Untapped Houston 2015 Taps Cold War Kids, Twin Shadow, Fat Tony & More
Sultry California rockers the Cold War Kids, Rhode Island’s rootsy Deer Tick, and enigmatic Brooklyn electronica auteur Twin Shadow are on tap for the third installment of Untapped Houston, the Bayou City branch of the statewide beer-and-music festival franchise. Besides the music, organizers are promising more than 300 varieties of…
Five Can’t-Miss Houston Punk Shows in June
As we noted last week, summer concert season is upon us. For many, the idea of going out to shows in the summer doesn’t involve seeing huge bands in crowded arenas. For those who are looking for something different, there are a great deal of smaller punk and hardcore shows…
This Ain’t Nashville: Cracker’s Short Trip From ‘Berkeley to Bakersfield’
“Walking down the street in San Francisco just the other day/ Wondering what happened to the freaks and the hippies and the punks/ Everybody‘s squeaky clean, they all look and act and dress the same” — Cracker, “El Cerrito” While Cracker’s David Lowery tends to be highly visible and makes…
It’s Burger Day! Try These Five Seriously Awesome Houston Burgers (Part II)
We’ve already compiled a list of Five Awesomely Outrageous Burgers To Try in Houston – but with so much beefy, juice-dripping, over-loaded burger goodness, we just had to make another one. Here are FIVE MORE awesomely outrageous burgers to try, just in time for National Hamburger Day: The Heisenburg-er Where…
Why I Send My Child to Church When I’m Not Christian
I call myself an omnitheist. I believe that all paths of faith and belief from Atheism to Zoroastrianism are equally correct because the universe is vast and certainly has enough room for all of humankind’s fireside stories. I acknowledge all the gods as real, worship none and if I have…
It’s Time For TLC To Change Its Name
Even though it stopped formally going by “The Learning Channel” in the late 90s, TLC still occasionally uses the official title in promotions. And while it’s an old joke — in my illustrious career writing Reality Bites, I’m pretty sure every reference to the network utilized quotation marks around the…
Company OnStage Presents Rope, One of Theater’s Earliest Creepiest Plays
The set-up: Company OnStage presents one of theater’s earliest, creepiest plays, Patrick Hamilton’s Rope (1929). A real stage antique – a three-acter played in real time – this murder/mystery shocker retains enough shivers to have inspired Hitchcock to adapt it in 1948 into his failed “stunt” of a movie starring…
Companion Book to History Channel Mini-series Digs Deep into Texas History
Texas Rising: The Epic True Story of the Lone Star Republic and the Rise of the Texas Rangers, 1836-1846 By Stephen L. Moore 400 pp. $27.99 William Morrow You may need to call up your old Texas History class teacher from junior high soon for a refresher course. That’s because…
New Mural at The Breakfast Klub Honors the Legacy of Jesse Owens
Whether driving past the corner of Travis and Alabama, or making a purposeful visit for some nationally renowned wings and waffles at the breakfast klub, there’s no missing the 8 foot by 40 foot wall mural with the words “I Am Jesse Owens.” What began as a project for Black…
Eat This: Matzoh Brei With Nova and Onions at Kenny & Ziggy’s
For the indecisive, selecting what to eat at Kenny & Ziggy’s can be a daunting process. It doesn’t help that the full menu is available all the time, so even if it’s 7pm, that omelet is as viable a choice as the pastrami sandwich. Not to complain, however, as more…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Kaiser Lashkari of Himalaya — Pakistan in Houston
Chef Kaiser Lashkari was born in Karachi, Pakistan and his first dream was to be a doctor. He was inspired both by his parents, who would have been pleased to have a doctor in the family, as well as by the television shows of the day. “There was a TV…
Looking Back at When Rock Music Was Under Attack By the PMRC
The 1980s is often looked back upon with nostalgia, and for some people it’s probably hard to remember just how tumultuous a decade it was. As an adolescent growing up during the decade of big shoulder pads and even bigger hairstyles, I remember how tense the ’80s were. Young people…
Zapruder Analysis Of Two Rocket Fans Botching Tic Tac Toe (w/ VIDEO)
If I had to do a post on history’s most famous Tic Tac Toe moments the list would probably look like this: 1. The time the WOPR nearly imploded in the movie War Games playing Tic Tac Toe against itself over and over and over again. Remember that barrage of “cat’s…
The Many Houstonians Who Helped Make B.B. King a Star
This afternoon in Memphis, a funeral procession down Beale Street will celebrate the life and music of B.B. King, the one and only “King of the Blues” who passed away the evening of May 14 at his home in Las Vegas. According to King’s Web site, his body will then…
