Subject: Texas

• Gun-Control Advocates Revel In Their Texas Triumph

  Photo by don schulteThe folks at the gun-control organization The Brady Center are crowing over their victory in Texas. All you gun-loving yahoos couldn't pass a bill allowing concealed weapons on college campuses, the center all but said, and nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah."Common sense is alive and well in Texas," said Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign. "State legislators in Texas agreed that places of learning don't need armed college students, and that private property owners should set the

  June 2, 2009

• Accordion Kings & Queens Festival

  June 4, 2009

• Defending the Polka: Mark Halata of Texavia

  www.halatamusic.comPolka may be a musical punchline to a lot of people, but it's no joke to others. That's why no one was laughing when the Recording Academy announced last week that it was eliminating the Best Polka Recording category starting with next year's awards. As reported in The New York Times, the Academy said, in a statement, it cut the category "to ensure the awards process remains representative of the current musical landscape." The only thing is, polka is very much a part of the c

  June 11, 2009

• Texas Traveler: Buffalo Gap

  Photo by Robb WalshBuffalo Gap is a hamlet outside of Abilene whose main claim to fame is the Perini Ranch Steakhouse. The current issue of Food Network Magazine claims that the Perini Ranch Steakhouse makes the best burger in Texas. I love the Perini Ranch and count Tom Perini among my friends. But read the menu -- it's not a burger, it's a "Hamburger Steak." It doesn't even come on a bun unless you request one. The Perini Ranch Hamburger Steak is a half pound of quality beef, ground on the p

  June 17, 2009

• Houston Airport System Won't Release Salaries....Because Of National Security Issues

  A while back we wrote about the Houston Airport System exporting its vast knowledge of running airports to countries all over the place. HAS wasn't too forthcoming about the financial aspects of it all.A couple of months later, Mayor Bill White suddenly forced out the HAS director -- at least partly because of the foreign-country stuff -- the Chronicle tried to get answers about finances and was stonewalled too.The reporters at the Texas Watchdog website have jumped into the fray, filing Open Re

  June 18, 2009

• Protect The Texas Jaguarundi!! He's Cute!!

  The Jaguarundicourtesy of blueskull611Ever heard of the jaguarundi? Neither have we. Perhaps that's because this unique type of cat that lives along the Texas border with Mexico is endangered. Perhaps it's because nobody really cares. We're guessing it's a bit of both, but that doesn't mean every animal shouldn't have some human in their corner pulling for them.WildEarth Guardian, a non-profit environmental organization, recently waged war in the form of a lawsuit in Houston federal court agains

  June 19, 2009

• The Lone Star Symphonic Band: Salute to Freedom

  June 25, 2009

• Hey, Houston!! Show Off Your Fat Ass For British TV!!

  Photo by Mykl RoventineDrangonfly Productions is a London company that makes documentaries. They are working one one now about morbid obesity.They're filming in Mexico, Europe, the South Pacific Islands, Africa....and Houston."We are looking for some of the world's heaviest families -- where more than one member of the family suffers from obesity or morbid obesity -- who are happy to spend a day or two with our English presenter and show them their way of life," the company tells usWhat could po

  June 26, 2009

• A Gulf Coast Juneteenth

  June 18, 2009

• The New Bistro Steaks and Fajitas

  June 18, 2009

• Things to Do This Weekend If You're (Almost) Broke: Happy Fourth, Houston

  If you're celebrating independence from a lot of money this Fourth of July weekend, believe us, Rocks Off feels your pain. If you can pry yourself away from the barbecue pit, here's a few other things to do that won't cost much. Friday Grrrl Parts and Dave Wrangler glam it up at Boondocks. Free. James Hyland of the South Austin Jug Band steps out for a solo date at the Continental Club with Rockabilly filly Rosie Flores. $10. Chelsea Hotel and the Ginslingers rock the suburbs at the bran

  July 3, 2009

• Stop Blasting Your Damn A/C, Texas: We May Reach A Record For Electricity Use Today

