Omar Afra

Seasons Mother-effin' Greetings!

Free Press Houston Announces "Summer Fest" Line-Up

The chill dudes across town at Free Press Houston dropped an awesome bomb this afternoon, announcing their two-day "Summer Fest" shindig, set to go down August 8 and 9 at Eleanor Tinsley Park. Tickets are at $7 for each day, with the line-up spread out over those two days. The headliners that Edit ... More >>

Readers In Ireland Sadly Misinformed About Houston

You know the old saying – “any publicity is good publicity.” But might not some publicity be utterly pointless? We ask, because we have come across some that seems to be just that. Now ordinarily, a little blurb about your event in a paper like Dublin’s The Irish Independent would be a ... More >>

Mango's Becomes Full-Time Music Venue Next Weekend

The Houston scene has another music venue in the mix, as Mango's Café on Westheimer has its grand opening next Friday with a huge show headlined by the Sideshow Tramps. Took 'em that long to get the joint cleaned up from the Homopolice show, we imagine, and let's hope they got the res ... More >>

Hit the Evening Showcase and Keep Corporate Hands Off the Westheimer Block Party

Pony Up, Houston.

Art, Music and Crap

It's all there -- in a neat little package -- at WestFest Compressed

Fresh Fruit

Mango's attempts to resurrect Westheimer's bohemian past.

The Last Roundup: Paul Weller, South Memphis String Band, Indian Jewelry, Robert Ellis and More

www.breakfastontour.comHere's another installment of what's been blowing up other Houston music Web sites' skirts recently. If you'd like us to look yours over (your site, not your skirt, though we can talk about that too), email hprocksoff@gmail.com. Breakfast on Tour caught the brand-new South Mem ... More >>

MP3 of the Day: Yes, There Are Summer Fest Tickets Left

​Rocks Off just got off the phone with Free Press Houston editor/publisher Omar Afra, the Bill Graham of Saturday and Sunday's Summer Fest. After disguising himself as "that guy from that punk band you wrote those bad things about" - dude, you're going to have to be more specific than that - Afra ... More >>

Aftermath: Free Press Summer Fest at Eleanor Tinsley Park

Photos by Amber Roussel/ Click here for slideshows from Day 1 and Day 2​ They said it couldn't be done, that no one in Houston would dream of spending two days in the punishing August heat at an outdoor music festival.An anonymous Of Montreal member shows off his tiger style.​Rightfully (somewha ... More >>

Coming of Age

Against long, long odds and punishing heat, Free Press Summer Fest is a hit.

The Lost Weekend?

Now expanded to two days, the Westheimer Block Party faces its steepest challenge yet.

Free Press Staffer's Death Darkens Westheimer Block Party

www.freepresshouston.com ​The first bit of news to report from this weekend's Westheimer Block Party is not a happy one at all. Late Saturday night, Free Press Houston staffer Lee Powers, 19, fell to his death from the Hazard St. bridge over U.S. 59. Powers, who also worked as a cook at Mang ... More >>

Aftermath: Peace, Love, Little Joe and Hooker Heels at Westheimer Block Party

Photos by Groovehouse​ We'll get the obligatory platitude out of the way first. If any of you didn't Day 1 of the one-and-only two-day edition of the Westheimer Block Party, then you missed an excellent day of music and community in Houston. As we walked between stages spanning the corner of Wes ... More >>

Aftermath: Puppet Shows, Neo-Rastas, Freddie Gonorrhea, Black Congress and an Impromptu Nap Saturday at Westheimer Block Party

Marc Brubaker​ Saturday's Westheimer Block Party began on a wobbly note, as most music festivals do with fans and staff still trying to find their bearings, aided by alcohol or otherwise. The scene on the ground seemed chaotic just an hour into the first day of the event. Organizer and Free Press ... More >>

Aftermath: A Weekend With the Magically Reappearing Ralf Armin (and Some Really Gross Portapotties) at Westheimer Block Party

Brittanie SheyDead Roses - that's the ubiquitous Ralf Armin in the hat at left - on the roof of La Strada​ You know how sometimes you'll learn a new word, and in the weeks that follow you'll realize you're hearing that word everywhere, eavesdropping it in conversations and reading it in the newspa ... More >>

Honky-Tonk Revival

Is Houston ready for country? Again?

