People Rich Enough To Own Boats Find It Easy To Evade Taxes
Galveston County is getting screwed out of about $33,000 in property taxes from a League City marina. The county knows about it, but doesn’t seem to care. On the Wharf Marina web site, it says plain as day (if you don’t take into account spelling and grammatical errors) that wet…
The Tango Blast Houstone Gang Takes A Hit
Local and federal agents in an anti-gang task force charged with waging the much-debated “War on Drugs” have nabbed another round of bad guys, this time more than a dozen members of Texas’ largest prison gang, Tango Blast Houstone. Acting Houston U.S. Attorney Tim Johnson announced today that 14 members…
Doug Sahm Tribute Album Due March 24
Vanguard Records (Billy Bob Thornton & the Boxmasters, Kim Richey, the Watson Twins) announced today it will release Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm, a 14-song disc honoring the late musican known as Sir Doug, March 24. Artists include Delbert McClinton, Los Lobos, Alejandro Escovedo, Dave Alvin, Terry…
Everyone Wants To Be A Rice Owl
Apparently, times are tough right now or something. And when the going gets tough, the tough apply to Rice University.The university reports drawing more than 10,000 applications for admission so far and says there’s a good chance the final number for 2009 will top 11,000. The reason? People recognize that…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: A Sweet Piece of Art for Sweetheart
My California compadre Charlie McGovern, who produces records by interesting people like Tony Gilkyson (Goodbye Guitar), Victoria Williams (Sings Some Ol’ Songs), and Mike Stinson (Last Fool At the Bar), is also Salinas, California’s biggest booster and amateur historian. It’s all in a day’s work for me to receive out-of-left-field…
And The MasterMind Winners Are…..
Last fall the Houston Press asked readers to send in nominations of people who were breaking new ground in the arts around here.The lucky winners have been named and will be getting a $2,000 check at a dinner Saturday and — perhaps more importantly — they are profiled in the…
Digitalia: Discobelle
So maybe not everyone is into the Swedish music scene, but for all you club-music enthusiasts out there, Discobelle has a number of free MP3s, videos and fun mixes. The three-year-old site posts daily tunes by producers residing anywhere from Brazil to London. You’ll find selections from house kids like Lorenz Rhode,…
At Last: Beyonce Serenades President & Mrs. Obama
Beyonce stepped back into her Cadillac Records character Etta James to sing “At Last,” and sing the hell out of it, for President and Mrs. Obama’s first dance at last night’s HD Neighborhood Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C. It’s hard to imagine either a better singer or song for the…
Annual Pazz & Jop Results Released
Congrats, TV on the Radio! This morning our sister paper in Manhattan’s Cooper Square, the Village Voice, released the results of its annual Pazz & Jop poll, where hundreds of music writers and editors rank their favorite albums of the past year in what has to be an absolute nightmare…
UH-Downtown Gets Set To Vote On World’s Least Necessary Name Change
Max Castillo, president of UH-Downtown, confirmed to the Houston Chronicle what he told us last month: he really, really wants to change the name of his school.And now he’s taking it online!The school has put up on its webpage a whole collection of facts, lists, criteria and suggested names for…
McCain Bows Out
No, not that McCain. Our own McCain’s, right here in Houston. It seems the economic crisis we’re currently experiencing has claimed yet another victim: McCain’s Market on Heights Boulevard abruptly closed up shop on Saturday, January 10th. The owners placed a note on the front door explaining that “due to…
Evolution Vs. Science, The Deathmatch: Part 3 (Updated)
We’re semi-liveblogging the Scopes Monkey Trial of the 21st Century — today’s meeting of the State Board of Education, which is discussing science standards. Here’s the first report, the second and here’s the third:And out come the Californians! Dr. Eugenie C. Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science…
Are You Ready for the Homo Moccasins?
We saw this come over the Hands Up! Houston message board on Monday morning and it took us a good 48 hours to fully digest it. It’s the Homopolice covering – or, more accurately, eviscerating – the Wild Moccasins’ “Bottom of the Chain” in only the way the leather boys know…
More Visual Proof of Barack Obama’s Presidency
For those of you who still can’t believe America has a new President, we’ve loaded up several more batches of photo documentation. Click each pic below to load up the corresponding slideshow. Inauguration Day Crowds in Washington, D.C. Radio One Inaugural Ball for Barack Obama at House of Blues in…
Little Big’s Big Debut
After much anticipation, Little Big’s opened to a crowd hungry for sliders and shakes this past Wednesday night. The restaurant, which took the place of the popular Ming’s at the corner of Westheimer and Montrose, is the latest concept from REEF’s Bryan Caswell: a casual burger joint that will stay…
Evolution Vs. Science, The Deathmatch: Part 2
We’re semi-liveblogging the Scopes Monkey Trial of the 21st Century — today’s meeting of the State Board of Education, which is discussing science standards. Here’s the first report and here’s the second:Board member Ken Mercer of San Antonio, who has a really hard time following the “board members may not…
The East End Doesn’t Like Metro’s Light-Rail Overpass (Updated)
The Houston East End Chamber of Commerce, the Eastwood Civic Association, and some East End residents are up in arms over Metro’s plans for a light rail overpass on Harrisburg Boulevard. So what’s their problem, you say? Why would anyone have anything critical to say of Metro? Yeah, Hair Balls…
Lost Tuneage: Moby Grape
Who Dat? Collectively, Moby Grape probably was one of the most talented bands to come out of San Francisco area during the golden age of hippiedom. Formed in 1966 by drummer Skip Spence and manager Matthew Katz (both of whom had just been fired from Jefferson Airplane), the lineup included Jerry Miller,…
Evolution Vs. Science, The Deathmatch: Part 1
We’re semi-liveblogging the Scopes Monkey Trial of the 21st Century — today’s meeting of the State Board of Education, which is discussing science standards. Here’s the first report:Board member Barbara Cargill of The Woodlands said she “loves high school students.” She really loves them when they support loose interpretations of…
Artist of the Week: Coline
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. How else to say this than with bold,…
That Shih Tzu Don’t Play In Houston, Dude
Houston dog lovers, you pretty much have the same taste as other dog lovers.That’s the overall finding from one of the most scientific and groundbreaking studies of all time, the American Kennel Club’s examination of what dogs are most popular in Houston compared with the rest of America.The top 10…
The Mt. Rushmore of Texas Sports
ESPN is about to start on one of those stupid SportsCenter promotion things that has helped to make SportsCenter virtually impossible to watch. But over here at Ballz, we like stupid things – I’m sure that many of you think anything I write is stupid and virtually impossible to read…
The Mt. Rushmore of Texas Sports
ESPN is about to start on one of those stupid SportsCenter promotion things that has helped to make SportsCenter virtually impossible to watch. But over here at Ballz, we like stupid things – I’m sure that many of you think anything I write is stupid and virtually impossible to read…
Buried Treasure Found In Galveston
Michael Pate, a contractor helping clean up Ike debris off Galveston beaches, noticed a sturdy US Army ammunition box half-buried in the sand earlier this month.Thinking it’d be useful, he dug it out and opened it. Inside was a somewhat odd collection of stuff, the Galveston County Daily News reports:…
Is Mooyah Burger a Mooby’s Knockoff?
