“Dolls Now”
Okay, so we admit some of the pieces in the exhibit “Dolls Now” are a little — how can we say this nicely? — eerie. Karin Burfict’s You Go First piece is a whimsical pair of lifelike dolls. One is a woman, captured in the middle of a hearty laugh,…
“Summer City: New Work by Will Bryant and Rand Renfrow”
See the first-ever exhibit by Will Bryant and Rand Renfrow, two self-described easygoing guys who happen to be artists, in “Summer City: New Work by Will Bryant and Rand Renfrow.” Feel-good cartoon characters (including a cell phone wearing a baseball cap and a pear wearing a fanny pack) are among…
“Objects of Devotion”
The art exhibit “Objects of Devotion,” currently on view at The Menil Collection, asks the question: Is it art, or is it a sacred object? The exhibition’s name offers a clue as to the stance the museum took when assembling the works. The pieces, which range from a ninth-century vessel…
Bartender Chat: Kenny Roberts of Lola’s Depot
If you’re brave enough to admit that you like to go to Lola’s Depot, you might get a funny look or two, but the truth is that the place is piece of Montrose history. Plus it has seriously cheap, seriously stiff drinks that are made by some of the friendliest…
Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race
The Food Network, as we all know, has edged away from actual cooking shows and toward entertaining shows having something to do with food–Iron Chef America, Cupcake Wars, Chopped and, now, The Great Food Truck Race. GFTR, which premiered Sunday night, seems promisingly unique in two ways: It builds a…
NBA Rumors: Carmelo Anthony Is Interested In Bringing His Talents To Houston
Carmelo Anthony is interested in coming here? To Houston? To play for the Rockets? Don’t be messing with us, Sports Illustrated. Supposedly it’s so. SI reported that the Rockets are on a short list of teams Anthony would be interested in joining if he and his current employers, the Denver…
Reduxion: Talking Too Short With Fat Tony
Tomorrow night at Walter’s On Washington, Rocks Off introduces Reduxion to Houston. The monthly party will feature some of the city’s best bands trotting out live sets of music from artists who influenced their sound along the way. We spoke with Ryan Taylor last week from The Burden, who will…
Rio Grande Mud: Cops, Mayors and Judges Busted For Corruption, DWI And Whoring All Over Valley
On moving to Miami during that city’s Cocaine Cowboy heyday, a friend once described the place thusly: “You are nobody here until you are under indictment.” As the frontline for the drug war has shifted from Colombia and South Florida to Mexico and South Texas, it seems like that ethos…
Bush’s Chicken in Georgetown
As a Baylor Bear, I always do two things when visiting Waco: eat at Bush’s Chicken and then regret eating so much at Bush’s Chicken. It seems most colleges or universities have their own local food joint that started out by surviving on the continual stream of students spending Mommy…
Random Ephemera: iPhone Lee
Every week, Art Attack explores a chance combination of words and the images they yield. With the internet, where people go to find stuff, it’s easier than ever to plug in the pieces and search for a random epiphany. So again, in an attempt to mine the collective super-consciousness of…
Game Time: Texans Wednesday AM Practice Report (LIVE from New Orleans!)
Safe, sound, and functioning on three hours of sleep, I am LIVE in New Orleans at the Saints practice facility in Metarie, LA covering the Texans and the Saints inter-squad practice sessions. For those unaware of the agenda, the Texans spent this morning and will spend tomorrow morning (Thursday) doing…
Stirred & Shaken: Noah’s Ark Bar and Grill’s Oyster Shooter
Noah’s Ark Bar and Grill (4438 Boulevard St., 281-339-2895) in Bacliff is salty as hell, in the best way possible. Downstairs, countless cigarettes have infused the walls with a smell we city drinkers aren’t exposed to much anymore, thanks to Houston’s indoor smoking ban. Area residents pack the weatherworn patio…
The 11 Best Internet-Only Radio Stations
Should Rice University’s pending sale of KTRU to the University of Houston for use as a classical sister station to KUHF go through, Houston would lose one of its oldest sources of independent, over-the-air music programming. Having sat in KTRU’s studio many times as a local artist telling the FM…
Desayuno at Honduras Maya
When it comes to breakfast, Hondurans have a slight leg up on Americans. Just as Americans venerate a big, hearty breakfast (which we, in reality, very rarely have time for anymore), so do Hondurans. The difference is, Hondurans actually eat that breakfast each morning — or at least a scaled-down…
Band Camp: Keeping Kids In School And Sending Them To College Begins With Music
At two HISD inner-city high schools, band directors impact more than the music. They build self-confidence, implement discipline and develop leaders — and it starts every summer with band camp. Despite unhealthy levels of heat, the students come, day after day — at some programs more consistently than others. Practices…
Burgers and Beer for $10 at Voice
I love the Hotel Icon. Something about the gilded ceilings, rich carpets and endless draping always makes me want to talk in the clipped 1940s manner of Katherine Hepburn. “Life is hard, kid. After all, it kills you.” “It’s definitely the décor,” my girlfriend says. “It’s Hollywood Regency: a throwback…
The Ultimate Sandal-Rock Mixtape
Tonight Craig’s Hlist will drive all the way out the Woodlands to see Jack Johnson, one of sandal-rock’s biggest superstars. He’s like the Lady the Rolling Stones of sandal-rock. He’s like the McDonald’s of sandal-rock. He’s James Taylor for people who shop at Whole Foods. He’s the Sex Pistols for…
Gallery Scene: Opening This Week
This week Lawndale installs a 450-ton “head,” Claire Richards gets emotionally abstract, and a studio opens its doors to invaders. Here’s where we’re drinking for free this Friday and Saturday. Boozefox, Robert Harrington, Tobiah Mundt, Logan Beck Lawndale’s August exhibitions include a 450-ton head from Austin collective Boozefox, Logan Beck’s…
The Ballad Of Beans Barton, Captain Beefheart And Stomach Pump Ruland
Lonesome, Onry and Mean likes us some Beans Barton and the Bi-Peds. Loves us some. No act in town comes close to the joyous pandemonium of one of the Bi-Peds’ performance-art sets at Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar. Belly dancers, children, hippies, hula-hoopers, and other weirdos – in both the band…
Local Oil Spill ‘Action Group’ To Host Mock Funeral At City Hall
It took nearly three months to stop oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion from spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. By the time the well was “capped,” it is estimated that over 4.9 million barrels of crude oil flowed into the ocean, killing marine life and destroying wildlife…
What Would You Ask Anthony Bourdain?
Right around this time next week, we’ll be having the ultimate Chef Chat with none other than everyone’s favorite culinary iconoclast: Anthony Bourdain. On September 20, Jones Hall and the Society for the Performing Arts is hosting Bourdain as he comes to Houston for a one-night-only speaking engagement, Up Close…
Joseph Leroy Davis, 69, Bayou Body Count No. 204
You live to be 69, you’re probably thinking you’re not going to die by a vicious stabbing.But Joesph Leroy Davis, 69, went out that way in what looks to have been a burglary on the north side early Tuesday morning.Police were called to the scene after witnesses described “a short…
Odd Pair: Cheetos & Höpler Grüner Veltliner
I’m generally a pretty healthy eater. My idea of fast food is picking up a readymade vegetable-heavy dinner from Whole Foods. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, I love Cheetos. In fact, I have dedicated an entire day of the week to it: “Cheeto Sunday.” The idea is simple…
The Seven Worst Back To School Soundtracks
Going back to school sucks, and Rocks Off feels the pain of students far and wide. We’ve got another two semesters left before we graduate from college and get to move out of our parents’ house. Yay! In the meantime, there are a few songs/albums/artists on our iPod we’re especially…
Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count No. 203
A man and his girlfriend were ambushed as they got out of their car late Tuesday night; the man died but the woman was uninjured.Police say the victim, whose identity has not been released pending notification of family, emerged from his car at the Villa Americana Apartments in the 5900…
Media Embargo: UH And Rice Get What They Want From The Chronicle
They probably played this on KTRUIf you’re going to kill off the last station in town that epitomizes “college radio” (for better or worse), you have to work hard not to come off looking like a villain.The University of Houston and Rice sure did, using a media embargo in cooperation…
Foodies Or Hipsters: Who’s More Obnoxious?
