The Kinks

Last Night: The Zombies at Fitzgerald's

The Zombies, Elephant Stone Fitzgerald's March 17, 2013 There's something about The Zombies that has always set them off from the other bands of the British Invasion. Maybe it's the orchestral, minor chords, or the ethereal breathiness of singer Colin Blunstone's delivery, or the impeccable timing ... More >>

Christmas Past: Happy Gothmas! Top 10 Goth Christmas Songs

While we celebrate the holidays, Rocks Off is resurrecting a few of our best Christmas-themed blogs from the past few years. (Wait... resurrecting is Easter. Never mind.) This blog originally appeared December 23, 2011. "Dude, religious Christmas is pretty macabre. All kinds of scandal, sex with a ... More >>

Last Night: Sir Paul McCartney at Minute Maid Park

Sir Paul McCartney Minute Maid Park November 14, 2012 Seeing Paul McCartney live is a lot of things. It's communing with a spirit that touched millions and will touch millions for as long as humanity lurches forward. It's hearing the old schmaltzy bedrock anthems and the proto-everything blasts tha ... More >>

Let It Be: How Many Beatles Books Are Enough?

From where I am sitting, I spy at least three Beatles books that were released in the past year alone: A gigantic LIFE job on the Fab Four, a nine-pounder on John Lennon, and another just on the boys' post-Fab solo career work and best singles. All three are great additions to any Beatles library, e ... More >>

"The Smiths Are Never Going To Reunite Ever": When Are The Smiths Reuniting?

This week, Morrissey's possibly long-suffering publicist told Rolling Stone that "The Smiths are never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever going to reunite -- ever." The statement, meant to quell old rumors and quotes being dragged out on a slow music news week, was meant with smirks and laugh ... More >>

Hey, Teacher, Leave Those Kids Alone: A Back to School Playlist

I have been a teacher for six years now. I joke about it, but it really is the best job of all, and remains to be the only one I've ever had that didn't make me want to drive right the fuck into a tree after doing it for three weeks. Last week, teachers returned to campuses. We cleaned our rooms a ... More >>

The 10 Greatest Summer Concerts I Never Saw

Well, kids, summer has arrived. If you have ever noticed, all the good concerts seem to come during the summer -- with May being more like a pre-show. My parents, when I was younger, took me to many concerts at some of these venues, mainly Contemporary Christian concerts. I myself had only been to ... More >>

The Ultimate Wes Anderson Soundtrack Playlist: Extra Superlatives

Last week I told you about the soundtrack for director Wes Anderson's upcoming feature Moonrise Kingdom, which showcases the work of composers Leonard Bernstein and Alexandre Desplat, Benjamin Britten and strange bedfellow Hank Williams Sr. Anderson's films are the most anticipated movies of most ... More >>

Screwed Up Eyes And Screwed Down Hairdo: David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust Turns Forty

David Bowie's space-hippie, proto-punk, peace freak, interstellar rock 'n roll ambassador Ziggy Stardust character debuted 40 years ago today in London at a gig at the Toby Jug pub. The rail-thin Bowie, resplendent in dyed red hair, androgynous clothing, and a beat mixing The Velvet Underground, The ... More >>

Flying High Again: Five-ish Guys That Made the Flying V Famous

There are few instruments more distinctive than the Flying V. It's odd that a guitar this funky looking has been commonly used by a wide range of guitar players from country and blues to rock, but it has. Over the years, particularly in the '80s when "the weirder the shape the better" and "splotched ... More >>

Happy Gothmas! Top 10 Goth Christmas Songs

​"Dude, religious Christmas is pretty macabre. All kinds of scandal, sex with a ghost, strangers bringing mystical gifts, and everyone predicting this young couple's baby's death like its glorious wonderful thing. Oh and a decree to slaughter all male babies the next day... what could be more ... More >>

7 Songs About Bela Lugosi Not By Bauhaus

​Today is Bela Lugosi's 129th birthday. The man who will probably always be remembered as the definitive Count Dracula starred in dozens of plays and hundreds of movies, mostly horror and thrillers. Typecasting, his heavy accent, and a drug dependency on morphine to treat sciatica from a milit ... More >>

