Patty Griffin

Randy Rogers Band Springs Surprise Trouble Release Show at Firehouse Saloon Tonight

The Randy Rogers Band has become a big enough name on the highly competitive Texas country/Red Dirt circuit that the quintet was chosen to open for George Strait and Martina McBride on Strait's Houston stop of his "The Cowboy Rides Away" tour at Reliant Stadium back in March. Reached by phone from " ... More >>

The Rocks Off 100: Shellee Coley, Voice of the Northern Woods

Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community -- a lot more than just musicians, but of course they're in there, too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who: Shellee Coley is a folk artist former ... More >>

The 30 Best Texas Albums

Ranking the 30 best Texas albums of the past 30 years seemed like an impossible task. We did it anyway.

Robert Plant: Former Honeydrippers Front Man, Current Texan Is 64 Today

Today is Robert Plant's 64th birthday, and hopefully the adopted Texan -- he lives near Austin with maybe-sorta-"wife" Patty Griffin -- is spending it the way a good Texan should, covered in barbecue sauce, listening to Lightnin' Hopkins on his turntable and wearing nothing but a pair of cowboy boot ... More >>

Americana Music Association Nominates Robert Ellis As Emerging Artist Of The Year

Houston's own globe-trekking Robert Ellis received an Emerging Artist of the Year nomination from the Americana Music Association Thursday afternoon. The ceremony was officiated by actor and musician John C. Reilly, and featured performances by Ellis and a few other big names like Lucinda Williams a ... More >>

Robert Ellis' Whiskey Wednesdays Returning... In Austin

Rocks Off thought we had written everything about Robert Ellis & the Boys' Whiskey Wednesday shows there was to say. After all, the weekly beer-soaked no-cover night of Texas-heavy vintage honky-tonk covers ended back in April. So we were a little intrigued when someone forwarded us this link earl ... More >>

Peter Cooper: Nashville Scholar, Fake Hillbilly Hater

Eric Brace (left) and Peter Cooper​The senior music writer and columnist for Nashville daily The Tennesseean and a professor of country music history at Vanderbilt University, Peter Cooper also steps out as a performing songwriter when his schedule permits. He rolls into town Friday night at M ... More >>

Emmylou Harris

Balaclavas, Moccs, Fat Tony Place In Pazz & Jop Poll

Show of hands, everyone who is surprised this is No. 1.​Music writers all know that once they get their Village Voice Pazz & Jop ballot in their e-mail inbox, that it's time to tally their loves from the last year. It's sort of like the leaves changing or the first freeze of winter coming. You ... More >>

Top Eight Freedom Songs For MLK Day

​Rocks Off sincerely prays that those of you with today off are at least peripherally aware of why you have today off. For our annual MLK Day reflection this year, we thought we'd leave the songs about Dr. King to Bono, and instead share a few of our favorite songs that set his dream to music ... More >>

Rocks Off's Favorite Songs Of 2010

​Editor's Picks: Jamey Johnson, "Lonely at the Top": Ouch. Merle Haggard, "I've Seen It": Double ouch. Patty Griffin, "Move On Up": Help me, Jesus. Please.

Texans Have Down Year In Grammy Nominations

​Texas artists, or artists with Texas roots, scored fewer nominations than usual when the Recording Academy announced its choices for the 53rd annual Grammy Awards Wednesday night. Perpetual nominees Beyonce and George Strait were nominated for residual tracks from I Am... Sasha Fierce and Twa ... More >>

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience

Margaret Cho: Cho Dependent Tour

She's singing - and still sassy

True Blood: Patty Griffin, Bon Temps Crew Smell A Rat

Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He's lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood - which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Season 3, Episode 9: "I Smell a Rat" ​"Who can you trust," ... More >>

Saturday Night: Robert Plant & Band Of Joy At The Woodlands

Photos by Jason Wolter​Robert Plant & Band of Joy, Bettye LaVette Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion July 24, 2010 Robert Plant is a master of the musical bait and switch, but an exceptionally gracious one. Plant is no dummy. He has to know that the commercial radio stations in Houston (and, le ... More >>

Robert Plant & Band of Joy, Bettye LaVette

Robert Plant Plays The Woodlands - Finally - On July 24

​ Robert Plant remembers Houston. In September 2008, the former Led Zeppelin singer and Allison Krauss were scheduled to play the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion behind their multiple Grammy-winning (and downright spectacular) Raising Sand album, but Hurricane Ike had other ideas, severely dam ... More >>

The Night BYOB-Packing Jason & The Scorchers Fans Trashed The Fabulous Satellite Lounge, And 3 Other Great Shows

[Part 1 of a three-part series.] ​ Houston International Festival Director of Performing Arts Rick Mitchell's recent remembrance of great shows he saw at Rockefeller's got LOM to thinking about great shows next door at the funky old Satellite Lounge. We spent way more nights in the Satellite, our ... More >>

Get Behind the Mule

Gov't Mule main man Warren Haynes swears he takes time off, but we don't really believe him.