The Rentals Love Moog: Any Old Synths Just Won’t Do
I seldom introduce my Moog trump card, yet an über-cool, erudite but fun-loving and Moog-fixated rock band like The Rentals definitely forces my hand. Analog synthesizers invented by the late Dr. Robert “Bob” Moog have inspired legions of Moog nerds like myself and the most successful Weezer spinoff band (others include…
After Flooding, Gov. Abbott Declares Harris County a Disaster Area
At a stop in Houston Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he’s added Harris County to the list of over 40 Texas counties considered disaster areas after weekend downpours led to flooding that has ravaged the state, particularly Central Texas. Hinting at the massive scope of flooding across the state,…
Texan Tries to Join ISIL, Gets Arrested Instead
We’ve thought about joining the Masons or the Kiwanis Club, but never the so-called Islamic State — for one thing, their annual dues are quite steep. And we’re guessing that Asher Abid Khan, 20, of Spring is now kicking himself for trying to join the terrorist group: Khan is charged…
Fantasy Crime League Update: Ray McDonald’s Chicago Bear Career Ends With Domestic Assault Arrest
It’s been a while since we’ve had an update to my NFL offseason Fantasy Crime League standings, which for society is probably a great thing. However, it’s a terrible thing for someone like me tasked with generating content. Hell, the FCL had become such an afterthought for me the last…
Richard Hell: Punk’s Peter Pan Goes Henry Miller at CAMH
“And for the last one — it is the only poem of mine that I know by heart — goes like this: You know what is my favorite book? Your butt.” Laughter ascended as Richard Hell read the last of a series of poems, the latter of which was for…
Satanic Ritual Abuse in the 1980s : A Modern-Day Witch Hunt
The 1980s was a decade when crusaders of various types attempted to attack the things they felt were eroding the moral fabric of the nation. The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was formed in 1985 by the wives of several Washington politicians, with the goal of controlling rock music that…
Houston Becomes The Center Of The College Baseball Universe
The Houston Cougars got the news that they wanted to hear. The Cougars, despite losing the AAC Tournament Title game on Sunday, will indeed be hosting one of the 16 NCAA Baseball Regionals starting on Friday. A rather remarkable feat for a team that in early April was floundering, and…
UPDATED: Heavy Rains Turn Houston Into Water World
Heavy storms Monday night and early Tuesday morning have closed school districts, shuttered county buildings, and flooded patches of freeway all over the Houston area. The City of Houston announced this morning that, due to heavy flooding across the city, it had activated its Emergency Response Center to its highest…
Hershey Felder Performs George Gershwin Alone in His Alley Theatre Debut
George Gershwin, author of an outstanding song list that included “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “I Got Rhythm” and “Rhapsody in Blue,” died when he was only 38 in 1937 of a brain tumor. Hershey Felder, a Canadian who lives in New York and Paris, found himself fascinated by Gershwin’s…
This Week In Houston Food Blogs: High Marks For Little Places
It’s a week where little places make a good impression, as Hank On Food visits Little Thai Café at 12002 Richmond in West Houston and Kim in a New-ish City checks out Little J’s. At Little Thai Cafe, Hank finds “friendly, patient service,” reasonable prices and a great Garlic &…
Stage Kiss Explores a Woman’s Mid-Life Crisis and Love
“She” is a middle-aged woman going through a mid-life crisis. “He” is her ex love, 20 years back and now the fellow actor she is kissing repeatedly in the play in which they’ve both been cast. The regional premiere of Stage Kiss coming to Studio 101 courtesy of Stark Naked…
Visits to Akamaru Ended With a Whole lot of Disappointment
The server unceremoniously dropped the Chef’s Omakase Sushi assortment on the table and walked away, leaving diners to play a guessing game that wasn’t much fun or fair, considering that “omakase” means “chef’s choice.” Some of the pieces, such as salmon, shrimp and tuna, were obvious and easy to identify…
Comicpalooza 2015 Day 4: In Which Patricia Quinn Sings Me to Sleep, Now With Video
As I’m typing this, my final report from the four-day monstrosity that is Comicpalooza, I’m so tired that I can barely keep my head off the spacebar of my laptop. I and dozens of other con-goers, some in costumes starting to droop with wear and sweat, are all huddled around…
Upcoming: Bowling for Soup, David Allan Coe, Earl Sweatshirt, Jason Bonham, T.I., Twenty One Pilots, ZZ Ward, etc.
