Ke$ha

The Five Worst Musical Guests In Simpsons History

24 seasons and over 500 episodes in, the Simpsons has established itself in the domain of pop culture for good, regardless of where and when you believe the show began a downward trend in quality. One thing that has kept it alive this long is that in lieu of writing stories focused on the central Si ... More >>

Wonders Never Cease

Houston promotes its present-day music scene to the national media.

Today's 10 Most Predictable Acts to See In Concert

There's nothing quite as soul-crushing as a disappointing concert. We've all been there; shit rolls downhill the minute the dude behind you dumps his beer on your girl's shoes, or the security bro doesn't find your umpteenth "Freebird" request to be quite as funny as you did. It'll ruin the night wi ... More >>

Fact: Pop Songs Always Give Brilliant Parenting Advice

I'm not sure who thought to film the fabulous display of parenting that is documented in the video below, but after watching this hot mess for exactly two minutes and 39 seconds, I've decided there's nothing quite as disturbing as a six-year-old rapping about how he can make my "booty pop." I refus ... More >>

Last Night: Sprint All-Star Jam Session Concert With Ludacris And Ke$ha

Sprint Pre-Game Concert feat. B.O.b, Ludacris, and Ke$ha All-Star Jam Session at George R. Brown Convention Center February 17th, 2013 Sunday afternoon, as I was counting down the minutes until I had to leave an amazing All-Star day party, where I was making friends with a beautiful girl, drinking ... More >>

Is "Die Young" Really the Most Controversial Hit Song Right Now?

December was supposed to be Ke$ha's big month. She was releasing a new album, critics were starting to see her as a serious artist, and "Die Young" was on the verge of becoming her third Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single. But it was not to be. After the shootings in Newtown, some people didn't want t ... More >>

Friday Night: The Bright Light Social Hour at Fitzgerald's

The Bright Light Social Hour, Ishi Fitzgerald's December 7, 2012 Having thoroughly conquered its hometown rock scene up Highway 290 -- the group swept its six nominations at the Austin Music Awards last year, including Band of the Year -- the Bright Light Social Hour spent 2012 on the march. The ba ... More >>

The Top 5 Artists Written Off By "Serious Music Listeners"

One of the weirdest things to happen in music in 2012 was the revelation that Ke$ha might be, gasp, a talented singer with ambitions beyond brushing her teeth with Jack Daniels. I'm pretty sure when she debuted in 2009, none of us "serious music listeners" appreciated anything about her. I mean, she ... More >>

Sister Act Krewella Knows "Texas Rages Really Hard"

By now we've all heard it a dozen times or so: DJs are the new rock stars, pop stars, and icons. Big-name DJs and producers like David Guetta and Avicii are taking their fame across genre lines into the world of pop and becoming more famous in the process. In the near future, it will be interestin ... More >>

Top 10 Dirt Cheap Rock Star Halloween Costumes

Yep, it's that time again. Almost Halloween, and you with no costume. There's no time left to execute some grand vision that might impress people you'd like to sleep with. (Unless you want to try these, from our sister blog Art Attack.) That leaves you with only a couple of options: Sit around alon ... More >>

5 Songs That Could Be "Song of the Fall"

If you spent any amount of time this past summer listening to the radio you're well aware of just how popular Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" was. According to the folks over at Billboard it was the "Song of the Summer" and thus the answer to the question blogs had been asking months earlier. Wh ... More >>

thelastplaceyoulook Turn To Their Fans To Help Kickstart Their First National Tour

To make the most out of the chance of a lifetime, you may have to make some sacrifices. For thelastplaceyoulook that means quitting their day jobs, looking for more affordable housing, and leaving their families behind for six weeks. Having built a dedicated fan base here at home the band now find ... More >>

LMFAO

How Bizarre: How the Hell Are These Songs All 15 Years Old?

"Simple. Fifteen years have gone by." Nineteen ninety-seven may have been one of the most magical years in trash-pop history. You had the Spice Girls, Hanson, Shania Twain, Puff Daddy, Toni Braxton and Aqua burning up the radio as old-timers like David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac and Elton John made retu ... More >>

Flaming Lips And Their Fwends Set To Weird Up Record Store Day

In a few weeks on April 21, Record Store Day is yet again set to obliterate the wallets of record collectors around the country, and the Flaming Lips will have quite a release for fans on that day. What would you think if I said that they have been recording with none other than Ke$ha, Bon Iver, Nic ... More >>

To Ke$ha, With Love: A Plea For Sanity At Age 25

Dear Ke$ha: Happy birthday. If 18 and 21 are the "good" birthdays, and 30 and 40 are the "bad" birthdays, what do we make of turning 25? I like to look at the positive side of things: You're old enough to have grown up responsibilities, but young enough to still party hard and get away with it. Fo ... More >>

