Moving Day For Mary Poppins Isn’t Exactly Supercalifragetc.
The Mary Poppins house was brought in by truck and moved into the Hobby Center in two big pieces starting Wednesday morning. First the top was suspended from the ceiling and then the bottom slid in under that. It was a majestic sight, a feat of well-practiced engineering. Well, Hair Balls…
Southwest To Make Guinea Pigs Out Of Passengers, All In The Name Of The Environment
We’ve heard of test pilots, but Southwest Airlines is offering the chance to be a test passenger.The airline is introducing a new “Green Plane,” one where the materials used on a lot of things are lighter, resulting in a plane that uses less fuel to fly.If it works.One aircraft will…
Lola’s Burger and Yellow Mustard Orthodoxy
Lola, the modern diner on Yale, is the subject of this week’s Café review. Lola’s exceptional burger is made with a certified Angus beef patty, tomato, a pickle and cheddar. The sandwich is served on a moist sweet bun that has been toasted. For a dollar, you can add some…
Oh, Lord: Bands Who Thought It Was a Good Idea to Cover Music From Star Wars
If naming your band after a Star Wars character isn’t enough nerd cachet, just try writing music referencing the film series or covering music from the canon of work surrounding it. Anyone SW fan worth his or her (mainly his, because dudes are more apt to be nerds) should be…
A Preview Of CNN’s Latino In America: Disappointing, And Where The Hell Is Houston?
CNN unveils its take on the Latino experience tonight with the widely publicized debut of Latino in America.Hair Balls admittedly enjoyed the broiled shrimp and free wine at the 50-minute preview two weeks ago when CNN was using Houston Latinos as a test audience for the program and we’re somewhat…
Artist of the Week: Tina B., Who Says Poets Can Be Funny After All
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. About six months ago, we interviewed a performance…
Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
This week I baked vegan cinnamon rolls. Before I started the project, I envisioned myself exhausted at 2 a.m. with my arms and forehead coated in flour, waiting for dough to rise for the second time before baking. I had never baked with yeast before and was anxious about an…
Houston’s Waterways Are Filled With All Kinds Of Stuff They Shouldn’t Be Filled With, Group Says
Stay the hell away from Houston’s waterways. Don’t swim in them and for heaven’s sake don’t eat the fish.That was essentially the message this morning at a news conference held alongside the Houston Ship Channel, hosted by Environment Texas, an environmental advocacy group, which complied data from the EPA to…
In Email Mishap, L.A. Slipknot Wannabes Hollywood Undead Answer Dear Abby Queries
Rocks Off has seen some strange stuff in our time, but this ranks pretty high up there. Evidently, a routing error caused several emails intended for longtime syndicated advice columnist Dear Abby to wind up in the inbox of costumed SoCal rap-rockers Hollywood Undead, who appear at Verizon Wireless Theater…
Obscure Wine Grapes: Mourvedre
Mourvedre is a highly tannic red wine grape that is often blended with easy-drinking fruity Grenache. Two of my favorite French wines, Chateauneuf de Pape and Bandol, are made with blends that include this sturdy red wine grape. Mourvedre (pronounced something like moo-VAHD) is the French name for a grape…
Take This Tie and Shove It Part II: Houston As Fashion Capital For The Hot World
Yesterday, we shared the vision of urbanist and blogger Andrew Burleson, who dreams of a Houston in which we dress for the weather at all times, even at work. It’s his view that this would lower energy costs and immensely improve civic life overall.He thinks we could begin with a…
Health Department Roundup: Hotel Edition
Inspecting a hotel kitchen is a tall order, and hotel food services are usually represented on any given bi-weekly tally of health code violators published by the Houston Health Department. Those hotel restaurants ordered to clean up their acts this month in our fair city include: The Intercontinental Hotel Houston…
Want to Levitate the Pentagon? These Songs Might Help
On this date in 1967, some 50,000 protesters marched on the Pentagon with the intention of levitating it and exorcising any “evil spirits” within. The effort was led by Yippie leader Abbie Hoffman, poet Allen Ginberg, and Ed Sanders and satirically-minded rockers the Fugs. As we all know, the exorcism worked,…
Mid-Week Match-Up: The Mayor’s Race, Such As It Is
Most of Houston seems blissfully unaware that there’s a mayor’s race going on. This year is supposed to be one of the the years with a hot election — the incumbent is term-limited, so it’s an open seat likely to lead to six years in office — but, for reasons…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Our Pal Arty Hill Picks His Favorite Songs About Drunk Women
Arty Hill is a Baltimore, Md., honky-tonker who has been playing regularly in Austin the past couple of years. He also reads Lonesome Onry and Mean’s blog religiously and has already penned a couple of new songs based on the goings-on in these pages. He recently contacted LOM about Mike…
Crisper Drawer Cast-offs: Cauliflower Casserole
I’m trying to get invited to John Seaborn Gray’s house for shepherd’s pie. I’m betting it tastes great. His Shameless Chef column reminded me of Andrew Schloss’s cookbooks Almost From Scratch, Homemade in a Hurry and Cooking With Three Ingredients. Schloss’s premise is that great chefs don’t cook from scratch…
Win A Transformers 2 DVD, And Get Ready For More Bad Movies From `80s Cartoons
If you’re a child of the ’80s, you should probably come to terms with the fact that every beloved televison memory of yours is eventually going to be dragged screaming into the present day and bastardized for younger audiences. We’ve already seen two Transformers movies and a G.I. Joe adaptation,…
Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Guns and Tacos: Hilarious and topical (with pictures and captions that always crack…
Cinema Arts Festival Houston’s H BOX Ain’t No X-Box
Films are once again being seen at the Alabama Theatre, thanks to Cinema Arts Festival Houston’s H BOX by Portuguese architect/artist Dider Fiuza Faustino. A series of looped videos and short films are shown in the portable screening room (constructed from connecting panes of glass and aluminum, the BOX can…
Bayou Beat: More Live Nation Ticket Deals, I.J. Gosey at Discovery Green, Bob Fuldauer Leaves Meridian, Tony Campise In Serious Condition
We have a winner in our Live Nation “Club Passport” photo contest – we think – but are still awaiting a judge’s ruling. Stay tuned. Live Nation has expanded its “No Service Fee” promotion once again, to include pretty much every show coming to House of Blues or Verizon Wireless…
The Curse Of Self-Loathing, Self-Loving Sportscasters
So we’re watching the ALCS last night, a couple of days after watching Sunday Night Football on NBC, and it just gets to be too much.We’ve had this feeling for a while, but now there’s just no getting away from it.Since when has it been such a goddamn favor for…
Mango Smoothies, Onion Rings and Donuts
Hillcroft — that magical street where the adventurous soul can find the weird, wild and wonderful cuisine of India and the Middle East. Udipi Café at 5959 Hillcroft is just off 59, tucked between a gas station (go figure) and a jewelry store (go figure again). This restaurant came recommended…
Dancing With the Stars: Damn That Michael Irvin!