  ERCOT, the cooperative that manages the Texas power grid (And hey -- Texas is the only state with its own power grid!! When the revolution comes and New York and LA are out of power, we'll still have juice!!) is warning customers to limit their electricity use between from 3-7 p.m. today (OK, so maybe we won't have juice.)Three years ago Texas set a record for single-day electricity use with 62,339 megawatts; today may end up topping 62,000 again."The peak electricity demand could be close to 62

  July 8, 2009

• The Economist Loves Texas And Houston, Unless Those Nasty Democratic Hispanics Take Over

  Texas Republicans are buzzing over the latest issue of The Economist, the conservative British magazine that tends to get a lot of respect.It contains a special report that can be summed up in four words: "Texas good, California bad."Among the findings you might be surprised to learn, especially if you've been reading about the Houston Fire Department or HISD school board recently: There's no racism in Houston. With vibrant Asian communities alongside its balanced Hispanic, white and black mix,

  July 14, 2009

• Texas Watchdog Finds A Lucrative Revolving Door At The Houston Airport System

  When we first encountered the Houston Airport System's side-business advising various countries and cities how to build airports, we were a little baffled by it. HAS wasn't exactly forthcoming with financial information on it all, and we moved on to other things.We don't know if that insignificant item started anything, but the Chron asked some questions and the director suddenly resigned, with no one saying much about it.The website Texas Watchdog decided to take on the time-consuming job of pe

  July 14, 2009

• Children's Hilltop Festival

  July 16, 2009

• Obscure Wine Grapes: Cinsault

  Photo by Robb WalshRose de Ksara is a dry Lebanese rose made with grapes grown in the Bekaa Valley. It tasted pretty good with tabouli and olives. The wine is made with about one-third Cinsault grapes. Okay, so Cinsault isn't really all that obscure--it's the fourth most widely planted grape in France and a major varietal in Languedoc. But it is of particular interest to Texas. Cinsault thrives in hot weather, which is why the French introduced it to Lebanon, Algeria and its French colonies in A

  July 21, 2009

• Looks Like South Padre Island Will Get An Offshore Windfarm

  Photo by rasmithukt looks like South Padre Island will be home to a wind farm featuring 500-foot tall turbines off the coast.They'll be 10 miles off the coast, but that doesn't mean everyone's happy about it.Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson has signed a deal with British firm Baronyx to build the windfarm offshore on land owned by the Texas Permanent School Fund. Baronyx paid a nominal fee for use of the submerged land, but will pay a royalty to the PSF -- which benefits Texas public scho

  July 21, 2009

• "Miles and Miles of Texas: The Lone Star State Through the Eyes of Buck Schiwetz"

  July 23, 2009

• Artania Isn't Easy In Texas, Russian Troupe Finds Out

  Photo courtesy ArtaniaArtania, a Russian horse-show, has certainly had its ups and downs in Texas.Their first shows in April, at Sam Houston Race Park, ran into the kind of severe weather we have here every spring.Then, as we reported back in April, the trick-riding show, which got extravagant praise in Europe, opened and....not many people came.They tried to reboot their publicity: "I think they were used to these gushing articles being written in every city they went to and they didn't get tha

  July 23, 2009

• Capsule Stage Reviews: Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Phantom of the Opera, Ps and Qs: the ABCs of Manners, Sherlock Holmes and the Crucifer of Blood

  July 23, 2009

• Food Fight: Battle Chicken Fried Steak

  Photos by Katharine Shilcutt A contentious battle if there ever was one... Chicken fried steak (or CFS, for short) is up there in the great pantheon of Texas foods alongside cheese enchiladas, brisket and chili. But just because a food is inherently Texan doesn't mean you can always find it done well in Houston, and vice versa: Some of the best Mexican food in the world is found right here in the Bayou City. Steve Earle said it best in a recent interview with John Lomax: "Houston was a

  July 23, 2009

• Chron's Matt Stiles Lands On His Feet, Next To Texas Monthly's Evan Smith

  Photo by Kyle Jameson Matt Stiles, one of several high-profile Chronicle reporters who survived the spring job cuts only to quit the paper, has landed on his feet.The former City Hall and Austin-bureau reporter will be on the staff of the Texas Tribune, which describes itself as "a non-profit, nonpartisan public media organization whose mission is to promote civic engagement and discourse on the public policy, politics, government, and other matters of statewide interest."The Tribune has pu

