Subject: Westheimer Block Party

• Graffiti Artist Sues H.P.D.

  January 30, 2007

• Reverberations: Amplified Heat, Born Liars, Black Black Gold and The Contrast

  April 9, 2008

• Weekend Music: No Money, No Problem

  April 11, 2008

• Top Secret: Flash Mob at Westheimer Block Party

  April 11, 2008

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

  April 13, 2008

• Texans Electric Touch Top Amazon's MP3 Chart

  July 9, 2008

• Over the Weekend: Pearl Bar, Los Tios, Escalante's and Houston Aeros

  October 12, 2008

• Tha Fucking Transmissions Are For the Children

  October 16, 2008

• Houston Children’s Festival

  April 2, 2009

• Final Ballot for Skyline Network's Sammy Awards Online

  Four-time 2008 Sammy nominees Balaclavas Photo by Jon Van The preliminary results for primo Houston music scene blog The Skyline Network's annual Sammy Awards are in, and the final ballot is online now. (Right here, as a matter of fact, just select the Sammys in the pull-down box - it's the only thing in there, so it ain't hard to find.) The Press is even up for a Sammy, believe it or don't. Our Music Awards Showcase is in the running for Favorite Local Festival, but we've got some stiff comp

  December 10, 2008

• Congratulations to 2008's Sammy Award Winners

  Favorite Live Act; Popsters; EP; 7" 2008: Wild Moccasins A bunch of local musicians' Christmases got a little merrier Saturday night. At the everybody-loves-it Big Star Bar (nice fire pit, adorable kitty cat), scenesters from all quadrants of the city gathered to learn who would be going home with nicely framed certificates indicating they had come out on top in the 2008 Sammy Awards, sponsored by esteemed local music blog The Skyline Network. "What a great party," Skyline pimp adr

  December 23, 2008

• Westheimer Block Party Seeking Vendors

  Yes, Rocks Off knows we're in the middle of the rodeo, and SXSW is next week (shiver), but life does go on, y'all. Besides, once all the SXSW debris is cleared away, it'll be less than a week until Free Press Houston's Westheimer Block Party - which is rapidly metastasizing into one of the Southwest's biggest music festivals in its own right, with well over 100 bands spread over eight stages (free all day) and a SXSW-worthy evening lineup including St. Vincent,

  March 10, 2009

• Artist of the Week: JUZCOZ

  Each Wednesday, 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 introducingliston@gmail.com. We listen to a lot of hip-hop. A LOT. It's like, not to brag or anything, but we pretty much know everything there is to know about it. We mean, we own at least six hip-hop albums so we're basically experts. And that's wh

  March 11, 2009

• Suckfest - Sorry, Buzzfest - XXII Lineup Announced

  Hey, didn't Korn break up after this album? They didn't? Our bad.In the midst of getting our collective Rocks Off panties in a twist over SXSW next week and the impending sweat-stained Westheimer Block Party, it's easy for us to forget what it's like on the other side of the music-snob fence. That's the other, seamier plane where lame-ass tricks like Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and 10 Years can help sell out amphitheaters on bills headlined by Korn, Papa Roach and 311. Where masses of fake-tit

  March 13, 2009

• Westheimer Block Party Preview: Updates from Buxton, Guitars, Tambersauro, Muhamid Ali, Sew What and More

  With the Westheimer Block Party coming up Saturday, Rocks Off put out an open call on Hands Up Houston asking any band or artist playing the festival to send him a brief email about what they've been up to lately. We'll be doing this all week, so keep 'em coming to chris.gray@houstonpress.com. Welfare Mothers: "Jackin' Off. We are playing at the secret show at Numbers upstairs!" Buxton: "We're releasing a 7" probably in May, putting up the song "Feathers" tonight. We also just finished rec

  March 25, 2009

• Westheimer Block Party Preview: Updates from Elaine Greer, Bolt, Linus Pauling Quartet, Future Blondes and More

  The second in Rocks Off's series of self-penned updates from bands playing Saturday's Westheimer Block Party. If this also applies to you, please send yours to chris.gray@houstonpress.com. Elaine Greer: "I have been working on my first-ever EP, which is set to be released in May, and am playing next on the SugarHill Sessions on April 2." (2:40 p.m., City of Montrose Stage, 203 Westheimer) Mechanical Boy: "We just finished shooting our first video while in Austin for SXSW. It should be read

  March 26, 2009

• Turning the Screw: K-Rino, Nosaprise, Method Man, T.I., Devin the Dude, Trick Daddy, Flo Rida, The Kanye, Jim Jones, Botany Boyz and More

  Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off's weekly rap post. It probably won't rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: K-Rino, "Past, Present, Future" Wire To Wire In case you forgot about him, here's the link to Houston rapper Nosaprise. We caught his performance at the Westheimer Block Party and felt obligated to mention that, after some early sound trouble, he ripped it the last half of his set. Bad week for T-

  March 30, 2009

• Slideshow: Westheimer Block Party

  Craig Hlavaty The Western Civilization, and some damn nice weather.Somehow Rocks Off managed to survive Saturday's Westheimer Block Party and its onslaught of local/regional bands like Tontons, Guitars, Cop Warmth, McKenzies, B L A C K I E and many, many more. We even got a few pictures out of the deal - click here for a slideshow.

