The U.S Supreme Court Will Hear Duane Buck’s Case
The U.S. Supreme Court is going to be looking hard at capital punishment next term, and two Texas cases are going to be at the center of it all. On Monday the High Court agreed to hear two cases, one centered around how race was used in sentencing Duane Buck…
Gregg Rolie Rejoins Santana — Hold the Black Magic
On the day of Prince’s death last month, television was awash in old interviews, concert clips, and videos. During a 1999 chat with Larry King on CNN, the Purple One talked specifically about three of his biggest musical influences: Stevie Wonder, Graham Central Station, and Santana. The next day, founding…
If You Never Get to See Hamilton, It’s Okay (Really)
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway musical Hamilton has been talked about at length since it opened last year, and for good reason. The play explores the illustrious life and career of one of our lesser-known founding fathers. It hits heavily on resonant themes such as aspiration (“I am not throwing away…
Ex-Teen Idol Bobby Rydell Gets a Second Chance
Teen Idol on the Rocks: A Tale of Second Chances By Bobby Rydell with Allan Slutsky Doctor Licks Publishing, 249 pp., $16.95 In some oversimplified histories of rock music, the “Fifties” ended when the various titans of the early days got drafted, got religion, got jail time, got married to their teenage…
A New Generation Unscrews Houston’s Hip-Hop Scene
It isn’t hard to look back and recall the explosion of hip-hop in Houston during the 1990s. It was simply something that couldn’t be ignored. It simultaneously was spawned by and birthed a brand-new culture that represented Houston in a more honest and genuine way than any before. It sounded…
Graham Nash Is on a Different ‘Path’ Now — But Not Alone
It’s a conundrum from the classic rock artist who is still actively writing and recording: competing against your own past. After all, upon hearing that Graham Nash has a new solo record out, how many casual fans will be moved to get it…and how many will just purchase a copy…
Eric Spitznagel Tried to Find His Actual Old Vinyl and Found Something Better
Great ideas sometimes come after smoking a fat blunt, but follow-through? Not so much. Then there’s the kind of revelation that creeps up on you slowly, at first just nipping at your periphery like a gnat, not really noticeable, until the universe hurls so many subliminal messages at you that…
Houston’s Hairmetal Shotgun Zombie Massacre Heads to Texas Frightmare
Local director Josh Vargas, best known for his Dean Corll biopic and a heck of a lot of great metal music videos, is debuting his latest feature release, Hairmetal Shotgun Zombie Massacre at Texas Frightmare in Dallas this weekend, and if you happen to be attending I can’t recommend the glorious…
It’s Okay to Hate the Doctor Strange Trailer
The latest wave of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies is upon us, and while Civil War is the film I’m most anticipating Doctor Strange was a close second. Though I’ve never been a huge fan of the character, the shots released from the set just looked so freakin’ amazing I was…
The ‘Houston Press’ Monthly Mixtape: May Edition
Houston music fans have tastes that are chopped and screwed: we can rhyme with a pedal steel, bounce to drop-D guitar chords and mix it all up into a bomb-ass pop song (sung in Spanish of course). This city is a gumbo pot that simmers together music of all genres,…
The 10 Biggest Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Snubs
On April 8, Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple, N.W.A, Steve Miller and songwriter/record producer Bert Berns were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York. As always seems to be the case, there was some controversy surrounding the event. Gene Simmons of KISS got into a…
As It Saves the Sitcom Once Again, Amazon’s Catastrophe Is Anything But
The second season of Amazon’s Catastrophe might do for the #TGIF-style family sitcom of the late ‘80s and ‘90s what the first did for the ailing rom-com: open-mouthed resuscitation on the operating table after one too many Garry Marshall–fueled heart attacks like Valentine’s Day. (Or New Year’s Eve? It doesn’t…
Gambling Can Make Anything Fun, Even (Especially?) the NFL Draft!