Mooyah Burger on Bay Area Boulevard is another contestant in Houston’s gourmet burger beauty pageant. The chain touts “100% fresh lean American beef (never frozen, no additive, fillers or preservatives).” But if you ask me, the meat at Mooyah burger is too lean. Though cooked to medium, my burger wasn’t…
Yes, We Can! (As Long as You’re Not Asking Us To Spell)
You’ve counted down the days remaining in the Bush administration.You’ve planned a party for the last full day, an Inauguration Eve get-together to help usher out an era of errors.So you go to Central Market and get a cake for the occasion. Happy “Juanuary” 20th, dudes.One last Bushism for the…
On-The-Scenes Report From DC: It’s Cold
A few minutes ago, my 12-year-old son John Henry rang in from Washington, where he attended the Inauguration with a group from Pershing Middle School.”Did you hear Senator Kennedy had a seizure?” he asked without saying hello.I had not heard that, I told him.”I don’t think the Inauguration was worth…
$7 at Huddle House
Where: Huddle House, 8619 Richmond off Dunvale, 713-785-0003 What $7 gets you: A chicken fried steak with hash browns, two eggs, buttered toast and jelly. It’ll also get you (with change in most cases) the Patty Melt, Philly Cheese Steak, Huddle Burger, most of the rest of their sandwiches, and…
Barack Obama Is President: The Visual Proof
In case you hadn’t heard, some black guy got inaugurated today and he’s now — believe it or not — your president.Crazy, we know.We sent photographer Daniel Kramer out to record the scene as Houstonians enjoyed the ceremony. Or, maybe, cried.– Richard Connelly…
Got Five Minutes and a Mug?
Then you, too, can have a “chocolate cake” that looks like something you’d find in the lower intestine of an elephant. Sounds tempting, right? The “Five Minute Chocolate Cake” recipe has been circling the internet for years, wowing college students and lazy eaters the world over. It’s a pretty basic recipe, really,…
Aftermath: The Jones Family Singers at the Rothko Chapel
Thanks to Monday’s MLK Day and Tuesday’s inauguration, among other reasons, Aftermath has been thinking about the intersection of faith, music and religion a lot lately. Obviously, even during one of the darkest periods anyone under 80 can remember during our lifetimes, this nation is about to embark – excuse me, as of…
Big Bad John Cornyn Stands Up To Hillary Clinton
A bunch of President Bush Obama’s cabinet nominees will be approved in a pro forma vote in Congress later today, but among them will not be Hillary Clinton.Why? Our very own Senator John “Box Turtle” Cornyn, who apparently believes Clinton’s appointment is some sneaky step towards gay marriage, since everything…
Glasnost Wants You to Remix Its Songs
Local electro arrivistes Glasnost and piss-taking blog Houston’s Most Hated want you to bust out those headphones, fire up the laptop and pick out some choice beats and blips for one of three songs: “Come Alone,” “Great Divide” and “Static.” The tracks are posted at HMH here, available for download until February…
Japanese-Brazilian Fusion the Next Big Thing?
I did a double-take when a buddy of mine told me that his favorite all-you-can-eat sushi bar, Todai Houston, has added a full-service Brazilian churrascaria (South American BBQ) to its ginormous, Japanese-inspired seafood and sushi buffet. Say what?…
Layoffs At Clear Channel
Sneakily timing things to get overshadowed by the Inauguration, media giant Clear Channel is implementing what are expected to be big layoffs at its many radio stations across the country.A tipster tells us the ax has started falling in Houston, where 15 people have reportedly been let go, and there’s…
MySpaced Out: Finland Twangs!
Frida Hyvönen We all know Helsinki rocks; that’s a given. But to pigeonhole the Finnish music scene as nothing but one huge population of Laika and the Cosmonauts headbangers would be a mistake. While Finland certainly stands shoulder to shoulder with Sweden and Denmark when it comes to steroidal rockers,…
World’s Saddest Disclaimer
In case you haven’t made your final Inauguration Night plans, be sure to read the fine print on the ticket page for the bash at House of Blues.”The Inaugural Ball for Barack Obama” is selling entry for $55-$100.But tucked deep in the details is this disclaimer: “This is a party…
The Brits Love Them Some “Blastbeats”
Leave it to the British music press to read more into something than it merits. Any new fad they see pop up they immediately have to make a celebratory month for, or start spending thousands of pounds on to trace its source. It’s a dirty habit. They can’t leave well…
Is This What Astroworld Is Going To Look Like?
Gus Allen at Swamplot has stumbled across artist’s renderings of a planned development for what used to be Astroworld.It’s probably safe to say he’s not impressed, since he can’t decide whether the plan (called “SouthPointe”) is real or a very clever take-down of Houston real-estate cliches: If the SouthPointe design…
Catfish Reef Celebrates the Inauguration
On this most momentous of days, it’s hard to imagine any song on Earth sounding better or more appropriate than this Houston classic: (Apropos version) (High-quality version)…
This Damn “Angry Whopper” Could Be a Damn Sight Angrier, Damn It
You ever get the feeling that sometimes corporations go about product development backwards? That they begin with an abstract idea, and then reverse engineer the idea until they find a product they can sell to us? Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Angry Whopper from Burger King. The only…
Over the (Long) Weekend: Status, Notsuoh and MLK x 2
Apparently there’s some kind of political thing happening in a few hours that’s supposed to be a big deal, but we’ll pause here for a quick sec to look back at the long weekend. 12:26 a.m. at Status We start things off on San Jacinto, where Bill Olive started his…
A Few Rejected Inaugural Ball Theme Songs
Eminem feat. Dr. Dre & 50 Cent, “Crack A Bottle” The Good: Many bottles will be popped during tonight’s festivities, we imagine, if not quite as many models. Also, the ongoing partnerships between this trio of rap titans says something about the present state of race relations in this country,…
Dudes, Time To Get That Thoughtful Anniversary Gift
Annoyed because you’re not able to stand in long, long lines for the Obama inaugural?Why not wait in long, long lines for free make-up?As a result of a court settlement, several of the nation’s fancier chain stores — including ones in Houston — are giving away free make-up in order…
Ten Ways To Stay a Texans Fan Despite the Economy (and the Price Gouging)
Despite the fact that the Houston Texans have yet to field a winning team after seven seasons, or come close to sniffing the playoffs, and despite their inability to make a significant free agent acquisition, and despite just general incompetence on the field and in the front office, the Houston…
Ten Ways To Stay a Texans Fan Despite the Economy (and the Price Gouging)
Despite the fact that the Houston Texans have yet to field a winning team after seven seasons, or come close to sniffing the playoffs, and despite their inability to make a significant free agent acquisition, and despite just general incompetence on the field and in the front office, the Houston…
Rosa’s Photo Corner: Obama’s Pals Extra Golden, and a Shopping Cart of Hope
Photos by Rosa Guerrero “When the band Extra Golden, which includes two Americans and two Kenyans, approached Barack Obama for help guiding them through the Visa process, the then-senator with Kenyan ancestry was kind enough to help them out. The band was then to able to tour and subsequently record the album Hera Ma…
Musicians Don’t Have W. to Kick Around Anymore… So Now What?