It’s the halfway point of the season! Tom Bergeron said so! I wish he’d said that the night before, when I was glumly pondering how many more episodes this season would foist upon an innocent populace. But there you go: only a few left. Here’s hoping someone gets really hurt…
No, It’s Not Too Early to Start Posting About the Pogues, As a Matter of Fact…
A small band of Irishmen frequent Lonesome Onry and Mean’s local waterhole, and they are all abuzz about the arrival of the Pogues at House of Blues October 29. Led by the charismatic and erratic Shane MacGowan, the Pogues set the music world buzzing when they burst onto the London…
Cougars Better Not Be Looking Past SMU, Sumlin Says
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Houston Cougars head coach Kevin Sumlin said yesterday about the team’s game with the SMU Mustangs this weekend. And though that’s pretty much coaching cliché number one, Sumlin is hinting at the actual truth this time out.The Mustangs, though 3-3 on the…
Stirred and Shaken: Catbird’s Truck Stop Cappuccino
Bartender Matt Trimble of Catbird’s (1336 Westheimer, 713-523-8000) is an impressive man. Before taking his current job, he undertook a weeks-long bicycle odyssey from Houston to New York, sleeping on the side of the road and surviving on his ability to charm strangers. He dates an exotic journalist who makes a…
Theme Songs for the Most Annoying Characters In the Star Wars Universe, Including Whiny Emo Bitch Anakin Skywalker
Jar Jar Binks, Pratfalling Mongoloid Looking like some kind of unholy cross-breed between a frog and a duck, Jar Jar was the earliest indication that The Phantom Menace was not going to be up to snuff. The Gungan’s antics were undoubtedly supposed to be whimsical and charming, but simply came…
Free Rice-Cookers Help Out Burmese Refugees Here
A crowd of Burmese refugees gathered in the parking lot Sunday afternoon at the Sun Blossom Mountain apartment complex on Ranchester Drive — which was the subject of our recent cover story on Houston’s refugees — and waited for John Glenn to shout their names.A local company, Roguescene Houston, had…
The Great East Texas Ten-Ton Oil Pump Heist
On one hand, you have to tip your John Deere hat and salute this little feat of deep East Texas Redneck ingenuity and derring-do. On the other hand, you just have to wonder WTF they were thinking.The Web site of Jasper radio station KJAS picks up the tale: According to…
Donut Patrol: Boudin Kolaches
Spicy pork filling on the inside, moist sweet dough bun on the outside — a boudin kolache and a hot cup of coffee is as good as a Houston breakfast gets. We first learned about boudin kolaches last week from the reader who calls him or herself Sepatown. They are…
Take This Tie And Shove It: Local Urbanist Thinks Houston’s Rebirth Hinges on Dressing For The Weather
Andrew Burleson hates wearing dress clothes. He also believes this cultural hangover from our distant European ancestry costs too much money, is completely illogical and ruins much of Houston’s social life for about half of the year.”In the summer if you’re dressed for work and you go outside it’s just…
Feel a Whole Lot Better: For His Birthday, Five Great Non-Petty Tom Petty Songs
Tuesday just happens to be the 59th birthday of Rocks Off’s personal hero, role model and by all accounts someone who smokes even more weed than we do, Thomas Earl Petty. Speaking of, it’s also Snoop Dogg’s birthday, which means 10/20 deserves to be a NORML holiday even more than…
Our Top 5 Food Texture Issues
For most people, the mouthfeel of a food is every bit as important as the way the food looks, tastes and smells. A bright-red apple can glisten with promise, but one bite that’s mealy will result in that apple being thrown in the compost pile. A delicate little bunch of…
The Top 5 Food Jingles Of All Time
Every time you begin to relax, your mind snaps to them. They pervade your days and nights until you think you can’t possibly take it anymore. They’re created by evil minds so genius, you’re still somehow fond of them. They’re jingles. The following upbeat commercial tunes are a few of…
Galveston Sees A Racial Split On Plan To Rebuild Public Housing
The public housing in Galveston, like a lot of other stuff on that island, took a pounding from Hurricane Ike.The Galveston Housing Authority has a proposal out that would rebuild the 569 housing units lost to the storm, and held a public meeting on it last night.How did it go?…
Banh Cuon: Barbecued Pork Noodle Rolls
This is an order of banh cuon thit nuong I got at a restaurant called Thien Thanh on Bellaire across from Hong Kong City Mall. Banh cuon is a very cool Vietnamese dish that Tuscany Coffee barista David Bueher told me about. It’s made by wrapping rice noodle sheets around…
Five Decent Bands Named After Star Wars Terminology
Since the release of the first Star Wars in 1977, through the subsequent sequels and disappointing prequels, pop culture has been awash in Force-related mania. People name their children Luke and Leia, family pets get monikers like Yoda and Anakin and folks even get SW tattoos. Almost every part of…
Why Notre Dame Will Win The BCS And Texas Won’t: Part 7
We’re a little late getting up this week’s analysis of why Notre Dame is destined to win the BCS, but that’s only because we have such a cornucopia of reasons to choose from we found it difficult to limit it to our standard five.But five it shall be. We are,…
The Shameless Chef: DIY Shepherd’s Pie
Welcome to the first installment of The Shameless Chef, a new feature that will provide simple, hearty, creative recipes for the average person. Because, let’s face it, real cooking is not for normal people. Real cooking requires difficult-to-come-by things such as “knowledge” and “ingredients.” It frequently features confusing directions, like,…
Get Lit: Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life By Wynton Marsalis with Geoffrey Ward
In addition to his long career as one of modern jazz’s finest trumpet blowers and composers, Wynton Marsalis has waged a sort of one-man PR campaign for jazz education. He extols the virtues of the music as a current and lively art with a rich history – as opposed to…
Pumpkin Pie Blizzard at Dairy Queen
On a recent drive through central Texas in search of unknown barbecue finds, my friend and newbie food explorer Alison chimed in from the back seat as we drove through the small town of Smithville, Texas. “Hey, did you guys see that Dairy Queen sign back there? It said ‘Pumpkin…
Aeros Are Struggling To Start The Season
The Houston Aeros are consistent about two things this season. They’ve played six games this season. All six games have been on the weekend. The Aeros have won three of those games, and they’ve lost three of those games. They’re also consistent about the fact that when it comes to…
ManKind Project Finally Gets Around To Responding To Us
When the Houston Press first wrote about the ManKind Project, a secretive so-called men’s-help group, following the suicide of a man who had attended the organization’s initiation weekend, MKP’s leadership declined to comment. Now, more than two years later, the group finally decided to speak up in the form of…
Up, Up and Away: Songs for Balloon Boy’s iPod
Last week, America was captivated by the saga of Falcon Heene, the six-year-old boy we were told was floating across Colorado in his father’s experimental weather balloon. We were so riveted, in fact, that media outlets struggled to find airtime for other equally important stories, like Madonna getting sued and…
Taco Truck Gourmet: Sabrosita
This huevos con chorizo taco was a little a pricey at $1.75 — it was also a little too salty, but the spice level of the chorizo was excellent. I got a topping of red salsa, onions and cilantro. I also sampled three homemade tamales, one with a spicy pork…
Iced Coffee at Home
Iced coffee goes by quite a few names. Whether you call it Black Gold or Texas Tea, cold coffee helps us beat the heat around these parts. And it keeps us sane during our mild winters too. Here’s how to make it at home:…
If Halloween Is Coming, So Are Offensive Costumes
The “Illegal Alien” costume causing uproar amongst immigrant rights activists, anti-immigrant supporters and free speech advocates is the first major faux pas of this Halloween season. While anti-immigrant supporters are scrambling to find the costume, immigrant rights activists are calling for a public boycott of the suit.”We feel it’s dehumanizing…
Ask a Rapper: Karina Nistal Loves Common, Mike Jones Not So Much
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place – lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good – so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted…
How To Make The Perfect: Grits
We’re starting a weekly series on how to make the perfect [insert food here]. While none of us are experts on everything, some of us are pretty darn close on at least a couple of things. Stay tuned each week as the Eating Our Words bloggers detail how to make…
Dancing With the Stars: Do The Hustle!