The NFL Draft is a little over 24 hours away, and with the Texans picking 22nd overall (barring a trade of some kind), there is a lot of time to kill on Thursday night in between the start of the draft and the moment the commissioner announces “With the 22nd…
Robert Glasper Stays ‘Miles Ahead’ With Soundtrack, New Music
While reviews for actor/director Don Cheadle’s new Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead have been mixed, two things have been universally praised: How Cheadle captured the physical and vocal essence of the legendary trumpet player and — of course — the music. In addition to utilizing actual recorded work by Miles Davis,…
Texas EquuSearch Founder Wants Custody of Missing 15-year-old He Just Found in Woods
Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller has found plenty of missing people over the past decade—but at least as far as we can tell, it doesn’t appear he’s ever tried to obtain custody of one of them. Just two days after an EquuSearch found the body of 15-year-old Abigail English, who…
Carrie Underwood Was Flawless for a Laid-Back Houston Crowd
Carrie Underwood, Easton Corbin Toyota Center April 25, 2016 You have to give Carrie Underwood credit: most times when artists have to reschedule shows, the new date is way out in the future. If sickness or a family emergency or a city-paralyzing flood causes a show to be called off,…
Appeals Court Reinstates Tom Brady’s Four Game Deflate-Gate Suspension
I’m pretty certain that twenty years from now, my grandchildren will be discussing the Deflate-Gate suspension, not as a thing of the past, but as a continually living and breathing thing whose final outcome is open ended, to be debated and appealed into perpetuity. That’s how it feels, at least…
Flower Power Reigns Supreme at David Shelton Gallery in Houston
The ‘60s are back, and not just because all seven seasons of Mad Men are available for binge watching on Netflix. San Antonio artist Kelly O’Conner, known for her candy-colored collages that incorporate Disneyland, mid-century advertising images and the race for space, is back for her third solo exhibition at…
This Week in Houston Food Blogs: Recipes for Turkish Eggs and Tomato Béchamel Pasta
This week, we’ve got reviews of a few top Houston restaurants, plus recommendations for eating in, no matter how much free time you’ve got to spare. Anastasia of It’s Not Hou It’s Me visited Ruggles Green, 748 East 11th in The Heights, to check out the brunch offerings, and she…
Did an Innocent Man Just Die on Texas’s Death Row?
Most death row inmates may be racing against time when it comes down to their final days, waiting for a court to halt their execution often just hours before it’s scheduled. But it was a different kind of race for Max Soffar, who had his own biological clock to battle…
Landmark Houston Restaurant Cleburne Cafeteria Burns to the Ground
An independently-owned Houston cafeteria beloved by many has been declared a total loss after a fire that started around midnight. A KTRK report says that around midnight, fire alarms went off and Cleburne’s owner, George Mickelis, was alerted. When he checked security cameras via his cell phone, he could already…
Lanier Parents Want Jolanda Jones to Apologize to Middle School Students
A group of parents and others connected to Lanier Middle School want Houston ISD trustee and reality TV star Jolanda Jones to come to their school and apologize to all the kids there. They held a mid-day press conference Monday outside the school and took turns expressing their displeasure with…
Another Flooding Pain-in-the-Rump: More Expensive Insurance
If last week’s floods forced you to rip out sheetrock, bring in industrial-strength heaters to dry out the excess moisture, and move to the upstairs of the house or to a fleabag motel, be prepared for another potential frontal-lobe ache: Higher flood insurance premiums through the Federal Emergency Management Agency…
8 of the Best Horror Films From the 1960s and ’70s
From the early 1960s to the end of the 1970s, horror films went through a period that produced some of the best scary films ever made. With a few exceptions, movies produced earlier seem old fashioned, with creepy castles and monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein that were pulled straight from…
Recipe For Success Is Celebrating 10 Years of Fighting Childhood Obesity With a Few Shindigs
Ten years ago, Houston-based organization Recipe For Success started tackling the problem of childhood obesity with a simple idea: if kids understand food and nutrition better, they may voluntarily steer their diets toward healthful food more often. The organization’s outreach efforts include nutrition education in schools, creating children’s cookbooks, exposing…
Survey: 79 Percent of Houstonians Think It’s Important to Pass a Non-Discrimination Ordinance
Every year, Rice University releases a study gauging the attitudes of Houstonians, and the 2016 study, released yesterday yielded few surprises. Most trends appear to be continuing: Houstonians are feeling better about their parks, their city and their own futures. They feel pretty good about their jobs, though not as…
Upcoming: Bun B, CJ Ramone, Drake, Deerhoof, John Evans, Kansas, Meghan Trainor, New Edition, Razormaid, etc.
