Madonna (Entertainer)

Five Pop-Culture Places You Wouldn't Expect to See Foreigner

Did you know last week was Foreigner singer Lou Gramm's birthday? Well, it was on May 2, when he turned 63. So what better way to (belatedly) honor him than to look back at some of the strangest places Gramm has managed to promote his musical career? Yes, Foreigner is a ubiquitous band. The use of ... More >>

Hey There, Feuding Musicians: Let's Play the Twitter Quiet Game

Hey there, Twitter-feuding musicians. It's time we take it old-school with a kindergarten version of the quiet game. Don't know the rules? Here's a crash course: whoever shuts up the longest, wins. I know you love the media attention, and you've got a sub-par album to promote, but there's nothing h ... More >>

Top 10 Great Guests for Beyonce's Super Bowl Halftime Show

Beyonce, the queen of all showbiz, is expected to officially be named the halftime headliner at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans sometime today after MTV broke the news Tuesday afternoon. The choice seems fairly sensible. There are precious few pop stars of her magnitude out there right now, although ... More >>

Switcharoo: 10 Artists Who Tried Other Genres

Have you ever bought an album of an artist you were familiar with and thought, "wow... that's different?" In fact, many artists try out other genres than the one where they originally became popular as a way for them to grow as artists. But a big question remains: Will the audience grow with them a ... More >>

The 10 Best Guest Appearances On Other People's Songs

Have you ever had one of those moments when, you're listening to a song and hear something familiar, like maybe a familiar voice or wonder, "Okay, who is really playing this particular instrument?" Many times a band or an artist will guest star on a recording. Sometimes it's a well-known fact, such ... More >>

¿Como se dice "Whoops?": 5 Musicians' Romney-esque Blunders In Foreign Lands

Mitt Romney had a troublesome time during his recent trip abroad, pissing off politicians and citizens in England, Palestine, and Poland (although to be fair, that last one was simply a guy who worked for Romney, not Romney himself). Besides providing a potential future Ted Nugent album name -- "Ki ... More >>

The 10 Greatest Summer Concerts I Never Saw

Well, kids, summer has arrived. If you have ever noticed, all the good concerts seem to come during the summer -- with May being more like a pre-show. My parents, when I was younger, took me to many concerts at some of these venues, mainly Contemporary Christian concerts. I myself had only been to ... More >>

Parental Advisory! Another Look at the PMRC's "Dirty 15"

In 1985, the Parental Music Resource Center was formed as basically a watchdog group over popular music. Essentially, their goal was censorship. However, there was one big problem: The group was made up of the likes of Tipper Gore (wife of then-Senator and future Vice President Al Gore), Susan Bake ... More >>

Double Duds: The 10 Worst Duets Since "Ebony and Ivory"

Thirty years ago this week, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder hit No. 1 on the charts with their duet, "Ebony and Ivory." The song spent seven weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and the past three decades as a joke. Perhaps history's most hackneyed call for racial harmony (which, admittedly, ... More >>

Missed Opportunities: 10 Musicians Who Turned Down Big Hits

Have you ever had one of those moments where you thought to yourself, "Why did I do that?" or "Why did I turn that down?" Those kinds of moments happen to all of us. It's part of life, unfortunately. This happens all the time in the movie world, but you never seem to hear about it in the music worl ... More >>

Trend Alert: 10 Artist/Brand Partnerships We'd Like To See

One of the most notable trends emerging from SXSW earlier this month was the increasing prevalence of financial partnerships between artists and brands. The highest-profile example of this phenomenon came courtesy of Lil Wayne, who taped a Mountain Dew spot from the stage at his Young Money/Cash Mon ... More >>

Madonna Announces Second Houston Show October 25 At Toyota Center

Due to overwhelming demand, pop megalith Madonna has now added a second Houston date to her busy schedule in October, after her October 24th Toyota Center show sold out within days of going on sale. Madonna will stay in town for an October 25th encore appearance. So far it looks like she has been ... More >>

Jordan Knight: NKOTB Singer Leaves Solo Career Unfinished

​Last summer, the Houston Press reported (with embarrassing yet unapologetic enthusiasm) on '80s pop sensations the New Kids on the Block. The '80s boy-band was co-headlining an arena tour with their '90s incarnates, the Backstreet Boys. This year, however, brings less boy-band baggage -- no ... More >>

The Hair Balls Super Bowl Live Blog: Remember To Piss

In some alternate universe, the streets of Houston are currently bathed in Miller Lite, Reliant Stadium and every bar in town is a watch party, with even the homeless folks are wearing soiled Texans jerseys. But alas, our Houston Texans only made it into the second round of the playoffs, and here we ... More >>

Fa La La La La: Favorite Records Rocks Off Got for Christmas

​No matter what year it is or how old you are, if you love music, there is nothing like finding some new music tucked under the tree or crammed into your stocking. iTunes gift cards are easy. So are gift cards to Tiffany's, but we bet your girl would be a lot more receptive to the blue box. Th ... More >>

Looking Back at A Very Special Christmas Track by Track

In the late 1980's, music empresario Jimmy Iovine cobbled together quite a collection of pop and rock artists to record songs for a Christmas album benefitting the Special Olympics. In 1987, A Very Special Christmas was released and rapidly became an instant holiday classic thanks to the star powere ... More >>

