They Built LA on Rock and Roll and Now There’s a Book About It
Rockin’ the City of Angels: Celebrating the Great Rock Shows of the 1970s In Concert, On Record, and On Film By Douglas Harr 396 pp. Diego Spade Publications $79.95 This is a book of visual delights, and they are abundant. There’s Alice Cooper in his gory prime dancing with a…
21 Best Things to Do in Houston This Week: Deathcopter and an Arts Open House
Check out the Houston Press calendar for still more thing to do.
Ten Things to Do in Houston for $10 or Less (Seven Free), August 17-23
Check out the Houston Press calendar for even more things to do.
21 Best Things to Do in Houston This Week: The Bodyguard and World of Dance Tour
Doctor Who on the big screen, The Great Eclipse in the skies, the Astros and Texans both in action, and lots more.
La Cocina de Roberto is a Hidden Gem in The Woodlands
Located in a small strip center on Sawdust Road, La Cocina de Roberto is owned by Roberto and Claudia Rubio. The menu is a mixture of Mexican dishes with a Central American flair. Traditional items like Tacos al Carbon, Carne Asada, and Enchiladas Suizas are served, as well as fried yucca and plantains with crema.
Holy Hell, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is Divine!
The set up: Sometimes writing a review is an absolute joy. To be clear, and contrary to popular assumptions, this never happens when writing a less than glowing assessment. At least never for me. My ‘swinging from the rafters with glee’, comes when I get to dedicate this space to…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Hit the Southern Fried Chicken Fest
Here’s a look at this weekend’s best culinary happenings: An Evening with the Prisoners at Bosta Kitchen Friday, 7 to 10 p.m. 1801 Binz Guests are invited to join Bosta Kitchen for a tasting and dinner pairing featuring The Prisoner Wine Company. Chef Chris Leung’s menu will feature four wine-paired…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Annabelle: Creation
The movies of the Conjuring series present something of a conundrum.
Upcoming Houston Food Events: A Burger So Hot It Comes With a Waiver
Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these deliciously fun culinary happenings: Now through Tuesday, August 22, spice fans can dig into the Love at First Sting burger ($14) at Hopdoddy Burger Bar, 4444 Westheimer, 5510 Morningside, 142 Vintage Park. Featuring a freshly ground beef patty topped with…
Houston’s Best Bets This Weekend: Hotter Than Hell Burlesque
Judas has a lot to answer for, the feigned loyalty to Jesus followed by the betrayal heard around the world. But if you play devil’s advocate and consider his point of view, then was it really all that wrong? Find out in the trial of the century in The Last…
Openings and Closings: Goodbye Lucky’s Pub in the Heights, Hello White Oak Biergarten in the Heights
Lucky’s Pub in the Heights, 2520 Houston Avenue, is reinventing itself as White Oak Biergarten. The relaunch on August 26, as first reported by Houston Food Finder, will showcase some of the exterior changes. The kitchen will have pit master Jim Buchanan, formerly of Pappa Charlie’s Barbecue, at the helm,…
The Astros Really, Really, Need to Trade for Justin Verlander
The Astros lost 8-5 Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night. Though it was their seventh loss in ten games, there’s not that much to worry about. Every team slumps. And with a double-digit lead division lead with just under 50 games left in the season, the Astros are about as…
Cheap Eats: Taqueria Cedral on Ella Is All About The Fajita Quesadilla and Tacos al Pastor
The barbacoa and the lengua are fine, sure, but you need to just cut right to the chase at Taqueria Cedral, a taco truck that’s always parked on Ella between 610 and 34th, that one you probably keep driving by but have never actually been to. The taco al pastor is…
NFL Preseason Week 1: Panthers 27, Texans 17 — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
In the last 48 hours, I’ve had nine hours of sleep, driven nearly five hours each way back and forth to Louisiana to attend a funeral, and did a postgame show for a preseason NFL football game into the wee hours of Thursday morning. I tell you all of this…
The Complete History of a Texas Art Movement Is On Display In Victoria
A new exhibit showcasing works by 22 Texas artists is pretty much the first of its kind.
Literary Libations Week: Where To Drink It Up in Houston August 14-18
Readers and literature lovers, rejoice. The second annual Literary Libations Week, taking place August 14 to 18 at various bars, restaurants, and venues in Texas returns to Houston (as well as in Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas) with specialty drinks geared toward book worms. A handful of Houston eateries will serve…
Texas House Votes to Repeal Bipartisan Bill to Help People in Nursing Homes Vote
Yelling “just kidding” to all Texans who believed for once that their state representatives could get along and work together, the Texas House voted Wednesday to repeal a bipartisan bill intended to help elderly and disabled nursing home residents cast votes, which Governor Greg Abbott had already signed in June…
It’s Barbarians at the Gates Time for HISD
Houston ISD headquarters bore more than a passing resemblance to a city under siege Wednesday. People and video cameras were pouring into the Hattie Mae White administration building on W. 18th Street. An emergency press conference had been called by two school board members to talk in dire terms about…
Rock Is a Lot Duller With Oasis Out of the Picture
Twenty years later, no one much thinks of Oasis anymore. Wrongly.