Okay, first up, a little clarification, since a bunch of you just got pissed off at the terms used in the headline and won’t even read the article before leaving enraged spittle all over the comments section. When we say “hipster,” and we hate to repeat this overused term, we…
Jennifer Grassman Goes A-Haunting
Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group “Artist of the Week,” bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn’t awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. Prior to the HPMAs, we had taken to…
Houston Author Crafts the Interactive World of My Darklyng
32 year-old, West University-raised Laura Moser is still trying to write the “Great Houston Novel,” but she may have already tackled the “Great Internet Novel.” She and her collaborator Lauren Mechling have, over this summer, published a serial novel for young adults called My Darklyng, about a teenager addicted to…
Game Time: Whaler Fan Fest — Houston Oiler Fans May Know How I Feel
Hartford Whalers: They live on as a dessert”Somewhere along the line, we will see you in another place in another time. God bless all of you fans. Remember one thing, you may have lost the NHL, but you have not lost the memories.” — Chuck Kaiton, the voice of the…
Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Feeding Curiosity: The main reason for following Chef Randy Rucker’s blog? Announcements…
Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count No. 202
A man walking home from a bar was shot as he entered an apartment complex on the northwest side early Tuesday, police said.The victim, whose identity has not been verified, was shot several times and was pronounced dead at the scene a little before 2 a.m.Police say he had been…
Foodies Or Hipsters: Who’s More Obnoxious?
Okay, first up, a little clarification, since a bunch of you just got pissed off at the terms used in the headline and won’t even read the article before leaving enraged spittle all over the comments section. When we say “hipster,” and we hate to repeat this overused term, we…
Tyron Carrier: Coogs’ Ace Returner Looks For More
The Cougars return more than just stud QB Case Keenum to this year’s squad. Also returning are Tyron Carrier, Patrick Edwards, and James Cleveland, the first wide receiving trio in school history to each surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season.And while it might have been Cleveland who led the…
Baylor The Baby Elephant: All Hail The Mighty Victor Of The Houston Zoo Cute-Off
The final match-up of the Houston Zoo Cute-Off, the comprehensive effort to find The One Cute to Rule Them All, was close. Very close. Votes coming in by comments and e-mail, though, showed what had been evident from the beginning: Baylor the baby elephant is just damn cute. So revel,…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Heather Vaughan of Chef Heather’s Personal Chef Services
Heather Vaughan is a relative newcomer to the personal chef business in Houston, but she is quickly making a name for herself with her restaurant-quality meals that can be eaten in the privacy of your own home. We sat down with her to discuss cooking, restaurants, and why she’s not…
Top Five: Eerie Lines From The Road Warrior
How serendipitous: The Landmark River Oaks Theatre is screening The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2) as a midnight movie the same week Mel Gibson crashes his Maserati. How ironic that the actor, whose most iconic role involved driving a rusty fuel tanker at high speed while fighting off a raging…
RJD2: A Day In The Life Of A Minotaur
Every day Rocks Off trolls the tubes of you in search of videos to share. If you have something that you think deserves to be video of the day, send a link to jef_rouner at yahoo dot com. Your daily VJ’s favorite mythical creature is without a doubt the Minotaur…
Ellen Hopkins: Young Adult Author Gets Uninvited To Book Festival, Igniting Protests
Ellen Hopkins: Humble doesn’t want youThe Teen Lit Fest in Humble is a huge deal for renowned writers of young adult fiction and the kids they’re writing for. Which is why it’s a huge deal that half of the authors have dropped out of the January 2011 festival. It all…
Jasbir Kaur: Sikh’s Eviction Documents Say God Wants Her Out
Jasbir Kaur, a Sikh living in Harris County, was having trouble with her mortgage. She lost her job due to a medical problem and was behind in her payments. Still, she thought she could save her home, and was in discussions with a mortgage company, hoping to negotiate a deal…
KTRU Staff, Supporters Vent, Discuss Plans To Fight Station’s Sale
Still stunned, confused and exhausted from the news that Rice University had agreed to sell the terrestrial broadcast rights and capabilities of its largely student-staffed radio station KTRU (91.7 FM) to the University of Houston System, several dozen DJs, alumni, listeners and a handful of local musicians gathered to brainstorm…
Principal Bertie Simmons Gets Her School Fixed Up (a Little), Furr Forum Hosts Trustee Candidates
A spiffed-up Furr High School played host to the District VIII school board candidates forum at mid-day today, as community members and some trustees got a chance to assess who might be a good choice to replace Diana Davila. Some of the Furr High School kids were up until 4:30…
Latin Fusion: Can Cubans Really Get Along with Mexicans?
Apparently they can when it comes to nachos and tacos, though I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical of this idea at first. When I visit Miami, the American hub of all things Cuban, I don’t see any Cuban fusion restaurants. The closest thing would be an…
KTRU News Roils, Saddens Local Music Community
UPDATED (5:35 p.m.) to include comments from Rice’s B.J. Almond and a new Facebook count. News of the University of Houston’s impending purchase of Rice University student radio station KTRU, which the U of H Board of Regents approved 4-3 earlier today, has hit the city hard. Although some people…
KUHF: It’s Going 24/7 News And Talk, But It’s Not Adding Staff To Do It
So now that KUHF is going 24/7 news and talk — taking Rice’s KTRU to the graveyard as it does so — we should be getting a whole lot of new local programming, with more reporters and staff to produce lots of additional news product? Not so much. We’ll let…
Pop Rocks: Bo Wyble, Foul-Ball Cad Gets Catty
(Note: Pete Vonder Haar is on vacation.)Bo Wyble is the new-ish Houstonian who’s gained some notoriety for his epic levels of lameness when he was caught on camera ducking out of the way of a foul ball that hit his girlfriend.Wyble said he lost it in the lights. We assume…
DQ Blizzard Creme Oreos
Given the long-standing partnership between Nabisco and Dairy Queen, I wasn’t terribly surprised to see that the two brands had joined forces to create DQ Blizzard Creme Oreos. The Blizzard of the Month at Dairy Queen right now is, in fact, the “Brownie Earthquake” (funny how we’re now linking natural…
Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count No. 201
A man was found shot dead in the street on the northeast side of town this morning.The victim, whose name was not released pending notification of his family, was shot a little after midnight in the 6800 block of Henley, police said.Witnesses reported hearing several gunshots just after midnight; about…
Top 5 Fine Food Arts
Art created from food has a uniquely universal appeal and a certain whimsy that you don’t always find with other media. But food artists are often dismissed as “novelty,” despite the powerful reach of their work and the fact that it’s often crafted out of some of the most finicky…
Kelly Gene Parker: HS Principal Brags About His Penis To 17-Year-Old Girl
Kelly Gene Parker, the former principal of a Waco-area high school, wasn’t against all that there “sexting” like some high school principals can be. Especially the ones from the Waco area.A former Meridian High School student is suing the school district, claiming Parker sexually harassed her and that she was…
The 5 Scariest Things About Denny’s
In the recent kerfluffle regarding Denny’s new sandwich, the Fried Cheese Melt, we seem to have forgotten that it’s far from the only reason to be afraid of the 24-hour restaurant chain. Allow us to remind you. 1. The Grand Slamwich It’s understandable that people were so horrified at the…
Sammus: The Femme Rapper/Producer’s Top Five Remix Tracks
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place – lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good – so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted…
Creamy, Dreamy Cornbread
As mentioned in yesterday’s post on frog legs, one of the best (and easiest) dishes to serve alongside it is a simple skillet of cornbread. And although this is a supremely easy recipe to make — so easy, in fact, that you may find yourself making it multiple times in…
Rice Gallery; Arts Programs Tighten Budgets
Hot on the heels of the news that the University of Houston’s KUHF will purchase Rice University’s KTRU radio station and change its format to classical-music-only, comes more bad news that Rice Gallery will most likely have to scale back its annual number of exhibitions due to further tightening of…
Unidentified Male, 35, Bayou Body Count No. 200
A man who shot Saturday morning on the southeast side of town died Sunday, police said today.The male victim, whose identity is being withheld pending notification of family, was shot several times a little before 9 a.m. Saturday in the 6100 block of the Gulf Freeway.Police responded to a call…
How Many Musicians Does It Take To Screw In A Light Bulb?
