Sonic Youth

Rock's Best Fiction Novelists and Poets

We writers are a masturbatory bunch, if you don't mind me saying so. We love to talk about our own work, the works of others, and generally just get into a huge hubbub over the art of the written word. So I don't think it should come as any surprise that some of our favorite musicians are also accla ... More >>

5 Bands Who Pioneered Modern Indie-Rock... Besides the Smiths

Legendary guitarist Johnny Marr is set to release his first ever solo record next month after years of being a sideman for other bands, some rather important. In anticipation, he's had some choice words to say that one would have expected more from his less level-headed ex-Smiths compatriot Morrisse ... More >>

Jane's Addiction & Other Big 1987 Debut Albums

Tonight Jane's Addiction comes to the Bayou Music Center, touring behind last year's The Great Escape Artist, only their fourth studio album in their nearly 27 years as a band. A few weeks back Rocks Off talked to lead singer and Lollapalooza honcho Perry Farrell about the band's future and what cou ... More >>

Sex and Spacemen: The Weirdest Christmas Songs We Could Find

Photo illustration by John Seaborn GrayI want to believe.​Just the other day, Rocks Off sat at the computer, blank-faced and still, the cursor blinking uninterrupted. See, normally at this time of year, we come up with a list of depressing Christmas songs. This year, though, there was a proble ... More >>

French Onion Soup & Deathbugs: Our Nine Musical Turkeys Of 2011

Danzig Shame on us for thinking that a Danzig show would go off without a hitch, and infinite shame on Glenn Danzig for the debacle that was his "appearance" at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin. We will never look at French onion soup ever again without bellowing "Mother". Lulu We're not mad at Metall ... More >>

The 11 Best Female Rock Bassists of All Time

seanyseult.com​While there are and have been so many notable women in rock-and-roll, and we'd like to honor them all, we've chosen the specific starting point of recognizing rock's best female bassists. As a bassist, I looked up to nearly each and every one of these women as I learned the bass ... More >>

The Best Summer Movie Soundtracks Of The '90s

This movie is old enough to drive.​Summer is officially here, even though it's been ball-dripping sweaty since at least early May. This is also about the time that we are already steeped in big-budget Hollywood summer would-be blockbusters, the kind of movies that have fast-food promotions and ... More >>

The 25 Most Influential Music Videos Of All Time

​It's hard to fathom a time before music videos, and it's even sadder to remember when channels like MTV and VH1 were wall-to-wall music videos. In between there was a golden age, when with every clip that you watched could spark a revolution in you, or at least change your fashion sense. It's ... More >>

ACL Day 1 Recap: Sonic Youth, Spoon, The Strokes, Nice People...

Brittanie SheySonic Youth​ For lots more pictures from Friday, see our slideshow here. Rocks Off wonders what kind of guitar budget Sonic Youth has. They aren't very gentle with their instruments. This occurred to us as we were standing a few feet from the large screens projecting their exte ... More >>

FAIL: Gene Simmons, Steve Albini, INXS, Danzig (Not)

Photo illustrations by John Seaborn Gray​Gene Simmons Is Donald Trump In Makeup: Fails has never been a big KISS fan, but we can't imagine watching Gene Simmons' behavior makes being one any easier. If you're a die-hard KISS fan, watching his douchey whoring and cutthroat CEO tactics must be d ... More >>

Austin City Limits Festival Releases Preshow, Aftershow Lineups

​This morning C3 Concerts, the folks behind the Austin City Limits Music Festival, announced the schedule for the pre- and after-show gigs surrounding the festival. As with this past March's SXSW, those without official credentials aren't totally being shut out of the fun. Starting Wednesday ... More >>

Top 5 Animated Album Covers

Animate!​The farther down the Tumblr rabbit hole Rocks Off goes, the more and more we find that it's chockfull of musical amazing. This link gives you a good run down of sites to get you started, with every site leading you to a whole plethora of others that will suit your proverbial fancy. The th ... More >>

2010 ACL Line-Up Goes Live And (Early) By Surprise

The line-up for the 2010 Austin City Limits Music Festival went live at the fest's website at midnight this morning while the rest of the world was snoozing. Luckily we are up and stirring to bring it to you. No Pavement and no Soundgarden, but we do have the Strokes down. More commentary coming in ... More >>

"Rap Song Or Murder Ballad" Revealed

​ Rocks Off is really enjoying these little quizzes we've concocted, because it gives us a chance to revisit some of our favorite rap tunes and bask in the comforting knowledge that, whatever their time, place and circumstance of origin, songs about killing are pretty much all the same. We only wi ... More >>

Awesome Color

SXSW Aftermath: A Night Of Ecstatic Peace, White Mice And Courtney Love Singing The Blues

