Lets just get this out of the way right now. Emily Bell is indeed ex-Houston roots-rocker John Evans' girlfriend, but by no means does that mean she can't hold her own with even the best of the Houston honky-tonkers. Bell was raised in musical theater and she knows a thing or two of her own abou ... More >>
It is the most infamous rock documentary of all time that the fewest people have actually seen in its entirety -- and even then mostly through third-generation VHS dubs or grainy DVDs. And its legend has only grown over the ensuing decades, as has its subjects, the Rolling Stones. The film is Cocks ... More >>
The close of RodeoHouston's season gives us all a respite from having to look at the adjacent Astrodome while we eat our third turkey leg and wait for our turn on the ferris wheel. Truth be told, some of us can just stare at the Dome for hours without a problem, myself included. Rewind: Digging ... More >>
Beyonce, the queen of all showbiz, is expected to officially be named the halftime headliner at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans sometime today after MTV broke the news Tuesday afternoon. The choice seems fairly sensible. There are precious few pop stars of her magnitude out there right now, although ... More >>
Today we continue talking to Jon Read, the man behind the Wiggins about his new album The Myth of Man. Rewind: The Wiggins: The Myth of Man Is the Truth of Awesome Part 1 Rocks Off: Distortion plays an enormous role in your songs. They always sound like they're coming out over a speaker just abo ... More >>
Blondie, Devo Arena Theatre September 19, 2012 What a week for New Wave around here. Psychedelic Furs and Go-Go's still to come, and Blondie and Devo teaming up for the "Whip It to Shreds" tour Wednesday night at the Arena Theatre. New Wave is as good a term as any to describe a style of music tha ... More >>
Gene Thomas, the Texas singer and songwriter whose 1961 swamp-pop hit "Sometimes" was recorded at Houston's Gold Star Studios (later SugarHill), and was later covered by Doug Sahm, passed away Sunday morning. Houston musician Buzzy Smith announced Thomas' death on his Facebook page. The Palestine n ... More >>
If you ever look at music throughout time, along with a history book -- they kind of complement each other. Some of the greatest songs in rock, R&B and rap have chronicled history both social, major news events, sports, entertainment and political. In my opinion, many times, the song is about what ... More >>
March is Women's History Month, and Rocks Off has been thinking a lot lately about the indelible contributions to popular music made by women over the last few decades. After all, where would Elvis Presley be if it weren't for Big Mama Thornton? Probably still dead, we guess, but you get the point. ... More >>
Not Only Women Bleed: Vignettes from the Heart of a Rock Musician By Dick Wagner Desert Dreams Productions, LLC/Amazon.com, $9.99 While the name Dick Wagner may not be recognizable to the casual classic rock fan, deep trackers might know the singer/guitarist from his work fronting two popular Michi ... More >>
Carole King is a woman who has played a major part in creating numerous classic hit songs. She has helped to shape popular music since she and then-husband Gerry Goffin (they divorced in 1968) wrote "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" in 1961. Her songs have been covered by such diverse artists as Smokey Ro ... More >>
Responds is probably the wrong word to use when you consider the long rebuttal Jackson wrote regarding Gus Garcia-Roberts profile on the former SNL cast member that ran this week in Village Voice publications including the Houston Press. Jackson claims that Garcia-Roberts wrote things that were fal ... More >>
Etta James, whose fiery voice helped influences generations of R&B singers, has died at the age of 73, after a long bout with leukemia. James, known best for her ballad "At Last", had been ill for sometime, and had went home to be with family just a few weeks ago around the holidays. Accord ... More >>
Photo By Tony MorelliBill Graham in 1974Twenty years ago this week, legendary concert promoter Bill Graham went to the big backstage party in the sky after the helicopter he was riding in flew into a high-voltage tower in Vallejo, Calif. Also killed in the crash was Graham's girlfriend, Melis ... More >>
Photos by Baron WolmanIke & Tina TurnerEvery Picture Tells a Story - Baron Wolman: The Rolling Stone Years Omnibus Press, 176 pp., $37.50 If you could point to one thing that makes today's music journalists most jealous, it would probably be the music journalists of the '60s and '70s. Back t ... More >>
59 years ago today, United Artists released Dr. No, the first film adaptation of Ian Feming's James Bond novels. There have since been 21 more movies with another one on the way, and the series is the second-highest grossing film series ever after Harry Potter. One of the things that continue to d ... More >>
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 >>
Houston's history is dotted with albums that, fairly or un, have been swept aside. We'll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Lil Flip #KissThePinkyRang (Self-released, 2011) Lil' Flip is, by even the most ardent applica ... More >>
Ed. Note: We're not done yet... Chris GrayRusted ShutChris Gray: I think the quickest way to sum up Summer Fest, environmentally, is in fact biologically: In eight hours at the festival Saturday, hydrating continuously with mostly water, I made my own water once, shortly before Beirut. Sunda ... More >>
Project Row Houses/ houstondeco.orgThe Eldorado Ballroom in the 1940sA year ago, Third Ward had no music-related official Texas historical markers. Soon, it will have two. Last month, the Texas Historical Commission approved a marker application filed by Project Row Houses for the Eldorado B ... More >>
Photos by GroovehouseGrace 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 >>
At an Ozeal show Nobody talks, but everybody dances.