  March 30, 2009

• Slideshow: Homopolice at Westheimer Block Party

  Craig HlavatyLeather-loving noise-punks Homopolice's show at Mango's during Westheimer Block Party Saturday evening had it all: amplifier humping, instrument smashing, guest screaming from Rusted Shut's Don Walsh, lots of blood and even more dude-on-dude action. It was so over-the-top outrageous it obviously deserved its own slideshow. Craig Hlavaty risked life and limb to get up close and personal - click here for the rest of the pictures.

  March 31, 2009

• Mango's Becomes Full-Time Music Venue Next Weekend

  The Houston scene has another music venue in the mix, as Mango's Café on Westheimer has its grand opening next Friday with a huge show headlined by the Sideshow Tramps. Took 'em that long to get the joint cleaned up from the Homopolice show, we imagine, and let's hope they got the restroom situation sorted because we can't afford any more tetanus shots. Though Mango's made its debut as a music venue last weekend during the Westheimer Block Party, it officially goes live in earnes

  April 2, 2009

• Seattle's KEXP Loves Our Hungry Villagers

  Photo by Craig Hlavaty The fruits of Hungry Villagers' labors have seemingly paid off. Today, while perusing the concert industry website livedaily.com, we saw the Houston indie-pop group has today's free download of the day, new track "Tree Full Of Ghosts." Further investigation led us to the music blog for influential Seattle indie station KEXP 90.3 FM championing the band, describing them as a "burst of hope and fresh spring air." Hungry Villagers consists of three Houck brothers - David, J

  April 3, 2009

• Heavy Lifting

  Cocky Cocktails at Anvil Bar & Refuge

  April 9, 2009

• Hit the Evening Showcase and Keep Corporate Hands Off the Westheimer Block Party

  March 26, 2009

• Westheimer Block Party

  October 9, 2008

• Westheimer Block Party

  Local music en masse

  April 10, 2008

• Westheimer Block Party

  Local music hits the street of Westheimer

  October 11, 2007

• Go West

  April 27, 2006

• Letters to the Editor

  May 18, 2006

• Cop Warmth Poaches Rocks Off's Artwork on New Cassette

  "Jesus Sanchez"... sorry, Craig Hlavaty Rocks Off loves getting local tapes and vinyl in the mail here. That's not a cry for free shit or a sad call for pity. We just dig hearing new music off something other than an Apple product or a boring plastic round disc. That being said we just got in the new Cop Warmth tape from the boys in Chemical City. Craig and the crew even included a handy list of fun facts about the release, including its genesis from a live recording at the immensely fun Westhei

  May 1, 2009

• Artist of the Week: Trash-Talking "Booty Truck" Indie-Rockers Giant Princess

  Each Wednesday, 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 introducingliston@gmail.com.​ If you could input a bunch of information into a computer in a Weird Science-like effort to create the most indie band in the world, after the unexplainable lightning storm, Giant Princess would be standing in your room. Ho

  August 12, 2009

• Start the Guessing Now: Which Fun Fun Fun Fest Artists Will Also Play the Next Block Party?

  ​ Fun Fun Fun Fest, the scuzzier, noisier cousin to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, announced its lineup this afternoon. Held November 7 and 8 in Austin's Waterloo Park, FFFF is up to 91 artists this year, everyone from rappers the GZA, the Pharcyde and the Cool Kids to electronic/dance acts Broadcast, Ratatat and Yeasayer, power-pop (Destroyer) to hardcore (Fucked Up, Gorilla Biscuits), garage rock (Strange Boys, King Khan and BBQ), comedians (Brian Posehn) and lots of bands us thirtys

  August 25, 2009

• Bayou Beat: Catch Rocks Off on Inside the Scene Online, "Troubador Tuesdays" at House of Blues, Greg Ashley Returns, etc.

  If you missed Channel 39's Inside the Scene documentary about this year's Houston Press Music Awards, you can now watch it online here. Rocks Off, who absent-mindedly forgot to set his DVR (mostly because we don't have one), hears he came off as remarkably well-spoken and erudite, so thanks to the 39 production crew for the nifty editing job. This evening, House of Blues and KPFT's Lone Star Jukebox are partnering up for the first in a series of "Troubador Tuesdays," happy-hour events (5-8 p.m.

