Taylor Swift

Tanya Tucker

15 Things Rocks Off Learned Watching The ACM Awards

Sunday nights, I usually like to watch The Amazing Race after 60 Minutes. I don't usually watch much reality television at all, but something about the combination of total incompetence, vicious backstabbing and exotic locales as several, two-person teams race around the globe is completely intoxica ... More >>

A Very Special Message: The 10 Best Rock-Star Public Service Announcements

Ever since the Ad Council introduced the "Rosie the Riveter" poster, public service announcements have either warned us of the dangers of such risky behaviors as having unsafe sex, as well as reasons you should vote, or even to spay and neuter your pets. As rock and roll became more popular, artists ... More >>

Sugarland Says It Will Play New BBVA Compass Stadium

Updated with comments from BBVA Compass Stadium Director of Marketing, PR & Booking Gina Rotolo -- 12:24 p.m. Pop-country duo Sugarland will be playing the Houston Dynamo's new stadium, BBVA Compass Stadium, the band announced in a set of tour dates on its Web site. The show, scheduled for Aug. 26, ... More >>

Madonna Announces Second Houston Show October 25 At Toyota Center

Due to overwhelming demand, pop megalith Madonna has now added a second Houston date to her busy schedule in October, after her October 24th Toyota Center show sold out within days of going on sale. Madonna will stay in town for an October 25th encore appearance. So far it looks like she has been ... More >>

The Beats Go On As Grammys Take Care Of Their Own

Hands up, everyone who is surprised.​The Grammy Awards on CBS Sunday night could have easily turned into a wake - or worse, a funeral. After Whitney Houston's death Saturday, the mood was appropriately somber until a dance party broke out, or perhaps a coming-out party for dance music. Foreve ... More >>

On the Rocks: Cocktails Named After Musicians for New Year's Eve

Have a G.G. Allin and bring in the New Year indecently!​Everything is more exciting, sometimes even redeeming, when it has a cool name: Sexual acts, alcoholic beverages, movies, albums, etc. OK, maybe just sexual acts and drinks. Since there are thousands of sites that have the former covere ... More >>

Artist of the Week: Payton Rae Quietly Eyes Fame

Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. ​Sometimes you think and ... More >>

Last Night: Sting At Verizon Wireless Theater

Sting Verizon Wireless Theater November 17, 2011 Photos by Jason Wolter​Sting gets a lot of shit that Rocks Off has frankly never really understood. Is it the myriad social causes? The way he expected you to know who Chaucer was? The tantric sex thing? We're not going to sit here and defend a ... More >>

How Much Has Hip-Hop Affected Race Relations?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn't a national holiday, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Kyle Hubbard, Mic Skills, Snoopy, Kiotti, Chingo ... More >>

O'Death: Our Hope for a New Goth Sound

​A little while back, Rocks Off's editor hauled Gothtopia into his office and demanded that we lay out the 7 Ages of Goth, which we did to universal criticism. Some of that criticism had to do with the murky way we entered the modern era, in which we basically stated that goth as a musical mov ... More >>

Pop Rocks: A (Not Really) Canonical List Of Wardrobe Malfunctions (NSFW)

Bad idea.​The "wardrobe malfunction" is a phenomenon I confess I wasn't really aware of until Super Bowl XXXVIII. Half of us at the party were watching the actual Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake halftime show, the other half were watching the South Park (or was it Family Guy?) episode running ... More >>

Pop Rocks: What's Your [Wardrobe] Malfunction? (NSFW)

Bad idea.​The "wardrobe malfunction" is a phenomenon I confess I wasn't really aware of until Super Bowl XXXVIII. Half of us at the party were watching the actual Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake halftime show, the other half were watching the South Park (or was it Family Guy?) episode running ... More >>

Turn It On, Leave It On: MTV's 10 Best Music Series

"Henry Rollins asks Kevin Shields how much he can bench on the next 120 Minutes..."​This week marks the 30th anniversary of the beginning of MTV, that loud, hyper-colored behemoth that changed pop culture and the music industry forever, endlessly providing viewers with visual and mental stimul ... More >>

Out Today: Bon Iver's Bandwagon Bait, Weird Al Goes Gaga

Greetings From Bon Iver Land! Now, grab a rifle. It's almost dinner time.​In the next few weeks, you may be reading about the new Robert Ellis album, Photographs, so we are just giving you fair warning. It's a stunner through and through, and goes nicely with early morning traffic. Have you ev ... More >>

