The Last Roundup: Paul Weller, South Memphis String Band, Indian Jewelry, Robert Ellis and More
Here’s another installment of what’s been blowing up other Houston music Web sites’ skirts recently. If you’d like us to look yours over (your site, not your skirt, though we can talk about that too), email hprocksoff@gmail.com. Breakfast on Tour caught the brand-new South Memphis String Band at the Continental…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: R.I.P. Poodie Locke
Word has reached Lonesome, Onry and Mean that longtime Willie Nelson stage manager Poodie Locke passed away shortly after 3 p.m. this afternoon. The cause of death is said to be a “massive heart attack.” Reports of Locke’s passing have just gone up on Austin360.com, and Nelson has informed fans…
They’re Back Playing High School Sports In Texas
Texas’ UIL had originally canceled a bunch of competitions until May 11 because of the swine-flu scare, but it appears they’ve now got things under control.The organization announced this afternoon that they’re cranking things up again as of tomorrow.Because of “the magnitude and scope” of the regional and state track…
Treat Mom Right on Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is quickly approaching, and if you’ve already made plans to take your dear, sainted mother out to a lovely meal on Sunday…wonderful! You’re ahead of about 90 percent of us. Make us all look bad, why don’t you? If you’re like the rest of us, you’re probably still…
Tonight: Snoop Dogg at House of Blues
If you’re headed to see the Doggfather Wednesday evning at House of Blues, you might want to be careful. Though Snoop denies any wrongdoing, MTV reported last week that a fan who rushed the stage at a 2005 Seattle show is alleging the rapper clocked him with a brass-knuckle microphone…
Dastardly Plan To Make Poor Put Money Into Banks Apparently Working
The Bank on Houston program, founded by City Controller Annise Parker in conjunction with area banks, credit unions and nonprofit organizations, says it’s boasted early success. In three months 10,264 new accounts were opened; the goal for the entire first year was 10,000.People putting their money in banks these days?…
Good News As You Pack Up Your Flood-Soaked Rug: The Burn Ban Is Lifted!
You might think that the rains that battered Houston recently did only bad things, like flood out cars of people who thought they could make it through that one intersection already dotted with flooded cars.But there was one mini-silver lining to those ominous clouds: the burn ban in unincorporated parts…
Just Because You Have A Winning Lottery Ticket Doesn’t Mean You’re Getting Money
Maybe money’s tight for you these days so you play the lotto, maybe the Daily 4 game. Then you win and the payout is so much — $600 — you have to take the ticket to a claims office in Houston to get your check. That was Jesse Phillips’s situation…
Bystander Hit During A Police Shooting: Pretty Rare, Expert Says
Tuesday’s Metro Police shooting was not just unusual in that it was the first fatal shooting in the agency’s history, but in that a bystander was injured as well. While we wait for more details to emerge from HPD, which is leading the investigation, Hair Balls checked in with a…
Slideshow: Comedy Albums That (Probably) Aren’t Funny
We remember when we first saw a picture of Flight of the Conchords – playing tonight at Jones Hall – we thought, “Now those guys look funny.” That was a compliment, because with many comedy acts, you can tell they’re terrible just by looking at them. Turns out you can…
Your Federal Government: Protecting The Rights Of Old People To Work In Strip Clubs
Now this is the kind of federal government you’re getting now that Obama’s in office — the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing a Houston strip club for firing a worker because she was too old.Finally, we have a gover — what the hell? We’re gonna get old strippers now?…
EP of the Week: Battle Rifle’s Guaranteed To Rattle Dat Trunk!!!
You really can’t get any more H-Town than our very own Battle Rifle and its latest vinyl EP, Guaranteed To Rattle Dat Trunk!!! Unless, that is, we taught Mayor Bill White to how to make blast beats and had Quanell X rhyme over them and the pair played guerrilla shows…
Three Shot, One Dead, No Charges Filed
A very brief item in the Chronicle today reports that a northwest Houston homeowner shot three people in his front yard last night and killed one of them.”Police said the man shot the three men during an argument outside his home in the 7300 block of West Knoll about 10:30…
Idol Beat: The Top Four
Man alive! Jamie Foxx mentored last week, and now guitarist-celeb Slash is in the proverbial American Idol house for “Rock and Roll Week”! Okay, sure, these people have projects and albums to promote, but these still feel like coups. Lot to address, so today I’m skipping the expository rant and…
If I Could Wine and Dine Guy Fieri
If I could take Guy Fieri out for a taste of Houston I’d do the following in this order (all on the same day…we’d have to start early): First stop: Crispy puffy tacos at Loma Linda and Los Tios…
Aeros Get Back To Their Winning Playoff Ways
Before yesterday’s Game Three against the Milwaukee Admirals, Houston Aeros coach Kevin Constantine wanted his team to focus less on what the Admirals were doing and to focus more on their own play. He wasn’t entirely happy with how his team ended up handling themselves for the entirety of the…
Houston Rugby Takes A Giant Step Forward
By the time Brad Allen finished his first-half scoring run, the Houston Athletic Rugby Club had the game in the bag. Now they’re headed to the first Sweet 16 playoff berth in club history. “It’s a really big deal,” says club president Will Wornardt, who searched records dating to…
The Houston Press Wants Interns
The Houston Press is now accepting applications for interns for the summer. Applicants should have a solid grounding in journalism principles, be self-starters with a good command of the English language, and be able to make their deadlines. Interns must commit to a certain amount of time in the Houston…
The Five Best Dom DeLuise Movies, Such As They Are
Dom DeLuise — actor, chef, and father of that guy who was on 21 Jump Street — passed away Monday at the age of 75. Rather than wallow in misery and grief at the loss of another of cinema’s titans, we prefer to look back fondly at a movie career…
Noquis of the 29th
Manena’s Pastry Shop on Westheimer at Wilcrest is the subject of this week’s Cafe review. Manena’s is famous for their empanadas, but it’s also a place where folks from South America gather on the 29th of each month (except February) to eat gnocchi, or noquis, as they are known in…
Questions Bellaire High’s Whiz Kids Will Have To Answer
Hair Balls got that warm fuzzy feeling (don’t worry, it’s not swine flu) when a publicist called to tell us that students from Bellaire High will be competing in the 2009 National Economics Challenge, to be held in New York City May 18. The Challenge is done in a “college…
Aeros Look To Get Back On Track Tonight
The Aeros pulled off a minor upset, defeating the Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 on Thursday night to win the first game of a best-of-seven series. And though they lost 4-1 on Saturday to Milwaukee, with the series retuning to Houston for three games this week, it’s the Aeros who have the…
Metro Cops Shoot Bystander Near Rice
In the more than 25 years it has been around, Metro’s police force has never had an officer shoot and kill someone. Which is probably a good thing, seeing how events unfolded this afternoon.Metro police killed a man who they say was brandishing a knife even after being Tasered three…
Get Lit: I Hate New Music: The Classic Rock Manifesto by Dave Thompson
If productivity alone conferred greatness, then flinty rock scribbler Dave Thompson would be the Trollope of pop-culture quick reads. I Hate New Music is the latest of over 100 titles this insta-book wizard has blinked into being. And dig the intro penned by the legendary Richard Meltzer, the Big Bang…
The Chronicle Continues Its Descent Into Porn Hell
You know, we really, really want to keep ignoring the incredibly silly “MILF” sex column the Houston Chronicle puts out on its oh-so-hip 29-95 website, but it just keeps getting more and more ridiculous.Here’s the state of American journalism, 2009: the daily newspaper in a major city thinks the way…
Serious Q: Barbecue 101 at Texas A&M
It’s not too late to sign up for the most serious barbecue seminar in the state. BBQ 101 is a three-day professional training session sponsored by the National Barbecue Association at the Texas A&M Meat Science Center in College Station. The class will be held next week beginning on the…
Want To Go See This Guy?