Note: Events in bold reflect highly recommended shows. 9th Street Stompers: With Skria Steel Trio. Tue., May 24, 8 p.m., $8. Rudyard’s, 2010 Waugh, Houston, 713-521-0521. Across The Atlantic: With Your Greatest Obsession, Supremacytx, Four Letter Language, Four Bedroom Republic, In One Breath, Burn Out Brighter, Anything Goes, Bearlios. Fri.,…
Revolve Kitchen + Bar May Be a Good Place to Hang Out, But It’s Not Quite a Restaurant
The first warning that a trippy time awaits diners who seek out Revolve Kitchen + Bar at Hotel Derek is the swirling magenta light pattern projected on the floor and the pink-and-purple cowhide lounger just outside in the lobby. Maybe this place started with a good idea but became something…
As Viewers Move Away From Cable to Watch Live Sports, Watch the Dominoes Fall
In team sports, to fans and spectators, ultimate victory is a simple concept. One winner takes home one trophy each season in each sport. Peyton Manning’s hoisting of the Lombardi Trophy, confetti raining down onto the Villanova basketball team after their title-winning buzzer beater — to fans, those are the…
Three Things That Must Change If Houston Is Ever to Be Considered a Great City
I love Houston, I really really do. And I’ve spent considerable time boosting the positive things about our nation’s fourth largest city, as well as defending it from the unfounded criticisms that a considerable number of people happily hurl at it. But there ARE some legitimate problems with Houston, and they’re…
With the Oil Boom Days Gone, Young Workers and College Students Rethink Their Plans
By the time Jerid Rinehart got the phone call informing him he’d been laid off in February, he almost felt relieved. For weeks his stomach would start churning and his jaw would clench every time his phone rang. The company, Dynamic Drilling Solutions, had already gone through two or three…
Tommy Castro Finds a “Method” to His Blues Madness
When young Tommy Castro was growing up in San Jose, Calif., in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, he knew he loved the music of bands like the Yardbirds, Cream, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin. He also dug guitarists Elvin Bishop, Michael Bloomfield, and Taj Mahal. But it wasn’t…
Dearly Beloved: Houston’s Prince Fans Flock to Local Purple Rain Screenings
Last weekend, movie theaters across the country screened Purple Rain in Prince’s honor. Many reported sellouts, including at least two here in Houston Saturday night. I was at one of those screenings, the 10 p.m. showing at the Alamo Drafthouse/Mason Rd. My brother Adrian was at another one across town…
President Obama Signs Disaster Declaration for Harris County
Following a week of heavy anticipation, President Barack Obama has finally signed a disaster declaration for Harris County, along with three other Texas counties, after the historic floods last week. As of Sunday, Harris County estimated over $43 million in residential damages, with more than 6,700 flooded homes — 1,800…
TUTS and Its Artistic Director Part Ways, New Artistic Adviser Brought In
Theatre Under the Stars Artistic Director Bruce Lumpkin and TUTS have parted ways, it was confirmed today. Jeff Cleveland, who described himself as an independent marketing consultant brought in to help TUTS through its “transition” said the announcement was made at an internal staff meeting this morning. No public release…
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Will Never Again Shop at a Transgender-Friendly Target Store
Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick is apparently so disgusted by Target treating people equally based on gender identity that he is never shopping there again, as he announced in a Facebook post Sunday. Last Tuesday, Target announced that it would allow people to use restrooms based on their gender identity,…
Tick Tock You Don’t Stop: Salt N Pepa’s “I Love the ’90s” Tour Is Babysitter Paydirt
I Love the ’90s Tour With Salt-N-Pepa feat Spinderella, Rob Base, Kid ‘n Play, Kool Moe Dee, Color Me Badd, All-4-One, Tone-Loc & Young MC Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion April 23, 2016 Last Friday night, the need for nostalgia was high and everyone was primed to have a great time…
Does Legal Weed Have a Chance in Texas?
