Rascal Flatts

It's Always Nice When We Get to Use the "This Just In" Button

It's Always Nice When We Get to Use the "This Just In" Button

Country Music Awards

First Rodeo Performers Announced: Houston Just Can’t Get Enough Hannah

Giddyup!: Full RodeoHouston Lineup Announced

Judge Not The Two-Step, Lest Ye Be Judged

Yeah, so we judged a Texas Two-Step dancing contest last night.That's pretty much the equivalent of Sarah Palin judging a Dance Salad festival, but we tried.You know it's bad when the only song you recognize in the half-dozen or so tunes in the warm-up is George Strait's "Love Without End, Amen, ... More >>

Aftermath: Rascal Flatts at RodeoHouston

Photos by Mark C. AustinAnyone who thought that '80s-style power ballads had long gone away with Kurt Cobain's green sweater and Crystal Pepsi is dead wrong. They are kept alive, nightly, by Columbus, Ohio's Rascal Flatts. Bundled-up couples of all ages walked hand-in-hand, and apple-lot ... More >>

Could Alternative Country Work at the Rodeo?

Photos by Mark C. AustinAnyone who thought that '80s-style power ballads had long gone away with Kurt Cobain's green sweater and Crystal Pepsi is dead wrong. They are kept alive, nightly, by Columbus, Ohio's Rascal Flatts. Bundled-up couples of all ages walked hand-in-hand, and apple-lot ... More >>

Zac Brown Band

Photos by Mark C. AustinAnyone who thought that '80s-style power ballads had long gone away with Kurt Cobain's green sweater and Crystal Pepsi is dead wrong. They are kept alive, nightly, by Columbus, Ohio's Rascal Flatts. Bundled-up couples of all ages walked hand-in-hand, and apple-lot ... More >>

Music's Ickiest of the Icky, Circa 2008

Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

Miss Leslie: Between the Whiskey and the Wine

Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

Zac Brown Band

Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

Is Nickelback Really Worth Hating So Much?

Jeromeoh2301Somewhere over the past five years, Nickelback was deemed the unofficial "worst band in the world," usurping Creed as the rock snob's go-to reference for "awful." How did this happen? To date, the British Columbian quartet has sold close to 20 million albums, sell out arenas ... More >>

Hello, Houston!

Noise breaks down the months of live music ahead

Idol Chatter

Opening day for America's fourth national sport is upon us

India.Arie

Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship

Hip-hop as She Is Rapped

Translating the German Wikipedia entries of Houston's top MCs

Texas Sapphires

Friday, April 14, Rudyard's, 2010 Waugh Drive, 713-521-0521

Never Go to a Party in Friendswood

Where does your town rank in the Houston-area good-taste stakes?

David Allan Coe

Friday, September 2, at Texas Tumbleweeds, 13101 Kuykendahl, 281-872-7829.

RodeoHouston Announces Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts and Gary Allan Dates Next March

​The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced three more performers for its 2010 concert series Monday morning, joining the previously announced Jonas Brothers (March 7), Tim McGraw (March 8), Brad Paisley (March 11) and Brooks & Dunn (March 20) dates. The performers announced Monday morning ... More >>

Suck It, Dallas: The Rodeo Outdraws The State Fair

​The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo was the nation's biggest fair in 2009, an industry publication has declared.Carnival Warehouse, which sounds like the kind of place that has cheap late-night advertising for kuh-waaazy prices on merry-go-rounds, but is actually a publication that tracks the ... More >>

RodeoHouston 2010 Entertainer Lineup Includes Mary J. Blige, Black Eyed Peas, Justin Bieber and Some Country Folks You Can Probably Guess

​Monday morning, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced the remainder of its Reliant Stadium entertainment calendar for this year's rodeo, which begins March 2. Debuting on Reliant's revolving stage this year are Jason Aldean (March 6) and Texans the Eli Young Band (March 19). Returning fr ... More >>

Rocks Off's Rodeo Concert Guide: N'Sync Backstreet Boys O-Town Rascal Flatts

Date: March 10 Name: Rascal Flatts AKA: "No Talentt Ass Clowns" Genre: Pop-country Best Known Song(s): "What Hurts the Most," "Bless the Broken Road," "I Want it That Way Key Demographic: Hannah Montana fans looking to butch up their image, people who've never heard the name "Waylon Jennings" Previ ... More >>

Aftermath: Rascal Flatts At The Rodeo - Oh Hell, What's The Point?