Note: This is the short verson of “Frankenstein.” If you’d like to come to the annual Houston Press Music Awards Nomination Party Friday, May 15, at Meridian, email chris.gray@houstonpress.com by noon tomorrow, and please put “nomination party” in the subject line. Taking the stage for your entertainment will be Southeast…
Bacliff’s 4th Street Players Gang Gets Hit With Federal Prison
As Hurricane Ike threatened the Upper Texas Coast, we went to press with the story of the 4th Street Players, a predominantly white Anglo street gang in the Galveston Bay town of Bacliff. Nine members of the gang, who wore red colors in emulation of LA’s Blood gangs, had been…
Jane Ely: Political Junkie Of The Highest Order
The old guard of Houston journalism will be gathering this week to mark the passing of one of their own – and one of a kind. Jane Ely, the longtime political columnist for the Houston Chronicle and the Houston Post before that, died on Monday after a long illness. Funeral…
Distant Early Warning: Houston’s Concert Horizon
3 Doors Down: Sat., June 27, 8 p.m. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Baskery: Thu., Sept. 10. McGonigel’s Mucky Duck. Cameo, One Way, The SOS Band: Sat., Aug. 15. Arena Theatre. Creed: Fri., Sept. 25. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. D.L. Hughley, Adele Givens: Fri., June 12, 8 p.m. Arena Theatre. The…
For Cinco de Mayo: Five Non-Mexican Mexicans In The Movies
Cinco de Mayo is a day for Americans of Mexican descent to commemorate their rich history and heritage while at the same time trying to ignore the legions of mouth-breathing Chron commenters clamoring for their deportation. And if being blamed for the H1N1 (don’t call it swine) flu outbreak wasn’t…
Feliz Cinco: It’s Taco Porn!
It’s a little-known fact that if you’re good all year, the Cinco de Mayo fairy will come to your house in the afternoon while you’re indulging in a siesta and leave behind a present for this most feliz of holidays. This year, that present is a slideshow of taco porn. …
R.I.P. Dom DeLuise
According to multiple reports, actor, comedian, chef and cookbook author Dom DeLuise has passed away in Los Angeles at age 75. DeLuise starred in several Mel Brooks movies, including Blazing Saddles (above) and Spaceballs, as well as The End with Burt Reynolds, The Muppet Movie and just about every TV…
R.I.P., Benjamin Flores
Five years ago we brought you the story of Benjamin Flores, a gritty boxer from Houston who was working his way up out of poverty through his fighting skills.Reporter Michael Serazio detailed Flores’ brief career to that point, and his relationship to his family. Both Miguel and Benjamin’s mother, Oliva,…
Local Album of the Week: Mike Jones’ The Voice
Mike Jones The Voice www.whomikejones.com Here’s the thing about The Voice, Mike Jones’ follow-up to double-platinum debut Who Is Mike Jones?: People automatically want to hate it. Perhaps even more interesting, though, is that Jones knows this. The Voice’s most meaningful song is a cathartic track aptly titled “Hate On…
Coming This NFL Season: Vintage Oiler Uniforms! In, Um, Tenne-Freakin’-See
The NFL announced today that they’ll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the old AFL with a series of games featuring the league’s original uniforms.Four times during the upcoming season, the famed Columbia Blue uniforms of the Houston Oilers will once again be seen on the field. Just not in…
Nasty, Destructive Little Bug Discovered On A Ship In Houston
Customs officials in Houston made a pretty startling discovery while inspecting a furniture shipment last week. They found some cast-off skins from Khapra beetles among the straw brooms and burlap sacks in the shipping container.So what, you say? Dude, you don’t want to mess with the Khapra beetle.”The Khapra beetle…
Lost Tuneage: Sweet (Formerly The Sweet)
Who ‘Dat? From the land of England in 1968 came a band called The Sweetshop, featuring singer Brian Connolly, bassist Steve Priest, drummer Mick Tucker and guitarist Frank Torpey slogging it out on the pub circuit. By 1970, Andy Scott had replaced Torpey, and the band became The Sweet. A…
UH-Downtown’s Max Castillo, We Hardly Blew Ye
That was some send-off the Chronicle gave over the weekend to Max Castillo, outgoing president of UH-Downtown. It was the kind of glowing profile some cynical journalists call a “blow job.”In it we learned that Castillo:a) is “a bilingual Hispanic, at a time when 85 percent of college presidents are…
Five Reasons Not To Be Geeked About The Upcoming Star Trek Movie
Anyone who’s been to the movies in the last month or so has seen the trailer for the upcoming Star Trek movie, which apparently involves people driving motorcycles over cliffs in order to avoid speeding tickets.If you happen to be attending the kind of movie that attracts the wrong kind…
Cinco de Mayo Recipe: Sonoran Hot Dogs
You have to thin mayonnaise with some lemon juice (and Tabasco sauce if you like) and put it into a squeeze bottle if you want to put the cool squiggles on top. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, go to El Bolillo on Airline and buy the small size…
The Real Reason Perry Wants To Secede: Football
Governor Rick Perry has been pressing for Texas to secede from the nation. He might bitch about high taxes, but I think we all know the real reason he’s pushing this idiotic movement. How else can the Texas Longhorns win a national championship?Sure, the Longhorns helped to devise the Big…
Slideshow: Jazzfest In New Orleans
Didn’t go to Jazzfest? Don’t worry. Neither did Rocks Off, but that guy above sure did, and so did our intrepid photographer Mark C. Austin. See what else he shot in the Big Easy right here…
