James Watson, Jr. Indicted Over Failed Texas Music Festival In Downtown Houston
The 2008 Texas Music Festival in downtown’s Eleanor Tinsley Park was supposed to be the first of an annual event, but you might have noticed there haven’t been any more.Why not? Part of the answer might have come today, when a federal grand jury indicted promoter James Watson, Jr. for…
Pappas Files Lawsuit Against BP and Halliburton
It was only a matter of time before the Gulf fishing industry — whose entire livelihood has been threatened by the Gulf oil leak — struck back at the organizations responsible for causing the mess. Pappas Restaurants Inc. filed a lawsuit aganist British Petroleum, Halliburton and Cameron International last Thursday,…
James Watson, Jr. Indicted Over Failed Texas Music Festival In Downtown Houston
The 2008 Texas Music Festival in downtown’s Eleanor Tinsley Park was supposed to be the first of an annual event, but you might have noticed there haven’t been any more.Why not? Part of the answer might have come today, when a federal grand jury indicted promoter James Watson, Jr. for…
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. Whole Fish: Wondering what that funny yellow fruit is that’s been popping…
Chef Chat, Part I: Riccardo Palazzo-Giorgio of Sabetta Café & Wine Bar
You may recognize Chef Riccardo Palazzo-Giorgio’s name from his stint at Simposio Restaurant. Back in November 2009, we visited Simposio and Chef Palazzo-Giorgio for a Fall Wine Tasting featuring the restaurant’s new Southern Italian dishes. Palazzo-Giorgio had been there for about two months at the time of the tasting. However,…
Smallish YMCA Fire Brings Big HFD Response
As more than 30 fire trucks and 100 firefighters clogged up Downtown’s Louisiana Street in front of the YMCA building this afternoon in response to a three-alarm fire, residents who had evacuated couldn’t help but acknowledge the irony that it was room No. 911 that went up in flames. Luckily,…
5 Rock Deaths That Shook Us Down
It was sometime this past Saturday night that we first heard that Ronnie James Dio was dead. It was after midnight and we had just bellied up to the Mink’s front bar when we checked our Twitter feed and saw that Dio had passed on. Our body froze every metal…
Rod Paige, Late Of HISD & The W Administration, Thinks The State Board Of Ed Has Gone Off The Deep End
Former Houston school superintendent Rod Paige has emerged from his lucrative consulting and speaking career to criticize the right-wingers trying to politicize the state’s curriculum.Several sites have been liveblogging or otherwise updating today’s meeting of the State Board of Education in Austin, and all highlight Paige’s appearance.”We in Texas have…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #38 Banh Bot Chien at Tan Tan
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
A Work By Brooke Bartholomew Of Friendswood May Be The Face Of Google For A Day
Your Google searches may soon start with artwork from a Friendswood eighth-grader.Brooke Bartholomew is one of 40 finalists out of 33,000 contestants, and she’s getting a free trip to Google’s New York headquarters out of the deal.You want her to win, right? Go here to cast your vote…
Top Five Twitter Food Fights
As Craig Hlavaty briefly discusses in this week’s feature on the Twitterverse, the food community has become one of the largest on Twitter. At first, it may seem unusual for members of a a non-tech-oriented community to have become such early adopters of the technology and to have built such…
Game Time: Richard Justice vs David Anderson In A Steel Cage Studio Match
In radio, sometimes you have good shows, sometimes you have bad shows. Occasionally, if you’re lucky and/or good, you have a moment happen on air where you go “Okay, our audience didn’t get that anywhere else on the dial this afternoon.” We had one of those yesterday on 1560 The…
Chillwave: What Is This Alt-Bro Talking About?
We here at Rocks Off try to stay abreast of as many up-and-coming genres as we can for the sake of attempting universal coverage (and we do it all for you), but sometimes even we gets blindsided. This “chillwave” business has come out of nowhere, and none of us have…
Shelby Lynne Turns In A Stunner At Warehouse Live
Don’t go see Shelby Lynne if you’ve been having relationship troubles. You just might end up with a tear in your eye. Or a gun in your hand. With a new album on her own label just released, Lynne wasted no time cutting to the chase as she reeled off…
Twitter: The Five Most Annoying Things You Can Do
In this week’s cover feature, “The Twitterverse”, we dive into the world of Twitter to spotlight some of the best things going with the social networking hub, and also uncover some of the worst things permeating the site. We talked to tweeting Texans in Dallas and Houston to get their…
Glee: A Dream To Some, A Nightmare To Others
I have two confessions to make about this week’s episode (“Dream On”), both of which are kind of embarrassing (but only slightly less embarrassing than actually admitting I watch the show on a regular basis in the first place).The first — and I really have no idea how this got…
Burger Porn: Get Some
For whatever reason (maybe because they’re one of the best foods Houston has to offer?), photos of burgers are the most contributed item to the Houston Press Flickr pool. With nearly 100 pictures to choose from, we selected the 10 tastiest-looking burgers for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy our slideshow of…
Sherri Davis Takes Her PR Offensive To Good Morning America
Sherri Davis, the teacher caught on tape whomping on a charter-school student, is launching a PR offensive.This morning she was on Good Morning America, where she told host George Stephanopoulos what she briefly told reporters: while she takes responsibility for losing her control, blame the damn school for the atmosphere…
Day After Thanksgiving Sandwich at Lola
There’s been much ado about the burger at Lola – good and bad. But Lola serves another sandwich that should be on everyone’s Houston comfort food radar. The behemoth creation, a combo of thickly sliced, roasted turkey breast, chunky cranberry sauce, and cornbread dressing stacked onto a sweet, buttered bun,…
Houston’s Top Tweeting Musicians
This week’s Houston Press cover feature is about Twitter and its implications, for better or worse, within the social-media world. For “The Twitterverse,” we spoke with Twitter stars from Houston and Dallas, asking them how they use the site daily and what could be different about their experience with it…
Glee: A Dream To Some, A Nightmare To Others
I have two confessions to make about this week’s episode (“Dream On”), both of which are kind of embarrassing (but only slightly less embarrassing than actually admitting I watch the show on a regular basis in the first place).The first — and I really have no idea how this got…
Obama Assassination: It’s Not Just For Geometry Anymore!
A teacher in Alabama has been placed on leave after he used a hypothetical assassination of President Obama to teach his geometry class about angles.On the one hand, the guy’s just trying to get his kids’ attention; on the other hand, Alabama is a state where campaign commercials include this…
Memorial Day Road Trip Food
Memorial Day Weekend is the start of the grand summer road-trip season — long, sweaty drives to see family, attend weddings, visit a new city, or just get away. Heat is no deterrent; in fact, part of our distinctly American pleasure is that feeling of freedom which comes on a…
Beyonce Runs Afoul Of The Fresh Xpress
A guy named Donovan over at The Fresh Xpress, “The PULSE of Young Black America,” writes that Beyonce’s newest video is “a porno audition tape set to music” that will “spawn another misguided female anthem.” His argument: First, the single is going to perpetuate this trend of unloved/unwanted/unappreciated Black women…
John Goodman, Bazillionaire Polo Patron, Finally Arrested In Connection With Fatal February Crash
It only took about three months, but John Goodman, the Houston-bred multi-millionaire playboy air conditioning heir and Palm Beach polo patron, is finally behind bars. Daybreak found him in the Palm Beach County jail on $100,000 bond, facing charges of vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter and failing to give information or…
Rice Tops UH, But Both Teams Have Concerns For The Tournament
In the ultimate scheme of things, Rice’s 15-5 over Houston last night means absolutely nothing. Rice had already clinched the Silver Glove Series, again, which goes to the team that wins the season series between the two teams, and the game meant nothing in the C-USA standings. Still, heading into…
Tierra Caliente Taco Truck at West Alabama Ice House.
We were headed to our favorite ice house and noticed a taco trailer was parked on the corner right under the West Alabama Ice House sign. Holy frijoles, this is the best idea since tall boys. Now we can hang out on picnic benches, drink cheap beer and, if we…
B L A C K I E Wants Glenn Beck Off His Knob
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 sheaserrano@gmail.com. This one has been a long time coming…
American Idol: Lee To Win?
The annoying thing about last night’s American Idol is that of the three remaining contestants, two are in a close race with the third lagging so far behind that no one’s pretending he’s got a chance. I’m talking, of course, about Casey. His two performances last night were both average,…
Angels & Airwaves Soar On An Adoring Crowd’s Energy
Aftermath has a confession: We’re more familiar with Angels & Airwaves’ music than we’d care to admit. It’s not that AVA isn’t a solid group, but we thought we would have outgrown pop-punk by now. However, it seems that Tom DeLonge will always have a special place in our iTunes…
I Wanna Be Your Dog (Or Cat): Ohmygod, We Have A Guest Blogger!!!