  July 23, 2009

• Texas Traveler: Chappell Hill

  Photo by Brittanie Shey​If you decide to head up to Lavenderfest, you might be wondering what else you can do to make your drive worthwhile. It turns out that Chappell Hill, home of Lavenderfest, is one of the most interesting almost-ghost towns in the Houston area. Once, it was one of the largest towns in Texas, with a population of 3,000 people around the time of the Civil War. The town suffered massively during the yellow fever outbreak of 1867 and never quite recovered, but it's Main

  August 3, 2009

• DPS Will Recruit You With Its Really Keen Graphics

  Get ready for some highway excitement from the DPS!!As part of a new recruitment campaign, the agency is painting seven of its vehicles with detailed images of troopers in action. Recruiters will drive them to appearances around the state."These vehicles will be rolling billboards for DPS, featuring photos of helicopters, the Dive Team, SWAT, K-9, Highway Patrol and Texas Rangers-just some of the many opportunities available to anyone who chooses an exciting career with DPS," said David Baker, w

  August 7, 2009

• A Musical Guide to Post-Secession Texas, Part 2: "Trinity"

  [Note: This week Rocks Off is looking at the musical heritage, highs and lows, for each of the five possible states that might result should Texas secede from the U.S. like Gov. Rick Perry wants it to. Yesterday we began with the Panhandle/West Texas "Palo Duro" territory; today it's northeastern quadrant "Trinity."] View Five States of Texas in a larger map Trinity Capital: Dallas Patron Saint: Blind Lemon Jefferson ​Lesser Icons: T-Bone Walker, Alex Moore, Old 97's, Pantera, The D.O.C., Ray

  August 12, 2009

• "Pieced Together"

  August 13, 2009

• A Musical Guide to Post-Secession Texas: "New Texas"

  In the third in our continuing series on the music of the five states of Texas, we examine the fictional state of New Texas, comprising Austin and the Hill Country. See Part 1 here and Part 2 here. New Texas Capital: Austin Patron Saint: Willie Nelson ​Lesser Icons: Roky Erickson/Thirteenth Floor Elevators, Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Alejandro Escovedo, Jon Dee Graham, True Believers, Freddy Fender, Nanci Griffith, Marcia Ball, Big Boys/Randall "Biscuit" Turner, Fas

  August 13, 2009

• Eight-Liner King Enters Guilty Plea

  ​A major operator of the 8-liner machines that are so popular (and illegal) around here and the rest of Texas has entered a guilty plea that will cost him over $1 million, state attorney general Greg Abbott announced today.Gordon Graves, the 72-year-old founder of Aces Wired, entered the plea in a Corpus Christi court, ending a long legal battle over the machines.The 8-liners are like slot machines, but of course it's illegal to gamble in Texas. The law allows you to give a token prize, howeve

  August 17, 2009

• Lone Star Scorecard: How Accurate are Your Favorite Songs About Texas?

  ​Many songs about Texas are written by residents wishing to celebrate some part of their beloved Lone Star State. Others come from non-Texans who are unable to resist the je ne sais quoi of the place that produced both Walter Cronkite and Karl Rove. One thing that many of them have in common, however, is how much they get wrong. We at Rocks Off are committed to fighting ignorance wherever we find it, and will be examining the more egregious offenders in a new feature we're calling Lone St

  August 17, 2009

• Texas Traveler: Cliff House in Stamford

  Photo by Robb Walsh​The Cliff House is famous for its chicken-fried steak, but it also serves a pan-fried steak with onions and green peppers, something you don't see just anywhere. The restaurant is located just off the Haskell Highway. The building is weirdly constructed -- it was originally a mid-century modern motel. Wednesday is the night the CFS lovers flock to the Cliff House. That's when the restaurant serves an enormous chicken-fried steak that's bigger than the plate and consider

  August 17, 2009

• The Latest ACT Scores: Not Much Improvement In Texas

  ​The ACT scores are just out for the 2009 graduating seniors who took the tests as sophomores, juniors or seniors and it is not great news across the land, and certainly not in Texas. As far as biology goes, we're not exactly wowing the galaxy with our knowledge.And the ethnicity gap remains stark and glaring, with only 5 percent of African-American students in Texas and 9 percent of Hispanics in Texas who took the test meeting minimum standards in all four areas of the college readiness test.