Working in a sheet music store, you hear an awful lot of musician jokes, and you flip through a lot of musician joke books when trade is slow. One Rocks Off’s favorite type of jokes is the “How many ____ does it take to screw in a light bulb” category,…
The Junior League of Houston Cookbooks
The Junior League of Houston was once a group of affluent ladies who lunch who came together at the Tea Room to plan out their charitable contributions. Today the Junior League of Houston is comprised of a much more diverse crowd; they are working women from all walks of life,…
Speed In A Hunstville School Zone, Get Fined $312
Houston makes the top 10 list for big finesThe school year has begun in some places, and that means school zones are up and cops are watching for violators. In some places you can’t text or talk on your cell in a school zone; in every place you can’t speed…
Classy Nude Pics Used In Un-Classy Way, Suit Claims; Gets A Classic Response
Austin photographer Leann Collins shoots weddings and African wildlife images, but it’s her pics of T&A that are at the center of a copyright lawsuit she just filed against Houston publisher John Gray.Strip-club afficionados might be familiar with Gray’s magazines, such as Adult Quest, Wildscene, and Risque Business and others…
Lone Star Bash at the Brewery
We tend to be skeptical of beers that feel the need to market the hell out of themselves in a way that doesn’t relate to the beer itself, but we suppose we’re obligated to give Lone Star Beer a pass. Kind of like how non-native Texans are obligated to stand…
Weird Weekly Video: Tomas Saraceno’s Big-Ass Bubble
Argentine artist Tomas Saraceno’s exhibition “Lighter than Air” recently closed at the University of Houston’s Blaffer Museum of Art. It was an impressive display of lightness, tension and archtectural concepts based on sustainability. It also looked terrific–Saraceno’s transparent spheres seemed to float in the space, tethered to the walls, floor…
KTRU: The Death Knell Rings, Thanks To UH
Moments ago, the University of Houston Board of Regents approved the purchase of Rice University student station KTRU (91.7) FM, reports Rocks Off’s Matthew Keever, who is at the board’s quarterly meeting at the Hilton University of Houston.The motion carried by a margin of 4 to 3. Several people showed…
A Block of Burgers in Alvin
Rarely do you find a saturation of good food in a small town. So it’s a pleasant surprise to see Alvin’s tidy little downtown area housing three excellent eateries, all located right next door to one another: The much ballyhooed Barbed Rose, the Burger Bar (its attached, open-air burger joint)…
KTRU: U Of H Regents Approve Purchase Of Rice Station
UPDATE (12:15 p.m.): Rocks Off will have more on the pending change of ownership at KTRU and its fallout this afternoon, with further comments from members of the Houston music scene including several current and former KTRU staffers. Moments ago, the University of Houston Board of Regents approved the purchase…
Newest Racetrack Sponsor: Purple Drank?
If you’re going to forgo a quarter-century of tradition and change the name of your racetrack to some sponsor’s name, what better choice than Purple Drank? It’s the signature beverage of Houston, after all, and if you want to talk tradition, then start talking about sippin’ and cruisin’. We’re not…
Hollywood F.L.O.S.S.’s Xperiment: Build Your Own Mixtape
Recently, Hollywood F.L.O.S.S., or as we’ve unofficially taken to calling him, The 135-Pound Smile, set to work on promoting Xperiment 2, a hybrid mixtape/self-marketing ploy. Rather than simply sending out a completed mixtape to various media outlets, he sent out a sort of informal challenge. It was fairly simple. To…
Pop Rocks: Bo Wyble, Foul-Ball Cad — Quit While You’re Behind. Way Behind
(Note: Pete Vonder Haar is on vacation.)Bo Wyble is the new-ish Houstonian who’s gained some notoriety for his epic levels of lameness when he was caught on camera ducking out of the way of a foul ball that hit his girlfriend.Wyble said he lost it in the lights. We assume…
Last Night: Bootown’s “Grown-Up Storytime”
It seems Bootown’s “Grown-Up Storytime” just gets more popular with every reading. The monthly event that usually takes place on the second Tuesday for some reason wound up happening on a Monday this time, but that didn’t stop a crowd from practically filling the upstairs room at Rudyard’s Pub. If…
Name that Pizza Place: The Finalists Are In
You may remember that we reported a couple of weeks ago that the owners of the former Double Dave’s Pizza Works on Ella were looking for someone to help them rename the joint, and that they’d give away a pie a week for a year for the best suggestion. Well,…
Upcoming: Dawes, GWAR, ICP, Paul Oakenfold, Talib Kweli, Etc.
Badfish (Sublime Tribute): Fri., Jan. 28. House of Blues. The Bellamy Brothers, John Slaughter: Fri., Nov. 19. Cypress Saloon. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone: Tue., Sept. 28. Khon’s. Dash Rip Rock: Fri., Nov. 12. The Bronze Peacock Room @ House Of Blues. Dawes, Pete Wolf Crier, The Romany Rye: Fri.,…
Would Juggalos Be So Quick To Throw Things At Ozzy?
Ed. Note: Just so we’re perfectly clear, despite the long-standing tradition of audiences expressing their disapproval – and indeed, in punk-rock circles, approval – by flinging projectiles at the stage, Rocks Off does not condone any concert behavior, from fans or performers, that could lead to bodily injury. Lord knows…
Dear Drayton: Be Like Nolan Ryan And Lower Some Prices
Dear Drayton,I know that you probably don’t pay any attention to anything that I say. If you did, Ed Wade would be on the unemployment line, Carlos Lee would be playing rancher fulltime, and Pedro Feliz would be playing baseball in some independent league where he belongs.But you should really…
Nick Cave: Yes, He’s Still A Creepy Weirdo (NSFW… Sort Of)
Every day Rocks Off trolls the tubes of you in search of videos to share. If you have something that you think deserves to be video of the day, send a link to jef_rouner at yahoo dot com. OK, Your daily VJ has brought some rather impressive bits of WTF…
Eyesore: H.L. & P. Building on Dunlavy
Near the intersection of West Gray and Dunlavy, an unattractive, industrial red-brick warehouse is attached to a jungle-gym of transformers. In the evening, the building’s only residents, a flock of crows, are barely audible over the drone of turbines and generators. This building was likely constructed in the mid-1940s by…
Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count No. 199
A man is dead in what looks to be a premeditated killing on the south side Saturday night. The victim, whose name has not been released, was sitting in a car in an apartment complex in the 4400 block of Belllfort about 10 p.m. Witnesses said they saw two black…
Where Are We Drinking?
Sturdy wooden tables, comfortable banquets, soft lighting and a glass of wine. This could be any upscale restaurant in Houston, right? Not if you look for the hidden clues… Think you know where we’re drinking this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Exclusive: Trae Leaks First Can’t Ban Tha Truth Single “Cop A Drop”
Here’s what you have to appreciate about Trae: He will always let his feelings be known. Always. Always. You’ve got a better chance of finding someone in Houston to say something nice about Mike Jones than you do of Trae holding his tongue. Whether that’s an intricate personality quirk that…
The Five Most Overrated Neighborhoods In Houston
Last week we told you about Houston’s most underrated neighborhoods; now it’s time to determine the area’s most overrated places to live. Where to begin? Let us travel north for starters. 5. The Woodlands Recently the author of something called The Nordstrom Guide to Everyday Dressing called The Woodlands “hip,”…
HISD Kicks Off Its Apollo 20 Program For Troubled Schools
As if surrendering your long, lazy summer to the start of another tedious school year is not hard enough, students from five HISD middle schools and four high schools are making that plunge an entire week earlier, with the start of the Apollo 20 project Monday. In addition, HISD is…
KTRU: Is UH About To Buy Rice’s Station And Transform It From Unique To Bland? (UPDATED: Yes, They Are)
Could the end of KTRU as Houston knows it be upon us? Our sister blog Rocks Off has heard that Rice student station at 91.7 FM, long one of Houston radio’s few outlets for underground, avant-garde and local music, may about to be acquired by the University of Houston for…
KTRU: Is U Of H About To Buy Rice Student Station?
UPDATE: Although the decision is still pending the regents’ approval, KUHF confirmed the news via press release early Tuesday morning. KTRU will continue to broadcast online at ktru.org. Could the end of KTRU as Houston knows it be upon us? Rocks Off has heard that Rice student station at 91.7…
Battle Celebrity Chef: Cat Cora v. Rachael Ray
One is a bona fide chef, while the other is a self-described cook. One has made headlines because of her unique method of getting pregnant; the other appears on the pages of the supermarket rags because she is apparently about to get a divorce once a week. One is friends…
Designer Shina Rae Dazzles with New Collection
Shina Rae’s recent fashion show was literally hot. Like, the A/C must have been broken. But appropriately, the clothes were pretty smoking as well. Full of fun, bright, and exuberant ultra-mini skirts and dresses, the show was a triumph for Rae, a veteran of Houston fashion. There was even a…
Elvin Jeovanny Flores, 35, Bayou Body Count No. 198
No charges have been filed, but an investigation is continuing into a fatal shooting in a Greenspoint apartment complex Friday night. A security guard shot an intoxicated man, Elvin Jeovanny Flores, 35, who tried to stab him with a butcher knife after an argument over loud music shortly before midnight,…
Ingredient of the Week: Mole
What is it? You can’t live in this great city of ours and escape the enigma that is mole, the complex, dramatic sauce that covers enchiladas, chicken and even French fries (if that sort of thing suits you). It’s pronounced moh-lay, just in case you’ve been living under a rock…
Best Of Houston: Let The Voting Begin
The voice of the people must be heard! Voting begins today for the 2010 edition of our Best of Houston, where we pay tribute to everything that makes this town great. Whether it’s a heretofore hidden restaurant, the best place to buy comics or used furniture, or which Houstonians deserve…
Mascot School: How To Entertain, And What About Having To Pee?