First Look at Tapped Drafthouse & Kitchen
When a new place in Spring opens up, the news spreads quickly, especially if that place serves lots of beer. Tapped Drafthouse & Kitchen, located near the intersection of Gosling and Kuykendahl, has been a welcome addition to the area.
L.A.’s Lil G Dolls Headed to Houston, but They Won’t Hurt You
Can even be customized to match the customer’s face tattoo.
Citing Public Health Threat, Houston Orders Cleanup of U.S. 59 Underpass
After Houston Health Department inspectors toured the U.S. 59 underpass near Wheeler Station in Midtown, the City of Houston is temporarily kicking out the homeless people who live there to conduct a thorough clean-up of the area. Dr. David Persse, director of the city’s Public Health Authority, ordered the city…
Friends Remember Houston Bluesman Tommy Dardar: “He Was Pure Soul”
The soulful singer and harmonica player will be missed by the blues scene that loved him best.
Ten Things to Do in Houston for $10 or Less (Nine Free), August 10-16
Check out the Houston Press calendar for even more things to do.
My Girl Left After I Bought Her a Car. Help!
What’s on your mind? What isn’t? Ask Willie D!
Cruel and Wise, Rick and Morty Remains TV’s Best Animated Comedy
Rick and Morty airs on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim Here’s a great joke. An unhappy married couple get the chance to view, through the goggles of a dimension-hopping mad scientist, how their lives have played out in an alternate reality. The husband, an insecure drip, goes first. Turns out in…
What Would Jesus Do? Oppose the Bathroom Bill, Texas Group Says
A Houston pastor and a Pearland mother of a transgender child are featured in an online media campaign that kicks off Wednesday against the so-called bathroom bill pending in Austin. Launched by Texas Impact, which describes itself as the state’s “oldest and largest interfaith advocacy network,” the four 30-second spots…
Texas House Passes What One Democrat Calls a “Rape Insurance” Bill
It doesn’t matter if a woman in Texas may seek an abortion because she got raped. Under the House bill passed Tuesday, her insurance probably isn’t going to cover it anymore — unless she pays a separate premium. Insurance plans under House Bill 214, which passed tentatively 95 to 51,…
Houston Spared More Flooding As Rain Stays East
Houston, still soggy from heavy rain on Tuesday that caused several bayous to jump their banks, avoided more flooding as heavy rains on Wednesday stayed to the east. The National Weather Service cancelled its flash flood watch for Harris, Montgomery and San Jacinto counties, though one remains in affect for…
Is Sarahah the Music Criticism App We’ve All Been Waiting For?
….but it probably won’t.
A Handy Cinematic Primer for Our Coming Nuclear War With North Korea
As if the news hadn’t been the source of enough crippling depression in recent months…
The Federal Government Is Once Again Making It Harder To Sue Nursing Homes
Last year, the federal government moved to make it more difficult for nursing homes to force residents to arbitrate any legal problems behind closed doors. Now, the government is getting ready to do just the opposite. When Elisa Zapata died after her stay at the Fredericksburg Caring Co. LP. her…
NFL Preseason Week 1: Texans at Panthers — Four Things to Watch For
If there was one big takeaway (not involving Deshaun Watson) from my time in West Virginia observing the Houston Texans training camp last week, it was the level of physicality. Pretty much anything they did wearing pads that involved player combat — drills, 11-on-11, etc. — was executed with maximum…
Muralist Blanco Puts Her Soul on Houston’s Walls
“Painting on canvas is my heart, and painting murals is my soul.”
Turns Out Moving the Gathering of the Juggalos to Oklahoma Was a Bad Idea
Juggalos and Sooners apparently don’t get along. By the end of this year’s Gathering, cries of “Fuck Oklahoma!” rang out across the festival.
Three Top Wine Lists Find Their Footing: Killen’s STQ, Camerata and One Fifth
Even someone dining solo could barely find a spot at the bar at One Fifth on a recent early evening before the restaurant was fully seated for its first turn. It was the last week for the first installment of chef/owner Chris Shepherd’s evolving menu, which will shift gears from…
Five Frozen Treats to Try in Spring
The summer sun is sizzling hot, so what better way to cool off than with a frosty treat. Spring residents have a wide variety of choices when it comes to frozen desserts.
Upcoming: Big Moe Birthday Block Party, Archie Bell, The Black Angels, Nikki Lane, Pete Yorn, Primus, Something Wicked, etc.
A constantly updated guide to upcoming concerts in the Greater Houston area.
Comedian Shawn Wayans Still Loves the Family Business
“You’ll get out of shape if you don’t do it – you’ll go from being Kobe when he’s in shape to now Kobe with his shirt on.”
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Houston May Put a $495 Million Bond on the Ballot — So What’s in It? [UPDATED]
Houston City Council is set to vote Wednesday about whether to put a half-a-billion-dollar bond package on the November ballot. So what might you be voting to pay for with your tax dollars over the next decade or so, should council members give it the green light? The $495 million…
How Beyonce Should Run the Houston Rockets If She Buys Them
Beyoncé owning a piece of the Rockets is the easiest path to LeBron James. These are facts.