Now that Lil’ Bush has shuffled off the Presidential coil – or will in a couple of hours, anyway – and heads off into some Dallas burg to write his memoirs and reflect on his two wild and strange terms as Commander in Chief, it seems that the writers of…
Lost Is Back…Brain Get Busy
Lost is back this week. I don’t know if I should be happy or pissed as Hell that once again I’m going to spend a good chunk of my free time sifting through Lostpedia and contemplating possible theories with friends until one in the morning. (“Do you think what’s happening…
“I Do Solemnly Swear”: Five Best Swearing-In Scenes
Our 44th (and first African-American) President will be sworn into office today, and we at Hair Balls felt the best way to honor such a solemn and historical occasion would be to show some examples of other great Americans swearing similar oaths.5. Jimmy Malone and Eliot Ness (The Untouchables) It’s…
Things To Look For At The Obama Inaugural
You know where you could be right this moment, which is about 7:30 in the morning Houston time?You could be waiting in FREEZING Washington, DC, getting on line to go through security checks so you could wait for hours and hours to watch Barack Obama’s inauguration from a half-mile away.On…
Art Rock: Female Demand and B L A C K I E at Boondocks
Poster by Shelby Hohl…
Maybe Fox 26 Should Apologize for Being Clueless
It took a little longer than Rocks Off expected, but it appears “prison city playaz” Huntzville’s hammer-cocking song “Backpack Fulla Gunz” is finally ruffling some feathers. The protégés of Geto Boy Willie D appeared on Fox 26’s morning news program Friday to perform the (anti-)school-shooting track on the “Fox Rox”…
$13 at Kraftsmen Baking
Where: Kraftsmen Baking, 4100C Montrose Blvd, 713-524-3737 What $13 gets you: Actually $10 will cover almost everything. They specialize in bread, pastries and for lunch, sandwiches made with that wonderful bread. This was my first time for sandwiches here. First of all, they are very good. But they take waaaaay…
Sam Houston Race Park Starts Ike Recovery — And A Push For Casino Gambling
It’s taken a while, but this week Sam Houston Race Park will finally begin the major parts of its post-Ike reconstruction — replacing the roof.The facility has had to wait for supplies, and the availability of a company big enough to handle the job, Gina Rotolo, director of media relations,…
Where To Indulge Your Obama-Mania In Houston
No one’s going to be getting much work done around 11 a.m. Houston time tomorrow.That, of course, is when John McCain will be sworn in as the nation’s first old-white-guy President; assuming you’re down from the amazing high of Sunday’s Lee Greenwood/Hank Williams Jr. concert at the Mall, you’ll want…
U2 Lace Up Their Dirty “Boots”
Among, you know, a few other things, the past 24 hours have been the start of a very, very big year for the band Rocks Off affectionately refers to as the Best Band Ever. U2 appeared alongside Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, “One” pal Mary J. Blige and many more as…
It Says It’s Custard, And It’s Not Pudding You On
Sorry, couldn’t resist. The CreamWorx that just opened at 8817 Texas 6 in Missouri City might want to change its sign just a little to let people – not as acquainted with frozen custard – know that what it’s selling is closer to ice cream than Jello pudding. I drove…
Whole Foods Mothership Burger
There aren’t that many hand-formed burgers to be had in Austin. So I was surprised when Jer, the grill cook at the Whole Foods flagship location at 5th and Lamar, patted out my burger to order. When I complained that a third of a pound was kind of skimpy, she…
Martin Luther King, Jr. Parades — Take Your Pick Or View `Em Both
It takes two parades to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr, mostly because two Houston groups can’t get along in the way that the Good Doctor advocated.But two parades mean twice the celebrating, and viewers got to enjoy Chamillionaire and others, all on a MLK Weekend that will…
Tonight: Still More MLK/Obama Celebrations
Bishop Fred A. Jones & the Jones Family Singers Rocks Off doesn’t mind telling you he’s been on a high from MLK Day and the impending inauguration for a while now – since he broke out U2’s The Unforgettable Fire and cranked it Saturday morning, pretty much – and the…
Recession, What Recession? Kroger Opens a Huge Store in Missouri City
OK, there was a line for the football player signing autographs. The crowds intermingled with a walking crayon and some other cartoon character. Free samples of cheese and meat were everywhere and wait, there were even free samples of wine and beer being handed out. The contents of the rows…
Michael Berry, Houston’s Least-Likely Howard Stern Wanna-Be
Anyone fortunate to be listening to “The Michael Berry” on KTRH 740 AM this past Friday night got to hear about an hour’s worth of girl talk. No, Berry didn’t change formats and start expressing his feminine side underneath his good ol’ boy former city council member tandoori-chomping image. What…
Slideshow: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade
Photo by Chris Gray This bright, blustery morning, Rocks Off ventured to Minute Maid Park to take in Houston’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade, featuring Mixtape Messiah and Co-Grand Marshal Chamillionaire, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Rockets mascot Clutch, the mighty U of H and Willowridge High School marching…
Former Houston Prosecutor’s Most Famous Case Gets Thrown Out By Bush
The right-wing got the gift it had been howling for — today President Bush commuted the sentences of two Border Patrol agents who shot an illegal alien and then tried to cover up the incident.Conservatives have made the case a cause celebre for years, saying the agents had been railroaded.Not…
World Court Says Texas Violated Law By Executing A Mexican Who Doesn’t Really Benefit From Their Decision
Jose Medellin is probably in Hell, if you believe in that sort of thing, and we’re not sure how good the Internet service is down there. (We’re guessing they use Comcast, though.)Medellin was executed in August by Texas after being convicted of the murder of 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena.His execution drew…
Aftermath: Scott Weiland at Warehouse Live
Photos by Mark C. Austin There has to be an unspoken rule from now on that solo albums from the lead singers of big rock bands should be studio-only affairs. These are meant to fulfill record-company contracts, and should never be passed off as an extra insight into the artistic…
As Oscar Nominations Loom, The Five Worst Best (Recent) Pictures
The paradox of the Oscars is that while nobody outside of the incestuous parallel reality of Hollywood really cares about them, we still find ourselves drawn to the spectacle like illiterates to a Rock of Love marathon. The nominations for the 81st Academy Awards will be announced this week, so…
Turning the Screw: Soulbrotha, Slim Thug, Will Smith, Lil Wayne/Michael Phelps, Jodeci, DMX, MC Hammer, Yungstar 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: “Viva La Revolucion,” Soulbrotha Wire To Wire Slim Thug says March will be highlighted by the release of Boss…
Some Overnight Fun At Shell’s Deer Park Plant
The problem with oil refineries, from a purely layman’s point of view, is they’re full of valves and fittings and all manner of other hardware that seem to leak after a certain amount of wear and tear.And so it was at the Shell plant in Deer Park beginning at 1:44…
Some Love For Mitch
Photo by Fred Trask When I first saw Mitch Love play this season, the first thing I thought of was The Pretenders’ “Thin Line Between Love and Hate.” Because while his teammates and most of the fans were going to love him, just about everybody else would hate him. And…
Some Love For Mitch
Photo by Fred Trask When I first saw Mitch Love play this season, the first thing I thought of was The Pretenders’ “Thin Line Between Love and Hate.” Because while his teammates and most of the fans were going to love him, just about everybody else would hate him. And…
Flashback: Something Fierce at Cactus Music
Photos by Chris Gray Houston punk trio Something Fierce put on a spirited pre-tour in-store at Cactus Music Saturday afternoon, performing several songs from its brand-new disc There Are No Answers and a Clash cover. It was a fine day in garageland, to be sure. More photos after the jump…
Our Man At Sundance, Part Two: The Screening
Former Houston Press reporter Steve McVicker is reporting from the Sundance Film Festival:Well, Sunday’s screening of “our” film, I Love You Phillip Morris, came and went last night, with still no official word of having been snapped up by any major distribution company for mucho dollars. However, if the overwhelming…
Debris-Pile Maker To Pleasantville: No, You Stink
The man behind the Pleasantville debris pile has spoken to the Houston Chronicle and has offered a novel defense of his actions.Marlon Copeland of CCG, the company that created the giant pile, essentially tells complainers this: Your neighborhood smelled so bad before, you should be thanking us for doing you…
My Prayer (Is To Be On An E-Mail List)
Hair Balls is now being prayed for by a network of faithful across America. And it’s free. (We think.) A Houston-based company called My Prayer Initiative offers the service (we’ll get back to that), which, according to them, is the first of its kind.The press release My Prayer Initiative sent…
The Eyes Of The World (Of Banana-Label Collectors) Are On Houston
