Randy Newman

Miss Pop Rocks Loves (the Second Half of) the Oscars

Meet Paul Ford, the 763 mp3 Guy: He Covered the Waterfront like No Other, from Over 1,000 Miles Away

HPMA Aftermath: Indian Jewelry, Wild Moccasins, Espantapajaros, Poor Dumb Bastards and More

Sound Check

Odd Man Out

Van Dyke Parks, the invisible legend of L.A. music, finally goes live

Free Show: Ben Sollee at House of Blues Downstairs

It's not every day you hear a cellist bust out socially aware, Randy Newman-esque pop yarns. Kentuckian Ben Sollee sings plaintive, soulful slices of song like the kind that made Newman famous and so very influential in the '70s. Sollee is only 24 years old, yet he somehow bridges the generation ... More >>

Willie Nelson

It's not every day you hear a cellist bust out socially aware, Randy Newman-esque pop yarns. Kentuckian Ben Sollee sings plaintive, soulful slices of song like the kind that made Newman famous and so very influential in the '70s. Sollee is only 24 years old, yet he somehow bridges the generation ... More >>

Irma Thomas: Simply Grand

It's not every day you hear a cellist bust out socially aware, Randy Newman-esque pop yarns. Kentuckian Ben Sollee sings plaintive, soulful slices of song like the kind that made Newman famous and so very influential in the '70s. Sollee is only 24 years old, yet he somehow bridges the generation ... More >>

Drew Smith: Drew Smith's Lonely Choir

It's not every day you hear a cellist bust out socially aware, Randy Newman-esque pop yarns. Kentuckian Ben Sollee sings plaintive, soulful slices of song like the kind that made Newman famous and so very influential in the '70s. Sollee is only 24 years old, yet he somehow bridges the generation ... More >>

The 2008 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase Is Filled with Talent and Absurdity

Some of the best rock and roll in town right now is en español

Bryan Adams's 11, 11 Times Through

Just Like "Heaven"

Ordinary Smart People

Intelligence goes soft in this more obvious than smart rom-com

The Girl Next Door, Ford at Fox, Saturday Night Live: The Complete Second Season, The Wire: The Complete Fourth Season

Intelligence goes soft in this more obvious than smart rom-com

A Masterpiece on Canvas

Intelligence goes soft in this more obvious than smart rom-com

Todd Snider

The Devil You Know

Solitary Man

Part ironic sophisticate, part sentimental movie composer, Randy Newman is an American original

Frozen Dinner

In Ice Age, three mammals and a baby get warmed over

ACL Fest Preview: Ben Sollee and !!!

With eight stages rumbling with musical noises for nearly 12 hours a day, it's hard to fully grab a hold of the Austin City Limits Music Festival without having one or two bands slipping through your hands. With the festival getting such ridiculously amazing talent each year on each stage, one must ... More >>

Westheimer Block Party Listology: Paris Falls' Favorite, and Least Favorite, Musical Moments In the Movies

All this week, Rocks Off is previewing Saturday and Sunday's Westheimer Block Party by asking WBP performers to fill out a list from Lisa Nola's Music Listography book we're so fond of. It's not too late for your band to be up here, either; just email chris.gray@houstonpress.com by noon Thursday if ... More >>

Play Ball! Songs That Distract Us From The Astros' Impending Disappointment

​This week's He Said She Said is brought to you by the Houston Astros and the letter "D," which stands for disappointment. No other thing in He Said's life, other than a woman, has brought more sadness and dysfunction. But at least the Astros have never broken off an engagement with us or punched ... More >>

Ben Folds

​This week's He Said She Said is brought to you by the Houston Astros and the letter "D," which stands for disappointment. No other thing in He Said's life, other than a woman, has brought more sadness and dysfunction. But at least the Astros have never broken off an engagement with us or punched ... More >>

Ben Folds, Still Fighting His "Piano Man" Side

Photos by Groovehouse​ For more pictures from Ben and Kate, see our slideshow here. It's been awhile since Aftermath came out of a show so ambivalent, so very "eh" that we almost feel bad about even attempting to review it. It didn't offend us in any way, nor did it blow any wind up our ripped jor ... More >>

4 Summer-Movie Soundtracks We Already Hate

​Last week, we told you of some upcoming summer-movie soundtracks that look like they're going to be fantastic. If positivity is your thing, go read that article. This one is going to be all about the upcoming soundtracks that make us wince so hard it feels like someone's chopping our balls with a ... More >>

Five Recent Movies That Needed A John Hughes Soundtrack

​Even though John Hughes had not made a decent movie since 1991's Dutch (missile twisters FTW) when he died one year ago today, the world still mourned the loss of one of the best filmmakers to ever take on the human experience. Hughes may have only dealt with dysfunctional Midwesterners, but ... More >>

Katrina, Five Years Later: A News Consumer's Guide To The Anniversary Stories

Brian Williams emits manly concern over the situation​If you aren't aware that this weekend marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, you will be by the time Monday rolls around.Newspapers, TV shows and websites will be heavy on commemorating the event. Here's what to look for:1. The use o ... More >>

Bon Jovi, Rock & Roll Hall Of Famers? It Could Happen...

Stay classy, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame...​This morning the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced this year's ballot of nominees, with the winners to be announced in December and inducted next March in New York. Fifteen names are on this year's ballot, ranging from hip-hoppers, proto-metal icons, ... More >>

Oscar Night 2011: The Live Blog!

​We are only less than three hours out from bringing you live-blogging coverage, right here, of this year's Academy Awards, and we are more than excited to take you through the night for every win, loss, awful dress, awesome dress, foible, and foul-up Hollywood throws our way.

