Portland (Oregon)

Oregon Judge Upholds $81 Million Judgment Against KBR in Toxic Chemical Case

Poor KBR just can't get a break -- a federal judge in Oregon has affirmed an $81 million judgment against the Houston-based firm for exposing National Guard soldiers to a deadly chemical at an Iraqi water injection plant in 2003. The judgment was awarded to the first 12 veterans, out of hundreds sti ... More >>

Houston, You're Damn Mellow When It Comes To Finances (Really?)

A new study claims Houston is one of the best cities in the country when it comes to not getting too stressed about personal finances. This "Houston" that CardHub.com is talking about is apparently the one right here in Texas -- the one where we don't know too many people who aren't "stressed about ... More >>

The Rocks Off 100: Jacqui Sutton, Houston's "Jazzgrass Lady"

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? Jacqui Sutton is the lead singer for t ... More >>

Top 5 Albums Lost to Us Because of Thieving Dicks

Songs are like babies. Some of them drop into the world with barely a push, while others require yanking out with a wicked set of tongs after a long labor. Generally the latter is more common than the former, which is why any musician worth his or her salt carries around some sort of notebook to kee ... More >>

SXSW Releases First Batch of 2013 Performers

Here go hell come, SXSW has just released the first batch of names for the 2013 festival. I know, only a week after Fun Fun Fun Fest and a month since ACL. Did you see the FPSF blog from earlier today? Yeah, time is moving too fast. The big names on the list so far include the Zombies, Alt-J, Akro ... More >>

10 Songs That Influenced Shovels & Rope

Tonight Shovels & Rope plays two sets at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, a venue that is quickly becoming their natural habitat here in Houston. The duo, made up of Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst, is currently touring behind O' Be Joyful, released this past summer. Obviously, the group is gaining mucho s ... More >>

Buffalo Bayou Gets Some National Love

Who knew we in Houston were sitting on such a gold mine of urban planning? A lot of us, actually, especially the ones who take time out to enjoy Buffalo Bayou. Now that strip leading to downtown is getting some more of the recognition it deserves, as the American Planning Association has named it ... More >>

According to This, San Antonio Has a Better Music Scene Than Houston

Like any and all lists, the Martin Prosperity Institute (MPI)'s list regarding the best music scenes in the country will leave most of you passing out side-eyes and stares. Easy to spot and digest, Nashville, New York and Los Angeles ranked 1-3, but after that it's a complete flaming crapshoot. Th ... More >>

Ooh La La, Grace Potter

Country's biggest summer tour an alt-pop blond bombshell.

Best Of Free Press Summer Fest Day 1: Quintron, Big Freedia, Morris Day, Etc.

See Rocks Off's complete Free Press Summer Fest coverage. Be sure to also check out our slideshows: the sexy, sweaty Summer Fest crowds and the bands of Summer Fest 2012. Cory Garcia: Stage 7 isn't the most glamorous. Most of your set will be spent playing to the handful of people who came out to y ... More >>

Top 10 Most Outrageous Onstage Incidents, Antics & Meltdowns

Everyone has their meltdown moments, no doubt about it. We make mistakes and, most of the time, we try to correct them. We have them because we are all human. Unfortunately, though, when you are in the spotlight, your hurts, tantrums, mistakes and meltdowns are all magnified for all the world to se ... More >>

All Shook Up

The Alabama Shakes ride their momentum right into Houston.

Need A Band Name? Let A Random Gawker Headline Help You!

Gawker is one of the most fun and informative sites on the innerwebs. Where else can you hear about the awful and sexy things that humans do to each other? Each day brings a new bounty of curiousness, like the one about the midget porn star Gordon Ramsay-lookalike that ended up being a hoax. It wasn ... More >>

Houston, You Are the Tenth Most Promiscuous City, You Slut

Feeling at home in Houston.​Man, you host one slutwalk and.... Houston has been named the tenth most promiscuous city in the nation, in a study that we don't doubt for a second is rigorous, peer-reviewed and unassailable. It comes from a dating site called OKCupid, but the people at OKCupid ... More >>

Pop Rocks: Can't We Just Leave D.B. Cooper Alone?

