Steely Dan

Health Department Roundup: Swagger, Kenny & Ziggy's, AKA Sushi and More

Swagger (3839 Southwest Fwy.) is a strange case. Some Yelp reviewers characterize the lounge as "hood," but it's located in Greenway, far from anything else fitting that description. (And it's good enough for Isaiah Carey). The bar's name suggests something fresh and fashionable, but Shakespeare act ... More >>

Last Night: Justice at House of Blues

Justice House of Blues October 28, 2012 "They told me if I brought out this flag they would kick me out," says a guy dressed like Hunter S. Thompson sitting next to me on the balcony last night at Justice. In his cargo pocket was a large French flag, in honor of the French electro duo who made thei ... More >>

Donald Fagen Turns In Essay/Press Release For New Album

Rewind: Last Night: Dukes of September Rhythm Revue at The Woodlands The press release that went out in advance of Donald Fagen's newest solo album, Sunken Condos, is the most exhaustive one I have ever seen in recent memory. I thought I knew the gist of Fagen's career, from his jazz beginnings, ... More >>

Last Night: Dukes of September Rhythm Revue at The Woodlands

Dukes of September Rhythm Revue Featuring Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs & Donald Fagen Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion July 17, 2012 This show could have been a punchline waiting to happen. Somebody must have thought "Dukes of September" was a more regal name for this tour than the "Superstars of So ... More >>

"Dukes of September Rhythm Revue"

Know Your Local Media: Jim Kovacik of 97.9 The Box Talks About Being White and The Atascocita Thugz

It is difficult surviving local music radio in any city, but Houston in particular. Imagine doing that when you are basically the antithesis of the stereotype most assigned to your position. Think a punk rocker working at a country station. Jim Kovacik -- Jimbo or Jimbeazy as he is known to listener ... More >>

Know Your Local Media: KUHF's Paul Pendergraft on Engines of Our Ingenuity, Talking Pigs and Steely Dan

If you pay attention to local radio, you know Paul Pendergraft, but despite his receiving numerous accolades including an Edward R. Murrow award and appearing virtually every day on the radio in Houston for over 20 years, you might miss him. Pendergraft is an affable, soft-voiced senior producer for ... More >>

Rest Of The Best: Houston's Top 8 Jukeboxes

Along with pickled pig's feet and a steady supply of Slim Jims, a good jukebox is a prime element for any great bar. But, like dinosaurs, jukeboxes are a vanishing breed. Unlike digital jukes, iPods or DJs, jukeboxes require love, care and maintenance, as well as -- among the truly great ones -- som ... More >>

Missed Opportunities: 10 Musicians Who Turned Down Big Hits

Have you ever had one of those moments where you thought to yourself, "Why did I do that?" or "Why did I turn that down?" Those kinds of moments happen to all of us. It's part of life, unfortunately. This happens all the time in the movie world, but you never seem to hear about it in the music worl ... More >>

Top 20 Throwback TV Theme Songs Part 1

​We grew up on television. Whether it was Saturday morning cartoons, afternoon re-runs, Sunday Disney and Wild Kingdom or Thursday night "must see" TV, we saw it. We noticed that on November 2, 1985, the Miami Vice soundtrack went to number one on the Billboard charts where it would stay for ... More >>

Boz Scaggs & Michael McDonald: Smoothest Of The Smooth

For fans of '70s classic rock, it was the equivalent of three comic book heroes coming together in one Super Smooth Team when Boz Scaggs, ex-Doobie Brother Michael McDonald, and Steely Dan's Donald Fagen announced last year that they would do a short tour as "The Dukes of September." The generous sh ... More >>

What Happened: 20 Lyrical Shots Of Tequila

"Tequila. Straight. There's a real polite drink. You keep drinking until you finally take one more and it just won't go down" - actor Lee Marvin (R.I.P.) ​How out of it is Rocks Off after Wednesday night's sublime Arcade Fire show? Even though we've known about it for weeks, it took us until ... More >>

Silk Degrees of Separation

Boz Scaggs turns to jazz, knows his Lightnin' Hopkins.