State Sen. Donna Campbell is perhaps the best emblem of the uphill battle that the legalization of marijuana, medical or otherwise, faces in Texas. She’s also a physician, and so her opinion about whether medical weed, at least, will do patients any good might hold a little extra weight with…
Porn (Possibly) Predicts Sanders, Trump and Cruz Will Lose the Election
I have a fascination with presidential politics and trivia. I can tell you more than you’ve ever wanted to know about Chester A. Arthur at the drop of a jaunty hat, and I can name without checking Wikipedia which president was able to write a letter in Latin in one…
This Week in Houston Food Events: Underbelly Becomes Korean Fried Chicken Dinner House
All Week Long Killen’s Steakhouse Turns 10! To celebrate a decade of excellent steaks, Killen’s Steakhouse, 6425 West Broadway in Pearland, will have a week of specials and special events. On Monday, Ronnie Killen himself will be hanging out with customers, and, on Tuesday, ten of the Saint Arnold’s Bishop’s…
Magidson Merges Renaissance With 3-D in New Works at UNIX Gallery Houston
A visit is worth a thousand words, or at least that’s the case when viewing works by Ingrid Dee Magidson in her “Once Upon A Timeless” exhibit at UNIX Gallery Houston. The artist – who grew up in Dallas and, after a winding life’s journey, ended up in Colorado –…
Johnny Manziel Indicted on Misdemeanor Assault Charge
Last Tuesday, in a statement released to the media by his publicist, Johnny Manziel said, “I’m hoping to take care of the issues in front of me right now so I can focus on what I have to do if I want to play in 2016. I also continue to…
Dish of the Week: Butter Chicken
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 taking a look at Butter Chicken. Contrary to what it sounds like, butter chicken is not simply chicken smothered in butter…
HGO’s Carousel Catches Some of the Magic, Buoyed by Its Great Songs
The set-up: When Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel (1945) opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre, their smash hit Oklahoma (1943), the team’s first collaboration, was still running and breaking box office records right across the street at the St. James. How do you top that? They did what they knew…
Thao Nguyen Gets Up, Stays Up at Warehouse Live
Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, Seratones Warehouse Live April 22, 2016 Houston is one of the few cities in the world where someone could earnestly bang their head to a banjo. And Thao & the Get Down Stay Down is one of the few bands that would play…
The UIL Pitches the Idea of Pitch Limits
If you wants to anger the people around the Rice University athletics department, just talk about the reputation of Wayne Graham as a pitcher killer. That seems to be a pretty common belief among the so-called baseball elite, but it’s one that the folks at Rice angrily dispute, and among…
Hollywood’s Beloved Bernie Tiede Resentenced to Life in Prison for 1996 Murder
The storyline of the movie Bernie, which sympathetically painted convicted murderer Bernie Tiede as a victim of 81-year-old widow Marjorie Nugent’s constant belittlement and abuse before he killed her, apparently did not ring true for jurors last week during Tiede’s retrial. After deliberating for more than four hours Friday, the…
Duran Duran Fights the Nostalgia-Act Tag With Everything They’ve Got
Duran Duran, Chic feat. Nile Rodgers Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion April 23, 2016 Fans from across Houston and beyond filled Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion to the lawn Saturday evening for a chance to spend the evening with Britain’s fab five, Duran Duran. Looking like someone had ordered a mandatory soccer-mom…
H-town Native Brent Spiner to Make First Houston Comic Convention Appearance
Lieutenant Commander Data may be devoid of emotion, but Houston born and raised actor Brent Spiner, who played the android on television’s Star Trek: The Next Generation, is very human and capable of experiencing hurt and wonder. Having never been invited to appear at a local comic convention, Spiner finally…
Why I Buy $12 Cotton Candy at Events
A while back I got to take my family to Disney on Ice at NRG Park, and over the last several years I’m also the reporter who tells you fine people whether or not the circus is worth attending (generally yes, but I’ll let you know for sure this summer)…
Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’ Is Our Most Personal Glimpse of Her Yet
When Beyoncé speaks, it’s normally not in small statements. Ever since 2013, every step and move she’s made has turned into a sweeping artistic stamp; loud, bold, freeing stamps. Words have been replaced by visuals, by art and the expression of said art. 2013’s Beyoncé reveled in feminism, because Beyoncé…
Doctor Who: The New Companion Is Another Plucky Young Woman…Yay
Over the weekend Whovians got a treat as Jenna Coleman’s replacement for the role of The Doctor’s companion was revealed in a short skit (seen above). The latest member of the Tardis crew is Pearl Mackie, who will be playing a character named Bill. I was underwhelmed. Part of it…