See a slideshow from mascot camp. Saturday morning around eight, merely a handful of hours after my Friday night had ended, I was standing next to the administration entrance at the Toyota Center with a group of high school and college mascots, their parents, and a few other assorted costumed…
Can Non-Black Rappers Use The N-Word In Their Music?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday (that isn’t a national holiday) Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Chuckway, Paul Wall, Fat Tony, Yung Redd, Coast Not Invited: The Rev. Jesse Jackson This Week’s Prompt: Last…
An Economical Answer to Your Recipe Rut
Home cooks know it’s easy to get into a recipe rut. Yes, despite the eleventy jabillion recipes available to us via cookbooks, blogs, Web sites, TV shows, magazines, newspapers and exchanges, I still find myself making the same two or three recipes all the time. I love that Asian Pork…
Game Time: Mike Leach, Texans and Grounded Clubs — Weekend Thoughts
I’m two hours removed from a 5:00 a.m. flight this morning from Boston to Houston, so if this post is even remotely coherent we all have Rich Connelly and his ninja proofreading skills to thank. Because when you go up to Hartford for Whaler Fest 2010, there’s no half steppin’,…
Urban Style Takes a Seat at “Modern Art Graffiti”
This past Saturday, Gonzo 247, owner of the urban-themed Aerosol Warfare Gallery, presented “Modern Art Graffiti,” a new line of dimensionally crafted industrial furniture at Design Within Reach on West Gray. He re-surfaced vintage Herman Miller fiberglass chairs with his own unique graffiti art. Miller produced some of the most…
The Zillion-Calorie Cheese-Stick Sandwich
After learning that Denny’s has a new cheese-stick sandwich, I just had to try it. Yes, that’s right: a cheese-stick sandwich. Four cheese sticks are smothered between two slices of American cheese, two slices of buttered toast, and then fried again. Bring it on, baby! Don’t forget the marinara on…
Top Eight Weirdest Saturday Night Live Musical Moments
This past Saturday was Steve Martin’s birthday and, if you’re old enough, you may remember back to a time when the snow-capped comedian/actor/musician was more than just a comedy archaeologist, exhuming the corpses of classic comic franchises and defiling the shit out of them. No, he actually used to be…
Best Of Houston: Let The Voting Begin
The voice of the people must be heard! Voting begins today for the 2010 edition of our Best of Houston, where we pay tribute to everything that makes this town great. Whether it’s a heretofore hidden restaurant, the best place to buy comics or used furniture, or which Houstonians deserve…
Sunday: Girls Rock Camp Showcase At Walter’s On Washington
Girls Rock Camp Houston 2010 Showcase Walter’s on Washington August 15, 2010 Sunday evening, Walter’s on Washington was the most packed we’d seen it in months, as proud parents crowded the stage to see the transformations undergone by their pre-teen daughters during last week’s inaugural Girls Rock Camp Houston. The…
What’s Your Burger Bag?
When I was in middle school, my mother put me on a bus to the East Coast. (This is a long story.) The bus stopped in Kentucky at one point, and we all got off to eat lunch. We’d stopped in a McDonald’s parking lot, and I walked inside, a…
Bond No. 9: A Perfume That Smells Like Texas. 10 Things It’s Missing
CultureMap, which gets all of the very finest press releases that plebes like us don’t, has news on a new, exclusive Texas perfume about to go on sale at Saks Fifth Avenue.Bond No. 9 (Motto: “Be mysterious, like our idiotic name”) will have a limited Texas edition of 400 bottles,…
The Pâté de Paris Sandwich from Spec’s
If you have never had the pleasure of eating a sandwich from Spec’s Midtown, you are missing out. The deli in the back is amazing. It has burgers, chili cheese dogs and sandwiches that will blow your mind. I recently got the Pâté de Paris sandwich for $6.99…
Sharon Keller: Texas Supreme Court Bravely Upholds Slap On The Wrist She Got
Sharon Keller, presiding judge for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, was barely, barely punished in connection with a famous incident where she told lawyers trying to file appeals for a Death Row inmate “We close at 5.” Hours later, the man was executed.She received a “public warning” from the…
Friday Night: Pat Benatar At House Of Blues
Pat Benatar House of Blues August 13, 2010 For more photos from Friday’s show, see our slideshow here. For some reason whenever we saw people after Friday night’s Pat Benatar show and they asked what we thought, all we could do was shrug our shoulders. Usually after a show, we…
The Week In TV: Imploding Idol
Remakes abound, reality TV refuses to die, and the summer sun is slowly burning everything alive. This was the week in TV Land: • In American Idol news, the show’s gradual implosion continued apace last week as Jennifer Lopez was booted from her spot as judge before the deal was…
Froggie Goes a Grilling
At least one of the bizarre conclusions drawn by some readers from last week’s post about the impending “foodie backlash” was that I hate frog legs. More specifically, that I hate local frog legs and the restaurants and chefs that serve them, and wish for them all to perish painfully…
Abo Obyb Abdel-Salaam, 42, Bayou Body Count No. 197
Two men have been accused of killing the owner of a convenience store they were trying to rob by running over him with a vehicle.Abo Obyb Abdel-Salaam, 42, owned a Chevron convenience store on the far west side and was working there about 10 p.m. Friday night. Police say he…
Saturday Night: A.A. Bondy And JBM At Mango’s
A.A. Bondy, JBM Mango’s August 14, 2010 Aftermath has attended several concerts in this town where it seems that the universe is trying its damnedest to make sure that everyone has a crappy time. Honestly, we wish the universe would leave Houston alone these days, because there are already enough…
Hope Stone Dance’s Lemonade Short, Sweet
Is there anyone in Houston better at multi-tasking that Jane Weiner? Right now the choreographer and executive director of Hope Stone Dance is presenting a three-weekend benefit festival at Barnevelder, while also serving as artistic director for the Pink Ribbons Project, running her Montrose dance facility Hope Center, and directing…
Dynamo Still Can’t Buy A Goal
You know you’re in a slump when you outplay a team in their own backyard and still manage to lose.That’s what happened to the Dynamo Saturday night in Boston, as the Revolution came away with a 1-0 victory. The Dynamo were dominating possession in the second half, when Revs forward…
True Blood: Everything Is Broken, Even The Vamps
Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He’s lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood – which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Season 3, Episode 9: “Everything…
Health Dept. Roundup
City health inspectors had a relatively easy time of it this week, but we’ll still follow their footsteps to some of the poorer performers on Health Department Roundup. At Pho 102 (10815 Beechnut), an August 12 change-of-ownership inspection found insects were not prevented from entering the restaurant through open doors…
Saturday Night: Gram Rabbit At Last Concert Cafe
Gram Rabbit Last Concert Cafe August 14, 2010 Here at Aftermath, we’re big fans of Houston – love our town – and of the local music scene. Based on what we saw at the recent Houston Press Awards showcases, we’ve raised some pretty good rock bands in Houston. We wish…
Texans’ First Pre-Season Game: Some Things Never Change
Preseason football games, I think we can all agree, are essentially worthless games for the fans. The final score means nothing. And a winning record in preseason doesn’t translate to a winning record in the regular season. The games are important to the coaches and the players, especially those players…
Non-Coherent Couture at JaJo Fashion Show
Straight off her runway spectacular at Project Ethos, Janean Johnson of JaJo Couture brought her most recent collection to the fashion fans of Houston last week. It wasn’t the smoothest transition from the fashion-frenzied west coast to the unfashioned third coast, but even when everything was going awry for her…
Unidentified Infant, Bayou Body Count No. 196
Homicide detectives are investigating the drowning death of a baby in southwest Houston.Police said the mother told them she left the child in the tub at her apartment briefly, and when she returned the child was not responding.The baby was taken to the hospital but later died.The incident happened in…
Where Are We Eating?
One thing you can say for this restaurant: In these economic times, you can’t find a better deal on a cheeseburger combo. Does the door below look familiar to you? Think you know where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Grum’s “Through The Night” Is One Rad Buddy-Cop Bromance
Every day Rocks Off trolls the tubes of you in search of videos to share. If you have something that you think deserves to be video of the day, send a link to jef_rouner at yahoo dot com. Your daily VJ has been using the phrase “homoerotic undertones” since the…
Joe Adame, Corpus Mayor, Reaches Out To The Kidz Via Profanity-Laced Rap Video
Corpus Christi Mayor Joe Adame is upset about a profane,epithet-filled rap video that portrayed his town as a gangsta’s paradise. So he appeared in his own profane, epithet-filled rap video. “That’s Not How You Represent the 361,” linked above, features Adame pointing his finger and declaiming the title phrase. It…
Diana Davila’s Vacated HISD Board Seat — Let the Games Continue!
Inviting all comers who live in District VIII of the Houston ISD. Anyone who ever wanted to be a school board member is invited over to Furr High School, 520 Mercury, 77013 at 11 a.m. this Tuesday to pitch themselves and their ideas as to why they’d be the best…
Diary Of A Girls Rock Camp Counselor
Ed. Note: Houston musician and now Art Attack blogger Meghan Hendley spent this past week as a counselor at the first-ever Girls Rock Camp Houston. Here’s how it went. Girls Rock Camp Houston started as a conversation after Anna Garza viewed the indie documentary Girls Rock a few years ago…
Updated: Horse Racing in Texas, On Its Way to the Last Round-up?