  August 19, 2009

• King Bubba

  August 20, 2009

• Obscure Wine Grapes: Touriga

  Photo by Robb Walsh​Touriga Nacional is an ancient Portuguese varietal that was probably introduced to the Iberian peninsula by the Phoenicians. It's a black grape that typically has high tannins and very concentrated fruit flavors. The grapes are most famously used in the highest quality ports. Touriga is also used to produce red wines in the Douro region of Portugal. Touriga was introduced to the Texas Hill Country some years ago. The grape is currently being used in some iconoclastic b

  August 21, 2009

• SAT Scores Ain't Getting Much Better In Texas Or Anywhere

  ​For U.S. kids who are tested more than any previous generation, it just doesn't seem like we're getting the hang of it. SAT scores for the class of 2009 were released today and like the ACT scores released earlier this month they didn't bring particularly happy news for Texas as for the most part, despite all efforts imaginable, student scores declined from previous years. Overall average scores for critical reading were 503 for males (down from 504 in 2008) and 498 for females (down fro

  August 25, 2009

• Lone Star Scorecard: "God Blessed Texas," "Dracula From Houston" and "The Wasp (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)"

  ​ You know the drill: every week we sift through several thousand songs (mostly) extolling the virtues of the Great State of Texas to bring you three that still manage to screw it up. And whether written by native sons or godless Yankee heathens, mistakes abound. Little Texas, "God Blessed Texas": The Arlington-based band scored a decent hit with this not-so-modest ode to the Lone Star State's surfeit of divine favor. Hey, we're fond of Texas too, but while we realize that even Dallas has to

  August 27, 2009

• Protect The Texas Fawnsfoot And Pimpleback, Even If They're Not Cute

  ​A couple of months ago we brought you the sad tale of the dwindling jaguarundi, and how an environmental group was suing the U.S. Department of the Interior demanding that the agency create a conservation and survival plan for the endangered cat from South Texas. Now that same environmental group is trying to save six types of freshwater mollusk that also call Texas their home.Mollusks, you say? They're not nearly as cute as the jaguarundi. Who gives a hoot about them?Well, it turns out that

  September 1, 2009

• 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-owned "resort" is a advertised as a rustic weekend getaway from the stresses of city life, featuring roomy cabins, a crystal-clear artesian-fed lake, and pavilions perfect for family reunions or other g

  September 14, 2009

• Not Everything's Bigger In Texas. Take Penises, For Example

  ​All you gay guys in Texas, you have let us down.Manhunt, a website designed to encourage hook-ups between consenting male adults, has done an utterly scientific survey of dick size based on its ads. "Now that we have cock size as a feature on Manhunt profiles, we couldn't resist getting a feel for the our member's packages," the site said. (Our first surprise: Up til now, apparently Manhunt didn't have cock size as a feature in its profiles.)So, since no one in these ads ever, ever lies a

  September 15, 2009

• The Soul of Houston: Blues Stories

  October 8, 2009

• Lonesome Onry and Mean: Right-Wing Gun Nuts Ain't the Only Ones Who Can Reload

  ​ We knew it would happen, we just didn't know it would take so long. The so-called Texas music (and right-wing) lunatic fringe has finally located us and zeroed in on Lonesome, Onry and Mean. They've got their self-righteous gun-nut editorial Uzis a-blazin' like a shootout at the OK Corral over our blog about Austin Cunningham's song, "Guns and Religion."​Apparently we have Radio Free Texas to thank for our cup of bile running over. Here are some of the juiciest brain farts from the comment

  October 8, 2009

• Lone Star Scorecard: Puzzling Over Jimmie Rodgers' "T for Texas" and Those Poor Aggies