36 Years At DPS, Eight Months As Chief — And He’s Outta Here!
The Department of Public Safety has put out a terse statement announcing that Colonel Stanley Clark, the director of the agency, has resigned that position as of 5 pm today.Why? No answers are forthcoming from DPS or other officials. “This is an elite law enforcement agency. We expect all our…
Overnight Delivery: Bob Dylan’s “If You Ever Go To Houston”
We thought we’d try something a little different here at Rocks Off today. We’re usually gone for the evening by now, but we figure a lot of wait until you get home from work to surf the Web for the day you deserve a reward for your productivity. What? What…
The Ron Paul Revolution Begins Its Next Step
If you weren’t annoyed enough by the baying hordes of Ron Paul supporters in 2008 (Fiat money!! Plague on both their houses!!!), get ready for The Ron Paul Revolution: The Next Generation.The Texas congressman has a son named Rand, who we really hope — likely in vain — is not…
Where Are We Eating?
Welcome back to another week of Where Are We Eating? We hope you enjoyed last week’s inaugural edition and are hungry for more. If you found last week’s entries to be too easy, then this week’s local establishment should give you pause for thought. This place should look very familiar to plenty of…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: “Killing the Blues” with Plant and Krauss
Led Zeppelin shouter Robert Plant and country/pop vocalist Alison Krauss seem like a highly unlikely duo. When I heard they’d made an album together called Raising Sand, the pairing seemed so odd I didn’t really even want to hear it. I thought their two voices would clash like Lucinda Williams…
Harvard Elementary Kids, Get Your Butts Back To School
Another HISD school has declared total victory in the battle against swine flu (No political correctness here, pork industry!!). Harvard Elementary in the Heights, one of the first district schools to close down, will reopen tomorrow.The city’s health department has given the OK for the move, HISD spokesman Norm Uhl…
Get Lit: The Protest Singer: An Intimate Portrait of Pete Seeger by Alec Wilkinson
When author and New Yorker journalist Alec Wilkinson first approached folk-music icon Pete Seeger about writing an expansive biography, the modest performer – who turned 90 years old Sunday – demurred. Seeger instead challenged him to pen a tome that “could be read in one sitting.” The result, based on…
Turning the Screw: J-Dawg, DMX, Birdman/Weezy, Kelis/Nas, Weezy/Obama, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, Geto Boys and More
Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off’s weekly rap post. It probably won’t rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: J-Dawg, “Never” Wire To Wire Did you know that it costs $240,000 to impersonate an FBI agent? DMX does…
Slate Isn’t Exactly Encouraging You To Go To The Houston Library Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning the Houston Public Library is bringing in Cokie Roberts to talk about her book We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters, which is somehow not subtitled (In Case You Were Wondering).We’ve never been big fans of Roberts; on the Sunday talk shows she’s seemed to be pretty much Queen of…
Survivor: Metro Bus Stop — A Hair-Raising Test Of Skill!!
Bus riders waiting on the northwest corner of 290 at Antoine have had a pretty hard time getting to their bus stop. After a handicap access ramp was built at the site, the bus stop has been impossible for Metro riders to get to without crawling over a cement obstacle…
Aftermath: Fleetwood Mac at Toyota Center
Every night the band goes onstage, Fleetwood Mac faces a concert onus only a handful of other groups need worry about: Are its songs To this crowd, the opening notes to those songs hardly even qualify as music anymore. They’re more like auditory passwords, and the files they unlock in…
Oh, He’s In Trouble Now: Death-Row Inmate Indicted For Cell-Phone Smuggling
You might think you’d have enough troubles, sitting on Death Row waiting to be executed. Just wait until they indict you for smuggling in a cell phone.Where’s the Innocence Project now, eh?You can just imagine the torture going through Richard Lee Tabler’s mind as he ponders his fate on Death…
Aftermath: Dave Matthews Band at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
It has to be hard keeping a musical thing fresh after almost two decades of road-dogging it, playing shows in excess of three hours at each venue for months at a time, all the while nursing the loss of a founding member and brother-in-arms. But somehow, the Dave Matthews Band…
Janet Jackson’s Houston Nipple Flash Refuses To Die
The single greatest news event to occur in Houston since the turn of the century — one that’s clearly gotten more ink than Ike — is Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl-icious nipple. (Katrina we’re counting as a N’Awlins event.)The Awesome Areola is back in the news yet again this morning, thanks…
Here’s The Latest On School Closings Due To The “Don’t Call It Swine” Flu
Hamilton Middle School, which was closed Thursday and Friday over swine flu concerns, has reopened, HISD and city officials said.Hamilton had been closed because an individual “had exposure to a known case” of the flu, Health and Human Services spokeswoman Kathy Barton tells Hair Balls. “And subsequently, we have received…
Craigslist’s Founder Speaks At Memorial Service For Victim Of A “Craigslist Murderer”
Over the weekend Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, spoke at the memorial service for Katherine Olson, the woman murdered after answering a false ad seeking a nanny.It was a culminiation of sorts of the intense pressure Craigslist finds itself under now, as publicity-hungry elected law-enforcement officials continue their crusade…
Snackshot: Waffle Maker
This week’s sweet Snackshot comes to us courtesy of groovehouse and Brasil. From the photographer’s description: “$4 Waffle with Fruit from Brasil. Worth every penny. Olive and Feta Scone in the background with Fresh Squeezed OJ and Coffee. Good enough for a One Night Stand!”…
Second Round Preview: Lakers Defense May Pose Biggest Threat To Rockets
The Rockets finally got the first-round monkey off their backs last week, so what did the NBA give them as a reward? Only a second-round date with the prohibitive title favorite Lakers, beginning tonight at 9:30 in Los Angeles. It’s a terrifying matchup by nearly every quantifiable method. The Rockets…
Texas Traveler: Americana Alpaca Ranch
Ah, Navasota: the Blues Capitol of Texas. What more have you to offer than bluebonnets, Victorian homes and historical plagues? How about big-eyed beauties with long, slender necks and the softest of hair? Yes, we’re talking about alpacas, those tiny cousins of the llama and camel, which are raised throughout…
Top 5 Cinco de Mayo Mariachi Requests
1. Volver, Volver (Broken-hearted about a girl) Even if you’re wasted, you can probably remember to say: “Volvo Volvo,” which is close enough to get the mariachis to play this tears-in-the-beer classic. Check out Freddie Fender’s version in the video…