Keith Morris Sounds OFF! About His Dark Punk Party

Rocks Off: You desire a gig in Mississippi or Alabama. Why? I can barely remember the last time any of my other bands played in either of those states. Now, the excuse I keep getting is that they are very depressed states and maybe they are not doing very well financially, or just a whole list of t ... More >>

Father Figures: 100 Famous Musicians' Paternal Professions

If you're a Texan of a certain age, this week you've probably spent some time mourning the death of Jerry Haynes, the children's TV host better known as Mr. Peppermint. Haynes' show on WFAA-TV in Dallas, Peppermint Place, ran from the '60s to the '90s and was widely syndicated across the state, incl ... More >>

More Labor Day Music: 5 Secret Anti-Labor Songs

​Work sucks. You know it, Rocks Off knows it, and just because your boss magnanimously decides to throw you one day off between July 4th and Thanksgiving doesn't change that fact. So you take your solace where you can, in the little things, like music. Musicians are hard workers like you, ri ... More >>

1986: Best Musical Year Ever?

​For almost two weeks now, Rocks Off has been obsessed with the year exactly 25 flips of the calendar backward from this one. It started when Steve Earle did one of his "Time Machine" shows, where the singer-songwriter who plays House of Blues Wednesday spotlights a dozen or so of his favorite ... More >>

Who Are You? Songs Commonly Attributed To The Wrong Artists

​Last week, after the tragic, alcohol-fueled passing of Jackass hero Ryan Dunn, Rocks Off at Taco Cabana wearing a promotional shirt for The Hangover II that we stole borrowed from the office here at the Press. As we were loading our hands with condiment containers, a guy came up to us and sai ... More >>

Out Today: Glee Warbles, Gorillaz Fall, Kinks Ride Again

​It's been a week since the Foo Fighters' album, Wasting Light, hit the stores, and Rocks Off has probably averaged at least one or two spins of the solid disc per day. Right now, we are actually on track four. Will anything top Light this week? That remains to be seen. Next week will bring ... More >>

Friday Night: Ted Nugent At Nutty Jerry's

Photos by Mark C. Austin​Ted Nugent Nutty Jerry's April 15, 2011 "The whole world sucks but at least America sucks the best," yells madman Ted Nugent as he wrenches out "The Star-Spangled Banner" from his guitar in front of at least 2,000 souls at out east at Nutty Jerry's in Winnie. Aftermat ... More >>

20 Takes Of "Louie Louie," Motorhead To The Fat Boys

​Today is the 48th anniversary of Portland, Ore., garage-rock group the Kingsmen recording their version of Richard Berry's "Louie Louie." The Kingsmen's version would end up being the most enduring and controversial take of the song, unleashing the U.S. government on the group and the song fo ... More >>

25 Famous Bands' Less Famous Previous Names

​As promised, here are the answers to Rocks Off's "Original Band Name" quiz from Tuesday. John St. Lee, if you'd care to email us, we'll see what we can do about getting you a prize. Do you like Devo? 1. Chicago: At about 25 or 6 to 4, the Windy City jazz-rockers realized The Big Thing sucked ... More >>

Match These Bands With Their Awful Original Names

​Provided they didn't take the easy way out and name themselves after a song (Rolling Stones), their hometown (Boston) or each other (Hall & Oates), almost every band that went on to sell millions of records, get tons of radio play and sell out arenas has had some form of the following convers ... More >>

Rocks Off's 10 Favorite Family Bands

​Tonight Kings of Leon plays their fourth Houston date in three years at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The band of three Followill brothers and one cousin can't stay away from us, or touring, or recording. This date precedes the upcoming release of the band's new album, Come Around Sund ... More >>

Upcoming: Atari Teenage Riot, Heart, Rocks Off's "Reduxion," Etc.

