Stone Temple Pilots

The 5 Most Important Years In Goth Music: 1994

Over the course of the week Rocks Off will be looking at the biggest years for goth music and exactly what they meant for the genre. 1994 was a good year for a new kind of goth. Previously, for the most part the men had been sensitive artists, and even the ones who could be pretty brutal -- such as ... More >>

HPMA 2012 Showcase

One night. 11 venues. 55 minutes.

A Smiling/Grimacing Scott Weiland Takes You To His "Winter Wonderland"

Scott Weiland is just a patsy...​A few weeks back I applauded Scott Weiland's Christmas album, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, for it's charming weirdness. It had his signature raspy Stone Temple Pilots baritone, a modern Bing Crosby vibe, and just the right amount of creep to at least wa ... More >>

Happy Birthday Don Was: His Five Best Production Jobs

Vicky Sapp​Nerds like us - you have to be a music nerd if you're reading a blog on Don Was - have favorite producers, like some sports guys have favorite coaches. Sometimes we listen to an album just because someone we like produced it, or it somehow gives it us extra cred even if we may not l ... More >>

Solo Albums: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

​Tomorrow night, former Audioslave lead singer and (thankfully) current Soundgarden member Chris Cornell will be at House of Blues for a long-sold-out acoustic show. Recent set lists have included a number of Temple of the Dog songs, some solo work, the usual 'Garden and 'Slave tracks, plus a ... More >>

Screeching Weasel & Other Notable Onstage Flameouts

Marc BrubakerScreeching Weasel in happier times: Warehouse Live, August 2010​In the wake of lead singer Ben Weasel's bust-up with some female fans at Screeching Weasel's SXSW showcase last week at Austin's Scoot Inn, the other members of the band have agreed to go their separate ways, splinter ... More >>

Top 10 Worst Top 10 Lists Of 2010

​Now that's a headline, ladies and germs. It has the added benefit of being succinct as well. That's exactly what we're summing up here, the worst Top 10 lists our peers have written this year. Let's get started, as we've got a lot of ground to cover. 10. This One Not really, this is just t ... More >>

Dear Santa: Christmas Wishes For Houston's Music Scene

Rocks Off has been a very, very good boy this year.​Editor's Pick: Dear Santa, I would like everyone involved with music in Houston - the musicians, the press, clubowners, promoters, fans, etc. - to take themselves a little less seriously next year. I know music is some people's whole lives, a ... More >>

Saturday Night: Godsmack, Bush And Seether At Buzzfest

Photos by Austin MillerGodsmack​Buzzfest, featuring Godsmack, Bush, Seether Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion October 23, 2010 For mucho photos from Saturday's Buzzfestivities, see our slideshow here. Aftermath didn't get to Buzzfest XXV out at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion until around 6:30 ... More >>

Upcoming: D.R.I., Neon Indian, LCD Soundsystem, Texas Tornados, Etc.

​The American Heist, Hell City Kings, Blackmarket Syndicate, All At Sea: Sat., Sept. 4. Walter's on Washington. Atlanta Rhythm Section: Sun., Nov. 14. Dosey Doe Coffee Company. Best Coast: Sat., Nov. 6. Fitzgerald's. Blitzen Trapper: Tue., Oct. 12. House of Blues. Bring Me The Horizon, Au ... More >>

A "National" Tour Is Not L.A. To San Francisco Or A Few Festival Dates

Pavement? Nope, not here.​Tuesday, Rocks Off was a busy beaver keeping up with all the concert announcements coming over the wire. Along with the Fitzgerald's news, it was hard to keep up with everything going on. Interpol, Stone Temple Pilots, Drake, and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros all ... More >>

Why Is The Buzz Still So Popular?

​The only other concert in recent months to sell out at a Gaga-like pace has been the perennial Buzzfest, the semi-annual schlock-rock festival organized since 1995 by Houston's "new rock alternative," 94.5 The Buzz. The concert sells out almost every time - like it is Saturday, but you can probab ... More >>

5 Real-Life Rock-Star Stereotypes More, Well, Flaming Than Adam Lambert

​We hate to be those people, but it's true: stereotypes exist for a reason. Our theory is that stereotypes propagate themselves from the insecurities of people who believe they're "supposed" to be some kind of archetype, whether it's the toughest gangsta, the punkest punk rocker or the hick with t ... More >>

52 Pick-Up

Your guide to the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards showcase

Morrissey Taps His Never-ending Reserve of Lyrical Bons Mots

Bigmouth strikes again.

Metalocalypse: Texas Hippie Coalition

Denison-based Texas Hippie Coalition, or THC to fans, lays claim to the title "Kings of Red Dirt Metal," and will more than likely rock you the eff out. These guys feel like Pantera meets Lynyrd Skynyrd, so horns most definitely up. (Plus, the drummer goes by "Cowboy.") Lead singer Big D ... More >>

Metalocalypse: Getting to Know Scarlet Sins

[Note: this is the first entry in a partnership between Rocks Off and Houston-based metal Web site UNdergroWNd MiNdbloW. In the hot seat is all-female Toronto quartet Scarlet Sins. Enjoy.] My name is Chris, and I have a long ongoing love affair with music. Especially heavy metal, death metal, spee ... More >>

Buckcherry's Sweet Success

Drinking and drugging with crazy bitches sounds like more fun than the law will allow, but playing in a red-hot rock band is not always an all-you-can eat orgy. "I think people realize there's a lot more to this band than just fucking and partying," says Buckcherry guitarist Keith Nelson. That r ... More >>

Dave Matthews Sucks, Almost as Much as Ken Hoffman Does

John Royal's Astros Recap. In Song.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club returns to form with Baby 81

Between the Cracks

Profiling local bands

Yin and Yang

The killing of Dimebag Darrell rains on Michael Haaga's Continental Club Plus and Minus Show parade

Music Awards Survey

A rundown of every act on this year's bill

Rock You like a Hurricane

The Press Music Awards Showcase brings a category-five storm of tunes

Home from La-La Land

Tony Avitia picks up the pieces of his Broken Note

Blue Houston

The sweetest enigma

Fresh Pavement

One of the last great indie rock bands struggles to survive its success

Rotation

Spanish Rocks

Playing Dumb

Atticus Finch are smarter -- and hungrier -- than they sound

Halloween Hangover

NIN was an unexpected treat, but Hole was a sorry trick

Where's the Beef?

A humble Meat Puppet talks about why his band is so great

Jazz Reconsidered

The Marty's Over

After 13 years as a music crit, Marty Racine has finally run out of adjectives

God Listens But He don't buy records.

Perpetual celestial boys King's X give anger a chance.

On the edge in Edge City

Brad Tyer finds fun, more fun and big fun on the Richmond Strip

End Game

This is the way the year ends, this is the way the year ends, this is the way the year ends, not with a bang but a ... year-end roundup