William Michael Smith

Willie Nelson's Houston Years -- Struggling to Get By in the Murder Capital of the Nation

We usually let our sister blog Rocks Off handle the music business, but in case you don't regularly check them out (for shame!), allow us to point you to a story worth reading. William Michael Smith takes a long and deep look at Willie Nelson's early years struggling to get by in Houston, in this w ... More >>

Cops Suspect Up to 300 Counts of Fraud In KTSU DJ Case

Note: This article was written by William Michael Smith and Houston Press staff writer Steve Jansen. A TSU DJ has been arrested in an alleged pledge-drive scam, a local TV watchdog reporter said late Wednesday. According to a tweet from Fox 26 reporter Isiah Carey late this afternoon, KTSU radio v ... More >>

The 5 Best Shows In Houston This Week: Rosie Flores, Otep, Mission of Burma, Etc.

Rosie Flores, the Austin-based "Rockabilly Filly" and onetime L.A. cowpunk scenester who played the Continental Club with Mike Stinson in late July, circles back around to celebrate her birthday Tuesday at KPFT's monthy free-show series "Troubador Tuesdays" at Natachee's Supper & Punch. Back then, ... More >>

HPMA Showcase: The 12 Best Artists of 2012

Rocks Off asked the writers we had covering Sunday's HPMA showcase downtown to pick out one or two of their favorites among the 50 or so performers. SLIDESHOW: HPMA Showcase - The Bands SLIDESHOW: HPMA Showcase - The Crowds Bang Bangz: Bang Bangz set up a mellowed dreamscape for their audience, c ... More >>

HPMA Showcase: Rocks Off's Top 7 Discoveries

Rocks Off also asked our folks covering the HPMA showcase to tell us their favorite new artist they saw Sunday - not necessary new, just new to them. HPMA Showcase: The 12 Best Artists of 2012 SLIDESHOW: HPMA Showcase -- The Bands SLIDESHOW: HPMA Showcase -- The Crowds Alkari: How have I never s ... More >>

HPMA 2012 Showcase

One night. 11 venues. 55 minutes.

''One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer — Guitar Art, No Strings Attached''

Thanks, Houston

What we appreciate most this year.

What We Are Thankful For This Year

Like most years, 2011 has been...complicated. We've heard some great music, seen some killer shows and lost some amazing people. We also nearly lost one of our own. That's how it goes in this world and it's why the things we are thankful for take on added meaning as the year begins to wind down. Th ... More >>

Showcase Showdown

Fifty bands, 11 stages and three music writers talking HPMA highlights.

2011 Music Awards Showcase

Your guide to the bands and venues.

Houston "Doghouse" Blues Pianist Earl Gilliam Dead At 81

​Rocks Off contributor William Michael Smith just called in to regretfully inform us that Houston blues musician Earl Gilliam has passed away. Gilliam's manager, Sheri Goodman, told Smith that Gilliam died at his home near Tomball of advanced lung disease. The piano player was famous for host ... More >>

BestFest: Chamillionaire, Starmaker; The Tontons, New Stars

Marc BrubakerKing Koopa: Talent scout in his spare time.​God Almighty, that cool front did not last anywhere near long enough. The crowd seems to be in pretty good spirits, but it's just past the hottest part of the day right now and fatigue is starting to show. It's better now - ed. People a ... More >>

Just Playing

Readers write us regarding illegal game rooms.

Juneteenth Celebration

Summer Fest Critic's Guide: Who We're Seeing At Tinsley

Jermaine Rogers​In three very short years, Free Press Summer Fest has gone from an experiment most people thought would fail to destination music festival most people wouldn't dare miss even if it is going to be 105 degrees outside. Rocks Off has seen quite a bit of online chatter from people ... More >>

KTRU Lives On At KPFT In Seven-Year Lease

Marc Brubaker​KTRU (91.7 FM), the student-run station at Rice University sold to the University of Houston just before the start of school last fall, will begin broadcasting on Pacifica station KPFT's (90.1 FM) high-definition channel, it was announced today. This means the station won't be r ... More >>

The Worst Music Trends Of 2010

​Editor's Pick: Shit. I spent my whole year either avoiding or ignoring trends. No reason to change now. Marc Brubaker: Many a person instructed me to place Ke(Dollar Sign)ha in this spot, but she's become so ubiquitous that I can't help but laugh when I hear her now. No, fine sirs, this awa ... More >>

Rocks Off's 2011 New Year's Resolutions

​Editor's Pick: To "support the scene" more in 2011. Just kidding. Marc Brubaker: Houston, I have a confession to make. As far as music writers go, this one is pretty bad, too: I have a terrible habit of sleeping on bands just because they are popular. Often, when a new band picks up a lot o ... More >>

Merry Christmas From Rocks Off

Rocks Off polled our staff for their favorite Christmas songs to create a playlist for you to enjoy while you open presents, drink egg nog, or however else you celebrate. Enjoy. Ahh, the gift that keeps on giving...​Editor's Pick: U2, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)": Neph Basedow: Ped ... More >>

The Top WTF Moments Of The Year

Editor's Pick: WTF doesn't have to mean "bad," you know. About a week ago - a week exactly, as a matter of fact - En Vogue's "Free Your Mind" came on the PA at Fitzgerald's. I have been in a musical fog for a few months, where nothing was really connecting, but this song snapped me right out of it ... More >>

Best Boat Name Ever? Or Bestest Boat Name Ever??!

