Nick Gaitan

The Best Concerts In Houston This Week: All Local Edition (No Foolin')

DJ Sun The Flat, April 1 Now that some of the well-deserved publicity surrounding DJ Sun's first-ever full-length release, One Hundred, has subsided a little, his true accomplishment on the disc seems even more impressive. In the span of 70 minutes, he pours his 20-plus-year career as one of Housto ... More >>

The 5 Best Shows In Houston This Week: December 24-27

Christmas at Fitzgerald's Fitzgerald's, December 25 We hardly ever get snow, so instead Fitzgerald's has instituted its own Yuletide tradition of talking '90s punk heroes 30footFALL into reuniting for a little "Oi! to the World," decking the halls with boughs of Converse and slipping a little MD 20 ... More >>

The 5 Best Shows In Houston This Week: December 10-13

Sometimes when things look slowest, like this week, that's good reason to go out anyway. You never know what might be lurking out there - just not Rick Ross and friends, which remember is canceled. For example, this week's list is 100 percent local, or people rooted enough in Houston to make it part ... More >>

5 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Umbrella Man, Robert Cray, Etc.

A short one this week, for the long holiday weekend. But worthwhile. Outside-the-Loop gig of the weekend: The Mighty Orq at Main Street Crossing in Tomball tonight at 8 p.m.. Ask Orq about the band's European tour last month. Soulful Space City spokesman Nick Gaitan celebrates the release of his ... More >>

Umbrella Man's Bridges and Bayous.

Houston's swampiest musical savants return with new album.

The 2nd Annual Main Street Block Party Announces Lineup

The Main Street Block Party is returning on January 28 to the The Continental Club, The Big Top, and The Mink's front and backrooms, armed with another great lineup, this time featuring Austin's What Made Milwaukee Famous and Dallas' hardcore cataclysm, Power Trip. The day-long festival was highly ... More >>

Your Houston City Limits Music Preview For 2012

For the past few weeks I have been asking local acts to tell us about their 2012 plans, be it touring, recording, breaking up, or just gigging around town. You would have thought more rappers would have chimed in sense they are veritable promotion machines, but I didn't get much back. OK, Twenty Ele ... More >>

Where to See Some Live Music on Thanksgiving (and the Wednesday before)

We all need a place to mellow out after a day of dealing with family. Don't get us wrong, we love our families. It's just that, getting together with the extended crew can take a toll and relaxing with some live, local music helps take the edge off. Holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving fit neatl ... More >>

"Drawn Out Death"

2011 Music Awards Showcase

Your guide to the bands and venues.

HPMA Preview: Seven Nominated Bands Perfect For Ear Fatigue

Photo by Liana LopezNick Gaitan and Umbrella Man​Oh, yes, it is that time again, time for the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase You can almost smell it...well, hopefully not. This week we will be profiling the bands who will be performing at this Saturday's HPMA showcase at venues all over ... More >>

BestFest Adds Los Skarnales, The Last Place You Look, Umbrella Man & Honky Tonk Blood Trio

Half-price GA passes = today's "Deal of the Day" GroovehousePachuco Boogie: Los Skarnales' Nestor Serrano (left) and Felipe Galvan at the 2011 Houston International Festival​The first Best of Houston® BestFest is shaping up nicely. Today it gives Rocks Off great pleasure to announce four mo ... More >>

Discovery Green Lands Roots-Rock Royalty For Free Fall Concerts

Jason WolterTexas Tornados at Discovery Green, September 2010​A return engagement from Tex-Mex supergroup the Texas Tornados, reunited (after a fashion) roots-rock polymaths NRBQ - now featuring a former Houstonian on drums - and the honky-tonk hero who told Tiger Airways a thing or two highli ... More >>

Five Houston Supergroups We'd Like To See

Marc BrubakerThe Tontons​Houston has become a cornucopia of musical talent. With so much goodness going on, it would be selfish to wish for more. So here's us, being a selfish ass and daydreaming about what could be Houston's greatest supergroups. MR. X Surf/Spy The first group we imagine wo ... More >>