It’s week five of Dancing With the Stars, but I don’t know how many are left. I don’t have the commitment to count the couples and do the math, plus there could be special eps or extra fillers or reunion shows or who knows what all. Basically, I know there’s…
Fostering Intelligent Conversation Through “Obama’s A Nazi” T-Shirts: One Houstonian’s Perspective
If you’re like us, when you see Tea Partiers displaying imagery associating Obama with Hitler, your benefit-of-the-doubt well goes bone dry. But when we received an e-mail about a local clothing company that’s gotten into the Obamanazi business, it seemed like a good opportunity to explore this sort of rhetoric…
Aftermath: Emilie Autumn and the Bloody Crumpets at Meridian – Welcome to the Clockwork Orange Dollhouse
Two small signs on the filigree-ensconced keyboard stand read “BEWARE” and “WHORES.” Whether an admonition or a threat remained alluring ambiguous through the Victoriandustrial set presented by Emilie Autumn and her Bloody Crumpets. Like the joy division for Baron Munchausen’s cast and crew, five corset-adorned harlequin harlots traipsed across the…
Pop Rocks: Tips For Strip-Mining Our Childhoods
Spike Jonze’s live-action version of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are led the box office this weekend, grossing over $32 million. Last month, another children’s book adaptation, Sony Pictures’ version of Judi and Ron Barrett’s Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, scored similar numbers for its first three days.WTWTA…
Where Are We Eating?
A red-checkered tablecloth. Two bowls of pasta. A sunny afternoon in a cafe. Or is it? Can you figure out where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Distant Early Warning: Jay Reatard – If You Haven’t Seen the “Piss” Video, Look No Further – Cafe Tacuba, Dax Riggs, etc.
Among this week’s Distant Early Warnings comes Jay Reatard, who is set to hit Walter’s “Possibly Still” On Washington December 8. The art-damaged garage-rocker recently pissed on (and pissed off) his backing band at Goner Fest 6 in Memphis. It’s hard to tell exactly why the things happened in the…
The Top 20 Freaks You’ll Meet at Ren Fest
We went to the Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville this weekend to attend our cousin’s wedding, and wouldn’t you know we brought a camera along to document through our drunkenly narrow and judging eyes all the WTF-ery walking amongst the trees. Secretly we wish we could also don a pair…
Bayou Body Count: Where Have All The Killers Gone?
As the temperature slowly begins to dip, so too it seems that the number of murdered bodies found in and around Houston are fewer and fewer.But that certainly doesn’t mean there’s no action for the police.On Wednesday at about 8:30 p.m., a 37-year-old woman and her roommate began arguing in…
No Tears And No Hearts Breaking, No Remorse: Judge Throws Out Continental’s Suit Against Divorced Pilots
We wrote this summer about Continental Airlines’ decision to sue some of its pilots who, the company thought, had undergone bogus divorces in order to get some pension benefits.The pilots were still in love, the airline essentially argued, and therefore shouldn’t be getting the early pensions that come with divorce…
Please Help Us Give Away This Live Nation “Club Passport” We’ve Been Sitting on for Way Too Long
[Note: While we’re on the subject of House of Blues shows, please note the Goodie Mob/Scarface concert scheduled for tonight has been rescheduled for Thursday, January 14.] Once again Rocks Off allowed ourselves to get distracted and nearly forgot we’ve got this Live Nation “Club Passport” to give away. Hey,…
Top 10 Places to Eat in Rice Village
10. Croissant Brioche 2435 Rice Blvd., 713-526-9188 While the café is cluttered with tightly packed tables and the service can be somewhat, ahem, European, the pastries, soups and sandwiches are delicious. The truly amazing coffee alone is worth a visit. 9. Chicken Kitchen 2516 Rice Blvd., 713-523-2323 Fresh rotisserie chicken…
Fightin’ Joe Barton, Taking On The BCS System
Texas congressman Joe Barton has decided that there’s something else besides Barack Obama’s mere existence that sends him into a frothing, seething fit of anger.It’s college football’s bowl system.We’ve gotten an announcement from something called Playoff PAC, a political action committee created to address the single most pressing issue of…
FDA to Ban Raw Gulf Oysters in the Summer
You won’t be eating raw live Gulf oysters in the summer anymore if a promised FDA ban takes effect. At the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference meeting in New Hampshire on Saturday, an FDA official announced that as of 2011, the agency would no longer allow fresh, live oysters from the…
Sophie Hannah Wasn’t The Wrong Mother, But She Was Close Enough To Get Ideas
Let’s see: Sally, the heroine of the book really doesn’t like her kids all that much from time to time. She feels trapped by them, suffocated by their needs and although husband Nick helps out, he’s not so hot with the details or the planning.But she’s completely outdone by another…
Master P
Plinio Sandalio is the pastry chef at Textile Restaurant on 22nd in the Heights. He invited me into his kitchen for a short interview about all things Plinio. Eating Our Words: What would you say your signature dessert is that screams “Plinio Sandalio made this”? Plinio Sandalio: I don’t know…
Tonight: “Victoriandustrial” Goth Violinist Emilie Autumn at Meridian
If there is anything positive that can be agreed upon by all in regards to Goth music, it must be that it gives the kids in orchestra hope for a pop career. Leaving a trail of busted strings and broken bows in their wake, acts like Apocalyptica and Rasputina have…
Bernardo Cubría Is Counting The Minutes Until Tonight’s Premiere Of Down, Boy
New York actor and former Houstonian Bernardo Cubría is starting to get a little nervous right about now — he’s just hours away from the staged reading of his play Down, Boy by Wordsmyth Theater Company. At the first reading, earlier this year, he was, ah, anxious. “It’s like watching…
Buzz Beer: Real Ale Coffee Porter
Last autumn, when you could only get smooth, creamy, Real Ale Coffee Porter on draft, I named it one of my Top Ten Texas beers. This year, I was delighted to find it in bottles. I wasn’t so delighted by the $9 price tag at the Bunker Hill HEB, but…
Aftermath: Buddy Guy, Silly but Still Scorching at House of Blues
Of all the still-living bluesmen whose careers were firmly established before the likes of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, etc. came along in the mid and late ’60s, the knock on Buddy Guy is that live, he is the most inconsistent. Conventional concert wisdom says an evening with Guy…
A Homeless Night To Help The Homeless
Want to experience the joys of homelessness — sleeping under the stars, free dinner — without any of the risk (or just support the cause of trying to end the problem)?On November 14 local non-profit SEARCH Homeless Services will host its second annual “SleepOut” event, in which participants organize teams…
No Holds Barred Chili Cook-Off: A Champion Is Crowned
With just the slightest hint of a chill in the air, Saturday afternoon couldn’t have been a more ideal day for a chili cook-off. Luckily, the men and women of the No Holds Barred Chili Cook-Off were dishing out bowl after bowl of the stuff at Shady Tavern. This year’s…
As If Getting Stomped By Kansas State Wasn’t Bad Enough
Oh, Aggies. You lost to Kansas State 62-14. What could be more embarrassing?Maybe the Internet blowing up with this video of four yell leaders on their way to the game, doing — with no observable irony — what seems to be their best impression of frolicking as the drugs kick…
Turning the Screw: Slim Thug & Lil Ray, Trae, Diddy, Necro, Master P, The Game, Beyonce/Lady GaGa, Drake, BET Music Awards, etc.
