots artists who pay tribute to Sahm: Dave Alvin, Los ... More >>

Guit-in' Down

Chris Gaffney Right on the heels of Wednesday's announcement of Vanguard's new Doug Sahm tribute album comes Yep Roc's tribute to Chris Gaffney, The Man of Somebody's Dreams. Ironically, it includes some of the same high-profile roots artists who pay tribute to Sahm: Dave Alvin, Los ... More >>

Leaving the Country

Jimmie Dale Gilmore broadens his horizons -- and if he's lucky, his listeners'

Press Picks

Jimmie Dale Gilmore broadens his horizons -- and if he's lucky, his listeners'

Press Picks

Jimmie Dale Gilmore broadens his horizons -- and if he's lucky, his listeners'

Dream So Real

Folk-rock space boy Todd Snider awakes to find a career on the upswing

Rotation

Folk-rock space boy Todd Snider awakes to find a career on the upswing

Tonight: The Magpies at the Continental Club

[A review from the Magpies' January Continental show is here.] Chris GrayMy son, a guitar plunker raised on huge doses of Rockpile and Joe Ely, tipped me to the Magpies. He saw them at Hayes Carll's Stingaree Festival about a year ago and pronounced them the hardest-rocking band of the whole ... More >>

The Magpies

[A review from the Magpies' January Continental show is here.] Chris GrayMy son, a guitar plunker raised on huge doses of Rockpile and Joe Ely, tipped me to the Magpies. He saw them at Hayes Carll's Stingaree Festival about a year ago and pronounced them the hardest-rocking band of the whole ... More >>

The Shredder

One Show, One Sentence

This Just In: The Flatlanders Cancel Cactus In-Store Gig

This morning word came from Cactus Music, via a quick MySpace bulletin, that the Flatlanders' in-store performance set for Saturday afternoon has been cancelled. No reason was given for the band backing out of the midday appearance. The roots-rock supergroup, made up of Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmor ... More >>

Joe Ely, Ryan Bingham

This morning word came from Cactus Music, via a quick MySpace bulletin, that the Flatlanders' in-store performance set for Saturday afternoon has been cancelled. No reason was given for the band backing out of the midday appearance. The roots-rock supergroup, made up of Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmor ... More >>

Joe Ely

One of the original kings of alt-country is experiencing a renaissance

Lise Liddell

Lovers' Moon (Self-released)

The Small Stars

Small Stars perform Friday, February 2, at the Continental Club, 3700 Main Street, 713-529-9899. Scott Biram also performs.

Unknown Legend

Roots renegade Joe Ely never achieved pop stardom, but that's all right by him...sorta

Joe Ely and Double Trouble

Joe Ely performs on Thursday, December 28, at Fitzgerald's, 2706 White Oak, 713-862-3838.

Joe Ely

Friday, June 9, at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, 2524 Norfolk, 713-528-5999

Jimmie Dale Gilmore

Thursday, May 26, at Zilkha Hall in the Hobby Center, 800 Bagby, 713-313-2525.

The Flatlanders

Saturday, February 28

Rallying Round Al

Houston pitches in to help an ailing Austinite; also: Dennis Kucinich hits the hip-hop hustings

Racket

The Last Concert Cafe has glimpses from its unique history

Lonesome Onry and Mean: Another Record Store Day at Cactus Music

Cactus Music and the Record Ranch is having another Record Store Day Saturday, with a lineup of events that borders on serious party happening. The highlight of the day will be a live appearance by red-hot San Antonio band The Krayolas (above). San Antonio's oldest and most respected rockero outfit ... More >>

A Musical Guide to Post-Secession Texas: "Palo Duro"

View Five States of Texas in a larger map As any proud Texan can tell you, the Lone Star State is entitled constitutionally to split into five states if it so wishes. The scenario has rarely been more in the news than it has relatively recently, when Gov. Rick Perry played to the wingnut gallery in ... More >>

One to Grow On

What we'd like to see happen in Houston music this year.

No Longer Bulletproof

Reckless Kelly look to an old Idaho mentor on new album Somewhere in Time.

The Gulf Coast At iFest: Joe Ely's Rattlesnake Rock, Soulful Latinology, Voodoo Brass And Creole Zydeco

Over the next two weeks, Rocks Off will be previewing acts performing at this year's Houston International Festival Saturday and Sunday and April 24-25 broken down by genre (loosely, anyway) and with a guest pick from a true insider: iFest Director of Performing Arts Rick Mitchell. We're doubling up ... More >>

iFest Aftermath: Joe Ely Band Almost Pulls A Michael Jackson

Photos by Jason WolterMarcia Ball (left) and Joe Ely get their "Fingernails" dirty.​ Terry Allen once told Aftermath that Joe Ely was his favorite performer. Allen related that Ely would come over to his house in Lubbock and sit on his couch and try out new songs. According to Allen, it didn't mat ... More >>

iFest Aftermath: Not Bad For a Non-Music Festival

Breaking iFest news: Nigeria's King Sunny Ade & his African Beats have been forced to cancel their entire U.S. tour, including a scheduled appearance Saturday at iFest. According to a press release from the group's PR firm, Rock Paper Scissors, the U.S. Embassy has refused to grant visas to two ... More >>

Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock

Breaking iFest news: Nigeria's King Sunny Ade & his African Beats have been forced to cancel their entire U.S. tour, including a scheduled appearance Saturday at iFest. According to a press release from the group's PR firm, Rock Paper Scissors, the U.S. Embassy has refused to grant visas to two ... More >>

Top 10 Honorary Texas Musicians

West Vita​Right here, right now, and in print all damn week, you can read the Houston Press' interview with perhaps the hottest new band on the South 40, San Antonio's Hacienda (above). Whether or not they go on to become a South Texas Kings of Leon - Hacienda is also three brothers and a cous ... More >>

Slaid Cleaves

West Vita​Right here, right now, and in print all damn week, you can read the Houston Press' interview with perhaps the hottest new band on the South 40, San Antonio's Hacienda (above). Whether or not they go on to become a South Texas Kings of Leon - Hacienda is also three brothers and a cous ... More >>

Roger Wood and Andy Bradley, Wendy Hundere Parnell

West Vita​Right here, right now, and in print all damn week, you can read the Houston Press' interview with perhaps the hottest new band on the South 40, San Antonio's Hacienda (above). Whether or not they go on to become a South Texas Kings of Leon - Hacienda is also three brothers and a cous ... More >>

Five Great 2010 Albums Lonesome Onry And Mean Forgot

​Other than it just being a form of lazy journalism, one reason LOM hates making best-of lists is that there are always items that we forgot about, or considered but felt like they just barely didn't make it somehow. Then we wish we had included them. Here are a few more obscure 2010 albums th ... More >>

Joe Ely, Bobby Womack Top Early 2011 Concert Picks

Jason WolterJoe Ely (left) and David Grissom at iFest 2010​Lonesome Onry and Mean got a Facebook event invitation Monday that caused us to panic and pull our credit card out so we could be sure we had a ticket. And in doing so, we realized that 2011 is upon us and we have some planning ahead t ... More >>

Joe Ely's Top Five Live Shots, By iFest's Rick Mitchell

Jason WolterJoe Ely (left) and David Grissom at iFest 2010​Next Friday, Feb. 11, the Joe Ely Band returns to Rockefeller Hall for the first time in more than a decade, since the legendary Washington Avenue showcase club stopped presenting live music to focus on the less risky business of priva ... More >>

Joe Ely Band, Mike Stinson

Jason WolterJoe Ely (left) and David Grissom at iFest 2010​Next Friday, Feb. 11, the Joe Ely Band returns to Rockefeller Hall for the first time in more than a decade, since the legendary Washington Avenue showcase club stopped presenting live music to focus on the less risky business of priva ... More >>

Upcoming: Billy Joe Shaver, Def Leppard, Stephen Marley, Etc.

​"20th Annual KTRU Outdoor Show" With Washed Out, Real Estate, Fat Tony, Young Mammals, Grandfather Child, The Tontons: Sat., April 9. Rice University. Billy Joe Shaver: Sat., June 18. Dosey Doe Coffee Company. Chingo Bling, DJ Ebonix: Fri., April 8. Bronze Peacock Room @ House of Blues. C ... More >>

The Five Most Texan Types Of Music

​Happy San Jacinto Day, fellow Texans and people who wish they were; i.e. everyone else. If you don't know why today is special, shame on you. But since us Texans are a friendly sort, allow Rocks Off to fill you in. On April 21, 1836, Texian forces under Gen. Sam Houston (aka "Big Drunk") lau ... More >>

Bobby Keys: iFest Nabs Rolling Stones Sax Maniac

The Rolling StonesBobby Keys takes an Exile on Main Street breather, Nellcote, France, 1971​Born in Lubbock and raised just east in Slaton, Joe Ely's home town, saxophonist Bobby Keys left Lubbock in 1960 looking for kicks. At 14, he was playing with Bob Dylan influence, Bobby Vee, before movi ... More >>

iFest's Second Weekend Brings It All Back Home

Jason WolterTexas Connection: Joe Ely, Lucinda Williams and Townes Van Zandt (not pictured)​See lots more iFest pictures from Saturday and Sunday (and some food) in our slideshows. Yes, it was hot at iFest this weekend. Houston hot. Sunday afternoon, partway through Lucinda Williams' surprisi ... More >>

13 Lucky Songs For Friday The 13th

​Happy Friday the 13th, everyone. Unlike most Fridays, this one has gone pretty smoothly here at Rocks Off HQ, which means we must be in for a hellacious Monday. But hey, that's next week. Our luck may be holding up - for now - but we couldn't let the occasion go by unremarked (plus a couple ... 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 >>

Happy Birthday Joe Ely: The Lubbock Flash Turns 65

Courtesy LC Media​I was living in Holland in 1977 when my younger brother, who had attended Wayland Baptist University on a track scholarship until booze and girls were discovered in his dorm room, came for a visit. While living in Plainview, his stomping grounds had been the gin joints of Lub ... More >>