Some are just tiny billboards, others are miniature Christmas cards, and a few are even very, very small protest signs. Hair Balls is talking about banana labels, the object of devotion for Becky Martz. The Houston woman collects them and has more than 8,000 stashed away in two huge albums.For…
Houston: Come for the Renovations, Stay for the Electric Cabs
While trolling the nether regions of the UK press, we came upon this, touting the wonders of Houston as a luxury vacation spot. It’s all enough to make Hair Balls wish it didn’t live here already so it could start making travel plans now!We cannot help but imagine how impressed…
Our Man Reports From The Sundance Film Festival
Former Houston Press reporter Steve McVicker is reporting from the Sundance Film Festival: Despite the economy being in the crapper, and competition for A-list stars from the Obama inauguration, the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, with its film lovers, business types, and members of the press, has still managed to bring gridlock…
Tonight: Scott Weiland at Warehouse Live
Stone Temple Pilots, “Big Empty,” from MTV Unplugged You never know what you’ll get with Scott Weiland. The former lead singer of Velvet Revolver, sometime Stone Temple Pilot frontman and full-time enigma has continuously cheated death and career calamity for almost two decades. Some days, like on his solo efforts,…
The Wait Goes On For Death-Row Inmate In DNA Case
The wait continues for Charles Raby, the Houston man sentenced to lethal injection for brutally murdering a 72-year-old grandmother in 1994.Raby and his lawyer Sarah Frazier have been fighting for years to introduce new DNA testing to the case. The results, which Frazier says exonerate Raby, finally made their way…
Tonight: The Sand Rubies at Rudyard’s
The Sand Rubies are one of those hard-luck bands ideally suited for a VH-1 special. Formed in 1985 by sometime Houstonian Rich Hopkins and guitarist David Slutes, the Tuscon-based band was originally known as the Sidewinders. They scored a major-label deal and actually cracked into the public consciousness with a…
Tonight: Earl Gilliam Blues Revue (But No Earl) at the Big Easy
Houston-area bluesman Earl Gilliam, who turned 79 Tuesday, was hospitalized earlier this month for a partially collapsed lung. He’s home and recovering now, but still unable to perform. However, his birthday show with the Earl Gilliam Blues Revue, originally scheduled for last Friday, will proceed as scheduled tonight minus Gilliam, but with…
Evolution Debate Settled By A&M, To A Degree
There’s less than a week to go before the Evolution vs. Intelligent Design showdown in Austin, and scientists at Texas A&M – the Aggies – have dropped a bombshell. They’ve proven evolution exists. Kind of.Aggie researcher and assistant professor Katy Kao has reportedly developed “the first direct evidence of aspects…
Free Tickets Until 6 p.m. for Iguanas at House of Blues
Jeez, is it Mardi Gras already? Must be, if New Orleans’ premier zydeco/Latin/funk/rock outfit is already back in town. (Doors at 6:30… tonight!) Come and get ’em, and don’t forget your dancing shoes…..
Ten Things You Can Find In the Pleasantville Garbage Pile
There’s a pile of rotting garbage (some optimistically call it “mulch”, but if it’s been there since Ike, it’s garbage) festering in Pleasantville, near the Port of Houston. It’s been there since Hurricane Ike converted large chunks of the city to debris back in September, and now it looks like…
The Country Soul of R. Kelly’s “Feelin’ on Yo Booty”
The Gourds didn’t invent the idea of a ragtag roots-rock band spicing up its set with hip-hop and R&B covers, but thanks to their cover of Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice” (endorsed by the Doggfather himself), everybody probably thinks they did. But Gourds co-frontman Kevin Russell, playing as solo alter ego Shinyribs,…
Circuit City, Don’t Let The Doorknob Hit You In The Ass
So Circuit City is calling it quits, shuttering the remaining 13 stores in the Houston area.Hair Balls had the misfortune of buying the worst TV I have every owned there a couple of years ago. The built-in DVD player broke almost immediately, the picture is weak, the power button has…
The Hotel Business Sucks Everywhere But Houston. Thanks Ike!
November was a very tough month for the hotel business, according to Smith Travel Research, which tracks these kinds of things.Occupancy rates dropped from November 2007 in all of the top 25 markets except one — Houston.Houston’s occupancy rate climbed 11 percent over the previous November to a rate of…
Cheap Fat Oysters and Cold Shiner Bock
As I drove by Pappa’s Brothers Seafood on Shepherd yesterday afternoon around four o’clock, I noticed that the sign advertising oysters for $3.95 a dozen wasn’t up anymore. I pulled over anyway and went inside to ask if the promotion was still going on. “Let me see,” said the bartender…
Five Spot: Bizzy Bone Should Have Dashed, Ducked or Hid Behind a Tree
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and list five reasons why it’s either brilliant or dumb-assed. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Because the universe has grander plans than either you or we can comprehend, Bizzy Bone, of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony fame, was recently…
H-E-B Stores Ban Luv, Causing Severe Problems To Playas Everywhere
First they came for the peanut butter, then they came for the love.Just a day after HISD banned peanut butter on its campuses, the H-E-B grocery-store chain announced it is taking off its shelves every bag of “Luvs Candy Text Messages,” which sounds like someone’s cutting-edge idea on how to…
Pirates And Highway Robbery In The West U Municipal Court
Y ou can’t blame a city for trying to make some ends at the expense of outsiders. What better way to do that than the killer combo of ticket-happy police and a headache-inducing municipal-court system that promises to get off your case if you fork over your fine?That’s what Malcolm…
Tejada’s Turn Under the Grand Jury Microscope
When word came out that a grand jury had been convened to investigate Roger Clemens, Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane asked him to not come to the Astros camp for spring training. I wonder if Drayton is going to ask the same thing of Miguel Tejada. Because it is now…
Tejada’s Turn Under the Grand Jury Microscope
When word came out that a grand jury had been convened to investigate Roger Clemens, Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane asked him to not come to the Astros camp for spring training. I wonder if Drayton is going to ask the same thing of Miguel Tejada. Because it is now…
Eat Your Vegetables: Zappa for Beginners
[Eat Your Vegetables is a new Rocks Off column exploring experimental, improvised and other generally odd music.] Express disinterest in Frank Zappa to one of his fans, and they’re likely to insist you hear Hot Rats – or at least, so I read somewhere once; Zappa devotees becoming steadily less…
Forbidden Love In China, A Guilty Plea In Houston
Houstonian Gregory Blackard found love, or at least sex, in Beijing. He met a Chinese woman and had an intense, intimate, secret relationship for more than two years.The problem was that he was a contractor helping to build the new American Embassy there, and his high-level security clearance required him…
I’ll Have a Little Wine With That Peekytoe Crab
Voice Restaurant in the Hotel Icon (220 Main Street) has come up with another special dinner, a five-course tasting menu and wine pairing for $75 a person on January 21. This time they are teaming up with Axel Schug of Schug Cameros Estate Winery in California. Here’s the menu from…
Rotation: Plies’ Da REAList
Plies, Florida’s 32-year-old snarl with a rapper hidden underneath, is nothing if not a work horse. Over the last 16 months he’s released three(!) full-length albums: The Real Testament (“Shawty” feat T-Pain), Definition of Real (“Bust it Baby Pt. 2”), and, most recently, Da REAList. (That’s three more than Q-Tip…
Your Debutante Just Knows What You Need
Thank Christ that we have the River Oaks Country Club, ever ready to assure the world that we here in Houston are nouveau riche dilletantes who don’t give a shit about those who aren’t making the big bucks.The Economist magazine’s most recent issue has a brief item dedicated to the…
Barry Bonds Might Not Go to Jail
As far as I’m concerned, the big news is that Barry Bonds might be getting off. Yep, that’s right. Barry Bonds might not be going to jail. For those who don’t know all of the details, but do know that Bonds is going on trial in March, know this. He’s…
Barry Bonds Might Not Go to Jail
As far as I’m concerned, the big news is that Barry Bonds might be getting off. Yep, that’s right. Barry Bonds might not be going to jail. For those who don’t know all of the details, but do know that Bonds is going on trial in March, know this. He’s…
Houston Group Helps Fight Against Old People Having Sex
No one wants to think about old people having sex, except maybe old people. And even then they probably think of themselves having sex with much younger people.But — incredibly, unimaginably — the most recent issue of the magazine of the American Association of Retired People contained an advertisement for…
Praise the Lord and Pass the Mimosas
Gospel Brunch at the newly-opened House of Blues is a funny thing. You’re sitting in a darkened concert hall, your ears ringing from the thundering sounds that rumble through the elaborate sound system and shake your bones, your eyes assaulted by a kaleidoscope of brightly-colored lights, all while you sip daintily…
Will the Texan 30 Rock Writer Please Get in Touch?