Free Press Releases Partial Summer Fest 2010 Lineup

Would be nice, wouldn't it?​ ...or did they? Rocks Off has the slightest feeling Omar Afra and friends might be messing with us. But who knows? We bet they're right about Geoffrey Muller's bands, though.

It's True: Flaming Lips Headlining Summerfest In First Houston Show In 8 Years

In case you hadn't already heard (like on our Twitter feed), the Flaming Lips are this year's headliner for Free Press Summerfest, the Oklahoma psych-rockers' first Houston appearance since their joint tour with Beck stopped at Jones Hall back in 2002. The Free Press' Omar Afra and Pegstar's Jagi K ... More >>

Wowee Zowee! Summerfest and Pegstar Do It Again!

​ Since the Summerfest 2010 announcement in February, Houston has been abuzz about the festival's line-up, heading up the Flaming Lips and Girl Talk. Word came down last night that another name has been added to the list of headliners. Let's just say that you summer babes may have to cut your hair ... More >>

Feast Your Eyes: A Summerfest Poster Gallery By 14 Top-Notch Local Artists

Shane Hillman​Rocks Off may have mentioned it before, but we're of the opinion that Houston has some of the finest poster artists working anywhere today, and that we're in the middle of a concert-poster renaissance. Now we know for sure. Besides Shane Hillman's main poster above, which we've alrea ... More >>

It's Not Easy Being Green: How Venues And Festivals Handle All That Garbage

Marco TorresSold-out Jay-Z crowd = A lot of trash at Toyota Center.​ On any given night, 18,000 to 25,000 people fill the Toyota Center, whether to watch the Rockets play or to see Lady Gaga in full regalia. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American produces more than ... More >>

Flaming Lips Still On For Summerfest... For Now

Neuski via flickr.com​ The Grand Ole Opry, which was supposed to celebrate its 85th birthday party May 25, is currently underwater, like most of Nashville (above). Nashville Public Radio is reporting that the Cumberland River crested at a whopping 52 feet. When does hurricane season start aga ... More >>

Rocks Off's Handy Summerfest Survival Guide

Shelby Hohl​There's a slim chance you may have already heard that our distinguished competition, Free Press Houston, is throwing a little shindig this weekend, which they have for some reason chosen to call Summerfest. We understand it's some kind of outdoor festival and a couple of bands fr ... More >>

Is The Westheimer Block Party Done For?

Bun B For Lafayette - ATLiens Freestyle from Decatur Dan on Vimeo. • Dave Bry at the witty pop-culture blog The Awl writes about rap music's eternal embrace of consumerism, using Bun B's most recent release, a rap written in honor of Japanese clothing company Lafayette, as an example. It's a great ... More >>

Free Press Summer Fest Team Taking Over Fitzgerald's

4:38 p.m.: UPDATED with more information from Afra. Matthew KeeverThe crowd dances to Brave Combo at Fitzgerald's 33rd anniversary this past Saturday.​Free Press Houston editor/publisher Omar Afra and Pegstar.net owner Jagi Katial, the principal figures behind Free Press Summer Fest, announce ... More >>

Some Fitzgerald's Acts Concerned Over Ownership Change

Courtesy of The Last Place You LookThe Last Place You Look​Earlier this week, as Rocks Off reported, Free Press Summer Fest partners Omar Afra and Jagi Katial bought Fitzgerald's from the historic Heights venue's longtime owner Sara Fitzgerald. This is exciting news for many fans and local mus ... More >>