Mark Lanier's 2010 Desperate Christmas Party Performer: Sting

Nah, you're not invited​Mega-lawyer Mark Lanier each year throws an outrageous Christmas party, because there's nothing better to do with money than throw an opulent, look-at-me event that doesn't even serve liquor for all the dads who've had to drag their kids out to ride the rides.The event also ... More >>

Rocks Off Sets You Straight On Musical Happy Hours

​On newsstands now - or soon, depending on where in the metro area you live - you will find the Houston Press' new cover story, "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" - a guide to Jimmy Buffett's discography our city's varied, vibrant happy-hour scene, in which Rocks Off had some input. Naturally, we cover ... More >>

Houston Musicians Recall Their Own Rock and Roll High School Days

​Tonight Rocks Off is hosting the first annual Texas High School Rock Off, with local bands from area schools fighting for a grand prize of $500 and bragging rights around town. This past week we have profiled the seven bands in the running: The Paperwaits, Useful Information, The Handshake, Livin ... More >>

(Don't) Book 'Em, Dano: 42 Artists Who Have Absolutely No Business Touring Together

​ When Rocks Off received word last week that indie duo The Big Pink was embarking on a 2010 tour with NYC's A Place to Bury Strangers, our initial thought was, "Cool," followed closely by, "Ew." For once, there's a promo poster we really have no desire to see. But then our next thought was, "Coul ... More >>

Sexy Halloween Costume Challenge For the Ladies

Halloween is coming, and that means many, many costuming mistakes will be made by normally sane adults. To help stop this scourge, each Thursday we will be offering tips and analysis of what to avoid, or possibly what to do. While we don't know when or where we'll black out/get sick this Halloween, ... More >>

Five Songs For That Glorious Last Day Of School

As Alice Cooper once sang, "School's out for summer." And we've heard that song played again and again and again on the radio on the last day of school ad infinitum every year since. And I'm sure we'll here it today, somehow, someway, somewhere...And just as you can't really avoid putting "Rock Yo ... More >>

Five Songs For That Glorious Last Day Of School

As Alice Cooper once sang, "School's out for summer." And we've heard that song played again and again and again on the radio on the last day of school ad infinitum every year since. And I'm sure we'll here it today, somehow, someway, somewhere. And just as you can't really avoid putting "Rock You ... More >>

(Another) Local Album of the Week: Spain Colored Orange's Sneaky Like a Villain

Spain Colored Orange Sneaky Like a Villain www.myspace.com/spaincolouredorange Thanks to differences with Spain Colored Orange's former label Lucid Records, the songs on the local psych-pop quintet's brand-new disc Sneaky Like a Villain are already old hat to the band members. For the rest of u ... More >>

Aftermath: Clint Black at RodeoHouston

Photos courtesy Houston Livestock Show & RodeoNot only does Clint Black know how to play to the home folks - after being introduced by his daughter Lily, he said hello to Tomball, Spring, Pasadena and his hometown Katy (but where, Aftermath would like to know, was Friendswood?) upon takin ... More >>

Selecting The Proper Valentine's Day Soundtrack

A Fine Romance

Moments the Grammy Awards Would Rather Forget

Soy Bombed

A Black Friday Soundtrack

It's become a tradition. You spend two days cooking, slaving over a hot stove, sweating into the family green bean casserole, making gallons upon gallons of iced tea for assorted loved and loathed ones. But instead of taking the next day off to go comatose and let the fullness subside, what do yo ... More >>

Tonight: Michael Hardie and Milton Hopkins at Red Cat Jazz Cafe

My Guitar Hero Gently Weeps

They're not yelling "Bruce" this time. They're booing

Aftermath: Steely Dan at Verizon Wireless Theater

Slideshow: Creepy Classic Rock Lyrics

Steely Dan

Five Spot: Rock's Top Flavor Savers

Pop Numerology: How High Can You Go?

Retro Active: A Nuclear Era, But I Have No Fear

Blitzen Trapper

Quartet delivers classic Southern rock

A Guide to Being Cool

Cred Sheet

Let's Yacht Rock, Chum

The Raw Power of Really Smooth Music

Climb aboard the Yacht Rock revolution at this week's Michael McDonald/Steely Dan show

Freestyle Fellowship

Sometimes awesome live bands also make magic in the studio

Vagina Music Roundup

A scintillating survey

Esquivel

The Sights and Sounds of Esquivel!

Pinback

Sunday, May 15, at the Engine Room, 1515 Pease, 713-654-7846.

U.K. Subs

Thursday, November 6

Steely Dan

Everything Must Go (Warner Bros.)

Aden

Topsiders (Teenbeat)

De La Soul

Tuesday, July 2

Wizard of Boz

Boz Scaggs evolves along with his beloved R&B

De La Soul

Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (Tommy Boy)

Unusual Punishment

Filmmakers transform Dostoyevsky's novel into the latest suburban tragedy

Rotation

Music Reviews

Young Blood

Geno Delafose infuses zydeco with new energy