Shows of the Week: Back-to-Back Nights of Roots-Music Royalty
CARRIE UNDERWOOD Toyota Center, April 28 With American Idol recently going off the air, Carrie Underwood stands as the best example of the show’s original subtitle: “The search for a superstar.” Lots of her fellow former contestants have gone on to successful showbiz careers, but the 33-year-old Oklahoman and Season…
Tony Vega Band’s ‘Black Magic Box’ Is Perfectly in Tune
Tony Vega is beginning a new chapter in his career. His band is hosting a release party for their first new studio record in six years (and seventh overall), Black Magic Box, Saturday night at The Big Easy (following last weekend’s “South Side” launch at Katie’s in Bacliff), and Vega…
He Rocked That Mother to the Max: Tragically, Prince’s Best Film Is Not Commercially Available
In ’81 he accessorized his trench coat with high heels and bikini briefs. In ’84 that coat got dandified, high-collared and famously purple, Edwardian formalwear over a frilled tuxedo shirt over that wicked slick of chest hair. It was the get-up of a perv or a president, a look that…
Desperate for Delegates, Cruz Panders to Transphobes
Ted Cruz is getting crushed. He’s got his back against the mat, and he’s scrounging for delegates any way he can, whether it’s by flinging campaign resources at the forgotten U.S. territories, trying to convince America that Indiana is important, or even exploiting transphobic fear. On Thursday, after Donald Trump indicated…
Harden Strikes Back: Rockets 97, Warriors 96 — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
Monday night, I swore off the Houston Rockets after they fell behind 2-0 in their first round series against the 73-win Golden State Warriors. Naturally, keeping alive a streak of 47 years of NOT keeping my blustery, hyperbolic sports promises, I was right back in front of the television Thursday…
Houston Restaurants, Delis and Grocery Stores Helping Observe Passover This Year
Passover begins this evening and there are Houston restaurants and grocery stores that can help facilitate one of the most important observances of the Jewish faith. Here are some of places ready to assist and serve during Passover. Restaurants Observing Passover April 22, 8 p.m.: Exodus Celebration Meal at Genesis…
The Alley Theatre Announces Its 2016-17 Season & Summer Chills Approaches
The Alley Theatre’s today announces its 2016-17 season ranging from the classic (Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge) to new ((NSangou Njikam’s Syncing Ink, a semi-autobiographical hip hop play and Texas playwright Robert Askins’ Broadway hit Hand to God which should not be…
After the Flood, How Much Should We Worry About Zika-Carrying Mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes don’t breed in flood waters. They drown in them, said Dr. Mustapha Debboun, director of the Mosquito Control Division at Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services. But it’s after the flood waters subside that mosquito breeding becomes an issue, he said. And with the Zika virus on everyone’s…
Donald Trump Doesn’t Know Sports. Or He’s a Troll. (Or Both.)
I don’t consider myself to be a very political person. I tend to hang in the middle part of the spectrum on most topics, and like many Americans, I’m more fascinated by the spectacle of this election than I am impressed by any of the individual candidates. So, at the…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Get Your Mudbug and Brew On
Here’s a look at this weekend’s best culinary happenings: 180th Anniversary of San Jacinto Day @ Frank’s Americana Revival Friday, 5:30 p.m. 3736 Westheimer Head to Frank’s for a unique look into the pioneering days of Texas. They’ll be bringing back the 130-year-old Emmett & Shine Chuckwagon in celebration of…
30 Years Later, It’s Time to Admit Andie Shouldn’t Have Ended Up With Blane *or* Duckie
As a friend of mine put it when I mentioned I’d only seen Pretty in Pink once, on a date during its initial release in 1986: “You weren’t invited to many slumber parties.” While this is *technically* true, I did actually spend the night at friends’ houses on many occasions…
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder Shows One Way to Get Ahead in Life
Monty Navarro, as actor Kevin Massey describes him, is a very complicated man. When we meet Monty he is downtrodden, juggling a mistress and a fiancée, and without next to no prospects for prosperity or advancement in his own life. That’s until he finds out from Miss Shingle he’s a very,…
A Sort of Homecoming for Young Austin Rockers MCG
They were born in Houston but now, as their musical careers begin to flourish, they hail from Austin. It’s a familiar story, but in the case of electropop indie-rockers MCG, it wasn’t the pursuit of rock-star status that led them from H-Town to ATX, but the pursuit of knowledge. “Jay…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: Hephaestus Brew Is Ready to Taste
Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these deliciously fun culinary events: In celebration of their 10 year anniversary, Killen’s Steakhouse, 6425 W Broadway, will be hosting a lineup of all-night Happy Hours in the bar, from Monday, April 25 through Friday, April 29. Each night will feature…
