The Pogues

The Rocks Off 100: Blaggards, Houston's St. Paddy's Day House Band

Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community -- a lot more than just musicians, but of course they're in there too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Take a little Thin Lizzy and a little ... More >>

Top 10 Heartbreaking Holiday Covers

Last week we took a look at some of the most holiday spirit-dampeningly awful songs ever recorded. We aren't quite done ruining your holiday spirit just yet however, as this week we have compiled ten of the saddest holiday cover songs ever recorded. Rewind: The 10 Worst Holiday Cover Songs Ever ... More >>

The Texas 30: The Second Runners-Up, Albums 50-41

On our computer, Rocks Off has been looking at that damn Texas 30 spreadsheet so long our eyes are frosting over. Monday we said about 400 different albums were spread across the ballots we received from almost 25 music-media wags across Texas. We looked at the sheet again after that and it was actu ... More >>

Bob Schneider: "I Find Most Christmas Music to Be Really Annoying"

It seems like you can count on singer-songwriter Bob Schneider to be in Houston at least once a month or so to pack the Mucky Duck of House of Blues for a night of drinking and revelry. But Friday night, presented by the Duck, he'll be haunting the Wortham Theater Center's Cullen Theater with the ... More >>

Best in Show

Sorting out the 2012 HPMA Best CD/LP/EP nominees is easy.

Umbrella Man's Bridges and Bayous.

Houston's swampiest musical savants return with new album.

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 >>

An Objective Review Of The Justin Bieber Singing Toothbrush

Brushing your teeth is important. Poor oral hygiene is gross, and has been linked to heart disease in addition to tooth loss. Dentists recommend brushing twice a day with a good brush at a leisurely pace to ensure you do a thorough job. Singer Justin Bieber is here to do his part to keep your smile ... More >>

Days N' Daze: The Most Charming Riot of All Time

Each week, 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. Meet Days N' Daze. They look sweet ... More >>

No Surprises: Rock Hall Set To Induct Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys

Photo By Marco TorresGuns N' Roses are Rock Hall bound, but which version of GNR will show up? ​This morning (well, it leaked last night) the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland announced their 2012 class of inductees. Included on the list are Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Bo ... More >>

Getting Nostalgic, Sort of, at Barcadia

You should try gambling on skee ball. It's addictive. ​Tuesday at Barcadia used to be the special free-play day when the Midtown location of the bar/kitchen/arcade chain first opened. Now everything is set on free play daily - everything that works, at least. (Currently, there's no Galaga, no ... More >>

G N' R, The Cure & Chili Peppers Could Be Hall Of Famers Next Year

Oh, this will be a fun induction ceremony...​This morning, The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland announced the list of nominees for its Class of 2012: The Small Faces & The Faces, Freddie King, The Cure, Guns 'N Roses, Heart, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Spinners, War, Joan Jett and the Bl ... More >>

Top Five Cannibal Country Songs

​Songs about singers and other songs has long been one of Rocks Off's favorite fields of study within the wide-ranging curriculum of popular music. Off the very tippy-top of our heads, ABC's "When Smokey Sings," the Replacements' "Alex Chilton" and the Pogues' "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda ... More >>

Plus-Size Songs For Those Post-Holiday Pounds

​One of the reasons Lonesome Onry and Mean's local waterhole is our local waterhole is its excellent, eclectic, even exotic jukebox. There's truly something for everyone. For the novices and/or narrow-minded, there are easy defaults like Willie Nelson & Family's Live, the Stones' Exile on Mai ... More >>

More Like "Hall Of Lame," Am I Right?

​Ladies and gentlemen, your 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is ready to admit a new class: Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, Darlene Love and Dr. John have all been inducted for 2011, the foundation announced Wednesday. With the exception of Wai ... More >>

30 Seconds With Bob Schneider

Rocks Off sat down with Bob Schneider to see what we could learn about the popular Austin singer-songwriter in 30 seconds. Utopiajoe1 via Wikipedia​Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? Bob Schneider: Obviously this is a personal preference issue. That's one of the amazing things a ... More >>

Bankrobbers: The Clash Family Tree

​Rocks Off cried the night he heard Joe Strummer died. It was December 2002, and we sat on our family couch and let it all out. That fabled Clash reunion that seemed just months away would never happen. Strummer died of a heart attack at 50, just three days before Christmas, leaving behind a w ... More >>

