North Texas

Texas Shale Puts U.S. Back on Top in Oil Producing

Once upon a time, way back when, the United States was at the top of the oil-production food chain, because, basically, you could poke a hole in the ground seemingly just about anywhere and the black gold would come bubbling up. (Seriously, that's basically what happened when they dug down 1,139 fee ... More >>

Kaufman County Copycat Killings?

Most people reading about the killings of Kaufman County officials earlier this year - Mark Hasse, an assistant district attorney was shot on the courthouse steps in January, then District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were found dead in their home on Easter weekend - responded with the appro ... More >>

Lights, Camera, Headaches

The quickest way to ruin a music festival? Get actors to show up.

Happy Mother's Day, From the Cheddar's Family

"It's hog killin' weather," my grandmother announced in weary voice, her East Texas twang hobbling the words as they spilled out. It's hawg killun waythuh. She sat her purse down on the kitchen counter and shuffled into the living room as my mother closed the garage door behind us with a sigh. No on ... More >>

UPDATED: Is ACL Festival Ignoring Houston? Does It Even Matter?

UPDATED (Thursday, 2:50 p.m.) to reflect the Houston-area roots of a few ACL performers this year, as pointed out by reader comments. We stand by our original point, though. As most of our readers no doubt know by now, the Austin City Limits Music Festival announced its 2013 lineup at the stroke of ... More >>

Following Boston Bombing, Some Houston Media Outlets Shirk Duties

After two bombs exploded at today's Boston Marathon -- with a third reportedly detonating at JFK Library minutes ago -- Houston's local media scene has attempted to gather the facts of the fast-breaking story. However, instead of doing the tradition leg-work that, you know, delineates the media's re ... More >>

The Rocks Off 100: Tobin Harvell, Fitzgerald's Unflappable Floor Manager

Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community -- a lot more than just musicians, but of course they're in there too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. If you spend any time at Fitzgerald's, you ... More >>

Capsule Art Reviews: "Cruz Ortiz: I Speak Lightning," "Farewell Ruins: Julia Haft-Candell and Julia Kunin," "Greg Miller: Over Time," "Joshua Goode: Origin of Myth," "Kathryn Kelley: "The uncontrollable nature of grief and forgiveness (or lack of)"

Capsule Art Reviews: "Greg Miller: Over Time," "Janice Jakielski: Constructing Solitude," "Joshua Goode: Origin of Myth," "Lisa Ludwig: Black Black Forest," "Maggie Taylor: No Ordinary Days"

Capsule Art Reviews: "Joshua Goode: Origin of Myth," "Mac Whitney: Sculptures and Paintings," "Maggie Taylor: No Ordinary Days," "Mie Olise: Crystal Bites of Dust," "The Progress of Love," "Rosa Loy: Souvenir," "Wilo Vargas: Hierophany and Pareidolia"

22 Coots and Codgers Making the Rest of Us Look Bad

While the rest of the music business has been slow to awaken from its holiday slumbers, the biggest shows in Houston this weekend come from two artists who have been up a long, long time -- 87 years, to be exact: Bluesman B.B. King and country crooner Ray Price. (Actually, Price will turn 87 on Satu ... More >>

Dallas Beer Scene: Revolver Brewing Gets Serious in Granbury

It's been a big year for craft beer in Texas. One of the biggest stories, however, is news that hasn't quite made its way down to Houston. Dallas is currently experiencing a boom in breweries as big as, if not bigger than, the expansion Houston and Austin have seen in past years. Dallas/Fort Worth a ... More >>

And Charles Sims Shall Lead The Cougars To Victory: UH Tops Rice For Bayou Bucket

Maybe it was the weather outside of Reliant Stadium that had something to do with the sluggishness of Saturday's Bayou Bucket. The grayness. The wetness. The dreariness. Maybe all of that worked against a football game being played inside of a gigantic aircraft hanger before a crowd that didn't even ... More >>

100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 21, Chicken-Fried Water Buffalo at The Hay Merchant

This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we're counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston's cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least o ... More >>

Keep Cool and Caffeinated

Houston's ten best iced coffee crinks

Yellow Rose, Houston's First Legal Bourbon Distillery, Set to Launch Soon

Master distiller Troy Smith points to a few sacks of corn on the floor of the small warehouse that houses Yellow Rose Distillery in a quiet, residential area just north of Tomball. "We use organic corn from North Texas," he says. "And we grind it all by hand." That corn is the most important ingred ... More >>

Michael Martin Murphey: "I Was Always Proud of Texas"

Michael Martin Murphey will not get off the phone. The Texas singer-songwriter, arguably America's foremost ambassador and scholar of traditional cowboy ballads and trail songs, is the kind of person who has answered two or three other questions by the time his interviewer is ready to ask another on ... More >>

State and EPA Battle Over Fracking, Flaming Well Water

When Steve Lipsky blamed fracking for turning his water well into a flamethrower, he set off an epic battle between the EPA and Texas.