Aaron Behrens & the Midnight Stroll: Fri., July 17, 8:30 p.m., $12 to $14. Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel, Houston, 713-225-5483. Accordion Kings & Queens Festival: With Debra Peters & the Love Saints, Jerome Batiste & the Zydeko Players, Los Texmaniacs. Sat., June 6, 7 p.m., Free. Miller Outdoor Theatre,…
Memorial Hermann Continues to Sue the Uninsured for Charges They Can’t Afford
She couldn’t get any air into her lungs. At first, Edith Abadlia, then an oncology nurse who had worked for two oncologists located in Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza for more than 25 years as of July 2012, tried to ignore it, but she couldn’t seem to draw a deep breath…
100 Favorite Dishes 2015: No. 92, Shipley Plain Glazed Do-Nut
Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It’s a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It’s a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern…
NBA Western Conference Finals, Game 4: Rockets 128, Warriors 115 — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
On a Monday night that will probably be remembered by Rocket fans more for the trip home from the game in historic flooding than the actual game itself, the Rockets showed that they actually do have some semblance of pride, beating the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the…
Drake’s Second Houston Appreciation Weekend Is a Mixed Bag
In a strange way, I knew the second edition of Drake’s Houston Appreciation Weekend couldn’t come close to matching the energy of the first. Not only was the whole thing only confirmed by Drake literally last Tuesday, none of the events carried the same sense of charity and community involvement…
5 Interesting Things About The Original Mad Max Films
With “Mad Max: Fury Road” currently in theaters and earning mostly high praise form critics and fans, it’s interesting to look back at the iconic post-apocalyptic film series, and examine some of its more interesting moments. It’s also a good time to look at how the “Mad Max” movies affected…
The “Fables” World Lives On In “The Wolf Among Us”
Years before the Once Upon A Time and Grimm television shows, a comic book series called Fables by Bill Willingham brought fairy tale characters into a gritty, contemporary setting. Fables beget several spin-off comic book series and Matthew Sturges is one of the writers behind two of them: Jack Of…
Game Of Thrones S05E07: “All Rulers Are Either Butchers Or Meat.”
I guess the most important lesson we learned from this week’s episode, “The Gift,” is don’t spend too much time gloating about your victories, especially when you yourself have something to hide. Hey, Cersei? Locations (* = new): King’s Landing, Winterfell, The Wall, Braavos, Meereen, Dorne Ser(s) Not Appearing In This…
Wheel Workers Rock With a Message at ‘Citizens’ Release Party
The Wheel Workers, New York City Queens, Oil Boom Fitzgerald’s May 22, 2015 While it’s true that The Wheel Workers have received lots of attention ‘round these parts in the past few months, this quintet deserves it. It’s hard not to shake your ass and your fist to such catchy…
Slash Still Shreds at House of Blues
Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators House of Blues May 23, 2015 It’s been a bumpy road for Slash over the past 20 years. Following his unceremonious exit from Guns N’ Roses, the band that made him an international superstar, the famed guitarist has given it a go with…
Comicpalooza 2015 Day 3: “How Can I Be Superman If I Can’t Walk?”