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: Slim Thug feat. Lil Ray, “Salute Me” Note(s): Yes, this is a remake of the same-named song from Fabolous’…
Local Mayoral Campaigns Use Social Media, and Apparently That’s News
If you don’t have eyes, ears, or a television set with that nonsensical converter box, you may not be aware that today kicks off early voting for stuff that’s pretty crucial to the Houston political agenda. Not only can you stick your ballot in the box for City Council, City…
Aftermath: Feels Like the First Time With Widespread Panic and the Allman Brothers at the Woodlands
There are few experiences in life that act as true rites of passage: Learning to ride a bicycle or drive a car, or that first kiss with that special post-pubescent someone. Then there’s virginity, both the kind that gets lost in between the sheets and the kind that takes place…
It’s Funny, What They Graffiti’d On The Obama Mural
The Obama murals across the street from The Breakfast Klub have welcomed downtown commuters for a year now.Not everyone likes them, apparently.Someone took spray-paint to the signs over the weekend, writing “Puppet” over Obama’s face and adding to the “Yes We Can” the words “lose our freedom.””Puppet”? Please don’t tell…
Donut Patrol: Breakfast and a Floor Show
There’s a picture window in the front of Shipley’s Donuts on North Main where you can watch the baker rolling out the dough for each new batch of donuts. While you’re standing in line, you can look over to the right and see the donuts coming out of the fryer…
Texans Finally Put Two Halves Together; Defense Finds Pulse
After three weeks of the season, the Texans were on a pace to allow more total yards and more yards rushing than any team in NFL history.So who the hell are these guys? And more importantly, have the guys calling the shots figured something out?The Texans’ defense pitched a third…
It’s Brodeo Time! RodeoHouston Announces Jonas Brothers, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Brooks & Dunn for 2010
Monday morning, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced the first four entertainers next March’s musical entertainment at Reliant Stadium. Jonas Brothers, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, and Brooks & Dunn have all been tapped to perform at next year’s rodeo. The Kix and Ronnie date will be the duo’s last…
Whirlwind Weekend: See What You Missed
It seemed the entire city was out and about this weekend, as the first gorgeous weekend of fall brought beautifully blue skies and perfect temperatures. Check out what you missed this weekend by spending the day on a patio somewhere, sipping a latte (silly you). The third annual No Holds…
Big-Shot Beckham Wimps Out In Houston Debut
David Beckham made his Houston debut Sunday afternoon at Robertson Stadium, as the Los Angeles Galaxy came to duel it up with the Dynamo. Although neither team scored, the game did have some intrigue.In the 81st minute, Beckham slid into a reckless tackle on Dynamo’s Ricardo Clark. That led to…
Chef Chat: John Signorelli of The Remington
Colorado-bred John Signorelli is executive sous chef at the Remington Restaurant (1919 Briar Oaks Lane), located inside the five-diamond Hotel St. Regis on the West Loop. The Remington was rated one of the top 100 hotel restaurants in America in a 2006 Zagat survey, based on food quality, décor and…
Coogs Doing Their Part; The Fans Better Do Theirs
The Houston Cougars came out in front of a nearly non-existent Superdome crowd on Saturday and got business done, defeating Tulane 44-16.Of course, it wasn’t easy. At least for a half, as the Cougars battled a slow start and poor kicking to lead at only 9-6 after the first half…
Aftermath: Har Mar Superstar, My Jerusalem and the TMI Brigade at Super Happy Fun Land
Rocks Off pulled into the parking lot of Super Happy Fun Land fashionably late Saturday night just in time to see Sean Tillmann (a.k.a. Har Mar Superstar, clad in street clothes instead of his usual layers of costumes) hanging out by the Dumpster with his arms around a groupie. We…
Landowner’s Challenge at West Alabama Ice House
The West Alabama Ice House recently hosted the final round of the “Win Texas Land” promotion sponsored by Lone Star Beer. The premise is simple: Pass various tests which prove your true Texan-ness and win some Texas land. Three finalists participated: Corey Lossing of Ingleside, Laurence Dodd III of Leander…
TV Land: 30 Rock Is Back! And Some Other Stuff Happened Too
It was a long week in TV Land, so let’s get some Cheesy Blasters and do it to it: • 30 Rock is back! 30 Rock is back! I know that some of you — most of you? — probably thought that Texas’ victory was the best thing on TV…
Morning Metal: Get Ready for a Rocks Off Halloween With a Little Candlemass
It’s hard to believe that the next Rocks Off Beatles Rock Band event is only a week away. Next Tuesday, we once again seize Coffee Groundz (2503 Bagby) for another night of dranking and fake guitar-strumming. The cool thing about this party is that it’s a Halloween costume party, and…
Texas Traveler: Galveston Ghosts
Dash Beardsley is a legend, both in his own mind, and in real life. The Robert Plant look-alike, owner and operator of Ghost Tours of Galveston, shows up for tours wearing a floor-length black duster, silver rings on every finger, and sunglasses. At 8 o’clock at night. Before the tour…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Steve Young Adds Pasadena House Concert Tonight
Lonesome, Onry and Mean’s buddy Kenny Pipes has been hosting a very cool house concert series at his home in Pasadena for a number of years now. Pipes’ “Almost Austin” series has not only featured numerous local players, but also stellar left-of-Nashville acts like David Olney, Sergio Webb and (most…
This Week In Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup at Eating Our Words, where we never roll less than three sous-chefs deep, y’all. Paul Knight started off the week by attending the Grand Opening of Lucky Strike Lanes and sampling their grub. We’ll spare you the inevitable bowling puns. Get it? “Spare”? No,…
Five Clips In Memory of L.A. Punk Documentarian Brendan Mullen
Brendan Mullen, documentarian of the early L.A. punk scene, died this past Monday at the age of 60. From the basement of a porno theater to The Decline of Western Civilization, the Scottish-born implant helped chronicle early American West Coast punk both orally and through the written word, ending his…
In Honor Of David Beckham’s Houston Debut, 10 Of His Not-So-Great Moments
On Sunday, October 18, the Los Angeles Galaxy make their annual trip to the Bayou City to take on the Dynamo. Finally joining the traveling circus that is the Galaxy is English International David Beckham.Beckham is a world-wide icon; he is to soccer what Michael Jordan was to basketball. He’s…
Donut Patrol: Quality with Freshness
The lady behind the counter at the Donut Wheel at Bellaire and Boone across the street from Hong Kong City Mall swore that the glazed donuts were fresh out of the oven. They weren’t. They were totally mediocre. I also sampled a buttermilk donut — the one that looks like…
Openings and Closings
Word hit this week that Las Alamedas — the landmark Spanish restaurant that mysteriously shut down earlier this year — will be reopening again soon, but not in the same location. The owners have leased a space in Katy’s La Centerra, the town square-style development near Cinco Ranch. The restaurant’s…
The Obama Invasion Of Aggieland Has Almost Begun; Where To Get Live Coverage
Some Aggies got upset with our interpretation of President George H.W. Bush’s open letter to them saying “Chill out, brosephs, when Obama comes to town.”Now the President is in town, and how are they doing?You can follow along at The Battalion, the campus paper, which is offering all kinds of…
Friday Night Noise: The Homopolice You’ve Heard Of, How About Oneohtrix Point Never?
