Norway

Houston Sets Off National Dialogue on Islamic Innocence

The imam smiled. He'd been waiting for this question, it seemed. It was a soft Saturday afternoon, and this imam, Azhar Haneef, the national vice president of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, had just finished an hour-long tour of videos displaying the prophet Muhammad's pacifism at the Baitus Samee ... More >>

Rick Perry Has An International Ally For His (Possible) Secession Plan: The Brutal, Civil-Rights-Crushing Government Of Belarus

The campaign to have Texas secede from the U.S. has been a long struggle with little to show for it so far beyond helping to torpedo Rick Perry's presidential hopes, and as it turned out Perry was entirely capable of doing that himself without any secessionist torpedoing. But now -- just as it seem ... More >>

The Rocks Off 100: Rapid Ric, Mixtape Mechanic

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. Who? "Mixtape Mechanic" Rapid Ric, a studio owner and producer, has been DJing in Texa ... More >>

Capsule Art Reviews: "Flyaway: New Work by Aaron Parazette", "Liz Ward: Cryosphere" "Ruth Shouval: Settle," "Andrea Bianconi: Romance" and "Anthony Thompson Shumate: Sweetly Broken", "Tony Feher: A Work in Four Parts", "Translucent Trajectories"

Capsule Art Reviews: "Ariane Roesch: Simple Machines and Simple Dreams," "CraftTexas 2012," "Dieter Balzer: Objects," "Endless Disharmony and Telltale Ashes," "Endless Disharmony and Telltale Ashes," "Texas Eclectic," "Tony Feher: A Work in Four Parts"

The Top 10 Weirdest U.S. No. 1 Hits

It's not often that the pop charts will surprise you. After all, the average consumer in most countries doesn't have time to delve too deep into an artist's catalogue. They don't often pick up on songs that will stand the test of time. They like the ephemera record labels tell them is hot right now. ... More >>

Nightmares Come True In Mothlite's "Seeing In the Dark"

Daniel O'Sullivan is a ridiculously talented, multiinstrumentalist that records under so many different monikers he's damn near impossible to keep up with. You might save yourself some time by just assuming any new depressing song sung in an English accent is by him. His latest work in video form ... More >>

Olympic Logos: The Best and the Worst, Including Lisa Simpson's Sex Act

Heh. Lisa Simpson is giving Bart Simpson a hummer in the London 2012 Olympic logo. Uh, we mean aren't you stoked for the 17 days of glory that commences on July 27 in the United Kingdom, especially with a logo that cost £400,000 (approximately $621,000)? That's right. All of that freaking money f ... More >>

7 Little-Known (And Completely Unverified) Facts About U.S. Presidents

Today, the nation celebrates Presidents' Day, the most important holiday of all time. No other national holiday has such a clear purpose or overall popularity. Therefore, why not recognize this momentous occasion with a look back at some of our greatest presidents, and learn some facets of their bio ... More >>

Mexicans at the Olympics, and Self-Hate

When Gravity Attacks: 13 Memorable Onstage Stumbles

Lady Gaga kept a poker face after her Montreal fall.​Concert performances and award shows can sometimes really put the pressure on artists, who often get so nervous or excited that they may just faceplant the stage. We've complied you tube clips of some of the best mid-performance stumbles. So ... More >>

Star Chef Faces Child-Sex Charge

Will plead insanity

The Music World Remembers Amy Winehouse On Twitter #amywinehouse

​The music world was rocked on Saturday afternoon by the news that British singer and tabloid fixture Amy Winehouse had passed away in her London home. Results of an autopsy may be released as early as today, and authorities were only saying that the cause of death was unknown. She was 27. H ... More >>

David Sha: The Politics Behind Not Wearing Any Drawers

​Songs end up in our inbox all of the time. All of the time. Sometimes they go there to flourish, to (eventually) be posted here with praise and e-high-fives. Sometimes they go there to die, a Bad Music Graveyard, if you will. Rarely, though, are they the sole reason why someone or some band i ... More >>

Amy Blonn: HISD Teacher to Freeze Her Butt Off Near North Pole

HISDAmy Blonn (left) is going to need to dress a little more warmly​A Houston schoolteacher has been selected as one of six across the country to be sent to the Arctic as part of a National Geographic program, HISD announced today. Amy Blonn teaches fifth graders at the district's Outdoor Edu ... More >>

The Five Reasons the Dynamo Will Be Back in the Playoffs in 2011

Will the Dynamo be back in the playoffs this year?​The Houston Dynamo kick off their 2011 campaign this Saturday at 7:30 pm, when they host the Philadelphia Union. The Orange look to rebound from an abysmal 2010 season, where they missed the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time since coming to ... More >>

Houstonians Place High In International Blues Contest

​This past week, Ezra Charles & the Works and The Mighty Orq, both long-running pillars of the local blues scene, each represented Houston and the Houston Blues Society at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn. The week-long competition brought in 110 performers from all over the ... More >>

