Woodstock: The Town Without Pity?
Small Town Talk: Bob Dylan, The Band, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix & Friends in the Wild Years of Woodstock By Barney Hoskyns 424 pp. Da Capo Press $26.99 Woodstock. The mere name conjures up the mystical apex of the Age of Aquarius. Hundreds of thousands of hippies spin…
Become a Better Musician in One Easy Step: Practice More
Behind every garage band lies a dream, one that speaks to the kid who first beheld the notes of a song that forever changed his or her mind about music and performance. And while that dream is noble and admirable — because hey, chasing your dreams is the right of…
10 Douchey Things to Avoid Doing at Shows
Something about live music brings out both the best and the worst in humanity. Standing in a crowd of hundreds or thousands, it’s easy enough to see examples of people acting like heroes and horrible monsters. If you’ve been to enough shows, you’ve likely seen enough people behaving badly to…
The Devil Is in the Details in the Latest by Houston Playwright Elizabeth A.M. Keel
Instead of a mermaid the heroine is a girl sex demon, and rather than emerging from the ocean to be on land with the man she loves, the succubus rises up from the depths of hell to open a coffee shop. Any similarities between The Little Mermaid and the latest…
New Orleans Saints Emerge As Favorite for HBO’s Hard Knocks
Last season, shortly after it was revealed that the Houston Texans would be the subject of HBO’s award-winning five episode annual Hard Knocks series, the New Orleans Saints quickly canceled a scheduled week of inter-squad workouts with the Texans to precede a game during Week 3 of the preseason. The conventional…
A Glimpse Into the Wild Ride of Cutter Bill Western World Is a Texas Time Capsule
In the late 1970s and early ’80s, Texas emerged into national prominence in a way that it never had before. Suddenly, the Lone Star State was “cool,” or at least cooler than it had ever been. A combination of cowboy culture and oil money played out in mythic fashion on…
Find Out Which Team Won the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Competition
Every year, the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Competition is vast and fierce and this one was no exception. Over 250 teams entered. This year marked the first time that international teams also competed, with three hailing from Great Britain and Japan. There can be only one…
The Free Press Summer Fest 2016 Lineup Is Here
This morning Free Press Summer Fest announced the lineup for the eighth edition of its annual bash on the bayou, which returns to Eleanor Tinsley Park June 4 and 5 after a one-year detour to NRG Park. Let’s get to the top names: deadmau5 Modest Mouse The National Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic…
Dropkick Murphys Do Their Best to Rally a Lethargic Crowd
Dropkick Murphys House of Blues February 29, 2016 The Dropkick Murphys are exhausting. Boston’s own Celtic punk rockers have been known to flail around onstage for hours, screaming their lungs out and scraping blisters off their fingertips as they madly strum their guitars. But if past performances are any indication,…
The Next Front in Abbott’s War on Christmas (Displays)? Federal Court!
This past holiday season, Gov. Greg Abbott caught heat for taking down an atheist Christmas display in the capitol building, and now it looks like the “indecent” four-foot tall cardboard cutout is the gift that keeps on giving the governor problems. On Friday, the Dallas Morning News reported that Abbott…
Supreme Court Hears Sweeping Texas Anti-Abortion Law This Week
On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case bound to set a precedent for abortion laws: Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, which will determine whether a Texas 2013 anti-abortion law that shuttered half the state’s abortion clinics is unconstitutional. The case will center largely on whether…
This Week in Houston Food Blogs: Oyster Offerings
This week, we’ve got a few standout shellfish dishes to share with you, plus a St. Patty’s Day recipe and a must-read guide for sausage lovers. Sally Tyler of Culinary Houston ducked into Gilhooley’s, 222 9th in Dickinson, for a quick bite of its famous oysters before heading to Galveston,…
The Sweet Potato Queen Herself: From Parades to the Stage
In 1982, Jill Conner Browne was just coming off a divorce and her father had died. She knew she needed, as she puts it, “to perk myself up,” and was waiting for the opportunity to do just that. “Daddy told us that there’s not many things in life you really…
Who Are the Dueling Chefs for the 2016 Menu of Menus Iron Fork Competition?