This is starting to mess with Rocks Off’s head just a little. Last week’s Janis-Joplin-movie subplot made him wonder, because it was hardly the first time Southeast Texas was used as a punchline, but now he’s sure there’s some sort of subversive Lone Star conspiracy afoot behind the scenes of NBC’s Emmy-…
HEB Stores Ban Luv, Causing Severe Problems To Playas Everywhere
First they came for the peanut butter, then they came for the love.Just a day after HISD banned peanut butter on its campuses, the HEB grocery-store chain announced it is taking off its shelves every bag of “Luvs Candy Text Messages,” which sounds like someone’s cutting-edge idea on how to…
Is Obama’s New Family Dog Coming From Houston?
The saga of the Obama family dog has made the entire nation forget the fact that they soon will be out of jobs, to a degree.The new first family is committed to adopting a rescued dog; an Obama daughter has allergy problems so the process of choosing a pet has…
If You’re Paying Four Bucks For A Brownie And You’re Not In A Starbucks, Watch Out
Four bucks for a brownie? Unless you’re getting a mocha cappacrappachino with soy and no foam, chances are there might be something suspicious going on.Five students from Ball High in Galveston found that out when they got sick after buying pot-laced brownies from another student yesterday.Three of the students went…
The Grocery Store Corridor
If you put stock in any of the numerous lists of food trends for 2009 that place “at-home cooking” as the most important trend of the new year, you’ll be happy to know that Houston is continually offering plenty of places for you to do your shopping. Grocery stores, like…
Beef and Barley Soup with Bovril
Beef soup always tastes better with a dash of Bovril liquid beef bouillon added. So do beef stews and beef gravies. Legend has it that Bovril was invented because Napolean III needed to feed his army during the war with Prussia. So he ordered an enormous quantity of canned beef…
$7 at Southwell’s Burger Grill
Where: Southwell’s Burger Grill, 5860 San Felipe St Ste. F, 713-789-4972 What $7 gets you: A better-than-decent burger and fries, or a couple of chili dogs. No drink, though. All I really wanted to do was sip some chicken broth, take some ibuprofen, and then crawl under my covers and…
The Express Elevator To Lawsuit Hell
In little more than a month, three people have been injured at the same downtown building in elevators falling from the same cursed floor.A story in today’s Chronicle has the details: a man and woman were hurt on Monday when their elevator dropped two floors; on December 9, a woman…
RIP Gary Kurfirst
Stop Making Sense Music-business legend Gary Kurfirst passed away from undisclosed causes while on vacation in Nassau, the Bahamas, January 13. A venue owner, talent manager, film producer and label founder, Kurfirst opened New York City’s Village Theater, later known as the Fillmore East, in 1967. That same year, he…
Tense Times In La Marque
We have one question for La Marque: What the hell is going on down there?There’s a crime spree, the City Manager might or might not be keeping his job, and the Mayor resigned. That’s just this week. No telling what’s gonna happen next. La Marque is the kind of small…
Radar Eyes: Peeking Under Shakes Gown
SAN FRANCISCO -> BERLIN -> SAN FRANCISCO -> BEYOND!!! Chris Rolls is the mastermind behind the high-energy San Francisco music machine known as Shakes Gown. Radar Eyes: Name, social security no., purpose for living, etc. Shakes Gown: Chris Rolls, and my purpose is to procreate… or so I have been…
Condo Market In Houston Is Humming, We’re Told
Yesterday we told Houston homeowners they should be happy that the local real-estate market is not in a complete meltdown, according to a report.A new report today indicates that condo owners should be rejoicing even more.The Houston market is third in the nation in terms of price increases for condos,…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Macon Greyson Puts the Moves on The Wrestler
The Press has touted Dallas rock band Macon Greyson numerous times. Music Editor Chris Gray had its 20th Century Accidents as one of his top albums of 2007. National mags like No Depression, Paste and Amplifier have all raved about the band while our sister paper in Dallas, the Observer, has studiously…
Good News: Helpful DNA Evidence. Bad News: Her Client May Still Die
Defense attorney Sarah Frazier got the DNA results she wanted. They might even win her tomorrow’s hearing. But her client could still be put to death. Frazier has fought for years to introduce new DNA testing to the case of Charles Raby, who was convicted almost 15 years ago of…
Houston Zoo Goes Ape Over Elephant-Abuse Claims
Turns out the Houston Zoo has plenty to say about In Defense of Animals naming it one of the “Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants.” “The list is an annual effort by In Defense of Animals to draw attention to their narrow agenda – to remove elephants from zoos,” zoo spokesman…
Bye-Bye Billboards, Or At Least Some Of Them
This week saw the end of a long battle, and you probably didn’t notice.The last of the 831 small billboards cluttering Houston streets was taken down. It was taken down as a result of an ordinance passed in 19-freaking-80, but at least it was taken down.(The ordinance has been tied…
Facebook Hamstrings Whopper Sacrifice Application
It was easy to guess that Burger King’s somewhat mean-spirited Whopper Sacrifice Facebook application was going to draw some kind of fire; less easy to guess was that the fire would be drawn from Facebook itself, because the application, to put it bluntly, worked too well. In the world of…
The Return of Chart Check: Beyonce Runs “Rings” Around the Competition
[Note: Chart Check is back, now spotlighting Texans on this week’s various Billboard lists.] The Billboard 200 (albums) 4. Beyonce, I Am… Sasha Fierce 8. Jaime Foxx, Intuition Hot 100 (singles) 2. Beyonce, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” 19. Beyonce, “If I Were a Boy” Digital Songs 5…
No Peanut Butter At HISD Schools
HISD is making a bold, courageous move against the scourge of possibly poisoned peanut butter.It’s cleaning out all its vending machines of any trace of peanut-butter crackers, confiscating any such potentially deadly crackers from kids’ lunches, and even taking away PB&Js from students who bought them from home.(No-doubt delicious entrees…
Sole of Houston: Airport Drive, The Finale (Including Unwanted Puke)
And here is the final installment of David Beebe and John Lomax’s 20-plus mile hike from Intercontinental Airport to Spanish Flowers restaurant. Part one is here and part two is here.David Beebe’s accounts of the same hike are here and here.Airline’s furthest reaches are lined by sprawling and run-down ’70s…
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducts Metallica, Run-DMC, Jeff Beck, Wanda Jackson
Yesterday marked a tremendous day for rappers and thrashers across the world: Metallica and Run-DMC were announced as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s newest inductees, along with Jeff Beck, Wanda Jackson, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Bobby Womack, two members of Elvis Presley’s backing band and pianist Spooner…
Local Attorneys Help Hit Drugmaker Hard
$800 million is a ton of money to settle a civil suit, but two Houston attorneys helped win a settlement of that size this morning.Joel Androphy, who specializes in whistleblower suits, worked with Sarah Frazier and won a big one as the drug giant Eli Lilly agreed to pay that…
Cutout Bin: The New Relations’ Great Vibes with Mufftars
The New Relations Great Vibes with Mufftars (1978) Meet Don and Doug, the Gabriel brothers; better known as the New Relations. Their road to fame and fortune began one slow day at Don Sr.’s muffler shop in Iowa, when the old man decided he would make his sons their own guitars…
