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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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, 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 >>
The Alabama Shakes ride their momentum right into Houston.
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 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 >>
Photo by FOXWednesday 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 >>
Photo by WinkerBassist 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 >>
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 >>
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 GrayThis Week's Panel: Chingo Bling, Jack Freeman, Fat Tony, Brad Gil ... More >>
Photos by Jason WolterSteve 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 >>
Photos by Annelia WililamsEugene MoodyRocks 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 >>
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, 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 >>
Photos courtesy of Myron Anderson/KTSUFriday 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 >>
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 >>
GroovehouseKings of Leon, Toyota Center, October 2009Rocks 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 >>
Photos by Jay LeeBlack Joe LewisBlack 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 >>
Photos by Marc BrubakerCyndi 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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
Excerpts from the Press's copious online coverage of SXSW.
Carlos Hernandez turns Día de los Muertos into an homage to rockers
Photo by Katharine ShilcuttIt 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 >>
We should all look this good at 50
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 >>
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 >>
Q&A with Daniel Barrett
Summertime concerts that will leave you sweating
Racket searches for the hoppingest grocery store in town
Two artists ask how boys become men in a videocracy
William Elliott Whitmore brings old-school bluegrass to the punk underworld
Cody ChesnuTT sees rock and roll, and he wants to repaint it black
Exitos en Español: The Spanish Side of Freddy Fender (Music Club) /The Roots of Doug Sahm, Son of San Antonio (Music Club)
Everybody's Famous! effectively zings our shallow fascination with fame
Luther and his Healers know the cure for what ails most local bands
Roy Head used to love to mix it up. Now the blue-eyed soul man fights to keep his career alive.
Some artists make holiday records for the beauty, not the bucks
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