Robert Plant

7 Songs About Hobbits NOT By Leonard Nimoy

I'm keen to catch The Hobbit soon. If nothing else, the Seventh Doctor apparently goes full-on wizard battle against the Witch-King in it, and I would have paid just to see that scene alone. The rest of it looks cool too, though. In the meantime, I have to wait for an overnight babysitter to free u ... More >>

The Rocks Off 100: Cliff Dotterer of Black Dog Records

Who? Cliff Dotterer is the co-owner and operating manager of Black Dog Records, which just moved to its new Bellaire location last week. The shop's inventory of records and collectibles includes a who's who of rock legends and current artists, as well as rarities, imports, T-shirts, record player ne ... More >>

10 More Things I'll Be Doing at ACL Festival This Weekend

That's right folks, it's ACL Music Festival time again in Texas, and Rocks Off will be flying to Austin on the private Rocks Off jet this weekend to cover the fest from Friday until the last notes of "Give It Away" at the end of the Red Hot Chili Peppers set on Sunday night. That's my way of telli ... More >>

Yes and Zeppelin? 5 True All-Star Near-Collaborations

Quick, what's your dream supergroup, living or dead? When I was a big prog nerd, mine was Peter Gabriel on vocals and lyrics, David Gilmour and Robert Fripp on guitar, Geddy Lee on bass, Bill Bruford on drums, Tony Levin on Chapman stick, and Rick Wakeman on keys. Come to think of it, that still sou ... More >>

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 >>

Switcharoo: 10 Artists Who Tried Other Genres

Have you ever bought an album of an artist you were familiar with and thought, "wow... that's different?" In fact, many artists try out other genres than the one where they originally became popular as a way for them to grow as artists. But a big question remains: Will the audience grow with them a ... More >>

Show Me Your GIFs: Great Classic Rock 'N Roll GIFs Galore

It seems to me that musical history is made up of fragments of indelible images, good and bad, that inform each person's experience. Then there are the swatches of tunes that grab you by the heart strings or the throat, making you a fan for life. But it's those moving pictures that you first remembe ... More >>

Musicians & Their Superstitions: Houston's Own Reveal Pre-show Rituals

It's Friday the 13 and superstition says today is unlucky...dun dun dun! A Gallup poll conducted a few years ago found that about 25% of us are superstitious about knocking on wood, 13% about a black cat crossing our path, 12% about walking under a ladder, 11% about breaking a mirror and the number ... More >>

5 Bands Your Musician Friends Love...But You Don't

austinpost.comYep. Robert Plant "copped everything" from this guy.​In a 2005 interview with Esquire, Johnny Depp discusses the unwavering authenticity of Hunter S. Thompson, and likens his late friend to another great, often-troubled mind, saying: "...like Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elev ... More >>

Sting

Jerry Shirley: A Slice of the Pie Has His Say

​English lad and budding drummer Jerry Shirley was all of 16 years old in late 1968 when he received the phone call that would change his life forever. On the other line was Steve Marriott, the singer/guitarist for mod group the Small Faces ("Itchycoo Park"). Shirley's musical hero and new a ... More >>

Misty Mountain Blog: Led Zeppelin IV Turns Forty

​Today one of the greatest rock albums of all-time, Led Zeppelin IV, turns 40 years old, and it's still a vital, nasty, stanky, and heavy LP. Released on November 8, 1971, it cemented the Zeppelin legacy with cuts like, well, the whole damned thing. It's all good, and no doubt you can hear at ... More >>

Father Figures: 100 Famous Musicians' Paternal Professions

If you're a Texan of a certain age, this week you've probably spent some time mourning the death of Jerry Haynes, the children's TV host better known as Mr. Peppermint. Haynes' show on WFAA-TV in Dallas, Peppermint Place, ran from the '60s to the '90s and was widely syndicated across the state, incl ... More >>

10 Semi-Obscure Facts About Led Zeppelin

​On this date in 1968, former Yardbirds guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, and session musicians John Paul Jones and John Bonham played together for the first time, rehearsing in a West End studio space in London, England. The first song they played together was a version of "Train Kep ... More >>

The Best Episodes Of MTV's Unplugged

​MTV Unplugged was like health food for your soul during its heyday on the music channel, which was full of junk food. When artists stuck to the template and went untethered to electronic instruments and really dug into their music with new eyes it was amazing. Debuting in 1989 with Squeeze ... More >>

Dennis Hollifield: Guns, Toddlers and Showing Cops Where He Keeps His Meth

Photos Montgomery County Police ReporterDennis Hollifield: Dazed and confused.​Dennis Eugene Hollifield of (naturally) Splendora looks like Robert Plant coming off a wild night, but he shows none of Plant's ability in Led Zeppelin's heyday to explain away the occasional guns-and-drugs episode ... More >>