As you are almost certainly aware, Houston’s biggest story of the week is about socialite/reality-TV personality Erica Rose’s dog giving birth to three pups.As Culturemap explains, the births were the miraculous result of a serendipitous meeting between Rose and fellow law school student Partick Yarborough: Rose had wanted to breed…
Idol Beat: Lee To Win?
The annoying thing about last night’s American Idol is that of the three remaining contestants, two are in a close race with the third lagging so far behind that no one’s pretending he’s got a chance. I’m talking, of course, about Casey. His two performances last night were both average,…
Stirred and Shaken: PJ’s Sports Bar’s Lindsay Lohan
American karaoke probably makes a native Korean feel the same way I do when I eat Mexican food in a place like Arkansas. Still, I dragged my friend Alex to PJ’s Sports Bar (614 W. Gray, 713-520-1748) so I could get an expert’s opinion on the dive-bar version of South…
“Dorothy Petite Bud” Busted For Growing Pot On Her Windowsill
Those silly stoners are at it again, providing snarky bloggers with humorous true crime fodder.Last Thursday in the Newton County town of Deweyville, a 58-year-old woman with the gloriously appropriate name of Dorothy Petite Bud was busted for growing weed in her home, and not trying very hard to hide it:…
Rocks Off Is Bleeding, Torn And Frayed
Exile on Main Street is not Rocks Off’s favorite Rolling Stones album. Never has been. That honor rests with Let It Bleed, and not for “Gimme Shelter” (OK, that’s a lie), “Midnight Rambler” or “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” No, for us it’s always been the songs sandwiched…
George Greanias’ First Metro Meeting: Exorcising The Ghost Of Frank Wilson
George Greanias presided over his first Metro board meeting yesterday afternoon as the agency’s new president, and board members seemed giddy to finally proceed without the dark cloud of Frank Wilson hanging over the place. There wasn’t any of that boring talk about lawsuits or document shredding or lying to…
Allen Stanford Still Wants Out Of Prison, Dammit (Also: Check Out His Drug List)
Accused Ponzi schemer Allen Stanford has issued another plea to the courts to get him the hell out of jail, stat.He filed a motion yesterday saying his ability to function, much less assist his lawyers with his defense, is severely hampered by keeping him a federal detention center.On June 18,…
Five Reasons Houston Is Letting The Best Restaurant In Town Die
One of Houston’s most critically acclaimed restaurants, Feast, is moving to New Orleans. They aren’t abandoning Houston quite yet, but in a recent interview with CultureMap, chef and co-owner Richard Knight hinted that our city wasn’t the most receptive to Feast’s unusual nose-to-tail concept. And from the restaurant’s own Twitter…
Mario Gallegos Continues His Anti-Terry Grier Letter Writing Campaign
State Senator Mario Gallegos has continued to dictate letters since calling for Houston ISD superintendent Terry Grier to leave in an earlier letter, saying Grier was going to ruin the lives of students here.In his latest set of letters — a May 10 one to HISD Board President Greg Meyers…
Today’s DVDs: The Thrill Of Victory, The Agony Of Valentine’s Day
Director Clint Eastwood, actors Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. That powerhouse trio could have chosen to tell just about any story they wanted and made it into an Academy Award worthy film. They chose Invictus, the real-life story of the then newly elected South African president Nelson Mandela (Freeman) and…
Shelby Lynne Rated Highly By Askmen.com
Lonesome Onry and Mean came across this odd little item today when Googling Shelby Lynne prior to this evening’s show in Warehouse Live’s studio. Now, LOM makes no pretensions that we are privy to Lynne’s private life in any way, but based on what we think we know, finding an item like…
Head Start Enrolling Kids Too Rich To Qualify, Including In Texas, GAO Reports
The problem with the Head Start program is that it’s always been an exclusive, good-ole-boy club where only poor and disenfranchised kids can matriculate. The doors are flung wide open to ragamuffins, only to be slammed shut in the faces of eager children whose parents can afford to buy them…
The Shameless Chef: Pizza Soup
A long time ago, my friend Braeden and I were eating at TGIFriday’s and Braeden was having a bit of a dilemma. He really wanted the thick slab of melted mozzarella cheese that went atop the French Onion soup, but he preferred the taste of the Tomato Basil soup. We…
How to Make: Stovetop Popcorn
Stovetop popcorn is almost a lost art. Since we now have air poppers (what I grew up with) and microwave popcorn bags, snack bags and pre-popped bags of extra-cheesy preserved popcorn, it may not seem like the stovetop is the most convenient method. However, it takes only a couple of…
Dead Prez Taps “Richmond Revolutionary” Lee-Coc To Open
The Houston Palestine Film Festival (HPFF), which features a wide range of films that highlight the unique strength and struggle of the Palestinian people featured the legendary M1 from Dead Prez on Saturday, but he could only think of one hip-hop artist in Houston to open up for him and…
Border War: Don’t Drift Over To The Mexico Side Of Lake, Texas Warns Fishermen
You’re out for a peaceful day of fishing on Falcon Lake, which straddles the U.S.-Mexico border, and the next thing you know you’re in the middle of an intense firefight, or you’re being kidnapped, or turned into a junkie by ruthless drug overlords.The only way to combat such things: Stay…
Houston’s Growing Garden Party
If food is fashionable, local food is the flashiest piece on the Paris runways. These past few years have seen the locavore movement skyrocket like mad in Houston. The city now boasts dozens of farmers’ markets, and people are beginning to explore the fabu-fresh world of CSAs. But chefs, too,…
Game Time: Houston Texans: Seven Things To Watch In OTA’s
My first Cushing-free football blog post in a couple weeks — now I know how Pedro Gomez felt after Barry Bonds retired. “What the hell am I going to talk about???”Thankfully, the Texans start voluntary organized team activities (OTA’s) this week, so there’s actual football to be discussed. The key…
Central Market’s Saag Dahl
We have longed for a deliciously unique salad ever since the day our beloved Eatzi’s bit the dust several years ago. But we had yet to try the new made-on-the-spot-just-for-you salad section at Central Market (3815 Westheimer), whether it was because we were too full of gourmet samples or because…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #39 Mole Poblano at Hugo’s
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Tony & Elisa Cantu Sue The Katy Police, And Are Glad They Had A Digital Recorder Handy
Thank goodness for small, digital voice-recorders and the Texas open records law. For without them, Tony and Elsa Cantu would probably have criminal records and might even be locked up behind bars, victim to the lies and deceptions of the Katy police department, one of its officers, and his wife.It…
Exile In Pearland: A Young Rocks Off Gets “Happy”
The first time Rocks Off the Younger truly heard “Happy,” we were loading a case of Dannon yogurt into the display case at the Kroger in Pearland we worked at from 1999 until he first left home. It would have been September 2002, and we had just signed the papers…
Dear Google: Your Auto-Fill Feature Makes Us Sad
On the one hand, the auto-fill feature on Google can be a boon. Want to look up famous German basketball players but don’t know exactly how to spell Detlef Schrempf? If you can make it as far as “Detl,” Google has your back. On the other hand, the auto-fill feature…
Teacher-Student Beatdowns: Rapper-Endorsed Behavior?
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 to ask…
A Cooler Coke: Ooba
Each Tuesday and Thursday for the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a look at alternatives to cokes for the sticky Houston summer that lays ahead. What is this, now? A healthy coke? Say it ain’t so! As one commenter dutifully pointed out last week, the healthiest form of hydration…
The Zoo’s Baby Elephant: A Scientific Test Of His Dangerous Cuteness
Just how cute is the Houston Zoo’s new baby elephant? Scientists report the official ranking is “pretty damn cute.”Baylor, as he’s called, has been on display for about a week, and Zoo spokesman Brian Hill says he’s already a crowd favorite.”This time of year is field-trip time, so we’ll have…
Italian Expo This Weekend Features Lombardy Region of Italy
Apparently the inaugural Houston Italian Expo was in 2009, but this is the first year in which the Regione Lombardia is partnering with the Italy America Chamber of Commerce – Texas. The Regione Lombardia is one of Italy’s “regions,” like their version of a state. Its capital is Milan, and…
Doesn’t Anyone Get Naked Anymore? In Houston, Yes
One of the observations Rocks Off has heard a lot over the years is, “What do David Bowie’s kids do to rebel?” The meaning behind that is obvious. As we rocketed towards the end of the last millennium, the boundary of what is shocking was pushed to a point where…
Balraj Dulai Singh, 30, Justin Colby Eaton, 27 & Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count Nos. 118-120
A shootout over some weed resulted in three deaths early Monday on the west side of town.After the exchange of gunfire, Balraj Singh, 30 and Justin Colby Eaton, 27 were pronounced dead at the scene. A third man was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital with severe injuries and later died…
ACL Or Summerfest: Which Commercial Is Better?