There’s a $15,000 Gap Between Median Income and Living Comfortably in Houston
According to a recently released study, the average a Houstonian needs to earn nearly $61,000 per year to “live comfortably.” Of course, most people don’t make that much, so there’s a pretty big gap between the median household income and that magic 61-K mark — a $15,067 gap, to be…
Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Death Scenes and Staying Dry
This was not a good week for Houston. With our ongoing flood situation and the unpredictability of further rains, it’s hard to know what’s in store for our city over the next 72 hours. Several outdoor events remain scheduled and, if the roads look safe this Saturday and Sunday, please…
This Is How Houstonians Respond to an Epic Flood
Houstonians are no strangers to the annual “100-year” flood, and by now we’re all savvy rainstorm veterans. But this most recent bad weather seems to have really brought out the best in some of us. In one already internet-famous case, that meant an intrepid TV reporter grudgingly “saving” a guy…
Openings and Closings in Houston: Houston Restaurants Affected by Flooding Begin Recovery
The recent floodwaters affected several businesses, including Corkscrew BBQ at 26608 Keith, which has been without power all week; the restaurant expects to reopen on Friday, April 22. Lucky’s Pub at 2520 Houston in The Heights took on quite a bit of water and will probably be closed for a…
Losing Your Phone at a Music Festival Is the Absolute Worst
I was just about to take a really sweet pic of a row of cops in reflective yellow vests watching Ice Cube bring out DJ Yella and MC Ren when I realized I had a problem. I reached into my pocket, already writing the Instagram caption in my head (“Even…
Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld Throws a Bonfire for His Enemies on ‘Home’
Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld has entered his forties with an aggressively joyful mindset. The Houston-born rocker is now happily married, living in San Marcos with his wife and two young children. He has established himself as a husband and a father, and his music has consequently turned another corner to…
Remembering Prince: The Beautiful Ones Hurt You Every Time
If there’s even a tiny bit of good news to be gleaned from Prince’s untimely death Thursday at age 57, it’s that he was so gifted that he always seemed more like a creature made of pure art rather than a flesh-and-blood human being. If you think he’s legendary on…
Capital Murder Charges Filed Against Man Suspected in Midtown Double Slaying
Patrick Riggins claims that for weeks he and his best friend Shante Thompson* received threats from a man named Tariq Lacking. They filed six or seven police reports, Riggins said, but nothing came of them. Weeks later, on the night of April 10, he and Thompson and some friends were…
Prince Is Dead at 57
Throughout his trailblazing and incredibly prolific career, Prince made shocking the music industry – and often the world at large – into the highest form of sport. But this time, although it seems like it could only be a cruel joke, it’s not. Prince – of “Purple Rain,” “Sign O’…
Barker and Addicks Dams Under a Flood Warning. That’s Never Happened Before.
The National Weather Service in League City has issued a flood warning for the Addicks and Barker watershed. For the first time ever. “It’s true,” says Chuck Roeseler, a NWS meteorologist and senior forecaster at the League City office. “Since we’ve been located here, they’ve never been this high before…
Billy Corgan Reveals a Softer Side of Smashing Pumpkins at UH
Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair Cullen Performance Hall April 20, 2016 Planting a foot in the present while stretching the other 20-plus years back to the past has odd consequences. When done properly, such a move might earn admiration from the most skilled yoga practitioners. But, a slip here or there…
See the Hard Work of Houston Ballet Students Come to Fruition at the Spring Showcase
Students at the Houston Ballet’s Academy are ready to present their Spring Showcase — this year with four different pieces including John Neumeier’s Yondering . Houston Ballet is only the second ballet school in the United States with permission to perform Yondering, ballet representatives said. There will be two…
Is the New Head of Texas’s Broken Foster Care System Really Interested in Reform?
One of the things Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton were able to accomplish in their years-long defense of the state’s foster care system in a class-action lawsuit was get a girl named DP off the state’s back. In 2011, when New York-based Children’s Rights sued the state on behalf of…
What Happens to People Displaced by Monday’s Historic Flood?
Hilda Perla thought the water would be gone when she returned to her bottom-floor apartment the morning after it flooded. She lived in Imperial Oaks apartments, just across the street from Arbor Court in Greenspoint, among the worst-hit areas in the city. Roughly 350 residents in those apartments had to…
Is Meyerland Now a Detention Pond for the Texas Medical Center?