Dow Chemical Forgets To Leave The Light On
Ever have trouble keeping your hot water heater pilot light on? It’s annoying, yes, but the worst repercussion is a surprise cold shower.Pilot light problems occur in the petrochemical world, too, but the repercussions are decidedly more consequential.In the case of a Dow Chemical Co. plant in Texas City, the…
Another Root Cellar Romp: Parsnips and Rutabagas
Swedes are larger and denser than turnips. No, it’s not an ethnic joke–swedes are what they call rutabagas in England. The rutabaga, or Swedish turnip, is often sold with a wax coating to protect the skin from discoloration. Rutabaga comes from the Swedish word rotabagge. Swedes are best roasted or…
Reba Is Taking Up Precious Brain Space
Have you ever had this experience where you don’t exactly watch a show – meaning, you don’t sit down to really watch it and enjoy it – yet somehow you end up watching little bits and pieces of a show all the time whenever it’s on? Enough so that you…
Sonidos y Mas: Niyireth’s Musica Colombiana Andina
Niyireth Musica Colombiana Andina – Music from Colombia (Arc Music) When we hear about Andean music, the first thing that comes to mind are those Peruvian pan-flute players who perform on city streets, either playing traditional tunes like “El Condor Pasa” and “Fina Estampa” or adapting American pop songs into…
The Texans-Broncos Connection: An Inter-Office Memo
From: Bob McNair, Owner To: Gary Kubiak Re: Defensive Coach Hirings Date: January 14, 2009 Gary: As you know, I’ve been most supportive of your work as head coach of the Houston Texans, though it might be nice if you would coach the team to a winning record. But I’ve…
The Texans-Broncos Connection: An Inter-Office Memo
From: Bob McNair, Owner To: Gary Kubiak Re: Defensive Coach Hirings Date: January 14, 2009 Gary: As you know, I’ve been most supportive of your work as head coach of the Houston Texans, though it might be nice if you would coach the team to a winning record. But I’ve…
Rice University Is Still A Value. An Expensive Value, But A Value
In 2003, tuition to Rice University was $18,850. By 2008, it had risen to $29,960 – an increase of $11,110, or about 59 percent.Does that mean Rice is losing its reputation as the go-to school for an awesome, awesomely priced education? Apparently not.Despite the steep tuition increase, Rice was recently…
MLK Grande Parade
This year’s 15th Annual MLK Grande Parade will take on a bit more significance than in years past, as it comes just one day before the inauguration of the first black U.S. President. What if Dr. King — who would have turned 80 on January 15 — were still alive…
Chinatown
The 1970s are considered one of the most revolutionary periods in American filmmaking, and Roman Polanski’s Chinatown is one of the decade’s best. A reinvention of classic film noir, the dark and glistening tale stars Jack Nicholson as Jake Gittes, a detective who’s not afraid of bending the rules to…
International Gem and Jewelry Show
How can you resist a $15,000 diamond necklace that’s up for grabs? Somebody’s going to win it this weekend at the International Gem and Jewelry Show, and everyone who attends has a shot at the bling. Even if you don’t win the necklace, you can still enjoy looking at all…
Change You Can Dance To: Obama Music Videos
Other than the whole brighter future thing, the best part of Barack Obama’s run for office was the music. Thanks to YouTube, fans were able to spread their love of the President-elect (and their own musical talents) through original numbers and parodies. Who can forget the Obama girl and her…
3rd Annual MLK Youth Parade
The official holiday isn’t until Monday, but you can get a head start on celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during today’s 3rd Annual MLK Youth Parade with floats, marching bands and all the usual spectacles. Local rap artist Trae is this year’s Co-Grand Marshal, and arts…
Arbor Day Celebration
Learn from the best — Johnny Appleseed and Smokey the Bear — at today’s Arbor Day Celebration. The man who planted apple trees across America and the wildfire-fighting bear will lead activities including hikes, talks by nature experts, live music, demos by crafters and papermakers, storytellers, a zip line and…
International Year of Astronomy Mars Festival
The roof of the Houston Museum of Natural Science is turned into a launching pad for the International Year of Astronomy Mars Festival. Visitors to the museum’s Planetarium can construct Eggs-ploration Landers — essentially, pods they hope will protect the eggs when they hit the ground — that staffers will…
MLK Day WonderWeek
Your kids will learn that Martin Luther King Jr. is more than just the name of a street on the south side of town during MLK Day WonderWeek. Special activities for Monday include a mock civil rights rally with Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech and music (noon),…
Jimmie Ruth Evans/Dean James
Life in a trailer park isn’t all about bingo and lite beer — at least not in the new comedic mystery novel Leftover Dead by Jimmie Ruth Evans. In Leftover, the ink is barely dry on the marriage license before waitress and blushing bride Wanda Nell Culpepper and her new…
Brief Encounter
David Lean’s Brief Encounter was filmed in 1945, but it still resonates with audiences today. The chronicle of a love affair between a middle-class housewife and a doctor, the intense, steamy film established Lean on the international film scene. It was based on Still Life, a one-act play by frequent…
Rodney Laney
Most people would get excited if a TV crew came to their neighborhood. Even though he’s in show business, comic Rodney Laney is no exception, although even he has to wonder about what he sees sometimes. “They filmed an episode of that Trauma: Life in the ER in my neighborhood,…
The 84th Annual East-West Shrine Game
The top NCAA college football players are coming together for the 84th Annual East-West Shrine Game. There are plenty of Texas players on the West team, including Texas Christian University’s Jason Phillips, Texas Tech’s Darcel McBath and Texas A&M’s Michael Bennett. They’ll be going up against University of Central Arkansas’s…
Combichrist: Today We Are All Demons
On Combichrist’s fourth and latest album, Today We Are All Demons, mastermind Andy LaPlegua effectively ups the ante on the tried and true answering-machine intro. An unfortunate soul is on his way to jail on a concealed-weapons charge; his girlfriend, meanwhile, is in the hospital after swallowing a bottle of…
Opening Reception of “Gordon Parks: Crossroads”
Gordon Parks picked up a camera as his weapon of choice against poverty, intolerance and racism. Forty-five of his most iconic images make up the exhibit “Gordon Parks: Crossroads” that’s opening tomorrow at the ArtMuseum of Southeast Texas (AMSET). Among the images that viewers will see is American Gothic, Washington…
River Oaks Theare: 300
Violent, bloody and dripping with all the ooze and gore that make adolescent males go wild, Zack Snyder’s 2007 hit 300 is back for a bit of midnight madness. The film version of Frank Miller’s graphic novel tells the story of the historic Battle of Thermopylae, in which 300 super…
Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks: Back Road Diner
Back Road Diner teaches us the quickest way to a man’s heart is not through his stomach — it’s through his chest…with a knife. The masterminds behind Troma Entertainment lay on the hip-hop in this horrific and humorous film about four boys from the hood who set out on a…
The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution
Has the need to create beauty been hardwired into us? Is there a straight line from cave paintings to today’s masterpieces? Denis Sutton thinks so, and he’ll discuss his theories during today’s The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution presentation. Sutton, who wrote the book his talk is based…