Photos by Craig HlavatyBlack Helicopter​Rocks Off Jr.'s fourth night of SXSW frolicking starting off groggily as we woke from a well-needed nap after what has seemed like a month now pounding the pavements of Austin, seeking out new music from club to club like soldiers kicking in doors in Iraq lo ... More >>

On the List: Jonx Drummer Danny Mee's 11 Favorite Female Vocalists

​The other day, Houston Press Night & Day editor Olivia Flores Alvarez - whom we're so glad is feeling better and back at work again - handed Rocks Off Lisa Nola's new book called Music Listography: Your Life In (Play)Lists, and the wheels started turning like "Proud Mary." Because we're not q ... More >>

Fur Sure

Midtown's casually hip The Mink rededicates itself to live music.

Single-Album Sets We'd Like to See, Part 1: Bob Dylan, George Strait, The Pogues and More

Initiated by indie-rockers like Sonic Youth, Slint and Built to Spill at mid-2000s festivals - UK/U.S. hopover All Tomorrow's Parties and its various tie-ins being the most prominent - playing a beloved LP front to back in concert is now the hottest thing going on the classic-rock circuit. Within th ... More >>

Friday Night Noise: Caddywhompus and Alarmcock

Caddywhompus, "Fun Times at Whiskey Bay": If nothing else, this Houston/New Orleans noise-pop unit is a prime contender/offender for an international "worst name imaginable" contest. Singer/percussionist Sean Hart and singer/guitarist/keyboard player Chris Rehm are certainly more plugged-in than the ... More >>

Local Motion: Top Sellers at Area Record Stores

Cactus Music 2110 Portsmouth, 713-526-9272 www.myspace.com/cactusmv1. Springfield Riots, Say When EP 2. Todd Snider, The Excitement Plan 3. Jubal Lee Young, Last Free Place in America 4. Sonic Youth, The Eternal 5. Steve Earle, Townes 6. Elvis Costel ... More >>

Local Motion: Top Sellers at Cactus Music, Sound Exchange, Soundwaves, Sig's Lagoon and Vinal Edge

Cactus Music 2110 Portsmouth, 713-526-9272 www.myspace.com/cactusmv1. Ryan Bingham, Roadhouse Sun 2. Dave Matthews Band, Big Whiskey & the Groo-Grux King 3. Steve Earle, Townes 4. Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest 5. Elvis Costello, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane 6. Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood, Live at Madiso ... More >>

Aftermath: Cake at Verizon Wireless Theater

Photos by Craig HlavatyCake has never sounded like anyone else, and no one that came after has ever come close to sounding like the Sacramento band either. It's not like Nirvana or Green Day, with 1,000 copycat bands immediately coming out of the proverbial woodwork to shove out their own shingle. E ... More >>

Retro Active: Remembering the Speed Trials Album

So, just in time for its 20th anniversary, the Beastie Boys' landmark Paul's Boutique album is gonna be reissued in a deluxe, remastered edition. As we all know, the album is masterpiece of sampling technique, unencumbered by the prospect of litigation and emboldened by a true sense of sonic adven ... More >>

Guitars, The Born Liars, Lazy Horse

A local foursome drones out the sounds of Sleater-Kinney and Sonic Youth

Tonight: Deerhoof at Numbers

Tonight: Awesome Color at the Mink

Indian Jewelry: Free Gold

The Cribs: Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever

Drenched in Blog: Juno Hits No. 1

Open House at the Chinati Foundation

An art world mecca -- and a small town

Drenched In Blog: Sonic Youth’s Surprise Bassist

Drenched In Blog: 99 Problems.....

Sonic Youth <3s Black Leather Jesus

The Riff Tiffs

Local rockers leaving Houston behind for college

Parts & Labor, with Sharks and Sailors

Wednesday, July 11, at the Proletariat, 903 Richmond, 713-523-1199.

Parts and Labor

Parts and Labor appear Saturday, December 2, at The Proletariat, 903 Richmond, 713-523-1199. Skullening and UME also appear.

Rock and Roll and Rather Exhilarating

The best band in the universe does its Brecht thing with hooks

The Duke Spirit

Saturday, May 27, at Verizon Wireless Theater, 520 Texas, 713-230-1600

Ume, with the Kants and Firebird

Wednesday, May 25, at the Proletariat, 903 Richmond, 713-523-1199.

Take the Skinheads Bowling All Over Again

Camper Van Beethoven hates this part of Texas. Just kidding, maybe...

Best Unsigned Band

Deep in the Bleeding Heart

Sonic Youth returns to the scene of one of its weirdest gigs ever

Rotation

A Fine and Funky Odor

Rotation

Puke Sick

Thoughts of Sonic Youth, kid's shows and animal testing with sick body and warped mind

Rotation

Noise Doctors

Live Shots