Kings of Leon

Re: SXSW Audio. Now with Pictures!

Speaking of Umbrellas...It's Bumbershoot Time

Drenched in Blog: Top Ten Albums of 2007

Aftermath: Kings of Leon at Verizon Wireless Theater

This Just In: Kings Of Leon To Hit Toyota Center In October

Mark C. AustinIn the course of five years, Kings of Leon has managed to go from playing a Camel-sponsored show at the Meridian to possibly selling out the Toyota Center. KOL was just in Houston this past fall for a sell-out at Verizon Wireless Theater, and we thought the show was middling to fair an ... More >>

Who Stole the Roll?

Mark C. AustinIn the course of five years, Kings of Leon has managed to go from playing a Camel-sponsored show at the Meridian to possibly selling out the Toyota Center. KOL was just in Houston this past fall for a sell-out at Verizon Wireless Theater, and we thought the show was middling to fair an ... More >>

Kings of Leon

With a No. 1 album in the UK, the Kings of Leon are all but exiled from Main Street, USA

Kings of Leon

Because of the Times

Various Artists

Bonnaroo 2004

Tennessee Tornadoes

Preachers' kids Kings of Leon want none of the sounds-like name game

Kings of Leon

Holy Roller Novocaine (RCA Records)

Defending The Buzz: Does 94.5 FM Really Suck That Bad?

What with Creed reuniting, BuzzFest coming up in a couple of weeks and, hell, maybe even the swine-flu scare - As in: What's worse than coming down with swine flu? A Houston radio that only tunes in 94.5 FM - Rocks Off sure has been thinking a lot about The Buzz lately. Probably too much. I mean, it ... More >>

White Lies

What with Creed reuniting, BuzzFest coming up in a couple of weeks and, hell, maybe even the swine-flu scare - As in: What's worse than coming down with swine flu? A Houston radio that only tunes in 94.5 FM - Rocks Off sure has been thinking a lot about The Buzz lately. Probably too much. I mean, it ... More >>

Songs By ACL Artists That Should Be Covered By Other ACL Artists

Isn't it fun to imagine all your favorite bands are best friends? And that when they spend time together, as so many of them are doing right this second at the Austin City Limits festival, they would inevitably learn each others' songs? Here are some songs by ACL bands which we'd like to see covered ... More >>

ACL 2009 Day One: Coheed & Cambria Prog Out With Their Fro's Out

Photo By Groovehouse​Mid-afternoon on Friday, prog-metallers Coheed & Cambria hit the stage for an hour of guitar histrionics and lead singer Claudio Sanchez's trademark Geddy Lee-style banshee's wail. With a signature sound that usuals coats the walls of any indoor venue the band plays, C& ... More >>

ACL 2009 Day One: Eddie Vedder Bangs Along With Kings Of Leon

Rocks Off was making the death march out to his hotel and missed this piece of ACL history. This is Kings Of Leon being augmented by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder on "Slow Nights, So Long". We should have a more detailed review of the boys' set in the morning time. Like in seven hours. Jesus, we ... More >>

ACL 2009 Day One: Kings Of Leon Rage Against The Fame

Photos by Mark C. Austin​Funny thing happened last night. It was the same thing that happened to U2 in 1987 in the wake of The Joshua Tree, and the same thing that killed Kurt Cobain in 1994. Fame has finally overtaken Kings Of Leon, leaving their core boots 'n flannel crowd in the proverbial pop ... More >>

ACL 2009 Day Two: Phoenix, Robyn Hitchcock and Them Crooked Vultures

Photo by Matthew Taplinger​The quality of the grass at ACL on Charles Attal's apparent birthday blow out (if projections for "Feliz Cumpleanos" were to be believed) was nothing to sniff at. The great lawn of Zilker Park was emerald and ready to absorb the dance steps of a sold-out crowd with h ... More >>

ACL 2009: Best Tweets Of The Weekend

Armed with our sort-of handy cellphone we were able to Tweet from ground level at the festival, with sometimes hilarious and vulgar results. Mostly the latter, because we are foul people. Over time, our Twitter updates devolved into angry rants, as you will see below.@hprocksoff sez:Oh god they real ... More >>

Kings of Leon Update: OK, Maybe Only By the Night Is a Pretty Decent Record

​Rocks Off is back with one final update on our continuing quest to understand/appreciate/give a damn about Kings of Leon before the Tennessee family quartet - sort of like the Statler Brothers with more Penicillin prescriptions - takes the stage at Toyota Center tonight. Doors are at 7, and don't ... More >>

Aftermath: Kings of Leon, and Their "Fans," Trying Our Patience at Toyota Center

Photos by Groovehouse/ Click here for a slideshow​ Aftermath has seen almost every single step on the road to fame Kings of Leon have taken since their debut album Youth and Young Manhood in 2003. We heard a track off that album in mid-2003, "California Waiting," on a radio show while living in Sa ... More >>