As revealed earlier, chef Chris Shepherd of Underbelly is taking over as emcee for his longtime friend and co-worker Randy Evans at the 2016 Houston Press Menu of Menus Extravaganza Iron Fork Competition. Retired Iron Fork champion Kevin Naderi is now a judge. That leaves the question: which chefs will…
Houston Ballet Does Ben Stevenson Proud With The Sleeping Beauty
Before Stanton Welch, there was Ben Stevenson, who directed Houston Ballet from 1976 to 2003 and built the company into a force to be reckoned with among ballet companies. Part of his success was in his remounting and choreographing of story ballet classics, including 1990’s The Sleeping Beauty. Widely considered…
PETA Says UH-Clear Lake Is Psychologically Abusing Rats
Animal welfare group PETA says psychology students at UH-Clear Lake are mistreating rats, and the groups want them to knock it off. In an email to UH-Clear Lake President William Staples sent last week, a PETA investigator claims that rats used in a course called Learning Principles “are deprived…
The 2016 Houston Saint Patrick’s Day Guide
Believe it or not, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Houston aren’t all about booze and bagpipes (though don’t worry, there’s plenty that are). The merriment surrounding Ireland’s foremost patron saint runs the gamut from family-friendly parades and Irish stew cookoffs to musical showcases and sexy kilt contests. It all starts…
Houston Texans WR Jaelen Strong Arrested for Marijuana Possession
Last Thursday, during his media session at the NFL Scouting Combine, Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien was asked about a handful of topics. Most of the questions were related to the team’s vacancy at the quarterback position (and more specifically, how Penn State’s Christian Hackenburg fits in that vacancy),…
Building a Wall Out of Blocks Online
Last year I started making sure people who have never directly interacted with me online never would. I started blocking complete and total strangers on social media. I tackle a lot of controversial targets here at Houston Press, and my best work is usually word-crusades against the cruel and ignorant…
Why Do So Few HPD Cars Have Dashcams?
In Houston, you’ve got a much higher chance of being shot by police than you do in most other large cities. You’ve also got a much smaller chance of having the shooting recorded by a dashboard camera or a body camera. That’s because, in 2016, the Houston Police Department is…
Saltillo Mexican Kitchen Has Great Entrees, but Needs to Pay More Attention to Its Sides
Anyone who has a question as to whether or not he likes lamb should try the sheep version of a T-bone at Saltillo Mexican Kitchen. If people don’t like these, then no, they don’t like lamb. It would be a challenge to find any better in Houston than these thick,…
Upcoming: Curren$y, The Darkness, Evelyn Rubio, Hayes Carll, Marilyn Manson, Parquet Courts, Torche, etc.
Note: events in bold reflect highly recommended shows. 1st Thursday Manifesto Showcase: With Kris Smith, Jennifer Trussell, Raiska Mchnsk, Kali Schiska, John Muzak, Pop Tart, Markell Gibson, Derrick Rice, Jennifer Free, Eddie Conner, VII The Foreigner, The Black S. Thu., March 3, 8 p.m., Free. AvantGarden, 411 Westheimer, Houston, 832-287-5577…
Life as an NFL Player Can Be a Glorious Ride Until the Ever-after Part Hits
It was March of 2000, probably a few years earlier than Aaron Taylor anticipated retiring when he entered the NFL in 1994, but at that point, the pain in his surgically repaired knees was in that medical purgatory where it was far too agonizing to continue playing offensive line but…
Behind the Scenes on the RodeoHouston Grounds
Dan Cheney doesn’t seem like the new guy. Technically, this is his second March as Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, the No. 2 job in one of the Bayou City’s largest and highest-profile nonprofit organizations. He took over in October 2014 when his predecessor, the…
All 59 Diner Locations Appear to Be Closed
Has Houston lost the last two locations of its most iconic 24-hour diner? That sadly appears to be the case. A tipster called the Houston Press to inform us that all employees at the at 3801 Farnham location at Shepherd were asked to leave and return on Thursday to pick…
Tex-Mex Stalwart in Allen Center Is Closing on Friday
It wasn’t a destination restaurant for most Houstonians, but for many people who work in and near Allen Center, this is going to be really sad news. After 24 years, reliable Tex-Mex restaurant Don Patron Bar & Grill is closing on Friday, March 4. (According to the reader who kindly…
Pat Green’s Rodeo Cookoff Set Feels Just Like It Should
Pat Green World’s Championship Bar-B-Q Contest NRG Park February 27, 2016 If you have been lucky enough to be in Texas for the Houston rodeo, then you already know that the concerts during the World’s Championship Bar-B-Q are outside, with a big stage and no seating. If you are familiar…