The Homopolice “Sex Drugs Death” Picture it, if you dare: abject anarchy on H-Town’s streets, sexual insanity run amuck, fresh blood pooling in drains, some escaped, foaming-at-the-mouth mental patient narrating with a busted megaphone. That’s more or less what “Sex Drugs Death” sounds like in a nutshell, its ten punked-out…
Last Call: One-Man Hamlet, A Gritty Greenwich Village And Brazilian Elections
The Classical Theatre Company’s well-received production of Hamlet comes to a close on Sunday; it’s a show we highly recommend.An original one-man adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet stars Guy Roberts, who adapted the piece and also co-directed with John Johnston. During the ninety-minute production, Roberts plays eighteen different characters. (A…
Tonight: Booze-Free Folk With Eliza Gilkyson at NiaMoves
If you’re into no-booze, no-talking, listening-room shows, NiaMoves, the yoga studio/concert venue just north of downtown, has a good one tonight with Eliza Gilkyson. Gilkyson may be a folkie, but she always digs deep lyrically and musically. Her music is not for the faint of heart or the lace-doily crowd…
Gettin’ Snatch? Slayin’ Puss? Yeah, Pepsi Has An App For That
One day, someone ridiculously wise (or someone that was obviously getting ripped a new asshole by the media) once said, “No press is bad press.” Unfortunately, that old adage probably isn’t applicable to Pepsi, and won’t be in this lifetime.We suppose we shouldn’t be too surprised that Pepsi developed an…
Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs
Each week, we’ll put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog that we should be paying close attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Great Food Houston: Ruthie compares and contrasts the “free and reduced…
Take Har Mar Superstar Seriously or Not? Your Call.
This guy has nothing on Har Mar Superstar. The R&B singer and Ron Jeremy lookalike has worked the pink-manties look for the better part of this decade. He is, after all, a self-styled lover. Fresh off his cameo as a rival roller derby coach in Whip It (and his excellent…
Crypticon Countdown: Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman On The Toxic Avenger And His Yale Classmate George W. Bush
The legendary Lloyd Kaufman is the co-founder of Troma Studios, and directed classics such as The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke ‘Em High, and Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, which will be screening this weekend at Crypticon Houston. Hair Balls asked the legendary actor, author and Yale graduate about…
Aftermath: Reliably, Early Man and Valient Thorr Melt Our Faces One More Time at Rudyard’s
video by Craig Hlavaty Thursday night was probably Aftermath’s fifth or sixth time seeing Early Man and Valient Thorr since we discovered them in 2005. It’s shows like these that allow the setting aside of critical artifice to straight up jam out. There’s no taking of careful notes or delicately…
Caffeine Deficiency? Call the Coffee Ambulance
Katz Coffee Company just bought a new “Transit” van and outfitted it with flashing safety lights and a wacky paint job. They call this high-profile delivery vehicle “the coffee ambulance.” Katz custom-roasts proprietary blends for some of Houston’s top restaurants, including t’afia, benjy’s and Empire Coffee. Its mellow, medium-dark espresso…
Inept Pregnant Woman Spoils Motorcylist’s Getaway From The Cops
You know what you just hate when you’re on a motorcycle trying to get away from a DPS trooper because you’re wanted on a burglary charge?Pregnant women who slam their cars into drug stores.The sad tale of 18-year-old Daniel Nuno of League City proves the point. Nuno was on his…
Five Spot: The Hot Boyz Are Reuniting, Watch Your Knees
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and, sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. It’s five videos and occasional cussing. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Note: A regular reader passed along a story that interested us greatly, so for…
For National Boss Day: The Five Most Misunderstood Bosses In The Movies
It’s National Boss Day, because apparently getting more weeks of vacation, a higher salary, and an actual office with privacy isn’t enough. You can be forgiven if it slipped your mind. After all, you were probably busy using the phone in your cramped, depressing cubicle to argue semi-publicly with HR…
Listology: Chase Hamblin Chooses His Favorite One-Hit Wonders
Chase Hamblin performs with Robert Ellis and the Small Sounds, 8 p.m. tonight at Walter’s on Washington, 4215 Washington, 713-862-2513 or www.4215washington.com. Easybeats, “Friday on My Mind” Anxious changes, solid backbeat and sweet harmonies, this is a killer track. Amazing Australian ’60s hit written by George Young, who went on…
With Drayton, Astros’ Manager Search Is Sure To Suck
For some reason, Astros fans appear to be more concerned about the transfer of Jose Cruz from one useless job to another useless job than they care about whether the team actually gets a decent manager. Believe it or not, the manager of a team is far more important to…
Upcoming Events
This weekend is full of food events, whether you want to travel or stay close to home. The annual Texas Renaissance Festival is in full swing already, with more turkey legs and steins of ale than you can swing a mace at. But if that’s not your thing, we’ve got…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Please Rise for the Texas National Anthem You May Not Have Even Known About
LOM’s dad loves to tell a story about being at the Petroleum Club in London in 1978 when Darrell McCall’s “Lily Dale” came on the sound system. Some wiry little guy stood up on a chair and hollered, “Shut up, you Limey sons of bitches, they’re playing the Texas National…
The Week In Photos
We’ve got a cold, wet winter ahead of us this year, so the photographers in our Flickr pool have been hitting the streets and enjoying Houston’s mild fall weather while it lasts. Enjoy some of our favorite reader-submitted photos from the last week below. For more information about any of…
Late Night Scene: Taqueria la Tapatia
On Saturday nights, Taqueria la Tapatia has the craziest music mix. For every two Tejano love songs played, they play one song — to use the term loosely — of throbbing, Eurotrash techno. Let’s just say it’s an odd soundtrack for a burrito. Given a choice, I’ll take the Tejano,…
The Office: Fundamentals
In the wake of last week’s wedding extravaganza, The Office got back to its roots this week in a great way, proving that this ensemble is so strong and the storytelling still so entertaining that it can produce a great episode with two of its key players out of the…
The Music of True Blood, Episode 2: Austin’s Vallejo Lies Down With a “Snake In the Grass”
Vallejo is a rock and roll band of the highest caliber from just a few miles away in El Campo. The band started as a trio of three brothers who moved to Austin in order to pursue their dream of being the next Santana. Once in the “live music capital…
FlashForward: Who Cares?
If FlashForward gets just a little cheesier, it’ll qualify as full-on camp. It takes itself very seriously without having the engaging story to back up its self-obsession, and the fleeting attempts at characterization via humor come off as lame and lifeless. Short version: Lame, son. This week’s “Black Swan” was…
Donut Patrol: The Glaze of History
When Lawrence Shipley Sr., Lillie Shipley, and Helen Shipley posed with employees at the original Shipley Do-Nuts bakery at 1417 Crockett Street in 1936, glazed doughnuts were selling for five cents a dozen. Shipley’s Donuts are an old Houston tradition, but are we loyal because of nostalgia or because of…
Crypticon Countdown: Kristy Swanson, The Original Buffy, On Joss Whedon, John Hughes And Why She Doesn’t Watch Horror Movies
Kristy Swanson is best known for her roles in Higher Learning and as the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer (form the 1992 film), and this weekend she’ll be in town as a guest of Crypticon Houston, which runs Friday through Sunday at the Reliant Center. Hair Balls sat down with…
Vietnamese Steak and Eggs… Holy Cow!
