Tom Petty

10 Musicians Who Should Grow Their Own Kind of Weed

Turns out Flesh N Bone -- yes, of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony fame -- has quite the green thumb, and he's using this super-power to spark up a little buzz. In a move that makes him a viable candidate for my favorite rapper of all time, Mr. Stanley "Flesh N Bone" Howse has developed a new strain of medical ... More >>

Dave Grohl Releases Trailer for Nerd-Boner Doc Sound City

While the Foo Fighters have been on hiatus, lead singer Dave Grohl has been putting the finishing touches on his cinematic love letter to Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. Today the full trailer for Sound City was released online. You can check out the studio's discography here. The studio's du ... More >>

7 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Soft Metals, Buxton, Grand Old Grizzly, Etc.

Tonight L.A.-via-Portland electro duo Soft Metals (synthy, spooky, dreamy) headline the return of the Musum of Fine Arts, Houston's Mixed Media social-hours from 8 p.m. to midnight. The space will be tricked out by presenting sponsor IKEA, so you know it's going to be modern. Also performing are loc ... More >>

Pat Green

The Damn Quails & 10 Other Bird-Brained Bands

Tonight the Houston Press Concert Series resumes at Pub Fiction with Oklahoma duo the Damn Quails. The Quails' song "Fools Gold," from their 2011 album Down the Hatch, is tearing it up on Texas country and roots-rock radio right now, landing them three Lonestar Music Awards and airplay on BBC roots ... More >>

Turn The Radio On: Top 10 Musicians Who Should Be DJs

A few years ago, Van Halen front man David Lee Roth filled in for Howard Stern on his nationally syndicated radio show. Roth also served a stint as a deejay for New York's 92.3 Free FM. This is nothing new, because many artists have at some point served as DJs, such as Greg Kihn of the Greg Kihn ba ... More >>

Last Night: Old 97's at House of Blues

Oh, dutiful journalism, the places I will go in your name. Last night, one of those places just had to be House of Blues. It's always a pleasure to watch Old 97's and I would put up that good fight to keep my spirits high in what is arguably my least favorite venue in town. But enough with the pouti ... More >>

Saturday: Chris Gray Day at the Continental Club

Photo by Marco TorresChris with the officers that saved his life.​Click here for a slideshow of the bands and here for a slideshow of the crowd. "I didn't know Chris was a celebrity." Chris Gray's mother told a rapt audience from the stage on Saturday afternoon that she was "overwhelmed" by ... More >>

Welcome to Third Rock, NASA's New Radio Station

​Satellite radio got some new competition from a little old outfit called NASA when the government agency went live Monday with its new internet radio station, Third Rock. The station is described in NASA's press release as "crafted specifically to speak the language of tech-savvy young adul ... More >>

Staying Sane at Owl Bar

​The best thing about Owl Bar is that it doesn't feel like it belongs. A couple of years ago, when Mugsy's occupied the same space, it would have been a little more at home in its neighborhood. Upper Kirby has since come up in the world, though. Standing on Owl Bar's narrow patio on a Tuesday ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

We mentioned ShowBiz Pizza this week, which gives me a perfect excuse to post this. Do yourself a favor and watch this video. Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where this year my puns finally beat out Kraft Macaroni 'N' Cheese to win the official title of "The Cheesiest. ... More >>

$1 Jello Shots at Sunny's Bar

A good jello shot can bring out the kid in anyone. "You're supposed to loosen the sides with your tongue so you can get at the jello," my friend told me as I held the little plastic cup against my mouth , trying to suck out the contents in vacuum fashion. Just the act of doing so gave me a heady b ... More >>

Last Night: Glen Campbell At Stafford Centre

Photos by Jason Wolter​Glen Campbell Stafford Centre September 21, 2011 Thursday night may have been the most profoundly uncomfortable Aftermath has ever been watching a live performance. In the past year, we have seen many artists of advanced years in concert, from Merle Haggard and Willie ... More >>

Dig This: Mydolls, Second Lovers, Yello Echo, The Answer Page & //TENSE//

The current volume of local music is staggering. New Houston bands and new songs are born daily, and all too often pass away just as quickly. Rocks Off wants to help you (and ourselves) keep up. ​It's time for another installment of Dig This, wherein we inform you about the multitude of music ... 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 >>

April 29, 1992: Ten Songs About The L.A Riots

​It was 19 years ago today that the Los Angeles riots began after four white police officers, caught on videotape beating the African-American Rodney King after a drug-fueled high-speed chase, were acquitted by a Simi Valley, Calif. jury. The rest of the world watched in shock and sadness as ... More >>

Last Night: Free Energy At Fitzgerald's

Photos by Marc Brubaker​Free Energy Fitzgerald's February 3, 2011 See pics from last night's set in our slideshow. "This cold does some crazy shit to Houston," remarked Free Energy front man Paul Sprangers to his sparse but devotedly enthusiastic Fitzgerald's crowd Thursday. The band played ... More >>

"Come On Buick, Light My Fire."