Ireland Fights For The Chance To Visit A Houstonian
This post brought to you by a joint effort of the Department of Odd Raffles, The TV Shows We Dimly Recall Administration and the Bureau of People We Didn’t Know Lived in Houston:An Irish charity is offering up a strange prize. A donation of ten Euros to the Western Alzheimer’s…
This Week In Beyonce: Obsessed Rules, The Great Vienna Caper and More
Just today, as Rocks Off was remarking that “people are sick of PG-13 kiddie-suspense movies where there’s no graphic violence or tits,” he was informed that Beyonce’s PG-13 thriller Obsessed took the No. 1 spot at the box office last weekend with $25 million, and had the largest-grossing opening of…
Are We Going To Flood Again? Probably Not (This Time)
With the swine flu already on our minds, the last thing we want to worry about is more flooding this weekend from possible thunderstorm showers. We’d much rather spend the weekend out celebrating the Rockets’ first playoff-round win in over a decade relaxing on the patio of some Mexican restaurant,…
That Letter We Sent Canceling Special Olympics And Asking Volunteers To Stay Away? Just A Draft, Sorry
At least one parent with a child at Richmond State School received an e-mail today that lists the school’s precautions against the swine flu. (The school houses about 500 mentally and physically disabled students.)The precautions included:– canceling the Special Olympics and all off-campus trips. — suspending all volunteer activities and…
Last Call For Art: What’s Closing After This Weekend
The Seven Year ItchTwo popular stage productions close this weekend: Theatre Southwest’s The Seven Year Itch and the Alley’s Mauritius, while the film festival Latin Wave: New Films from Latin America also winds down over at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Houston Press theater reviewer D.L.Groover told fans to…
Aftermath: Neon Collars at Rocbar
Photos by Chris GrayWith a heavy funk groove, guitar equally rooted in jazz and rock and soulful vocals as fierce as anything Sasha could belt out, Neon Collars makes you wonder – happily, for once – what they’re teaching in the schools these days. The five-piece sometimes telegraphs its age…
HPD’s Crime Lab Is In The News Again
As if the Houston Police crime lab didn’t have enough problems, it discovered a new one today: fire.A small container caught fire on the same floor as the lab at HPD headquarters downtown this afternoon; as a result a half-dozen fire trucks converged on the building, three floors were evacuated…
Swine Flu FAQs: The Answers You Need…And The Answers You Deserve
Unlike in 1918, when the flu really bitch-slapped humanity, leading medical experts have the ability to immediately update us with information on how to stay safe, and how to separate myth from fact. For example: By now, unless you’re a vapid hotel-fortune heiress who answers the cell phone during sex,…
This Week In Deliciousness
Monday started out with yet another reminder of what you missed over the weekend: Sunday brunch at Feast, which we’ve seen written up so much it’s starting to feel like a tradition. Breakfast at Manena’s sounded pretty appealing, too. You can get some hot, delicious breakfast empanadas, or you can…
Tolan Family Sues Bellaire And Brings The Fireworks
Robbie Tolan and his family have finally filed the long-awaited civil suit against the city of Bellaire and the cop who shot him in a high-profile incident that’s brought national attention to the affluent suburb.The federal suit — which contains explosive allegations of racist incidents by Bellaire officers — focuses…
Fears About Swine Flu: Don’t Forget The Part Where You Might Go Insane
Just to the throw one more log of fear on the fire…As if a case of influenza wasn’t bad enough on its own, some strains carry the risk of a lingering and sometimes permanent “hangover” in the form of acute mental illness. Unborn children are at the most risk, some…
Local Dude’s Lawsuit To Be A Hooters Waiter Ends With A Settlement
Nikolai Grushevski sued Hooters in January after the restaurant didn’t hire him as a Hooters Girl. Mike McNeil, vice president of marketing at Hooters, told Hair Balls at the time, “If we lose this go around, you can next expect hairy legged guys in the Rockettes to line up and…
Cop Warmth Poaches Rocks Off’s Artwork on New Cassette
“Jesus Sanchez”… sorry, Craig Hlavaty Rocks Off loves getting local tapes and vinyl in the mail here. That’s not a cry for free shit or a sad call for pity. We just dig hearing new music off something other than an Apple product or a boring plastic round disc. That…
What If Swine Flu Got Turned Into a “Song”?
So it turns out the best way to prevent swine flu is to wash your damn hands, and to make sure you do a nice thorough job. A former member of the Texas Medical Associaton’s Committee on Infectious Diseases suggests you sing or hum songs you probably learned in kindergarten…
The FBI Makes Things Go “Boom,” And We Have The Video
(Note: The explosions get bigger the longer you stick with the video.) For the better part of this week, FBI bomb experts have been teaching area cops the Xs and Os of improvised explosives, like the ones made by shoe-bomber Richard Reid or the one that killed college student Matthew…
For May Day: Five Best Dirty, Rotten, Stinking Commies In The Movies
Once a pre-Christian celebration of the beginning of the summer, May 1 became associated with the labor movement and was eventually appropriated by the Soviet Union. The Cold War has been over for almost 20 years, so what better way to commemorate May Day than by poking fun at some…
How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Menudo
If you’ve ever driven north on Airline Drive on a Saturday morning to the produce markets at Canino’s, you may have noticed a procession of colorful, handwritten signs along the side of the road. Those signs usually contain one word and an arrow pointing to a hastily constructed food stand…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Comment on This One, We Dare You
Back in the Near Dark Ages when LOM was in grad-school journalism, one of the things that stuck with me was a lecture on “the lunatic fringe.” These are the people who call in to radio talk shows or send long, vitriolic letters to newspapers, magazines and blogs. Negative reviews…
School Districts Don’t Need To Close To Protect Funding, TEA Says
When the Fort Worth school district made the seemingly bizarre decision to close down for a week even though they hadn’t experienced a single confirmed case of swine flu, there were some rumblings that FWISD officials were more concerned about budgets than parents.Parents might have to spend a week scrambling…
This Cinco de Mayo, Take a Break From the Margarita
During the colonial era, when churches were being constructed all over Mexico, there was an abundance of egg yolks, as the egg whites were being used to bind the gold leaf to the church interiors. The convents came up with creative uses for the yolks, including this alcoholic beverage. Drinks…
Better Uses For $4.5 Million Than “McLane Stadium” At Michigan State U.