As you probably know by now, the Austin City Limits Music Festival released its 2010 lineup of the 130 acts playing Zilker Park October 8-10 under cover of darkness ’round midnight Monday. Meanwhile, Houston’s scaled-down, two-day, (mostly) hippie-free version of ACL, Free Press Summerfest, is now less than three weeks…
The Wandering Tamale Hustlers of Montrose
I have always known that the Wandering Tamale Hustlers of the Montrose make the best tamales. Maybe it is because they show up at the bar when you’re two and half sheets to the wind…
Pale Shines At Pershing Middle School Benefit
Monday night, Pale, the Classix and the Pershing Middle School band, which lost all of its band equipment in a recent bus fire, were scheduled to perform in the House of Blues’ Bronze Peacock Room. Although the students never showed, the gig was still a success. The show was originally…
Rice, UH Battle Weather And C-USA Rivals As Tournament Looms
The weather caused some major havoc to the Houston-area college baseball season this past weekend as both the Houston Cougars and Rice Owls, playing big series with important post-season implications, waited out rain-outs, delays, and bizarre game times as they attempted, and succeeded, in playing all of their games.The happiest…
Pop Rocks: With Friends Like These
Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski remains under house arrest in Switzerland, awaiting possible extradition to the United States for fleeing sentencing after pleading guilty to “unlawful sex” with a 13-year old in 1977. His attorneys are, naturally, fighting this possibility, while a number of his fellow directors are petitioning the Swiss…
Where Are We Drinking?
A few rounds of beer, a few rounds of billiards. Does the scene below look familiar to you? Can you tell where we were drinking in between a few rounds of pool this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Upcoming: Blue October, Fleshtones, Islands, Jackyl, Raekwon, Etc.
Aerial Second, Floorbound, Lotus Effect, This Year’s Tiger: LOUNGE STAGE., Sat., June 5. Fitzgerald’s. Amplified Heat, Cornhole Dukes, World’s Most Dangerous: Fri., June 11. Rudyard’s. Anjelah Nicole Johnson: Fri., Oct. 22. House of Blues. Aziz Ansari: CHANGED Sat., Oct. 16. House of Blues. Blue October: ACOUSTIC SHOW., Sat., July 24…
Judith Lyle, Young & Recessioned: From Creative Writing To Yeah, I Do Know The Difference Between A Debit And A Credit
Today’s installment of Young & Recessioned features Judith Lyle, a 28-year-old University of Houston grad — she graduated in December — who gave up her dream of being a writer for a more practical career path. That hasn’t worked out as planned. The stuff that interested me was writing courses, creative…
Execution Drug In Short Supply; How Will Texas Cope?
The Arizona Republic reports today that a planned execution in Ohio almost had to delay a recent execution because of a shortage of thiopental sodium, the drug used for lethal injections. Arizona, it said, might be unable to do its own killin’ because of the shortage. A three-year moratorium on…
2010 ACL Lineup Goes Live And (Early) By Surprise
The line-up for the 2010 Austin City Limits Music Festival went live at the fest’s Web site at midnight this morning while the rest of the world was snoozing. Luckily we are up and stirring to bring it to you. No Pavement and no Soundgarden, but we do have the…
ZZ Top Opening Tom Petty’s Texas Dates
Rocks Off has been sitting on this information pretty much all day, and after teasing you on Twitter all day, it feels so good to finally get it off our chests. That’s it right up there in the headline, more or less – Houston’s hometown boyz ZZ Top have been…
Slow Dough Bakery
The dough might be slow, but this little bakery is bustling. You know all that really good bread you’ve been eating at places like Anvil and Branchwater Tavern? It has been coming from Slow Dough Bakery (1314 Roy Street, 713-568-5674)…
Brew Blog: Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que
In Austin last weekend for the Renegade Craft Festival, we checked in with Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que to see what was on the brewpub’s seasonal taps. While we sat outside and listened to Mike & The Moonpies sing about faded jeans, faded dreams and related topics, we sampled the…
Reminder: Pershing Middle School Benefit At House Of Blues
Rocks Off already mentioned this last week, but this is definitely worth re-tweeting, as it were. Tonight at House of Blues, Houston alt-rockers Pale – who, if one commenter is to be believed, have had better luck with the upcoming Twilight: Eclipse soundtrack than its New Moon predecessor, where they…
Fire At LyondellBasel Plant Won’t Affect HISD
There’s a smoky fire at the LyondellBasel plant southeast of town, and most educational experts that learning shouldn’t take place next to a smoky fire at a chemical plant.As many as eight HISD schools could be affected by fumes, depending on which way the wind blows, but district spokesman Norm…
Thomas Robert Tarver, 43, Bayou Body Count No. 117
An apparent murder-suicide on the far west side early Friday morning is still being investigated by police.Kelly Edward Allen, 50, and Thomas Robert Tarver, 43, had been friends “for years,” HPD says.In the pre-dawn hours Friday, Allen went to Tarver’s home in the 14000 block of Britoak Lane and “forced…
How to Picnic Without Poisoning Anyone
There’s a very brief window of time here in Houston during which we can enjoy dining al fresco, and that window will very soon be closing. But even more than mosquitoes and humidity, nothing ruins a good picnic like food poisoning…
Game Time: Brian Cushing — My Final Words On This Topic
As I type this, the Texans’ first session of OTA’s is about to wrap up, and we’re all anxiously awaiting the final horn ending the session to see if Brian Cushing decides to take out his gas can and empty it on the brush fire that he started with his…
Durian Cakes
These durian cakes were boldly on display in a freezer at Ranch Market, and I had to buy them. Technically, they were mung bean cakes made with “durian sugar,” but regardless, they were going to be durian-flavored…
Al Green Sanctifies, Electrifies The Arena Theatre
For more pictures from Sunday’s show, see our slideshow here. In the middle of “Tired of Being Alone,” one feverish mini-symphony of soul and salvation out of an even dozen Sunday night (counting an extended ’60s medley), the Rev. Al Green asked out loud what his triumphant Arena Theatre performance…
Tobi Oyedeji’s After-Prom Accident: Sleep Deprivation Can Be As Bad As Drinking For Teens
Houston police are still investigating Sunday’s early-morning crash caused by a Bellaire teen coming home from the school’s official after-prom party, and the school itself is still in shock at the death of a popular, hard-working basketball star.(The family of the 50-year-old nurse also killed in the wreck is also…
Epicure Café’s Berry Cake and Tokaji
When we sat down with Chef Jalal Esmailkhanloo of Epicure Café, we couldn’t help but eye the delicious pastry case. So what did we do? We grabbed a piece of the berry cake and a glass of the 2008 Bodvin Tokaji Sarga Muskotaly, of course…
Unidentified Man, 32, Bayou Body Count No. 116
A woman who was being attacked in Montrose by her ex-husband shot and killed him, police say.The incident happened in the 3400 block of Yupon about 4:30 p.m. Sunday.”The female victim was stabbed multiple times by her ex-husband,” HPD says. “The woman managed to retrieve her gun and fatally shot…
Blue October Makes It Personal, As Always, At Sam Houston Race Park
For more photos from the show, see our slideshow here. Aftermath can recognize when a band connects with people on a different level than we could ever fathom personally. We’ve waded in Faygo cola with Juggalos, sat with bluehairs at a Neil Diamond concert and consorted with screaming girls at…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes #40 Indian Borsch at Indika
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Rick Perry On Cribs: And This Is Where The Magic Is Made
Go to the 35-second mark to hear what Nick Saban thinks of Rick Perry’s decorating ideas. Finally, the Texas Democratic Party has weighed in on the single biggest issue of the day: Rick Perry’s decorating and entertaining lifestyle. The Associated Press reported that Perry has spent more than $600,000 in…
Exile In The 21st Century: Stones Porn For Music Geeks
It’s been awhile since footage of an assembly line and industrial machines made Rocks Off all hot and bothered, so when we stumbled upon this clip from the factory making the Super Deluxe Edition reissue of the Rolling Stones’ landmark album Exile On Main Street, we had to walk away…
Random Ingredient: Garam Masala
What is it? In Hindi, “garam” translates to “hot,” and “masala” to “spice mixture” (according to Wikipedia and several other sites). With the powerful spices involved in any variety of garam masala, “hot” refers to the strength of the flavor rather than any tongue-burning capabilities. This version of store-bought, pre-mixed…
Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count No. 115
A passerby riding a bike in the 6000 block of South Lake Houston Parkway about 9:30 Saturday night saw a dead body, which is enough to ruin any bike ride.Police were called and discovered a male, age unknown, dead from a gunshot wound. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences…
Throwing The Devil Horns For Dio One More Time
Ed. Note: This article first appeared in the Houston Press in August 2003, when Dio (the man and the band) played the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. It’s a ubiquitous sign for the ages. Whether thrown in rapture or irony, the pinky-and-index-finger extended “devil horns” might mean something different to UT…
Tobi Oyedeji: Tragedy Hits Bellaire High
A kid with a shining future, one who worked hard in class, who seemed to have everything before him, died this weekend, and Bellaire High is grieving.Tobi Oyedeji, 17, was set to play basketball for Texas A&M next year, but he died in a car accident early Sunday morning after…
Roy Oswalt Bitching About No Run Support: The Astros Fun Season Continues
Today’s big Houston Astros news comes by way of the Harris County Family Courts where sources are reporting that Astros ace, Roy Oswalt, has filed for divorce from the Houston Astros citing irreconcilable differences as the cause for the failure of the union. In support of his filing, Oswalt pointed…
Z-Ro’s Heroin Due Next Month… Maybe
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: “I’m Hungry,” Coota Bang Wire to Wire The “Dirty South” will be honored at this year’s VH1 Hip-Hop Honors…
Berries Over Ice Cream
It’s a very satisfying feeling to be able to throw together something delicious from what you have hanging around in the fridge and pantry. Summer fruit is so lovely that there’s very little you need to do to it to make it delicious. If you make a point of keeping…
Indian Jewelry, Future Islands And Friends Wave The Red Flag
At 10 p.m. Saturday night, Aftermath made our way into Mango’s. It was hardly half full, but by the time Indian Jewelry took the stage a little before 1 a.m., we couldn’t move. Not that we’d want to, of course, but even if we had wanted to leave, we wouldn’t…
The Week In TV: Just Let The Office Go With Dignity, Please
The humidity is back, the TV season’s almost over, and I need a non-gay way to ask you to go camping with me. This was the week in TV Land: • I saw Conan O’Brien in Austin on Friday. He took his Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour…
Judge Denies Trae’s Injunction Request Against The Box
Simply put, the task before Trae seems illogical. No hip-hop artist has ever walked into a courtroom and essentially forced a radio station to play their music. Then again, no other hip-hop artist has a day named after him in his own city. Interestingly, it was the unfortunate events that…
Ted Poe, Obsessed With Vagina
For hardcore political junkies — and we do mean hardcore — capitolwords.org can be downright addicting. Although the actual meaningfulness of the site might be up for debate, its wonkish fun factor is not: the site tracks how many words are spoken by individual U.S. legislators in a given time…
Where Are We Eating?