  September 8, 2009

• Free Press Houston Announces Westheimer Block Party Lineup

  ​Our friends and neighbors at Free Press Houston just posted the lineup for the next Westheimer Block Party, November 14 and 15 on lower Westheimer. Rumors it's soon to become the Washington Avenue Block Party in an attempt to coax some of those sweet, sweet yuppie ad dollars out of the Social, Pearl Bar, Block 7 Wine Co., Blue Label, Pandora, etc. are - for now - greatly exaggerated, so all you "Montrose Forever!" types can chill. Headlining are Brooklyn-based hip-hop rabble-rousers Dead Prez

  October 12, 2009

• Distant Early Warning: Anvil(!), David Cook, Lee Greenwood, Skatalites, Tanya Tucker, Tegan & Sara, etc.

  ​"13th Annual Pimp-N-Prostitute Ball" With MINIKISS, The Crisis, DJ Looney, DJ Jager, DJ Velvet: Sat., Oct. 31. Warehouse Live. Ali Zafar: Sat., Oct. 24. Arena Theatre. Anvil: Sun., Jan. 24. House of Blues. Brave Combo: Fri., Dec. 11. Dosey Doe Coffee Company. Buxton, Surfer Blood, F.G. and the Gunz: Tue., Nov. 3. Mango's. Dave Guetta: Fri., Nov. 20. Planeta Bar-Rio. David Cook: Sat., Nov. 7. Warehouse Live. Epica, Daath, Blackguard, Of Raven And Ruin: Wed., Feb. 24. Scout Bar Clear Lake.

  October 13, 2009

• Somehow, Some Way, Free Press Houston Has Assembled the Westheimer Block Party Stage Schedules

  ​Because we worked somewhere that shares a property line with SXSW for many, many years, Rocks Off knows a little bit about how the carcinoma-like March music festival places its 1,500-something bands into its 75-something venues. Basically, they work on it all year long - we reckon the schedule for next March's Austin shindig is between 50 and 60 percent booked at this point. (Lord help us all.) That said, we have no earthy idea how the Free Press Houston crew managed to schedule the some 250

  November 2, 2009

• Video from Fun Fun Fun Fest In Austin: Metallagher, Death, Jesus Lizard and More

  Marc Brubaker​ This weekend Rocks Off also brought along our littlest member, our Flip camera, to Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin. It proved to be indispensable in tight places where a regular still camera may not be as useful. Here's a smattering of what we captured through it's tiny lense. We are sure you will be seeing ol' girl at this weekends Westheimer Block Party as well. Enjoy the videos after the jump, with much more Fun Fun Fun coverage to come.

  November 9, 2009

• Westheimer Block Party Listology: Fiskadoro Chooses Artists They'd Bring Back to Life

  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; just email chris.gray@houstonpress.com by noon Thursday if you want to play. First up are Lake Jackson post-punk art-rockers Fiskadoro. Rich Kimball, guitar Robert Rental: This guy is criminally obscure. I think he played with Daniel Miller's band The Normal for awh

  November 10, 2009

• Westheimer Block Party Listology: The Live Lights Choose 10 Albums to Take Into Space

  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 you want to play. Next up, in a twist on the evergreen "Desert Island" meme, recent Artist of the Week the Live Lights choose ten albums they'd take with them should they ever leave the Earth's atmosp

  November 10, 2009

• Westheimer Block Party Listology: Paris Falls' Favorite, and Least Favorite, Musical Moments In the Movies

  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 you want to play. Next up, neo-classic rock family band Paris Falls' Ray Brown tells us what he likes and doesn't like about music in the movies. The Circle Jerks' lounge version of "When the Shit Hi

  November 11, 2009

• 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 you want to play. Next up, rabid Tom Petty/Replacements fans and infrequent performers (though more frequently of late) Bright Men of Learning remember the music their parents loved. ​ Benjamin Davi

  November 11, 2009

• Westheimer Block Party Listology: The Watermarks (Minus One) Choose Their Favorite Duets

  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. Next up, four-fifths of local electro-tinged post-punks the Watermarks choose their favorite duets. Jessica Brand My favorite duet, knee-jerk reaction, would have to be PJ Harvey and Thom Yorke singing "This Mess We're In." I love the desperation and the way their voices overlap and tangle like ocean waves. Plus

  November 12, 2009

• Westheimer Block Party Listology: Flowers to Hide Chooses the Saddest Songs In the World