This Week in Houston Food Events: Central Market’s Bacon Fest
Monday, February 29 Leap Day Some Houston-area restaurants are celebrating the leap year with specials, such as discounted bottles of Stag’s Leap cabernet at Ouisie’s Table, 3939 San Felipe, and a plate of four miniature versions of customer favorites for $29 at Kenny & Ziggy’s, 2327 Post Oak. If you…
Houston’s Cochon 555 Competition Was About Swine, Wine and So Much More
At the Cochon 555 events, there’s so much to see, eat and drink that it’s like being at a culinary carnival. In addition to a chef competition featuring heritage breed pork, there was a sommelier battle, a punch throwdown (that had a nearly disastrous problem, but more on that later),…
NFL Scouting Combine: Houston Texan QB Targets — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
The Texans are in the market for a future franchise quarterback. That sentence is not telling you anything, if you’ve watched more than one game of Houston Texans football in the last two seasons, that you don’t already know. But the market is now heating up and taking shape, and…
The Houston College Classic Dumps Rice, UH for 2017
The Houston College Classic has been played 16 times. Now it’s got a new name, the Shriners Hospitals College Classic. And next year it won’t feature Rice or the University of Houston. This will be the first time in the tournament’s history that the Cougars have never played in it,…
Houston’s FotoFest Explores the Dynamics of Change as We Look at the Future of the Planet
We’ve all met them: those parasitic human beings who only understand the words “what’s yours is mine” and view the planet as both their personal buffet and refuse-strewn dumping ground. Thankfully, we’ve also got some wonderful people and organizations who pay it forward, do unto others, and find ways to…
Houston’s Newest Independent Theater Company Presents Tale of Fated Nuns
You won’t see any heads chopped off, but when the 16 doomed Carmelite nuns meet their fate at the guillotine, the directors (Ryan Frenk and Whitney Zangarine) have worked out something quite dramatic to show that horrible moment when these Martyrs of Compiègne refused to renounce their vocation. In what…
Dish of the Week: Muffuletta
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’re sharing a NOLA classic, the Muffuletta. When you think of New Orleans sandwiches, we’re sure the iconic po’ boy is the…
100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2016, No. 100: Chicken Fried Steak at Hickory Hollow
To me, the one true Hickory Hollow will always be the location at 8038 Fallbrook in northwest Houston. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that the Heights location didn’t impress me with the food the first time I went. The second is that the Fallbrook location…
Food Fight: Fast Food Hot Dogs — Burger King vs Sonic vs 7-Eleven (sort of)
Convenience store chain 7-Eleven has been throwing major shade on Twitter at Burger King, which just introduced two hot dogs: one topped with sweet relish and onions and one with chili and cheese. Here is just one example of 7-Eleven’s. (Burger King hasn’t responded so far.) It got us to…
Buffalo Bayou Hosts Texas’s Largest Canoe and Kayak Race & a Few ‘Gator Gars
It’s something that we drive over, or worry about after too much rain, or that we talk about at the water cooler when we hear the police just retrieved 20 submerged vehicles from its murky depths. But Buffalo Bayou – which begins west of Katy and flows for more than…
Black Pussy Is Causing More Trouble, if Not for Houston
Black Pussy is causing trouble again. Last week the Portland-based retro-rockers were booted from the 35 Denton music festival, which said the decision was prompted by a combination of their own second thoughts and complaints from their fan base. The organizers of the three-day event, which is slated to bring…
Transgender Athletes in Texas High Schools Could Be Permanently Benched
Starting next school year, if a transgender student wants to play a sport, the team they’ll be required to try out for may conflict with their gender identity thanks to a new rule. Last October, the University Interscholastic League, which regulates Texas’s high school athletics rules, asked hundreds of superintendents…
Ashley Richards Sentenced (Sort of) in Federal Crush Case
The Houston woman who’s one of the first people in the country charged under a federal animal torture video statute was sentenced February 25 to 33 months in prison, but given credit for the 42 months she’s already spent in jail. Ashley Richards, 25, pleaded guilty to the charges…
AC/DC Still Puts on One Hell of a Show
AC/DC Toyota Center February 26, 2016 AC/DC will never, ever quit. That was the message implicit in Friday night’s Toyota Center performance, the latest date in an endless world tour that’s been up and running since last April already. The planet’s hardest-rocking band didn’t throw in the towel when singer…