Is that a fried egg on that burger? Such an obvious clue as to where we’re eating this week…or is it? Does the burger below look familiar to you? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio, Gone To His Metal Reward
Ronnie James Dio resumed his post as God of Earth, Heaven and Hell Sunday, after a 67-year mission on Earth correcting errors in previous gospels through heavy metal. His earthly form was diagnosed with stomach cancer in November 2009. As of this March, Dio was still optimistic about continuing his…
Mark Bly at the Alley Theatre Talks About Intelligence-Slave
A man in a World War II concentration camp is kept alive only because he has invented an early version of the calculator — a four-function, hand-held model. But the only thing keeping him from being killed is that as far as his Nazi captors know, he hasn’t completely finished…
The James Baker Institute Embraces Drugs
When talking publicly about illegal drugs and butting heads with the U.S. government over its prohibitionist policies, respect is hard to come by.Over the years, though, local Houston radio host Dean Becker has earned high regard for getting top-tier guests and having intelligent discussions about the war on drugs for…
Be Frida Kahlo Saturday Night, Without The Sadness
Halloween is still five months away, but for all you costume-loving souls, Houston’s Frida Festival is giving you a chance to play dress up already. The only catch? You have to dress up as Frida Kahlo.The Houston Institute for Culture hosts the sixth installation of the festival, Raices de Frida…
FAIL: Nashville Weather, Liam Gallagher, Meat Loaf, Warrant’s Jani Lane
If you’re reading this, you’re either on the Internet, or else you’ve mastered multi-dimensional thought-projection processes that would make Michio Kaku cry like a little girl. We’ll assume the former, and just in case you don’t already know, the Internet has decided that the word “failure” is too long by…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we’re currently petitioning the Olympics to add Comfort Eating as an event. Our training for the qualifiers has caused us to put on a pound or two, so we started the week off with a healthy bowl of…
Houston’s Hottest Chefs: Now Taking Nominations
Eating Our Words is looking to cool off this summer by drenching ourselves with nice, tall drinks of water…of the human variety. To that end, we’re currently on the hunt for Houston’s ten hottest chefs. Know any cooks who are just as good at creating a feast as they are…
Arizona Rapper G-MOE On His State’s Immigrant Law
From our sister blog Rocks Off, in case you missed it:Everyone is talking about the controversy surrounding Arizona’s SB 1070, and Rocks Off was curious to take the temperature of the Grand Canyon State’s hip-hop community.So RO got in contact with our current favorite Arizona Latino hip-hop artist, 23-year-old Garrett…
Acts We Think – OK, Hope – Are Playing ACL Fest This Year
By this time Tuesday, we will all know who is playing the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October. Damn, it seems like we have speculating about the line-up since, well, we got the last of the “Dillo Dirt” out the middle of our toes after last year’s muddy and…
Chef Chat Part 2: Jalal Esmailkhanloo of Epicure Café
Yesterday, we sat down with Chef Jalal Esmailkhanloo of Epicure Café, a quaint European café on West Gray. Eating Our Words: What would you recommend on the menu? Chef Esmailkhanloo: My favorite is the lamb shank with saffron basmati rice. It happens to also be our best seller…
Sherri Davis, Fighting Teacher, Apologizes; Her Attorney Blames The School
The teacher caught on video beating a child apologized today, but her attorney indicated that the blame lies not with her but the school.Sherri Davis, whose fight with a student has gone viral on the web, had a press conference in the office of her attorney, Chip Lewis (the same…
City Budget Includes Getting More Bucks From Metro
In the mayor’s proposed budget, released earlier this week, Metro is on the hook for almost twice as much money than it had to pay the city in previous years.The money comes from an agreement that gives the city a portion of Metro’s sales tax revenues, and the city used…
Paul Thorn Loves “Pimps And Preachers” Alike
Like a lot of folks, we’re sure, Rocks Off is chomping at the bit to get our ears around the remastered and expanded version of the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street, due in stores Tuesday. Rocks Off has done a lot of things while Exile was blasting out of…
Game Time: A Follow-Up E-mail To Brian Cushing
Brian: Let me get right down to business. I am actually sending this e-mail as a follow-up to my open letter to you on Monday of this week, and frankly, I’m kicking myself that I actually sent you an open letter. I mean, who the hell sends letters anymore? Here…
Upcoming Events
Don’t forget: This Sunday is your chance to meet Robb Walsh in person, and even get his John Hancock on his newest book — The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa — at the West Alabama Ice House (1919 W. Alabama) starting at 2 p.m. The event is free and features…
Skyrocket! Ushers In An Evening Of Mom Rock
One thing was quickly apparent as Skyrocket! tore through spot-on covers of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ “I Love Rock & Roll” and the Steve Miller Band’s “Jet Airliner” at Discovery Green Thursday night: This was Mom Rock. Or Soccer Mom Rock. As Trish and Darin…
Brew Blog Interview: Rob Cartwright of Independence Brewing Co.
Rob Cartwright and his wife Amy started Independence Brewing Co. in an Austin warehouse six years ago. Today the company has nine employees, not counting two dogs. (“They don’t have thumbs,” he explains, “so they’re not on the payroll.”) Having been selling well at H-E-B stores in Austin and San…
Arizona Rapper G-MOE Talks About His State’s Situation
“DRANK SIPPA” from ALONSO MURILLO on Vimeo. Everyone is talking about the controversy surrounding Arizona’s SB 1070, and Rocks Off was curious to take the temperature of the Grand Canyon State’s hip-hop community. So we got in contact with our current favorite Arizona Latino hip-hop artist, 23-year-old Garrett Antunez, better…
Judge Daniel Burkeen: Texans Of Every Species Can Crap In The Woods
On March 9, the Texas Council of Environmental Quality received a complaint about David Cousins, a resident of Limestone County in rural Central Texas.Cousins, it was alleged, did not provide restroom facilities in the cabin on his wooded deer lease. Instead, he allowed, one might even say encouraged, hunters to…
Rick Perry Breaks Out The Ozzy
As the race for the next governor heats up between former Houston mayor Bill White and the purtiest governor in Texas history, Rick Perry, we will be subject to all manner of mudslinging from both sides. They will use anything they can to drive their point across or in Perry’s…
Rick Perry Rides Ozzy’s “Crazy Train”
As the race for the next governor heats up between former Houston mayor Bill White and the purtiest governor in Texas history, Rick Perry, we will be subject to all manner of mudslinging from both sides. They will use anything they can to drive their point across – or, in…
The Week In Photos
Each week, we take a look at what the talented photographers in the Houston Press Flickr pool have been up to in the past week (other than providing excellent coverage of the city’s biggest Art Car Parade ever). Want to see your own work featured here? Then jump into the…
5 Rappers Who Dissed The Radio, Sucka!
“Radio – suckers never play me” – Public Enemy, “Rebel Without a Pause” Eazy-E once walked up to legendary disc jockey Greg Mack and asked him what he could do to make his music radio-ready. Mack’s reply? “Well, you could start by cleaning up the lyrics.” Ever the savvy businessman,…
Openings and Closings
Although it technically isn’t a closure, it’s the end of an era for Voice, the critically-acclaimed restaurant at the Hotel Icon. Chef Michael Kramer is leaving as the hotel has decided to take the restaurant in a different, slightly less upscale direction. It’s a huge blow for fine dining downtown,…
Sole Of Houston: UH Architecture Professor Graphs Bellaire Boulevard
Ray Davies never sang about seeing stars on Bellaire BoulevardThree years ago this month, David Beebe and I trekked Bellaire Boulevard from west of Highway 6 to the Little Woodrow’s on the train tracks at the West U / Bellaire border. We didn’t continue any further because the prosperous stretch…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #41 The BBQ Burger at Guy’s Meat Market on O.S.T.