Dining In Dallas: Bolsa Is Totally My Bag

My grandmother and grandfather had their first date at a Mexican restaurant in Oak Cliff, just south of downtown Dallas, after the end of World War II. These days, there are still plenty of Mexican restaurants to be found in this rapidly gentrifying part of town, but it's now also home to an eclecti ... More >>

UH Preps for UTEP While Rice Takes on Southern Miss

It's no secret that the Houston Cougars (4-0) have problems when it comes to playing the UTEP Miners (2-2). No matter how good the Coogs might be, or how bad the Miners might be, the game is a struggle. They've played eight times, and each team has won four times. The Coogs are 2-1 for the past thr ... More >>

Cougars Dominate First Half Against UCLA, Set Table For Perfect Season

The UCLA cheerleaders probably weren't too happy after Saturday's game​The Houston Cougars did their best impersonation of the Houston Texans on Saturday. They dominated the first half, playing a fantastic two quarters that masterfully mixed their passing and running games. Case Keenum showe ... More >>

Four Myths About Super Bowl Radio Row

​I got to cross another item off of my list of radio career "firsts" this past week, attending my first Radio Row in Dallas for this year's Super Bowl from Monday through Wednesday. For someone that grew up on sports talk radio, the feeling I got walking around Radio Row was the same feelin ... More >>

Jerry's Time to Shine

Speaking truth about Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Rice Owls Plunder The Pirates

The Owls soar over the Pirates​The Rice Owls have shown glimpses of what the offense can do when everything comes together. The running game has worked at spots. The passing game to the tight ends has been mostly effective. Teams have had trouble with the Owls when running the wildcat.But th ... More >>

Rice Owls: Beware The Plundering Pirates

Rice is playing the Pirates of East Carolina, not the Pirates of the Caribbean​The Rice Owls are hosting the East Carolina Pirates this weekend, and if the Owls had any bounty left, then the Pirates would be plundering it. But this season being this season, the Owls have already had their tr ... More >>

The Rice Owls: An Avalanche of Destruction

The Owls season resembles a natural disaster​The season didn't start out this way for Rice. Sure they lost to Texas, but they were competitive and they stayed close for most of the game. They struggled against North Texas, but still got the win. The loss to Northwestern stung, but once again ... More >>

Rice Tries To Downgrade The Golden Hurricane

Last week Notre Dame, this week Rice​The Rice Owls (2-6) didn't play football last weekend. They rested up, got some players back from injury, and got back to stressing that need to work on the fundamentals. And they watched this week's opponent go into South Bend and defeat Notre Dame on na ... More >>

Texas Rangers: Five Things To Know About Them As They Begin The ALCS

Thanks for the Iraq War, Rangers​If you're an Astros fan, you might be surprised to learn that the baseball season did not end back in July -- that was just when the Astros season was deemed over. Baseball has continued to be played and, for the first time ever, the Texas Rangers are within a step ... More >>

Owls Focusing, Dammit, On The Cougars

The Owls are working on their focus this week​This post about Saturday's football game between the Rice Owls and the Houston Cougars is brought to you by the word "focus," as in the Rice Owls need to focus on making their plays. And as in the word "focus" is the current term of choice for th ... More >>

Rice Scares The Longhorns, But Can't Pull Off The Upset

Almost the scene of a big upset​The word coming out of Austin was that the Texas Longhorns were planning on stressing the running game this season, especially in their opening game against the Rice Owls.And if Saturday's 34-17 win over Rice was any indication, then it's going to be another long se ... More >>

R.I.P. Original Austin Cosmic Cowboy Rusty Weir

​Texas music legend Rusty Wier has passed away according to a post from North Texas disc jockey Shayne Hollinger on the Galleywinter Texas music chat site. One of the original Austin Cosmic Cowboys with the likes of Jerry Jeff Walker and Michael Martin Murphy, Wier has been a fixture on the Texas ... More >>

Tonight: Blacktop Gypsy at the Firehouse Saloon

Not many acts on MySpace list as their influences Merle Haggard and Fleetwood Mac. Or George Jones and Sheryl Crow. But Dallas outfit Blacktop Gypsy does, and it doesn't take many listens to their music to get the connections. Certainly the template is country but with three women in the mix there' ... More >>

A Mainstream Mormon's Test of Faith

Seven months have passed since the polygamist raid in Eldorado, but the effects linger

College Football Review: Plenty of Upsetting (in a Good Way) Results

Pullem’ Up? Sometimes Dallas Makes It Way Too Easy

Mail Call

Vlog Spot

Bring It On

Why Houston should want a nuclear power plant

Lucky Stars

Test your love of Texas at Jim Goode's new cowboy saloon

Cope With This

Finally, someone figures out how to craft an interesting rock/hip-hop blend

Truth and Consequences

Sometimes in the game of cops and robbers, telling your story is no defense

Lessons to the Left

Young conservatives start to monitor liberal college profs

Colorado River Blues

For New Mexico-bred singer-songwriter Eric Hisaw, the move to Austin is just starting to pay

Return of Los Vatos Rudos

Los Skarnales are set to release a new full-length with a new lineup

Nice Guy, Wrong Color

How Ken Bentsen got run over by a rainbow

Heart Attack

The source of Billy Harper's aggressive tenor style lies in a power greater than himself

Court Blues: Making a False Impression

Dolcefino escapes a libel hit, but Texas journalists aren't celebrating

Breaking the Mold

What the heck is making those kids and teachers sick at T.H. Rogers?

Static

God Help Us

The Apostle's road to hell is paved with good intentions

Brothers of the Road

'The I-69 "NAFTA Highway" is supposed to create thousands of jobs. Thanks to your tax dollars, it's already provided a very good one for the underemployed brother of Tom DeLay.