Ten Cruises We'd Rather Take Than the KISS Kruise

​Imagine a vacation where made-up members of your favorite glam rock band wander the decks of a cruise ship. Does that sound like heaven on earth? Well, glam boy, you're in luck as the second annual (yes, they've done one before this) KISS Kruise sets sail this October featuring that cuddly '7 ... More >>

Manipulate And Control A Captive Katy Perry (As A New Sim Character That Is)

Huh-huh-huh-huh ​Today the makers of The Sims 3: Showtime announced that Katy Perry will be a playable character on this expansion pack off of The Sims 3, coming in March for whatever it is you play The Sims on. We haven't played the game in years, becuase all we did was build houses for avata ... More >>

The 10 Most Popular Rocks Off Posts of 2011

Photo by Marc BrubakerKe$ha, Slutwave queen.​Each December we take a moment to reflect back on the writing of the year, looking at those posts that seem to most fervently stir the hearts and imaginations of our readers. This year, you guys were really, really into films, soundtracks and music ... More >>

Hear Ke$ha's Quality, Teary-Eyed Cover Of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice It's Alright"

Photo By Marc Brubaker​Truth be told, if you played Ke$ha's cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" for someone in a car, without referencing who it was by, or her glitter-to-platelet count, they would bow down and worship it, sight unseen. And if she had a whole album with ba ... More >>

Taking Apart Yesterday's Facebook Music Screed

​Yesterday, about a half-dozen of my Facebook friends forwarded a gloom-and-doom listicle from a site called Buzzfeed entitled "12 Extremely Disappointing Facts About Popular Music." Now up to over one million hits, the doom-and-gloom piece is subtitled "This is the saddest thing you'll read a ... More >>

Parents And KPRC Just Found Out About Rich's Sexy Dance Nights

Photo By Son LamJust another night at Rich's Houston...​There was a harried report last night on KPRC about the teen nights at Rich's Houston off San Jacinto, namely an upcoming Playboy-themed night geared towards underagers, those 14 to 18, to come out to the dance club in their sexiest gear. ... More >>

Teen Dance Nights at Rich's Come Under Fire From Parents and KPRC

Photo By Son LamJust another night at Rich's Houston...​ Last night KPRC aired a frazzled piece about Rich's Houston's popular teen dance nights, namely their upcoming Playboy-themed night geared towards the kiddos, advertising on Facebook for attendees to strut their underage stuff in their s ... More >>

Our Top Ten Picks For Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011

Photo By Marc BrubakerBest Coast at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010​This weekend the Rocks Off team will cover their third Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, at the festival's new home Auditorium Shores. Each year this fest seems to get bigger and better, without losing it's grimy luster. Is it the Austin City ... More >>

Hybrid Theory

Stars in Indonesia, Houston rockers VerseCity hope their new album catches them up at home.

Extreme Heat Unlikely To Affect Future Concert Seasons

Marc BrubakerArcade Fire in the glorious days of May, when temperatures only reached the low 90s.​Is the heat getting to you yet? Rocks Off is not going to say this week or two of consecutive 100-plus-degree days is affecting our judgment, but earlier today we approved one of our writers' pitc ... More >>

Comment of the Day: TexasSparkle?

​We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involv ... More >>

Swagometer: Brawling Strippers & Fat Tony's Filthy New Band Name

Despite what you may have heard, swag isn't dead yet; at least not in Houston. Have any swagged-out projects or general ideas? E-mail alliswagoner@gmail.com. Ryan GrimesBest. Photo. Ever.​Aside from working every day at Girls Rock Camp Houston, this week provided Rocks Off with its usually co ... More >>

Last Night: Ke$ha At The Woodlands

Photos by Groovehouse​Ke$ha Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 2, 2011 See glitter, glow-in-the-dark attire and some mighty afros from Ke$ha, LMFAO and Spank Rock (and their fans) in our slideshow. Halfway through her sparkly, sordid and sweaty extravaganza Tuesday night, Ke$ha dropped t ... More >>

Friday Night: Katy Perry At Toyota Center

Photos by Marc Brubaker​Katy Perry, Robyn Toyota Center July 29, 2011 See more teenage dream photos in our slideshow. As the current crop of glittery female pop-stars goes, Katy Perry is not as tragic as Britney Spears, less serious and arty than Lady Gaga, not as hedonistic as Ke$ha, and a ... More >>

