Mark Austin

Canned Acoustica Compiles Cornucopia of Local Clips

Canned Acoustica, the popular "unplugged"-style local concerts that over six installations have raised both money and food for a variety of charities, has put the final touches (for now) on its YouTube channel, offering local music fans an easy place to browse through intimate and sometimes unconven ... More >>

Canned Acoustica VI Set For Friday at Warehouse Live

The sixth Canned Acoustica concert is coming up on Friday night on the Warehouse Live Green Room stage, and the lineup features B L A C K I E, Craig Kinsey, Second Lovers, New York City Queens, and Featherface. If you have never been to one of these shows -- which feature normally plugged-in bands w ... More >>

ACL 2012 Rumors: 10 Bands That Could Make the Cut (No, Not Radiohead)

Before we begin, Radiohead is in Europe for the duration of this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival. They will not fly 12 hours to play a field in Austin. Ah, it just wouldn't be May without ACL rumors running rampant. Rocks Off is guilty every year of stoking the fire, sometimes just one day ... More >>

Houston Acts Stage Own SXSW Invasion

Sixteen Houston acts will play an all-day free show during SXSW from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, March 16, at the Gypsy Lounge, 1504 E. 6th St. The party is sponsored by The Convoy Group, the company run by Houston promoter and sometime Rocks Off photograher Mark C. Austin, who announced the party ear ... More >>

The Weather Outside Is Frightful (with Photos)

You wanted rain, you're getting it. You're also getting a reported tornado touchdown in Fort Bend County and flooded service roads and intersections. Power is out in some areas of the city; others have lost internet service. Reports coming in from TxDOT and various tweeters indicated impassable c ... More >>

Warehouse Live's Ailing Amy Shields Could Use Your Help

​If you frequent Warehouse Live, you know Amy Shields. She's the bubbly blonde who checks your tickets outside and makes sure you aren't bringing rocket launchers inside the venue. She's the voice (er, fingers?) of Warehouse's Twitter and Facebook streams, either announcing big shows or leakin ... 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 >>

ACL 2011 Rumors: Ten Bands Who Could Make The Cut

Marco TorresWill ACL close with classic rock again, like with the Eagles last year? Neil Young?​The Austin City Limits Music Festival's big 2011 lineup announcement is imminent, scheduled for May 17, and Rocks Off will surely be on top of the news after it hits. Last year we sat on the compute ... 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 >>

Devo And The 16 Other Best Bands In Uniform

Mark C. Austin​Devo hits Warehouse Live on March 25, the band's first Houston date since a 2006 appearance with the Psychedelic Furs - who, coincidentally enough, are also coming to Warehouse (April 23) to do all of 1981's Talk Talk Talk ("Pretty In Pink," "Into You Like a Train"), plus "Love ... 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 >>

The Mink Celebrates Five-Year Anniversary With Young Girls

​Goodness, it's been a while since our last MCM update, but we're back. Rocks Off is scouring the Internet for every tidbit of Houston music news we can find, and reporting it all back every Friday. If you'd like to facilitate our hunt, feel free to drop a line to marc [dot] brubaker [at] gmai ... More >>

I Put A Spell On You: The Vixens And Visuals Of Voodoo Fest

Photos by Mark C. AustinMGMT: "Ruh Roh! Better play something off the first album!"​Village Voice Media dispatched Houston photographer Mark C. Austin to New Orleans this past weekend for the Voodoo Music Experience, the Crescent City's annual three-day Halloween engorgement of live music and ... More >>

Local Music Photographer Wins Deer Tick's Tour Bus

Photos courtesy of Mark C. Austin​Mark C. Austin just keeps on living the dream. Last month he opened "Three Songs, No Flash," his first-ever exhibition of his bountiful collection of concert photography - many shot for these very "pages" - now on permanent display in Warehouse Live's Green Ro ... More >>

ACL: What Could Possibly Be Worse Than Last Year's Mudbath?