Shows of the Week: The Boys From Boston Are Back
DROPKICK MURPHYS House of Blues, February 29 Boston’s finest are back at it, barnstorming the good people of America in need of a raucous Celtic-punk fix in time for St. Paddy’s Day. The bagpipe-toting boys from Beantown have now put in more than 20 years of Scorsese flicks, Warped tours,…
Houston’s 11 Best Music Festivals
Especially if they don’t live in Houston, people can perhaps be forgiven for not thinking of this city as a “festival town,” at least in the same sense that Austin, Chicago or New Orleans is. It just gives those of us who live here a chance to sound one of…
As Terrible Movies Go, Gods of Egypt Is Pretty Grand
Let’s give Gods of Egypt this much: An hour in, a giant cobra crashes and explodes like a bad guy’s car in a dumb movie from the ’70s. That snake, one of two in Alex Proyas’ film, is wide as a locomotive and long as a parade. It’s also straddled…
Houston Rodeo Trail Ride Trampling Terrifies Crowd of Schoolchildren
Young children from a Bellaire elementary school witnessed a woman get trampled by a horse during the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo trail ride earlier today. As the Los Vaqueros trail ride made its annual pilgrimage from Reynosa, Mexico, to the Houston rodeo, it made its usual stop at…
The Oscarator™: Here’s Your Best Chance at Winning an Academy Award Nomination
We’ve all been there. You finally get around to watching this year’s nominees, and you think, “Didn’t I see pretty much this same Oscar-bait movie last year?” You probably did, thanks to the McKee/Weinstein-driven formula behind most Best Picture noms. You can even build your own! Just mix and match…
Woman Stuck in Chimney Calls Cops on Herself, Goes to Jail
While most burglars likely would not call the cops on themselves in pretty much any scenario, that apparently changes when you get stuck in a chimney. Early this morning around 5:30 a.m., Spring firefighters rescued 20-year-old Lauren Fox from the chimney of a vacant home after she had been stuck…
The Best Carnival Food at the 2016 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
It’s that time of year again, where dozens of specialty food vendors roll onto the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo carnival grounds to tempt visitors with their decadent delights. There are more batter-enrobed temptations than ever these days, with everything from deep-fried Reese’s Big Cups to strawberry Pop-Tarts. We scouted…
Celebrate the Extra Day With These Houston Leap Year Specials
From awesome food and drink deals to Leap Year baby freebies, here’s where to get your Leap Day on in Houston on Monday: Drew’s Pastry Place, 10300 Louetta Birthday bonus: If you were born on February 29, this sweet spot would like to help you celebrate by giving you a…
Houston Service Workers Demand Livable Wages
Each day, Rasheedah McClenon drives over to her client’s home to keep her company. Her client just had a heart attack, and McClenon, who works for a home health care agency, is there to remind her to take her medicine, to run errands for her, to clean her home and…
Remember When Donald Trump Took Down a Whole Football League?
My fellow Texans, it is our patriotic duty to vote in the Texas primary election next week. And as we get closer to the March 1 primary, I ask this question: do you really want the next president of the United States to be the guy who destroyed a football…
H-town Anticipates Exposure of T.I.T.S. III
Maybe you’ve got some hazy memories from a fateful night in Montrose long ago, or you think a “modeling studio” is a euphemism for something a bit more unscrupulous. This is the kind of stuff that ends up in T.I.T.S., a short film showcase for Texas-based filmmakers, videographers, independent curators…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Pigs, Q, & Tiki Drinks
2016 World’s Champion Bar-B-Que Cook Off @ NRG Center Friday – Saturday One NRG Park Don’t miss the biggest, tastiest pre-party to the world’s largest livestock show and rodeo. If you don’t have access to a private tent to get a taste of the BBQ goodness, you can enjoy the…
Johnny Manziel Domestic Violence Case Sent to Grand Jury in Dallas
As Johnny Manziel’s downward spiral continues to unfold, the only question left seems to be where exactly rock bottom will be. Could it be another jaunt down to Cabo for a weekend with a private airplane full of bros? Could it be another stint in rehab? Or could the extreme…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: Relax With Sunday Supper
Every Thursday through May 26, The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, 1001 Bissonnet, is putting on a special happy hour in honor of the Sculpted in Steel exhibition. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., guests can enjoy exhibition-inspired specialty cocktails, beats from a local DJ, a food truck, and vintage…
Sen. Whitmire to Attorneys for Accused Cop Killer: “You Can’t Stop Me.”
