Okkervil River

Friday Night: Murder by Death at Fitzgerald's

Murder by Death, Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons Fitzgerald's July 27, 2012 When I discovered that Murder by Death was set up to play the smaller downstairs room at Fitzgerald's Friday night, I was a little surprised. The Indiana-based y'allternative act may hail from a small town, but they've got ... More >>

Roky Erickson

The Hype Machine: Top 10 Indie Buzz Bands You May Have Forgotten

So you're a hipster. Not you specifically. I would never accuse the great Rocks Off readers of being hipsters. But hypothetically, say you're a hipster. How do you choose your favorite bands? Well, you stroll on over to any indie-rock blog and check out all the latest buzz bands obviously. The probl ... More >>

Subterranean Radio Brings Houston Music to Chicagoland

​It started like most things do, when your humble narrator was obsessively Googling himself to see who on the Internet might be talking about us. That's when we came across Subterranean Radio, hosted every Thursday from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. on WRLR 98.3 FM in Round Lake Heights, Ill. Turns out they' ... More >>

Finding Austin

The neo city on the hills is a far cry from its cheap pot, cold beer and low-rent former ways.

Last Night: The Low Anthem At Fitzgerald's

Photos by Jim Bricker​The Low Anthem Fitzgerald's May 2, 2011 In another lifetime, and another location, Fitzgerald's could have been a barn. Every time we see a show upstairs, Aftermath halfway expects an owl to swoop out of the rafters and sink its talons into an errant field mouse. Note t ... More >>

"Whacko From Waco" & 10 Other Batsh!t Texas Songs

Texas: You're soaking in it.​Happy Texas Independence Day, everyone. Today The Only State That Matters officially enters its 175th year of pissing off the lesser 49 states and producing the best music anywhere on Earth. One of Texas' biggest honky-tonk heroes is of course Billy Joe Shaver, who ... More >>

Love, Shelby

Shelby Lynne smolders on Tears, Lies, and ­Alibis.

SXSW Aftermath: The Texas Garage-Rock Torch Passes At The Continental Club

Photos by Brittanie SheyChristopher Gerniottis of Zakary Thaks (left) joins Austin's Ugly Beats​ In February, Magnolia City Mixtape mentioned a piece in Texas Monthly about the storied history of garage rock in Texas written by Aftermath nerd-crush Michael Hall. (His reporting has gotten men on de ... More >>

Listen Up

Gunplay aside, listenlisten have made one of 2009's most anachronistic, arresting new albums.

I Walked With a Zombie: A Roky Erickson Primer

Chris GrayOkkervil River's Will Sheff (left) and Roky Erickson at the 2008 Austin Music AwardsRocks Off is starting to get really excited about Roky Erickson's show at the Continental Club Wednesday night. As of around noon Tuesday, about 50 tickets were left, available at Sig's Lagoon. Sig's owner ... More >>

The Not-So-New Kids on the Block

Still Hangin' Tough?

The Greatest Texas Rock Album of All Time

Welcome to Never Ever Land

2008 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase

A preview of the 60 bands and five DJs that are taking over downtown this weekend

Texas Albums

2007's best Texas albums, from Houston, Austin and beyond

Vinyl Heads

They're turning to needles, looking for purity