Lisa Qualls: “Paris is Burning”
Conceptual artist Lisa Qualls explores what happens when one group of people rubs up against another in her new exhibit Lisa Qualls: “Paris Is Burning.” A frequent traveler to Europe over the last 18 years, Qualls saw the desperate living conditions of African immigrants there. More recently she saw those…
Silver Blades on the Silver Screen: Blades of Glory
Will Ferrell and Jon Heder (you know, that guy who played Napoleon Dynamite) go toe to toe in Blades of Glory. This comedy on ice stars the duo as two rival ice skaters who must join forces in the pair skating competition after being disqualified from the men’s single division…
2009 Chevron Houston Marathon/Aramco Houston Half Marathon
Get a glimpse of a couple of Olympians as you cheer on the 18,000 athletes running in today’s 2009 Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon. (That’s a record number of runners, by the way.) Dathan Ritzenhein was ninth in the 2008 Olympic Marathon, but he’s seeded second for…
Out of Focus
Watch the dancers of New York’s Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet learn to leave the mirror behind in Out of Focus. In the film, documentarian Tomer Heymann captures the enigmatic Ohad Naharin, Israel’s most popular — and controversial — choreographer during five days of intensive rehearsals with the company. Artistic director…
Buffalo Bayou Canoe Trip
Put in with conservationist Don Greene during today’s Buffalo Bayou Canoe Trip for a half-day flotilla. Greene will play tour guide and explain the urban ecosystem that has developed around the bayou, pointing out ways that you can help preserve its delicate balance. There’s a pre-trip meeting today at 7…
Authors in Architecture
Before Houston’s skyline was dominated by glass towers and its suburbs littered with mega-malls, the city enjoyed an architectural golden era with Art Deco courthouses and movie palaces, Art Moderne public buildings and Modernistic industrial sites. As tastes changed, so did the popularity — and survival rate — of the…
Grandpa Hasn’t Moved in Days
Radio Music Theatre presents the drop-dead-funny show Grandpa Hasn’t Moved in Days. Grandpa Ned Fertle has passed away, and an assortment of outrageous Fertle family members and neighbors in Dumpster (all played by the three members of the comedy company) have come to say goodbye. This is one funeral that…
Bayou Bend Family Day: African American Heritage Day
The manicured gardens of the former home of Houston socialite Miss Ima Hogg will make a lovely setting for today’s Bayou Bend Family Day: African-American Heritage. Talented African dancers and storytellers will perform for visitors, telling the story of black Americans from the time of slavery on through to today…
Transparency @ Rice Design Alliance
Is graphic design more about graphics or design? What part does typography play? And what about branding? Get some answers during today’s Transparency: Exposing Graphic Design lecture at Rice Design Alliance. Steven Heller, the co-founder of the MFAH Designer as Author program at the School of Visual Arts, presents his…
12th Annual Texas Children’s Hospital Kids’ Fun Run
With childhood obesity a nationwide problem, it’s high time to cut out the cheeseburgers, turn off the video games and push your progeny outside to exercise in 2009. (Come to think of it, that doesn’t sound like a bad plan for parents, either…) The road to a healthier tyke can…
How I Learned to Drive
Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play How I Learned to Drive is billed as a “coming-of-age…and a coming-to-terms story.” The show takes the form of a funny, biting educational driving film narrated by a woman named Lil Bit. Sexually abused by her uncle Peck during their driving lessons from the time…
Malcolm Gladwell
Leave the self-help books and pyramid schemes at the door — Malcolm Gladwell can simply tell you if you’re headed for success. The author/New Yorker staff writer is obsessed with success. He’s penned three books — including the best-selling The Tipping Point and Blink, exploring why certain people, fashion trends,…
Hedwige Jacobs
Hedwige Jacobs was drawing houses long before the current realty crisis, but her works take on new meaning in these days of economic upheaval. Addressing themes of overcrowding and loneliness, Jacobs gives us Domino, a string of homes with red roofs — each either leaning or pushing on the house…
“Disturbance of Distance”
Emily Sloan snows domesticity. For the group exhibition: Disturbance of Distance, the artist created Global Housewarming, a life-size snow globe. A dinner place setting for 12 and serving dishes are covered in fake white flakes and eerily lit by a faint orange glow. The effect [created] is one of containmentdomestic…
Cinema Bomar: Careers for Women
Cinema Bomar’s latest vintage filmstrips encourage women to find a career path…that stops at the secretary’s desk. The local 16mm film collective is loading its projector with four pre-women’s-lib messages that ladies can laugh at now that sexism in the workplace has been abolished. (Right?) Careers for Women is a…
Ivory’s Ghosts: The White Gold of History @ HMNS
Journalist and conservationist John Frederick Walker has an ugly story about one of the most beautiful things in the world to tell in today’s talk Ivory’s Ghosts: The White Gold of History and the Fate of Elephants. Considered precious since prehistory, ivory has been the first choice for carvers for…
“Disturbance of Distance”
Emily Sloan snows domesticity. For the group exhibition “Disturbance of Distance,” the artist created Global Housewarming, a life-size snow globe. A dinner place setting for 12 and serving dishes are covered in fake white flakes and eerily lit by a faint orange glow. The effect [created] is one of containment…domestic…
Art Conservation Symposium: “Art Unfolded — Japan’s Gift of Conservation”
The Japanese passionately care about their works of art, even those that are no longer in Japan. In 2007, Hie Sann Sairei-Zu, two six-paneled screens, left the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and went to the Kyushu National Museum for extensive restoration. During today’s Art Conservation Symposium: “Art Unfolded —…
Fathom/National CineMedia: Beyond the Secret
Have you ever thought that there must be some secret to success that nobody’s told you about? After today’s Beyond the Secret, you’ll be on the inside with all those Bill Gates types. For the event, CNN’s Larry King interviewed a panel of self-helpers including Les Brown, Mark Moffitt and…
Capsule Art Reviews: Hot and Grounded, “Michael Guidry: How soon is now?,” “Neva Mikulicz: Recent Work,” “Susan Chen: Butterflies Shift North”
Hot and Grounded “Art” in bars usually runs to beer signs, posters or maybe lame paintings by friends of the owner. But Ariane Roesch’s new installation Hot and Grounded at 13 Celsius, a hip wine bar in an old dry cleaner’s building on Caroline Street, is pretty amazing. Roesch created…
Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. in Song
It’s no great revelation to say that Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, coming as it does 24 hours before Barack Obama’s inauguration, will be the most-celebrated MLK Day to date. Musically, we all know U2’s anthemic if factually incorrect “Pride (In the Name of Love)” — King was assassinated…
Capsule Stage Reviews: The Apostle, Arms and the Man, Black Comedy, The Light in the Piazza
The Apostle Right now, the most commanding performance by an actor doesn’t occur in a play. The Apostle at A.D. Players is a dramatic reading of the book of Romans 1-10 from Eugene Peterson’s Message Bible, a contemporary translation eventually published in its entirety in 2002. Chip Simmons plays Apostle…
Che Is A One-Ton Guerrilla