  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. Next up, Jesus and Mary Chain-y alt-rockers Flowers to Hide tell us the saddest songs in the world. claudiabelle​ Jonathan Espeche (guitar, vocals) and Stephen Anderson (vocals, guitar) JE: The promise of good times and fun are always used in popular music to sell something because it doesn't challenge people a

  November 12, 2009

• Westheimer Block Party News and Notes

  ​This weekend's Westheimer Block Party is already going through some minor scheduling changes, just less than twenty-hours away from the time Bryan Jackson cracks open his first Modelo on Taft. Facebook and MySpace (yeah, we know) have been awash the past two days with changes to the lineup and set times. A recent Facebook status update from WBP sponsor Free Press Houston said this: "I don't know when your band is playing. Bands keep on trading slots like trading cards. It is what it is." FPH

  November 13, 2009

• Free Press Staffer's Death Darkens Westheimer Block Party

  www.freepresshouston.com ​The first bit of news to report from this weekend's Westheimer Block Party is not a happy one at all. Late Saturday night, Free Press Houston staffer Lee Powers, 19, fell to his death from the Hazard St. bridge over U.S. 59. Powers, who also worked as a cook at Mango's, did many different tasks for the Montrose publication that produced this weekend's Block Party, a visibly shaken editor/publisher Omar Afra said Sunday afternoon. Among other things, Powers inter

  November 16, 2009

• Aftermath: Peace, Love, Little Joe and Hooker Heels at Westheimer Block Party

  Photos by Groovehouse​ We'll get the obligatory platitude out of the way first. If any of you didn't Day 1 of the one-and-only two-day edition of the Westheimer Block Party, then you missed an excellent day of music and community in Houston. As we walked between stages spanning the corner of Westheimer and Taft, we found ourselves amidst a broad cross-section of Houston life and culture out enjoying the fun and festivities. Nosaprise​We could give some credit to the City Of Montrose itself

  November 16, 2009

• Aftermath: Puppet Shows, Neo-Rastas, Freddie Gonorrhea, Black Congress and an Impromptu Nap Saturday at Westheimer Block Party

  Marc Brubaker​ Saturday's Westheimer Block Party began on a wobbly note, as most music festivals do with fans and staff still trying to find their bearings, aided by alcohol or otherwise. The scene on the ground seemed chaotic just an hour into the first day of the event. Organizer and Free Press Houston editor Omar Afra walked from venue making sure everything was going off without a proverbial hitch. The first thing we saw on Saturday was renaissance rapper Nosaprise on the Helios outdoor st

  November 16, 2009

• Aftermath: A Weekend With the Magically Reappearing Ralf Armin (and Some Really Gross Portapotties) at Westheimer Block Party

  Brittanie SheyDead Roses - that's the ubiquitous Ralf Armin in the hat at left - on the roof of La Strada​ You know how sometimes you'll learn a new word, and in the weeks that follow you'll realize you're hearing that word everywhere, eavesdropping it in conversations and reading it in the newspaper. Call it the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, or call it confirmation of bias, but whatever you call it, it was the theme for Aftermath this weekend. A few weeks ago, we met Ralf Armin while eating lunc

  November 16, 2009

• Aftermath: Conspiracies, Prog-Metal, Gypsy-Folk, Hardcore and Remembering a Fallen Friend Sunday at Westheimer Block Party

  Craig HlavatyRoom 101​ Day 2 of the Westheimer Block Party started with slightly cooler temperatures and an hour-long caffeine-fueled session speaking with the 9/11 conspiracy booth in the parking lot at Numbers. Did you know that there were three shooters at Columbine, and bombs planted inside the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995? That's another blog for another time and place, where we're not being followed by corporate spies with guns that shoot ice bullets and rayguns and whatnot

  November 16, 2009

• One Final Word About the Westheimer Block Party, and the Rest In a Few Easy Clicks

  Marc Brubaker​ Things could have gone smoother this past weekend on lower Westheimer. No one is denying that. Rocks Off has learned to live with the inevitable scheduling delays and interminable sound checks, as we're sure most Westheimer Block Party regulars have, but performers please take heed: Swapping stage times with each other willy-nilly, and especially not showing up at all, are no ways to win over new fans - or, really, to even keep the ones you've already got. Marc Brubaker​Yes, c

  November 16, 2009

• Whirlwind Weekend: See What You Missed

  Whether you hit the Lebowski Bash on Friday night, the Westheimer Block Party on Saturday night or the Chris Brown (!!!) concert at the House of Blues, or whether you just shook your ass on the dance floor at Venue or Mantra, here's a sampling of the weekend in photos. Photo by Katharine Shilcutt​Houston's second annual Lebowski Bash hit Discovery Green with all the Walters and Maudes you could shake a $0.69 check at.

  November 16, 2009