The Silent Solutions of Small Mouth Sounds at Stark Naked Theatre Co.
Six people are grouped together in a silent yoga retreat. Of all of them, only two make up a couple. There’s little talking; most character and plot development is conveyed through glances, movement across the stage, facial expressions. This is the setting for Small Mouth Sounds brought to Houston by…
Houston’s Deluxe Roadshow Calendar For September
Wednesday, September 2 Cody Canada & Mike McClue: Main Street Crossing ($20 ro $35) Hank & Cupcakes with A Girl Named Tiger, Camera Cult, Matsu Mixu: Walters Downtown ($2) Mushroomhead with Hed pe, Scare Don’t Fear: Scout Bar ($18.50 to $22) Mutoid Man with Indian Handcrafts: Rudyard’s ($10 to $12)…
Houston’s Best Free Concerts In September
*Events in italics are free to $5+ due to possible age restrictions/club membership Tuesday, September 1 Miracles of Modern Science: Cactus Music Wednesday, September 2 Mike Stinson: Under the Volcano The Powell Brothers: Dosey Doe Music Cafe *Libby Koch: Redneck Country Club Thursday, September 3 *Josh Fuller: Redneck Country Club…
St. Elmo’s Fire Is 30 Years Old, and Every Character in It Is a Rotten Bastard
St. Elmo’s Fire came out 30 years ago. In June of 1985, to be precise. Yet even though this year marks the anniversary of its release, our notoriously nostalgia-heavy entertainment-industrial complex didn’t go into its customary frenzy. I saw a handful of articles commemorating the event, most of which were of…
6 Other Times Texans Freaked Out About Islam This Year
This Monday morning, anti-Muslim protesters hoisting American flags took to the sidewalks outside of Houston’s new Arabic Immersion Magnet School. It was like a scene straight out of 1957 Little Rock. The protesters were greeted by four- and five-year-olds with their brand new backpacks, some of them going to school…
How Hard Is It to Buy Clothes Made in the USA?
There was once a time in this country, where nearly every consumer item was manufactured here. “Made in The U.S.A.” labels seemed to be everywhere, and on almost everything a person could buy. That is certainly not the case anymore, and the country has transitioned from depending on domestic manufacturing…
100 Favorite Houston Dishes, No. 66: Puccia Pugliese Foggia at Sud Italia
At lunchtime, Sud Italia at 2347 University Boulevard offers a lovely dish that strikes a balance between lush and light: the Puccia Pugliese Foggia with a small but elegant salad on the side. The name is quite a mouthful for non-Italian speakers, but it’s all practical and sensible when broken…
Eat This: Roast Beef Kolache from The Original Kolache Shoppe
There is clearly no shortage of kolache shops in Houston, but you’d be remiss not to take a trip out to the East End to visit The Original Kolache Shoppe, 5405 Telephone Road. The family-run mom and pop spot has been making vintage-style kolache and klobasniky since 1956. It only takes…
The Best Song of Summer 2015 Was…
BECK, “Dreams” What makes “Dreams” so fantastic? Somehow, Beck’s newest single manages to sound completely fresh, while simultaneously (and somewhat ingeniously) sounding like a kaleidoscopic melding of the many “Becks” of the past. Mr. Hansen starts the song by throwing in a Guero-meets-Odelay low-key beat into his robotic blender, adding…
Houston’s Scott Wizig Agrees to Fix Blighted Baltimore Properties; We Patiently Wait for Hell to Freeze Over
Houston Absentee Landlord Hall of Famer Scott Wizig has agreed to demolish or repair more than 50 dilapidated Baltimore homes a judge had ordered him to fix a year ago. Six Baltimore community associations had sued Wizig in 2013 over the properties, which they said were a safety hazard. A…
The Somewhat Early Prediction of the Houston Texans 53-Man Roster
Bill O’Brien told the media this weekend in his Sunday press conference following the 14-10 loss against the Broncos Saturday night that he would be treating this week leading up to Week 3 of the preseason in New Orleans against the Saints, for the most part, the same way he…
Does Seizing Church Property to Build Public Housing Violate Religious Protections?