Rockin' His Life Away, Jerry Lee Lewis Shows Signs Of Age

​Lonesome, Onry and Mean waited anxiously as the appointed hour neared. We'd had this feeling around this time last year as we awaited the appearance of Shane MacGowan and the Pogues. Would MacGowan die onstage, spilling his drink? Would he be so drunk he'd make a pathetic fool of himself? We ... More >>

Dustin Welch

Aftermath: Flogging Molly's Celtic-Punk Puppet Show at House of Blues

Photos by Marco Torres / Click here for a slideshow​Aftermath tuned up for Flogging Molly Wednesday night with a Jameson on the rocks and Steve Earle's "The Galway Girl" on our iPod. One of those should be obvious. As for the other, we needed the whiskey because it was kind of a long day at ... More >>

Live with Me

The best Houston concerts of 2009: U2, George Strait, Kid Cudi, Jandek, Peaches and even T-Pain.

Lonesome Onry and Mean: This Is Not (Really) a Best-Of-2009 List

​Lonesome, Onry and Mean saw a great comment from Dave Alvin on Facebook recently that went something like this: "I do not do Best of lists or End of the Decade lists, the only lists I do are 'crap I have to do' lists." We gladly second that, Dave, as there is nothing other than Christmas shopping ... More >>

Damaged

Surly one-man Houston feedback storm Jon Read, a.k.a. The Wiggins, stays solo.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

2009 was definitely a year, we'll say that much.

Aftermath: Deer Tick Remembers Lightnin' Hopkins - Do You? - at Warehouse Live

Photos by Eggs/ breakfastontour.com​ Deer Tick's set Sunday night at Warehouse Live, opening for the lovely and photo-shy Neko Case, was the perfect capper to a weekend that saw us become sleep-challenged conspiracy hounds and road-weary travelers all within the span of a day. Too bad that the ban ... More >>

Why Notre Dame Will Win The BCS Title And Texas Won't: Part Nine

​We have documented weekly just how Notre Dame is moving inexorably towards a BCS championship while UT is deluding itself that it is doing so.Today, though, we discuss why ND's road may be harder.We have discovered, shockingly, that the pernicious influence of the KKK and other such anti-Catholic ... More >>

Season of the Witch

U2's awe-inspiring Reliant Stadium show prompts a search for the unknown — and unknowable — in music.

Distant Early Warning: Atmosphere, Chickenfoot, Weezy & Jeezy, the Pogues and More

Andy Moor: Fri., July 17. Rich's Houston. Atmosphere, Eyedea & Abilities, Attracted to Gods: Tue., Aug. 4. Warehouse Live. Chickenfoot: Wed., Sept. 16. Verizon Wireless Theater. Cosmic Gate: Fri., July 3. Rich's Houston. David Allan Coe, Sean Reefer & The Resin Valley Boys: CHANGED Thu., Ju ... More >>

Dustin Welch: Whisky Priest

Más y Más

Los Lobos leaves Disney to reembrace their Aztlán roots.

Playing Favorites

The Mighty Stef

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducts Metallica, Run-DMC, Jeff Beck, Wanda Jackson

Yesterday marked a tremendous day for rappers and thrashers across the world: Metallica and Run-DMC were announced as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's newest inductees, along with Jeff Beck, Wanda Jackson, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Bobby Womack, two members of Elvis Presley's backing band ... More >>

Santa Baby

What a few musicians want under their trees this year

The 12 Greatest Christmas Songs of All Time, Part 1

Mahalia Jackson The 12 days of Christmas begin Thursday and run until Epiphany, January 5. Here is a song for half those days. See what's in the other half tomorrow morning. 12. "Silent Night," Mahalia Jackson. The supreme Christmas melody requires the supreme voice, and if anybody's ever sung i ... More >>

Music to Shuffle Off This Mortal Coil

Death Race 2008

Amy Winehouse, Chuck Berry, Bobby Brown: Who'll be the first to go?

Goodbye Joe, Me Gotta Go

There are 25,000 Cajuns in Houston. Almost none of them play Cajun music. Why not?

O Christmas Song, O Christmas Song

Football U., Week 2

Football U., Week 2

Swindled Art

If It's Not Scottish, It's Crap!

Wack puts this whole Franz Ferdinand thing into context

Playbill

I'll Drink to That

Fuel your New Year's Eve with these boozy sing-along tunes

Boxing the Rock

Six of the year's best multi-disc sets (and one of the worst)

Elvis Costello

The Delivery Man (Lost Highway)
il Sogno (Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft)

Tippling from Tap to Tap

Down and out (and drunk) in NoDo

Guinness Time

Houston's Texas Guinness Lovers is an original cover band

Rotation