Round Rock

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 >>

Raining on Their Parade: IKEA Postpones Unveiling of Store's Solar Energy System

IKEA Houston was all set to unveil its solar-powered energy system today. They had a big ceremony planned and everything. The dedication ceremony would include Houston's Sustainability Director (we have one of those?) Laura Spanjian, whose last name sounds vaguely like a sofa I bought at the store a ... More >>

Another Austin Lover

Six bad reasons to move there.

5 Reasons Why Texas Will Never Win "Most Peaceful State" (and Good Riddance)

Maine has won the latest version of the United States Peace Index's "Most Peaceful State" competition. Texas? Forty-sixth most peaceful. This result simply means that Maine is a big pile of bo-ring while Texas is still holding it down with do-whatever-we-please citizens and outrageous criminals ( ... More >>

@TheEnd

After tweeting about the alleged sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her father — and an investigation that came up empty — Ashley Billasano killed herself.

Wednesday Was the Best Night of Baseball Ever, and We Have Dan Shaughnessy to Thank (w/ VIDEO)

Well, they say that if you're playing in a game that matters on the final game of the season, that's all you can hope for. The Astros were playing in a game that mattered last night; unfortunately, it mattered only for the opposition. For the Astros, last night's two-hit shutout was the final kick ... More >>

O'Death: "Bugs" Challenges Nick Cave For Most Disturbing Video

​And loses, but keep in mind that Nick Cave, whose latest incarnation Grinderman is responsible for "Heathen Child", has never really said for certain whether or not he is in fact a demon toying with our souls until he consumes them. So no, O'Death doesn't beat the creepiest man in rock and ro ... More >>

Donna Crites: Probation for Mom Who Gave 200 Jell-O Shots to Teens

Donna Crites: Jello shots for the kids.​Mom of the year candidate Donna Crites, of the town of Hutto just north of Austin, was sentenced to three years probation on Thursday after pleading guilty last month to five counts of providing alcohol to a minor. One of those minors later crashed her c ... More >>

Last Night: Selena Gomez At RodeoHouston

Photos by Groovehouse​Selena Gomez Reliant Stadium March 6, 2011 Teen-pop star Selena Gomez showed off a new, deeper register during her kid-friendly Sunday night set at RodeoHouston. It's easy to forget that these kids can age just like everyone else, even as they make us feel old. Since her ... More >>

Live From The Austin City Limits Festival, Day 3

Marco TorresTrombone Shorty​Craig Hlavaty: News coming out of the media tent: Don Henley of the Eagles had a stent put in his heart this past week. He will be singing and possibly playing guitar, but not exerting himself on drums. This could very well be the last Eagles show for a while - if e ... More >>

Banned Books: HISD Goes From Worst To First

Denene Miller's Hotlanta: Banned in Cy-Fair​Banned Books Week begins Saturday, and the ACLU of Texas has put out its annual report on censorship in the state's schools.One highlight: "[W]e were pleased to see that Houston ISD, the largest school district in the state and the one with the most chal ... More >>

Shove This J-O-B: A Mixtape For The Unintentionally Unemployed

​In the wake of last week's announcement that the number of unemployed Americans filing for unemployment insurance has hit its highest level in nine months, Rocks Off figured it was time for a "fuck insolvency" mixtape. This isn't hyperbole on our part; as we type this, we're well into our sec ... More >>

Face It, Fans: MLS Is A Minor League

What's that "M" stand for again?​I don't read Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle often. I think of him as a kind of minor league Richard Justice. But I couldn't resist reading him the other day when he did one of my favorite things, piss off soccer fans. Last week, apparently, he made the mis ... More >>

Dear Ed Wade: What Took So Long?