Tan Ba Le Baguette on the corner of Beechnut and Boone is an excellent lunch destination. This Vietnamese diner specializes in street vendor dishes at an affordable price. Ordering here is simple: Walk up to the counter and ask for steak and eggs. The steak-and-eggs combo was traditionally sold to…
Tonight: Thorriors Unite! (at Rudyard’s)
Tonight at Rudyard’s, we’ll be a part of the lusty and bearded throng throwing themselves in front of Valient Thorr and Early Man, with local cats the Hell City Kings and Golden Axe acting as support. Those two Houston bands alone would be enough rock and roll for one night,…
Food Fight: Battle Frites
French fries, truffle fries and now frites. That’s right: a fried potato trifecta is now in play at Eating Our Words. Why the obsession with deep-fried starch around here? As if the question even need be asked… Because fries are delicious, whether you dip them in mayo or ketchup, dust…
City Is Trying To Scare Up BARC Funds By Hassling Veterinarians, One Says
In a move to raise revenue for a new adoption center, the City of Houston is ordering veterinarians to provide clients’ names and their pets’ licensing information. According to a September 28 letter from Administrative and Regulatory Affairs Director Alfred Moran to Houston vets, those who don’t comply are subject to a fine of…
The H-Town Countdown, No. 15: Chamillionaire’s Original Mixtape Messiah, or 20-Plus Ways to Dis Mike Jones
Roughly 84,000 rap albums have been released in Houston since 1989. We’re counting down the 25 best of all time every Thursday. Got a problem with the list? Shove it. Just kidding. Friendship. Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com. “You drop one track, he’s still alive.” – Chamillionaire, on why he aimed…
Houston Touts Its Clean-Air Credentials (Yes, Dammit, We Do Have Them)
Everyone knows that Houston is the smog-riddled energy capital of the world, so it was with a touch of irony that the annual Clean Air Through Energy Efficiency Conference awards were announced this afternoon in Houston.Attendees from across Texas and other states, munching on a typical banquet meal of chicken…
Cutout Bin: Mysterious, Abstinence-Touting, Dead Christian Motivational Comedian Don Lonie
Don Lonie Talks With Teenagers (1962) Talks Again (1964) Don Lonie’s pair of albums from the early 60’s were among the bestselling titles for Christian recording powerhouse Word Records. They sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and are thrift-store record-bin regulars. So why is it so hard to find out…
Top 5 Cheesiest Soft Drink Commercials
Coca-Cola Hilltop Commercial Thirty years ago, Coca-Cola imagined itself as the arbiter of world peace. Let’s just buy the world a Coke and everything will be hunky-dory. Today, America is often despised as a “Coca-Cola” culture, and Coke itself is blamed for the skyrocketing rates of obesity and diabetes in…
A Not-That-Unpredictable Delay For The Sean Penn-Brad Pitt Movie Shot Partly In Houston
In news that is as shocking as finding out that the sun rose in the east once again, reports have emerged that the new Terence Malick film starring Sean Penn and Brad Pitt — shot partly in Houston — won’t be released as expected this year.Malick, of course, is the…
Next Time You’re Bored at a Party, Amuse Yourself With Some “Musical Profiling”
Recently, Rocks Off found ourselves skulking around the edges of a birthday party wondering what the hell we were doing there. The week had brutally kicked our ass, and the only place we really wanted to be at that juncture was sitting on our couch watching the Syfy channel with…
Crypticon Countdown: Michael Berryman On Star Trek, Motley Crue And Brandon Lee
There’s no mistaking horror-movie stalwart Michael Berryman. The actor suffers from a rare condition called hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, which is characterized by few or no sweat glands and lack of hair or fingernails. However, Berryman’s distinctive appearance has made him one of the more recognizable actors out there.He’ll be at…
Aftermath: Muse, Openers Only In Name at Reliant Stadium
Muse took the Reliant stage around 7:30 p.m., when concertgoers were still slowly trickling in to Reliant Stadium. The place was most likely less than half full (or half empty, depending on your outlook) yet Muse’s thick, epic sound filled in the gaps nicely. After making their entrance to Sergei…
The (Alleged) Tragedy Of How The Astros Are Treating Jose Cruz
So Jose Cruz is no longer the first-base coach of the Houston Astros. Now can someone please tell me why everybody is so upset? Seriously, what’s the big deal?The guy was the first-base coach. His job consisted of patting Lance Berkman on the ass and showing the pitchers where second…
A Chat with Karen Racine of Absinthe Brasserie
Walk into Absinthe, and it’s almost guaranteed that Karen Racine will be pouring your drink. Karen, or at least someone she’s related to. “I actually own the bar going on six years. My sister and I own this, and she and my brother-in-law own Bowl. We have a staff of…
CenterPoint’s Advice On Gas Leak Led To Explosion, Lawsuit Says
If your house reeks of gas and the gas man tells you not to worry, don’t trust the gas man.At least that’s the lesson Mary and Joe Rocha claim they learned the hard way in a recent lawsuit filed against CenterPoint in Harris County District Court.It was a little more…
Aftermath: U2 at Reliant Stadium – One Love, We Get to Share It
A day or two before U2 (and love) came to town, a friend emailed us a joke. At least we think it’s a joke. It really doesn’t have anything to do with U2, except that it has everything to do with U2. “I was so depressed last night thinking about…
Halloween Countdown: How Best To Go For The `90s-Nostalgia Look
Halloween is coming, and that means many, many costuming mistakes will be made by normally sane adults. To help stop this scourge, each Thursday we will be offering tips and analysis of what to avoid, or possibly what to do. Check out past entries here and here. If VH1 has…
Dragging Bowl: Bland Food, Hip Surroundings
The shrimp is perfectly cooked and the pad thai is edible — if you squirt a whole lot of Sriracha hot sauce in it. I love the giant aquarium and the cool ambiance at Dragon Bowl Asian Bistro at 11th St. in the Heights. Beer by the bottle, good-looking clientele…
Flashback: U2 and Muse at Reliant Stadium
Rocks Off is a little slow getting started this morning, because we’re still shaking off the effects of the extraterrestrial satellite that fell to Earth in the vicinity of 610 and Kirby Wednesday night. The humanoids who came out – two squads; a trio and a quartet – seemed to…
Glee, Episode 7: Inevitable Conclusions
I’m beginning to think that Glee never should have gotten the back-nine pickup from Fox, instead being held to 13 episodes for this season instead of a full 22. It’s not that the show doesn’t deserve to tell its story. It’s that too often, episodes are nothing but filler that…
George H.W. Bush To Aggies: Please Don’t Be Aggies When Obama Visits
President Obama is headed to College Station Friday, at the invitation of former President George H.W. Bush, to speak about community service and whatnot.Obama, having already spoken at Notre Dame earlier this career, apparently decided to find an even more hostile environment. (Next stop: Bob Jones University! Then Al-Qaeda headquarters…
Checking in at Stanton’s City Bites
Seems like every year about this time there’s a flurry of blog posts and buzz about an “undiscovered” burger joint called Stanton’s City Bites (1420 Edwards St.). Of course, Stanton’s has been around forever, but it seems to keep a relatively low profile in the ongoing Houston burger wars. Hardcore…
Marge Simpson In Playboy Two Franchises On The Way Down
So it seems Marge Simpson is appearing in Playboy: Simpsons matriarch Marge Simpson is gracing the cover of Playboy magazine, becoming the first cartoon character in the publication’s history.The November issue sees Marge posing on a chair with the distinctive Playboy Bunny logo. It marks the 20th anniversary of The…