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Hollywood Ain’t No Sunshine in Bill Withers Documentary
Still Bill, the documentary about soul legend Bill Withers (not the Tarantino movie), was released on DVD this week. The filmmakers spent eight years documenting the life of the Thoreau-quoting, piano-playing, philosophizing bluesman, who had immense success with a string of R&B and pop hits but never really trusted the…
Brian Ching Makes The Cut For The World Cup (So Far), But Dynamo Lose
The Houston Dynamo got a taste of their own medicine Thursday night, as two early goals lead to their 3-1 demise at the hands of Real Salt Lake. The defending champs finally broke their eight-game winless streak against the Orange, led by Costa Rican international Alvaro Saborio’s two goals.RSL pounced…
Jacqueline LeBaron, Daughter Of Infamous Murdering Cult Leader, Is Back In Houston
The FBI has announced that they have captured Jacqueline LeBaron, who has been on the run for 22 years after a notorious series of killings ordered by her father, a bigamist cult leader.The FBI received a tip LeBaron, daughter of Ervil LeBaron, was in El Paraisio, Honduras and arrested her…
Toad The Wet Sprocket: Not Bikers’ First Choice
’90s alt-rockers Toad the Wet Sprocket, playing House of Blues tomorrow night, may be an established act now, but back on the heels of their second album, 1990’s Pale, the Santa Barbara, Calif.-based quartet had to take their lumps just like everyone else who has ever left the practice space and hit…
Expert Advice on Italian Wines
I have a confession to make: Wine aisles are a source of unrest for me. Anytime we have a dinner party and I’m responsible for picking up a bottle of wine, I cry a little on the inside. Fortunately, I had a chance to sit down with Joseph Kemble of…
Helen Garcia, Mom Of The Year: Sets Up Sham Marriage For Daughter, Feds Say
It was a real-life Green Card, except instead of Gerard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell finding sweet, sweet love we got a mother hiring out her kid for a fake marriage to a Cambodian immigrant.The U.S. Attorney’s office in Houston announced this morning the indictments of six people for trying to…
Recipe Review: Paula Deen’s French Toast Casserole
A lover of butter myself, I’ve always admired Paula Deen’s ability to toss several pounds of the churned milkfat into any recipe. Looking for a lavish breakfast idea to feed a larger crowd, I knew her praline-topped French toast casserole wouldn’t disappoint. If you’re willing to throw your cardiac health…
Inside Ozone Magazine’s Sex Issue
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and, albeit sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. We’ll incorporate the number five in there somewhere. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Ozone magazine, the preeminent name in Southern rap periodicals, recently released…
NBC’s Thursday Night: She’s The Ark Of The Covenant!
Sometimes TV shows are forced to interact with each other in crossovers or network-wide branding initiatives like NBC’s Green Is Universal (itself parodied on 30 Rock). But sometimes a group of episodes just happen to be about the same thing, and those happy accidents have a way of tying together…
Girls Rock Camp Must Raise $3,000 By August 1
Girls Rock Camp Houston, the musical summer camp for girls aged 8-18 that will take place this August, has started its formal fundraising process with a Kickstarter account, a local music showcase and a special visit to an area elementary school to recruit camp registrants and volunteers and to solicit…
Bud Norris Makes The Astros Fun To Watch, For Once
Color me shocked.Who in their right mind would have thought the Houston Astros, having the season they’re having, would be able to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals?Especially yesterday with Bud Norris throwing perhaps the best game of his career as the team defeated the Cards 4-1 to win four straight…
Health Dept. Roundup: Mobile Eateries
We’re on the run this week at Health Department Roundup, sprinting after some of the city’s mobile eateries. In a routine inspection Tuesday, Taqueria Taconmadre – 7 Mundos (7501 Brownwood) notched 12 violations and was closed temporarily. The truck was not conforming to Article II, did not have proper permitting,…
Don’t Start A Band, Unless You Can Deal With Slippery Bar Owners
Starting a band sucks, writing music sucks and getting your band’s name out there sucks too. But what sucks most is dealing with incompetent club owners. This week, Rocks Off caught up with Chris Ginsbach, drummer for the Literary Greats, who told us a tale of malfeasance and uncouth behavior…
Worst Wedding DJ. Ever.
First, watch the video before you even start reading this. Direct your eyes up and push play. It’s less than a minute. Take a sip of coffee first…..
Five Graduation Speeches Better Than What You’ll Hear This Year
It’s Graduation Season, and that means it’s time for commencement speeches.Usually delivered by someone you at best only vaguely have heard of, they all start with rueful self-deprecation about how “Once, long, long ago, I too sat at a graduation ceremony and listened to some long-winded boring speaker. So I…
Dmetrius Alexander, Young & Recessioned: You’re Just A Set Of Keywords In A Search Engine
Today’s Installment of Young & Recessioned features Dmetrius Alexander, a 26-year-old from San Antonio that found the only thing worse than being unemployed in Houston for ten months is searching for jobs online. I went to St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. I always wanted to get into business, but…
Happy Hour Scene: Community Bar
The Place: Community Bar 2703 Smith St. 713-526-1576 The Hours: Monday, Wednesday through Friday 5-8 p.m. The Deals: Beers are $2, and all of the other drinks are $1 cheaper than normal. Tuesday is steak night, and on Wednesday, all tacos are $2. The Scene: Community Bar has a new…
Pan-Seared Branzino at Ristorante Cavour
The tart heirloom tomatoes gushed warm, juicy deliciousness over the flaky flesh of the branzino. The tenderly sautéed tomatoes were a great textural contrast to the crisply seared fish skin, both of which complemented the firmness of the fish. On the side was a shaved fennel salad simply garnished with…
Juan Jose Sanchez, 19, Bayou Body Count No. 114
A driving dispute ended with the death of a 19-year-old Houston man Tuesday night on the northwest side of town.Juan Jose Sanchez was driving with a friend on Spenwick about 11: 40 p.m. when they came upon a gray car driving slowly, filled with five Hispanic males, ages 16 to…
A Cooler Coke: Colombiana La Nuestra
Each Tuesday and Thursday for the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a look at alternatives to cokes for the sticky Houston summer that lays ahead. There is a Facebook fan page for just about anything these days. That’s how we as a collective managed to get Betty White to…
Twilight: Eclipse And Other Promising Summer Soundtracks
Summer isn’t just the time to look forward to astronomically budgeted, noisy, overproduced blockbuster films, it’s also the time to look forward to astronomically budgeted, noisy, overproduced blockbuster soundtracks. Is Graeme Revell still dicking around with ProTools? He is? Oh, super! Anyway, among all the bombast, there are usually a…
Dean King: Unbound On Mao’s Long March
Blame it on the women in his life.Dean King, author of the just released Unbound: A True Story of War, Love and Survival, which chronicles the 30 women who participated in the Chinese Communist Army’s famed Long March in 1934, has four sisters and four daughters. So writing a book…
Bobby Heugel’s Weekly Cocktail: The Pisco Sour
Peruvians and Chileans drink pisco sours like Texans drink margaritas. For decades, Peru and Chile have viciously fought over the origins of pisco, a grape-based spirit similar to grappa, and the equally famous cocktail the pisco sour. Arguing so fiercely over spirits and cocktails may sound quite ridiculous to us;…
Sara Van Buskirk, Tough As Nails, Likes Whisky Neat
This weekend, local singer-songwriter Sara Van Buskirk releases her debut LP, The Place Where You Are, after a few years of on-and-off tinkering. It’s a riveting work, built around her muscular voice and backed by a stellar cast of Houston pickers and players. The ten-track album is relentlessly pretty and…
Game Time: Houston Texans: Relevance, Thy Name Is Cushing
Cushing, perhaps pondering the medical mysteries he’s enduredThe word “relevance” has been thrown around quite a bit these last couple years over at Reliant Stadium, as in “The Texans are seeking….” They’re finding out the hard way the fast track to relevance is sometimes covered in hCG. Somehow, I don’t…
Mavis Staples Will Take You There – Conroe – Friday Night
Apparently there are still plenty of tickets for Mavis Staples in Conroe Friday night. Part of the Sounds of Texas Music Series at the Crighton Theater, the show also includes gospel-rocker Mike Farris. Staples, a recent Best Contemporary Blues Grammy nominee for her Live: Hope At The Hideout, is a…
Solange Knowles Admits She’s A “Blipster”
As a white thirtysomething male who digs Merle Haggard, Al Green and Skynyrd, Rocks Off is well aware our hipster cred is pretty much in the toilet. Even the bands we do like that were once considered at least kinda “cool” – Wilco, Spoon, Phoenix – now share air time…
Food Fight: Battle Pancake
Breakfast is truly my favorite meal of the day. So many options, so many endless permutations of eggs and bacon and cheese, so many opportunities to blatantly eat dessert for an entire meal (I’m looking at you, French toast and crepes). With a hot cup of coffee and a good…
Local Lawyers Unimpressed With Transocean’s Bid To Limit Its Oil-Spill Exposure
Transocean, the Houston company that owned and operated the Deepwater Horizon rig that is currently gushing huge amount of oil into the Gulf, is looking to limit the amount of damages they may have to pay.The company filed a motion in federal court here today, citing an old law intended…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Jalal Esmailkhanloo of Epicure Café
Epicure Café has been in the same quaint spot on West Gray for 21 years. It’s a little piece of Europe nestled between stylish boutiques and the River Oaks Theater, with a decadent pastry case and a unique wine list. You’ll want to slow down and hang out here for…
Lanail Gregory Allen, 43, Bayou Body Count No. 113
A 43-year-old man died after being shot on the west side of town Tuesday afternoon.The shooting took place in the 7900 block of Locke Lane about 3 p.m., police say.The victim, Lanail Gregory Allen, 43, of Houston, was transported to Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital where he was pronounced dead.HPD officers…
Summer Tours We’d Like To See: Bring Back Texxas Jam!