Boobylicious: Music's 20 Most Memorable Breasts (Semi-NSFW)

ztams.comWendy O. Williams, seen here with Motorhead front man Lemmy Kilmister​It may sound silly, but boobs are powerful things. Men are fascinated and entranced by them, while women constantly obsess over their size and shape. In a way, they're not unlike the ring in Lord of the Rings: Capab ... More >>

Our Favorite Music-Video Dances of All Time

Hipster Scum​This Saturday morning, the Houston Press and our sister blog Art Attack will be hosting a dance party, starting at 10 a.m., to celebrate National Dance Day. They even made a few videos to get Houston ready for the event, featuring yours truly in the only dance get-up that matters, ... More >>

Carry That Weight: The Best Bands Pegged As The "Next Beatles"

Laugh now, but remember when Definitely Maybe came out?​How much pressure must it be to have someone, probably some flacky music journalist running out of metaphors and superlatives, call your band the "Next Beatles" just as you start your rock career? That's like being called the next Jesus C ... More >>

The Best Summer Movie Soundtracks Of The '90s

This movie is old enough to drive.​Summer is officially here, even though it's been ball-dripping sweaty since at least early May. This is also about the time that we are already steeped in big-budget Hollywood summer would-be blockbusters, the kind of movies that have fast-food promotions and ... More >>

The Most Anticipated Albums Of 2011

​NATIONAL White Lies, Ritual: They killed at festivals in 2008 and 2009, but do London's Interpol-styled lads have longevity? Dr. Dre, Detox: It's been on hold or gestating since at least Clinton was in office. Will it continue to be hip-hop's Chinese Democracy? R.E.M., Collapse Into No ... More >>

Top Eight Worst Musician Vanity Film Projects

​Rocks Off won't speak for everyone, but if we ever found ourselves a platinum-selling artist, we kinda doubt we'd press our luck by veering off into the world of acting. We mean, it hardly ever works from the opposite direction (right, Don Johnson?), so what good can possibly come from assumi ... More >>

Miike Snow

Material World: Five High-Life Holiday Videos for Your Broke, Unemployed Ass

​ Only 29 shopping days until Christmas. More to the point, it's less than a month until we don't have to hear that goddamned barking dogs version of "Jingle Bells" and can stop forcing ourselves to be nice to each other for another year. We at Rocks Off know times are tough. Unemployment is still ... More >>

Up, Up and Away: Songs for Balloon Boy's iPod

Last week, America was captivated by the saga of Falcon Heene, the six-year-old boy we were told was floating across Colorado in his father's experimental weather balloon. We were so riveted, in fact, that media outlets struggled to find airtime for other equally important stories, like Madonna get ... More >>

Bartender Rawad Semaan of The Grove

Photo by Sarah Rufka​To see Rawad Semaan behind the bar or patrolling the floor at The Grove (1611 Lamar St., 713-337-7321) with his impeccable suit and easy smile, you'd think he's never done anything else. But in reality his success -- Beverage Director at one of the city's hottest new resta ... More >>

Artist of the Week: Cindy Pruitt

Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to introducingliston@gmail.com.In our week-by-week attempt ... More >>

Aftermath Extra: The Best Concerts of the Year, Part 8

Cheech & Chong/Willie Nelson, Verizon Wireless Theater/House of Blues, October 31: "This morning Aftermath thought his notes had vanished entirely before realizing he had simply mistook the back cover of his notebook for the front. Halloween 2008 was high times indeed." Randy Weeks, Discover ... More >>

November 2008 in Photos

Over the past few weeks, we've seen the National, Usher, Baby Bash, Metallica, Madonna and Willie Nelson, not to mention voting, posing, drawing, partying, bikinis and face paint. And now you can see it all in one place. Yep, it's that time of the month.   -- Keith Plocek

Rabbit in the Moon

“Maripolarama: Perverse City”

The influential artist Maripol exposes the see-and-be-seeners of New York’s ‘80s underground art world

This Just In: Madonna Squeezes the Juice Box

“Breaking Ground”

Multimedia artist Lisa Qualls explores issues of race and ethnicity in her work

Paul Oakenfold, Greatest Hits & Remixes

Greatest Hits & Remixes

Björk

Middle-aged pixie

Hang the Rock Star

Image of the Week

Burnett Bayland Park

Exene Cervenka & the Original Sinners

Friday, April 7, at the Meridian, 1503 Chartres, 713-629-3700

Sisters Are Punking It for Themselves

Mel Hell and Alice Sin lead the charge of the misfit boy-toys

The Hipster's Guide to Rock and Roll Vendettas

And you thought rappers were the only ones who had beefs

Auto-Erotic

Tricked-out rides roll to Reliant for Hot Import Daze

...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead

Wednesday, March 30, at the Engine Room, 1515 Pease, 713-654-7846.

The Meat Purveyors

Pain By Numbers (Bloodshot)

What He Said

Houston's new top cop may bring his own language barrier

Boobs Versus Prudes

Only Prince can walk the tightrope between sensuality and artistry

No Doubt

Tuesday, May 7

Feminist Farm Fantasy

A rural Brazilian woman corrals men like cattle in the witty Me, You, Them

Breakin' Up the Bands

Don't Cry for Me, Houston

Friends join in as Betti sings her final convictions

Ray Stevens Lives!!!

Todd Snider's novelty tunes will tickle your jaded fancy