Phoenix (Arizona)

Simply the Best: Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Hooters and Houston Texans

I'm in a Hooters in downtown Phoenix, Arizona and the Houston Texans are losing to the Oakland Raiders. And I'm the only one in the place watching the game. The requisite Redskins fans are scattered about, watching the Redskins on a majority of the TVs - really, is there any place besides Dall ... More >>

Houston Ranks Second in All-Important Commando Cilantro Index

Photo by babyparentingguideDamn, guys, what's up with Houston only being the 39th manliest city in the land? We're only one spot above Seattle, and we all know what kind of dudes hang out there. Not very manly dudes, that's who. In all seriousness, this is easily one of the lamest surveys ever. ... More >>

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Hooters and Houston Texans

I'm in a Hooters in downtown Phoenix, Arizona and the Houston Texans are losing to the Oakland Raiders. And I'm the only one in the place watching the game. The requisite Redskins fans are scattered about, watching the Redskins on a majority of the TVs - really, is there any place besides Dall ... More >>

Find your Irish side at this year's festivities

I'm in a Hooters in downtown Phoenix, Arizona and the Houston Texans are losing to the Oakland Raiders. And I'm the only one in the place watching the game. The requisite Redskins fans are scattered about, watching the Redskins on a majority of the TVs - really, is there any place besides Dall ... More >>

El Taco Tote

I'm in a Hooters in downtown Phoenix, Arizona and the Houston Texans are losing to the Oakland Raiders. And I'm the only one in the place watching the game. The requisite Redskins fans are scattered about, watching the Redskins on a majority of the TVs - really, is there any place besides Dall ... More >>

What Mainstream Publishers Don't Want You to Know About Door-to-Door Magazine Sales

That kid at your door with a magazine order form will tell you a story -- part sad, part hopeful. The truth will be infinitely worse than you can imagine.

Blame Canada

A new pub on Westheimer that's lots of firkin fun for the whole firkin family!

Smiles to Go

Felicity Huffman is desperately engaging in an off-kilter road movie

The Medium Will Be In Houston, Making Connections

​If you have a dead relative or loved one you've been meaning to talk to, you might want to drop $95 for clairvoyant Allison Dubois's Family Connections Tour, which hits Houston February 17.Perhaps best known as the basis for the TV show Medium, in which she's portrayed by Patricia Arque ... More >>

He Said She Said: Fire In The Earhole!, Part 2

​To be honest, She Said can't really remember the last time she stepped foot inside Mai's. It was definitely several years ago, before she left Houston and then came back again, and it was probably with this guy, probably after a show. She Said probably had some Thai curry and hot tea, but she can ... More >>

Benefit This Week For The Charity Established In Memory Of Two Rice Students

​Stone and Holt Weeks, two Rice students who died in a car accident last year, were well-liked brothers passionate about community service.Their death received a ton of media attention. Mostly because their father is well-known Washington journalist Linton Weeks, but partly because of how they led ... More >>

Twitter You've Heard Of (Grrr), But What's a Drobot?

​Rocks Off's sister music blogs have been kicking ass on music analysis lately. At The Sound of The City, critic Christopher R. Weingarten talks about how Twitter and search-engine optimization (SEO) are ruining music journalism. And if you think Austin City Limits was a mess last year, check out ... More >>

An Opportunity to Stand Up

​Rocks Off's sister music blogs have been kicking ass on music analysis lately. At The Sound of The City, critic Christopher R. Weingarten talks about how Twitter and search-engine optimization (SEO) are ruining music journalism. And if you think Austin City Limits was a mess last year, check out ... More >>

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's reign of terror becomes Arizona policy, thanks to state Senator Russell Pearce and Governor Jan Brewer.

​Rocks Off's sister music blogs have been kicking ass on music analysis lately. At The Sound of The City, critic Christopher R. Weingarten talks about how Twitter and search-engine optimization (SEO) are ruining music journalism. And if you think Austin City Limits was a mess last year, check out ... More >>

Special Arizona Buycott Edition

​Rocks Off's sister music blogs have been kicking ass on music analysis lately. At The Sound of The City, critic Christopher R. Weingarten talks about how Twitter and search-engine optimization (SEO) are ruining music journalism. And if you think Austin City Limits was a mess last year, check out ... More >>

Amongst Us: A Series On Immigration By Village Voice Media

​Our sister paper Phoenix New Times is at Ground Zero in the burgeoning debate over immigration and Arizona's efforts to control it.Village Voice Media, the chain that owns the Houston Press and publications in other such immigration hotspots as LA, Miami and New York, is beginning an extensive lo ... More >>

