London (England)

10 Other Musicians Who Should Have Said "Blow Me"

The line between rock star and cranky toddler can be a fine one; deny them their candy and you've got tears welling up and naughty words being shrieked at ear-bursting decibels. Every once in a blue moon, though, a rational thought will pipe up from said rock star, and it deserves a little bit of no ... More >>

Riddle: How Is Dubstep Like Picasso?

Although dozens of EDM subgenres are brain candy to me, I haven't personally given in to the auditory assault that is dubstep (mostly... maybe). However, I'm here to say that there is actual science to appreciate behind the work of Skrillex and many others. If you think about it, many people argue ... More >>

Asimov Rehumanizes Wine in His New Book

"Eric [Asimov] has the best job in the world," once said a friend of mine, who happens to be a prominent wine writer based in New York. "He's the wine writer for The New York Times!" she exclaimed. From the standpoint of most of us wine scribblers, Eric's gig is as enviable as it is prestigious. As ... More >>

Speak Out: How Far Is Too Far When Musicians Talk Politics?

Imagine this: You go to a concert to see one of your favorite artists. Suddenly, mid-show, they start spewing political rhetoric. You disagree with their ideas, so you and many others leave. Free speech is something we claim to value in this country, but we are biased against opposing viewpoints. R ... More >>

The Great Taj Mahal, Still Whistlin' the Blues

It's been a long time so it's hard to remember exactly, but some time in the winter of 1970-71, Taj Mahal played the Houston Music Hall. Between 1968 and 1971, he had put out five albums and become a staple of the hippie music scene. Yet with his soulful reinterpretations, permutations and homages ... More >>

Bahram Arabpour: Austin-area Realtor Busted Here With Almost Two Pounds of Opium.

More evidence that Houston has arrived as a world-class city: it is now apparently the kind of town where you can get your hands on large quantities of opium. Yes, if Harris County Court records are to believed, Houston is now a market for the same "celestial drug" that in 1822 Thomas De Quincey rh ... More >>

7 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Susan Alcorn, Steel Lounge Underground, Etc.

This ain't honky-tonk: Presented by They, Who Sound and Signal To Noise, Baltimore-based composer and avant-garde steel guitarist Susan Alcorn performs three sets starting 8 p.m. tonight at 14 Pews (800 Aurora): One solo, and two in trios with David Dove (trombone) and Damon Smith (bass), and Jo Bir ... More >>

Intertek Oil and Gas Workers Screwed Out of Moolah, Says Lawsuit

Local oil, gas and chemical inspectors have been getting jipped out of overtime wages, according to a collective action lawsuit that was recently granted approval by a judge in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas. According to the suit, employees for Houston-based Intertek USA ... More >>

Touring Taste of Dance Salad

Nick Lowe Tries to Recapture That Old Magic

Artist was once the Jesus of cool

Coast of Utopia: Salvage

Top 5 Amusing Food-Related Entries From Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

During a recent trip across the pond, I visited the life residence of Samuel Johnson, a charming four-story house-turned-museum in south London. I'd recently read Johnson's A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland, but was fuzzy on his most famous work, the Dictionary of the English Language, pu ... More >>

The Coast of Utopia: An Extended Run and Revival of Part I -- Good News for Tom Stoppard Lovers

Gird your loins. Main Street Theater, which has experienced great success with Voyage, the first part of its The Coast of Utopia trilogy, has decided to extend its run and bring back the Voyage for two performances, "providing the chance to see all the parts of the trilogy over three consecutive day ... More >>

Traveling Light

26th Law and the Media Seminar Tackles the WikiLeaks Debate

​The 26th Law and the Media Seminar will feature a discussion of the legal, ethical and practical implications of WikiLeaks. The mega site that has released hundreds of documents to the media over the past couple years stirred up a firestorm of controversy over how this information should be h ... More >>

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change: A Sweet, Rosy-Cheeked Revue

The setup: This intimate, four-character, Off-Broadway musical revue about relationships (1996) makes you feel better when you leave than when you come in, as its visionary producer James Hammerstein once said. There's magic in that pronouncement, for this pleasant, unexciting, eager-to-please litt ... More >>

I Don't Know How She Did It

Margaret Thatcher as victimized woman in The Iron Lady.

The Embargo Act of 1807, And 5 Artists We'd Miss If It Was Still Here

​We're living in a globally connected world right now. Goods of all kinds are available from anywhere in the world in days, or in cases like music and films instantly. Our favorite expression lately is, "Living in the future is awesome," and if anyone argues with you punch them in the face and ... More >>

Christmas Carol

Your Biggest Fan: When Rockers Get Stalkers

cinemafestival/shutterstock.com​This past week a statement by pop institution Madonna helped put away one of her newest stalkers, Polish citizen Grzegorz Matlok, who broke into Madge's London home and the residence of her ex-hubby Guy Ritchie. Madonna submitted the statement to Southwark Crown ... More >>

5 Movies That Wouldn't Exist Without George Harrison

After giving the deluxe documentary treatment to Bob Dylan (No Direction Home) and the Rolling Stones (Shine a Light), Martin Scorsese now trains his camera on George Harrison for George Harrison: Living In the Material World, his two-part film about the "Quiet Beatle" that airs at 8 p.m. tonight an ... More >>

First Look at Kobecue: Korean Fusion Food

Kimchi cheese fries: I am become fusion, destroyer of cuisines. (No complaints here, though.)​Kobecue opened quietly four months ago, tucked between Skewers and Aroma Classique in the flagstone-fronted strip center at Richmond and Weslayan. "Most of our customers come over after seeing us fro ... More >>

Lemmy & HeadCat Mates Walk The Rockabilly Walk

​You could say that the members of roots-rock trio HeadCat got together to pay tribute to the King. But instead of the baby Jesus of Bethlehem, these three wise men -bassist/singer Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead), drummer Slim Jim Phantom (ex-Stray Cats), and guitarist/pianist Danny B. Harvey (ex ... More >>

Pop Rocks on Sting: "Rock Stars...Is There Anything They Don't Know?"

