Subject: Olivia Flores Alvarez

• The Umbrella Man

  February 11, 2007

• Carrot Hot Dog

  May 16, 2007

• Chart Check: R. Kelly

  June 6, 2007

• Free Format Download

  June 26, 2007

• Get Lit: Interview and Reading with Daniel Silva, author of The Secret Servant

  July 27, 2007

• $13 at La Carreta Mexican Restaurant

  August 1, 2007

• Radio Houstoned: Remembering 9/11 with Dom Irrera

  September 11, 2007

• Radio Houstoned: Silver Screams Film Festival

  October 10, 2007

• Radio Houstoned: Black Pearl Sings at Stages Repertory Theatre

  October 17, 2007

• $13 at La Carreta Mexican Restaurant

  August 1, 2007

• Radio Houstoned: The Cinema of East Germany

  October 20, 2007

• Radio Houstoned: Dracula at Texas Repertory Theatre

  October 25, 2007

• $13 at Kim Son on Jefferson

  November 2, 2007

• Radio Houstoned: Gypsy

  November 16, 2007

• Well, What Do We Have Here?

  November 28, 2007

• Radio Houstoned: El Mero Cocinero and The Cooking Show

  December 6, 2007

• Radio Houstoned: Café Tacuba

  December 8, 2007

• Radio Houstoned: Altar Boyz

  January 18, 2008

• Radio Houstoned: Kristine Mills at Wade Wilson Art’s Second Anniversary Party

  March 27, 2008

• Radio Houstoned: Timothy Eric and The Sty of the Blind Pig

  April 4, 2008

• Radio Houstoned: Nevada Barr and Winter Study

  April 3, 2008

• Q&A: Juanes

  April 17, 2008

• $13 at Candelari’s Pizzeria on Washington

  April 20, 2008

• Q&A with Brazilian Musician Djavan

  June 5, 2008

• Remembering Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

  September 10, 2008

• Oh Yeah -- It's 9/11

  September 11, 2008

• Hilton Furniture Giving Away Free Water and Ice (and Yes, Jack, That Is a Fact)

  September 15, 2008

• Not So Great News from the Health Department, Worst Offenders Edition

  This week’s restaurant report is a look at the area’s biggest offenders. Starting off the list is Plallitas y Mexican Restaurant (3406 Mangum) with 14 violations. (Woohoo, that might be a record!) • Plumbing not sized/installed/maintained properly • Heating/air conditioning/ventilation not properly designed • Lack of effective measures to minimize rodents/flies/cockroaches/other insects • Wall/ceiling not maintained in good repair • Ceilings not easily cleanable • Plumbing

  November 14, 2008

• Slideshow -- Ike's Still Here

  Hair Balls made a tour of downtown and some inner-city neighborhoods and found that evidence of Hurricane Ike's destruction is still very much evident. It's nothing like what Galveston and other beach-front communities are facing, of course, but plenty of Houston  businesses and homes are still being repaired.So, in case you were having trouble thinking of something to be thankful about for Thanksgiving, remember this: It isn't September 13th, and we aren't waiting for a giant-ass storm to

  November 26, 2008

• Feel-Good Shopping in Houston

  You can make Black Friday more meaningful by putting your shopping dollars to good use at local non-profits and independent stores. Freak out your drunk friends with a set of Ghost Goblets. These hand-blown tumblers feature a wineglass inside. Get these, along with other arty presents, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston gift shop. 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-639-7300 or visit www.mfah.org. Support an independent bookstore when you shop at Brazos Books. You'll find all the titles

  November 28, 2008

• Aftermath: Impulse Artist Series at Wade Wilson Art

  Classical music would have no problem attracting crowds if Impulse Artist Series founder Jade Simmons was in charge. During Monday night's kick-off of the week-long piano concert series, "In Their Own Element," Simmons introduced brilliant performances by Nigerian Sodi Braide, Brazilian Vanessa Cunha (right) and American Cameron Smith, and took a few turns at the piano herself. The group performed solo, four-hand and even six-hand selections in a program that featured Debussy's Petite Sui

  December 9, 2008

• Mariachi Rodeo -- The Torch Has Been Passed To A New Generation

  Photo by Olivia Flores AlvarezMeet Houston's newest mariachi - Catalina Garcia of Mariachi Hermosura. "I've only been playing in the group for four, almost five months now," she tells Hair Balls backstage at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's Mariachi Invitational competition. Hermosura isn't in the running this year (they're acting as the show's opening act), but they have plenty of trophies and titles of their own, including one of the most prestigious of them all - 1st place in the Maria

  March 16, 2009

• Flashback: Jade Simmons CD Release at Rockefeller Hall

  Olivia Flores Alvarez Houston Pianist Jade Simmons previewed her latest CD, Revolutionary Rhythm, Monday night at Rockefeller Hall.

  March 24, 2009

• Mail Call

  Just for Sports

  July 12, 2007

• SXSW Preview

  March 8, 2007

• Bikini Brief

  January 25, 2007

• Letters to the Editor

  November 9, 2006

• The Hipster's Guide to Rock and Roll Vendettas

  And you thought rappers were the only ones who had beefs

  August 11, 2005

• ¡Viva H-town!