The Best Albums Of 2011 (So Far)

​The year isn't quite half over, but as of today, "summer" is officially here - even if the calendar needs a few weeks to catch up - and by the time summer is over, so will 2011. Or close enough. So Rocks Off asked our staff to give us their favorite two albums of the year so far, plus one out ... More >>

Top 20 Despised, Yet Wildly Popular, Bands And Musicians

Scott Stapp, lead singer of Creed (above), stops at House of Blues tonight on his current acoustic tour. More than likely you have already clicked off this blog, or at least already gone on auto-pilot to call him a fuck-ass in the comments section. We'll wait a sec for you to come back. OK, the ... More >>

Pop Rocks: By the Dumb's Early Light

Apu chose an alternate path to citizenship​There's a scene in The American President -- Aaron Sorkin's pre-West Wing exercise in wishful liberalism -- when President Shepherd (Michael Douglas) describes America as "advanced citizenship." It's a nice thought, especially in the fantastical conte ... More >>

Last Night: Grace Potter & The Nocturnals At House Of Blues

Photos by Groovehouse​Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights House of Blues February 17, 2011 For more totally tasteful pictures from Thursday, see our slideshow here. Ooh la la. Aftermath is going to be real up front here. We did not know a whole lot about Grac ... More >>

Lyrics That Make Terrible Facebook Status Updates

DTF for sure.​Ever seen a nonsensical, irrelevant Britney Spears or Drake lyric on your Facebook news feed that made you cringe? We have - about 56, and the workday isn't even over yet. Some lyrics should stay on the radio and off the Facebook circuit. Perhaps instead of simply asking, "What' ... More >>

Christina Aguilera's National Anthem: Better Than Carl Lewis', Anyway

​Today, Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are presumably on their way to Disney World, the Pittsburgh Steelers are praying Ben Roethlisberger did not do anything in the many, many strip clubs of the greater Metroplex to bring on a repeat of his season-opening four-game sus ... More >>

Ally ASL, "Mad Drummer" Discuss Internet Stardom

​Rocks Off has been lucky enough to be the first to report on two people whose viral videos propelled them into that strangest of 21st century clubs; that of internet star. The term is still used with some derision today. After all, for every Ask a Ninja there's an Afro Ninja, but we'd argue t ... More >>

Mary Sarah Ready For The World At Age 15

Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. Mary Sarah on Facebook​We ... More >>

Kanye's Best My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Lyrics

​It doesn't hit the streets, legally, until Monday, but Kanye West's long-gestating My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy leaked a few weeks back. Since then, Rocks Off has been spinning our preview copy quite a bit at the office. It's not the completely finished version about to hit stores and ... More >>

Loko Oh No

Testing the new fad drink

The Quotable Keith Richards: "I'm Happy To Be Anywhere"

​As anyone with half a brain and persistent hacking cough knows, today is a very special day. Today Little, Brown and Company publishes Life, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards' autobiography as told to/pieced together by British journalist James Fox. Life has already received a fair amo ... More >>

Five Musicians You Don't Want At Your Birthday Party

geekologie.com​Rocks Off was struck by a random thought the other day: How cool would it be if a rock star showed up at your birthday party? It could happen any number of ways. Maybe a well-connected friend calls in a few favors. Maybe your party is in the same hotel where they're staying. Ma ... More >>

Rap's Top 10 Heroes Of 2010 So Far, Part 1

The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducinglisto ... More >>

The Seven Worst Back To School Soundtracks

Sorry Kanye, Twitter is over capacity.​Going back to school sucks, and Rocks Off feels the pain of students far and wide. We've got another two semesters left before we graduate from college and get to move out of our parents' house. Yay! In the meantime, there are a few songs/albums/artists ... More >>

No Lady Gaga: Celebrities We Wish Had Sex Dolls Made Of Them

He's no Johnny Depp​Yesterday on the Rocks Off blog we unveiled the Lady Gaga sex doll, Lady Gag Gag. Comments were mixed on the doll, ranging from utter confusion and strange attraction from both sexes. One commenter claimed that the model on the box was even more attractive than the real G ... More >>