Galveston Deep Thinker Disses Fitzgerald's

Every day Rocks Off trolls the tubes of you in search of videos to share. If you have something that you think deserves to be video of the day, send a link to jef_rouner at yahoo dot com. PaulS via Flickr​Houston is twitterpated over the shift in management over at Fitzgerald's. Will Omar Afr ... More >>

Houston Scenesters Sound Off On The Fitzgerald's Changeover

claren44 via Flickr​Nationally, the music buzz may be all about Kanye's somewhat belated discovery of Twitter, Justin Bieber on CSI and the "Teknoviking 2.0," but this week all anyone in Houston seems to be talking about is the impending Fitzgerald's takeover by Free Press Summer Fest partners ... More >>

Died and Gone to Houston

City is ready for another honky-tonk close-up.

What If The KTRU And Fitzgerald's Sales Were Reversed?

​Rocks Off is quite keen on alternate realities, the kind where The Joker is actually a superhero or Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four. That kind of thing. This summer has seen two of Houston's seemingly most-stable institutions thrown into complete chaos. First, Sara Fitzgerald turned ove ... More >>

New Fitzgerald's Team Releases First Music Calendar

Update (1:56 p.m.): According to Katial, Summer Fest is scheduled for two days in 2011 and the listing on Pegstar is a typo. ​Although several of the shows have been listed on their promoters' Web sites for a while, the new owner-operators of Fitzgerald's released the club's first live-music ... More >>

Fitzgerald's Reopening Weekend

Update (1:56 p.m.): According to Katial, Summer Fest is scheduled for two days in 2011 and the listing on Pegstar is a typo. ​Although several of the shows have been listed on their promoters' Web sites for a while, the new owner-operators of Fitzgerald's released the club's first live-music ... More >>

Fitzgerald's Reopens With A Hint Of Things To Come

Photos by Jim Bricker​For more photos from Thursday's reopening, see our slideshow here. "I want this place to be the nexus of local music. It's going to be the anti-Mangos," Omar Afra told Rocks Off as he points out the changes made to the second floor of Fitzgerald's on Thursday night as it ... More >>

Roky Moon & BOLT Set Free Show For December 18

Photos by Marc BrubakerBOLT drummer Jeoaf Johnson, who had no trouble being heard Saturday.​At Saturday night's Roky Moon & BOLT LP release show at the Mink, the PA was blown out, rendering the sets from the Ton Tons and BOLT without vocals or much sound at all aside from the amps. The headlin ... More >>

Top 10 Houston Breakout Acts Of 2010

​These ten Houston artists opened our eyes and made us roll off the couch or out of the cubicle to go see them this year, health or sleep be damned. Craig's Hlist's two favorite things are sleeping and drinking, and thankfully these bands play where alcohol is served. It's been a fun year so ... More >>

An Important Health-Care Message From Delicious Milk

File Under: It seemed like a good idea at the time... ​Wednesday night, after the first of two Houston Press holiday parties Rocks Off will be attending this week (no karaoke at this one), we thought it would be a sound decision to go see Robert Ellis & the Boys at Fitzgerald's. It was. Elli ... More >>

What's New In The Houston Scene Since You Were Here Last

Craig HlavatyThe jukebox at Grand Prize Bar. Note George Jones, ZZ Top, Lightnin' Hopkins, Prince...​Imagine that you have been frozen since September, or at least the beginning of the fall college semester. Or maybe you are an adult coming back to Houston to visit the folks, return Christmas ... More >>

Fitzgerald's: No. 3 Local Music Story Of 2010

This week Rocks Off is counting down the top stories in the Houston music scene this year. The slow, sad demise of Meridian, which may have reached its end Tuesday, is No. 4. Photos by Jim BrickerBlack Congress at Fitzgerald's grand re-opening, September 23. See here for a slideshow.​It hit t ... More >>