Becoming Jimi Hendrix By Steven Roby and Brad Schreiber Da Capo Press, 274 pp., $17.95. While the bulk of most Jimi Hendrix bios detail the post-Are You Experienced? album and Monterey Pop performance era, this is the first to concentrate solely on his pre-fame years. As a result, the autho ... More >>
Photos by Marco TorresCarrie Underwood Toyota Center October 6, 2010 Carrie Underwood is perfect for Vegas. That's not a knock - mostly. Underwood is wholesome, engaging and dynamic. She's no Tina Turner, but she can strut onstage. Her voice is excellent - good range and control, on key and ... More >>
Ratt, "Round and Round" Thursday night, Ratt hits up Warehouse Live with what passes for their original line-up. At their peak, the band was a gritty and decadent alternative to bands like Poison, skewing closer to Motley Crue in terms of excess and drug abuse. The band managed to ... More >>
Rocks Off spent June 2006 in Salamanca, Spain during the World Cup, and we can tell you it's difficult to exaggerate what an event this is to pretty much every country in the world but America. (Although the U.S. is reportedly gaining.) While watching the games, we would leave the window open ... More >>
Photos by GroovehouseRoy Head (center) and the Allen Oldies Band's Allen Hill (left) and Jim Henkel Annise ParkerThe best-laid plans of mice, men and even mayors sometimes go awry. Annise Parker declined a big-ticket inaugural celebration in favor of a free concert on Discovery Green, a genuin ... More >>
In late 1969, the Rolling Stones were at a musical crossroads. They were two years away from the deep blues of Sticky Fingers and its follow-up, the majestically scuzzy Exile On Main Street. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were still very much tinkering with their new bluesier direction that would t ... More >>
Up, Up and Away
Gloria Estefan meets the media/ Photo by Olivia Flores Alvarez The woman of the hour Thursday night was unquestionably 2008 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Gloria Estefan, whose “Mi Tierra” was big, brassy, jazzy, horn-heavy and as Cuban as a fine Cohiba cigar. So was “Oye Mi Ca ... More >>
Sammy's at 2016, now with less Sammie
The Greil Marcus Rock Death Meter returns
The Sixth Annual Austin City Limits Festival feels like home...almost
The Houston Press guide to all things Halloween
The Houston Press guide to all things Halloween
The Houston Press guide to all things Halloween
From the Bayou City Showcase to Hollywood
Friday, September 30, at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk, 713-528-5999.
NFL Films' music may be stirring, but these songs tell the real story of the big games
Musicians provide HPD with plenty of overtime pay
Friday, February 22, and Saturday February 23
Boz Scaggs evolves along with his beloved R&B
Once a scout for the Kansas City Chiefs, Lloyd Wells caught the champ's attention with all his "pretty girls"
A band reunion becomes gentle satire in Still Crazy
Shallow feels swell in McMillan-inspired Stella
Fruits and vegetables try to take root in Westwood Mall
Find everything you're looking for in your city
Find the best happy hour deals in your city
Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%
Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city