Hanson, Boys Like Girls Top Bamboozle's Pop-Punk Marathon

Photos by Matthew KeeverHanson signs autographs after the "Mmmbop" boys' Bamboozle set.​ As Aftermath made our way into Verizon Wireless for Bamboozle 2010 Friday night, we were greeted by Cady Groves' voice coupled with melodic guitar and salsa shakers. We knew Good Charlotte, Cartel, All Time Lo ... More >>

Pedicab Drivers Pedal The Lawless Downtown Frontier

Photos by Brittanie Shey Space City Bike Cabs has the largest fleet of pedicabs in the Houston area.​Pedicab driving is a job for shisters. That much became clear to Rocks Off after just a 10-minute conversation with a driver. And during our two-hour ride along with Houston bike cabs workin ... More >>

Taylor Swift, Slapping Away Romantic Defeat At Toyota Center

[Ed. Note: We sent two reviewers to Taylor Swift Tuesday and flipped a coin to determine which to publish first. The next one will be up at 10:30 a.m. Boys.] Photos by Marco Torres​ It's not easy being a teen girl... Aftermath presumes. You are engaged in what feels like romantic combat with male ... More >>

Taylor Swift: Goth Icon In The Making

​ As the summer and its hateful amount of sunlight begins to creep towards us like some kind of humid, rat-borne plague, Gothtopia has been a bit hard-pressed to find spooky news to bring Houston. But today we have an emerging Goth icon whose presence MUST be discussed before she blows through tow ... More >>

Yeasayer

​ As the summer and its hateful amount of sunlight begins to creep towards us like some kind of humid, rat-borne plague, Gothtopia has been a bit hard-pressed to find spooky news to bring Houston. But today we have an emerging Goth icon whose presence MUST be discussed before she blows through tow ... More >>

Chatter: Long Ball

Ex-ballplayer and busker George Thorogood: Now playing in a kid's movie near you.

Rocks Off Exclusive: Things Beyonce Will Be Doing on Her Break from Music

​ On top of everything else this week, sadly the news has come out that our beloved Beyonce is taking a break from music. Just when we need her the most, right? We miss B and Ms. Fierce already, and we're already speculating what she might get up to while taking her sabbatical away from the public ... More >>

9 Musicians Tiger Woods Should Have Cheated With Instead of the Women He Did

Lily Allen: "Here, kitty, kitty..."​When initial word of millionaire golfer Tiger Woods' car accident in front of his home hit the news wires and Twitter the morning of November 27, the world waited with bated breath. None of us quite knew what his condition was or how extensive his injuries were. ... More >>

The Red Nation Manifesto, Honored Mostly In The Breach

Photos by Monica Fuentes​The Houston Rockets hosted a party last night at Hotel Icon to celebrate the team's new Red Nation marketing campaign. Other than "alternative jerseys" for this year, the team -- as part of the campaign -- has developed a Bill of Red, "a document passed down from high and ... More >>

It's Brodeo Time! RodeoHouston Announces Jonas Brothers, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Brooks & Dunn for 2010

Daniel KramerThe Jonas Brothers at RodeoHouston 2009​ Monday morning, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced the first four entertainers next March's musical entertainment at Reliant Stadium. Jonas Brothers, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, and Brooks & Dunn have all been tapped to perform at ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Artesian Springs

Photos by Brittanie Shey​The first thing you need to know about Artesian Springs Resort is that there is nothing resort-like about it. Nestled way in the middle of bumblefuck Egypt, ten minutes from the closest concrete road, and just a few miles west of the Louisiana border, the privately-own ... More >>

The Katy Perry Experiment

Can listening to the pop starlet's sugary tunes really make your head explode?

Hell on Earth

Long Island hardcore quartet This Is Hell thrashes till the sun goes down.

Cattle Decapitation

The proud vegans in this San Diego grindcore outfit welcome you to The Harvest Floor.

Creep Show

O Pioneers!!! turns growing up into unrelenting punk rock.

Crash Into Me: Predicting the Economy's Impact on the Music Biz

GWAR more important than you might expect.

Don't Ever Count Britney Out — Just Like These Others.

Back in Black

Digitalia: iTunes' Top Holiday Songs

The holiday season is a time to enjoy favorite pastimes like expanding your credit-card debt, eating way too much food, and arguing with your relatives. And of course, there's the best staple of them all: butchering holiday jingles. Never finding a song they didn't want to shill, iTunes offers an e ... More >>

Turkey Trot

Artists choose the songs that rocked their 2008 worlds

Music's Ickiest of the Icky, Circa 2008

Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)