Is the Texas horse race industry in a death spiral? That seems to be the concern in a report filed today by Steven Long of Horseback Magazine who spent today with the Texas Racing Commission at Sam Houston Race Park.According to Long, Andrea Young of Sam Houston said the park’s…
The Natural Science Museum’s Corpse-Love
From a corpse flower to 3,800 year-old corpses? Starting August 27, the Houston Museum of Natural Science will exhibit a collection of mummies found along the Silk Road in western China. In the above photo is a mummy named “The Beauty of Xiaohe,” an infant estimated to have been 8-10…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we firmly believe that serving weak-ass, vinegar-y barbecue sauce should be punishable by a Singapore-style caning, at the very least. Luckily, that doesn’t seem to be a problem for Gatlin’s, a new barbecue joint that just opened up…
When Rock Stars And Movie Stars Reproduce: Five Offspring Bands
No, these aren’t Offspring cover bands, which would be gross, since Offspring sucks pretty badly on their own. They aren’t as cool as we thought they were in 1994. No, let’s talk about what happens when famous folks let their children loose to be rock stars. Some fall while others…
You Think I’m A Bank Robber Just Because Of The Way I’m Dressed?
Photo courtesy FBIOkay, yeah, I’m a bank robberSome bank robbers act all natural, looking like everyone else as they wait their turn with the teller. Others just flaunt it.The guy who robbed a Prosperity Bank branch in the 8800 block of Westheimer yesterday was one of the latter. Or maybe…
FAIL: Katy Perry, DMX, Weezer
Katy Perry Finds Musicianship Depressing: Katy Perry, primarily known for her amazingly sexy body and, oh, probably some other stuff too, was interviewed recently about her time with an independent record label early in her career. “That was the most depressing moment of my hustle. I was sitting there in…
Openings & Closings
As several of our commenters pointed out last week, Josephine’s Italian Ristorante (1209 Caroline) appears to be closed for good. Although no one has been answering the phone at the old downtown restaurant — say what you want about the food, it’s always been a charming Lady and the Tramp-type…
Rick Perry: Most Inane Playing Of The Race Card, Ever
By now you’ve heard just how upset and offended Governor Rick Perry is by remarks Bill White made.Days have gone by, and Perry is still pissed at what he has determined to be racial remarks. We are led to believe, anyway. After all he went to the trouble of tracking…
Rolling Stones To Screen 1972 Texas Shows In Movie Theaters
In 1972, the Rolling Stones were arguably at their live zenith, rumbling through the world behind that year’s Exile on Main Street and blazing a debauched path of crazy sex, deviant drugs and bluesy rock and roll. The live footage from Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones was culled from…
Random Quotes: Seth Alverson Hates Photography
In his current show at Art Palace, Seth Alverson displays an extraordinary ability to charge seemingly banal subjects with slow-burning menace and mystery–like Bed for One, a simple image of a tiny room with single bed draped in a yellow blanket, viewed from outside the doorway. Alverson intentionally maintains a…
Getting Stuffed at the Red Lion
I stopped into the Red Lion (2316 S. Shepherd) the other day to meet up with my ex-best friend. I don’t hang out at the Red Lion too much because it is expensive, but it so worth it. The food and the drinks rock. I love the mix of Indian…
HCC’s Sandie Mullins (Meyers) Has Her Own Take on Divorcing HISD’s Greg Meyers
In late July, Hair Balls reported on the impending divorce of Houston ISD’s school board president Greg Meyers and Houston Community College Board member Sandie Meyers (who has now resumed her maiden name of Mullins.) Post-divorce, Mullins sat down with Hair Balls with a different perspective on some of the…
Top Eight Bands That Sound Best When You’re Drunk
Some bands are great no matter what state you’re in; some are terrible regardless of whether or not you could pass a breathalyzer test. Some bands, however, exist in a curious in-between zone, where what was merely decent, average or even uninteresting becomes enthralling with the simple addition of alcohol…
Upcoming Events
Seven courses, wine pairings and even a pre-dinner reception: Think you can work your way through this menu? Considering that each course will be prepared by a different chef from a different upscale Houston restaurant, you’ll want to consider saving up now for the $150 a person All Chefs Dinner…
Metro Ponders Galleria Real Estate, And Why The Uptown District Can’t Deliver On its $70 Million Promise
At a committee meeting earlier today, a couple Metro board members balked at the idea of rushing into a real estate deal currently in negotiation. The property in question is along Post Oak Boulevard, just north of Hidalgo Street and basically across the street from the Williams Water Wall. The…
Talking Black Flag With The Burden’s Ryan Taylor For Redux-ion
Next Thursday is Rocks Off’s maiden voyage of Redux-ion, a night we created for local bands to pay homage to some of their biggest influences. Along with Young Girls trotting out Kinks songs, and HPMA threepeater Fat Tony doing his best Too $hort, The Burden will be playing their favorite…
Friday Meal Deals
You all know the drill by now. If you know of more deals, please share them in the comments. If Quizno’s is on your selection of lunch options, this coupon will save you a buck or two, literally. Tomorrow, Saturday, August 14, Boston Market is giving away Minute Maid smoothies…
Teen Playwrights in the Spotlight at Alley’s HYPE
Does Houston have in its ranks a young Sam Shepard? Or a Suzan-Lori Parks? The Alley Theatre’s Houston Young Playwrights Exchange (HYPE) is determined to scout one out. Tonight, after months of planning, evaluation and work-shopping, the six teenage writers selected by the annual outreach program will have their moment…
The Week in Photos
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. Cityscapes, weekend events, ugly buildings and beautiful art — if your photos are Houston-related, be sure to add them to our Flickr pool. They might even show up…
On Friday The 13th, Houston Musicians Share Some Superstitions
Friday the 13th has been considered an unlucky day since at least the 19th century. Birthed from a potent combination of Christian traditions, pagan folklore and classical numerology, it is estimated that over $800 million is lost each time it rolls around through people canceling plans or even not leaving…
Continuing the Crab Kick at Zydeco
Okay, so maybe I’m on a bit of a crab kick lately. But there’s something about summer and crab that go together like summer and peaches, summer and tomatoes, summer and field peas. It’s just one of those things you helplessly gobble down in the heat of the year, knowing…
Rice Study’s Startling(?) Conclusion: Video Quality Doesn’t Matter If The Subject’s Interesting
Philip Kortum, a professor in Rice’s Department of Psychology, has finished a study and found…that if you’re enjoying what you’re watching on TV, then you don’t care as much about video quality. Ummm, surprising? Not if you’ve seen people watching The Office in airports on crappy laptops or phones.But surprising…
The Texas Breastaurant
From Urban Dictionary: Breas*tau*rant [bres-ter-uhnt, -tuh-rahnt, -trahnt] -noun A male-oriented restaurant where the servers’ bodacious cleavage is never on the menu–but always in voluminous supply. Openly admiring these women is an unspoken (but completely sanctioned) activity by all parties involved: managers and patrons. Breastaurants emit a vibe that wards off…
Phranchyze Crowned Houston’s Freestyle King At Red Bull EmSee Contest
Outside on Westheimer, a small crowd of young music lovers has gathered in front of Numbers. Before Rocks Off even makes our way into the building, we’re immediately greeted by soulful hip-hop tunes blasting from the speakers. We look up to see that 9th Wonder is inside a Red Bull…
La Casa Bakery and Cafe
I stopped into newish restaurant La Casa Bakery and Cafe (1002 Hogan) today. It is bright-yellow, with chain-link fencing wrapped around the building. Maybe that is what attracted me to it. I bellied up to bar and ordered a Tecate michelada and the plato de barbacoa, which comes with beans,…
Louie Gohmert Makes Debbie Riddle Look Sane On CNN
You thought Texas came off bad on Anderson Cooper’s show Wednesday when Tomball state rep Debbie Riddle blabbered on incomprehensibly about Terror Babies?It got worse for Texas last night…
Last Night: 2010 Houston Summer Sneak Peek
Last night, the sold-out crowd at the Landmark River Oaks Theatre got a sampling of Houston filmmaking talent that was … enlightening. The 2010 Houston Summer Sneak Peek was a four-act screening of short films, each preceded by two trailers for locally produced features. If there’s anything to be learned…
The HPMA Results’ Implications For Local Hip-Hop
“Dubious.” That was the text that we received when they announced the winner for the Best Latin Hip-Hop category Wednesday night at the Houston Press Music Awards, or as President Obama has been referring to them, “The Grammys, Only More Important.” For the things that Chingo Bling does well -…
HISD Trustees Go For Guinness World Record in the Long-Winded Meetings Category
If Houston ISD trustees really want to fulfill their promise of transparency, they need to start getting to the point a lot quicker in their meetings — so that when they have something important to debate, more people are still there to hear it. Last night’s meeting was a perfect…
$7 at Ziggy’s