Your Sex Is On Tour: Kings Of Leon Announce Second Houston Date In A Year

Nashville alt-rock pin-ups the Kings of Leon are hitting Houston again for the second time in a year, with a newly announced date at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion September 22. The band has been on a tear since the release of 2008's Only by the Night, shedding their scruffy, twangy indie imag ... More >>

Shakira, Tool, Kings Of Leon, Roger Waters All On Sale Within A Week

​This morning, Live Nation announced more huge roadshows hitting Houston soon (enough), adding Shakira and prog-rockers Tool to Toyota Center's 2010 roster. On-sale information for Kings Of Leon and Roger Water's in-concert production of Pink Floyd's The Wall was also released; see the end of this ... More >>

FAIL: Kings Of Leon, Pigeons, Bush

Photo illustrations by John Seaborn Gray​Kings of Leon Respond Poorly to Mother Nature's Criticism: Last weekend, bro-rock champions Kings of Leon were three songs into a set when a pigeon in the rafters of St. Louis' Verizon Wireless Amphitheater made its opinion known by taking a dump direct ... More >>

FAIL: Kanye And Taylor, Lupe Fiasco, Kings Of Leon

​Taylor and Kanye Need To Move the Hell On: The MTV Video Music Awards happened this past Sunday, so you had to know there was going to be at least one sizable fail in there somewhere, and of course they didn't disappoint. Taylor Swift took the stage and sang a melodramatic tune she'd written ... More >>

This Week In Set Lists: Pixies, Kings Of Leon, Tom Petty, Rush, Etc.

GroovehouseKings of Leon, Toyota Center, October 2009​Rocks Off has been both eagerly anticipating and dreading this week for months now. Anticipating because several of our all-time favorite bands are playing within the span of a few days, as are a couple of our favorite newer bands (though n ... More >>

Rocks Off's 10 Favorite Family Bands

​Tonight Kings of Leon plays their fourth Houston date in three years at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The band of three Followill brothers and one cousin can't stay away from us, or touring, or recording. This date precedes the upcoming release of the band's new album, Come Around Sund ... More >>

Last Night: Kings Of Leon At The Woodlands

Photos by Marc Brubaker​Kings of Leon Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion September 22, 2010 Sold. It took us long enough, or it took them long enough, but Aftermath has had our last cup of Kings of Leon haterade. We found them tepid at Verizon in 2008 and standoffish at Toyota Center last year ... More >>

Last Night: The Black Keys At The Woodlands

Photos by Marc Brubaker​The Black Keys Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion September 20, 2010 "Howlin' at midnight, winter creepin' in/ Feel like I've gone and lost my best friend" - Lucinda Williams, "Howlin' At Midnight" Did you see the moon Wednesday night? The "Super Harvest Moon" that, acco ... More >>

Three Songs, No Flash: Mark C. Austin's Life In The Pit

All photos by Mark C. AustinGwen Stefani of No Doubt in The Woodlands, May 2009​This evening, local rock photographer Mark C. Austin unveils his first exhibit of his work since he began shooting bands almost five years ago. Austin's work has appeared in print and online for the Houston Press a ... More >>

Kings Of Leon: Holy Rock 'N Rollers, Ex-Holy Terrors?

Holy Rock 'n Rollers: The Story of Kings of Leon By Joel McIver Omnibus Press, 320 pp., $24.95. ​Just in time the release of their fifth record, Come Around Sundown, comes the second biography (after Michael Heatley's Kings of Leon: Sex on Fire) of the three-brothers-and-a-cousin band from Te ... More >>

Meridian: A Retrospective Of Better Days

Mark C. AustinKings of Leon at Meridian, 2006​The Meridian Saga seems to have ended, after close to a year of weirdness and shady business dealings. In the past twelve months it went through overhauls, new management, lockouts, changes in image, mild scandals, and even a name change. Remember ... More >>

A Musical Field Guide To National Bird Day

yourfashion.com​Today is National Bird Day, and we are all gonna celebrate. Every year bird enthusiasts pick this day to promote bird watching, XTREME bird watching, bird adoption, and just plain ol' loving the unholy hell out of birds. All kidding aside, the holiday is dedicated to raising aw ... More >>

Young the Giant

yourfashion.com​Today is National Bird Day, and we are all gonna celebrate. Every year bird enthusiasts pick this day to promote bird watching, XTREME bird watching, bird adoption, and just plain ol' loving the unholy hell out of birds. All kidding aside, the holiday is dedicated to raising aw ... More >>

Kings Of Leon Playing Free Final Four Discovery Green Show

Marc BrubakerKings of Leon at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, September 2010​According to Houston's KHOU-TV, Tennessee studs Kings of Leon will play a free show at Discovery Green from 12-4 p.m. the afternoon of Saturday, April 2, as part of the Final Four weekend festivites as the NCAA men's ... More >>