Photos courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™​ Aftermath had doubts about Rascal Flatts, whose 2004 hit "God Bless the Broken Road" was the only song we were really familiar with before Wednesday night's performance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. But we spent the first part of t ... More >>

He Said She Said: "Dear Penis" And Other Country Comedy Classics

​ Aside from all the epic cheating, drinking and fighting songs country music has given us, one of the best things it does is make us laugh. Apart from all the crying and cussing, there is a whole deal of laughing going on. This year at RodeoHouston, there aren't many performers on the humorous si ... More >>

Rocks Off's Rodeo Concert Guide: Lady Antebellum's Country Threesome

Date: March 15 Name: Lady Antebellum AKA: "Two Beards and a Babe" Genre: Threesome country Best Known Song(s): "I Run to You," "Need You Now," possible Juice Newton covers Key Demographic: Country fans who've longed for a redneck version of Black Eyed Peas, beginning piano players Previous HLSR Ap ... More >>

Idol Beat: You Can't Always Get What You Want

This is clearly the point in American Idol where the producers start spending a little more money. Now that we're down to the top 12 singers, we get a bigger stage and more taped pieces, and every performer has been given a makeover and better make-up. This is especially noticeable in the girls an ... More >>

American Idol: You Can't Always Get What You Want

This is clearly the point in American Idol where the producers start spending a little more money. Now that we're down to the top 12 singers, we get a bigger stage and more taped pieces, and every performer has been given a makeover and better make-up. This is especially noticeable in the girls an ... More >>

Rocks Off's Rodeo Concert Guide: Actual Texans The Eli Young Band

Date: March 19Name: Eli Young BandAKA: "Who?"Genre: Up and countryBest Known Song(s): "When It Rains," "Always the Love Songs"Key Demographic: UNT grads, people who think "fire" and "guitar"

American Idol: Miley As Mentor

​There were many dark and torturous moments in last night's American Idol. If forced to pick just one, I would have to go with the selection of Miley Cyrus as this week's "mentor" to the singers. The mentor thing, I am gathering, is a regular feature in which a recording artist stops by to lis ... More >>

Idol Beat: Miley As Mentor

​There were many dark and torturous moments in last night's American Idol. If forced to pick just one, I would have to go with the selection of Miley Cyrus as this week's "mentor" to the singers. The mentor thing, I am gathering, is a regular feature in which a recording artist stops by to lis ... More >>

Idol Beat: Lennon-McCartney, Weak

"Paul, I'm starting to wish we'd never written these songs."​There was no mentor this week on American Idol, though I find myself pining for one when I realized that that meant this week's taped bits would be the kind of cheesy and unfeeling montages in which the contestants talk about how muc ... More >>

American Idol: Lennon-McCartney, Weak

"Paul, I'm starting to wish we'd never written these songs."​There was no mentor this week on American Idol, though I find myself pining for one when I realized that that meant this week's taped bits would be the kind of cheesy and unfeeling montages in which the contestants talk about how muc ... More >>

Idol Beat: So Long, Siobhan

​I think last night's American Idol was supposed to be country-themed, to go along with the Shania Twain songs the contestants sang on Tuesday, but as I should have known, any organization that thinks of Shania Twain as country is going to have some weird ideas about genre. Rascal Flatts stopp ... More >>

American Idol: So Long, Siobhan

​I think last night's American Idol was supposed to be country-themed, to go along with the Shania Twain songs the contestants sang on Tuesday, but as I should have known, any organization that thinks of Shania Twain as country is going to have some weird ideas about genre. Rascal Flatts stopp ... More >>

Ten Country Covers That Top The Pop Originals

​Our copy must still be in the mail, but Rocks Off figures we have heard enough songs from Jamey Johnson's new album The Guitar Song on Sirius/XM's Outlaw Country to know that we like it a whole lot. But none that we've heard so far are our favorite new Johnson song. It's close. No flies on G ... More >>