Last Night: Blonde Redhead At Warehouse Live

Photos by Marc Brubaker​Blonde Redhead Warehouse Live November 29, 2010 The trio of lead vocalist Kazu Makino and twin brothers Amedeo and Simone Pace sonically sailed their way into Houston last night to open up their vast palette of musical and visual colors for a packed-out crowd. Many in ... More >>

Last Night: Vampire Weekend And Beach House At Verizon

Photos by Mark Britain​Vampire Weekend, Beach House Verizon Wireless Theater October 7, 2010 It's hard to quantify a show featuring two of the darlingest indie darlings the indie-darling machine has ever invented back-to-back in a non-festival setting. These events don't happen often, because ... More >>

Chef Adison Lee: Not New to Nobu, But New to Raku

The seared albacore was particularly good with the freshly-grated, real wasabi served in a huge, fragrant mound.​Chef Adison Lee is passionate about fish. That should really come with the territory when you're helming one of Houston's most upscale sushi restaurants, but Lee seems singularly i ... 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 >>

Five Onstage Meltdowns Funnier Than Courtney Love In D.C.

Universal Music Group​As far as Rocks Off knows, everything is hunky-dory for Hole's show at House of Blues this evening. Courtney Love and friends are scheduled to play from 9:45 to 11:15, which Rocks Off is interpreting as they could go on anywhere from 9:45 to 11:15. As Hole's rambling, sl ... More >>

Bartender Chat: Mike Sims of Rudyard's

​For the last ten years, Mike Sims has been working at Rudyard's British Pub (2010 Waugh Dr.). But he hasn't always been the bartender. He started out helping a friend bar-back, and then he moved to working the door. Eight years ago, he started working as a bartender.

The AIDS-Spreading German Popstar And Four Other Horrifying Rock Legends

​Hanging out backstage with Ronan Harris of VNV Nation last Sunday, his synth-excellency imparted a tale that Rocks Off hoped to the gods was not true, and led us down the path of myth and rumor to bring you a list of five of the most horrifying legends in pop-music lore. The tale Ronan told is th ... More >>

A Preview Of The 2010 WorldFest, And A Chance To Win Big And See Stuff For Free

The 43rd annual WorldFest kicks off this Friday. The "fiercely independent" film festival is one of the oldest international fests in the country, and the oldest independent festival in the world. Many directors you may have heard of received their first awards here, including Steven Spielberg, Joh ... More >>

He Said She Said: Music From the Past Decade of Our Lives, Part 2

​ She Said remembers being a little kid, thinking to herself, In the year 2000, you're going to be 20 YEARS OLD. Thinking of how old that would feel like and how far away it seemed. In truth, She Said feels no different today than she did ten years ago, but one look at her musical tastes over the ... More >>

Milo, Maine Gets More Federal Stimulus Cash For Cops Than Houston

Photo courtesy MiloMilo Town Hall​We've been reading all day about how Houston got stiffed on the latest handout of federal stimulus money for cops and were kinda blase about it.Houston, after all, has gotten its fair share of Homeland Security cash because of the port and our target-rich refineri ... More >>

Everlasting Moments Looks Great, But it's Ultimately a Missed Photo Op

Camera Ready

Tonight: Heybale! at Blanco's

"Wine Me Up," live at D&L's Texas Music Cafe, Austin, SXSW 2005 I remember a time when it seemed like I went to Blanco's every week. If it wasn't the Hollisters, it was folks like Jim Lauderdale or Chris Wall or some other totally legit act that would pack the little joint like a sardine can. ... More >>

Father Time

Judas Priest Prophesy Free Tickets to Woodlands Show; Nostradamus Reviewed

Mexican Problems and the Iberian Peninsula

Special Spanish Edición

Sesame Street: Old School Volume 2, Chinatown: Special Collector's Edition, Sicko: Special Edition and Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who

The Kids Were Alright

Miss Pop Rocks: A Brief Love Note to Amy Winehouse

Top of the World

You've never heard of him, but Mike Willcox is one of the best on the planet at what he does

Christmas in July

Six dozen of Houston's finest bands for a mere $7

Playbill

Trading Groceries for Guns

Matt Brownlie talks about his band's new name and a very strange year

Adieu, Monsieur Mojo

...And other SXSW adventures

Stewed, Screwed and Tattooed

Getting Down and Dirty with a quintet of Houston rock purists

Sleepless in Alaska

A frazzled Al Pacino tangles with a psychotic Robin Williams in Insomnia

Blockbuster Beats

New York shut down their popular club gig, so DJs Sasha and Digweed hit the road

Chroniclers of History and Heartbreaks: Tom Russell, Katy Moffatt and Dave Alvin

Saturday, April 20

Travail-less Travels

Putumayo and Rough Guide samplers offer up armchair adventures for jittery Americans

Rotation

Django Reinhardt -- Gluecifer

Night & Day

February 25 - March 3, 1999

The Insider

Static

No Frills Allowed

Lost Cyberweekend

CyberCulture Houston: Three days of art, music, dance and deep thoughts