When the Houston Housing Authority got served with the lawsuit, it was the most direct form of communication it had had with Latter Day Deliverance Revival Church in weeks. While the housing authority wanted to seize Latter Day’s three vacant properties through eminent domain, the Liberty Institute, a nonprofit religious rights…
The 2015 Houston Theater Awards: The Winners Under the Lights
Usually our annual theater awards concentrate only on what happens onstage, but the 2015 season had plenty of backstage drama. Change is good, most times, especially when the physical results are as spectacular as promised. The big boy in town, the Alley Theatre, its smaller sibling Main Street Theater, and…
B&B Butchers & Restaurant Understands Meat, but the Rest of the Menu Has Issues [UPDATED]
At B&B Butchers & Restaurant, meat is king, so much so that thick-sliced bacon is actually listed as an appetizer. When B&B says “thick,” it means it. The meaty strips range in thickness from half to three-quarters of an inch. It makes for a curiously simple appetizer but one that…
This Week in Houston Food Blogs: Southern Barbecue, Peaches and Comfort Food
This week, we’ve got two surprisingly easy recipes and reviews of a few under-the-radar eateries. Plus, how good can a restaurant in a furniture store really be? Daniel Vaughn of the Texas Monthly Barbecue Blog visited Southern Q BBQ at 16540 Kuykendahl and found the loaded baked potato a sight…
What Ted Cruz Really Means by “Religious Liberty”
An incredibly flexible interpretation of what constitutes “religious persecution” may not have much to do with actual religious persecution, but it sure does play well to the cheap seats. At least that’s what Sen. Ted Cruz is probably banking on as he tries to refocus his campaign as a bid…
The No. 1 Question: What Part Will Clowney Have to Play in This Season’s Texans?
It was on a Monday following the Houston Texans’ first preseason game when Jadeveon Clowney was allowed to return to work. Make no mistake, technically he’d been working, working hard for several months now to return from microfracture surgery on his right knee, but that Monday was his first day…
5 Controversial Video Game Marketing Campaigns
Marketing things is complicated, and video games are especially slippery. You have to get people talking, shake things up. This often pushes marketing teams to try and come up with outside the box ideas to spark some interest, and sometimes this results in ideas that some sensible person should have…
Upcoming: Azealia Banks, C.J. Chenier, Dandy Warhols, Jandek, Psychedelic Furs, Stoney Larue, Tony Bennett, etc.
57 State: Fri., September 25, 9:30 p.m., Free. The Hideaway On Dunvale, 3122 Dunvale, Houston, 713-977-3515. Acoustic Show: With Shaun Michael, Chad Ware, Susan Hickman, Joe Blake. Thu., August 27, 10:45 p.m., $5 to $10. Big Texas Dancehall & Saloon — Clear Lake, 803 NASA 1, Webster, 281-461-4400. Adrian Lux:…
100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2015, No. 67: Triple Smoked Pastrami Sandwich at Kenny & Ziggy’s
Between the toasty rye bread and the heaping helping of meat, the Triple Smoked Pastrami at Kenny & Ziggy’s is a sandwich-lover’s dream. The pastrami comes from the plate, a section of beef right next to the brisket. Kenny & Ziggy’s smokes theirs in-house. “We really want to intensify the…
The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face”: Why This Song Sucks
Let’s recap the things in the world that — at present time and space — suck, OK? A few weeks ago, I walked through the depths of curiosity about Jidenna’s “Classic Man.” I called it something along the lines of pandering and said that its creator, although ripe with decent…
Music Makes Texans Tailgating Second to None
“So, this song is about a guy who wants to bust a move on the dance floor. But he can’t, because he’s got gum stuck on his shoe.” That’s the story behind “El Chicle Se Me Pego,” the Fito Olivares song, as explained by Houston Texans fan and Blue Lot…
6 Questions for the Assholes Protesting an Arabic-Immersion Elementary School
I was in such a good mood. I really was. It’s back to school, and that means I get the house to myself during the day to write. It also means my daughter, now a first grader, will once again have a steady routine to guide her. All hail and…
Ted Cruz’s New Path To Relevancy: Reminding You That He Hates Planned Parenthood
In one sense, Ted Cruz’s meteoric rise to political prominence has rested on his uncanny ability to separate himself from the GOP pack, to out-conservative his party’s hand-picked favorites before the hard-right GOP primary voting block. With backing by the anti-tax Club For Growth and the anti-establishment queen herself, Sarah…
With Pomp and Fanfare Blue Bell Announces Returning Flavors
