North Carolina

Foul Balls, Philosophy and Baseball Gods: Notes from the Houston College Classic

Six teams. Three days. Nine games. Seventy-one innings, give or take a couple here and there. So was The Astros Foundation 2013 College Classic. And after sitting through all nine games and three days, it's safe to say that this weekend was anything but a classic of college baseball. Most of the ga ... More >>

Rice Epicurean Markets Closing Four Locations; The Fresh Market Moving In

A long-running joke with many Houstonians is that no one quite knew how Rice Epicurean Markets stayed in business. Despite a history in our city spanning 75 years, the family-run grocery stores -- which were the biggest thing going for grocery shopping when I was a kid, 20 years ago -- were almost a ... More >>

As Hurricane Sandy Moves to East Coast, The HMS Bounty Has Sunk, 2 Crew Missing, Was Supposed to Winter in Galveston

The HMS Bounty, the historic wooden ship that was supposed to winter in Galveston this year, has sunk off the North Carolina coast, it was reported today. According to a statement from the U. S. Coast Guard, two members of the crew were still missing, after 14 others were rescued by the U. S. Coas ... More >>

Texas BBQ Predates the Civil War

The tradition of open-pit barbecues in Texas is older than you think.

RIP Andy Griffith: Beloved Actor and Gospel Musician Dies at 86

Andy Griffith, the honey-drawling North Carolinian who spent decades on television as rural America's favorite sheriff and later a wily but folksy Atlanta lawyer, passed away Tuesday morning at age 86, according to E! Online. Former University of North Carolina president Bill Friday, a good friend o ... More >>

Lewis Black

They Were Kings for a Moment

The feds attack online poker, killing livelihoods and a $2.5 billion industry.

The Appleseed Cast

The Four Best Final Fours of the "One Shining Moment" Era (w/ VIDEO)

Hopefully more shining and less Hudson this year​Some of you mistook my piece on Monday as my not being excited for the Final Four this weekend in Houston. That couldn't be further from the truth. I am incredibly excited to have the event here in our town, for a couple reasons: 1. I'm a Con ... More >>

Recalibrated Final Four Scenarios (and Jim Rome on a Mobile)

​By the time you read this space on Monday, we will know which four lucky schools have qualified for the Final Four and are headed to Houston to enjoy our weather, our ladies and our Tex-Mex. (I can now include "ladies" because BYU has been eliminated from the tournament. Houston will remain ... More >>

NCAA Days Three and Four -- Winners and Losers

March madness underway.​Well, I'm guessing that this past weekend of basketball is not how the money people behind the Final Four's coming to Houston drew it up on the chalkboard. In a tournament that already had last year's regional darling Baylor on the outside looking in, the only two Te ... More >>

11 Keys to Your Filling Out Your NCAA Bracket

Have you done your brackets yet?​So it's that time of year again. Time for the Big Dance, March Madness, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. It's that one time of year when absolutely everyone in the office actually pays attention to college basketball and everyone thinks they're an expert ... More >>

My March Madness Selections (And Lots Of Helpful Links)

It's bracket-ology BABY!​I made this public service announcement on my radio show this week, but seeing as many of you are scrambling to fill in your brackets at the last minute, I feel compelled to print it here and remind all of you of the following: If Sports talk radio hosts (like myself) ... More >>

The United States of Soft Drinks

Full-size image below.​In 1998, Nebraska set a precedent for all other U.S. states when it formally declared Kool-Aid to be the state soft drink. Sure, plenty of other states have state foods or state dishes, but a state soft drink? The popular children's beverage was developed in Hastings, N ... More >>

Future Islands

This Week In Set Lists: Pixies, Kings Of Leon, Tom Petty, Rush, Etc.

GroovehouseKings of Leon, Toyota Center, October 2009​Rocks Off has been both eagerly anticipating and dreading this week for months now. Anticipating because several of our all-time favorite bands are playing within the span of a few days, as are a couple of our favorite newer bands (though n ... More >>

Carolina Chocolate Drops Pay Sweet Homage To Southern Musical Traditions

Photos by Brittanie Shey​Not many modern bands can claim that the music they play spans more than 150 years in the annals of American history, but the Carolina Chocolate Drops's double sold-out shows last night at Mucky Duck oscillated smoothly between early 2000s hits and songs as old as "Dix ... More >>

Houston Fringe Festival

BooTown's annual performance smorgasbord - now with dance!