Apparently Michigan State University is going to name its new baseball stadium McLane Stadium. That’s because Drayton paid $4.5 million to build the stadium. And Drayton gave them the money because he was a MSU grad student. So it’s nice to see Drayton giving a little back to the community…
Five Spot: Chamillionaire, Consistent as Oatmeal
For some reason, there was this kid that we went to middle school with who, despite only having said about four words to him ever, we never forgot. He was a burly, hard-looking kid named Detective Torres. Actually, his name was Jesse Torres, but everyone called him Detective Torres on…
Get Lit: Storms: My Life With Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac by Carol Ann Harris
Barely out of her teens, Carol Ann Harris met Lindsey Buckingham in 1977 while working at the studio where the singer/guitarist was putting the finishing touches on what would be the band’s huge international hit album, Rumours. As his live-in girlfriend for the next seven years, she’d accompany him and…
Craigslist At A Crossroads
Criminals being dubbed the latest “Craigslist Killer” seem to be popping up everywhere.There was Michael Anderson in Minnesota, who lured to her death a woman answering an ad for a nanny; a 16-year-old S/M enthusiast who killed a New York City radio newsman who posted an ad; and a yuppie…
Songs To Fight Swine Flu By
Working overtime to give natural selection the finger, a former member of the Texas medical Association’s Committee on Infectious Diseases has issued a press release telling people how to wash their hands. “I’m not just talking about running your hands under the faucet,” Gary N. Butka states in the…
Do You Believe In Miracles? Rockets Advance
May 17, 1997.Aaron Brooks and Von Wafer were in sixth grade. The Oilers were only a year removed from their Houston existence. The Texans were still more than five years from their birth. The Astros had yet to make the playoffs in the Biggio-Bagwell era. Then-President Bill Clinton was still…
Better Watch What You’re Putting On Your Facebook Page
Allegedly, more people use Facebook than e-mail, and during the last several months, Twitter became a verb. But for Corporate America, that could cause some problems, according to Houston attorney Chris Schaeper. “Twenty years ago, you might be having beers with an old frat buddy from college and have a…
Rent’s Anthony Rapp On Life & Loss
A line wound around the railing of the second floor of the Books-A-Million bookstore at 1201 Main Street to get stage and film actor and Broadway musical Rent superstar Anthony Rapp’s signature for his book Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent, not to mention anything…
Amateur Sports Groups Are Watching The Flu Hype Warily
High schools in Texas aren’t the only places where competitions are being canceled or delayed because of swine-flu fears. (Although the UIL has reversed itself a bit; regional track meets are back on.)All basketball games and practices in the South Texas AAU, which includes the Houston area, are off until…
Amnesty International Begins 200-Minute Vigil Against The Death Penalty
Amnesty International has just begun a 200-minute vigil outside the Harris County Criminal Courthouse to protest the upcoming 200th execution under Governor Rick Perry.The original rally title, “Help Rick Perry Win The GOP Primary,” was apparently discarded.But holding an anti-death-penalty vigil in Harris County? Why? We don’t execute people anymore…
Swineshow: Album Covers That Smell Like Pork
In our search for pig-centered songs yesterday, we found that the little porkers have a bigger role as musical thematic material than we had ever dared dream. Here, then, are some swine-happy album covers for you to enjoy, assuming you have Internet access in your flu-proof bunker…
Swine Flu 1, Lyons Elementary 0
HISD is working on its first swine flu evacuation, which started with about an hour left of TAKS testing. The students at Lyons Elementary will have to take the whole thing over again, according to district spokesman Norm Uhl. The infected child that caused the evacuation wasn’t at school today,…
Houston Lawsuit’s Torture Video Threatens U.S.-Arab Nuclear Deal
A federal lawsuit filed here by a local businessman is threatening to derail a multi-billion-dollar nuclear-power deal between the US and the United Arab Emirates.Why? Because one of the parties in the deal engaged in cruel, barbarous torture. Surprise!! It’s not the US!A 45-minute video smuggled out of the UAE…
Tequila!
Wine flights? Common. Beer flights? Getting there. But tequila flights? Now there’s a new one.Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, the newly-opened Bodega’s Taco Shop in the Museum District has introduced a tequila flight to its vast bar menu alongside other Latin-inspired refreshments like homemade sangria and fresh fruit margaritas. The tequila flight…
Dept. Of Badly Timed Press Releases: We’re Building A New Border Bridge From Mexico!
It can be tough to dodge all the PR releases flooding journalists’ inboxes offering swine-flu experts telling you to wash your hands.(Our favorite so far: Texas Dr. Gary Butka suggesting humming songs no one has hummed in years while washing hands.”I’m not just talking about running your hands under the…
Music Award Nominations Going On Now
You know, Houston, we here at Rocks Off have been talking mad shit lately about how much all these broke-dicks like Scott Stapp and Nickelback hilariously suck and whatnot. It’s easy to look down on pukes like that when we know what kind of awesome talent we have in our…
Semi-Spinal Tap Show Moves to House of Blues
Rocks Off just got word from AEG Live that Friday night’s “Unwigged & Unplugged” acoustic show, featuring original Spinal Tap members David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls, has been moved from Jones Hall to House of Blues. Mysteriously, no reason was given, but shows never seem to move…
Aftermath: Cake at Verizon Wireless Theater
Cake has never sounded like anyone else, and no one that came after has ever come close to sounding like the Sacramento band either. It’s not like Nirvana or Green Day, with 1,000 copycat bands immediately coming out of the proverbial woodwork to shove out their own shingle. Even if…
Swine Flu Can’t Beat (A Carefully Wrapped) God
With what is surely the Black Plague of the 21st Century bearing down on all our souls, the last place anyone wants to worry about swine flu is church. So some institutions, like the Austin Diocese, are suspending or altering communion.The story in the Waco Tribune includes a letter issued…
$7 at Blodgett’s Fish Market
Where: Blodgett’s Fish Market, 2603 Blodgett St., 713-526-1222 What $7 will get you: Anything on the menu, and then some. Don’t be confused by the fish in the name–most people come here for the chicken, not the batch of catfish on ice behind a small glass window at the counter…
We Are All Going To Die. Click Here For More Information!