Protests Against Arizona's Law At The Astros Game: One Way To Spend Cinco De Mayo

A team spokesman walks a tightrope in responding to the planned protests​Haven't found the perfect way to celebrate Cinco De Mayo yet? Some organizations have what they think is the perfect way to kick it off.Several Latino groups, including LULAC and Houston's Youth Coalition, will be protesting ... More >>

Krayolas Attack Arizona Immigration Law On "I'm Your Dirty Mexican"

myspace.com/thekrayolas​ San Antonio Tex-Mex garage-rockers the Krayolas, who sharpened their political claws on the Little Steven-endorsed "Corrido (Twelve Heads In a Bag)," have set their sights on Arizona's controversial anti-immigration law on the band's new single "1070 (I'm Your Dirty Mexica ... More >>

Arizona's Immigrant Law Sparks A Protest At Minute Maid

Photos by Liana LopezProtesting at an Astros game, but somehow not about beer prices​ About 60 demonstrators were outside Minute Maid Park last night protesting the Arizona Diamondbacks in response to the state's newly passed SB 1070 anti-immigrant law.As baseball fans made their way into the sta ... More >>

Houston Restaurants Get National Attention

Pear and taleggio pizza at Dolce Vita​For all the blustery proclamations issued from native Houstonians when our culinary scene is spotlighted by outside media -- "We know we're great; we don't need reassurance from Yankees!" -- it still feels nice to be recognized on a national level when we' ... More >>

Solange Knowles Admits She's A "Blipster"

​ As a white thirtysomething male who digs Merle Haggard, Al Green and Skynyrd, Rocks Off is well aware our hipster cred is pretty much in the toilet. Even the bands we do like that were once considered at least kinda "cool" - Wilco, Spoon, Phoenix - now share air time with Jack Johnson and the Da ... More >>

The Walking Dead

Texas City's Come See My Dead Person is very much alive.

The Week In TV: Charlie Sheen's Career Not Hurt By Punching Women

Back, for some reason​The dog days are here, people keep dying, and there's plenty of static on the dial. This was the week in TV Land:• When I was very young, my heart and soul were ruled by Thundercats. I even at one point made the regrettable decision to wear a watch featuring Lion-O to schoo ... More >>

Cowboy Down

Rob Krentz's family talks about the life and death of the murdered Arizona rancher.

World Cup: Get in the Spirit

zota​If you couldn't care less about the World Cup, that's fine, because basically the ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD is excited, and we'll make up for your lack of enthusiasm. But should you be looking to get into the World Cup spirit, here's a brief list of Houston restaurants where you can enjoy ... More >>

Lilith Fair's Top 5 Headline-Grabbing Moments

​Friday, while Rocks Off was enjoying a blissful if soggy day off, Lilith Fair canceled the final ten dates of this year's summer resurrection, including all three scheduled Texas stops. The news was hardly shocking: One headliner, Norah Jones, had already bailed, and The New York Times report ... More >>

ILLEGAL from Terry Greene Sterling

Read a penetrating chapter from former Phoenix New Times investigative reporter Terry Greene Sterling's book: ILLEGAL: Life and Death in Arizona's Immigration War Zone.

Get Out!

Arizona and America join Joe Arpaio in rushing to inquire: Are your papers in order?

Arizona's Immigration Law Delayed; A Battle Report From the State

​A federal judge has delayed implementation of the most controversial parts of Arizona's new immigration-enforcement law, but that is only a first step in the state's frontline battle over border policy.Our sister paper Phoenix New Times is at the heart of the conflict, and has been devoting speci ... More >>

Seized

Inside the brutal world of America's kidnapping capital

HPD Takes To Cyberspace To Fight Gang Crime. Next Thing You Know, They'll Be On MySpace

Courtesy stophoustongangs.org"Kids" "throwing up" "gang" "signs"​A slew of top cop brass from the city, state and federal levels assembled today to announce the latest weapon in the fight against gangs in Houston. A Web site. In 2010. Late as it is, the site could be useful. As the press releas ... More >>

Sarah Palin's New Show: Houston Blessed Enough To Get Sneak Preview

Saah Palin having some "flippin' fun"​If you've been moping around saying you have nothing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, relax. You now officially have a reason to offer gratitude. There are a whole bunch of cities in the United States, right? (Yes, right.) Well, there are only eight ... More >>

FAIR-y Tales

Russell Pearce and Other Illegal-Immigration Populists Rely on Misleading, Right-Wing Reports to Scapegoat Immigrants and Terrify Penny-Pinched Americans.