Viewer Request Program
Cinema Bomar’s Viewer Request Program showcases a simpler time, when half the fun of shopping was dressing up and predictions of the future included a holo-TV in every home. For today’s screening, the collectors of 16mm “industrial, educational and ephemeral film” – who, with the rest of the Domy Books…
“22nd Annual Día de los Muertos”
Lawndale Art Center’s “22nd Annual Día de los Muertos” marks one of the most spectacular holidays of the year in Houston. Among the engaging aspects of the Mexican remembrance of loved ones is the retablo tradition of creating devotional paintings to honor the dead. In August, Lawndale Arts Center passed…
E. L. Doctorow
E.L. Doctorow has a way with history. Ragtime and Billy Bathgate, just two of his many titles, are stuffed with the sort of delicious details that make the past come to luscious life. His most recent story burrows into the strange, dark mysteries of the Collyer brothers, America’s most famous…
Festa Italiana
Expect to hear plenty of Sinatra tunes at the 2nd Annual Italian-American Idol Song Competition, a highlight of today’s 31st Festa Italiana. Along with the amateur singers, Aaron Caruso (from Broadway’s Be My Love) will perform. There’s plenty of time between songs to try the hand-tossed pizzas, play some bocce…
Dance Infusion
Uptown Dance Company Artistic Director Beth Gulledge-Brown premieres her latest work, The Moment, at today’s Dance Infusion. The piece is performed by guest artists Alexander Pandiscio and Lauren Ciobanu, both members of the Houston Ballet. Gulledge-Brown’s Dancing Days, featuring the music of Led Zeppelin, and Ray Dones’s The Beauty of…
Little Shop of Horrors
The simple request “Feed me!” never sounded so menacing as it does in the Texas Repertory Theatre’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. The doo-wop musical spoofs the over-the-top sci-fi thrillers of the 1950s with a story about a man-eating plant from outer space. (She’s named Audrey II, and she…
“600 sq mi: Hidden”
“600 sq mi: Hidden” is a photography exhibit that invites you to stop and ponder what you’ve missed. “Houston is such a sprawling and complex place that interesting or beautiful things can be easy to overlook,” says Houstonist.com Editor Jim Parsons. The local blog’s annual, reader-submitted photo exhibit focuses on…
Richard Alston Dance Company
In July, the pioneering choreographer Merce Cunningham died. Today in Houston, his primary philosophy – that it is worthwhile to dance for the sake of dancing, as opposed to telling a story or expressing human emotion – lives on in the form of London’s Richard Alston Dance Company, visiting Houston…
Magnolia Park Centennial Celebration
Join the residents of Houston’s East End as they mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of Magnolia Park. The historically Hispanic neighborhood, which started off as a tiny city before it was gobbled up by Houston, boasts churches, schools, parks and civic organizations that have been active for more…
Rocky Horror Show
Spend Halloween with the trippy transvestite Dr. Frank N. Furter and his crew of misfit malcontents at The Rocky Horror Show. Oh, and don’t forget Brad and Janet! ACE Community Theatre’s production of the musical uses the Broadway revival score, which includes an extra song for Brad — “Once in…
Heaven
Choreographer Morgan Thorson had a simple premise when she started working on Heaven, which is making its world premiere at DiverseWorks today. “I was interested in perfection,” she says. “That got me looking into religion, specifically Christianity, and I was disturbed by the contradictions I found there.” Thorson set out…
2009 International Quilt Festival/Houston
Quilts have become fine art; stop by the 2009 International Quilt Festival/Houston and you’ll see what we mean. These aren’t puffed-up blankets. Instead the fabric art, which uses everything from glass beads to thread-painting to digitalized embroidery, looks as if it would be at home in a museum or gallery…
They Live
In director John Carpenter’s They Live, John Nada, a drifter in Los Angeles, is the only person in the world who knows that members of the city’s society scene aren’t really humans but aliens. (We knew L.A. was full of beings from another planet – no human could breathe in…
Immersed in Ink Tattoo & Arts Festival
See bodies adorned in every color at today’s Immersed in Ink Tattoo & Arts Festival. Some of the top tattoo artists in the country, including Dale the Nail and Roman Abrego, will be inking up folks on-site. There’s also human suspension exhibitions (ouch, ouch, ouch!), a car show, tattoo contests…
Matthew Day Jackson: “The Immeasurable Distance”
There’s an idea that culture and innovation advance most during times of duress. (Translation: Pain is inspiring.) That’s the driving force behind Contemporary Arts Museum Houston’s “Matthew Day Jackson: The Immeasurable Distance,” an exhibition of sculptures, constructed paintings, objects and videos that Jackson created during a residency at the List…
1909-2009: The Great Collaborators of the Ballets Russes
When time machines are finally on the market and you feel like having a little fun, head to Paris some time between 1909 and 1929 – the heyday of the Ballets Russes dance company. The core mission of the itinerant company, which boasted such talents as Nijinsky, Pavlova, Stravinsky and…
Gruesome Playground Injuries
The Alley Theatre’s latest coup is the world premiere of Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph. A provocative dark comedy, Injury follows a couple who meet in the school nurse’s office (she’s throwing up, and he rode his bike off the roof). The encounter sets them on a path marked…
Cinemad Almanac 2009 DVD Release Party
Experimental filmmaker Deborah Stratman (From Hetty to Nancy, Kings of the Sky) once told Mike Plante, editor of Aurora Picture Show’s Cinemad blog, “I love watching films with stories…I just don’t want to make them,” adding, “I loved Herbie the Love Bug when it came out.” You’d never confuse her…
Spotlight on Contemporary Greek Cinema
Works by six of Greece’s most renowned filmmakers are included in the first-ever Spotlight on Contemporary Greek Cinema showcase at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Shown over two weekends, the films cover love, fear, greed and obsession. Today’s screening features the 2007 The Night Fernando Pessoa Met Constantine Cavafy…
Michael Andrews: Historic Texas Courthouses
Michael Andrews, author of Historic Texas Courthouses, hems and haws a little when asked which of the restored architectural gems is his favorite, before admitting, “My top three are the courthouses in Presidio County [in] Marfa, Ellis County [in] Waxahachie, and the Grimes County courthouse in tiny Anderson.” He’ll discuss…
38th Annual Galveston Restaurant Association Epicurean Evening
Yes, there’ll be food by some of the best chefs in the Gulf Coast for tasting at the 38th Annual Great Taste of the Gulf Epicurean Evening, and yes, the Silver Spoon and Silver Fork awards will be presented to a couple outstanding restaurateurs. But the real reason to make…
Agatha Christie Takes Manhattan
Houston theater lovers know the name Eddie Cope (the playwright is a local legend), but they might not have heard of his play Agatha Christie Takes Manhattan. Luckily, UpStage Theatre’s Artistic Director of the Evening Series, Arnold Richie, sums it up for us. “It’s a whodunit, of course. Agatha Christie…
Traves Hedemann: “Young at Heart Art”
Artist Travis Hedemann is known for his anime-esque, innocent style, putting his signature big, blue-eyed spin on everything from opera characters to animals, and even inanimate objects such as sushi and handbags. Currently presenting his “Young at Heart Art” exhibit, the Houstonian says, “When I first started, I guess I…
Copyright Infringement