Houston Music's People Of The Year

Craig Hlavaty​Editor's Pick: Grandfather Child. It was a good year for the blues all around - the Black Keys' well-deserved radio breakthrough with Brothers; Lightnin' Hopkins' long-overdue historical marker in Third Ward - but Lucas Gorham's crew is a razor-sharp reminder that the best blues ... More >>

Artopia, Honky Tonk Blood & A Gang Of Music News

​Another Friday, another Magnolia City Mixtape, assembled just for you. Seriously, we put in a lot of time crawling through the internet just to bring everyone up to date on the scraps of local music news floating out there in the cyber-abyss. For this week's soundtrack, how's about this inst ... More >>

Weezer, Ween, Sharon Jones, Bun B Head Summer Fest Lineup

"I'm gonna pull out some shit on stage that will make the Flaming Lips cry and possibly retire in awe." - Hayes Carll, via @hprocksoff GroovehouseYeasayer at House of Blues, April 2010​Weezer, Ween, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Yeasayer and Houston rappers Z-Ro and Bun B head up the lineup ... More >>

How Much Do Local Bands Get Paid At Shows?

Hollywood FLOSS on FacebookHollywood FLOSS​Most of us go to concerts, stand in the crowd and gaze in awe at performers onstage. While we're there, we might even become a little green with envy. Lights, cameras, confidence and everyone's attention - who wouldn't want that? Rocks Off, however, w ... More >>

Summer Fest Sunday: Peak Fun With B L A C K I E, Hayes Carll, Guitar Wolf, Yeasayer, Robert Ellis & More

Jim BrickerGood ole boy done good: Hayes Carll had a productive homecoming.​Chris Gray: Not long after I got to Summer Fest Sunday, I spotted festival honcho Omar Afra finishing up one of local musician/yogi Tyagaraja's yoga workshops in the wooden glade known temporarily as the Budweiser Beer ... More >>

State Of The Scene Part 1: Growth, Splintering & Change

Fatal Flying Guilloteens, left, in 2007 and their descendents Weird Party (right) at Summer Fest 2011​Thursday is the fourth anniversary of the Live Earth concerts, which Rocks Off remembers today less for any of the music - Madonna and Gogol Bordello is the only thing that readily comes to mi ... More >>

State Of The Scene Part 2: Welcome To Middle Finger City

Craig HlavatyOne Man Wrecking Crew: B L A C K I E at SXSW 2011​Welcome back. Before we proceed with our "State of the Scene" discussion, Rocks Off would like to say a couple of things we didn't get to in our print manifesto this week. The first concerns our former city of residence. Rocks Off ... More >>

Music Lovers, Police Gather at Fitzgerald's to Talk Noise Ordinance

Photos by Matthew KeeverOmar Afra​As two Houston Police officers walked onstage Tuesday night at Fitzgerald's to address complaints about the city's recently amended noise ordinance, tensions were high, and the crowd silent. Before the police spoke, Fitzgerald's owner and Free Press Houston ma ... More >>

Houston Noise Ordinance Debated At Fitzgerald's

Photos by Matthew KeeverOmar Afra​Tensions were high and the crowd was silent at Fitzgerald's last night as two Houston Police officers walked onstage to address complaints about the city's recently amended noise ordinance, tensions were high, and the crowd silent. Before the police spoke, Fit ... More >>

Chafing 101: Rocks Off's 2011 Music Festival Odyssey

Photos By Craig HlavatyDave Grohl of the Foo Fighters at The Hangout Festival in May​Music festivals are now a part of our lives, just like deadlines, angry commenters, lack of sleep, and eye fatigue. And eating at our desk. That sucks. But at least we have food and a desk, right? Rocks Off ... More >>

Summer Fest Promises 2012 Lineup "Soon"

The 2012 FPSF lineup is, in the words of 2011 alum Junior Brown, stuck in a holding pattern.​Rocks Off was setting our house in order after our long absence, when at some point we realized that while we were away, we had barely heard anything about this year's Free Press Summer Fest at all. We ... More >>