Mark C. AustinCan't WAIT to go back!​In exactly one week, Rocks Off will be broadcasting live from the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin's Zilker Park. This will be our fourth spin around the grounds since 2007, and every year we swear we won't fall in love with a bartender in the me ... 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 >>

Happy 32nd Anniversary, Rudyard's

Mark C. AustinJandek (right) at Rudyard's, April 2009​Sunday, Rudyard's celebrates its 32nd anniversary with an afternoon barbecue buffet and night of free music with sharp-witted singer-songwriter Teresa Kolo, holy terrors the Hell City Kings and the stuff Rocks Off's dreams are made of, an a ... More >>

Blogging From Bonnaroo: Damien Marley and Nas, Tori Amos, Steve Martin

Photo by Mark C. Austin/See a slideshow​Houston artist Tyagaraja recently won the Ford Fiesta Team Houston Battle of The Bands, the grand prize of which was a trip to perform at the Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee. Meghan Hendley, keyboardist/vocalist for Tyagaraja, reports back to us wit ... More >>

Bun B Joins Gumball 3000 Rally; Nirvana Chopped And Screwed

Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off's weekly rap post. It probably won't rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Mark C. AustinNosaprise at the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase​ Single of the Week: "Start Today," Nosaprise Wire ... More >>

Magnolia City Mixtape: Buxton, Wild Moccasins, Fight Pretty, Fat Tony, Fiskadoro And Still More SXSW Stuff

MCM doesn't really understand this Ford Fiesta Movement clown-car nonsense, but we do know Buxton - as lensed by sometime Rocks Off shutterbug Mark C. Austin - manages to sound awesome even packed into the back of a tiny sedan. The Wild Moccasins' tour kickoff will be April Fool's Day at Walte ... More >>

2009 Concert Rewind: ACL, Before, During and After the "Shit-Mud"

Mark C. Austin​ This is the very, very, very, very last thing Rocks Off has to do before we're off New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and the whole blessed weekend after that, so we'll tell you what: Click right here and feast on our copious ACL '09 coverage to your heart's content. We are so outta he ... More >>

Information on Tomorrow's Lee Powers Benefit Featuring Devin the Dude and Lots More

​Tomorrow afternoon, the friends of late Free Press Houston staff member Lee Powers will be holding a benefit for his family to cover their bills. The event is sure to bring in plenty of money, and every bit of the proceeds will be going directly to the Powers family. A bike ride is the first eve ... More >>

Just When You Thought All the ACL Aftermath Was Over...

Photos by Mark C. AustinKate Pierson of the B-52's​You could roam, as the B-52s put it during their early afternoon set Sunday on the AMD Stage. But as Mudstock 2009 came to a close (let the debate about the later-in-the-year dates begin) most members of the muddy-stocking clan were losing their l ... More >>

ACL 2009 Day Three: Live Shots

Photo by Mark C. AustinDan Auerbach​As we wait for the final day of ACL coverage to roll in, enjoy some of our favorite shots from the festival below.

ACL Aftermath, Part 2: Now That That "Dillo Dirt" Unpleasantness Is Out of the Way, How About Some Music?

Mark C. AustinSeems like we recognize this guy from somewhere...​ More and more, Aftermath uses ACL more than SXSW to see which recent buzz bands are worth their salt, and of course to check on how some old favorites are doing. This year, tops on our new-to-us list were Blitzen Trapper, who manage ... More >>

ACL 2009 Day Two: Aftermath

Photo by Mark C. Austin​Was it something we said or did? Aftermath openly gushed about how great the weather was on Friday and how it seemed that maybe, just maybe, we were going to finally attend an Austin City Limits (ACL) that didn't consist of heat and dust. Well, it seems that the powers ... More >>

ACL 2009 Day Two: Ghostland Observatory

Photos by Mark C. Austin​One word: LASERS. Enjoy the spectacle below.

ACL 2009 Day Two: Live Shots

Photos by Mark C. AustinMute Math​The second day of the festival was so busy (and so rainy) that we barely had time to get back to our laptops and card readers to upload photos. So - one day late - enjoy our favorite shots from Day Two of ACL, featuring Bon Iver, Citizen Cope, Grizzly Bear, Mute M ... 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 One: Them Crooked Vultures. Duh.

Photos by Mark C. Austin​Rocks Off saw Them Crooked Vultures a little less than twenty-four hours after their pulverizing set at Stubb's on Thursday night. It was the same setlist, just harder and Grohlier. Meaning that Dave Grohl was seemingly taking out his demons on his drum set. John Paul Jone ... 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 >>

Live from ACL: Blitzen Trapper, Hopelessly (and Happily) Stuck In the '70s

Photo by Mark C. Austin​ACL was barely three hours old, and we already have a winner in the "New(ish) Band That Totally Sounds Like 1972" contest. It's our new Portland friends Blitzen Trapper, whose heavy folk-rock harmonies, atmospheric Led Zep slow blues (we half expected John Paul Jones to joi ... More >>

ACL 2009 Day One: Live Shots

Photo by Mark C. AustinThe Bright Light Social Hour​The artist lineup on day one of ACL was massive to say the least. And we caught as many of the bands as our fleet feet allowed as to. As we wait for the reviews to roll in, enjoy some of our favorite concert shots from the day so far.