Houstonians — HAVE YOU BREATHED ANY AIR LATELY?!?!Then run for the hills! That seems to be what the Houston Chronicle is saying with this latest splashed headline, sure to show up as a “Most Read Stories” link soon.Let’s get this straight — if you were in the Galleria recently, or…
Aftermath: Mates of State and Black Kids at Warehouse Live
And the cute, it works. They make music for just-married white college graduates who are spending their first summer together in their new house in the gentrified section of Anytown, USA, and now one of them is sick and wants chicken soup. Lots of da-da-das and do-dee-dops. Not much to…
Aeros Start Play For The Division Title Tonight; Luckily Krys Kolanos Is Playing
Earlier this season, I said the best way to describe the Houston Aeros was “consistently inconsistent.” When you expect them to play their best, they play their worst. When you expect them to play their worst, they play their best. Despite having three high-octane scorers in Krys Kolanos, Corey Locke,…
Idol Beat: The Top Five Results
Wednesday night.Blame it on the vodka, blame it on the Henny, blame it on whatever you wanna, but I’m going to place blame for the hiply generic feel of Jamie Foxx’s new single squarely on the shoulders of everybody responsible for perpetuating the increasingly dispiriting ubiquity of AutoTune-slimed pop hits…
Hispanics In Houston Not So Smart About Money, Financial-Planning Firm Says
Consumer advocates will warn you “be careful when a deodorant company tells you that you stink.” Hispanic business owners might want to keep that in mind as they consider the results of a new survey by the MassMutual Financial Group. Measuring the fiscal fitness of local Hispanic business owners, the…
Swine Flu Closes Three HISD Schools, Episcopal High — And All Of Fort Worth ISD (UPDATED)
HISD has announced two schools have closed until further notice because of possible — but not confirmed — cases of swine flu.Harvard Elementary and Hamilton Middle School, both in the Heights, are the schools.”Late last night the City of Houston Health Department informed HISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra of two probable,…
A Jailhouse Interview With A Houston Imam
Democracy Now host Amy Goodman has snagged a phone interview with Imam Zoubir Bouchikhi, a Houston Islamic cleric who has been jailed in a private-detention facility here for four months.You can read the transcript or listen here.Bouchikhi was taken by immigration authorities last year; an Algerian native, he’s lived in…
Some Potential Positives For Kids In This Whole Swine-Flu Thing
Sure, swine flu sucks. It doesn’t suck, though, if you were a high-school kid dreading the possibility of making a mistake in the statewide Wind Ensemble competition. You have a reprieve! Sure, it’s only temporary, but it’s still a reprieve.That’s not the only potential positive. The vicious outbreak of swine-flu…
Hold me Closer, Chinese Dancer: The Story Of Li Cunxin — And Houston’s Part In It — Comes To The Movies
In 1981, Chinese ballet dancer Li Cunxin made national news when he defected to the U.S. to join the Houston Ballet. The Chinese and U.S. governments faced off over the issue, and Vice President George Bush ended up intervening — and prevailing. Cunxin went on to dance with the Houston…
Back To The Leggy Future For Galveston, And John Nova Lomax
From 1920 to 1932, Galveston hosted an annual “pageant of pulchritude” on the beach in front of the Seawall. At its Roaring `20s peak, the bathing-suit contest that was officially known as the Galveston Island Beach Revue would entice some 200,000 people (a preponderance of them male, we would imagine)…
Fat Husband, Cute Wife. What’s Up With That?
I guess it started with The Honeymooners. You know, sitcom family equals fat husband, cute wife. According to Jim. King of Queens. Grounded for Life. Still Standing. Hell, even The Simpsons. And the list goes on. What do they have in common? All star a sitcom husband who is fat…
“Regeneration”
Metal sculptors can find their materials quite costly. That’s why Jonatan Lopez recycled the scraps from earlier efforts for his work seen at “Regeneration,” the new show at Green House Gallery. Press materials say, “Lopez views it as a welcome form of renewal…” Most of Lopez’s “Regeneration” works are sculptures…
“New Art in Austin: 20 to Watch”
Provocative and forward-thinking work — that’s what you’ll get at “New Art in Austin: 20 to Watch.” Presented by DiverseWorks, “New Art” showcases up-and-coming Central Texas artists including Baseera Khan, Kurt Mueller and Alyson Fox. Narrowing the hundreds of artists working in and around the Austin area to just 20…
Honk! A Musical Fable for Grown-ups
The Lion King was the hottest musical around in 2000, but it somehow lost the Oliver Award for Best Musical to the show Honk! A Musical Fable for Grown-ups. Then again, Lion King didn’t have a chorus of tap-dancing frogs, did it? Honk! is a musical retelling of Hans Christian…
Houston Grand Opera: Brief Encounter
The story starts in a train station, that most romantic of spaces, where possibilities seem infinite. Laura Jesson and Alec Harvey, a 1930s British housewife and doctor, already married to other people, meet by chance and fall deeply in love. André Previn’s Brief Encounter, the operatic version of Noël Coward’s…
Representa! Theater for the Hip-Hop Generation
Rapper Julio Cardenas and spoken-word artist Paul S. Flores met at the Global Hip-Hop Festival and found they were kindred spirits. The two joined up and produced today’s Representa! Bilingual Theatre for the Hip-Hop Generation, a collection of music, dance, poetry and performance art aimed at the under-25 crowd. 8…
“Vulnerable Ecologies”
Susan Stockwell transforms the remains of one of our closest companions into art. To create “Vulnerable Ecologies,” the British sculptor used recycled computer parts to construct sweeping, towering arrangements, giving busted keyboards and long-dormant circuits an almost organic grace. Stockwell’s site-specific installations have a disconcerting effect — seeing those once-clunky…
“Three”
From Mexico to the Netherlands, Several Dancers Core reached around the world to commission new works by female choreographers, which its CORE Performance Company will have its Houston premiere tonight in “Three.” The first work, the romantic Cumulus, set to string music by Charles Ives and the text of an…
“The Trilogy: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart”
Mozart fatigue is a common occurrence among classical music fans, but it can be alleviated by “The Trilogy: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,” a dance performance by Dominic Walsh Dance Theater and the Sarasota Ballet. Inspired by the life and work of the composer, the evening is a collaboration between the two…
Latin Wave: New Films from Latin America: The Maid
Latin American cinema is in another golden age. First there was Luis Buñuel and his feature work in Mexico during the ‘40s and ‘50s; more recently, there’s been a surge started by Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro. Mexico, Argentina and Brazil are the big players, but at Latin Wave:…
Target Free 1st Sunday
Take advantage of Target Free First Sunday, built around the exhibit “Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.” Kids can become archaeologists for the afternoon, listen to traditional Afghani stories or take tours of the exhibit. They can also sketch in the galleries and talk with artists. Adults won’t…
2009 Cinco de Mayo Celebration
Who cares if Cinco de Mayo isn’t a federal holiday in Mexico? Around these parts, it’s still cause for celebration. And even if you don’t know the historical reason for the party (it has something to do with the Battle of Puebla and the defeat of the French army), Comité…
Aperio: Cabaret of the Americas: From Piazzolla to Porter
Aperio’s Cabaret of the Americas From Piazzolla to Porter pairs the sultry sounds of Latin America with the sophisticated tunes of a swing-time America. Tenor Justin Greer, baritone Raul Orlando Edwards, cellist Daniel Saenz, and violinist Cristian Macelaru, among others perform a program that includes Astor Piazzolla’s “Oblivion,” Cole Porter’s…
Vida del Baile
If anyone else besides Dance Houston tried to present a show as huge as Vida del Baile, we’d say they’d lost their mind. But for a Dance Houston show, we expect nothing less than huge and exciting. Vida del Baile is a mega concert with more than 100 dancers performing…
“Mixing It Up!”