Happy Anniversary Texas Music Magazine, or "Austin and (Maybe) Everything After"

​Towards the end of last week, Rocks Off got the latest issue of Texas Music magazine in the mail, which just happens to mark the quarterly periodical's tenth anniversary. Naturally, as just about every publication does when it reaches such an august milestone - no mean feat for a magazine in this ... More >>

Lonesome Onry and Mean: This Is Not (Really) a Best-Of-2009 List

​Lonesome, Onry and Mean saw a great comment from Dave Alvin on Facebook recently that went something like this: "I do not do Best of lists or End of the Decade lists, the only lists I do are 'crap I have to do' lists." We gladly second that, Dave, as there is nothing other than Christmas shopping ... More >>

Complete List of Texas' 2010 Grammy Nominees

​Rocks Off was pretty sure we missed a few Texas (or Texas-connected) artists in Thursday's writeup of the 2010 Grammy nominees, and it turns out we were right. We don't even remember scrolling past some of these categories over at Grammy.com, to be honest, but thanks to the Texas Music Office's C ... More >>

A Musical Guide to Post-Secession Texas: "New Texas"

In the third in our continuing series on the music of the five states of Texas, we examine the fictional state of New Texas, comprising Austin and the Hill Country. See Part 1 here and Part 2 here. New Texas Capital: Austin Patron Saint: Willie Nelson ​Lesser Icons: Roky Erickson/Thirteenth Floor ... More >>

Bouncin' Back: Songs for Survivors

Last Wednesday evening's positivity-ruining shootings at TSU's "Trae Day" block party were a fine example of how ignorance and violence can crash even the most uplifting party, but also of something else: Sometimes we get lucky (or blessed, depending on your theological viewpoint). In three separat ... More >>

Betty Soo

Tonight: Gurf Morlix at Cactus Music and McGonigel's Mucky Duck

Gurf Morlix treks into town today for the official Houston release of his new LP Last Exit To Happyland. Whether the former Houstonian and Blaze Foley roommate is working on loping rockers or folksy Americana, Morlix is a master of tone and mood, squeezing maximum subtlety out of a few well-chos ... More >>

Spain Colored Orange

Gilbert Alfaro and Eric Jackson sound off.

Tonight: Carrie Rodriguez and Jubal Lee Young at Conroe's Free First Thursday

Carrie Rodriguez kicks of Conroe's free First Thursdays concert series tonight. After a long tenure as a duet with hall-of-fame-quality songwriter Chip Taylor, Rodriguez struck out on her own last year with She Ain't Me. The album is very much in a Patty Griffin vein, but the title track would d ... More >>

Lonesome Onry and Mean: Gurf Morlix and Last Exit To Happyland

Photo by Lynne Hawrelko What a beautiful world we'd be living in if Joel Osteen or Pat Robertson or Rush Limbaugh used Gurf Morlix as musical director. His new Last Exit to Happyland is full of aching songs full of deep humanity and decency as well as head-shaking social accusations and knife-to-the ... More >>

MySpaced Out: Finland Twangs!

Frida Hyvönen We all know Helsinki rocks; that's a given. But to pigeonhole the Finnish music scene as nothing but one huge population of Laika and the Cosmonauts headbangers would be a mistake. While Finland certainly stands shoulder to shoulder with Sweden and Denmark when it comes to steroidal ... More >>

Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. in Song

In the Name of Love

Artist of the Week: Debbie Forrest

Patty Griffin and Jenny Lewis: Goodness, Gracious, Great Balls of Fire

Lonesome Onry and Mean: Meet Lena Anderssen

Has ACL Festival Jumped the Shark?

2007 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase

Alternate Routes

Alternate Routes performs Saturday, May 19, at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel, 713-225-5483.

Gretchen Schmaltz

Q&A with the singer/songwriter

Patty Griffin

Children Running Through Ato Records

Shawn Colvin

These Four Walls

Eliza Gilkyson

Thursday, April 8

Downtown's Got Soulphilia

A superbad shindig at Dean's

Houston Music Map

Queen Norah reigns, Josh Groban pains, and lots of Natalie Maines

Maura O'Connell

Saturday, July 27

Houston Press Music Awards 2000

Your guide to the Music Awards Showcase

Texas Music 1998: The Year That Wasn't

Rotation

Rotation