You rotten flexible bastard.​ Sting. He's the artist we love to hate: Sting, everyone's favorite somnambulant acoustic pop star, has developed a somewhat checkered experience in Central Asia. In 2009, Gulnara Karimova--herself a fledgling pop singer under the name GooGooSha and daughter of ... More >>

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap: Music Fans Love Their A-Holes

You rotten flexible bastard.​Sting. He's the artist we love to hate. From The Atlantic: Sting, everyone's favorite somnambulant acoustic pop star, has developed a somewhat checkered experience in Central Asia. In 2009, Gulnara Karimova - herself a fledgling pop singer under the name GooGooSha ... More >>

Faster Pussycat

More Local Music News Than Memorial Day Furniture Sales

What would your Friday be without Magnolia City Mixtape? Pretty bleak, if you're trying to keep up on all the local music here in Houston. Thankfully, we're here to make that last day of the work week just a bit better. Propain launched his music video for the Departure track, "Say I Won't." Dire ... More >>

Houston Is an International "City of Opportunity"

There's opportunity in them thar skyscrapers.​A big new report by PwC, which used to be PriceWaterhouseCoopers, says Houston is one of 26 "Cities of Opportunity" in the world today. The only other American cities: New York, LA, Chicago and San Francisco. Pretty classy company. We came in 11 ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Intipalka 2009 Ica Valley Tannat

​It wasn't so much the origin of this wine that interested me- it's the last of three samples from Peru reviewed for Wine of the Week. But the varietal, Tannat, is something that I've never tried before on its own. Tannat is a red grape that was originally grown in the Madiran appellation in ... More >>

Third Ward Heat

Mayor, police grilled on HPD beating.

Honoring Barbara Jordan's 75th Birthday: Five Video Clips

Starting tomorrow, Texas Southern University will begin a year-long celebration of what would be the 75th birthday of alumna Barbara Jordan. Jordan was steeped in Houston, a Wheatley High grad who represented the Fifth Ward in Congress throughout the '70s. Here are five video clips of her career: ... More >>

European Travel Tips For First-Time Bands

​Local favorites the Wild Moccasins embark on a six-week European tour this weekend. Rocks Off knows how daunting international travel can be, especially when you're on a multi-country blitzkrieg that exposes you to numerous languages and many differing cultural mores in a relatively short per ... More >>

Guns N' Roses, Rolling Stones, Prince Coming In 2011?

Sind Axl und Slash wieder Freunde geworden?​Rocks Off is in the concert business for all intents and purposes. We scour Pollstar and other Web sites and almost hourly looking for new shows and tours to tell you about around the clock. In the span of writing this introduction we just listed Luc ... More >>

Paul Oakenfold, Calvin Harris, Kenneth Thomas

Daniel Silva: The Rembrandt Affair

Former intelligence agent Gabriel Allon is drawn back into the spy game once again

Capsule Stage Reviews: Five Guys Named Moe, The Hollow, Hunter Gatherers, The Mousetrap

Cheer Up, Houston: Your Traffic Pain Is Way Better Than Moscow Or Madrid

There's an accident "in the clearing stage" somewhere​When IBM puts out a survey that features bar graphs and big circles somehow illustrating results, you can rest assured it is beyond reproach.So know this, Houston: Among 20 top international cities, your "traffic pain" is about as low as ... More >>

Robb Walsh's 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #14 Cassoulet at Feast

​Over the course of the next few months, I'm counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations i ... More >>

X Marks the Spot

HGO brilliantly conjures the magic and majesty of Handel.

"We're Ashamed The President Is From Texas" And Other Acts Of Career Suicide

Seven years ago this week, the Dixie Chicks had the No. 1 country single in the U.S. with Bruce Robison's lump-raising "Travelin' Soldier." Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., the Bush Administration was putting the finishing touches on its Iraqi invasion strategy, which prompted Chicks lead singer Nat ... More >>

Comparing Imperial Stouts

​On this day in 1916, Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, a Russian mystic who entranced the czar's wife, was assassinated by aristocrats wary of his growing influence. It's an intriguing tale and a fitting historical excuse to sample Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, an offering from North Coast ... More >>

"Dead Landscape"

Jennifer Pastor goes hand-to-hand with images of war

"Your Bright Future: 12 Contemporary Artists from Korea"

Art from another North/South border region

David Liss

The mystery writer brings us an 18th century tale of espionage

The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands

It’s Frank, Sammy and Dino — again

Hot Fuzz

The Shaun of the Dead duo skewer action flicks

Dickens on the Strand

Galveston’s holiday festival goes back to Brit basics this year

Gastropub Crawl

The Red Lion isn't just another fake British pub -- it's an authentically fake British pub

Whatcha Gonna Do?

Houston's Neutral Sisters look white, sing black and move to a reggae rhythm

Cranky Customers

Misbehaving diners