Brittanie Shey​Hat tip to frequent Rocks Off contributor William Michael Smith for bringing this party boat to our attention. It's sitting outside Gibbs Boats and Motors on West Gray and Montrose, where it underwent a little tune-up a few weeks ago and is awaiting pick-up from the owner. We t ... More >>

Honky-Tonk Houston

Readers weigh in on the pros and cons

2009 Concert Rewind: The 2009 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase and Ceremony

Showcase Sunday, Part 1 Shea SerranoRunaway Sun​ Dominique: "We guess critics would call her style 'neo-soul,' but it didn't seem very 'neo' to me, more like 'jazzy soul.' She fronted a piano-led trio with two backing vocalists and from the first sultry Fender Rhodes groove to the final explosive ... More >>

2009 Concert Rewind, June: Roky Erickson, David Byrne, Heartless Bastards, Santigold, Clapton & Winwood, the Jenny Lewis Shushing and '90s Alt-Rock Back from the Dead

Daniel Kramer​ New York Dolls, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, House of Blues, June 4: "What we got last night at the House of Blues was an hour-long set of sporadic and confounding re-workings of their bedrock material, and a whole helluva lot of middle-of-the-road bar rock from two dimming ... More >>

2009 Concert Rewind, April: Springsteen, Jandek, Morrissey, The Faint, iFest, Cake... and Nickelback

Harley C. Pitts​ Kevin and Dustin Welch, McGonigel's Mucky Duck, April 2: "Dustin (son of Kevin) Welch stunned the sparse crowd at the Duck last night from the first note of "One False Move," the brilliant opener to his new album, Whisky Priest. While the graying crowd had mostly come to hear the ... More >>

52 Pick-Up

Your guide to the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards showcase

Oh, Christ: Original Limp Bizkit Lineup to Reunite

Because things aren't already bad enough out there right now, the original lineup of crotch-rocking mooks Limp Bizkit annouced today they are reuniting. Here, according to a joint statement by the band's Fred Durst and Wes Borland, is their reasoning: "We decided we were more disgusted and b ... More >>

Lonesome Onry and Mean: The Gourds, Part 2

Andy Goodwin [Note: Part 1 of this interview is here.] Lonesome Onry and Mean: You guys have been on several labels, have probably heard all the too-good-to-be-true come-ons, been to the meetings with label radio gurus and all. How do you look at the label system and the way things are done in th ... More >>

MySpaced Out: Gram Rabbit Stirs in the High Desert

Gram Rabbit, "California Christmas" In case you're still in your holiday hangover mode like I am, here's one wonderful holiday YouTube video that our gallant Mr. Rocks Off left out of his holiday onslaught. Cute doesn't begin to describe this one. While we are on the subject, high desert California ... More >>

Aftermath Extra: The Best Concerts of the Year, Part 8

Cheech & Chong/Willie Nelson, Verizon Wireless Theater/House of Blues, October 31: "This morning Aftermath thought his notes had vanished entirely before realizing he had simply mistook the back cover of his notebook for the front. Halloween 2008 was high times indeed." Randy Weeks, Discover ... More >>

Lonesome Onry and Mean: 2008's Heavy Rotation

For the second (third?) year in a row, LOM didn't vote in either the Nashville Scene's best of country music poll or the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop best of American music poll. I'm just not a good list-maker. Detest that stuff. Just trying to compile a list of possibles makes my brain hate me. ... More >>

Aftermath Extra: The Best Concerts of the Year, Part 1

[Note: Aftermath attended all these shows and reviewed most of them. Even he couldn't see them all.] Six Organs of Admittance, Walter's on Washington, January 18: "[Ben Chasny's] quieter moments reminded me of the softer side of bands like Pavement and Guided by Voices, and the mournful specte ... More >>

Aftermath Extra: The Best Concerts of the Year, Part 2

Gram Rabbit, Super Happy Fun Land, January 31: "Gram Rabbit is the face of 21st century glam; denser than Scissor Sisters and more fun than Ladytron. If everyone who heard Roxy Music got these sorts of ideas, the world would be a vastly better place." (Chris Henderson) Over the Rhine, McGonigel' ... More >>

Merry Christmas from the Rocks Off Family

...and so say all of us! - Chris Gray, Craig Hlavaty, Dusti Rhodes, Keith Plocek, William Michael Smith, Bob Ruggiero, John Nova Lomax, Ernest Barteldes, Brandon K. Hernsberger, Jef With One F, Michael Arceneaux, Linda Leseman, kris ex, Kathy F. Mahdoubi, Rosa Guerrero, Nick DiFonzo, Jason Fergus ... More >>

Aftermath: Raul Malo at House of Blues

Photos by William Michael Smith I've never been a particularly big Raul Malo fan. Sure, he and his Mavericks had a few stellar singles that were pure gold from the first note, most notably (for me anyway) the Dwight Yoakam-ish twanger "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down." But my significant othe ... More >>

Lonesome Onry and Mean: Sounds of Texas Music Series Announces 2009 Season

Guy Clark, "L.A. Freeway," live in Utrecht, The Netherlands, 2006 In response to last week's feature on the Conroe/The Woodlands/Montgomery County Americana scene, we've just received word from the Sounds of Texas Music Series people regarding their 2009 season. Quote-unquote, "Season ticket ... More >>

MySpaced Out: When Publicists Attack

It was War of the Worlds author H.G. Wells who famously said, "Advertising is legalized lying." I recently had the unpleasant occasion to have a brief tete-a-tete with a young lady in the music public relations business. They call themselves "publicists." Not liars. It all began innocently enough, ... More >>

Big Smith

The Music Critics Dictionary

Translating critic-speak

Sunny Day

Letters to the Editor

Playbill

Playbill

Playbill

Playbill

¡Viva H-town!

Latinos come to the fore in this year's music awards

Playbill

MOFRO

Rock You like a Hurricane

The Press Music Awards Showcase brings a category-five storm of tunes