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Anthony Bourdain on Hipsters, Food Critics, Tasting Menus, the Death of Fine Dining and a Religious Experience with Texas Barbecue

The biggest problem with interviewing Anthony Bourdain is not the crackly phone connection between Houston and New York City, nor is it the general trepidation that comes with talking to someone who's notoriously, forcefully honest. The problem is that Bourdain is so interesting -- has traveled so ... More >>

The Film Issue: 10 for 2012

The Film Issue

Looking back on the year in movies, and what's coming in 2012.

Here to Stay

The Rebirth Brass Band continues to evolve by "growing the music."

The Shuttle's Souvenir Load

20,000 flags and 10,000 patches aboard

The Wanderer

Never idle, Steve Earle returns to his old stomping grounds with a new album and novel.

Juneteenth: A Gulf Coast Good Time In A Hipster-Free Zone

Photos courtesy of Miller Theatre Advisory BoardGlen David Andrews (left) and "Mardi Gras Indian" Terrence Gasper​Sunday's Juneteenth extravaganza at Miller Outdoor Theatre proved to be another chapter in why, here at Rocks Off, we love our town. In spite of Hades-like mid-afternoon temperatur ... More >>

Juneteenth Celebration

Lady Gaga Sings The Big Easy Blues

Photos by Annelia WililamsEugene Moody​Rocks Off woke up to Lady Gaga on Good Morning America this morning. It looked like she was having a little trouble with her zipline. The reason Rocks Off woke up to Lady Gaga on Good Morning America this morning, instead of Channel 13's Eyewitness News ... More >>

Last Night: Steve Earle At Cactus Music

Photos by Jason Wolter​Steve Earle Cactus Music May 3, 2011 "We used to make records for girls but now we make them for nerds," says Steve Earle as he situates his instrument before jumping into Hank Williams Sr.'s "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive," the title of his new album and book. ... More >>

Hustle Town

Hustlers Brass Band brings hometown joie de vivre.

Steve Earle Emmy-Nominated For Treme Song

​Steve Earle, one of Houston's favorite musical sons, was nominated for an Emmy today for his song "This City," featured in the recent season finale of the HBO series Treme. Earle, who recently touted Houston's rich history and musical assets on an episode of NPR's World Cafe, wrote "This Ci ... More >>

Kermit Ruffins

Kermit Ruffins, New Orleans' Beaming Musical Ambassador

​Many people say that going to New Orleans feels like being in another time. In fact, the city's current slogan for its tourism TV spots, which Rocks Off caught just this morning, is "you're different here." Listening to Kermit Ruffins, who plays House of Blues Friday night, has that effect t ... More >>

The Week In TV: What Do You Watch During The Summer?

With Treme off the air, what are you going to watch the rest of the summer?​Blah blah basketball blah blah soccer blah blah I miss real shows. This was the week in TV Land: • Treme wrapped its first season last night with an episode that was probably among its best so far, though it also hi ... More >>

Treme: We're Your Neighbors

​We're halfway through the first season of Treme, and it was clear in last night's episode, "Shame, Shame, Shame," that creator David Simon and his crew have some very clear ideas about where to go from here. The halfway point acted like a turning point of sort for the season, offering a narra ... More >>

Treme: We're Your Neighbors

​We're halfway through the first season of Treme, and it was clear in last night's episode, "Shame, Shame, Shame," that creator David Simon and his crew have some very clear ideas about where to go from here. The halfway point acted like a turning point of sort for the season, offering a narra ... More >>

Treme: Getting The Tribe Back Together

Hamsterdam: Treme gets a few Wire shoutouts.​This was the most Wire-heavy episode of Treme yet. We've already got Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters in major roles, but this ep was packed with shout-outs to David Simon's former series. One of Sonny's buddies mispronounced Amsterdam as "Hamsterda ... More >>