After the Memorial Day floods of 2015, many Meyerland residents, heeding statements from Harris County and City of Houston officials that they’d been hit by Biblical-like rains, were either in a panic or in business mode. Now they’re just pissed off. “It’s ridiculous at this point,” says Natalie Monzon, who,…
“Mark Flood: Gratest Hits” at CAMH Offers 30-Year Mixed Bag
In spite of local artist Mark Flood’s distaste for “the machinations of the art world,” he and Bill Arning, director of Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, have found common ground. “We’re very like-minded people, almost the same age, [we] both started off having rock bands,” says Arning. “I started off as…
Teenagers Bond Over Poetry and Mystery in I and You at Stages
At the start of I and You, a teenage boy comes over to a teenage girl’s house to go over a homework assignment: Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass poetry. She has a debilitating and chronic illness and cannot attend school. “They don’t know each other at all. He to some…
Public Works Didn’t Install Barriers for Flooded Underpasses Because It Assumed Drivers Would Ignore Them
Over the past year, Houston could have installed 27 mechanical-arm barriers at some of the most flood-prone underpasses in the city. Since the city never installed those gates, designed to swing down in high water, we have no idea what difference they could have made during major storm that caused Houston’s…
This Week’s Favorite Houston Dishes: Flood Time Is Catch-Up Time
Like many Houstonians, I haven’t really been out and about much this past week. There are still closed roads and unintended lakes around my house. It’s easy to leave, but we’ve found out the hard way that it’s difficult to get back. That means this is a great opportunity to…
Report: Scott Brooks, Jeff Van Gundy Headline Rockets Coaching Targets
As the NBA regular season was winding down, some Rockets fans wanted the team to make the postseason, some wanted them to miss it and hang onto their first round draft choice, which is now on its way to Denver as part of the Ty Lawson trade. Some Rocket fans…
This Week’s Flooding Has Left Some Houston Musicians “Devastated”
While the sun may be finally out and blue skies grace us again, all is not well throughout the Bayou City. As people across Houston attempt to dry out, assess damage and rethink what it means to live in a floodplain, one thing is for sure: natural disasters are a…
Mike Sammons of Mongoose vs Cobra Wants to Serve a Cup of Irish Comfort to Harried Houstonians
“Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.” — Alex Levine, Irish actor and musician There’s something utterly meditative about a properly made Irish coffee served in a clear glass. Initially, there’s the dichotomy of the pale whipped cream and…
Bring Your Flood and Storm Stories to Rudz; You Won’t Be Alone
Storms, rains, flooding and stories of survival: whether you’ve got a few tales from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike – or fresh wounds from April’s flooding – you’re invited to come out to Rudz and hear songs, poems and storytelling from local creatives. Time permitting, the public also is invited…
Five Rising Texas Country Stars You Need to Know
On pretty much any given weekend here in town fans of Texas country and Red Dirt can find themselves at a club or festival where a revered veteran favorite of the scene is playing. Trailblazers such as the Randy Rogers Band, Reckless Kelly, Aaron Watson, Jason Boland, Roger Creager and…
Mayor Pledges Expedited Funding for the Severely Delayed Project Brays
During last night’s flood information meeting for the Meyerland and Westbury communities, Mayor Sylvester Turner told gatherers at Mark Twain Elementary School that expedited funding should be coming to Project Brays. Will it actually happen? Who knows. Project Brays – a widening and improvement effort of the 21-mile watershed that’s…
Bill and Curtis DeGidio Keep It All in the Punk-Rock Family
Asked where they’d like to meet to talk family and music, Bill and Curtis DeGidio chose Jimmy’s, the Heights-area ice house that is figuratively and sometimes literally in the shadow of Fitzgerald’s, the site of many fine DeGidio nights passed and yet to come. One recent Monday evening, the beer…
My Girl Is a Perfectionist. Help!
MY GIRL IS A PERFECTIONIST Dear Willie D: Both my girl and I are 27 years old. We are both driven, her moreso than me. She has always been a straight-A student and overachiever, whereas I have to work harder to get what I want. I understand people who are…
A Few Easy Ways to Help Houston’s Many Displaced Flood Victims
There’s nothing like a disaster to make people feel helpless. “What can I do?” we wonder. Most of us don’t have a boat to ferry people out of flooded apartment buildings or lots of expendable cash or time. Yet, there are many ways to help that don’t require much of…
The Feds Won’t Let Texas Import More Death Drugs
How will the state of Texas continue to kill people? Last week, the federal Food and Drug Administration tentatively banned Texas prison officials from importing a particular type of drug used to execute death row convicts. The April 15 letter, first reported by the Austin American-Statesman, comes after the feds…
My Home Just Flooded. What the Hell Do I Do?
If this guide doesn’t answer all of your questions, ask a Meyerland resident. Unfortunately, they’re pros at this now. Turn off all electricity to your home. (Self-explanatory.) Call a contractor and get the sheet rock removed as soon as humanly possible. Once water touches the baseboards and gets into the sheet…
What the %$#* Is “Lemonade”? How Beyoncé Will Break the Internet This Weekend.