This week, attorneys for Shannon Miles, who is accused of gunning down Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Darren Goforth last August, made it clear that they don’t want any help from Sen. John Whitmire, who has tried to expedite Miles’s transfer to a state mental hospital. Miles, accused of gunning down…
Whatever Leo Wants: Your 2016 Academy Awards Preview
No, not that Leo. The 88th Academy Awards ceremony air this Sunday. The awards (called “Oscars” for reasons that are far too dull even for this piece) are awarded for “excellence in cinematic achievement,” which most recently has translated to “given to white people who undergo severe body trauma.” In…
The Five Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Samurai, Hip-Hop & an Evil Fairy
There’s lots to see and do this weekend, and with unseasonably warm weather it’s a great opportunity for road-tripping to Galveston, hanging out at Discovery Green, or putting on that cowboy hat for some Texas-style Rodeo fun. No weekend would be complete without drama, so we’ve included a playwright who…
Does This Gate Block Traffic, Crime or Low-Income Apartment Dwellers (or All Three)?
Sam Duplechain had just moved into a condo off Sherwood Lane, so he was still using his iPhone GPS to drive in and out of the neighborhood. Then last week, as he was about to head north, the iPhone alerted him to crushing traffic off TC Jester heading toward the…
Openings & Closings in Houston: Paul’s Kitchen Transforms Into The Merrill House
Kiran’s Restaurant and Bar will be leaving its longtime home at 4100 Washington after its last day of service on April 9. Rumor had it that chef Kiran Verma was considering moving into the former Harwood Grill building at 2300 Westheimer, but Berryhill Baja Grill recently announced that it would be relocating…
SPC Original Point Blank Goes to Hollywood
There’s a gritty new movie out today. It’s called Triple 9, and it was directed by John Hillcoat, who you might remember from Lawless and The Road. That should be enough to tell you that this sucker’s gonna be tough and bloody. It’s the story of dirty cops, psychopathic dirty…
Texas Racing Commission Obeys Lawmakers, (Surprise!) Gets Its Funding Back
Historical racing is out, and the Texas Racing Commission is back in the money. Last week, after more than a year of defying the state legislature by stubbornly keeping historical racing on the books, the Texas Racing Commission finally gave in and voted to repeal its previous approval of the…
Get to Know Houston’s NPR Tiny Desk Contestants
As we mentioned at the top of the month, NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest will announce its winner sometime next week. While the contest’s judges comb through video entries in the thousands — remember, each one had to incorporate the use of a desk in some fashion — we decided…
The Best Houston Music We Heard in February
ACID JEEP Artist Although I am often happily compelled to linger on the more scabrous side of the street and take notes, most of the time, deep down, I just want to keep it funky. A welltickled drum machine gives me more kicks than a thousand guitars, T.Rex excepted. I’m…
University of Houston Hosts GOP Shouting Match
The top Republicans in the race for the White House disagree over how best to round up and deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country – also whether to allow any of “the good ones” back in. They think terrorism, Obamacare, and gay marriage are bad; religious freedom,…
Interested in the “Hot Garlic Crab Feed”? Don’t Be. It’s a Scam
Houstonia is reporting that a Facebook event called “Hot Garlic Crab Feed Houston” is nothing more than a way to get money out of hungry foodies. The event (supposedly) was to take place at the Water Works at Buffalo Bayou Saturday, March 19 at 2 p.m. It turns out that…
Halliburton Is Cutting Another 5,000 Jobs
More layoffs are coming to Halliburton. This time the oil field services giant is cutting about 5,000 jobs. Last month the company admitted that more than 4,000 workers had been cut in the final three months of 2015, and that more layoffs were likely on the horizon since oil prices…
YouTube Star William Singe Is Better Than Advertised
William Singe House of Blues February 24, 2016 It may have been right around the time he added some massive trap drums to TLC’s 1999 hit “No Scrubs” that I fully understood William Singe’s power. The Aussie who managed to translate his YouTube covers into moderate stardom and an insane…
Atmosphere’s Quiet Case for Hip-Hop Legend Status
It can be said that hip-hop is one of the “youngest” genres of music in existence. The landscape changes constantly. Every hit is a sign of what’s to come, and a death knell for a previous movement. This preoccupation with “what’s next” has killed many a career. Hip-hop might have…
ROCO Brass Quintet Gets Its Own Series at the MATCH
The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra is known for its roaming around Houston, bringing classical music into neighborhoods, parks and other community gathering spaces. Now, its energetic brass quintet continues its own three-concert series at the MATCH, in a program called “Love and Loss.” “It is so great to be doing…
Train in Parkour at Discovery Green & Then Hit Some of the Best Houston Spots to Try It Out In
It’s hard to forget that hilarious episode of The Office that opens with Michael, Dwight and Andy attempting parkour, after Jim (the instigator) mentions that it was used during a chase scene in 2006’s Casino Royale. It starts simply enough – with the trio jumping from desk to chair to…
Is Texas Reforming or Enabling Immigration Lockups for Children?