Bob Schneider's Five Favorite Albums Of All Time

Jeff Swensen/ Bob Schneider on Facebook​It's been said that if you have lived in Texas for at least a decade and you haven't at least been in the vicinity of a Bob Schneider show, you are probably lying. Our introduction to Schneider was kind of heartbreaking, but that's another story for anot ... More >>

A Dream Austin City Limits Weekend For Houston

Craig HlavatyColdplay at The Woodlands, July 2009​Summer is creeping in, which means the fall concert calendars are filling up fast, and we should know which Austin City Limits Music Festival artists will book side dates in our area sooner rather than later. The standard disclaimer: Rocks Off ... More >>

ACL Fest Schedule Released; Your Guide To The "Death Duels"

Stevie Wonder on FacebookStevie Wonder: Even My Morning Jacket will be watching.​This morning, the organizers of the Austin City Limits Music Festival announced the schedule for the September 16-18 Zilker Park throwdown. We all knew there would be some tough choices, but Rocks Off found that w ... More >>

PJ's Sports Bar Gets Some National Love

Take THAT, Chicago​You can travel `cross this entire land, as Randy Newman sang, and you will find only 11 -- eleven -- sports bars better than Montrose's very own PJ's Sports Bar. That's according to The Chive, which is a website that from now on will be our go-to place for sports-bar inform ... More >>

Ben Sollee

Take THAT, Chicago​You can travel `cross this entire land, as Randy Newman sang, and you will find only 11 -- eleven -- sports bars better than Montrose's very own PJ's Sports Bar. That's according to The Chive, which is a website that from now on will be our go-to place for sports-bar inform ... More >>

The Five Best Shows Bob Schneider Has Ever Seen

Jeff Swensen/Bob Schneider on Facebook​It's been said that if you have lived in Texas for at least a decade and haven't at least been in the vicinity of a Bob Schneider show, you are probably lying. Our introduction to the Austin-based Schneider was kind of heartbreaking, but that's another st ... More >>

J Roddy Walston & the Business

Jeff Swensen/Bob Schneider on Facebook​It's been said that if you have lived in Texas for at least a decade and haven't at least been in the vicinity of a Bob Schneider show, you are probably lying. Our introduction to the Austin-based Schneider was kind of heartbreaking, but that's another st ... More >>

10 Things We're Probably Doing At ACL This Year

villagevoice.comBjork at ACL '07, when part of her staging caught fire.​This is the Rocks Off team's (well, Craig Hlavaty and Chris Gray) fifth year covering the Austin City Limits Music Festival. The first year this smart guy wore black jeans and a black shirt to try to look cool, which made ... More >>

Five Can't-Miss Acts At ACL Fest This Year

Craig HlavatyWe're running this picture of My Morning Jacket's Jim James now because this will be the last we see of him all weekend.​For weeks after we skipped last year's Austin City Limits Music Festival to man the controls in Houston, Rocks Off found ourselves thinking, "Man, I wish I woul ... More >>

ACL Last Night: Randy Newman & A Steinway Is All We Needed

Jim BrickerNo, he didn't just sing about what he was seeing. ​Check out all of our coverage from ACL 2011, including our hottest crowd shots and our slideshow from Sunday featuring Randy Newman, Arcade Fire and The Walkmen. We still don't know how a 67-year-old turned in our favorite set of t ... More >>

ACL: Arcade Fire, Big As The Great Outdoors

Photos by Jim Bricker​Check out all our ACL 2011 coverage, including our hottest crowd shots and slideshow from Sunday featuring Randy Newman, Arcade Fire and The Walkmen. Arcade Fire Bud Light Stage, Austin City Limits Music Festival, Zilker Park September 18, 2011 Sunday night in a serene ... More >>

Touch the Sky

The 2011 Austin City Limits Music Festival in exactly 12 paragraphs.

G N' R, The Cure & Chili Peppers Could Be Hall Of Famers Next Year

Oh, this will be a fun induction ceremony...​This morning, The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland announced the list of nominees for its Class of 2012: The Small Faces & The Faces, Freddie King, The Cure, Guns 'N Roses, Heart, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Spinners, War, Joan Jett and the Bl ... More >>

Survival Skills

Jason Isbell sees a glimmer of hope in his true-to-life melancholy story-songs.

10 Things You Need To Grab At Black Friday Record Store Day

"Put down that Type O Negative box set you son of a bitch!"​While your other shopping contemporaries are slashing each others' throats at Walmart and Best Buy for $20 plasma televisions and six Blu-Ray players for $5 on Black Friday next week, why not sleep in and head up to your favorite loca ... More >>

Old Man: A Happy Birthday Randy Newman Playlist

Photo By Jim BrickerRandy Newman at ACL '11 back in September. ​Mr. Randy Newman, who turns 68 years old today, turned in one of the best and our most most favorite sets of this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival. In a festival littered with Kanye West, Coldplay, and Skrillex, Newman's s ... More >>

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 >>

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Snubs Rush...Again

Photo by Jeff Balke​A couple years ago, I was sitting on the back porch at the Continental Club talking music with a fairly well known music writer who seemed to believe that anything with a big hook or the slightest inkling of musicianship beyond the garage band aesthetic was utter garbage. I ... More >>

5 Most Needless Song Updates

​We got into rock journalism from being a local musician, so we understand both sides of the industry pretty well. We've recorded songs that later-on we wish we'd done very differently, and the temptation to go back and re-try for perfection can be very overpowering. Take it from us, though, d ... More >>

Travelin' Band: What Do The Features Listen To On The Road?

​So The Twilight Saga has exactly two things that keep the films from being absolute torture. The first is Ashley Greene in all her pixie-hotness, and the second is that there really are some excellent bands that end up on the soundtracks. Case in point, the Features were featured recently i ... More >>