The Octanes

BANGBANGBOOM: Houston's Brand-New Swingin' All-Star Band

John Powers​Late Monday morning, Rocks Off got a press release announcing BANGBANGBOOM, the new jazz and swing covers project of local luminaries Andrew Karnavas and Nick Gaitan. Seeing as how Karnavas' Runaway Sun and, well, everything Gaitan's ever done comprise some of our favorite sounds i ... More >>

Like Hell Yeah

Upsets and upstarts at the 2010 Houston Press Music Awards

Last Night: The 2010 Houston Press Music Awards Ceremony

Photos by Marco TorresNick Gaitan & The Umbrella Man began Wednesday's performances with a steamy zydeco polka.​Houston Press Music Awards Ceremony Warehouse Live August 11, 2010 Ed. Note: See here for slideshows of performers and the crowd, and here for the winners. Aftermath is not going t ... More >>

HPMA Showcase Videos And A Brand-New Buxton Track

Jim BrickerBuxton at Kobain during Saturday's HPMA showcase​Despite arriving late due to another job, photographer/videographer Austin Miller shot some great photos at Saturday's Houston Press Music Awards showcase - just like all the other lensmen of Team Rocks Off - and managed to capture so ... More >>

Top 5 WTF Music Award Acceptance Speeches

Dana DonovanLittle Joe Washington and a pair of enthusiastic fans at the 2007 HPMA ceremony​As we may have mentioned once or twice, tonight Rocks Off and the Houston Press reveal the winners of this year's 2010 Houston Press Music Awards over at Warehouse Live. It's a free show, with performan ... More >>

Signing Off from the HPMA Awards Ceremony

Photos by Marco TorresLee Alexander, Best Male Vocalist​Ed note: The full list of winners will be published on Rocks Off within the next half hour, so please be sure to check back Rocks Off had been using our Flip cam since before 6 p.m., so by the time Tax The Wolf took the stage at 10:10, t ... More >>

Rocks Off Invites You To The HPMA Showcase

Monica Fuentes​Rocks Off and the Houston Press are having a little party on Washington Avenue tomorrow afternoon called the Houston Press Music Awards showcase. We may have mentioned it before. If you'd like to come, we'd love to have you. Click here to vote in this year's awards and showcase ... More >>

Friday Night: Andrew Karnavas At McGonigel's Mucky Duck

Photos by Trish Badger​Andrew Karnavas McGonigel's Mucky Duck July 16, 2010 We did not plan on writing a review of Friday night's Andrew Karnavas show at the Mucky Duck, but after sitting in on near two hours of super-solid folksy Americana (and some blues, too) it seemed like it had to be do ... More >>

Nick Gaitan, Houston Music's Wolf-Like Problem Solver

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 sheaserrano@gmail.com. Kurt Bertilson​Remember ... More >>

2010 Music Awards Nominees, Part 2

​Friday, Rocks Off announced the nominees for the 2010 Houston Press Music Awards in as many genres as we could think to put on the ballot this year. Here are the rest, covering recordings, individual achievement, personalities and peripheral categories (radio, retail, etc.). Voting begins Ju ... More >>

Gimme Back My Bullet: An Eyewitness Account of Billy Joe Shaver's Trial

Even by his own rather lofty standards (marrying the same woman three times, losing several fingers on his right hand... oh hell, just read this story here), Billy Joe Shaver's recently concluded trial has to rank pretty far up there on the legendary Waco singer-songwriter list of exploits. As you ... More >>

Andrew Karnavas & Nick Gaitan

A Few Possible Cures For Rocks Off's Acute "Can't Stay Home" Syndrome

Lev Kuperman/ myspace.com/viaaudio​ Monday night, an obviously delirious Rocks Off found ourselves upstairs at the Mink's Backroom instead of where we should have been, home in bed asleep. We enjoyed high-energy/lo-fi trio Vivian Girls, but at this point we are starting to realize we may have a pr ... More >>

Bayou Beat: HOB's "Blues Schoolhouse" Band Seeks Musicians, Discovery Green Announces Spring Lineup, etc.