Sunday I got the chance to finally look into a young girl I have been seeing at Comicpalooza for as many years as I can remember going. She’s a staple there, someone that is unforgettable the moment you see her, especially if you’re a Doctor Who fan. She’s Kirsten Passmore,…
The Illusionists, The Magnificent Seven of Magic
We have a favorite illusion by Dan Sperry, The Anti-Conjuror performing with The Illusionists. Sperry, a mix between a young Alice Cooper and Heath Ledger’s Joker (center in the photo above), takes a piece of thread off a spool, chews and seemingly swallows part of it, leaving one end hanging…
This Week in Houston Food Events: Dine Out and Help St. Jude
Monday, May 25 “Nicky’s Week” Fundraiser at RA Sushi There is no better week to enjoy the festive atmosphere at RA. RA Sushi’s Highland Village and CITYCENTRE locations will donate 100 percent of sales of a certain menu items and beverages to St. Jude. The special Nicky’s Week menu includes:…
Happy Memorial Day 2015: 7 Most Memorable Sports Moments of 2015 (So Far)
It’s Memorial Day, so anything we do today is done under the umbrella of thanks — thanks to out troops, past and present, for protecting our rights to do all of the stupid things that we get to do every day, stupid things that some of us even get to…
Memorial Day Rain? No Problem. Bring Your Brisket Indoors
Cooking out on Memorial Day is something people do all across the country. In Texas, that means time spent over the grill or, if you’re smart, the smoker. Unfortunately, Mother Nature is not cooperating this Memorial Day with rain chances above 70 percent and likely heavy rains threatening to soak…
Mack and Mabel Could Have Been Great, But at Least the Songs Are
The set-up: Name: Mabel Normand Occupation: Star That was written at the top of Mabel Normand’s bio at Goldwyn Studios in 1918. She had arrived. Big time. Little Mabel from Staten Island was about to be transformed into a glamorous movie star by Samuel Goldwyn, another mogul who had fallen…
Dish of the Week: Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
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 covering a dish perfect for your Memorial Day grill-out: Elote. Elote, or Mexican-style corn, is a popular street food consisting of corn…
Investigators Into Westbury High’s Grade Adjustments Call for an Overhaul of HISD Procedures
Let’s see. How many ways did grading go wrong at Westbury High? An almost unbelievable lot, according to the Houston ISD Office of Internal Audit which conducted an investigation related to the grade-fixing accusations leveled against the school’s principal, who has been fired, in their release of an interim report….
Kenny Chesney’s ‘Big Revival’ Scores on Dynamo’s Home Turf
Note: Our scheduled reviewer was called away by an emergency, but Friday night’s photos pretty much speak for themselves — ed…
The Six Best Concerts In Houston This Week: Neil Diamond, Halestorm, Jimmy Buffett, Empires, Volbeat, etc.
Neil Diamond Toyota Center, May 26 Neil Diamond has been in the first rank of American entertainers since the ’60s, both as a songwriter and an interpreter; not to mention someone who in concert generates the kind of electricity otherwise only seen in the likes of Elvis and Michael Jackson…
Comicpalooza 2015 Day 2: A Guide to Dealing With Children at Cons
This year is the first year where my daughter, 5, attended Comicpalooza with us is a full-blown, all-day capacity. Last year she was little more than a surly presence in a red wagon as we waited in line to meet John Barrowman. Aside from bribing her with a stuffed Cthulhu…
Jackie Earle Haley Talks About His “Criminal Activities”
Jackie Earl Haley has spent most of his life in the public eye as an actor. He started as a child voice actor in an animated Hanna-Barbera series called Wait Till Your Father Gets Home but really entered the public consciousness as Kelly Leak in Bad News Bears. There was…
Comicpalooza 2015 Day 1: Controlled Chaos and Professional Un-Adults
Ask anyone who has been involved with Comicpalooza to describe the experience in just a few words and those words will undoubtedly be “controlled chaos”. There’s just some combination of massive scale and DIY ethic that makes everything run choppy, but with determination. Nothing has ever summed that sentiment up…
10 Restaurants for Memorial Day Weekend Dining in Houston
