Otis Redding

Turtle Soup: More With One of the Wildest Bands of the '60s

Today, when the 65-year-old Howard Kaylan looks back on the '60s, it's still hard to imagine the kind of commercial and chart success he had with the Turtles, and how by age 22, it was all over. "They say that wisdom comes with age, and at that time, I had absolutely none of it!" he laughs. "I mean ... More >>

The 10 Greatest Summer Concerts I Never Saw

Well, kids, summer has arrived. If you have ever noticed, all the good concerts seem to come during the summer -- with May being more like a pre-show. My parents, when I was younger, took me to many concerts at some of these venues, mainly Contemporary Christian concerts. I myself had only been to ... More >>

30 Seconds With Keith Moody

Rising alternative-country superstar Keith Moody has a voice like a summer rainstorm, capable of sweeping all your love away. We withstood the storm for 30 seconds to see what we could glean from the man. Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? Keith Moody: "Barbie Girl" by Aqua... I can' ... More >>

Lucero: Memphis Band Loves Horns, Texas "Knuckleheads"

It's always reassuring to know that some things never change - like Houston concert audiences' loutish reputation. "Houston is notorious for its knuckleheads," says Lucero lead guitarist Brian Venable, who doesn't seem to hold a grudge. If there were any doubt that the Memphis alt.country rockers ... More >>

Some Questions About the Texas Music Awards 2012 Ballot

If you think we were flabbergasted by songwriter Bob Cheevers touting his election as 2011 Songwriter of the Year in the Texas Music Awards sponsored by mytexasmusic.com and "sanctioned" (a hedge word that appears frequently in relation to the Texas Music Awards) by the Texas Academy of Music (high ... More >>

Etta James: A Closer Look Into One Of The Greatest Voices Ever Heard

Etta James, almost universally praised as one of the finest voices of our era, has passed away at 73. Ironically, Ms. James had been discovered and recorded by rhythm and blues pioneer Johnny Otis, who passed away only two days ago. Ms. James, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 ... More >>

All Shook Up

The Alabama Shakes ride their momentum right into Houston.

No Surprises: Rock Hall Set To Induct Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys

Photo By Marco TorresGuns N' Roses are Rock Hall bound, but which version of GNR will show up? ​This morning (well, it leaked last night) the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland announced their 2012 class of inductees. Included on the list are Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Bo ... More >>

Warren Haynes, A "Man In Motion"

​Warren Haynes has one of the ultimate guitar player resumes, having played for years with the Allman Brothers, many tours with the Grateful Dead and offshoot Bob Weir and Friends as well as his own wildly popular jam band Govt. Mule. He's also toured with Dave Matthews. Haynes comes to town ... More >>

The X Factor: Learning To Let Go

Photo by FOX​Wednesday night The X Factor extended its two-hour format to two and a half hours, allowing us to see each team - Boys, Girls, Over 30s, and Groups - perform, as well as the judges' elimination decisions. While 2.5 hours is quite long, the fact that the show didn't get crazy and m ... More >>

Gene Kurtz, "Treat Her Right" Co-Writer, Passes Away

Photo by Winker​Bassist Gene Kurtz, who co-wrote Roy Head's 1965 hit "Treat Her Right" and went on to play with a wide range of artists across rock, R&B, jazz and country, passed away Sunday night, according to a post on his Facebook page. Kurtz had just celebrated his 69th birthday last week. ... More >>

New Orleans' Ponderosa Stomp: A Photo Diary

Photos by Brett KoshkinNew Orleans' Ponderosa Festival thrives on 45s.​Maybe it's age or my ever-increasing tailspin of stagnating taste, but I just don't find music festivals palatable in the slightest these days. Multi-day romps to summertime smorgasboards is for the birds. No matter if it t ... More >>

Jay-Z & Kanye West's "Otis": Hit Or Miss?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday (that isn't a national holiday) Rocks Off will have some of them hear discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Chingo Bling, Jack Freeman, Fat Tony, Brad Gil ... More >>

Last Night: Steve Earle At House Of Blues

Photos by Jason Wolter​Steve Earle & the Dukes and Duchesses House of Blues July 6, 2011 During her sublime set at Verizon a couple of weeks ago, Emmylou Harris mentioned how she thought Barack Obama was pretty okay, and how she hoped his election meant our society had evolved beyond the even ... More >>

Lady Gaga Sings The Big Easy Blues

Photos by Annelia WililamsEugene Moody​Rocks Off woke up to Lady Gaga on Good Morning America this morning. It looked like she was having a little trouble with her zipline. The reason Rocks Off woke up to Lady Gaga on Good Morning America this morning, instead of Channel 13's Eyewitness News ... More >>

KTRU Departs FM Airwaves Defiant, Unique As Ever

Marc BrubakerPatricia Bacalao at the statue of Rice founder "Willy" Marsh Rice​"I'm so nervous," declared former KTRU station manager Joey Yang as he took over the helm for the final hour of programming that would be broadcast on the FM band. "Since 1971 we've been on FM, and it's all coming d ... More >>

Dark Side of the Moon: Best Blockbuster Album Ever?

​Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd's seminal album about mental illness, the inevitability of death, and anxiety born of living in modern society, turns 38 today. It remains one of the most successful... Wait a minute? DSotM is 38 years old? How is that possible? It seems like just yesterday ... More >>

Listening Back: KTSU DJ Marks 30 Years On The Air

Photos courtesy of Myron Anderson/KTSU​Friday marks Houston radio personality Myron Anderson's 30th anniversary at KTSU (90.9 FM). Best known for his Friday-morning show, "Listening Back With Myron Anderson," Anderson joined the Texas Southern University station as a student in 1981. That sam ... More >>

R.I.P.: Notable Passings Of 2010

​Editor's Pick: Dio, man. Neph Basedow: 2010 commenced on a sad note with the passing of Memphis garage rocker Jay Reatard (aka Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.). I'd seen him play a tiny show at Chicago's Empty Bottle in 2008 and still consider it one of the best shows I've ever seen. It was definitive ... More >>

This Week In Set Lists: Pixies, Kings Of Leon, Tom Petty, Rush, Etc.

GroovehouseKings of Leon, Toyota Center, October 2009​Rocks Off has been both eagerly anticipating and dreading this week for months now. Anticipating because several of our all-time favorite bands are playing within the span of a few days, as are a couple of our favorite newer bands (though n ... More >>

Friday Night: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears And The Relatives At The Continental Club

Photos by Jay LeeBlack Joe Lewis​Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, The Relatives Continental Club August 27, 2010 A few times a year, the Continental Club hosts shows that can be legitimately described as "soul happenings," usually featuring venerable Gulf Coast stars such as Archie Bell, Roy ... More >>

Last Night: Cyndi Lauper At House Of Blues

Photos by Marc Brubaker​Cyndi Lauper House of Blues August 12, 2010 See a slideshow of Cyndi Lauper's performance at the House of Blues last night. Hoping Cyndi Lauper might tackle Lightnin' Hopkins Thursday night proved a little much, but lady can sing the blues. Perhaps sensing that her fa ... More >>

Lindsay Lohan: 10 Songs To Put Her In The Mood For Prison

​It was just six years ago that the world was in love with Lindsay Lohan, the grown-up child star of The Parent Trap and that year's Mean Girls. At the time, Craig's Hlist was dating a girl who forbade her visage at every turn - we were a Hilary Duff couple, and in her mind Lohan and Duff were ... More >>

Mods Vs. Rockers: Five Mock Battles

​Fresh off our trip to AmeriVespa 2010, Rocks Off has come to this conclusion: we are neither a Mod nor a Rocker. We're a Mocker. When you drive around a town as large and car-centric as Houston on a small scooter you get a lot of comments from people, mostly in allusion to Quadrophenia, which ... More >>

Al Green Sanctifies, Electrifies The Arena Theatre

Photos by Marco Torres​ For more pictures from Sunday's show, see our slideshow here. In the middle of "Tired of Being Alone," one feverish mini-symphony of soul and salvation out of an even dozen Sunday night (counting an extended '60s medley), the Rev. Al Green asked out loud what his triumphant ... More >>

How Ex-Runaways Manager Kim Fowley Stole The Mayor Of The Sunset Strip

​The Runaways opens nationwide next Friday and one of the things Hollywood Shuffle is most looking forward to when the film hits Houston theaters is how delicately director Floria Sigismondi will treat the character of Kim Fowley, whom HS likes to refer to as the Creepiest Man in Hollywood. Hey! A ... More >>

Further On Up the Road

Excerpts from the Press's copious online coverage of SXSW.

"Day of the Dead Rock Stars"

Carlos Hernandez turns Día de los Muertos into an homage to rockers

ACL 2009 Day Three: Everybody Knows What Black Joe Lewis' Name Is Now

Photo by Katharine Shilcutt​It was almost like being back in Houston: Sunday was sticky and steamy as Rocks Off arrived at Zilker Park around noon, and the only way we knew we could make it through was with a stiff straight shot of Southern soul. Luckily, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears were ... More >>

SPA Houston: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

We should all look this good at 50

Lonesome Onry and Mean: Ben Mallott at McGonigel's Mucky Duck

www.benmallott.comWith its outrageous cowboy boots and fringed pant legs, the cover of Sugar Land native Ben Mallott's Look Good, Feel Good had just enough of the bells and whistles to make me think this could be another Texas music wannabe floating along on his Undecided/General Studies degr ... More >>

2008 in Texas Albums and Local EPs

Lonesome Onry and Mean: Gwil Owen's Gravy

Gwil Owen Gravy www.gwilowen.com Here's another good record that fell through my cracks this year but deserves to be mentioned. Gwil Owen lives in Nashville and can write to the country form anytime he wants to - or his checking account tells him he needs to. But on his latest project, Gravy ... More >>

Black Joe Lewis & the Honey Bears

The Seoul of Houston: The Weather Was Not the Strong Point on Long Point

porterdavis

Q&A with Daniel Barrett

Exhumin' to the Oldies

Hot Shows

Summertime concerts that will leave you sweating

Mystery Bopping

Racket searches for the hoppingest grocery store in town

Letters

Playbill

Teenage Wasteland

Two artists ask how boys become men in a videocracy

Banjos and Body Piercings

William Elliott Whitmore brings old-school bluegrass to the punk underworld

Master Blaster

Cody ChesnuTT sees rock and roll, and he wants to repaint it black

Freddy Fender / Doug Sahm

Exitos en Español: The Spanish Side of Freddy Fender (Music Club) /The Roots of Doug Sahm, Son of San Antonio (Music Club)

Vanity Affair

Everybody's Famous! effectively zings our shallow fascination with fame

Aim to Please

Luther and his Healers know the cure for what ails most local bands

Street-Fighting Man

Roy Head used to love to mix it up. Now the blue-eyed soul man fights to keep his career alive.

Silver and Gold (and Green)

Some artists make holiday records for the beauty, not the bucks

Static