Les Claypool

Fresh Cream and the Top 10 Power Trios of All Time

Forty-six years ago this week, British blues-rockers Cream unveiled their debut album, Fresh Cream, one of the most deeply influential rock and roll records of all time. The original supergroup, the band was intended to unite the "cream" of the late-'60s British blues scene, featuring Eric Clapton ... More >>

Yes and Zeppelin? 5 True All-Star Near-Collaborations

Quick, what's your dream supergroup, living or dead? When I was a big prog nerd, mine was Peter Gabriel on vocals and lyrics, David Gilmour and Robert Fripp on guitar, Geddy Lee on bass, Bill Bruford on drums, Tony Levin on Chapman stick, and Rick Wakeman on keys. Come to think of it, that still sou ... More >>

Bottoms Up: 5 Beers From 5 Bands To Give You 5 Hangovers

Whether you're at a show with friends or just putting your feet up while listening to some tunes after a long day at work, for many alcohol is just another part of the rock and roll experience. And when hard liquor gets too expensive and wine seems too highfalutin, there is one drink that's always t ... More >>

Last Night: Primus At Free Press Summer Fest

More FPSF 2012 Coverage: • Summer Fest line-up reviews on the Rocks Off blog. • Free Press Summer Fest 2012: The Sexy, Sweaty Crowds • Popsicles and Pizza: The Food of Summer Fest • FPSF: The Bands from Saturday • FPSF: The Bands from Sunday Primus Free Press Summer Fest, Eleanor Tinsley ... More >>

Dragonetti: The Freakin' Creepy Saint Of Bass

Bass players, I know I spend a lot of time making fun of you, though of course you may not realize it because, well, you're bass players and the Internet hasn't evolved to the point where I can easily use puppets to explain my points. All kidding aside, I want you to know that your presence in the w ... More >>

The 10 Greatest Rock Bassists of All Time

Me (right), God help me, and Billy Sheehan circa 1990.​Last week, Neph Basedow wrote her list of the 11 greatest female rock bass players and she took a little heat for it, including some from me. But, she also got a lot right. At the very least, she highlighted the most under-appreciated musi ... More >>

Buckethead

Ask Me Anything: What Would You Ask Your Favorite Artist?

"What do you love about music?" ​Part of the job here at Rocks Off - this daily Make-A-Wish kid circus - is talking to musicians and people in the musical know. One of the most fun parts of the job is booking an interview with an artist coming to town and cramming for a few days into the nook ... More >>

Last Night: Panic! At The Disco At House Of Blues

Photos by Jessica Perry​Panic! At The Disco House of Blues June 15, 2011 Panic! At The Disco lead singer and main archtiect Brendan Urie comes from the ADHD generation, the one that got meds shoved down their throats. The strange byproduct of that generation, late Generation Yers, is that the ... More >>

Last Night: Primus At Verizon Wireless Theater

Photos by Jason Wolter​Primus Verizon Wireless Theater May 23, 2011 The most important thing Curtis Armstrong, who would also appear that year as Booger in Revenge of the Nerds, tells Tom Cruise in 1983's Risky Business is this indispensable piece of advice: "Every now and then, say 'What the ... More >>

Primus

Five Reasons Your Bass Player Hates You

​John Entwistle. Paul McCartney. Cliff Burton. Flea. John Paul Jones. Geddy Lee. Les Claypool. Geezer Butler. Lemmy. Lemmy! These are just some of the best bassists that rock and roll has ever seen. But not all is bright for these folks, thumping or picking away on their rumbling four-string ... More >>

No, We Didn't Realize There Were This Many Songs About Groundhog Day, Either

​Today is Groundhog Day, and it's easy to forget - after listening to your co-workers droning "Phil? Phil Connors!?" all day - the reason for this special season. After all, isn't this day supposed to be about the groundhogs? Trouble is, there's not a lot of musical material out there about Marmo ... More >>

Distant Early Warning: Blue October, Felix Da Housecat, Hank III, Les Claypool, Megadeth and Roky Erickson Returns

​Blue October: Sat., May 15. The Showgrounds @ Sam Houston Race Park. "Choo-Choo Soul" With Genevieve: Sat., April 24. Verizon Wireless Theater. Cody Kouba: Thu., March 18. The Firehouse Saloon. Dale Watson: Wed., March 10. The Hideout @ Reliant Stadium. "Dirty Honey" With DJ Brett Koshkin, Ceepl ... More >>

Playbill: Matisyahu & Les Claypool Tonight at the House Of Blues

Fans of the 1990s funk-metal band Primus can't forget that famous Woodstock '94 footage, where the band's resident bass god, Les Claypool, dexterously covered Metallica's "Master of Puppets," slapping out the guitar part on his signature Carl Thompson. To top it off, he then brought out legendary gr ... More >>

Les Claypool

The '90s Continue Unabated At House Of Blues, Homeslice!

Seriously, what's with the House of Blues downtown toying around with all our '90s modern rock nostalgia as of late? In the past eight months or so since the HOB has opened, the folks on Caroline have booked almost every quasi-major alt-rock band of the last decade, that has not died of an overdos ... More >>

Flannel File: Primus

Primus circa 1998, Copenhagen, DenmarkAs the title of this feature might suggest, '90s nostalgia is in full swing, and one of the orders of the day is reexamining the aesthetic reputation of bands we liked when we were teenagers but of whom we subsequently became embarrassed, swapping them in our es ... More >>

Jandek, MV + EE

Buckethead

Guitar hero shreds the strings faster than you can say, “Is that a bucket on his head?”

HPMA Aftermath: Hell City Kings, Fondue Monks, Pale, Arthur Yoria and Bring Back the Guns

Over the Weekend: Bonnaroo, XO, Sculptura, Astros and Kolaches!

Hella

There's No 666 in Outer Space

A Blighted Slough of Smells, Steel and Chemicals

Touring bands sound off on Houston

Primus

Primus appears Friday, November 3, at Verizon Wireless Theater, 520 Texas. Call 713-230-1600 for more info.

Primus Sucks (On-Screen)!

Buckethead

Sunday, March 5, Meridian, 1503 Chartres, 713-629-3700.

Playbill

Sex, Food and Rock and Roll

Power-geeks Lisa Loeb and Dweezil Zappa bring to town the things they love best

New Bands from Old

Or "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Ignore Audioslave"

Rotation

Miss Molly and Mattress Mac, Too

The Houston Press has its very own blowout extraordinaire