The mother crossed the Texas-Mexico border early last November with her 4-year-old boy. They were hoping to escape raging violence in Central America like the thousands of other mothers and children who have crossed the border in recent years to plead asylum in the United States. The mother first told…
Should You Suck Crawfish Heads Or Not? BB’s Cafe Has the Answer [VIDEO]
Thanks to a mild “winter” (if we can call it that), crawfish season got underway earlier than usual. The harvest started in mid-January. According to native Houstonian Bill Collins, general manager of BB’s Café in The Heights (featured in the video below), in some years crawfish season doesn’t start until…
Did Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley KISS and Make Up?
Original KISS members Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley have not been on the best of terms in recent years. The two have trashed each other through the press, with Stanley, who is Jewish (as is Gene Simmons) going so far as to claim that Frehley is anti-Semitic in his autobiography,…
10 Places in Houston That Are Perfect Settings for a Video Game
As Houston Press’ current game reviewer and expert, I tend to think about gaming rather constantly even when doing other things. If I see a differently-colored bit of a wall, I actively have to suppress the urge to hit it in case there’s a secret passage. I think in dialogue…
The Fate of Houston’s New Bike Plan Is Pretty Much in the Hands of Drivers
Judith Cruz Villareal has heard some version of “Get your ass on the sidewalk!” countless times while biking through Houston, in the bike lane. Despite the fact that drivers are protected by a ton of metal, they’re often the ones yelling, Cruz Villareal said, often unaware that bicyclists are just…
A Dilettante’s Guide to Bad Ass Weekend IV
Bad Ass Weekend is a crash-course in time-machining; a hot fling with bands that weren’t made by and for the Internet — dealers of rough, jaw-grinding music, more fitted to action-packed rooms than lonely laptop speakers. There’s a lot of Killed By Death punk, a lot of crust, sludge, thrash,…
Shattered Sun: From Alice, Texas, to the World
In plenty of small towns dotting South Texas, the only real chance for success lies underground. Life tends to revolve around the oil patch: money has to be pumped out of the dirt, and if you’re not out working in the oilfield, you’re out looking for work in the oilfield…
I Think My Girl Is Using Me. Help!