Richard Nixon will always be part of America’s dreamlife, with or without David Frost; the Bush II legacy will linger for years, even as W. addresses a yearning for closure. Like our president-elect, Milk arrives from left field, right on time. But why Che Guevara, and why now? Who in…
Yo! Majesty
Little, it seems, can stop the improbable Tampa-based female party-rap juggernaut that is Yo! Majesty, not even the occasional near-implosion of the group itself. Earlier this year, some undefined internal meltdown sent home half of the group, the gospel-trained vocalist-turned-rapper Jewel B. The duo’s backbone, the verbose and ass-kicking Shunda K, somehow…
Dogs of War in Waltz with Bashir
Ari Folman’s broodingly original Waltz with Bashir is a documentary that seems only possible, not to mention bearable, as an animated feature. Folman, whose magic realist youth film Saint Clara was one of the outstanding Israeli films of the 1990s, has created a grim, deeply personal phantasmagoria around the 1982…
Houston’s Most Unique Address
Those of us who have come to reside upstairs in the Continental Club building at 3700-3718 Main — half a block long, 70 or so feet high, built in the late ’20s — have a more-or-less informal nickname for the place: the Island. With surroundings like the 59 spur, Holy…
From Reverence to Rape in Defiance
Will there be a special Academy Award for Best Aryan Costume Design this year? Everywhere you turn in the movies, it’s swastika flags and SS uniforms. Although the Holocaust movie has been on hiatus for a while, lately it seems as if everyone is trying to squeeze in their Schindler’s…
Richie Havens, Still Looking Forward
The way he figures it, Richie Havens last saw his naked chin in 1957. And despite more than a half-century of follicle fondness, he has no plans to shave, keeping him in company with Leon Russell and two-thirds of ZZ Top for Most Famous Rock Beards. “My friends call me…
Biggie, Small
Notorious, about a crack dealer who becomes an iconic rapper who becomes a tragic legend, is the first film George Tillman Jr. has directed since 2000’s Men of Honor, about a sharecropper’s son who becomes the first black diver in the Navy who becomes the first amputee to return to…
Scott Weiland
Amid all the drug issues and band strife, it’s easy to forget what a talent Scott Weiland is. His distinctive Morrison-style croon has never wavered, only becoming more seasoned with age. As the lead singer of ’90s rock idols Stone Temple Pilots, he and the DeLeo brothers crafted metallic pop…
Forward With Spring Awakening
Philip Larkin famously wrote, “They fuck you up, your mum and dad.” Of course, the English poet wasn’t speaking about the dreadful parents in Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s 2007 Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening, but he might as well have been. The sorrowful tale about a group of teens…
Bell Biv DeVoe
Once three-fifths of New Edition, Bell Biv DeVoe were pioneers of a style of music called new jack swing, which combined smooth rapping over sweet R&B beats. But the genre was more than just a type of music; it was part of the late ’80s/early ’90s zeitgeist. Largely ignoring the…
“Iraqi Artists in Exile” Showcase Their Haunting Works
To fully appreciate “Iraqi Artists in Exile” at the Station Museum, start with Tamziq #1 (1991) by a founding father of Iraqi modern art, Shakir Hasan Al Said (1925-2004). The work, which translates as “cutting up,” is a small painting on wood, whose surface has been scratched, with entire areas…
BAKER ST. PUB’S MADSKIE
When I want to be at my social best after dark, I generally like to day-drink. Rolling into a party full of strangers is more fun when you are five or six drinks ahead of the pack (the leader in the clubhouse, if you will). I am the king and…
The Chron, Enron Hatah
As everyone knows, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld the conviction of Enron’s Jeff Skilling, although it overturned his sentence in a move that might slightly reduce it. Skilling’s most passionate local supporter in the blogworld, attorney Tom Kirkendall of Houston’s Clear Thinkers, annotated the decision online. Reading…
On a Budget at Bistro des Amis
The $10.95 lunch special at Bistro des Amis, a tiny French cafe in Rice Village, started with a soul-warming vegetable potage. Dunking buttered baguette slices in the hot and creamy carrot, broccoli and mushroom soup while we waited for it to cool was the perfect pastime on a cold and…
SPECIAL MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. EDITION
Dear Mexican, If white people are allowed to dress like Mexicans for Cinco de Mayo, as a Mexican, am I allowed to dress up in blackface for Martin Luther King Jr. Day? The Don of Capitol Hill Dear Wab, In your case, yes, just so the cosmos can smile when…
Khun Kay Thai Café
If you are one of the countless Thai fans who mourned the closing of the Golden Room Thai restaurant on Montrose, here’s good news. The restaurant was recently rebuilt from the ground up and reopened under the same ownership, with the same outstanding hospitality and kitchen staff. Even better news:…
Ike, Cancer, KBR and Oysters
Good job: I’ve always enjoyed reading your stuff in the Press, your blogs, and other posts. But I absolutely love the Ike article [“Ike’s Wake,” by John Nova Lomax, January 8]. Back in the “Allison” days, your cohort Richard Connelly wrote the awesome article “Wading for Godot” [July 5, 2001]…
Scoop It Up at Cricket’s Creamery & Cafe
A server at Cricket’s Creamery & Cafe (315 W. 19th St., 713-869-9450) sums up the wildflower honey and lavender gelato ($2.95 cup; $3.20 cone) this way: “You either love it or hate it.” You might expect the gelato to be purple, but it’s a pale cream color, emitting the distinct,…
B.J. Thomas
I was a huge Hank Williams fan as a child, so much so that my parents swear my first words were “round and round” as I pointed to the phonograph while “Your Cheatin’ Heart” poured out of it. So as a teenager, I flipped the first time I heard B.J…
Smooth Sailing at Grooves
Seventy-five percent. If you were smooth-talker Rod Richard, that would be the success rate you’d claim when trying to pull ladies’ phone numbers at the year-and-a-half-old Grooves (2300 Pierce), outer Third Ward’s premiere restaurant and lounge. A high number, to be sure, but considering we’ve just watched the real Rod Richard…
No-Neck Blues Band: Clomeim
The members of Harlem’s No-Neck Blues Band shut themselves in the studio for 72 hours, pieced together feet and inches of tape Holger Czukay-style and emerged with their most enigmatic recording since 1998’s Live at Ken’s Electric Lake. What Clomeim lacks in grizzled hermeticism is reconciled by the ensemble’s embrace of…
Glasvegas: Glasvegas
Scotland’s Glasvegas is the latest in retrofuturism. The band’s self-titled debut combines its hometown heroes Jesus and Mary Chain with My Bloody Valentine’s shimmering walls of feedback and the surf and fuzz of ’60s girl groups. There’s a hint of Scottish brogue in James Allan’s vocals, and he intersperses verses…
Something Fierce: There Are No Answers
Open letter to the Warped Tour: If you don’t include Something Fierce on your 2009 80-something band docket, you deserve to have Andy Macdonald or Kyle Loza do one of their extreme-sports stunts right into your figurative nuts. Or whatever. Not every band in its early (early) twenties can find…
Charley Pride
Until earlier this year, Charley Pride held a record that looked like it might stand forever and ever, amen. Pride’s 1983 song “Night Games” was the last time a solo African American hit No. 1 on the Billboard country singles chart, a peak the Mississippi-born sharecropper’s son had reached many…
Quanell X
It’s a familiar sight: activist Quanell X standing in front of a row of television news cameras, waiting for his close-up. As always, the man looks sharp. For today’s event, Quanell has selected a crisp white dress shirt, a gold-colored necktie, a gray suit with yellow pinstripes and a heavy…