The Devil in DMX

Can the celebrated rapper get out of trouble long enough to top the charts again?

Houston: Least-Generous City (When it Comes to Free Stuff on Craigslist)

These kids are obviously not from Houston​Houston is many things, but one thing it apparently isn't is one of those hippie, commune-type places where people dig the vibe of being generous with things they no longer want. In short, we are not Portland or Seattle. Or Detroit, for that matter. ... More >>

Saturday Night: Space City Beat Battle At Warehouse Live

Photos by Jae Tovar/The Hive SocietyBlack Keys (left) and Space City Beat Battle organizer T. Piper​Space City Beat Battle Warehouse Live Green Room February 26, 2011 7:36 p.m.: Earlier this morning, our sons played their very first t-ball game. T-ball teams for 3-year-olds are six kids deep, ... More >>

SPECIAL APRIL FOOLS' EDICION

Photos by Jae Tovar/The Hive SocietyBlack Keys (left) and Space City Beat Battle organizer T. Piper​Space City Beat Battle Warehouse Live Green Room February 26, 2011 7:36 p.m.: Earlier this morning, our sons played their very first t-ball game. T-ball teams for 3-year-olds are six kids deep, ... More >>

Upcoming Events

Get yer free mini burgers!​Fans of Little Bitty Burger Barn's burgers will be happy to hear about the email we received from owner Ricardo Luna about today's special at the restaurant: We are excited to announce that on Friday, 5/20, from 6PM-8PM, we will be giving away free 1/4 Basic Burger ... More >>

Houston: Deadly for Pedestrians, Study Says

Taking your life in your hands, on foot.​You know why no one walks anywhere in Houston? The godawful humidity and the relentless, soul-searing sun? No -- it's because you can get killed here doing a crazy thing like being a pedestrian. Transportation for America, a group who we assume involv ... More >>

Yay? Houston One Of Few Cities To Get The Sarah Palin Movie

Comin' atcha, Houston!!!!​You've been holding your breath for weeks now, wondering if Houston would be blessed enough to be one of the cities picked for the limited initial release of The Undefeated, the documentary that proves beyond all doubt that Sarah Palin is the heart and soul of America ... More >>

Introducing The Spacey Bobby Earth

Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. ​Several months ago, whil ... More >>

Houston Led Nation in Population Growth in Last Decade, Rice Finds

Rice U video No city in America grew more in population in the last decade than Houston, a Rice study said today. And if you don't believe it, they put out the slick video above to erase any doubt. Houston added 1,231,393 residents between 2000 and 2012, the study of census figures said; the next ... More >>

Brew Blog: Travel Edition (Four Peaks Oatmeal Stout)

Photo by Nicholas L. HallFour Peaks in front, Bar Bianco rising majestically in the background.​I've been in Phoenix on business this week, spending my days jammed into a conference center, struggling to hold onto consciousness. I've been lucky, though, to have some family in the vicinity this ... More >>

Beware: Magazine Scammers in Houston

They're baaaack....​A roving band of scamming douchebags calling themselves Nxcess Sales have parked themselves in Houston; these bottom-feeders have been making their way across the country, telling people they're selling magazines to raise funds for, among other things, local children's hosp ... More >>

A Chat with Tequila Master Francisco Alcaraz

Photo courtesy Patrón Spirits.Patrón master distiller Francisco Alcaraz has been working with tequila since 1968. He distilled his first tequila for the U.S.-based label Patrón in 1989.​By the time the Eagles released "Tequila Sunrise," the first single from their second album Desperado in ... More >>

Blood and Broken Collarbones: Another Attempt at a Texans Tribute Song

Nothing like a phoenix, actually.​What is it about teams winning that makes really awful music just ooze from the woodwork? We remember back when the Rockets were winning some of the most God-awful tribute material hitting the streets and, at times Lord help us, the airwaves. We get that fan ... More >>

Otenki Releases Music Video For "Ghosts"

​Today is a big day for Houston six-piece Otenki, who are releasing their new music video for "Ghosts" off their sophomore album Kinetic via YouTube. Rocks Off got the chance to chat with guitarist/band manager Enoma Asowata over the weekend to get the scoop on the new video, the support from ... More >>

4 Warnings -- Your Guide To Listening To Super Bowl Week Talk Radio

Jock talk radio: Few surprises​Super Bowl hype week is underway, and I know that many of you will be consuming sports talk radio this week in an effort to get ready for the big game. (I know many of you won't be, and I understand that as well. I hate me some me sometimes, too. It's okay.) The ... More >>