Ever had “imbalanced detrimental, overbearing thoughts”? Then you should understand choreographer Kiki Lucas’s new work by the same name. An examination of the intrusive noise that fills our heads from time to time, Thoughts is one of three premieres at today’s “Mixing It Up” dance concert. The premieres of Chambre…
“Nextures”
Abstract artist Janet Wayte enjoys her second solo exhibit at Darke Gallery with “Nextures,” a mixed-media show happening this month. The Houstonian, who works on both canvas and paper, incorporates both random and deliberate markings in layers of paint to build up an image. There’s an opening reception today at…
Alley Theatre: Rock ‘n’ Roll
Tom Stoppard is known for his erudite and difficult scripts that make audiences feel like geniuses when they get his references to everything from the Greeks to Russian history. His newest project, Rock ‘n’ Roll, just opened this week at the Alley Theatre. The story focuses on Jan, a Czech-born…
The Artist’s Eye: Christopher Sperandio
The loud urban streets and the hushed halls of art museums don’t usually intersect, but they do for Christopher Sperandio. The artist, who works with longtime partner Simon Grennan, examines comic books, movies and animation as a way to compare pop and fine art culture. A founding member of Kartoon…
Soul Nite
Worship at the church of the funky groove during today’s Soul Nite, a screening of vintage concert footage. In the 1960s, Detroit’s Motown recording studio became the altar for that earthy, expressive mixture of jazz, gospel and rhythm and blues called soul music. Its celebrants included Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin,…
The 5 Browns
Mama and Papa Brown must be so proud — and broke. They put five unusually talented kids through thousands of hours of music lessons and tours, not to mention Juilliard, with several grand pianos thrown in for good measure. But it paid off, as the kids now perform as The…
Garbage Warrior
Geopolitics, radical dreams, anti-bureaucracy sentiments and trash all make their way into the documentary film Garbage Warrior, the story of renegade architect Michael Reynolds. Promoting eco-friendly lifestyles and building methods, Reynolds and his construction crew travel from the U.S. to Mexico to India preaching off-the-grid, self-sustained living — with varying…
The Jung Center’s 23rd Annual Benefit Dinner – The Power of Untold Stories: An Evening with Cokie Roberts
She’s one of the most familiar faces in broadcasting — Cokie Roberts. She counts among her many titles NPR News congressional correspondent, best-selling author, syndicated columnist, political commentator and analyst. The Library of Congress calls her a Living Legend (six rugrats call her Grandma). So what’s the Emmy Award-winning Roberts…
The Gold: A New Musical
Going for the gold takes on new meaning in The Gold: A New Musical. The stage production tells the story of amateur boxer Joseph Cohen and his experiences as a Jewish athlete from the time of the Holocaust to the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday…
Livin’ Fat
What would you do if $50,000 dropped into your lap? You’d probably be pretty torn. That’s just how the Cooper family feels in Livin’ Fat when son David, a college student who’s working part time as a bank janitor, discovers loot that some robbers dropped. In playwright Judi Ann Mason’s…
Comicpalooza
If you’re not a Wolverine fan, go ahead and skip to the next event. If, however, like all other people with extremely good taste, you love the hairy, steel-implanted mutant, you’ll love this year’s Comicpalooza. Wolverine creators Herb Trimpe and Len Wein are set to appear at the free comic…
“The Great Texas Sculpture Roundup”
“The Great Texas Sculpture Roundup” ain’t no cattle call. The exhibit features work by Texas artists The Art Guys, Paul Kittleson, Troy Woods and Sharon Kopriva and two dozen other artists that represent a who’s who amongst Lone Star sculptors. You’ll see tigers’ eyes made from colored plastic cups in…
Dangerous Corner
Don’t dismiss Dangerous Corner as a typical 1930s thriller; it has some jaw-dropping, unexpected twists and turns. Some friends are enjoying themselves at a party as the play opens, but soon we see that there’s a tangled net of suspicion, guilt and anger that ties them all together. 8 p.m…
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, the Smithereens
If you’re going practically all the way to Tomball for a retro bill, it might as well be one that can practically rock you right back to the Loop. Hell, Joan Jett might be able to do that even without twentysomething hardbodies the Blackhearts backing her up. Since first stepping…
Jandek, MV + EE
The last thing anyone who piled into Rudyard’s upstairs Palm Sunday afternoon for the first-ever publicly advertised Houston performance by local “outsider musician” Jandek expected was nearly an hour and a half of thick-as-a-brick jazz-funk that sounded like Frank Zappa, Primus’s Les Claypool and James Brown drummer Clyde Stubblefield going…
Flight of the Conchords
Wow. For only being “New Zealand’s fourth most popular novelty folk duo,” singer/guitarists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement must be pretty ambitious to book Jones Hall. But of course, it will be filled with fans of their brilliant Flight of the Conchords HBO series, which follows the adventures of…a hapless…
You Want A Piece of Me? Let’s Make A Deal
The worsening kidney shortage has pushed the transplant community to try and find new donors. But it also wants to become more efficient with the ones it already has. For Dr. A. Osama Gaber, the transplant director at Methodist Hospital, there is nothing more frustrating than having a patient with…
Yes We Khan
Caution: Supersensitive sorts need not attend Theater LaB Houston’s production of Mark Brown’s China: The Whole Enchilada. The show is about as un-PC as it gets. Played by “three white guys” dressed in coolie hats, among other offensive garb, the show covers the history of China at breakneck speed, galloping…
Live at Liberty Hall
As the bloom fell off hippiedom, Houston’s musical landscape continued to evolve. Although clubs like Love Street Light Circus and the Catacombs became legendary, the fact of the matter was they had short lifespans. On March 4, 1971, Liberty Hall opened at 1610 Chenevert in a rapidly decaying area of…
Treating Themselves
Thank you: I have never personally e-mailed an author of an article that I’ve read in the Houston Press, but this one took the cake because it is something that hits home for me [“Generation DIY,” by John Lomax, April 16]. Thank you for shedding light on this subject. I…
You Want a Piece of Me?