It's fun to watch the Astros again​Dear Ed Wade,I'm really wondering if you can yet provide me with a legitimate answer for why you kept Chris Johnson stuck down in Round Rock for so long this season?Yes, his defense has been as bad as advertised, but it's really been no worse than the defense of ... More >>

Astro Roster Changes Finally Come, As Reality Sets In

The youth movement begins....​Maybe it was getting swept by the Texas Rangers, or maybe it was losing two of three games to the Kansas City Royals.Maybe it's that the Houston Astros are 2-8 for their last 10 games, or that through 70 games they are one of the worst teams in baseball with a r ... More >>

Chris Johnson: Time To Move Him Up From Round Rock

A mistke...admit it. ADMIT IT​Before I go further, I first want to congratulate Houston Astros GM Ed Wade for ignoring Pat Burrell.Burrell was recently released by the Tampa Bay Rays, and over the weekend he signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants. I want to congratulate Wade ... More >>

The Astros Win a Series! The Astros Win a Series!

​While sitting through the rain delay at Cougar Field on Sunday, I was following the Astros game on MLB.com and on Twitter. One thing I couldn't miss, besides the Astros losing again, were the number of tweets coming from the Astros beat writers about what was happening with Lance Berkman on h ... More >>

Houston Companies Don't Do Too Badly In Survey Of Gay-Friendly Workplaces

​The Human Rights Campaign Foundation has issued its latest rankings of how businesses treat their gay and lesbian employees, and things look a little better than last year.The report gave 305 businesses a top score of 100 this year; that's an increase from last year's 260. Eleven of the top 20 Fo ... More >>

A Musical Guide to Post-Secession Texas: "New Texas"

In the third in our continuing series on the music of the five states of Texas, we examine the fictional state of New Texas, comprising Austin and the Hill Country. See Part 1 here and Part 2 here. New Texas Capital: Austin Patron Saint: Willie Nelson ​Lesser Icons: Roky Erickson/Thirteenth Floor ... More >>

How The Hell Can You Be Optimistic About The Astros?

Photo by Aaron M. SprecherI was listening to sports talk radio yesterday -- the past couple of days actually -- and it appears that there are people out there who think the Astros still have a chance to make the playoffs. As far as I could tell, these people weren't on the Astros payroll. And I just ... More >>

Despite Sweep, All's Not Well With Astros

Photo by Aaron M. SprecherCongratulations are in store for the Houston Astros who, this weekend, got their first three-game sweep of the season by beating up the moribund San Diego Padres. Of course, the Astros didn't have to face Padres ace Jake Peavy in this series, and they struggled in all three ... More >>

Got Live If You Want It

Our Spring/Summer concert preview, part deux

Astros, Reds Ramp Up Epic Battle for Fifth in NL Central

Round Rock Express Reach Out, Touch Fans

Astros-Pirates: And to Think, We’re Just Barely Past the Halfway Mark

Astros-Cubs: Two Wins, One Loss, and a Few Roster Changes

Astros-Dodgers: Carlos Lee Homers, Houston Loses 4-1

Astros-Rays: Houston Falls Into and Then Crawls Out of Last Place

Astros-Pirates: Time to Bench Carlos Lee and Miguel Tejada?

Astros-Cardinals: Tied for Second Place

Astros-Diamondbacks: Good Hitting, Bad Pitching, Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Astros-Reds: That’s Five in a Row

Chuck Rosenthal, Nan Goldin and Soulja Boy

Jose de Jesus Ortiz Is a Turkey

John Royal's Astros Recap. In Song.

Drenched In Blog: ACL Fest in Photos

Seriously, How Is It Not Phil Garner's Fault?

Rockie Road

Astros Report Card

Astros Update

The Cellar

A Minor Suggestion

On Their Backs

Sugar Land spreads its legs

Case Closed

Wal-Mart finds the ultimate bargain: beating a family's $20 million verdict

Sumo Cum Laude

With their 21-foot loincloths, two big guys belly up to an ancient Eastern sport

Letters

Mono-Poly Wars, Donald's Demise, Holy Hypocrisy

Getting to the Show

Minor leaguers toil away, hoping for a shot at the majors. One of them, Round Rock's Jason Green, got a call from the Astros, giving him a chance to live the dream. Others labor on.

Striking Out

Reid Ryan embarked on a new career as a team owner facing one big obstacle: voter approval of a new stadium. Then he called in a campaigner with the perfect pitch: a father named Nolan.

Night & Day

July 30 - August 5, 1998