Summer concert season doesn’t last as long as hurricane season, and leaves somewhat less damage in its aftermath, but at least it gives us something to look forward to during those long, hot months. This year, Houstonians will be treated to concert appearances by Lady Gaga (July 25-26), Iron Maiden…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #42 Banh Mi Xiu Mai at Don Cafe at 9300 Bellaire
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Tera Trevino Will Bring Friendswood’s Low-Rider Culture To A Shocked America
Remember Nelson Muntz coming out of Naked Lunch with Bart Simpson et al? “I can think of at least two things wrong with that title,” he says.That’s the general sense viewers of ABC’s Wife Swap get. The show is titillating only if you’re turned on by whiny, self-obsessed people who…
Fights! Musicians Mixing It Up
Earlier this month, Craig’s Hlist witnessed no fewer than four fights during Limp Bizkit’s Buzzfest set while covering the day-long festival of titties and beer. Funnily enough, those are the two (three?) things on Earth that are most likely to start fights. You drink too much of one and fight over who…
Johnny Lee Walley, Jr.: Sics His Pit Bull On Cops, Hides In Ceiling (Until He Falls)
For three days this week, the man known as “Buzzard” had eluded Montgomery County deputies who were trying to track him down after he jumped bail on a pit bull-related arrest. In that November incident, which seems perfectly in keeping with a dude who calls himself — or is referred…
Brunch At Anvil
Edited: This article has been revised as a result of misinformation received by The Houston Press. Although Anvil Bar & Refuge hasn’t started serving brunch quite yet, one thing’s for sure: The mimosas are going to be damn good. Starting this Sunday, May 16, Anvil will be serving a Sunday…
Rock And Roll Saved Steve Almond’s Life – Here’s How
It’s one thing to enjoy music as the kind of casual background noise to a car ride, jog in the park or commercial extolling the incredible mileage of the new Honda. Fiction writer, memoirist and former Miami New Times music writer Steve Almond (My Life in Heavy Metal, Candyfreak) is…
Sherri Davis, Fightin’ Teacher: Yes, A Lawsuit Is Coming
To the surprise of absolutely no one familiar with the litigious ways of America, the mother of the kid famously caught on video getting a beatdown from his teacher is suing.And there’s a press conference involved!!The Houston personal-injury law firm of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Friend has announced…
Richard Justice Hates (Hated?) The Coogs In A Disappearing Blog Item
Let me get my bias out in the open. I’m a UH graduate. Class of 1988. Graduated with membership in the Honors College — only then it was just the Honors Program. I’ve attended various UH sporting events from before I started at the school, to the present. I’ve donated…
Pop Rocks: Betty White Needs A Break
The Saturday Night Live episode hosted by Betty White aired last weekend, thanks to the efforts of some 500,000 Facebook users who bravely took a break from complaining about the security of those photos they posted from the Senor Frogs wet t-shirt contest in 1988 to create a group expressly…
A to Z Food & Deli # 7: A Chevron Breakfast
I love food served at gas stations and convenience stores. Every time I’ve passed by that Chevron on Montrose and Alabama, I’ve seen that picture of a two-egg breakfast plate on the window outside. And every time, I think, “Does their breakfast really look like that?” I got up early…
“Rap Song Or Murder Ballad” Revealed
Rocks Off is really enjoying these little quizzes we’ve concocted, because it gives us a chance to revisit some of our favorite rap tunes and bask in the comforting knowledge that, whatever their time, place and circumstance of origin, songs about killing are pretty much all the same. We only…
Free Passes To The MacGruber Preview, And How Will It Stack Up Against All The SNL Movie Bombs?
We know we’re not supposed to admit this — “Saturday Night Live sucks!!!” and all that — but we kinda like the MacGruber sketches. They’re short, unlike too many SNL skits dragged out beyond all point, and — what can we say? — they’re usually funny.Now, however, we are dealing…
Remember Pimp C’s Sweet James Jones Stories?
Houston’s history is dotted with albums that, fairly or un, have been swept aside. We’ll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Pimp C Sweet James Jones Stories (Asylum, 2005) We’re not sure where we saw it, but we once read…
American Idol: Jamie Foxx, Officially Not Giving a Crap Since 1992
Last night’s Idol took us down to the top three contestants, but as expected, it took a long time to get there. The thing is, at this point the filler doesn’t even feel like filler any more, just as the eliminations don’t even feel real. This is the end of…
Idol Beat: Jamie Foxx, Officially Not Giving a Crap Since 1992
Last night’s Idol took us down to the top three contestants, but as expected, it took a long time to get there. The thing is, at this point the filler doesn’t even feel like filler any more, just as the eliminations don’t even feel real. This is the end of…
Face-Off: Alterna-Milks, Part 2
Our previous foray into the world of dairy alternatives pitted the previously reigning champion Soy Milk against underdog fighter Almond Milk. We promised to bring you round two, Almond Milk versus Rice Milk…
Unidentified Male, 37, Bayou Body Count No. 112
It sounds like something out of a Scorsese movie — a gunshot in a parked car, two people get out and leave, one dead body remains.That’s what happened about 11 p.m. Tuesday at the Kingswood Apartments in the 3200 block of Mangum, police say.Witnesses said two Hispanic males were seen…
Sorry, We Just Had To Share This
A friend of Rocks Off posted a link to the above video after we updated our Facebook status Wednesday with the eternal question, “What is this rock and roll fantasy we keep hearing about?” Thanks Greg… and seriously, if any of you out there have an answer to that, we’d…
Teenagers May Be Seeing Their Jobs Go To Immigrants
Are immigrants stealing summer jobs from teenagers?Even immigration restrictionist groups can’t say for sure, but one such organization claims there is a correlation between the rise of immigrant employment and the decline in the number of U.S. born teens who participate in the labor force during the summer.And, the group…
Main Street Theater: Arcadia
For his time-shifting Arcadia (1993), award-winning playwright Tom Stoppard received the best reviews of his career. That’s saying something, considering he had already written such dazzlers as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Real Thing and the screenplay for Brazil. (His Academy Award-winning Shakespeare in Love and the trilogy The…
¡Ritmo Latino!