Top 10 Led Zeppelin Songs Not Constantly On The Radio

​Of Led Zeppelin's nine stellar (OK, Presence was just all right) studio albums, it's hard to pick the five best. There are no dogs in the bunch, and unlike the Duran Duran Top 5 we did last week, it's harder and more heart-wrenching to limit them to just five. We can chop up the Durannies lik ... More >>

Last Night: B L A C K I E in 3-D at Warehouse Live

​B L A C K I E Warehouse Live April 7, 2011 Well it wasn't quite 3-D, because real life itself is already four dimensional (props, Jim), but nonetheless, last night's experimental B L A C K I E gig in the studio space at Warehouse Live was eye-popping as hell. The show, opening with the Scr ... More >>

The Worst Music Trends Of 2010

​Editor's Pick: Shit. I spent my whole year either avoiding or ignoring trends. No reason to change now. Marc Brubaker: Many a person instructed me to place Ke(Dollar Sign)ha in this spot, but she's become so ubiquitous that I can't help but laugh when I hear her now. No, fine sirs, this awa ... More >>

Terry Reid, Nearly Led Zeppelin's Singer, Resurfaces At Leon's

​Who Dat? When Jimmy Page began to put together his New Yardbirds, he scoured the British scene looking for the right vocalist. Eventually, Page offered the job in his new band -- now called Led Zeppelin -- to Terry Reid. Reid, who quit school at 15 and had played at the Royal Albert Hall b ... More >>

Last Night: Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience At Verizon

Photos by Groovehouse​Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience Verizon Wireless Theater November 16, 2010 Some family businesses involve cleaning out septic tanks, others have you pulling teeth and filling cavities all day. Some have you selling used cars, while others mean slaving in a bakery ... 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

Carolina Chocolate Drops

Lady Gaga Sells Out In 6 Minutes; July 26 Show Added; Don't Forget Jack Johnson

​Just in time to rob you of your hard-earned tax refunds, the summer concert season is finally here. Yes, you will be forgoing oil changes, dye jobs and tuition payments for the next few months to afford everything coming through Houston. Thank God for that too, because we were starting to wonder ... More >>

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 >>

Blow Out

Yes, the harmonica is a real instrument, insists Pocket Full of Soul director Marc Lempert.

Free Tickets for Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and G.G. Allin... Sort Of

It's a veritable tribute band meltdown at the House of Blues this weekend, and we have a handful of free tickets up here at Rocks Off HQ to get you into three sure-to-be drunken shows starting this evening. Come pick 'em up at the front desk at 1621 MIlam, Suite 100, until 6 p.m. On the bill tonight ... More >>

Lonesome Onry and Mean: "Killing the Blues" with Plant and Krauss

Led Zeppelin shouter Robert Plant and country/pop vocalist Alison Krauss seem like a highly unlikely duo. When I heard they'd made an album together called Raising Sand, the pairing seemed so odd I didn't really even want to hear it. I thought their two voices would clash like Lucinda Williams and R ... More >>

Texans Score 30 Grammy Nominations

Allison Krauss, Robert Plant and T-Bone Burnett (far right) Texas artists landed 30 nominations in 20 categories when the contenders for the 51st annual Grammy Awards were announced today, including all five nominees for Best Tejano Album and four of the five Best Norteno Album contenders. All of ... More >>

Led Zeppelin Pulls a Van Hagar

The Best of ACL Fest

ACL Notebook Dump, Pt. 2: Measuring Time Mars Volta-Style, Led Zeppelin Rumors and More

ACL Notebook Dump, Pt. 3: One Excited Fogerty Fan, Beck's Math, Robert Plant's Maracas and More

Lonesome Onry and Mean: Only a Week Until Robert Plant/Allison Krauss

Dammit: Plant and Krauss Cancel

Musical Weather Update: Led Zeppelin

HPMA Aftermath: D.R.U.M., Black Dog, Brian's Johnson, Mighty Orq, Tontons, Southern Backtones and Sharks and Sailors

This Just In: Robert Plant and Allison Krauss Confirm Woodlands Date

Has ACL Festival Jumped the Shark?

Local Motion at Cactus Music

Local Motion

Our Favorite Albums of 2007

Panning for gold in an avalanche of 2007 releases

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: Raising Sand

Drenched In Blog: Just Can’t Quit You Baby

Night & Day

September 24 - 30, 1998

Rotation

The Future of Rock and Roll

We've seen it in a crystal ball and the pictures aren't pretty

Growed-up Stuff