Last Night: Britney Spears & Nicki Minaj At Toyota Center

Photos by Jim Bricker​Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj Toyota Center July 13, 2011 Check out pictures of bad girls Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj in our slideshow. So far in 2011, Aftermath has seen Ke$ha, Kylie Minogue, Nicki Minaj, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, and in two weeks we should be standing ... More >>

The Seven Ages Of Britney Spears: A Poem

By William Shakespeare and Craig Hlavaty ​All the world's a stage, even things like MTV and stuff. And all the men and women merely players, even Fred Durst and that one chick from that one show that we forgot the name of. She had long hair probably. They have their exits and entrances, like ... More >>

Britney Spears

Stars & Stripes Forever: 10 Musicians Wearing Old Glory

​This ain't no rag, Charlie Daniels pointed out not too long ago. It's a flag. Fashion blog Thrifted thinks Old Glory is also one of the summer's hottest trends, so here are 10 musicians putting their patriotism front and center. Happy Fourth of July, everybody.

Ke$ha Invites Fans To Send Her Their Teeth

Jay Lee​Reigning slutwave queen Ke$ha is requesting than fans send her their teeth in order for her to make a necklace she hopes to wear at a future awards show. Apparently one fan has already done so in the past, and Kesha has taken to wearing the single tooth around her neck. Not content wit ... More >>

Friday Night: Ke$ha At Verizon Wireless Theater

Photos by Jay Lee​Ke$ha Verizon Wireless Theater April 29, 2011 Before Ke$ha even hit the stage for her sold-out show Friday night at Verizon Wireless Theater, we saw limos full of prom-ready teens pulling up to the venue, mounds of glitter were embedded into the cracks in the pavement surrou ... More >>

More Local Music News Than Half-Price Deals At Cactus

Another week, another teeming cup runneth over, full of local music news. Here's our latest installment of Magnolia City Mixtape. ​This week's soundtrack comes from Roosh Williams, whose Common Struggles of a Modern Man album just dropped. Roosh also has a video for the track "No Hard Feeling ... 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 >>

Odd Pairs: Ten Upcoming Nights of Music Bring Wild Variations

Photo by groovehouseTry to guess who's playing the same night as Toadies.​Diversity is a big deal in H-Town. In fact, our cultural diversity creates such a wide variety of musical styles, it is hard to figure out just what kind of music town we are. In places like Memphis, Nashville, Seattle a ... More >>

We Get The Celebrity Offspring We Deserve

​You always want to be careful when writing about children. Not only because they're the future, as Whitney Houston and Bill Hicks once told us, but because it isn't exactly sporting to use your big person vocabulary and rhetorical arsenal to tee off on someone who hasn't yet been beaten into ... More >>

Superstar? Jesus Christ...

Sorry, but no.​There's a scene in Penelope Spheeris's excellent documentary The Decline of Western Civilization, Part 2: The Metal Years where she interviews a number of struggling musicians about their career prospects and their fallback options should they fail. Almost to a man* (and woman), ... More >>

Women of Rock

Readers discuss Slutwave genre.

Roger Wood and Andy Bradley, Wendy Hundere Parnell

Ke$ha

Cover Artiste Brett Domino Is Even Better Than The Real Thing

Every day Rocks Off trolls the tubes of you in search of videos deemed worthy to share. If you have something you think deserves to be video of the day, send a link to jef_rouner@yahoo.com. ​Sometimes you hear a cover that is so much better than the original that you wish that it had come fir ... More >>

3OH!3

Finally! Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" In American Sign Language!

You know what makes Rocks Off sad? The knowledge that the approximately one million Americans who are functionally deaf don't have someone expressing the absolute poetry of Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" to them in American Sign Language. Until now! Sure, you can read a line like, "Boys tryin' to touch my junk, ... More >>

Taylor Swift Is A Nazi(?!): Musical Fun With Google Auto-Fill

​ Really, Beyonce? We had no idea. But when Rocks Off read Katharine Shilcutt's hilarious test-drive of Google's auto-fill feature on our sister blog Hair Balls earlier this week, we knew we had to give it a spin ourselves to see what kind of smack the sentence-finisher was talking about some of t ... More >>

American Idol: Later, Lacey

We w@nt t* punch Ke$ha !n the f@ce.​Last night was my first real elimination round of American Idol. Sure, they've been thinning the ranks for weeks, but that was a rapid-fire bloodletting that sent home four bad singers a week. This is the big show, the top 12, with more lights and makeup and ... More >>

Idol Beat: Later, Lacey

We w@nt t* punch Ke$ha !n the f@ce.​Last night was my first real elimination round of American Idol. Sure, they've been thinning the ranks for weeks, but that was a rapid-fire bloodletting that sent home four bad singers a week. This is the big show, the top 12, with more lights and makeup and ... More >>