The Society for Performing Arts brings Houston audiences Latin Grammy-winning pianist Pablo Ziegler and his quintet for new tango with special guest Claudia Acuña for…drum roll, please…a free concert at Miller Outdoor Theatre. (Don’t you love free?) Born in Argentina, where tango is king, Ziegler fell in love with jazz…
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: We Love Jeff Bridges
In case you hadn’t heard, Jeff Bridges won an Oscar for his performance in Crazy Heart at the Academy Awards this year. Our film friends at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston decided to celebrate the accomplishment with a retrospective of his films in the We Love Jeff Bridges film…
“Hand + Made: The Performative Impulse in Art and Craft”
Visual art is usually displayed static and complete, while performance art is observed live and in-progress. But put them together and the whole is often greater than the sum of its parts. That’s certainly true for “Hand + Made: The Performative Impulse in Art and Craft,” currently at the Contemporary…
Masquerade Theatre: Jane Eyre
The strange story of love between a plain, shy governess and her moody employer, the musical Jane Eyre is, as you might expect, based on the book by Charlotte Bronte. But this is a revised and reorchestrated version of the show last produced by Masquerade Theatre some four years ago…
4th Annual Houston Palestine Film Festival
For all the deadly complexities swirling throughout the political tinderbox that is the Middle East, there’s always room for more understanding. And what’s more universal than a good movie? The 4th Annual Houston Palestine Film Festival is certainly timely. Last year’s festival was voted Best Film Festival in the Houston…
Houston Symphony: Forces of Nature
This is Houston, where everyone is well aware of the force of nature (Ike, you bastard!). But the Houston Symphony’s concert Forces of Nature has a different take on wind, rain, gravity and the universe. It starts with Mozart’s Symphony No. 14, or Jupiter Symphony, as it’s also known, a…
A Clockwork Orange
Cinephiles and movie critics will tell you Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 A Clockwork Orange is a landmark film because of its dark, satirical adaptation of the science fiction novel by Anthony Burgess. Ordinary moviegoers will just tell you it’s strange as hell. In a futuristic Britain, charming and hyper-violent Alex (Malcolm…
Vault 6°: Blau & Baptism
Two dance companies come together to perform Vault 6°: Blau & Baptism. Vault will perform Blau, choreographed by Amy Ell, while 6°, the new company headed up by Toni Leago Valle, will perform Baptism. Valle is working with two new concepts in Baptism, abstract choreography (there are no characters or…
Met Opera Live in HD: Armida
Renée Fleming sings the title role in The Met: Live in HD: Armida opposite six tenors. Written by Rossini, Armida is the musical tale of a sorceress who enchants men she keeps in an island prison. This new production is directed by Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman. Via press materials,…
“Emily Sloan: NAP (Napping Affects Performance)”
Expand your definition of art at the “Emily Sloan: NAP (Napping Affects Performance)” installation currently at the Art League Houston. Anytime during the exhibition’s run, you can drop by for a nap (cots, pillows, blankets and other comfort items will be provided) or you can participate in any of a…
Squeeze a Little Harder
Psophonia Dance Company’s performance this weekend, Squeeze a Little Harder, is a bit of a bait-and-switch. The evening-length program might seem to be a lusty burlesque show, but it’s really a commentary on the culture of over-consumerism. Via a press release, Psophonia makes it clear: “Don’t just look – touch,…
The Man Without a Past
Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismaki directed the offbeat comedy The Man Without a Past. After a man (Markku Peltola) wakes up from a violent mugging with no memory of his life before the attack, he wanders the outskirts of Helsinki. Eventually, a poor family takes him in. A kindly Salvation Army…
“Farming of the Future (Now Is the Only Thing That Is Real)”
Not only can the environment sustain itself, it can do it rather easily, in fact. This is the simple but serious message of “Farming of the Future (Now Is the Only Thing That Is Real),” an installation and working garden by Malcolm Smith on display in the Mary E. Bawden…
“Folk Treasures of Mexico: The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection”
Find out more about one of the most impressive collections of folk art during today’s lecture, “Folk Treasures of Mexico: The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection,” being presented by Arte Pœblico Press in conjunction with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (The lecture is based on the newly released Arte Publico…
Mercury Baroque: Classical in the Raw
Mercury Baroque closes out the season with Classical in the Raw. In press materials, Mercury Baroque Artistic Director Antoine Plante says the orchestra has a different approach to the musical program than most other contemporary orchestras. “We are performing these pieces with the perspective of looking forward from the Baroque…
“Light of the Sufis: The Mystical Arts of Islam”
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is already the only museum in the southern U.S. with a gallery devoted entirely to Islamic art; this week, the museum heightens its commitment to the genre with “Light of the Sufis: The Mystical Arts of Islam,” focused entirely on art related to Sufism…
KUHF Silent Film Concert: The Lost World
The Golden Hornet Project performs an original soundtrack to the 1925 film The Lost World during today’s KUHF Silent Film Concert. Based on the Arthur Conan Doyle story of dinosaurs living in a world time forgot, The Lost World follows a group of English explorers, scientists and hunters to a…
Angela Barrow-Dunlap’s Church Girl
Angela Barrow-Dunlap’s Church Girl is a musical that features some heavy hitters in its cast: singer A’ngela Winbush, actor Robin Givens, gospel great Karen Clark Sheard (of The Clark Sisters), Demetria McKinney, Drew Sidora and Tony Grant. In Church Girl, Emily is the seemingly good-girl daughter of a pastor who…
Supers: Short Films Inspired by Heroes
It’s a trio of imports at the Aurora Picture Show’s Supers: Short Films Inspired by Heroes, happening today at the Discovery Green. There’s Indonesian Andi Martin’s Hebring, about a Superman wannabe’s frustrated attempt to prevent an old woman from being hit by a bus; Briton Aqeel Ahmed’s How to Be…
Domy Books: City Lights
The arrival of talkies almost ruined Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights – the director/actor had already begun production of the film as a silent movie when the first talkies took Hollywood by storm. Chaplin decided to continue his film about a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) who meets the Little Tramp…
Jamie Kennedy
Actor and comedian Jamie Kennedy knows a chunk of his fan base may not be able to purchase tickets for his show. “I know I have a lot of homeless fans. Maybe that’s because a lot of my DVDs end up in the trash,” he offers. “But they all want…
Le conseguenze dell’amore
Join like-minded film buffs at the Contemporary Italian Film Series screening of Le conseguenze dell’amore (The Consequences of Love). In the 2004 movie by writer/director Paolo Sorrentino, Titta (played by Toni Servillo), a former stockbroker, has been reduced to handling bank deposits of large amounts of cash for the local…
“Three Records: New Photos by Chrissy Piper”
Which three albums influenced you most? This is the question rock and roll photographer Chrissy Piper posed to musicians, artists, friends and family. The questionnaire spawned a zine and an art exhibit of the same name. “Three Records: New Photos by Chrissy Piper” is a collection of portraits paired with…
Bacon Takedown
Think you’re the bacon master? Prove it at today’s Bacon Takedown. Twenty Houston cooks will each be given 15 pounds of Black Label Hormel bacon to create anything their little oink-oink hearts desire. We’re talking bacon cupcakes, bacon candy, bacon cocktails, bacon cheesecake. Whatever they can think up, cook and…
Money, Marbles and Chalk! An Affectionate Sketch of Ann Richards
Deeply saddened by the death of Ann Richards, Emmy Award-winning actor Holland Taylor decided to reinvent herself as more than “a hired hand.” For the last three years, Taylor researched and interviewed people about the late Texas governor’s life and then wrote Money, Marbles and Chalk!, a one-woman play she’s…
“Linhas Iluminadas/Illuminated Lines: Works by Rosane Volchan O’Conor”
The exhibit “Linhas Iluminadas/Illuminated Lines: Works by Rosane Volchan O’Conor” is on view in the Rebecca Cole Gallery of the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Art. For “Linhas,” the Brazilian-born, now Houston-based O’Conor has created an on-site wall installation which incorporates neon, as well as wire sculptures and multilayered mono-prints…
Case No. 105
The Midnight Theatre Company did not get its name by accident. According to company member Vanessa Hernandez, founder Jimmy Mai was driving around one day when the idea to start a theater company hit him. “He decided to call it the Midnight Theatre Company because we plan to have some…
Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble: Subversive Jazz
In Subversive Jazz, New York City composer/bassist Rufus Reid joins the Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble for the premiere of Caress the Thought. The piece is set to a composition from Reid’s last CD release, the 12-minute, rich, cinematic suite “Caress the Thought.” In press materials, Brangwen says, “I can best…
Blaffer Art Gallery: “First Take: Jacco Olivier”