As we watch Blue Bell whip up excitement about bringing its ice cream back to grocery shelves after a massive listeria outbreak, we keep thinking how convenient it must be to have a very short memory. It’s been strange to watch how Blue Bell is handling the process of returning…
Screaming Females Haven’t Forgotten How to Jam
Screaming Females Fitzgerald’s August 23, 2015 Just before Screaming Females launched into an elongated jam of “Criminal Image,” from their latest record Rose Mountain, Sunday night at Fitzgerald’s, one of the many devoted faithfuls in the crowd yelled up at front woman Marisa Paternoster, “we love you! Thank you for…
The Suffers Seal HPMA Sweep With Vow to Make Things “Better” [VIDEO]
The Suffers, The Bandulus, Guilla, Gio Chamba House of Blues Bronze Peacock Room August 22, 2015 It was a hot one in Houston this past Saturday evening, with many entertainment options to choose from around the city. Down the road at Minute Maid Park, Astros great Craig Biggio was being…
Rain Can’t Stop J.Cole & Big Sean’s Climb to Hip-Hop Royalty
J.Cole, Big Sean, Jeremih, YG Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 21, 2015 When J.Cole speaks, he speaks with the knowledge that three albums, two lauded mixtapes and a pretty lethargic following have enabled his voice. He’s engaging, conversational and often thankful for the moment he’s been granted. Both he and…
Federal Investigators Looking into Monkey Deaths at UTMB Lab
Federal investigators are looking into allegations of animal cruelty in relation to 12 monkeys who died at the University of Texas Medical Branch’s National Laboratory after being investigated with the deadly Marburg virus, the Houston Chronicle is reporting. The investigation follows an audit by the National Institute of Allergy and…
This Week in Houston Food Events: Beer Crafts and Craft Beers
All Week Houston Restaurant Weeks Don’t forget that this fundraiser is in full swing all month and into September! Not sure where to go to celebrate? Check out our list of new Houston restaurants that are participating in this year’s Houston Restaurant Weeks. French Wine Summer-Cleaning Sale Do you have…
UH’s Tom Herman Seeks to Rally the Fans
There’s a bell for UH players to ring at practice. If they’re feeling tired or feeling like they need a break, then all they have to do is ring the bell. There’s just one issue, of course. If that bell is rung, then the player has to take off his…
Dish of the Week: By Any Name, It’s Ratatouille
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’re covering a French classic: ratatouille. From the French word touiller, which means “to toss” – ratatouille is a traditional Provençal dish of…
Time Travel, Family Dysfunction, Jewel Tones and the Artists Behind the Art
Fans of the local visual arts scene will get a kick out of Kay Sarver’s “Studio Junkies” exhibit, where she’s painted some of our favorite artists in their work environments, successfully capturing the energy and spark of these creative spirits. With only first names for the titles of the pieces,…
Animal Welfare Group Sues A&M for Withholding Lab Dog Records
Sergeant Martin Palmer chose his beagle, which was being experimented upon by researchers at Texas A&M, because they shared the same birthday. The only other thing Palmer knows, from the scant information obtained by a rescue group called Beagle Freedom Project, which works with labs to find homes for retired…
10 Tasty Foods for Riding Out a Hurricane
It’s just a matter of time before the Gulf Coast is threatened by a hurricane again. This—not when store shelves are empty—is a good time to stock up on non-perishable supplies. Obviously, evacuate if you are advised to do so by city or county officials. No one likes the danger…
NFL Preseason Week 2: Broncos 14, Texans 10 — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
I am a capitalist at heart. I believe in free markets, supply and demand, and “getting while the getting is good.” If someone has a product that carries enough demand that allows them to structure their pricing the way they want it structured, so long as it doesn’t involve them…
6 Modern Subcultures That Might Shock the Mainstream
Our world is an interesting place, and for many people there is a drive to form social groups outside of the mainstream. Over the last several decades, many subcultures have formed which initially weren’t very noticeable to the average person, but, in an era where the Internet provides a way…
Def Leppard Is Still Bringin’ on the Heartbreak
Def Leppard, Styx, Tesla Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 22, 2015 The foot traffic around Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion was one of the largest crowds I’ve witnessed at the wooded amphitheater Saturday, as I arrived mid-set just in time to hear Tesla’s “Signs” and “Little Suzi.” Not only was every…
The Five Best Concerts In Houston This Week: Wade Bowen & Randy Rogers, Nashville Pussy, Kim Lenz, Yasiin Bey, etc.