Corey Black walks with his nose tipped down to the ground but his eyes glaring dead ahead. His long black hair hides his pale hollow face from the sun, and it bounces with his stride. As he picks up speed outside the downtown library, his baggy black jeans and black…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul,” “Helen Lessick: Other Arrangements,” “Henrique Oliveira: Tapumes,” “Literally Figurative,” “Perspectives 165: Contents Under Pressure”
“Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul” Although the Taliban managed to blow up the Bamyan Buddhas, they didn’t get their hands on everything. This exhibition showcases artifacts from the country’s incredibly rich cultural heritage. It includes delicate gold ornaments from the 2,000-year-old “Bactrian Hoard.” Discovered by a Soviet…
Cielo High
If the sign of a good happy hour is strong cocktails and delicious chicken wings, all for a rock-bottom price, then Cielo Mexican Bistro may have the best happy hour in town. Served four at a time, the mini chicken drumsticks, coated in an ancho chile glaze with a dusting…
Touring with Sleepytime Gorilla Museum
A band as bizarre, diverse and complicated as Sleepytime Gorilla Museum couldn’t be expected to travel in any normal vehicle. So it’s only proper that once the band pulls up to New York’s Bowery Ballroom, the usually stoic NYC passersby stop, point and stare. These are pedestrians who don’t blink…
Brisa Cocina Mexicana
Diana Ramos used to own Habanero Blue, near the ballpark downtown, but that fell victim to all of the construction that occurred a couple of years ago. She’s back with Brisa Cocina Mexicana (5161 San Felipe, 713-993-9899). “I wanted to give customers a taste of some of the different things…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Rigoletto, The Seven Year Itch
Rigoletto Sly maestro that he was, composer Giuseppe Verdi wrote the role of the libertine, sex-obsessed Duke of Mantua as a tenor, making the character thoroughly detestable yet giving him the most passionate, flying melodies about free love. The Duke is forever seducing the wives of his courtiers, all while…
Guadalajara Del Centro
Attention, please: The enchilada marisco ($15) at Guadalajara Del Centro (1201 San Jacinto, 713-650-0101) is one of those dishes that makes you sit up and take note after a single bite. No wonder it’s one of their signature dishes. A combination of shrimp and crab is stuffed inside an enchilada,…
The Haunting in Rhode Island
Two weeks after jowly Matthew Perry transformed into pretty Zac Efron to relive his adolescence in 17 Again, Warner Bros. releases Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, another backward and backward-looking child-is-father-to-the-man rom-com, with Matthew McConaughey, who, 18 years Efron’s senior and slightly butcher, has just a few more years of prettiness…
Fresh Fruit
Nick Cooper, drummer for famed Houston genre-fusionists Free Radicals, may be the most entertaining near-motionless performer you’ve ever seen. By default, you’d expect the guy with the gigantic saxophone (Pete Sullivan) to be the sonic leader of the band, but after about eight seconds it’s clear that it’s Cooper. Oddly,…
UH Gets the Brush-Off from Nike
Sports Phi Slama Jama Lives — But Not in Houston Nike’s new sneaker not for sale here With a 31-3 record and slam-dunking skills like no other, the “dunking fraternity” Phi Slama Jama put University of Houston men’s basketball on the map in 1983. So much so that Nike will…
¡Ask a Mexican!
Dear Readers, As you drinko por Cinco this May 5, please take around this column listing songs that mariachis will actually gladly play instead of having to glumly strum through the umpteenth “La Bamba” and “Guantanamera.” The following eclectic choices (and reasoning) came from hundreds submitted by wabs and savvy…
Got Live If You Want It
As promised, here’s the second part of Noise’s spring/summer concert preview. It’s nice to know there are too many venues – and too many shows – in town to fit in one column. And although any good news on the economy is still almost impossible to come by, recent empirical…
Dredg, Torche
Dredg is a powerful live force that creates an unrelentingly heavy wall of guitar noise, but like a more metal-influenced Explosions in the Sky (or a less pop-centric Coheed and Cambria), the Bay Area quartet’s strength lies in its ability to tell a very involved story mostly through subtle dynamic…
Ximena Sariñana
Among the rising stars of the Latin Alternative movement — the growing trend of mostly Spanish-language performers who do not play traditional beats — Mexican-born Ximena Sariñana is the one to watch. Daughter of a behind-the-scenes show-business couple (her father is a film producer, her mother a screenwriter), the 24-year-old…
Unwigged & Unplugged
True story: Years ago, this writer ran smack into comedians Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer in an East Village bar, holding court in character as Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins and Derek Smalls. It was a wise-ass musician’s wet dream, which should also be the case…
Kristine Mills
Two things are surprising about Houston jazz singer Kristine Mills’s latest release, bossanovafied. One, the bossa nova/samba beat lasts the entire album without growing tiresome. Two, on her third album, Mills wrote or cowrote all the music and lyrics for the first time. Recorded in Rio de Janeiro with Brazilian…
