Southern California

RIP Jeff Hanneman: Slayer at Verizon Theater In September 2010

Ed. Note: Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman, a founding member of the band, passed away Thursday in Southern California due to liver failure, according to Rolling Stone. Hanneman, 49, had contracted the flesh-eating disease necrotizing fasciitis, which doctors believed was the result of a spider bite, ... More >>

The Worst of Coachella, Weekend One

Ed. Note: Can't have a Best of Coachella without a worst, right? Thanks to our (tired) Southern California friends at West Coast Sound and Heard Mentality. The Daft Punk Fake-Out Friday and Saturday, all anyone could talk about was if Daft Punk was going to show up during Phoenix's set. Why? Becaus ... More >>

The Ramen Experiments at Soma

I love ramen. Like the ubiquitous pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) you find all over Houston, to me, ramen is comfort in a bowl of noodles. Hearty, filling and affordable, if done well it's one of those dishes that you'll come back to time and again. It's one of those dishes I crave. Regularly. Wh ... More >>

Fraudulent Fish: 50 Percent of Seafood Sold in Texas Mislabeled, New Oceana Study Reports

Think that tai sushi you're eating is red snapper? It's far more likely to be tilapia, says Oceana, a Washington D.C.-based ocean conservancy organization. This isn't a new concern, of course. Former Houston Press food critic Robb Walsh wrote a scathing expose of the issue back in 2001, "Fish Fraud, ... More >>

Capsule Art Reviews: "Claes Oldenburg: Strange Eggs," "Common Objects," "Ewan Gibbs: Arlington National Cemetery," "Maggie Taylor: No Ordinary Days,"

Texas Blues Hero Jimmie Vaughan Recovering After Heart Attack

Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, a founding member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and one of the nation's leading solo blues artists, has been discharged from a California hospital after being treated for a heart attack, according to a statement from his management Thursday morning. Gretchen Barber, Executi ... More >>

Coachella 2013 Takes It Back to the '90s

Coachella, the Only Music Festival That Matters (or so we're told), announced its 2013 lineup late Thursday night, no holograms or Rolling Stones included. Instead, two beloved '90s UK acts whose popularity in the U.S. is spotty at best, Blur and the Stone Roses, headline the first night of the tw ... More >>

Chamber of Commerce Weather on Tap All Week Long

If you ever wanted to invite a cranky, annoying relative who thinks Houston is a hellhole to town, this would be the week to do it. It would be particularly awesome if that person wasn't from San Diego, because, well, it's time for some Southern California weather up in here. In case you were out o ... More >>

Last Night: The Adolescents & Youth Brigade at Fitzgerald's

The Adolescents, Youth Brigade, The American Heist Fitzgerald's December 30, 2012 To end 2012 on a note of anti-apocalypse, in which the forces of vitality outmaneuver destruction and oblivion, Willow Villarreal of Hatetank Productions -- who has survived through the thick and thin of a fickle Hous ... More >>

The 10 Most Overplayed Songs at Mexican Weddings, Texas Edition

Earlier this month, Rocks Off contributor and all-around nice guy Jeff Balke enlightened us with this little list of songs that are standard operating procedure at weddings. But as much as I love "Twist & Shout" and "YMCA," in my very Mexican experience, those songs were not what I was used to heari ... More >>

The 5 Best Shows In Houston This Week: November 5-8

Deerhoof Walters, November 5 San Francisco's Deerhoof is the kind of band that will either drive you crazy or capture your heart, probably both at the same time. Greg Saulnier's crew mixes experimental racket with sharp-toothed pop smarts, becoming a favorite on the oddball circuit over the past 15 ... More >>

5 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: October 26-28

Something Wicked Sam Houston Race Park, October 27 Whether you're a dance-music fan from the days people went to "raves" or a little wetter behind the ears, Something Wicked promises to be something memorable. Megapromoter Disco Donnie and Houston's own Nightculture are hoping to bring a little Ele ... More >>

Something Wicked

Game Changer

Chris Kluwe is prying open America's last closet: major league sports.

HISD Doesn't Win Broad Prize, But Being a Runner-Up Means $150K in Senior Scholarships

Bad News/Good News: Houston ISD didn't win the prestigious Broad Prize this year honoring the country's top urban public school districts. But just by being one of the finalists, it receives $150,000 in scholarships that it can hand out to its graduating seniors. The fifth time (as a finalist) was ... More >>

Aggressive Pricing Makes Wine Go Down Easier in Houston

As a Texan transplant (by way of southern California and New York City), I have always been impressed by the Houston's across-the-board aggressive wine pricing in restaurants. A few weeks ago, when I visited Osteria Mozza, the swank Los Angeles outpost of the Bastianich empire, one of the wine buye ... More >>

Kaskade's Moment

On-the-go DJ/producer might be electronica's very own superhero.

Laughing & Rhyming: 4 Great Hip Hop/Comedy Crossovers

Fans of Childish Gambino can be split in to two groups: those who like hip hop and appreciate his wordplay, and those who use the phrase "I don't normally like hip-hop but..." before admitting that they just happen to like the guy from Community a lot. That he's a strong enough on the mike to gain t ... More >>

The Apocalypse Drag

If everyone's seeing Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, you might want to be left behind.