IS SHE USING ME? Dear Willie D: I’m in a relationship with a woman who has four kids by two other men. I brought two kids of my own from a previous relationship. I pay all of the bills, even though she gets a monthly check for $500 from her…
Cruz Supporters: We’d Reluctantly Pick Trump Over a Democrat
Standing in front of a giant welding machine at a Mach Industrial Group warehouse in north Houston, Ted Cruz appealed to roughly 250 Texans’ Lone Star pride Wednesday afternoon, delivering a drawn-out the Alamo reference and promising that he will not back down. Cruz was had just received an endorsement…
Food Network’s Chopped Featured Another Houston Chef Marching Up to the Finish Line
Three chefs, Brandon Soverall of Triniti, Rocco Nankervis of The Oceanaire Seafood Room, and Keisha Bocage of Bocage Catering represented Houston on Food Network’s “Chopped” last night. Their competitor was Jamaican chef Andre Fowles of Miss Lily’s in New York. The theme was “Cooking Carribean,” so naturally using ingredients such…
High Court Kills the Criminal Case Against Rick Perry
Rick Perry can finally exhale: The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals tossed out the last felony charge remaining in the former Guv’s 2013 abuse-of-power case, in which he was accused of withholding funds for the Travis County District Attorney’s public integrity unit as a way to force DA Rosemary Lehmberg’s…
Introducing Starline, the Electro-Rock Duo You Didn’t Know You Liked
The two men of Starline are so focused on the present that the most obvious talking point of their bio — Matt Maloney’s previous career as an NBA guard, including with the Rockets — doesn’t even come up in our interview. Maloney is also a longtime musician, as is his…
UH Decides to Consolidate Its Arts Treasures, Forms a New College
Deciding to pull together several of the school’s arts programs, the University of Houston Board of Regents has decided to create the new UH College of the Arts — hoping in the process that the school will develop a reputation on par with New York University’s Tisch School for the…
Pi Pizza Is Serving Up America’s Newest Burger Sensation — and Maybe Only This Week
You don’t even know you want this burger yet, but you really, really do. It combines two of America’s favorite foods—burgers and pizza—to great effect. Anthony Calleo at Pi Pizza Truck—which parks Wednesday through Saturday at Johnny’s Gold Brick bar in the Heights—first saw a photo of a burger where…
Why the Apollo 10 Astronauts Downplayed That Mysterious “Moon Music”
The Apollo 10 astronauts were on the far side of the moon, as far from radio contact and the Earth as anyone had ever been. That’s when they heard a high-pitched sound crackling through their instruments. The Apollo 10 mission had launched on May 18, 1969, intended to test out…
Houston’s Gite Gallery Offers Just-Acquired Afro-Cuban Art
Lloyd Gite is an adventurer and a risk-taker. His previous career as a television journalist took him all over the world, but it was stops in Africa that caused him to fall in love with the country and its art. He’s since returned to sub-Saharan Africa dozens of times to…
The Secret Life of Coline Creuzot
Everyone in entertainment has a defining look when announcing themselves. For comedians, it’s leather. Richard Pryor wore casual suits, most prominently the red getup that was a focal point of his 1982 special Live On the Sunset Strip. After Pryor, leather became the thing to signify your arrival. Eddie Murphy stepped…
What It’s Like to Live With a Giant Sinkhole in Your Backyard
The monster sinkhole in Dianne Walker’s backyard has already swallowed part of the wooden fence she put up two summers ago. It is roughly 30 feet wide and 15 feet deep. Her shed rests on the edge, hanging over the hole like a house built on a cliff. Bottles litter…
Buying Beer, Part 6: How to Set Up a Beer Cellar
Buying Beer: The Series So Far Part 1: Beers For Everyday Drinking Part 2: Readily-Available Beers That Can Be Aged Part 3: Seasonal & Limited Beers Part 4: Beers Worth Standing In Line For Part 5: Breweries To Visit While Traveling Here’s a dirty little secret: many beer collectors, even…
Weighing the Merits of Sherwood Forest Faire Vs. Texas Renaissance Festival
I’ve been attending the Texas Renaissance Festival every year since high school, but have rarely bothered with any of the other Texas fairs because, well, why would I? Ren Fest is widely regarded as one of the largest, most elaborate fairs in the country. Making it your Renaissance destination of…
How 10 Cities in Greater Houston Got Their Names
Like most large cities, Houston is more than just one single incorporated area. We are made up of lots of small communities, some of which date back to before Houston existed. Many names are fairly obvious. Jacinto City, for example, is named for the nearby San Jacinto Monument and battleground…
Looks Like a Long, Crappy Summer for U.S. Metal Fans
By this point in the year, metal’s summer tours and festivals are being announced almost daily. It’s an annual spring tradition for many metalheads (author included) to start arranging dates on the calendar, plan a road trip or two and throw down some serious money on tickets. Festivals have long…
The Mermaid‘s Success Is a Great Story, Which Is What the Film Itself Could Use
If you’ve wondered just why Hollywood now so aggressively courts Chinese viewers, look no further than The Mermaid. In just two weeks of release, Stephen Chow’s fantastical comedy has already brought in $430 million in its home country, making it China’s highest-grossing release ever. (It’s doing well here, too, having…
