Maroon 5

Slip Slidin' Away: My Life as a Rock Journalist With the Houston Press

I had a hernia operation in the early summer of 2006, and had nothing to do all day but hobble around with cool cane a borrowed from Grandpa Hlavaty and play on the Internets for two months or so. I had developed the injury while working at Domino's, but it was cool because their insurance helped ... More >>

Upcoming: True Believers, Lil Wayne, Dwight Yoakam, Cyndi Lauper, Man Or Astro-Man?, etc.

Second Annual Concert for Conservation: With Dwight Yoakam, Robert Earl Keen, Hayes Carll, Ray Wylie Hubbard. etc., Sat., May 18, 4:30 p.m., $25-$150. Sam Houston Race Park, 7575 N. Sam Houston Parkway W., Houston. Adam Bricks: With Benjamin Wesley and Ancient Cat Society., Sat., April 13, 9 p.m., ... More >>

Last Night: P!nk at Toyota Center

P!nk with The Hives Toyota Center February 21, 2013 On Thursday night at the Toyota Center, P!nk did things onstage that made her contemporaries look like saggy blobs of glitter and Starbucks. Not many poppers in her weight class can sport a body that makes Lady Gaga, Britney, Katy, and Beyonce l ... More >>

Upcoming: Maroon 5, Jamey Johnson, Smokey Robinson, FallCore, Reagan Youth, Etc.

10th Annual Christmas Bash With The Handsomes, Thunderado: Tue., Dec. 25, 9 p.m. Continental Club, 3700 Main, Houston. Adventure Club, Fredster, Pharmer: Sat., Nov. 10, 8 p.m., $15-$25. Stereo Live, 6400 Richmond, Houston. B.J. Thomas: Sat., Feb. 9, 5:30 & 9:30 p.m., $78-$118. Dosey Doe, 25911 I-4 ... More >>

Explaining Classic Rock Bands to Kids

This past Sunday, The New York Times ran a piece by Paul Greenberg where the author explained how important the Beatles were to music and pop culture to his five-year old son. The child didn't know that the band had albums, but only knew the Fab Four from iTunes playlists. "When the Beatles record ... More >>

The 5 Worst Musical Careers By Professional Boxers

Rocks Off is waiting for the day that our 52-year-old mother sits us down for a serious talk and says that she's ready to pursue her dream of becoming a rapper. She'll say, "Mi hijo, you know Lil Casper's mom, Brenda, on 4th Street? Her boyfriend set up a home studio for her. She's spitting that ... More >>

This Grandpa Only Knows Five Bands On This Year's Warped Tour

It's my job to have at least a passing knowledge of what most bands and artists sound like. In my one of seven capacities here at the paper, I am in charge of music listings, those things in the back of the paper that tell you what is happening every week. (While I am on the subject, I need let yo ... More >>

The Beats Go On As Grammys Take Care Of Their Own

Hands up, everyone who is surprised.​The Grammy Awards on CBS Sunday night could have easily turned into a wake - or worse, a funeral. After Whitney Houston's death Saturday, the mood was appropriately somber until a dance party broke out, or perhaps a coming-out party for dance music. Foreve ... More >>

The Best & Worst Of All Possible Buzzfests

Photo by Marc BrubakerWe did it all for the nookie.​This weekend is Buzzfest XXVII in Houston, 94.5 The Buzz's bi-annual all-day throwdown at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Rocks Off has covered a few of the shows in the past few years, including the May 2010 edition where we took along ... More >>

Upcoming: Arctic Monkeys, Emmylou Harris, R. Kelly, Etc.

​"25th Annual Texas Crawfish & Music Festival" With Fuel, Lit, Earshot: Budweiser Crawfish Stage., Sat., May 21. Old Town Spring. Amplified Heat, The Happen-Ins: Sat., May 21. Continental Club. Arctic Monkeys: Wed., Aug. 3. House of Blues. Joe Jack Talcum, The Bassturd, Rival Wife: Thu., J ... More >>

Remember Z-Ro's Crack?

Houston's history is dotted with albums that, fairly or un, have been swept aside. We'll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. ​Z-Ro Crack (Rap-a-Lot, 2008) Crack was the first of Rother Vandross's drug-themed albums, foll ... More >>

Midnight Movers

San Antonio's Girl in a Coma may stumble onstage, but not on Adventures in Coverland.

Upcoming: AA Bondy, Built To Spill, Chris Knight, Ra Ra Riot, Etc.

​2Cents, Season's After, Taking Dawn: Sat., July 31. Warehouse Live. AA Bondy, JBM: Sat., Aug. 14. Mango's. Andre Williams: Sat., Aug. 21. Continental Club. Anthony Hamilton, Kem, Jaheim & Raheem DeVaughn: Sat., Sept. 4. Toyota Center. A.R. Rahman: CHANGED Fri., Sept. 17. Toyota Center. ... More >>

Jimmy Needham

No Sparks

Hannah Montana gets upstaged by sea turtles in The Last Song.

Running the Numbers

The 2009 Houston Press Music Award Nominees

Here they are, folks. You nominated 'em, we mulled 'em over and sorted out the stuffers, and now the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards ballot is set. Normally Rocks Off would say something cute like read 'em and weep, but since we've been listening to almost nothing but '80s hard rock and new bands th ... More >>

Houston Press Music Awards: And The Nominees Are...

Here they are, folks. You nominated 'em, we mulled 'em over and sorted out the stuffers, and now the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards ballot is set. Normally Rocks Off would say something cute like read 'em and weep, but since we've been listening to almost nothing but '80s hard rock and new bands t ... More >>

Top Ten Pop Songs of 2008

Pop music often gets a bad rap for being disposable or vapid, and in many cases that's true. (Katy Perry, Danity Kane and the Pussycat Dolls, step right up!) But every year, a few irresistible bits of innovative ear candy rocket up the charts and seep into our subconscious. The following ten singles ... More >>

Common

Finding Forever

2007 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase

BEERS, STEERS AND...

Fried Twinkies, $5 bumper cars, Hannah Montana and the hardest working kids in Texas

Reform School

The College Dropout rethinks his stance on education in the year 2010

Todymania!

Houston's scene sees the release of its second great pop-rock CD in six months; also: March Music Madness hits town on the touring front

Souchin' into Bethlehem

Greg Wood's latest health scare costs him a few pounds of flesh and almost takes his arm