Wade Bowen & Randy Rogers House of Blues, August 25 As two of Texas country’s hardest-working entertainers, it’s easy to imagine Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen might work up a powerful thirst. Thus Hold My Beer, Vol. 1, the recent album the two longtime friends cut together because they happen…
Cruz Is Proof There’s No Good Way to Handle Trump
Well, we have to hand it to our Texas presidential dreamer and schemer — former Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Ted Cruz respectively — for giving it the old college try, but it turns out there’s no Texas way to handle the Donald Trump problem. Perry was the first to…
HISD Trustee Will Throw Back-to-School Prayer Rally
Saturday afternoon, HISD Trustee Wanda Adams will host a “Back To School Prayer Festival” with local churches, religious leaders, and contemporary Christian radio station KSBJ. According to an email blast Adams sent out to her constituents and supporters this week, the prayer rally will meet at the south-side Greater Grace…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: American Ultra
Title: American Ultra Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: “I’ve got a question for you: could Jesus microwave a burrito so hot that he himself could not eat it?” Rating Using Random Objects Related To The Film: Three wizard bongs out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: The sleeper awakens, has the munchies. Tagline:…
Suffers Dominate, But HPMAs Celebrate Every Corner of Houston Music Scene
Some people mistakenly believe Houston is one enormous bayou, a sub-sea-level Waterworld that grows with each new downpour. When it comes to local music, outsiders are quick to pour water on what they perceive to be a murky flood puddle. As The Suffers’ Kam Franklin said at Thursday night’s Houston…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Funk Out on Wild Sour Beers
Untapped Houston Preview Party @ Karbach Brewery Friday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. 2032 Karbach September’s Untapped Music & Beer Festival will be here before you know it. Get ready for the big event with this Free Preview Party at Karbach Brewery. There will be no additional charge for the…
Fifth Circuit Rejects Duane Buck’s Appeal of Racially Biased Death Sentence
Should a person’s skin color help determine whether or not they get the death penalty? A doctor at Duane Buck’s sentencing hearing told the Harris County jury that Buck’s race was a factor that made him more likely to commit violent crimes in the future. While some would say that’s evidence…
Gender Infinity Enlists Local Bands to Fight Discrimination
Saturday night at Fitzgerald’s, nine local bands will come together to raise money for Gender Infinity, a Houston-based charity organization working to provide support to the area’s transgender community. Each band will be playing a cover set of a more well-known act, with local favorites Another Run playing a Foo…
Why You’ll Never Be Patted Down Before an Idina Menzel Concert
I still remember the first time I went to a concert after 9/11. It was a month and a half after the attacks, and Tool was playing up in The Woodlands. What I remember most about the show was not the performance itself, but the process of getting into the…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: Get Ready for Tacolandia!
The Houston Press is excited to announce our new signature event, Tacolandia, which will be held on Saturday, October 24 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Water Works at Buffalo Bayou Park, 105 Sabine. The event will feature a massive but selective taco sampling ranging from urban contemporary to authentic…
Houston Cougars Honor Legendary Coach Bill Yeoman
The Houston Cougars were a nothing football program when Bill Yeoman took over as head coach in 1962. The team’s struggled to be something more than nothing since his departure after the 1986 season. He won 160 games over his career while coaching UH to 11 bowl games. Yeoman left…
Openings and Closings in Houston: Rebrandings Galore
The El Cantina Superior at 602 Studewood has shuttered its doors and will be transformed into a brewpub and American kitchen, which is as yet unnamed. It will still be run by Delicious Concepts Restaurant Group, the same folks who ran The El Cantina, and the CEO hinted that he’d love…
Houston’s 10 Best Bars & Clubs In The Heights
The original Heights neighborhood northwest of downtown dates back to 1891 and was actually a small town with its own government until the city of Houston annexed it in 1919; since then Houstonians have come to refer to several neighborhoods bordering the original Heights as being part of The Heights…
Blue-Collar Fox Parlor Give Houston a New Gridiron Gang
Fox Parlor’s Andrew Berry is talking about the mixed blessing that is being a musician here in Houston, and it all comes down to you…people. “By far the No. 1 pro of being in a working band in Houston is just getting to meet all the cool people you meet…
10 Classic Rap Groups That Also Deserve Biopics
Have you seen “Straight Outta Compton” yet? If not, don’t tell anybody. The N.W.A. biopic is shaping up to be the biggest movie of the summer, reeling in more than $60 million on its opening weekend. The film is set to mow down the competition this weekend, too, turning into…
The 10 Best Concerts In Houston This Weekend: J. Cole, Def Leppard, Styx, The Peterson Brothers, etc.