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

  August 5, 2004

• Shades Of The St. Patricio Brigade: Conjunto Meets Irish At The I-Fest

  Photo by Olivia Flores AlvarezConjunto Los Diamentes opened the Roomstore Latin Stage on Sunday. The high-school group came in from La Joya, Texas ("You know where McAllen is?" asks 16-year-old accordionist and music arranger Roger Guerra. "It's a little lower from that.")Since they aren't a professional group, we aren't going to crack on the fact that they don't have a strong singer (although a few different students and even their teacher Cecilio Garza gave it a try). They were much better at

  April 20, 2009

• Survivor: Metro Bus Stop -- A Hair-Raising Test Of Skill!!

  Photo by Olivia Flores AlvarezBus riders waiting on the northwest corner of 290 at Antoine have had a pretty hard time getting to their bus stop. After a handicap access ramp was built at the site, the bus stop has been impossible for Metro riders to get to without crawling over a cement obstacle or walking in the street. On the one side, there's a stationary bench and Metro trash can blocking the way. On the other side, there's a sign post right in the middle of the lumpy strip of grass, forcin

  May 4, 2009

• No More Obstacle Course For Metro Riders

  Photo by Olivia Flores AlvarezEarlier we told you about the obstacle course Metro had managed to create at its bus stop near 290 and Antoine.Today we tell you how the Houston Press gets results!! For you!!As promised, the bus stop in question was been moved from between the cement bench and street sign (where it was inaccessible to everyone) to a more rider-friendly spot a few feet north. Now riders can approach the stop without having to crawl over any impediments. It should be noted that the s

  May 7, 2009

• The Power Of Christ Compels You...To Pray At City Hall

  Photo by Olivia Flores AlvarezHair Balls was at the National Day of Prayer ceremony at City Hall, asking a few questions. Hair Balls: Why do we need a National Day of Prayer? Hank, a Prayer Station volunteer: That's like asking why do people need to eat? We have a need for physical food and we have a need for spiritual food as well, and that's prayer. We're taking just one day out of the year to acknowledge how important it is to communicate with God.  Kim Kossie, Community relations direct

  May 7, 2009

• Why Does The Chronicle Hate People In Wheelchairs?

  Photo by Olivia Flores AlvarezIf you're in a wheelchair, it's almost impossible to navigate the north side of the 800 block of Texas Avenue, home to the Houston Chronicle. There are trees planted in the middle of the sidewalk, splitting the already-narrow walkway into sections as thin as 26 inches. There are light poles and parking meters dotting the way as well. In order to make use of the slightly wider sections, wheelchair users have to zig-zag around the obstacles like an obstacle cour

  June 10, 2009

• Tonight: John Egan and Little Joe Washington at Under the Volcano

  Olivia Flores AlvarezWord has reached Lonesome, Onry and Mean that Little Joe Washington will be on hand tonight when local blues rocker John Egan takes the stage. And Washington will have his guitar with him, if you know what I mean (wink, wink). Egan, who was featured in the Chronicle's Sunday Zest section this week, has been playing out more lately after a hiatus of a year or so, and he's refreshed and working at the top of his game. The last time he played Volcano he broke out an amazing cov

  June 10, 2009

• Upcoming Events

  Photo by Olivia Flores AlvarezCrawfish season is at its close, as noted by Robb Walsh last week, and you can catch the last big boil of the season at Calliope's Po-Boy tomorrow, June 13. They're serving up the biggest mudbugs of the year for $26.99 per person, which includes all-you-can-eat crawfish, corn, potatoes and other veggies. Groups of six or larger get a discount: $20 per person. Calliope's is BYOB, so bring a cooler of Abita and laissez les bon temps roulez. Also up this Saturday is t

  June 12, 2009

• $13 at El Jardin

  Photo by Olivia Flores AlvarezWhere: El Jardin, 7849 Harrisburg, 713-921-3633 What $13 gets you: enchiladas Mexicanas. Corn tortillas rolled in a tomato sauce, filled with white Mexican cheese, topped with more sauce, more cheese, cubed fried potatoes and grilled jalapeño slices, served with refried beans and a lettuce and tomato salad ($9.95).

  June 16, 2009

• On the List: Jonx Drummer Danny Mee's 11 Favorite Female Vocalists

  ​The other day, Houston Press Night & Day editor Olivia Flores Alvarez - whom we're so glad is feeling better and back at work again - handed Rocks Off Lisa Nola's new book called Music Listography: Your Life In (Play)Lists, and the wheels started turning like "Proud Mary." Because we're not quite up to divulging information like "List Songs You'd Strip To" or "List a Song That Reminds You of Each Lover You've Had" - but stay tuned - we thought we'd go ahead and let some local musicians fe

  September 16, 2009

• Veteran's Day Parade In Downtown Houston: The Photos

  Photos by Olivia Flores Alvarez​Tanks and other military vehicles came down Smith Street at lunchtime today, along with drill squads and a few political honchos, all part of today's Veteran's Day Parade.Hair Balls was stationed right by the Houston Public Library, not that it was hard to find a spot since the crowd was pretty thin. (It was nothing like the throngs that are expected for the Thanksgiving Day parade or what we see during the Rodeo. This time it was mostly just office workers on t

  November 11, 2009

• $13 at Raia's Italian Market

  Photos by Olivia Flores Alvarez​Where: Raia's Italian Market, 4500 Washington Avenue, 713-861-1042, www.raiasitalianmarket.com. What $13 gets you: We'd been driving by Raia's Italian Market for a while, always meaning to stop but never quite getting there. The steady stream of customers should have been a clue, but silly us, we always kept on driving. Finally we made a special point of dropping in, and we were well rewarded for our effort. We had a little trouble settling on our order -

  November 19, 2009