An outdoor cookout on Memorial Day isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time. The mosquitoes, a chance of rain and our typical Houston humidity can make dining inside sound like a really excellent plan. Besides, who doesn’t like the idea of someone else cooking and doing the dishes? Here are…
Poltergeist, 2015: This House is Meh
Poltergeist 2015 is to Poltergeist ’82 what today’s shipped-frozen-to-the-store Pizza Hut dough is to the kneaded-on-site pies the chain’s stoned cooks tossed in the Reagan era. It’s the same kind of thing, with the same shape and some shared ingredients, but the texture’s gone limp, and there’s no sense of…
Carlos Solis Had No Idea There Was a Shrapnel Bomb Inside His Steering Wheel
It was hardly more than a fender bender. On January 18 this year, Carlos Solis was turning left into the Spring Park Apartments complex in north Harris County when he collided with an oncoming car. The vehicles hit with enough force to deploy the airbags inside Solis’s 2002 Honda Accord…
Only Beast Is Ready to Maul Comicpalooza
Some bands are tailor-made for certain gigs, but few are as perfect a fit as Only Beast is for this weekend’s Comicpalooza. The Houston trio is no stranger to the Texas International Comic Con. The band’s members have attended as fans of the fest, but this year have the honor…
What Didn’t Kill the Cougars Only Made Them Stronger
Closer? Gone for the season. Starting rotation? Torn to pieces. Key position players? Yep, more injuries. If it’s true that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, then the Houston Cougars should be like the Incredible Hulk by now because the team’s been racked by injuries that would probably have…
Slash’s Top 10 Hackiest Studio Sessions
It’s been nearly 20 years since he officially left Guns N’ Roses, but Gibson-wielding guitar god Slash is still going strong. Tomorrow night, he’ll be at House of Blues, touring behind his new record with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. Even if you haven’t heard a single one of the…
NBA Western Conference Finals, Game 2: Warriors 99, Rockets 98 — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
You can get into the percentages and the math embedded into NBA playoff history, look at the Rockets’ 2-0 deficit they find themselves in against the Golden State Warriors, and cry and lament about how close they were to stealing a game on the road. You can point to and…
Chances of Rain Appear to Be Increasing as Water-Logged Texans Brace for More Flooding
As forecasts begin to form a more accurate picture of what we should expect for weather this weekend, it isn’t looking good unless you really, really like getting wet. While Friday looks to be relatively clear, rain chances increase sharply beginning Saturday to near 100 percent on Sunday (though the…
House/Senate Budget Deal Ends Game of Chicken Over Tax Cuts
Late Thursday night, after hours of suspense, the budget conference committee passed a $210 billion state spending package for 2016 and 2017, paving the way to a timely wrap-up for a slow-moving state legislative session. Along the way, $800 million was directed toward “securing the border,” public schools got an…
5 Nintendo Characters Still Waiting on Their Smash Bros Debut
Truth be told I’m not a big fan of the Smash Bros. series. Like a lot of people my age I grew up in the fighting game renaissance and sort of overdose on the genre around the time the first Marvel vs. Capcom came out. That said, I do very…
For All the Criticism, Rockets Failed by Supporting Cast, Not Harden and Howard
Down 1 with the clock running down and the ball in the hands of your best player, you might be tempted to think you were in good shape. That was where the Rockets were on the road Thursday night after clawing and scratching their way back multiple times. One terrific…
Wheel Workers Dare to Dream Big on ‘Citizens’
The Wheel Workers always surprise me. I have somehow convinced myself they are going to sound one way and then they never ever do. This is generally a pleasant surprise, and the Houston five-piece’s third album, Citizens, is generally a pleasant record. A lot of what makes the band so much damned fun…
“Pastor Protection Act” Passes, LGBT Community Refuses to Be Painted as Anti-Religious Freedom
House Democrats today took to the back mic during the third reading of Senate Bill 2065 (a.k.a. the anti-LGBT “Pastor Protection Act”)… to speak for the bill. Equality Texas, too, seemed to support the legislation in its latest form. Perhaps that’s because nowhere in the text does it refer to…