ACL 2009 Day One: Aftermath

Photo by Mark C. AustinSchool of Seven Bells​Before we start discussing the great music we heard yesterday, we would like to take time to thank the Gods Of Rock for blessing Day One of the Austin City Limits Festival (ACL) 2009 with an amazing afternoon and evening of weather. Anyone who has ... More >>

MP3 of the Day: Last Chance to See the Tontons Until God Knows When - And It's Free

Mark C. Austin​Just a quick reminder that tonight is your last chance to see everybody's favorite Houston indie-rock/psych/jazz/blues/surf/spaghetti-Western quartet, the Tontons, who are going on hiatus until January. Unless you want to talk singer Asli Omar out of going to school in New York, tha ... More >>

MP3 of the Day: H-Town Underground All-Stars

Mark C. AustinB L A C K I E holds court at Dean's on Showcase Sunday.​ We heard a rumor bubble up a while ago about how a couple of the Houston Press Best Underground Hip-Hop nominees were supposed to be working on a group track together. There was even supposed to be a co-sign from Bun B worked i ... More >>

Tonight: All the HPMA Coverage You Can Handle

Mark C. Austin​ Only a few more hours until this year's Houston Press Music Awards winners will be announced at Warehouse Live. There's still time for you to head over to Momentum Audi (2315 Richmond) to pick up tickets; doors open to the public at 7:30 p.m. Performing tonight are HPMA nominees Ka ... More >>

Be Sure To Check Out Our Coverage Of The Houston Press Music Awards

Photo by Mark C. Austin​Like everyone else with any sense of self-worth, you spent part of your weekend at the crazy circus known as the Houston Press Music Awards.Check out sister blog Rocks Off for constantly updated reviews and reports; click here for a collection of slideshows documenting ... More >>

HPMA Aftermath: Ozeal & the Eulypians, Nosaprise, Benjamin Wesley, Tha Fucking Transmissions, Kristine Mills, Peekaboo Theory, Versecity and Spain Colored Orange

Chris Gray​Five hours is not a long time. It is if you're driving from Houston to Texarkana or Uvalde, maybe. But when hopscotching all over downtown trying to take in as much of the Houston Press Music Awards showcase as you can until your feet and your ears cry uncle, those 300 minutes go by in ... More >>

HPMA Aftermath: MELOVINE, the Snake Charmers, LL Cooper, Peekaboo Theory and Buxton

Mark C. AustinThe Snake Charmers take a breather after bluesing up Martell's.​ It was hot as hell when the Houston Press music staff met up at the Flying Saucer ordering different shades of exotic beers and several different kinds of cheese. Bands were divided up between writers, and pretty much e ... More >>

Aftermath: Pete Yorn at Meridian

Mark C. AustinPete Yorn has been and will always be "sad bastard music" to Aftermath's ears. One thing that has always interested us about the forlorn tunes that seem to drip from Yorn's fingers is how big of a female audience he has. We have quietly hypothesized that somehow women are drawn to li ... More >>

Aftermath: No Doubt, Paramore, The Sounds at Cynthia Woods

Our review of last night's epic No Doubt reunion show out in the Woodlands is coming. We still have the cheers and screams of thousands of women in our ears, so we are a tad wobbly. For now, here's a taste of Mark C. Austin's camera-wielding skills from last night. More is on the way! Mark C. Austin

Slideshow: Jazzfest In New Orleans

Mark C. AustinDidn't go to Jazzfest? Don't worry. Neither did Rocks Off, but that guy above sure did, and so did our intrepid photographer Mark C. Austin. See what else he shot in the Big Easy right here.

Aftermath: Rascal Flatts at RodeoHouston

Photos by Mark C. AustinAnyone who thought that '80s-style power ballads had long gone away with Kurt Cobain's green sweater and Crystal Pepsi is dead wrong. They are kept alive, nightly, by Columbus, Ohio's Rascal Flatts. Bundled-up couples of all ages walked hand-in-hand, and apple-lot ... More >>

Houston Texans Cheerleaders and Fans

Over the Weekend: Pride Parade, La Carafe, Frank's Pizza, Stone Temple Pilots and Houston Astros

Slideshow: Stone Temple Pilots at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Re: Fire at Austin City Limits

Drenched In Blog: ACL Fest in Photos