Where? Ziggy’s Bar and Grill (302 Fairview, 832-519-0476) What $13 gets you: A chickpea burger and four “Ziggy snacks.” I stopped by Ziggy’s Bar and Grill (302 Fairview, 832-519-0476) seeking a filling, cheap, vegetarian meal. I’m addicted to their huge chickpea burgers ($5.50) which are made in house from a…
Last Night: Cyndi Lauper At House Of Blues
Cyndi Lauper House of Blues August 12, 2010 See a slideshow of Cyndi Lauper’s performance at the House of Blues last night. Hoping Cyndi Lauper might tackle Lightnin’ Hopkins Thursday night proved a little much, but lady can sing the blues. Perhaps sensing that her fans might get fidgety waiting…
Lloyd C.A. Wells: Civil Rights Pioneer For Sportswriters Deserves Spot On Astros’ Wall Of Fame
Several years ago the Houston Astros established a Media Wall of Fame, which is found in the press box. The first three honorees, Anita Martini, Gene Elston, and Neil Hohlfeld, were among the most worthy honorees that have ever been placed in a Hall of Fame. Martini was one of…
ECOtality & Houston: Aiming To Be EV-Friendly Before 2011
If you’re sick of gas-guzzling vehicles, don’t want to do any further harm to the environment or just want to stick it to BP and all the other oil barons, there will soon be a practical alternative in town. It was announced on Thursday that Houston is partnering with ECOtality…
Erasure, Robot Unicorns Bring Happiness To All
Every day Rocks Off trolls the tubes of you in search of videos to share. If you have something that you think deserves to be video of the day, send a link to jef_rouner at yahoo dot com. If you have the kind of job where you can play flash…
The Week in Art Photos
Each week, we scour the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. If you think you’ve got a good eye, don’t be shy. Put your pictures in the pool and every Friday we’ll post the most eye-popping shots. As always, for…
Sundae Sundays: Ben & Jerry’s
Ben & Jerry’s has held a special place in my heart ever since I visited its factory and one particularly generous scooper let me have, like, 1,000 free samples. I generally find the flavors pleasing and inventive, with great chunk-to-ice cream ratios (no hunting around for peanut butter cups in…
Houston Zoo Cute-Off: And Then There Were Two
You know how in the `80s, the NFC dominated the AFC in the Super Bowl, so that the real NFC Championship Game was the real title game and the Super Bowl was a foregone conclusion? We’re kinda getting that feeling with the 2010 Houston Zoo Cute-Off. We love Lou the…
The Five Most Underrated Neighborhoods In Houston
Everyone knows THE places to be in Houston. It’s just a question of which one fits your taste (and wallet). River Oaks, the Heights, Montrose, Bellaire — everyone knows those places. But Houston is so vast, so unpredictable, that little bubbles of terrific neighborhoods pop up in the weirdest places…
ESPN Deportes Radio Arrives In Houston And Doesn’t Use English
We’re talkin beisbol….ESPN Deportes Radio, the Spanish-language arm of the sports giant, has arrived in Houston. It began broadcasting this week on KGOL 1180 AM….and just as the name and above description implies, they didn’t use English, which if it isn’t the official language of North America it durn well…
Top 5 Laziest Grocery Store Items
We’ve all grocery-shopped in a hurry before, frantically piecing together a meal idea in our heads, trying to remember what we had at home in the fridge and tossing things into the basket. And certainly we’ve all felt strapped for time when it comes to actually assembling a meal or…
Abandoned Galveston Brewery Set for Hellstorm
Today, Swamplot reported that the abandoned Falstaff Brewery in Galveston will act as one of the shooting locations for the Epiphany Filmwerks production Hellstorm, about a group of architecture students trapped at the locale during a hurricane. Although Galveston city officials have labeled the asbestos-riddled building a public safety hazard,…
Remember Coast’s Thinking Out Loud Vol. 2?
Houston’s history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We’ll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Coast Thinking Out Loud Vol. 2 (Epsom Ent./Street Science, 2008) Whether you want to call him a rapper that…
BP Will Pay $50 Million Fine For Texas City Refinery, But You’re Not Getting $80 Million Out Of Them, By God
BP will pay a whopping $50 million fine to the feds for chronic safety violations at its notorious Texas City refinery, OSHA announced today.The fine is whopping in terms of previous fines; it’s more than double the previous record fine of $21 million, says OSHA ( the Occupational Safety &…
S.C.A.M.P. Sandwich at Whole Foods
The deli menu at Whole Foods may lack the diversity and pizzazz of Kenny and Ziggy’s, but the sandwiches are half the price and sizeable without being overwhelming. Although Whole Foods offers some terrific suggested combinations (the “Rock ‘n’ Falafel” and “Kirby Club”), I usually go for the make-your-own-sandwich option…
New Web Series “Tour H Town” Opens With Punk Lifers The Hates
Christine Dauzat is not a filmmaker, television producer or musician. She’s a realtor. Dauzat does, however, have a lot of musician friends. One day she woke up and asked herself, “How can I help those people?” The result is a heartfelt and stellar new weekly web series called Tour H…
Game Time: Rex Ryan — The Next (Really) Big Reality TV Star (w/ video)
So how many Rex Ryan f-bombs did it take for Houston Texans’ owner Bob McNair to realize that “Yeah, HBO probably made the right choice in going with the Jets for Hard Knocks this season.” Reportedly, earlier this year, the Texans were one of the teams under serious consideration for…
Food Fight: Battle Flour Tortilla
To those of you devoted to corn tortillas: Don’t get your knickers all in a twist. Battle Corn Tortilla will come to fruition — in fact, why don’t you leave your nominees in the comments? — but for now we are focusing on the smooth, pliant goodness that is the…
Random Ephemera: Pilgrim Shower
In art, inspiration can come from the most unusual places–a chance combination of words; a fleeting image. And with the internet, where people go to find stuff, it’s easier than ever to plug in those puzzle pieces and search for that unexplained epiphany. In an attempt to mine the collective…
Cyndi Lauper Vs. Pat Benatar: An ’80s Lady Grudge Match
Honestly, if Rocks Off had been around in the early ’80s, we would have been the biggest damned Cyndi Lauper fan in this city. Our second favorite female artist would have been Pat Benatar, because gruff chicks who snap their fingers menacingly at the camera are foxy. Also, Lauper sang…
The Press Is Looking For A Few Good Interns
Who doesn’t want to get into journalism these days? It’s a veritable road to riches. Despite all common economic sense, young people are still looking to get into the game. Mostly because no one becomes a journalist to get rich; they do it because they love it. If you’re in…
Why Your Hostess Hates You
Sometimes a lack of civility on the part of the patron — yes, you — will ruin an entire dining experience. For you, your dining party and sometimes even the entire restaurant. Inspired by a series run on our sister papers in Phoenix and Seattle, we’re starting our own weekly…
8 Reasons Why Your Astrologer Hates You
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves,” said Shakespeare. But Shakespeare didn’t know shit, according to professional astrologers. Lots and lots of people go to astrologers. And astrologers have some problems with them. Why? Let us count the ways. We hooked up with a…
Happy Hour Scene: The Petrol Station
The Place: The Petrol Station 985 Wakefield Dr. 713-957-2875www.facebook.com/PetrolStationThe Hours: Monday through Friday 3-7 p.m.The Deals: All $4 beers are $3.The Scene: On Wednesday afternoon, the Petrol Station, a little bar tucked away in the Oak Forest neighborhood, was full of men. All men. The drinkers and bartenders, all of…
Catching Up With Ian Varley Before Drop Trio’s Last Show
Self-proclaimed “spaceship jazz” group Drop Trio hit the Houston music scene with a bang in 2002. After a trio of well-received albums and a slew of live shows, the band’s members – keyboardist Ian Varley, bassist Patrick Flanagan, and drummer Mike “Nuje” Blattel – drifted to different cities while attempting…
HISD’s Ryan Middle School: Boys Will Be Wearing Ties. Possibly Deadly, Silly Ties
Staffers from Ryan Middle School are fanning throughout the Third Ward today with fliers explaining the school’s new dress code. The new dress code includes ties for boys. Ties for middle school boys. From personal Catholic-school experience, two problems jump to mind. 1. What middle-school kid knows how to tie…
Five Reasons Why the Museum Guard Hates You
They’re the unsung soldiers of the art world: the museum guards. They protect priceless art while standing … for hours. They utter the words “please don’t touch” several times per day, point visitors to the restrooms, and help an endless array of hapless fools understand the concept of a map…
$13 at Dessert Gallery
Where: Dessert Gallery, 3600 Kirby Drive, Suite D, 713-522-9999 What $13 gets you: A decent, filling salad and bottle of Perrier, plus a few bites off of whatever awesome things your friends are having. Usually, when a group of friends heads to a boutique dessert cafe, the one on the…
Five Reasons Your Drummer Hates You
Q: What do Ginger Baker and black coffee have in common? A: They both suck without Cream. We all have our favorite drummer jokes. That’s probably the best one we have ever heard in our time, because it’s actually true. Drummers don’t get enough love as everyone else in a…
The Reverend Randy Scott: More Details Emerge In Case Of Kinky Aggieland Pastor