It almost feels like Dutch artist Jacco Olivier has invented a new form of art. A cross between a traditional painter and a filmmaker, Olivier photographs his canvases as he reworks them. For his final product, he presents the photos in sequence, resulting in animation that’s both subtle and dramatic…
Houston Roller Derby
Houston Roller Derby holds its May match with the home team the Bayou City Bosse$ (including Grrrl Friday, Goldie Bloxx and Mary Queen of Skates, led by Rebel Ann) going up against Corpus Christi’s Crude City. After that, H-town team the Psych Ward Sirens (including Sick Nick, Tex Offender, Creeping…
Angels & Airwaves
After the split of Blink-182, Tom DeLonge worked tirelessly to prove that his new incarnation would forever change rock music. And while the group filled with former members of Box Car Racer, The Offspring, and 30 Seconds to Mars may not have lived up to those grandiose statements, Angels and…
15th Annual Festival of Greece
Lucky for us, there are two Greek festivals in Houston. That doubles our chances of enjoying some homemade baklava. Today’s 15th Annual Festival of Greece offers authentic Greek folk dancing and music, church tours, cooking lessons, kids’ games and plenty of shopping for jewelry, gifts and novelties from Greece. The…
A Village Called Versailles
Some of the most invisible victims of the Katrina nightmare were the Vietnamese Americans living in the New Orleans neighborhood of Versailles. The small area is home to the most concentrated community of Vietnamese living outside of Vietnam. After the disaster, the devastated people discovered yet more horrifying news: The…
Pasadena Strawberry Festival
Think of all the sweet, tasty goodness of fresh, fat, bright-red Texas strawberries, multiply that by a few thousand and you get some idea of what you’ll find at the 37th Annual Pasadena Strawberry Festival. This year’s theme is Peace, Love and Strawberries (although we think Strawberries, Strawberries and Strawberries…
Getting Creamed
Getting Creamed Online readers respond to “High School Girls Wrapped in Plastic and Slathered in Whipped Cream & Chocolate: Just Fine with HISD,” Hair Balls blog, by Craig Malisow, April 28: Come on: There is nothing harmful that I know of about pudding and whipped cream, seriously. Nothing was being…
Minus the Bear
On their new release, Omni, Seattle ambient rockers Minus the Bear show off a more subdued, mellow side. The band is arguably the kings of the indie chill-out jam, but with Omni the Bear goes straight for your brain’s relaxation station. Every now and then the din grows louder, like…
Invasive Exotics
Indian Jewelry is at once strange and familiar, soothing and upsetting, avant-garde and down to earth. Anchored by now-husband and wife Tex Kerschen and Erika Thrasher, Jewelry formed in 2002 as an offshoot of Houston noise-punk insurrectionists Swarm of Angels — itself a descendant of prior/concurrent Kerschen project NTX+Electric —…
Caribou
Swim, the first record by electro-pop musician Daniel Snaith (a.k.a. Caribou) since he won the Polaris Music Prize for 2007’s Andorra, is worth every penny of that $20,000 prize money. Sometime after Andorra and experimenting with his live-band Caribou Vibration Ensemble at last year’s All Tomorrow’s Parties fest, Snaith crafted…
Airing It Out
Chris Kattan is a terrible actor, but he may have had a brilliant idea. Remember that late-’90s movie A Night at the Roxbury? Remember how somebody thought it would be a good idea to take a mildly entertaining three-minute Saturday Night Live skit about two head-bobbing brothers who go to…
Digable Planets, Camp Lo
Since we’re officially living in the era of “Mr. Hit Dat Hoe,” mourning hip-hop appears to be an increasingly growing practice. (We shed a tear or two when we first heard that song.) Thankfully, true hip-hop heads can take in an evening of refreshing, old-school beats and rhymes when Digable…
Roberto Carlos
Brazilian singer Roberto Carlos has been performing for more than 50 years, recorded more than 55 albums and sold more than 120 million discs, but even those impressive numbers don’t hint at the impact that the Grammy winner has had on Latin music. Along with Erasmo Carlos and Wanderléa, he…
Angels & Airwaves
After the split of Blink-182, Tom DeLonge worked tirelessly to prove that his new incarnation would forever change rock music. And while the group filled with former members of Box Car Racer, The Offspring and 30 Seconds to Mars may not have lived up to those grandiose statements, Angels &…
Special Regional Anti-Mexican Slur Edition
Dear Readers: I was supposed to deliver this column to ustedes for Cinco de Drinko, but Arizona’s reprehensible S.B. 1070 bill had to rear its ugly head. I could devote this column to the issue again, but Mexican-hating is a national sport, and we must darle chingazos wherever it pops…
Jimmy Needham
If Jimmy Needham didn’t play Christian music, more people probably would have heard of the Katy native by now. Needham’s blue-eyed soul is similar to that of singer-songwriters Bob Schneider or Jason Mraz, and he even covers Marvin Gaye’s “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” on his…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Bert Long’s RED Book”, “Group Show: Shoman, Benhelima, Forero, Zet, Wilson & Wolfson”, “Keep It Slick: Infiltrating Capitalism With the Yes Men”
“Bert Long’s RED Book” Houston art scene fixture Bert Long presents 18 new pieces based on The Red Book, Carl Jung’s personal art journal that was published for the first time last year. Jung’s artwork was based largely on the symbolism of dreams, and Long mines his own personal unconscious…
Stardeath & the White Dwarfs
Charlie Sheen’s career notwithstanding, nepotism isn’t always a bad thing. An example: Oklahoma’s Stardeath & the White Dwarfs, whose groovy, experimental sound conjures memories of the Flaming Lips’ best moments. This isn’t surprising, given that singer Dennis Coyne is Lips front man Wayne Coyne’s nephew. In fact, if you’ve seen…
Capsule Stage Reviews: A Flea in Her Ear, The Little Foxes, Man from Nebraska, Uncivil Unions
A Flea in Her Ear Texas Repertory Theatre Co.’s sexy and silly production of Georges Feydeau’s A Flea in Her Ear is loads of fun. The bawdy bedroom farce, about a wife who thinks her hubby might be having an affair because lately he’s been a bit of a bummer…
X Marks the Spot
In the whacked-out world that is opera, it was an ex-pat German who gave the English the perfect Italian operas that they craved. During the turn of the 18th century, musical London was overcome with Italy mania. Every opera had to be in Italian, and the baroque opera seria reigned…
Blowing Smoke
In 2006, Valero Energy congratulated itself on becoming North America’s No. 1 oil refiner. In its financial report summary reflecting on 2005, the company painted a picture of a scrappy underdog that fought its way to the top in large part through a shrewd, counterintuitive business model: Buying cheap, low-grade…
Vegan Surprise
The Houston location of international vegan fast-food restaurant empire Loving Hut opened several months ago, in a dusty-colored strip center in far west Houston that brings to mind vague images of the edge of civilization. It was an odd choice of location for a restaurant that serves 100 percent vegan…
Ridley Scott Waters the Tree of Liberty
Is it an accident that Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood plays like a rousing love letter to the Tea Party movement? It’s certainly something of a surprise. When the movie was announced in 2007 with the title Nottingham, reports suggested that it would sympathize with the normally vilified Sheriff of Nottingham…
BRC Gastropub
“Our logo is a big red rooster, and you’ll find one in the parking lot,” says Lance Fegen of the new BRC Gastropub (519 Shepherd, 713-861-2233). Fegen and his partner at Glass Wall, Shepard Ross, are among the partners in the new venture. “We saw a niche in the market…
Flagrant Foul
Another movie, not as awful or deluded as this one, might one day find better use for the easygoing vibe between Queen Latifah and Common, the stars of Just Wright, a romantic comedy (for the ladies) with basketball and cameoing NBA players in it (for the fellas). That absolutely no…
Bumbleberry Addiction
We asked the waitress at Pie in the Sky Pie Company (632 W. 19th St., 713-864-3301) which pie she would choose, if it were going to be her last piece ever. “Bumbleberry” — a combination of strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries — was her quick response. She’s right; this pie…
Brown, Out
Watered-down Jungian analysis meets a GLAAD-approved weepie in Peter Bratt’s second feature, starring brother Benjamin (who also produces) as a swaggering, neck-tattooed macho who will finally realize the damage his rock-hard masculinity has caused during a funeral for a teenage gangbanger, his tears mixing with the rain as he flashes…
Yelapa Playa Mexicana’s 1800 Express
The man and woman I found hanging out behind my neighbor’s shed earlier this week were telling the truth about one thing: It’d be a waste to stay inside on one of the few nice evenings we have left before summer. But I’m not sure they were telling the truth…
Right-Wing Porn
POLITICAL ANIMALS Right-Wing Porn Blogger disseminates filth By Richard Connelly Melissa Clouthier is a chiropractor from The Woodlands who blogs the right-wing line for the Houston Chronicle and various Web sites. She’s a big Tea Partier, and she was highly, highly offended that President Obama used the term “teabaggers” in…
Love, Shelby
Shelby Lynne has always had a reputation as one of those “problem” talents. Like Kelly Willis, she’s had major-label record deals and, at times, big money behind her. But throughout a career that began with a duet with George Jones 22 years ago, Lynne, who won a Grammy in 2000 for “Best New Artist,”…