Kenny Chesney Joining Final Four Concert Series... Maybe

Bryan WilliamsKenny Chesney at RodeoHouston, March 2010​CultureMap thinks it has a "scoop" for you. According to Houston's glossiest lifestyle Web site, barefoot beach-lover Kenny Chesney "appears to be" coming to join Kings of Leon at the NCAA's "Big Dance" concert series the weekend of April ... More >>

Hold Steady, Panic!, Pat Green Round Out Big Dance Lineup

Allen HillLos Skarnales at Discovery Green, September 2010​This weekend Houston gets invaded by college basketball like never before as the Final Four takes over Reliant Stadium and Discovery Green for a slew of concerts and parties for the folks coming into town for the games and us locals al ... More >>

For The Final Four: 9 Musicians Who Love College Sports

​After weeks of anticipation and preemptory hand-wringing over where we're going to park on Washington Ave. this weekend, the Final Four is Finally here. As with any other time a marquee sporting event comes to Houston, you can count on some familiar themes in media coverage: Where to party, w ... More >>

Saturday Afternoon: Kings Of Leon At Discovery Green

Photos by groovehouse​Kings of Leon, Panic! at the Disco Discovery Green April 2, 2011 Check out our slideshows from this weekend's Big Dance Concert Series: the bands and the fans. About halfway through Saturday's Kings Of Leon show at Discovery Green, part of the corporate Big Dance Concer ... More >>

Shot In The Dark: How The Whole Mess Started

Mark C. AustinKings of Leon at Verizon Wireless Theater, October 2008​Just a couple of days now before Rocks Off - the person and the blog - proudly presents Shot In the Dark: Houston Press Concert Photography, our first-ever exhibit of live pics we've collected in about three and a half years ... More >>

Rockin' In Plain Sight: Our Favorite Hidden Album Tracks

​In the days when compact discs and tapes ruled the world, hidden tracks on albums were like secret gifts from your favorite bands. Off the liner notes, not in the original track listings, and totally unassuming, sometimes tucked away after minutes and minutes of silence on a disc. With the ... More >>

Neon Trees

​In the days when compact discs and tapes ruled the world, hidden tracks on albums were like secret gifts from your favorite bands. Off the liner notes, not in the original track listings, and totally unassuming, sometimes tucked away after minutes and minutes of silence on a disc. With the ... More >>

More Local Music News Than Flying Elbow Drops

We may have lost Macho Man Randy Savage this morning, but MCM is still alive and dropping that flying elbow full of local music news. Snap into the latest installment of our Magnolia City Mixtape. Ooooohhh Yeeaaahhh! ​Before we dive in, don't forget that the poster show for Free Press Summer ... More >>

Lyrical Advice For The Class Of 2011

"Move back in with your parents! Let them worry about you!"​There will be no guitars and Marshall stacks at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion this weekend, just "Pomp and Circumstance." As the Class of 2011 walks across the stage soon to be occupied by Peter Gabriel, Widespread Panic and Ki ... More >>

What Is A Music Critic's Life Really Like?

​Walter Peck: Because I'm curious. I wanna know more about what you do here! Frankly, I've heard a lot of wild stories in the media and we want to assess any possibility of dangerous and possibly hazardous waste chemicals in your basement. - Ghostbusters Rocks Off can promise you we are not h ... More >>

UPDATE: Kings Of Leon Breakdown Onstage In Dallas; Woodlands Rescheduled For Sept. 22

UPDATE X2: Kings of Leon's Woodlands date has been rescheduled for September 22. UPDATE: We have just called the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion business office and they have said the show has been postponed. No further details have been given, and no new date has been set as of this time. Band Of ... More >>

Kings Of Leon Cancel Tour; 5 Ways Caleb Followill Can Get His Voice Back

Band cancels rest of U.S. tour including Texas make-up dates, TMZ says UPDATE (4:40 p.m.): It's official, as per Live Nation press release: It ain't happenin'. Refunds available either automatically (for online/smartphone tickets) or at point of purchase. GroovehouseCaleb Followill in happier voca ... More >>

Defending Kings Of Leon: Blood Is Thicker Than Tequila

Since there's been so much talk about Kings of Leon after Caleb Followill's abrupt "heat-induced" exit last Friday in Dallas, Tuesday afternoon Rocks Off's in-house brain trust emailed back and forth about the possible long-term effects of last weekend's events on the band. Mark C. AustinKings of L ... More >>

Five ACL '11 Bands That Could Headline In 2012

Jim BrickerSmith Westerns at Fitz in February​This Thursday night, Rocks Off leaves for the 2011 Austin City Limits Music Festival at Austin's Zilker Park. This year promises to be a hot one, from the killer temperatures, the constant wildfires just miles from the venue, and the mouth of Frida ... More >>

30 Seconds With Miles Zuniga

Rocks Off interrogated Miles Zuniga, who just released his solo debut These Ghosts Have Bones, to see what we could find out about the Fastball singer/guitarist and Austin's own acolyte of the Church of John Coltrane 30 seconds.​ Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? Miles Zuniga ... More >>