[Ed. Note: We are not trying to encroach on Ms. Magnolia City Mixtape's territory, but once in a while the news piles up too fast to wait an entire week.] It's our party and we'll pimp if we want to: Perhaps you may have heard about this "Washington Shore" soiree Rocks Off is throwing at 8 p.m. t ... More >>

Looking for Trouble

Jemina Pearl breaks free of Be Your Own Pet on Break It Up.

Somewhere Trouble Don't Go

The best Texas albums of 2009...or what we could squeeze in.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

2009 was definitely a year, we'll say that much.

No Turkeys Allowed

Our annual holiday shopping guide to recent local releases

Aftermath: The Umbrella Man's CD Release at the Continental Club

Photos by Liana Lopez​Want to hear some great rockabilly, ska, gospel, zydeco, retro-country and soul? Those are only some of the styles you'll hear on Nick Gaitan and The Umbrella Man's debut CD. When you experience the band live, expect even more. Gaitan and Umbrella Man's other five members pu ... More >>

Listology: Nick Gaitan of the Octanes and The Umbrella Man's Favorite Female Vocalists

This is a big week for all-everything Houston bassist Nick Gaitan. Not only have his Monday-night Continental Club gigs with atomic-powered rockabilly trio the Octanes been steadily been picking up steam, his other band The Umbrella Man - which just happens to play Tuesday nights at the very same p ... More >>

Houston 101: Sig Byrd, Houston's King of True-Life Noir

​Of all the columnists in the history of Houston journalism, Sigman Byrd was easily the darkest and the most literary. From the late 1940s to the early '60s, Byrd wrote a column called The Stroller for the old daily Houston Press and later, briefly for the Chronicle. He always much favored the ci ... More >>

Houston Music Fight Club: Brett Koshkin vs. Ceeplus Bad Knives, Late Nite Pie vs. Mai's, Nick Gaitan vs. ???

​This week brings three new bouts and a special announcement to all past winners and losers of our imaginary brawls on Houston Music Fight Club. Next Tuesday, Rocks Off is presenting David Fincher's Fight Club at our (mostly) weekly Movie Nite at the Mink. We would like all past winners and losers ... More >>

HPMA: Guess What? More Winners: Sideshow Tramps, Homopolice & A Dream Asleep, DJ Sun

Chris Gray​ Well, Little Joe didn't sit in with the Flamin' Hellcats, but Scarface sure did. Dude's got some serious Chuck Berry mojo going on. Who knew?Best Tribute Band: Beetle. Thanking a multitude of Houston music royalty. Beetle really is a sight to behold, and about a minute fraction of the ... More >>

MP3 of the Day: Umbrella Man

John Powers​ For the cultish followers of JFK Assassination lore, the "Umbrella Man" was a shadowy figure along the parade route in Dallas. The character's story purports that he either was involved in the killing of President Kennedy by using his umbrella to signal the shooters to fire - or even ... More >>

ReFried Rice: In the Hot Seat with Nick Gaitan

​We're here with Nick Gaitan from Umbrella Man. He's up first in the Hot Seat.Who are you going to see today?Ryan Scroggins. Want to watch Sean Reefer, but we're playing at the same time. And by buddy Jack, we're up against each other for Best Bassist. BUH BUH BUM! (Says in doomy singing voice).I ... More >>

52 Pick-Up

Your guide to the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards showcase

Houston's Most Unique Address

Noise Extra: "I've Found My Weakness in You" and Billy Joe Shaver on Houston

In this week's installment of Noise, Rocks Off's bass-playing friend and neighbor Nick Gaitan talks about how our building inspired his song "I've Found My Weakness in You," and how his boss Billy Joe Shaver liked it so much he decided to record it. Part of our conversation veered into Shaver's exp ... More >>

Thursday Night: Umbrella Man at the Big Top

From the Barrio to Billy Joe: A Former Skarnal Signs Up with the Ol’ Chunk o’ Coal

SoundExchange Wants to Kill Internet Radio

On "lost" artists, found money and the murder of free enterprise

No Más for the Vatos Rudos

Los Skarnales go the way of all flesh

The Orange Show

Spain Colored Orange takes home four Press Music Awards

¡Viva H-town!

Latinos come to the fore in this year's music awards