Bush & Kanye West: Five Lower Points In His Presidency, None Of Which Involve WMDs, Torture Or Decimating the Middle Class

That belt: another low point​As you've likely heard, George W. Bush has a new book out, one that promises to be as good as his campaign bio A Charge to Keep.Decision Points proves once and for all that W is not to blame for anything and even if he did some things that didn't work out like they sho ... More >>

Houston Gets Over-The-Air Country-Music Channel

​Believe it or not, some of us get by just fine without cable or satellite TV. When Rocks Off goes home at night - the odd evenings we stay home, that is - not only do we enjoy the finest network television has to offer, but the cornucopia of choices across the digital-TV spectrum: B- and C-mo ... More >>

KISS, Kid Rock, Janet Jackson Head 2011 Rodeo Lineup

​KISS, Janet Jackson and Kid Rock head the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo's 2011 concert schedule, which the rodeo announced earlier Monday morning. Among the other 13 entertainers rounding out this year's lineup are recent rodeo stalwarts Alan Jackson, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw and Lady Antebe ... More >>

Idol Beat: Schlemiel. Schlimazel.

​So it seems the only difference between the two-hour Wednesday Idols and their one hour counterparts on Thursdays is twice as many "wacky" interludes (über Green Bay Packer fan Megan Frazier is going to make one lucky man...really miserable someday) and a third more shots of Steven Tyler wal ... More >>

Four Reasons Black Eyed Peas' Halftime Show Sucked

usatoday.com​The best part about Sunday night's Super Bowl halftime show was that people actually were surprised that it was bad, as if the Black Eyed Peas would pull it off without a hitch and we would all rush to our computers and download their entire catalog in converted reverence. Right w ... More >>

Rocks Off's Fantasy RodeoHouston Lineup

Photos courtesy of Houston Livestock Show & RodeoGeorge Strait in 1996​If you walk through Reliant Center, hanging from the ceiling are banners listing almost every musical performer RodeoHouston has hosted since the '60s. The names reflect the hallowed history of country and fleeting fancies ... More >>

Last Night: Rascal Flatts at RodeoHouston

Photos by Groovehouse​Rascal Flatts Reliant Stadium March 10, 2011 "We've been together for 10 years, but I don't look a day over 'Fast Cars and Freedom,'" giggled bassist/pianist Jay Demarcus of Rascal Flatts last night at the Rodeo. The band, consisting of DeMarcus, singer Gary LeVox, and g ... More >>

For The Final Four: 9 Musicians Who Love College Sports

​After weeks of anticipation and preemptory hand-wringing over where we're going to park on Washington Ave. this weekend, the Final Four is Finally here. As with any other time a marquee sporting event comes to Houston, you can count on some familiar themes in media coverage: Where to party, w ... More >>

Idol Beat: Democracy Doesn't Work

So, professor: would you say it's time for everyone to panic?​Well, I feel like an idiot. Flush with victory over my (sole) successful pick of the season in (finally) getting Jacob's booting correct, I was confident that James Durbin had the right combination of talent and appeal to the ladie ... More >>

Houston Teen Payton Rae Scores 2.5 Million YouTube Views

"My haters are my motivators" ​As young female stars like Miley Cyrus exit their teen years and welcome young adulthood with open limbs, their boots are left behind for other starry-eyed aspiring musicians to fill. One of them might even be from Space City: A 15-year-old YouTube sensation nam ... More >>

Top Five Most Overpaid Musicians In The World

​Last month Forbes released their list of the 25 highest-earning musicians of 2010, and the list contains several talents Rocks Off is happy to see keeping the lights on. No. 1 on the list, U2, is still a favorite of ours after all these years, and it's always good to see Tom Petty, Jay-Z, and ... More >>

Ryan Seacrest Begets a Music Festival... And The Apocalypse

Mason Lankford said, "There will come a day when we forget the Rapture ever even happened," but Rocks Off is keeping an eye out for signs of our impending Armageddon. We were wrong last time, but we're totally right this time! Jyle Dupuis​Ryan Seacrest is a towering figure in the entertainmen ... More >>