Not official Nike footwear.​Like most of Western society, I'd figured I was pretty much numb to the use of popular songs in commercials. I don't know how far back the practice dates, exactly, but I remember the anecdote from No One Here Gets Out Alive about Jim Morrison shooting down the sugge ... More >>

Top 10 Christmas Movie Soundtracks

​No doubt you have all been chin-deep in Christmas movies since you undid your belt on Thanksgiving evening. Rocks Off made sure to steal a copy of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation from our folks' house before the calendar even hit December. Unlike other blogs, we don't hate all Christm ... More >>

Gaslight Anthem

Drive-By Truckers: Hard At Work And Loving Hall & Oates

UPDATE: 6 p.m.: The contest is over. Thanks for playing! Danny Clinch​Grand Funk Railroad may have got there first, but Drive-By Truckers are an American band. If not for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, for whom the Truckers opened the Midwestern leg of their summer tour, the Georgia six-piece ... More >>

ZZ Top Takes Manhattan, Loudly And "Perfectly"

Mark C. AustinZZ Top at the Woodlands, July 2009​Rocks Off has had next Friday, when ZZ Top and Tom Petty play The Woodlands, circled in red on our Rhino Records wall calendar for months. God, is that next Friday already? We added a few more red rings this morning after we read The New York Ti ... More >>

Aftermath: David Gray Is For Lovers; Phosphorescent Needs More Stage Time

Photos by Jason Wolter​David Gray is an artist, but not one to be puzzled over. The British singer-songwriter trades in sophisticated pop songs that express simple emotions, as unambiguous as many of their titles: "Be Mine," "Now and Always," "The One I Love," "You're the World to Me," "This Year' ... More >>

Love and Theft

The decade with no name left behind plenty of memorable music.

Westheimer Block Party Listology: Bright Men of Learning Remember Their Parents' Favorite Music

All this week, Rocks Off is previewing Saturday and Sunday's Westheimer Block Party by asking WBP performers to fill out a list from Lisa Nola's Music Listography book we're so fond of. It's not too late for your band to be up here, either; just email chris.gray@houstonpress.com by noon Thursday if ... More >>

Lonesome Onry and Mean: Drive-By Truckers or the Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe?

​Lonesome Onry and Mean is torn as to his whereabouts this evening. Drive-by Truckers will be knocking down walls and eardrums at House of Blues, and that's where we'll probably end up. But if Galveston was 70 miles closer - it's not the drive down, it's the drive back! - we would certainly be hea ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown, No. 24: Pimp C's Post-Prison Pimpalation

Roughly 84,000 rap albums have been released in Houston since 1989. We're counting down the 25 best of all time every Thursday. Got a problem with the list? Shove it. Just kidding. Friendship. Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com. Pimp C Pimpalation Asylum, 2006​As fun as it is for us music writers t ... More >>

Aftermath: The McKenzies, the Howlies and Springfield Riots at the Mink

Photos by Chris GrayThe McKenzies To Aftermath, the Mink's Backroom has always seemed more like a house than a music venue - especially inside, with the dark floors, corner bars and abundant, comfortable seating, it's like one of those cozy but spacious multi-resident dwellings where we all went to ... More >>

This Week In Beyonce: Who Dares Cover the Queen?

Not strictly a cover, just one of those things we never get tired of posting... As if Queen B weren't (Sasha) fierce enough on her own, it seems her majesty's minions - let's face it, we're all her royal peons; there isn't anyone left on Earth who hasn't heard one of her songs, or doesn't tap their ... More >>

Slideshow on Demand: You Make the Call

chemistryland.comRocks Off loves to put together musical slideshows, and if the response to a few of our recent ones is any indication (hi, Digg!), you like them too. Album covers are an almost inexhaustible resource that are always fun to look at and can be grouped together any number of ways. So l ... More >>

Phone Home Page

Two Houston poets create a modern-day party line online.

Hello, Houston!

Noise breaks down the months of live music ahead

Playing Favorites

Aftermath: Lady Antebellum at RodeoHouston

Photos courtesy Houston Livestock Show & RodeoFrom one-night stands to missing the one that got away, love and country music go hand in hand. Monday night, fresh pop-country faces Lady Antebellum - reigning ACM Top New Duo or Group and CMA New Artist of the Year - rocked out to all of love ... More >>

30 Rock Takes Another Little Piece of Port Arthur

One of the only things Rocks Off loves as much as Tom Petty and chicken-fried steak is NBC's brilliant, multiple Emmy-winning 30 Rock, which he thinks is the best TV comedy since The Larry Sanders Show. Now he loves it even more after last night's deliciously twisted episode, "Senor Mach ... More >>

The Year in Albums

Tonight: Ratt, Skid Row, Octopus Project, Indian Jewelry, Toadies and More

Who Stole the Roll?

Potential Theme Songs for the Astros

Yesterday Afternoon: Westheimer Block Party at Numbers, Mango's and Avant Garden

SXSW: Carbon/Silicon, Ting Tings, Santogold, MGMT, The Cribs, White Rabbits, Supersuckers and Robyn

Totally Commercial: Super Bowl Color Commentary with Miss Pop Rocks

Confessions of a Classic Rock Whore, or One Man’s Journey

Dead Rock West

Honey and Salt

Rock over Houston

The Daddy of Rock N' Roll will whip your ass

Chuck Prophet

Tuesday, May 20

Close Enough

Sound Check

Beck's Prime