On the plus side, maybe this guy can get a new gig.​This November marks the 40th anniversary of the hijacking of Northwest Flight #305 by a man calling himself "Dan Cooper." The hijacker, later erroneously referred to in the media as "D.B.," jumped out of the plane at an altitude of 10,000 fee ... 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 >>

For Flag Day: The 10 Worst U.S. State Flags

As we are sure you are no doubt keenly aware, Flag Day is tomorrow. We could give you a list of the ten prettiest flags, but we are Hair Balls, and that's not the kind of crap we like to cough up. Here instead is a list of ten state flags to tun up the flagpoles of your worst enemies: 10. Nevada T ... More >>

Houston Dogs Worst In Country For Attacking Mail Carriers

Probably lives in Houston​It's hard out there for a Houston mail carrier -- if the heat doesn't get you, the dogs probably will. The United States Postal Service has put out its list of the 10 most dangerous cities for dog attacks, and coming in at the top is....us. USPS says 62 Houston lett ... More >>

MasterMinds 2011

Foodways Texas is among our three winning arts groups.

Houston's Lindsay McCormick Hits The Big Time -- Dating Mark Sanchez

Mark Sanchez' Houston heartthrob, reportedly​Lindsay McCormick is an ESPN type from Houston who, we have to admit, we've never heard of.But her official bio says she "has appeared on ESPN Streak for the Cash and ESPN College Pick'em on ESPN.com, the MtvU music countdown show The Dean's List, The C ... More >>

Scott Weiland: Five Great Onstage Meltdowns Before His

Marc Brubaker​ For more images from Sunday's ill-fated show, see our slideshow here. As most of the continental U.S. knows by now, Stone Temple Pilots lead singer Scott Weiland (above) had some... issues... at the band's Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion show Sunday. Arriving late and opening ... More >>

Sinfully Good Treats from Sinfull Bakery

​Ever since my run-in with some miserable gluten-free (GF) pancakes a while back, I've been wary of GF food in general. But wary doesn't mean I don't keep trying the stuff in hopes of finding some magical GF cookie that doesn't taste like a Frisbee. There are certainly plenty of excellent GF ... More >>

Hot New Chocolatier in Town

​Dark chocolate bark with chipotle and almonds marked the beginning of a romantic Valentine's Day season at my house. My wife is wild about chocolate and chile pepper confections, so I try to buy her some every year at this time. I used to mail-order the wonderful chocolate-and-chile pepper ba ... More >>

Missing the Mexican

Did we underestimate the popularity of Gustavo Arellano's column?

Pump Up the Volume

St. Louis post-punks So Many Dynamos are ready for battle with The Loud Wars.

Merchant of Soul

Spoon's musical tinker Britt Daniel avoids the cringe.

Tonight: MDC at Walter's on Washington

Early 80's hardcore punk would have been a tad empty without Austin's Millions Of Dead Cops (or MDC for short). Singer Dave Dictor was one of the first sexually ambigious - as outlined on "America's So Straight," from the band's 1982 debut Millions of Dead Cops - singers among the decidedly mach ... More >>

Twinkies, Racial Profiling and EaDo

It was a long time ago

Top Ten Indie Rock Albums of 2008

In 2008, independent rock returned to the underground, where it belongs. Given the grand catastrophe that is today's record industry, most major-label executives don't have the time or energy to convince music fans they might like something a little out of the ordinary. They're too busy recycling ... More >>

R.I.P. Mitch Mitchell

The Jimi Hendrix Experience (l-r): Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell and Hendrix Drummer Mitch Mitchell, the last surviving member of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, was found dead Wednesday morning in his Portland, Oregon, hotel room, Billboard reported today. Mitchell, 62, most likely died of natural ca ... More >>

Houston's Light Rail Not Good Enough For Baltimore

My Morning Jacket Announce Fall Tour

Low Self-Esteem, Flirting Double Standards and One Intelligent Mexican

Mexican-American Culture

The Gospel According to Tammy Faye

Tammy Faye Messner adds music to the mascara

Americana Pie

Grab a slice of 2004's best roots music while it's still hot

Americana Pie

Grab a slice of 2004's best roots music while it's still hot

Free Lunch

Freegans prove there is such a thing as they Dumpster-dive for food for themselves and the homeless

The Shocking Truth

Houston police are looking to Tasers as a panacea. But nothing's perfect.

Feel This

Enema of the Mental State: Notes from the Battle on Irritable Blink-182 Syndrome

Loretta Lynn

Van Lear Rose (Interscope)

All Bands on the Big Tour

Sleater-Kinney graduates from the club circuit to shed shows. Is the world ending?

Sleater-Kinney

One Beat (Kill Rock)

Letters

Rockin' On, A Stark Affair, Wrong War?

Stirred and Shaken

McCormick & Schmick's Spanish coffee

Today's Horoscope

You'll meet a creative Aries who will shake up your traditional ideas

Best Contribution to Downtown Redevelopment

Randall Davis Company

Extra Poppy

Jimmie's Chicken Shack reveals the Colonel's recipe for mainstream ska-rock

Night & Day

February 4 - 10, 1999

Dandy Affair

Unpolished Gem