Poster by DUAL​Atari Teenage Riot, Black Congress, Female Demand: Wed., Sept. 29. Numbers. Betty Wright, Willie Clayton: Sat., Oct. 2. Arena Theatre. Cory Morrow: Mon., Aug. 30, 5:30 p.m. Cactus Music & Video. Devil Driver, Kataklysm, Kittie: Tue., Aug. 31. Scout Bar Clear Lake. Flyleaf, ... More >>

Bros Before Hos: Tales From The Wedding-Band Front Lines

Courtesy Allen Hill EntertainmentAllen Hill (left) would rather not play "Take a Letter, Maria" at weddings, but he will.​ Sting once stated in an interview about The Police's trademark song "Every Breath You Take" that he was bewildered by the tune's popularity at weddings. It is, after all, a so ... More >>

Cross-Dressing In The Women's Room? You'll Need These Songs

​ God-fearing men of Houston: Mayor Annise Parker wants to banish your micturitions back to the Stone Age: "Houston's first openly gay mayor is now being accused of opening up the women's restroom to cross-dressing men. On Tuesday morning, the Houston Area Pastors Council issued a blistering ... More >>

Magnolia City Mixtape: Houston's Grammy Haul, A Brown Dog Affair, New York Times Lauds Houston Symphony, And A Bunch of New Music

Once we realized what she was singing, Rocks Off was hoping Beyonce would include the "Would she go down on you in a theater?" line when the six-time winner sang Alanis Morrissette's "You Oughta Know" at Sunday night's Grammys. She didn't, and she didn't drop the f-bomb either (though she came pret ... More >>

He Said She Said: Our Christmas Musical Wishlists, Part 2 - LPs Nobody Can Buy

​When He Said was four years old, all he wanted for Christmas was big brown tape recorder that Play Skool put out so he could record his own imaginary radio shows and crazed ramblings about He-Man. Santa Claus brought it that year, and He Said wore that thing out over the next few months. For Chri ... More >>

"MMMBro": Hanson And Other Rock And Roll Bands Of Brothers

Back in the summer of1997, one couldn't walk out of their house without hearing someone humming, blaring, or damning to Hell that juicy nugget of pop rock that was Hanson's "MMMBop". Depending on your age and gender, you either understood the hooky genius of the song or you were just in love with t ... More >>

The Dong Show

Here at Rocks Off, we do a lot of research for our wildly popular and intellectually enlightening album cover slideshows. As part of that research, we've found many of those albums to be highly concentrated on the male goinrular area. So at long last, and just in time for the weekend, we've compiled ... More >>

Happy Birthday, "Louie Louie"

Forty-six years ago today, a group of teenagers gathered in a Portland, Oregon, studio to record a ridiculously simple anthem that would go on to become one of the most influential - and most misunderstood - songs in rock history. The group was the Kingsmen - none of whom was over age 17 - and the ... More >>

Bam, It's Kam!

Houston's genre-hopping indie darling eyes SXSW

Album of the Week: Christmas a Go-Go

One thing about Christmas songs, every single artist to ever pick up a guitar or drumstick seems to have recorded at least one, a company that apparently includes Joe Pesci, Soupy Sales (kids, ask your grandparents) and garage gods the Electric Prunes. Guaranteed, Christmas a Go-Go is the only plac ... More >>

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 >>

Aeros-Rampage: No Kinks So Far

Mixers, Elixirs & IMAX

Picture Book gives visitors the UK treatment

Juno

Teen pregnancy, hilarious and sweet, in this indie-licious film

John Royal's Astros Recap. In Song.

Our top DVD picks for the week of July 5

Radio Daze

One man, one jambox and four walls. For 24 hours.

Something Else by the Kinks

IBP and the Starmaker prove you can't stop the music

Ironing Out the Kinks

Infernal Bridegroom Productions resurrects Ray Davies' A Soap Opera after 27 years in rock limbo

Racket

At Tim Murrah's Metropol, it's about music, not style

Outsiders with Stamina

Messing Up in Public

Ray Davies gets the kinks (if not the Kinks) out of his career