It’s rap meets Wall Street when recording artists and lawyers square off in Copyright Criminals, a PBS documentary by Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod, first broadcast on its Independent Lens program last January. Rappers and DJs have been “sampling” for decades, taking a brief piece of a song and tweaking,…
Michelle Shocked
Michelle Shocked has explored solo rawness on Texas Campfire Tapes, has bounced big-band style on Captain Swing, and has even had a song used in a Kaiser Permanente ad for osteoporosis. After a legal battle with Mercury Records, which had her signed to a ten-year contract, she wrested control of…
Gary Allan
It’s one thing to write country songs and another thing to live them. So while hardship has helped Gary Allan step his game up another level, the price was staggering. Allan grew up in honky-tonks, accompanying his dad’s band before striking out with a Bakersfield sound and gruff, weathered tenor…
Thursday
In the post-hardcore pantheon, the New Jersey guys of Thursday are millennial gods. Led by the unapologetically erudite frontman Geoff Rickly, in the late ’90s and early ’00s their early loud-soft aesthetic helped define what would later come to be known — often pejoratively — as “screamo.” Now the band…
Har Mar Superstar
At first, you think it’s just shtick. We get it; a fat, balding, completely unsexy white guy crooning lascivious, funky R&B while stripping down to his tighty-whities is funny. That much is undeniable. Then it sinks in — you’re actually really digging it, maybe even kinda turned on. It’s a…
MarchFourth Marching Band
Most people would consider this Portland, Oregon, ensemble a random troupe of eccentric oddballs. After all, who on earth tours in a decommissioned fire truck playing impromptu concerts on streets, subway stations and ferries while dressed in costumes made from bicycle parts or recycled thrift-shop outfits? Not many. But the…
Dive Bars
Somewhere in a godforsaken stretch of near northwest Houston, a very drunk man wearing a Texas Longhorns cap is smoking outside the front door of the strip mall bar on a moist, breezy Saturday afternoon. He sees that I too am rocking the burnt orange, and snarls, “Well, at least…
Bad for the Jews
The Yiddish shtetl shtick that opens Joel and Ethan Coen’s new movie — a Jewish peasant stumbles on an old Hasid who may or may not be a dybbuk — is pretty clumsy, but at least it tips its hat to the great existential comedy that A Serious Man might…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Little Shop of Horrors, Seven Guitars, Red Light Winter, Our Town,
Little Shop of Horrors Texas Repertory Theatre, the little theater that could, is showing that classic little show that could, Little Shop of Horrors. Nothing about this musical is ordinary. Have you ever seen a man-eating plant smile? Or watched it bop to a ’60s tune while it tries to…
All About Meeeeee!
Laurel Nakadate’s art really irritates me, and I still can’t decide if that is a good thing or a bad thing. You may have heard about her — she’s the young, attractive artist who lets creepy, lonely old guys pick her up and then films her interactions with them, a…
Big House on the Hill
On Fridays at Casa Grande, the wacky Tex-Mex joint on North Main at I-45, most of the lunch specials are seafood dishes. I liked the big, juicy, grilled shrimp on my tablemate’s shrimp-and-fajitas combo. The chunky-looking fajitas on his plate were made with some kind of enzyme-marinated beef, but I…
Capsule Art Reviews: “BIG LECTRIC FAN TO KEEP ME COOL WHILE I SLEEP”, “Katy Heinlein: Project Space, ” “Sasha Pierce: New Paintings” and “John Sparagana: The Crisis Professionals”, “Carlos Runcie-Tanaka: Fragmento”
“BIG LECTRIC FAN TO KEEP ME COOL WHILE I SLEEP” Wayne White’s installation at Rice Gallery is stunning. White, widely known for his incredible sets and puppets for Pee-wee’s Playhouse, is originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee. You can take the artist out of the country, but you can’t take the country…
Valentino
In the space that used to house Bistro Moderne in the Hotel Derek, famed restaurateur Piero Selvaggio has just opened the Houston outpost of Valentino (2525 West Loop South, 713-850-9200). Two weeks ago, he opened Vin Bar, serving a wide assortment of crudo (raw) dishes, adjacent to the fine-dining restaurant…
All Good Again
Founded in the mid-’90s, Goodie Mob is one of Southern hip-hop’s most revered acts. The Atlanta foursome, led by rotund crooner Cee-Lo Green in his pre-Gnarls Barkley days, were so uniquely talented, their oddball behavior was interpreted by many rap pundits as genius. Clearly, Cee-Lo wore that fishnet shirt and…
Memorial High School Keeps It Classy, Plus, Lessons We Learned from the T-Shirt Fiasco
Edumacation, Football Memorial Keeps It Classy National furor over T-shirt: Way to go! By Richard Connelly Memorial High, the west-side bastion of education for suburbanites, has riled up the women at the Web site Jezebel. And with good reason. Someone sent the site a T-shirt apparently produced for the school’s…
Let the Mild Rumpus Start!
Directed by Spike Jonze from a 400-word children’s picture book first published in 1963, Where the Wild Things Are may be the toughest adaptation since Tim Burton fashioned Mars Attacks! from a series of bubblegum cards. Tougher, actually: Burton was working with ephemeral, anonymous trash; Jonze is elaborating on a…
Extreme Fusion
We like imagining how this dish developed. Maybe at the end of a shift spent rolling nori around sushi rice all day, the chef at Miyako (6345 Westheimer, 713-781-6300 and other locations) shouted out “No more!” and decided to leave a square of nori flat. Then he baked it in…
Get All Dressed Up
Michael Jackson. Trend spotters say his face will be everywhere you look this coming year, and why not? It certainly has a ghostly aspect, although one wonders how all the would-be Michaels will manage the nose. But if your idea of a good time doesn’t include wearing the face and…
FRONT PORCH PUB’S POISON GIRL
“I’d hate to own a bar,” says Sergeant B. “I’d have to deal with people like me.” He’s talking about agitated drinkers, and in this case, the source of the agitation is a Monday Night Football bingo game at Front Porch Pub (217 Gray, 713-571-9571). Bingo and anger normally go…
The Uninsured and Language History
Dear Mexican, An uninsured wetback just hit my car and totaled his. He had no insurance and no license, but did have a nice cell phone. I asked him if he was okay in my limited Spanish, but he did not ask about me or my children. He was handcuffed…
Death of a Dancer
Death of a Dancer Moral duties: It seems to me the mother of 18-year-old stripper Esther Saenz should concern herself with improving her parenting skills instead of improving her purse [“Club Dead,” by Craig Malisow, October 1]. It doesn’t look like she put in too much of an effort to…
Dream Harder
Houston’s D.R.I. released Crossover in 1987, signaling the alchemical wedding of hardcore punk and heavy metal. Mohawks became dreadlocks, flowing tresses became shiny pates and the fringe world of fast, heavy, angry music gained a foothold in the mainstream by uniting these formerly averse musical fronts. Dozens of mutations and…
Fire Down Below
“One Headlight,” the 1996 hit by Los Angeles alt-rockers the Wallflowers, is still a fun song. Know where you wouldn’t expect to hear it performed live? Firehouse Saloon (5930 Southwest Fwy.), a venue centered around twangy music of the Texas/Oklahoma (“Red Dirt”) variety. “I’m a big fan of that song…
Twice-Told Tales
Break out the black fingernail polish. Just in time for Halloween, Noise has been curling up with New Tales to Tell, a tribute album to goth-pop figureheads Love and Rockets that — believe it or not — issues from right here in Houston. Sort of. A little history first. Love…
Steve Young
Who is Steve Young? Well, beyond being a kid who spent his teen years in Beaumont, he’s a guy who should be in every songwriting Hall of Fame on this planet or any other. Young, who early in his career lived with Van Dyke Parks in Los Angeles, is probably…