''Common Objects''

Thrice

Pedestrian Deposit

Pedestrian Deposit

iFest: Top 5 Argentine-American Musicians

The Houston International Festival enters its second weekend tomorrow, with featured musical acts WAR, Joe Louis Walker, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Texas Tornados, Del Castillo, Steel Pulse and lots more. Although iFest's performers come from all over the world, all around the main stages will be the sig ... More >>

Why Do Mexicans Paint Murals on Lowriders?

[¡Ask a Mexican!!] And why do they love scratch-off Lotto tickets?

Bonna-What?: How 7 U.S. Music Festivals Got Their Names

This whole week, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, featuring the Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, Pulp, At the Drive-In, the Shins, AVICII, David Guetta and maybe one or two others, will be all anyone who follows music these days will be talking about. Then early next week, it' ... More >>

Kaylan Goodman: Houston Area Family Looking For Woman Who Disappeared With a Magazine Sales Crew

An Update to our Update: Kaylan is back in Bay City with her family. UPDATE: Goodman was located late Wednesday night by Fairmont City, Illinois, police, according to the Kingfisher Police Department. "We have verified her well being" through a phone conversation, the department stated. We hope to ... More >>

Last Night: Agent Orange At Warehouse Live

Agent Orange, The American Heist Warehouse Live February 21, 2012 In retrospect, Mardi Gras might not have been the best night for venerable surf-punk outfit Agent Orange to kick of their 2012 tour. The crowd in the Warehouse Live studio was sparse, and Rocks Off would like to tell ourselves other, ... More >>

Proper Pronunciation and UT Fans

Animal House

Oh, don't be such a cynic. Matt Damon needs your love in We Bought a Zoo.

Natalie Wood Pictures 30 Years After Her Tragic Death: 10 Plus 1

It was 30 years ago today that Natalie Wood's corpse was found floating off the coast of Southern California's Catalina Island. The 43-year old star of films such as West Side Story, Rebel Without a Cause, The Searchers, Sex and the Single Girl and many other classics had been aboard the Splendour, ... More >>

Manischewitz, a Kiddush Cup Full of Memories

It had been years since I'd tasted Manischewitz Concord Grape Wine: Last week, at my cousins's Rosh Hashanah celebration, we passed around a kiddush cup of Manischewitz and said the traditional blessing as we welcomed the Jewish New Year. When we sat down for our luncheon of Russian-style braised b ... More >>

Friday Night: Incubus At The Woodlands

Photos by Groovehouse​Incubus Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion September 30, 2011 Aftermath's dirty little theory is that Incubus is probably one of the most critically underrated modern-rock bands of the past decade. Or, they are justly compartmentalized as a blustery Southern California grou ... More >>

Why Do Mexican Business Owners Hire People Dressed as Shrek to Advertise Their Business?

And why do Mexicans Want to Redistrict Political Boundaries in their Favor?

Odd Pair: What Wine Do You Serve with Doritos?

​When asked what factors had shaped his palate and his wine collection when he first began collecting fine wine, rockstar (literally, not just figuratively) and winemaker Maynard James Keenan answered: "Mountain Dew and Doritos. Like most American kids, that's what I grew up on." This was a fe ... More >>

The Modular Trailer v. Guest Chef: Throwing It Down at Grand Prize Bar

Photos by Mai PhamKim Chi Wings by Team Les Sauvages' Chef Justin Basye. Six wings for $6, or 12 wings for $10​Despite the growing number of "gourmet"-type food trucks in Houston, the fact that I follow most of them on Twitter, and the many crave-worthy Facebook posts by friends, I haven't rea ... More >>

Odd Pair: Fish and Red Wine

​Whenever I am faced with a conundrum like the age-old question of whether or not it is imperative to pair white wine exclusively with fish, I look to antiquity. Indeed, in more cases than not, the ancients were much wiser and more well informed than we are. And as I pore over (excuse the p ... More >>

Dynamo's Disappointing Tie Has Coach Happy?

Courtesy of Houston Dynamo​The Houston Dynamo finished their game Saturday night at Robertson Stadium the same way they started it -- by giving up a goal. The New York Red Bulls were able to sneak one in 39 seconds into the match. Then in the 90th minute, a corner kick spelled doomed for the O ... More >>

Art from the Arctic

The Menil Collection presents ancient objects in a spectacular all-white display.

TSOL

TSOL

How Do Mexicans Propose Marriage?

And we finally stop insulting Guatemalans!

Don't Feel Turbulence

Kim Lenz & Her Jaguars

Agent Orange

Absolutely Fabuloco

East L.A.'s Los Fabulocos have big zapatos to fill — and are up to the challenge.

Strike a Pose

Tom Ford's A Single Man: It's better to look good than to be good.

Sounds of the Universe

Synth-pop icons Depeche Mode do read their reviews.

Immigration... and What's In A Name