Yesterday we told you about Randy Scott, the Bryan-College Station Assembly of God pastor accused of coercing sexual acts from men he met under false pretenses on the Internet. (He allegedly posed as a minor and then threatened to tell police his partners had solicited sex from teens unless they…
All-You-Can-Eat Pupusas in Bellaire
Sweet fancy Jesus. That was the first thing that ran through my mind as I was driving down Bellaire — on my way to a different restaurant entirely — and saw Pupusa Buffet instead. A whole buffet? Of pupusas? I had to stop. Pupusa Buffet (5920 Bellaire) is a no-frills…
Mellow Vibe Prevails At HPMA Afterparty
It had been a while since Aftermath had been to Dean’s, and we were happy to find the place packed after the HPMA ceremony; near the end of last night’s ceremony, Warehouse Live had nearly cleared out before it had even ended, so we were a bit worried that the…
Gallery Scene: Opening This Week
The Aurora Picture Show wants you to turn on your cellphones; Domy Books presents a freakshow film; and the Menil unveils never-before-seen precious objects. Here’s where we’ll be looking at art and swilling free wine this week. Darrin Martin: “Fragments” Presented by Aurora Picture Show, check out this series of…
Cathy Comic Ending, Creating Crisis In Refrigerator-Magnet Industry
Cathy Guisewite has announced she will no longer be doing the comic strip Cathy. Yes, the comic strip Cathy was still around. There are several horrifying ramifications from this announcement: 1. Refrigerator doors of certain types of single women across the nation will be strangely bare, no longer festooned with…
Recipe: Simple Fried Chicken
Like everyone reading this blog, I don’t have enough time in the day. Between my day job, my nearly four-month-old daughter and America’s Got Talent, I hardly have time for the gym…um…yeah. But that doesn’t mean we all can’t enjoy some yummy home-cooked goodness. Often, food is like photography, in…
Last Night: The 2010 Houston Press Music Awards Ceremony
Houston Press Music Awards Ceremony Warehouse Live August 11, 2010 Ed. Note: See here for slideshows of performers and the crowd, and here for the winners. Aftermath is not going to spend just a whole lot of words on Wednesday night’s Houston Press Music Awards Ceremony, because a) You can…
Aeros Would Like To Start Making Plans, But The AHL Doesn’t Have A Schedule Yet
The Houston Aeros know who they’ll be playing this season. They know the date of their home opener, and they know the dates of five other home games. What they don’t actually have yet, as the start of the AHL regular season draws close, is an actual schedule, and without…
Summertime Blues: MADD And Cops Gather To Threaten Drunk Drivers
In what is now a time-honored pre-Labor Day Weekend/dog days of summer ritual, police and members of several anti-drunk driving advocacy groups gathered yesterday to stress what they claim is a multitude of alternative modes of transport for nocturnal area partiers and to spread the word about drunk driving in…
Soft-Shell Crab at Pico’s Mex-Mex: The Real Deal
Soft-shell crabs are one seafood item that are largely unaffected by the Gulf oil spill. As such, this somehow makes them less and more special at the same time: The little, freshly-molted crabs are more numerous than ever in comparison to other Gulf seafood, yet because they mostly escaped the…
“ThoughtCrime” Unleashed: Poetry Ain’t No “Sidekick”
Back in March, something dangerously sexy called “ThoughtCrime” popped up at Khon’s bar on Milam. The once-monthly poetry showcase (every third Thursday) is steadily gathering a following. What’s sexy about that? What about poetry isn’t? It’s gone from a “what-if?” experiment to what might be the biggest recurring (non-academic) poetry…
Updated: CEP Exits Philly And Fort Myers, But Houston ISD Still Loves It
While Houston ISD — after some close inspection — decided to renew its multi-million dollar (albeit somewhat lowered) contract with Community Education Partners, school boards in Philadelphia and Fort Myers, Florida were not so enthralled with what the private firm which operates alternative schools for at-risk kids has been doing…
Richard & Amy Ramos: Hospital Gives Them A Big Toe Instead Of A Fetus To Bury
Amy Ramos was five months pregnant when she had complications and her baby’s heart stopped. She and her husband Richard arranged to bury the fetus, telling the East Houston Medical Center to send it to Carter Funeral Home, where they had a service and burial on August 11. And then:…
“Collections: Annual HSPVA Juried Show”
“Collections: Annual HSPVA Juried Show” is so popular, the Jung Center already has next year’s show on the calendar. This year’s show is on view now. “The HSPVA students are not just terrifically gifted creators of art, they are passionate and unafraid to let the viewer into their worlds,” says…
Lemonade Stand
Hope Stone Dance’s newest production, the three-week rep program Lemonade Stand, was inspired by summertime. Executive Director Jane Weiner wanted to invoke the rollicking, carefree sensibility of the Nat King Cole song “Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer.” The line-up for the first two weekends will include Deux Tango with…
Sidewalk Astronomy
You don’t have to wait for a turn on the Hubble telescope in order to see the wonders of the stars. Try some Sidewalk Astronomy. Even with the bright lights of the city, some stars are still visible to the naked eye. Learn about the various constellations as well as…
The Haunted Palace
Admit it — those old Vincent Price movies used to scare the crap out of you when you were a kid. Sure, the CGI-created horrors we have now are scary, but a ghoulish Price, with his icy stare and cat-that-ate-the-canary smile, was effing terrifying back in the day. Well, Price’s…
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Think of it — the greatest detective of all time almost thwarted by an unexpected fog. That’s what happens in The Hound of the Baskervilles, a 1959 film directed by Terence Fisher. Peter Cushing appears as Sherlock Holmes, Andre Morell as his partner Watson and Christopher Lee as Sir Henry…
Seized
Maria was drifting off to sleep on the bedroom floor. She could hear women getting raped in the next room. Only she didn’t hear screams — she heard the laughter of male guards. The women had been drugged by their rapists, who had done the same to Maria as soon…
“Modern Art Graffiti”
Houston graffiti artist GONZO247 is presenting a new body of work in the one-day exhibit “Modern Art Graffiti.” Made up of furniture pieces as well as repurposed display platforms, the exhibit shows yet another side to the man who has already established an urban art gallery, produced a series of…
2010 Summer Israeli Film Series: Hamesh Shaot me’Pariz (Five Hours from Paris)
Life happens to us at the oddest times. Just when Yigal (played by Dror Keren), a taxi driver in Tel Aviv, thinks his life can’t get any duller, along comes Lina (Elena Yaralova), a married woman who throws his world into exciting, charming turmoil. That’s the starting point for the…
Grown Up Story Time 28
There’s no theme for BooTown’s Grown-up Story Time 28, so you can expect a bit of everything: bawdy comedies, over-the-top farces, personal tales that leave the reader raw. With an open forum and no limits on the subject matter or presentation style, there should also be at least one WTF…
2 Everything 2 Terrible 2: Tokyo Drift
Neither The Fast and the Furious nor Vin Diesel has anything to do with 2 Everything 2 Terrible 2: Tokyo Drift. Everything is Terrible is the name of a group of movie-head guys, including Dimitri Simakis, who take old VHS tapes and, at least according to their bio, solve mysteries…
Picassos by Paws
Get a masterpiece made by Fido during today’s Picassos by Paws Painting Party, a Bayou City Outdoors event. The concept is super-simple. You apply some pooch-friendly paint to your dog’s paws, have him walk around on a blank piece of paper and then grab up the ready-for-framing masterpiece. Okay, so…
You Don’t Need Words to Tell a Story
The Texas Mime Theatre has a tough task ahead of it: getting wiggly, squirming, sweaty kids to sit still long enough to watch You Don’t Need Words to Tell a Story. Luckily for TMT, the performances are so charming and appealing, catching kids’ attention is a snap. The program, performed…
Star of Hope “Can” Film Festival
Impress your friends by telling them you went to the “Can” Film Festival. No, we didn’t misspell that — it’s the Star of Hope “Can” Film Festival, so named because organizers are collecting donations of nonperishable canned goods at the screening. A family-friendly version of the film Blind Side, the…
The Decline of Western Civilization
The title The Decline of Western Civilization sounds more like a class for philosophy students than a documentary about the punk music movement. But Decline shows the underground Los Angeles punk rock scene through 1979 and 1980. The bands featured are The Bags, Black Flag (sadly, without Henry Rollins), Circle…
National Repertory Theatre: Arabian Nights
Playwright Mary Zimmerman’s The Arabian Nights is making its Houston debut during a short run by the National Repertory Theatre. A reworking of the classic tale, Arabian Nights focuses on King Shahryar (played by Leraldo Anzaldua), who marries a new wife every night, only to have her killed before the…
HYPE: 2010 Staged Readings
Who knows how many tweets and texts Houston teens have exchanged so far this summer? Millions? Well, we know six teens who used their words to do something a little more structured over the last couple of months. Young playwrights Nick Doolan, Loden Cullar-Ledford, Kim Blacknall, Kolean Gudalj, Christian Cortes…
Classical Mexican Cinema: Vámonos con Pancho Villa!
