Solomon Burke

Houston Scores Big-Time In Latest Edition Of Encyclopedia Of Country Music: Part 5

While Houston played a huge part in the early history of country music, by the end of the 1950s a new breed of artist was coming on the scene. Western Swing, for all purposes, was a relic, and although honky-tonk was still a force in the charts and on radio, its share of the pie was waning. The arr ... 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 >>

Blind Boys of Alabama

Soul Power

Still sportsmen after all these years, Huey Lewis & the News settle into some of their favorite Stax grooves.

Ana Popovic

Top 10 Healing Songs, From One Who Knows

Chris Nelson/FacebookClint Broussard in his natural habitat.​Rocks Off was happy to run into our friend and Blues In Hi-Fi DJ Clint Broussard the other day at Leon's Lounge (where else?). We were a little surprised too, because it was the first time we'd seen him with two shoes on in months. ... More >>

Hippie Hour Scene: Last Concert Cafe

Knock, knock.​The Place: Last Concert Café 1403 Nance 713-226-8563 The Deals: $2 draft beers, $3 margaritas The Hours: 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Mondays The Scene: This Monday, Houston's (alleged) longest happy featured one kind of draft beer (Shiner, ran out about 10:30 p.m.) and some mix-heavy ma ... More >>

The Woodlands, Arcade Fire Win Album Of The Year Grammy

city-data.com​ Congratulations to The Woodlands, that emotionally icy burb up I-45, for helping Arcade Fire when this year's Album Of The Year Grammy at Sunday night's awards show for their sprawling The Suburbs LP. The band, led by former Woodlands residents Win and William Butler, won over a hi ... More >>

Man on a Mission

There's more to singer-songwriter Amos Lee than just his pitch-perfect voice.

R.I.P.: Notable Passings Of 2010

​Editor's Pick: Dio, man. Neph Basedow: 2010 commenced on a sad note with the passing of Memphis garage rocker Jay Reatard (aka Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.). I'd seen him play a tiny show at Chicago's Empty Bottle in 2008 and still consider it one of the best shows I've ever seen. It was definitive ... More >>

Mickey Newbury: Houston's Forgotten Genius

"Hank Williams' pain songs, Newbury's train songs/ And 'Blue Eyes Cryin' In the Rain' - Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings, "Luckenbach, Texas" ​Lonesome, Onry and Mean was sitting around having a few cold pops the other night when we put on The Best of Mickey Newbury. It wasn't long before the ... More >>

ACL Day 3 Recap: Eagles, Norah Jones, Wayne Coyne's Diet

Ed. Note: Updated at 1:42 p.m. to include information on Don Henley's medical condition we received from Eagles manager Irving Azoff. Photos by Marco Torres​It's just a few hours after the Eagles left the stage at this year's Austin City Limits Festival, closing out the weekend. Rocks Off mad ... More >>

A Case of the Vapours

Islands' Nick Thorburn tries to keep track of his bandmates and their aliases.

R&B Legend Ivory Joe Hunter To Get State Historical Marker

​Rocks Off's predecessor John Nova Lomax, who normally reports on much more sordid goings-on in East Texas, tipped us off to a story in today's Beaumont Enterprise that reports late Texas R&B legend Ivory Joe Hunter will have an official Texas State Historical Marker erected at his gravesite n ... More >>

Aftermath: Annise Parker's Freezing Inaugural Concert at Discovery Green

Photos by GroovehouseRoy Head (center) and the Allen Oldies Band's Allen Hill (left) and Jim Henkel​ Annise Parker​The best-laid plans of mice, men and even mayors sometimes go awry. Annise Parker declined a big-ticket inaugural celebration in favor of a free concert on Discovery Green, a genuin ... More >>

Step Right Up: The favorite Tom Waits songs of tons of local and national music figures

Bettye LaVette's an old soul, through and through

Last Night: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Toyota Center

R.I.P. Pimp C

Remembering a Down South Legend

Download: Pimp C, 1973-2007

'Bout Time

Give it up for soul survivor Bettye LaVette

Neil Diamond; Bobby Bare

12 Songs; The Moon Was Blue

Teenage Wasteland

Two artists ask how boys become men in a videocracy

Black Gold

A gusher lay beneath the surface, but you had to drill deep

Songbird Silenced

Pioneering singer/songwriter and native Houstonian Mickey Newbury passes away

Wizard of Boz

Boz Scaggs evolves along with his beloved R&B

Sumpin' Filthy

Local punker/chef Filthy McNasty is the Ginuwine article

Soul Survivor

Four decades after his first record, Solomon Burke is still in the studio -- and still in God's arms