J. Cole Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, August 21 Since debuting with a cameo on Jay Z’s The Blueprint 3 in 2009 — and becoming the first artist to sign with Hova’s Roc Nation imprint — J. Cole has grown into the leading everyman rapper of his generation, or at least…
The 2015 Houston Press Music Award Winners
BEST LOCAL RECORDING: The Suffers, Make Some Room BEST LOCAL SONG: The Suffers, “Gwan” BEST LOCAL MUSIC VIDEO: The Suffers, “Make Some Room” LOCAL MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR: Kam Franklin, The Suffers READER’S CHOICE AWARD: DJ Mik One BEST NEW ACT: Fiddle Witch and the Demons of Doom BEST LIVE…
A Harris County Jailer Died On-Duty Thursday, But Sheriff Hickman Has No Idea How [UPDATED]
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office announced that a jailer died after an altercation with an inmate early Thursday morning. And during an afternoon press conference Sheriff Ron Hickman called to take questions on how exactly this happened, he could answer virtually none of them. Here’s what Hickman did manage to…
Hayes Carll Is Closing Up the Honky-Tonks For a While
By now it’s a familiar anecdote, passed along through the years by programs like Extra! or Entertainment Tonight. Cut to an awards show, where the combination of nerves and the refreshments on hand is just too much for some nominees to handle. The moment their name is read from the…
HPD Wants Department-Wide Body-Cams, Has No Clue How To Pay For It
Vidor Police Chief Dave Shows remembers the woman who came to his police station “screaming like a gut-shot panther” wanting to file a police brutality complaint. Shows says the incident at issue happened at the end of a traffic stop. The woman’s boyfriend had been pulled over, and while they tried to…
Houston Government Email Addresses Found In Ashley Madison Data Dump
After holding hacked email account information over the heads of 32 million nervous adulterers, the Ashley Madison hackers dumped the data on the dark web this week. Now is when things get interesting (or, depending on your perspective, terrifying). The Houston Chronicle points to someone at a security blog called Salted Hash who…
Morning Storm Brings Flash Flooding, Power Outages Across Houston
A Thursday morning thunderstorm dumped rain across Greater Houston, creating some minor flooding and power outages across the city. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for much of the region that will be in effect until 4 p.m. Flood advisories have been issued for parts of…
Spec’s Hosts Ladies-Only Beer Event Tonight
Today, Spec’s downtown superstore, 2410 Smith, in conjunction with Green Flash Brewing Company is hosting a beer event from 7 to 8:30 p.m. That’s not unusual. The unique aspect of this event is that it is only for women. That’s right: no boys allowed, except perhaps for Joey, the beer…
Incubus and Deftones Brought the Weekend to Wednesday Night
Incubus, Deftones, Death From Above 1979, The Bots Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 19, 2015 Wednesday night’s show up at the Pavilion really could have used a catchy name of some sort. Something silly, something summer-y, something that would look good on a T-shirt. Something that would be a wink…
Astronaut Scott Kelly is Sharing Incredible Photos from Space
Ever since Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield cracked the code of cool with the photos and videos he posted while aboard the International Space Station (including that awesome rendition of “Space Oddity”) in 2012, it’s been very clear that the right astronaut in space with access to Twitter can show people…
TEA Finally Takes a Look at Kids Left Hanging After Charter Goes Belly-Up
When the Girls and Boys Preparatory Academy closed at the end of last school year, the charter school on Bissonnet left behind a mess of extraordinary proportions – the extent of which is only now beginning to come to light. Transcripts and attendance records are missing. Grades and report cards…
100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2015, No. 68: Fume Pizza at Pizaro’s Pizza Napoletana
The first thing to love about Pizaro’s is the crust. It’s thin, Neapolitan-style and hits that sweet spot between chewy and crunchy. It’s absolutely the best when they leave their pizzas in the oven long enough for the outside edge to bubble and even blacken just a bit. People unfamiliar…
Questions Swirl Around Cameron Todd Willingham Prosecutor
It’s been more than a decade since Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for the arson deaths of his three young daughters in Corsicana. Willingham went to his execution declaring his innocence, and in the years since it has become increasingly clear that he was convicted and sentenced to death on…
What the HPMAs Looked Like in 1995
Think for a minute about how long 20 years is. It may be halfway to retirement for some people (if only), but the people who just graduated from high school this past May or June weren’t even alive yet. If the demographic surveys we glance at every so often are…
My Girl Gave My Neighbor a Lap Dance. Help!
