Ornette Coleman

Cover Story: A Brief History of Joe Sample and the Crusaders

What a badass. As chronicled in this week's cover story, there's a reason why Joe Sample is Texas Southern University's artist-in-residence at the school's jazz studies program -- and why he may be able to reinvent TSU's disgraced reputation. Cover Story: The New Crusaders Joe Sample Attempts to ... More >>

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 >>

2011 Music Awards Showcase

Your guide to the bands and venues.

HPMA Preview: Nobody Leaves Without Singing The Blues Edition

Photo by Brittanie SheyLittle Joe Washington​In the movie Adventures in Babysitting, Houston native bluesman Albert Collins inadvertently assists the getaway of young Elizabeth Shue (meow) and her charges from a gang of thugs, but only after she sings. Collins blocks the attackers with the sam ... More >>

Last Night: Primus At Verizon Wireless Theater

Photos by Jason Wolter​Primus Verizon Wireless Theater May 23, 2011 The most important thing Curtis Armstrong, who would also appear that year as Booger in Revenge of the Nerds, tells Tom Cruise in 1983's Risky Business is this indispensable piece of advice: "Every now and then, say 'What the ... More >>

Little Joe Washington Is A National Treasure

Photos by Mark Britain​ For more pictures from Saturday night, see our slideshow here. Aftermath is still trying to get our heads around what we witnessed at Saturday night's benefit for the International House of Blues Foundation in House of Blues' Bronze Peacock Room. In a way, it was one of tho ... More >>

How Texas and Alabama Match Up... Musically

​ For once, Rocks Off is grateful for this sinus-splitting headache (thanks, Mike Stinson!), because it gives us something to focus on besides the fact that we are crawling out of our skin waiting for kickoff tonight. At this point, sports pundits have analyzed the Longhorns and Crimson Tide to wi ... More >>

Get Lit: Blues & Chaos: The Music Writings of Robert Palmer

​Unfortunately, by the time that Robert Palmer (the writer, not the "Addicted to Love" guy) died from liver failure complications in 1997, his fierce brand of music journalism had been six feet under for years. Palmer was part of a loose cadre of scribes like Cameron Crowe, Greil Marcus, Lester Ba ... More >>

2009 Concert Rewind, February: Killers Kill, Annuals Amuse, Hammered at Hank III, Spewing Slipknot and More

Mark C. Austin​ The Killers, Verizon Wireless Theater, February 2: "The general knock on the Killers is that they've achieved their relatively lofty position by standing on the shoulders of giants, which may well be true. But Monday night they showed that in reaching for the stars, they have yet t ... More >>

Graveside Songs for Edgar Allan Poe's Long-Overdue Funeral

​Kicking the bucket at the age of 40 is bad enough, especially when, to this day, nobody's really sure how you died (everything from syphillis to rabies to political "cooping" has been thrown out there as a possible cause). But getting buried in an unmarked grave after a three minute "service" is ... More >>

Are MP3s and Downloading Eroding Music's Communal Properties?

​ Although Rocks Off had every intention of rambling about something different this week, we thought it would be a lost opportunity to not examine an issue that seems to have been revealed by readers' responses last week. Although many fantastic points were made, we were fascinated to detect that ... More >>

A Musical Guide to Post-Secession Texas, Part 2: "Trinity"

[Note: This week Rocks Off is looking at the musical heritage, highs and lows, for each of the five possible states that might result should Texas secede from the U.S. like Gov. Rick Perry wants it to. Yesterday we began with the Panhandle/West Texas "Palo Duro" territory; today it's northeastern qu ... More >>

Aftermath: Greg Ginn & the Taylor Texas Corrugators and Jambang at Last Concert Cafe

Photos by Craig HlavatyEven while playing dissonant improvised bass in a trio consisting of himself, a shit-hot mandolin player, and a jazz drummer, Greg Ginn still sounds like Greg Ginn. After almost a decade as the captain of hardcore mavericks Black Flag, Ginn embarked on a career as an im ... More >>

Texas Monthly, Bound for the Recycle Bin?

There's an interesting supplement in the new issue of Texas Monthly, the one with all-but-declared gubernatorial candidate Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison on the cover. It's a 32-page mini-mag called Texas Bound for Music, and appears to be TM's attempt at... well, it's not really clear exactly ... More >>

Grand Theft Auto X: The Screwston Chronicles

Sam Yahel Trio

Truth and Beauty

James "Blood" Ulmer

Bad Blood in the City: The Piety Street Sessions

Joe McPhee with the Thing

Joe McPhee with the Thing perform Saturday, April 28, at MECA, 1900 Kane, 713-928-5653.

Cred Sheet

Stuff you need to know to avoid musical ostracism

NOMO for You

Slanted Enchantment

A jazz quartet tribute to Pavement is, inexplicably, a roaring success

Freestyle Fellowship

Sometimes awesome live bands also make magic in the studio

Base Raps

Paul Wall and Chamillionaire each release Astros tributes, while rock radio churns out the cheesy montages

Playbill

Bring the Noise

Local act Priest in Shit keeps it avant

Go with the Floetry

Love floats this London duo's boat

Cyber Phantom

DJ Spooky is a friendly digital ghost, unless you happen to be Tricky

El-P

Fantastic Damage (Definitive Jux)

Joe McPhee's Trio X

Friday, June 28

Playbill

Willie Nelson's Family Picnic

In Good Hands

Woody Witt takes over Cezanne, and all of Houston sighs in relief

Music Awards Winners

The votes are in! See who you picked as winners in the HPMA 2000

Jazz la King

Time and time again, Sonny Rollins proves his sax mastery

Hitting the Blue Notes

Jazzed

After years of groundbreaking music, Pat Metheny is looking for more barriers to shatter

Exceptional Bass

Rotation

Rotation