Brew Blog: Brother David's Triple

​ Our historical excuse for sampling a beer this week comes from March 17, 1916, which the governor of North Carolina declared Belgium Day (it sounds happy but was meant to spur donations after the devastation of World War I). Anyway, we're always suckers for a domestic Belgian imitation. Thi ... More >>

Inquiring Minds: Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes On Billy Gibbons, Lightnin' Hopkins, Ray LaMontagne And More

Shore Fire Media​ In this week's print edition of the Press, Warren Haynes talks about juggling his membership in the Alpha and Omega of jam bands, the Allman Brothers Band and The Dead, with the musclebound blues-rock engine he started in 1994, Gov't Mule. The Mule pulls into House of Blues Satur ... More >>

Listology: Before They Split Town, GTRS Pick Their Favorite Make-Out Songs

​Houston loses another band after this weekend, as Pavementesque indie-shoegazers GTRS relocates to the more touring-friendly enviorns of Asheville, N.C., where they plan to open a recording studio. Sigh. We're sure they'll come back to visit, and on tour, so let's just say so long and not goodbye ... More >>

Bloodsoaked

NCAA Finals: Technically, That Was a Basketball Game

Photo by Beau B I've got a bit of a tradition. Every NCAA Men's Basketball title game, I get together with one of my best friends, Jodie. College basketball to her is like baseball is to me. So every year, more or less, since 1990, we've gotten together to watch basketball. Including last night. ... More >>

NCAA Finals: Technically, That Was a Basketball Game

Photo by Beau B I've got a bit of a tradition. Every NCAA Men's Basketball title game, I get together with one of my best friends, Jodie. College basketball to her is like baseball is to me. So every year, more or less, since 1990, we've gotten together to watch basketball. Including last night. ... More >>

25 Random March Madness Facts

Photo by All your picture are belong to us It's once again time for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, or as most refer to it, March Madness. And instead of doing an analysis and picking the winner, like I do (badly) every year, I've decided to go another way. I'm sure you've all seen those Fac ... More >>

25 Random March Madness Facts

Photo by All your picture are belong to us It's once again time for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, or as most refer to it, March Madness. And instead of doing an analysis and picking the winner, like I do (badly) every year, I've decided to go another way. I'm sure you've all seen those Fac ... More >>

Southern Culture on the Skids

Annuals, Jessica Lea Mayfield

Annuals, Minus the Bear

Unbearably Beautiful: "Houston Collects"

This exhibit needs an editor, but it doesn't matter

Glass Exhibition

Abstract Alex Gabriel Bernstein and the ultra-genuine Johnsens show off their hard work at Hooks-Epstein Galleries

John Royal’s NCAA Basketball Picks, Take Two

Southern Culture on the Skids

John Royal’s NCAA Picks

Houston Musical Landmarks and the I.Am.We Collective

Tambersauro

Experimental trio defies categorization (except that one)

A Hell of a Weekend

The Rosebuds

Little Brother

Little Brother performs Friday, June 29, at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel, 713-225-5483. Orgone and DJ Haul also perform.

Birds of Avalon

Birds of Avalon perform Tuesday, May 8, at Rudyard's. 2010 Waugh, 713-521-0521.

Southern Discomfort

A transplanted son revisits his Carolina roots in the ambitious drama Junebug

Make Mine a Guinness

The author discovers his genetic Irishness

Hard-Knocked Life

A Slipping Down Life takes a beating in the transition from book to film

A Mountainous Achievement

Cold Mountain sets the new standard for Civil War drama on-screen

Niche Kitsch

The Aurora Picture Show takes another look at those high school health films

The b-sides

Thursday, March 14

Truckadelic

Thursday, June 21, Continental Club, 3700 Main

Cryin' Shame

Too sweet tears turn Message into mush

Tired and on a Farewell Tour?

Corrosive Talent