MY GIRL GAVE MY NEIGHBOR A LAP DANCE Dear Willie D: The fire alarm went off in my apartment building and all the tenants had to evacuate and stand in the lobby. After the fireman put out the grease fire started by an elderly male tenant, everyone was cleared to…
The 10 Worst Songs About Football
Football songs are surprisingly hard to dig up. Sure, everyone knows that old Hank Williams, Jr. tune, but how many other (American) football songs can you actually name? Not very many, right? That’s because, as we’ve recently discovered, there aren’t very many good ones, but there are a lot of bad…
Complaint Filed Against East Texas Judge Who Made Defendant Choose Between Jail or Marriage
Is it okay for a judge to make you choose between jail and marrying your girlfriend? How about writing down some Old Testament Bible verses as part of your punishment? Because that’s what an East Texas judge ordered a 21-year-old man to do. And if you ask Freedom From Religion…
Jason Terry Re-Signs With The Rockets
In an offseason where they’ve managed to check off most of the boxes on their “to do” list and then some, the Houston Rockets handled what should be one of their last pieces of outstanding business, signing veteran guard Jason Terry to a one year offer at the veteran’s minimum…
Texas Supreme Court Orders City to Change HERO Ballot Language
The Texas Supreme Court has ordered city officials to reword the ballot language for the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, stating in a Wednesday ruling that the current language incorrectly calls for a vote on the repeal of the law, rather than the law itself. “The City Council is directed to…
Seeing Weird Al Live Is Fun, Amazing and Should Be Mandatory
Weird Al Yankovic Revention Music Center August 18, 2015 Seeing Weird Al Yankovic is like getting the best history lesson you can on popular music over the past couple of decades. It’s not comprehensive, but it’s damn near close. In his show you can chart the changing sound of pop,…
Hurricane Season 2015: Depression Forms in Atlantic in Stark Contrast to a Decade Ago
The National Hurricane Center designated Tropical Depression Four for the 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season on Tuesday. If it strengthens into a tropical storm, which appears likely, it will be named Danny, but the storm is currently well out in the Atlantic heading westward toward the Caribbean Sea. It’s far enough…
Nine Truths Cut From ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ the N.W.A Movie
“You could make five different N.W.A movies. We made the one we wanted to make.” That’s director F. Gary Gray during an audience Q&A after a recent screening of Straight Outta Compton, the long-awaited N.W.A movie. In our review, Amy Nicholson writes that there’s much more to the group’s story:…
Explaining Grownup Music to Kids: Big-Band Jazz & Swing
Adam P. Newton recently became a father for the first time, so he has decided to explain the entirety of post-WWII Western pop music to his new daughter, “Fig”… one genre at a time. What’s up, Fig? While folks from our last installment like Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams, Sr…
Robb Walsh Curates the First Ever Tacolandia in Houston
The food writer who once did a series on food trucks for the Houston Press, the James Beard winning cook book writer, restaurant entrepreneur and man who knows his way around a taco, Robb Walsh will be curating a new food competition for the Houston Press: Tacolandia. On Saturday, October…
Behind Oceans of Slumber’s “Solitude” Video With Director Josh Vargas
Oceans of Slumber are red-hot right now. Not only are the prog-metal darlings recently signed to Century Media Records, they are up for a whopping seven Houston Press Music Awards Thursday night. One of those is for the video made for their cover of Candlemass’ “Solitude,” shot by Josh Vargas…
The Beatles in Houston: Yesterday and Today
August 19, 1965 was a Thursday, and Houston was actually enjoying a spell of unseasonably cool weather – high temperatures were only in the middle 90s. Even then the Bayou City was one of the ten largest in the nation, but it was nowhere near the sprawling megalopolis that has…
American Ultra Is Violent, Horrific and Maybe the Most Romantic Movie of 2015
Nima Nourizadeh’s American Ultra is a bloody valentine attached to a bomb. It’s violent, brash, inventive and horrific, and perhaps the most romantic film of the year. Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart star as Mike and Phoebe, two West Virginia stoners blissed out on weed and each other. “We’re the…
The Act of Forgiving: The Look of Silence Takes a Second Look at Genocide
In 2012, documentary filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer made a splash with The Act of Killing, in which he sought out members of Indonesian killing squads, individuals who murdered thousands of innocent citizens accused of being communists after a military takeover in 1965, and invited them to re-enact their crimes in the…
Best of Enemies Toasts Vidal and Buckley’s Televised Insult Comedy
Even if you’re the sort who believes there can be no such thing as too much political coverage, it can’t hurt to cast a fond glance back to 1968, when only three networks — NBC, CBS and the perennial laggard ABC — jockeyed for the attention of the American public…