The legend of Pancho Villa and his exploits during the Mexican revolution continues to grow. But neither Villa nor his followers walked the path of the angels as they marched to freedom, as seen in director Fernando de Fuentes’s 1935 film Vámonos con Pancho Villa! (Let’s Go with Pancho Villa)…
Trash Humpers
According to the film Trash Humpers, some older people just need to hump trash. Not us, mind you. We’re just saying some other people. Shot on VHS, Trash Humpers is something akin to watching an old home movie with your creepy next-door neighbor (minus the humping, hopefully). There’s no real…
Geeks Who Drink: Yellow Fever – The All-Simpsons Quiz
Think you know all about Homer and his deliciously dysfunctional family? Go up against some other fans at today’s Geeks Who Drink: Yellow Fever – The All-Simpsons Quiz. We can think of some softball questions. What’s the family dog’s name, and what instrument does Lisa play? But there’ll also be…
Jo Koy
Many fans recognize comedian Jo Koy as the much teased, much put-upon panelist on the Chelsea Lately talk show. Host Chelsea Handler bogusly claims the heterosexual Koy is gay, and she frequently encourages him to come out of the closet. The running gag plays to Koy’s strong suit, that he…
Precious Little Life
Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is every bit as faithful to its source material (Bryan Lee O’Malley’s six-volume series about a 22-year-old go-nowhere man-boy fending off his new girlfriend’s seven evil exes) as Zack Snyder’s Watchmen was to his (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s brooding comic-hero deconstruction). Both…
Baleadas All The Way
A baleada is basically a Honduran taco. At Honduras Maya Café & Bar (5945 Bellaire, 713-668-5002), a thick, wheat-flour tortilla arrives flat on a plate, just begging to be folded over and devoured. You can get them with a variety of fillings; the version we ordered cost three bucks and was…
Twilight of the Bods
”If the money’s right, we don’t care where the job is.” So explains the leader of hired-gun task force The Expendables, Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone). This credo lands Ross and his team in the Gulf of Aden as our story begins. Somali pirate kidnappers staging a videotaped decapitation are pinned…
Cyndi Lauper
It took a few decades for Cyndi Lauper to be considered a pioneering girl-popper, but now she can wear her new crown proudly. Modern vixens like Katy Perry, Ke$ha and even Lady Gaga can point to her mid-’80s string of hits as the genesis of most everything they do. Lauper’s…
Passionate Prius Drivers
CRIME Dumbest Employee Ever Tries to sex up the boss’s 11-year-old daughter. By Richard Connelly If you think Facebook-sexing your boss’s pre-teen daughter is a good idea, you have something in common with Christopher Rohrman. And you don’t really want to have too much in common with Christopher Rohrman. At…
Season to Risk
Talk about influence. For a time there in the ’90s, it seemed that people in the Midwest were even sneezing differently — louder, more dissonant, more staccato — because of bands such as the Jesus Lizard, Shiner and Molly McGuire. Classrooms were disrupted; relationships were destroyed. Now, more than a…
An American in Mexico
An American in Mexico Online readers comment on “Over the Line,” by Paul Knight, July 22: What a story: My thoughts and prayers go out to the family. This family lost a child. Whatever the reason was, let her rest in peace and let the family mourn. Jose L. Martinez Blame…
Pat Benatar
Along with the Plasmatics’ Wendy O. Williams and Joan Jett, few ’80s women sounded like they could straight-up kick your ass into oblivion like Pat Benatar. Her 1979 debut album, In the Heat of the Night, held ten sassy tracks including “Heartbreaker” and a handful of covers (John “Still Cougar”…
Regrets, I’ve Had a Few
”No Damn Trespassing, Beware of Mule!” warns the hand-carved sign posted near the high country cabin of Tennessee recluse Felix Bush (Robert Duvall), whose abrupt decision to re-engage with the larger world propels Get Low, an imperfect but rewarding new film. It is 1938, and Felix, who’s been in a…
Slobberbone
When it comes to real life bleeding fingers and broken guitar strings, there weren’t many first-wave alt-country bands from Texas that did it better than Slobberbone. There weren’t many first-wave alt-country bands from anywhere that did it louder, that’s for sure. For a solid decade, Brent Best and his three…
Loverboy, Patty Smyth & Scandal, Fabulous Thunderbirds
Scoff if you must, but please put a dollar in the Houston Press singalong jar every time you find yourself singing along to “Hot Girls in Love,” “Working for the Weekend,” “The Warrior,” “Tuff Enuff” and any number of other venerable ’80s radio staples Saturday. (We’re not making this up…we’re…
Corinne Bailey Rae
Okay, let’s forget for a minute that Corinne Bailey Rae performs music that your girlfriend (or your girlfriend’s lonely-ass best friend) would most likely listen to. Sure, her music has been heard on episodes of female-friendly shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Men in Trees and in deplorable chick flicks like…
Cafe Mawal
Abraham Abdallat, owner of the new Café Mawal (6006 Fairdale, 713-977-1999), was born in Jordan but moved to Houston seven years ago to open the Sweet Factory on Hillcroft. “Then I lost a lot of money in the stock market, so I had to sell that place,” he says. “I…
Third Strike
A very small number of steadfast certainties exist in Houston nightlife, but those that do are concrete. A few: No Venue Has Ever Been Named “Steve McQueen Lounge” for a Reason: No club is always cool. It just can’t happen. It might start out cool, or get cool in the…
Midtown Moussaka
See a slideshow from Harry’s kitchen and dining room. Coffee cups clatter on saucers, silverware clinks across heavy porcelain plates, bacon sizzles and pops on a nearby griddle, laughter bubbles up from table to table across Harry’s. It’s a Saturday morning, and I’m sitting in a sun-drenched room with a…
Country Cool
Kevin Russell claims he began his Shinyribs project because he bought a new car and needed a second gig to cover the monthly note. Be that as it may, it’s also apparent that with two other songwriters in his main gig for the past 16 years — Austin gonzo-roots ensemble…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Jay Shinn: Refuge,” “Kaneem Smith,” “The Paper Runway,” “Seth Alverson”
“Jay Shinn: Refuge” Jay Shinn’s sculptures use slender bars of stainless steel to create geometric forms that hang on and extend from the wall. While that description may sound really dull, the results are pretty great. The forms create shadows on the wall that Shinn skillfully highlights, using subtle angles…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Art, >Fear of Ducks, Leaving Iowa
Art Despite its title, Yasmina Reza’s hugely successful Art, which opened in Paris in 1995, isn’t really about the expensive painting that causes conflict between the three characters who populate this compact little play. It’s true that the stark white canvas that one character pays 200,000 euros for is the…
Clever retorts and unloved yaktivists
Dear Mexican, I am a retired gringa living in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. Most of us foreigners here are liberal and sympathetic to the immigration problem, which the U.S. Congress refuses to address in a meaningful way. Unfortunately, I get lots of e-mails from acquaintances “apprising” me of the horrible situation in…
A.A. Bondy
The past couple of years, ex-Verbena tunesmith August Arthur Bondy has been out there fine-tuning a head-turning brand of American roots-type stuff. The recent When the Devil’s Loose (Fat Possum), the follow-up to his wildly praised American Hearts album (rereleased by Fat Possum in 2008), has received similar critical nods…
An Ancient Impulse
Twenty-seven-thousand years ago, a prehistoric artist found a face-shaped rocky outcropping in a cave and drew horizontal lines on it to indicate eyes and mouth, adding an angular line for a nose. This drawing in the Vilhonneur grotto in western France is thought to be the world’s oldest known portrait…
The Fireman’s Wife
The gusting winds and raging flames may be his final fate But with God’s help, I can remain my fireman’s faithful mate — The Fireman’s Wife’s Prayer Captain Thomas Araguz was about 150 feet into the building when he became separated from the other two men on his team, trapped…
Candy Flip
Based on Gram Rabbit’s first album, 2004’s Music to Start a Cult To, Houston Press sister paper LA Weekly described the Joshua Tree, California-based quartet’s music as “psych-disco twang.” Miracles & Metaphors, Gram Rabbit’s fourth LP, echoes Pink Floyd and Cyndi Lauper. With monster radio-friendly tracks like “Candy Flip,” this…
FEAST’S CAMPARI AND SODA
While my three tablemates at Feast (219 Westheimer, 713-529-7788) were trying to decide on entrées, I was spending quality time with the cocktail menu. The much-lauded rustic European restaurant has assembled a nice list, with Manhattan and martini mainstays, more obscure classics like the Singapore Sling and stranger offerings like…