  ​ It's time for another edition of Lone Star Scorecard, where we perform the valuable service of shining the harsh spotlight of anal retention on classic (and less so) songs about our beloved state. You're welcome. Jimmie Rodgers, "Blue Yodel #1 (T for Texas)" We're a little confused...you're apparently fond of Texas and Tennessee, hence the shout outs in the chorus, but you want to shoot Thelma, to whom you also refer. And why do you also have to buy a shotgun? Isn't the pistol you're going

  October 9, 2009

• Little Shop of Horrors

  October 15, 2009

• Landowner's Challenge at West Alabama Ice House

  Photos by J.C. Reid​The West Alabama Ice House recently hosted the final round of the "Win Texas Land" promotion sponsored by Lone Star Beer. The premise is simple: Pass various tests which prove your true Texan-ness and win some Texas land. Three finalists participated: Corey Lossing of Ingleside, Laurence Dodd III of Leander and Paul Ortiz of San Antonio. The competition included the following activities: a washers toss (similar to horseshoes), a cooler-filling contest (a race to pack a

  October 19, 2009

• Capsule Stage Reviews: The Lighter Side of the Recession, Little Shop of Horrors, Our Town

  October 22, 2009

• Obscure Wine Grapes: Mourvedre

  ​Mourvedre is a highly tannic red wine grape that is often blended with easy-drinking fruity Grenache. Two of my favorite French wines, Chateauneuf de Pape and Bandol, are made with blends that include this sturdy red wine grape. Mourvedre (pronounced something like moo-VAHD) is the French name for a grape called Mataro in Italy and Monastreli in Spain. The ancient grape was introduced to the Catalan by the Phoenicians long before the year zero. The grape was planted in Southern California

  October 21, 2009

• Houston's Waterways Are Filled With All Kinds Of Stuff They Shouldn't Be Filled With, Group Says

  ​Stay the hell away from Houston's waterways. Don't swim in them and for heaven's sake don't eat the fish.That was essentially the message this morning at a news conference held alongside the Houston Ship Channel, hosted by Environment Texas, an environmental advocacy group, which complied data from the EPA to produce a report detailing just how many hazardous chemicals were dumped into the water in 2007.According to the report, industrial facilities released 13 million pounds of toxic chemica

  October 21, 2009

• Obama's Screwing Texas Out Of Swine Flu Vaccine!!!! Or Maybe Not

  ​Is Obama trying to kill Texans as revenge for not voting for him?Quite possibly, if you believe a list of swine-flu vaccine information getting e-mailed around. (And yeah, we're calling it swine flu, you H1N1 snobs.)What's being e-mailed is a list of vaccine doses shipped, broken down by state. California has gotten 836,900 doses; Texas 178,300. Texas has less than Arizona, and who the hell lives in Arizona?So obviously there's political skullduggery going on, right?Not really.Carrie Williams

  October 27, 2009

• Texas Traveler: Matagorda

  The Sunday drive. Sometimes it's more about the trip than the destination, y'know? Texas Traveler needed to get out of town for the day. We didn't know where, just someplace new. Someplace different. We looked at a map and picked a place. Matagorda? Why not.View Larger MapWe took 59 out there, because we were feeling antsy. Nothing to see there, folks. But at Wharton, things began to get interesting. We turn south, and start following the vast valley of the Colorado River. In our peripheral visi

  November 2, 2009

• 3rd Annual Chocolate Festival of Texas & Texas Wines

  November 5, 2009

• Lone Star Scorecard: What Do Chris Rea, Webb Pierce and the Flamin' Groovies Know About Texas?

  ​ There are a million songs in the naked [Lone Star] state. Some - okay, most - are boastful, some are introspective and some are merely stupid, as the Austin Lounge Lizards once noted. Whatever the case, all must be subjected to the rigorours scrutiny of the Lone Star Scorecard in order to make sure no one is spreading falsehoods, which would besmirch the honor of the brave settlers who revolted against the Mexican government so they could continue owning slaves. Chris Rea, "Texas" Man, Engl

  November 6, 2009