The BeyHive buzzed for weeks with frustrated discontent. After the release of the scintillating, unapologetic “Formation” music video and her radical performance at Super Bowl 50, fans were parched. Two months had passed with nothing but an interview in Elle promoting her new line of activewear, Ivy Park. Beyoncé remained…
Kam Franklin Helps Houston Fans “Catch Up” on New Talent
A few months ago, Kam Frankin attended a local music showcase held at a popular Houston establishment. That in itself isn’t out of the ordinary…the Suffers’ lead singer is a champion of Houston’s music scene and constantly provides advice to other musicians in the city in need of such assistance…
Heathers the Musical Comes to TUTS Underground
It’s teen angst with more than a touch of blood and guts and death attached; a different kind of high school musical. Or as lead actress McKenna Marmolejo puts it: “It’s heightened high school with dead people.” Based on the late ’80s cult film, Heathers starring Winona Ryder and Christian…
Flooding: Bad for Oysters, Great for Oysters
Some Houston-area oyster reefs have been shut down by the State Health Department as a result of this week’s major rain storm, which washed a potentially unsafe amount of bacteria into the region’s bays. In the short-term, the closures are bad for commercial harvesters and oyster-loving foodies. But according to…
Johnny Manziel’s Domestic Violence Case Goes to Grand Jury Thursday
Six days ago, last Wednesday to be exact, Drew Rosenhaus issued an ultimatum to Johnny Manziel — promise that you will find help for all of your demons, and I won’t tear up our agreement for me to represent you… you have five days… GO! Well, Manziel’s response to that…
MDC’s One-Man Punk Army of Love
Since helping create a tidal wave of American hardcore music that shook up the country at the dawn of the President Reagan era, MDC’s Dave Dictor has become a bona fide legend. Whereas Austin comrades like the Big Boys fused punk and funk into a mesh of danceable rebellion and…
Prohibition Supperclub Chef Ben McPherson Leaving to Partner With a Barbecue Master [UPDATED]
Chef Ben McPherson, who over the past few years has helped open and run three different downtown Houston eateries—Batanga, Prohibition and Conservatory—has announced he is joining pitmaster John Avila’s El Burro & The Bull to help expand operations. During his tenure at Prohibition, the food he created along with his…
Beware Updating OS or Even Plugging in the iPhone 6s – Doing So Could Set You Back a Cool $300 [UPDATED]
Apple seems to wants us to have nice things, but only for so long. In January, I begrudgingly upgraded my cell phone for the first time in nearly five years. I had bought my first smart device, an iPhone 4, in March 2011 shortly after moving to Houston. And the…
Greenspoint Evacuees Grapple With Uncertainty of What Comes Next
Sharon McCarter was floating when she woke up. The water was halfway up to her knees as she stepped off her air mattress and walked to the window sill to peak outside — only to find her car submerged, along with all of the others parked at Arbor Court apartments…
Coming Soon to a Music Festival Near You: Earplugs of the Future
Doppler Labs’ Here Active Listening earbuds are the stuff of the future, like the shit you see on Star Trek or some other sci-fi TV show. Here augments and modifies your earholes to produce the kind of sonic experience you can control on your own with a smart telephone device…
Tom Hanks Waits for Meaning, Connection and a King
Don’t hold it against Tom Tykwer’s A Hologram for the King that its best scene is also its first. As Alan Clay (Tom Hanks) strides down a suburban street singing a modified version of Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime” (“You may find yourself … without a beautiful house ……
Elvis & Nixon Is as Two-Dimensional as That Famous Photo
Elvis Presley once watched Dr. Strangelove three times in one night at a Memphis movie theater. After that, he made them play the last reel several more times, marveling at it. It’s fascinating to wonder about: Here’s this country’s biggest musical star, the leading man in movies he knew were…
Le Carré 101: AMC’s The Night Manager Is a Spy Saga of Unusual Clarity
Jonathan Pine, the hero of The Night Manager, might have a syrupy voice and skin tanned to a glowing bronze, but in other respects he’s a classic John le Carré creation. Pine (Tom Hiddleston) makes his living unshowily and in the dark, at a swank hotel, juggling front-desk phone calls,…
Most Houston Restaurants Are Open Again, With a Few Exceptions
Yesterday, we compiled a list of the many restaurants that were closed yesterday due to the massive floods on Monday, April 18. Today, the vast majority report that they are once again open. There are a few exceptions, though, which we’re listing here. CorkScrew BBQ, 26608 Keith, Old Town Spring: Life’s…