Treme: Getting The Tribe Back Together

Hamsterdam: Treme gets a few Wire shoutouts.​This was the most Wire-heavy episode of Treme yet. We've already got Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters in major roles, but this ep was packed with shout-outs to David Simon's former series. One of Sonny's buddies mispronounced Amsterdam as "Hamsterda ... More >>

Treme: Right Place, Wrong Time

​The third episode is potentially a tough one in a ten-episode arc like the one we're getting in the first season of Treme: Far enough in that characters have been set up, not quite at a major halfway point that would entail some twists or the onset of the momentum that will carry the narrativ ... More >>

Treme: Right Place, Wrong Time

​The third episode is potentially a tough one in a ten-episode arc like the one we're getting in the first season of Treme: Far enough in that characters have been set up, not quite at a major halfway point that would entail some twists or the onset of the momentum that will carry the narrativ ... More >>

Chron's Feelings Are Hurt

HBO drama didn't celebrate Houston as best-est place.

The Week In TV: NBC Comedies Are Finally Back

We've missed you.​My parking lot's flooded, I had my first crawfish on Friday, and I feel like funkin' it up. This was the week in TV Land: • Ah, the joys and frustrations of the endless news cycle: Not a couple hours after last week's round-up column went live -- in which I ruminated on C ... More >>

Treme: The Battlefield

​It became clear with this week's Treme, "Meet De Boys on the Battlefront," that creator David Simon has taken the fierce territorial pride that urged him to chronicle Baltimore in The Wire and grafted it onto New Orleans. If the earlier show was about seeing a city in decline in the aftermath ... More >>

The Treme Files: The Battlefield

​It became clear with this week's Treme, "Meet De Boys on the Battlefront," that creator David Simon has taken the fierce territorial pride that urged him to chronicle Baltimore in The Wire and grafted it onto New Orleans. If the earlier show was about seeing a city in decline in the aftermath ... More >>

The Chronicle Gets Its Feelings Hurt By Treme; Possibly Offers A Solution

​In case you hadn't heard -- and there's no way you haven't heard, since seemingly everyone who writes for a living in America worships David Simon's TV shows -- Treme premiered Sunday.It's a story about New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina. It contained two passing references to Houston: One, ... More >>

The Gulf Coast At iFest: Joe Ely's Rattlesnake Rock, Soulful Latinology, Voodoo Brass And Creole Zydeco

Over the next two weeks, Rocks Off will be previewing acts performing at this year's Houston International Festival Saturday and Sunday and April 24-25 broken down by genre (loosely, anyway) and with a guest pick from a true insider: iFest Director of Performing Arts Rick Mitchell. We're doubling up ... More >>

The Week In TV: So Long, Julia Sugarbaker

Even with my dependable shows in reruns, it feels good to be back in the stern embrace of David Simon. This was the week in TV Land: • Thank God for Hulu, you know? The video site is the only reason I actually keep up with Saturday Night Live most weeks. The show's had a real hard-on for tweens ... More >>

Treme: Do You Know What It Means?

​The anticipation for HBO's Treme is high among that certain sliver of TV viewers who worship at the altar of David Simon and consider his epic, five-season The Wire to be the best series ever made. (Consider me one of the faithful.) Yes, he also oversaw Generation Kill, but that one felt a li ... More >>

The Treme Files: Do You Know What It Means To Recover, New Orleans?

www.hbo.com/#/treme​ The anticipation for HBO's Treme is high among that certain sliver of TV viewers who worship at the altar of David Simon and consider his epic, five-season The Wire to be the best series ever made. (Consider me one of the faithful.) Yes, he also oversaw Generation Kill, but th ... More >>

Telling New Orleans

The Wire's creator moves south in Treme on HBO.

The Week In TV: New Cable Shows Worth Watching

​I'm confused by the weather, recovered from South By Southwest, and forbidden from re-enacting Ghost. This was the week in TV Land: • I'm a week behind on HBO's The Pacific. This is my own fault; between this show and others, sometimes things get put on the back burner. The good news is t ... More >>