The Trip to Spain Feasts Upon its Stars’ Fear of Obsolescence
Once more, into the brie — or, in this case, the Manchego. For the third time, now, for Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, it’s the feast as improv proving ground, the sumptuous meal as arena of competitive discernment: Who can better parse and parody the particularities of some beloved British…
Simplified Onscreen, The Glass Castle at Least Boasts Strong Performances
The dictates of Hollywood screenwriting can’t quite constrain the wildness of Jeannette Walls’ family and her best-selling memoir. Despite a tidy resolution, too many scenes whose shapes are immediately familiar from other movies, and an absurd climax that dramatizes the conflict between a daughter and her father through the wheezy…
Known for “Galveston,” Glen Campbell Was So Much More
The country-pop singer with the golden pipes, who courageously battled Alzheimers in his later years, was 81.
More Questions Arise About the Impossible Burger’s Secret Ingredient
The veggie burger that bleeds, The Impossible Burger, which made a splash in Houston earlier this year when Underbelly and Hay Merchant added it to the menu (Hopdoddy as well) might be in for some upcoming drama concerning government food regulations. According to The New York Times, the FDA is…
After Being Pummeled By Rain, Houston Braces for a Possible Round Two
As several bayous return within their banks after torrential rains Tuesday morning, Houston braces for another wallop from a low pressure system that is idling over the city. Meteorologists are reluctant to predict exactly when and where more rain will come, but warn an additional two to five inches could…
Whose Streets? Makes it Impossible to Deny the Fear That Gave Us Ferguson
Here’s what you didn’t see if you aren’t from there. Here are the voices you didn’t hear if you didn’t go there. Here’s the pain you can’t fully comprehend if you’re white, as I am, if you’re just watching on TV, if life has taught you that just saying sir…
Lafosse’s After Love Lays Bare the Economics of Breaking Up
The original French title of Belgian director Joachim Lafosse’s latest domestic drama is L’economie du couple, which translates (awkwardly) as “The Economy of the Couple.” It’s understandable that a U.S. distributor would opt instead for the rather nondescript and bland After Love — who the hell wants to see a…
Case Against Jockey Who Buzzed Horse at Sam Houston Race Park Still Unresolved
It took a splinter of a second for a camera to capture jockey Roman Chapa thundering over the finish line aboard the then-six-year-old thoroughbred Quiet Acceleration to win the $50,000 Richard King Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park in January 2015, with what appeared to be a buzzer clutched in…
To Justify Defunding Planned Parenthood, AG Paxton Still Thinks “Sting” Videos Are Legit
To the casual observer, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s argument in favor of kicking Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid may sound twisted and maybe even out of a gross sci-fi movie: Planned Parenthood was “trafficking in fetal body parts,” he wrote. One abortion doctor was even “taking home the specimen…
Houston Under Flash Flood Warning Until 8 a.m. Tuesday
The city of Houston activated its Emergency Operations Center at 1 a.m. Tuesday as torrential rain continued to pound the area, and the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the Houston area until 8 a.m. Tuesday. Several areas, mostly in west Houston and northwest Harris County, received…
Houston Firefighters’ Union Claims City Is Refusing to Verify Petition for Equal Pay
With a deadline fast approaching, the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association is pressuring City Hall to verify the thousands of petition signatures it gathered in support of putting equal pay with police officers on the November election ballot. The firefighters union has claimed that the city is “refusing” to confirm…
Why Are More African-American Women in Texas Taking Out Gun Permits?
In the last decade, African-American women applied for gun permits at higher rates than all white gunowners combined. According to a recent study from the Crime Prevention Research Center this changing face of gun ownership is reflected in Texas and across the United States. In Texas, where the Department of…
First Look at South Bank Seafood Bar
South Bank Seafood Bar is a newly opened, casual patio restaurant in the downtown area and it certainly has a primo spot at 702 W. Dallas, taking over the space that originally housed The Refinery. With a million dollar view of the Houston skyline and a location right off, and…
Houston Texans: Way-Too-Early 53-Man Roster Prediction, Version 2.0
I spent last week watching the Texans practice five times in West Virginia, which makes me one of the only Houston media members who’s now watched Deshaun Watson play in pads against live NFL players with my own two eyes. I also got to watch the other 89 players in…
Breaking Up (With a Band) Is Hard to Do
With some bands, it’s not us, it’s them.
For the Best Experience at Tacodeli, Go Early
With tortilla-flecked migas, melty jack cheese and avocado, I’m pretty sure it was the Jess Special that caught my eye the first time I perused the menu at Tacodeli. Sold. I phoned my order in to the location nearest to my friend’s house in Austin. “Sorry, we’re out of the…
Playful Colors Brighten Downtown’s Newest Public Art Installation
Discovery Green and the George R. Brown Convention Center’s new installation, Arcade, provide beauty and shade.
#HTownRapBattle Engages City’s Finest MCs in Bar-to-Bar Combat
One hash lets rap fans swipe through verse after verse and get a real sense of what the city has to offer.
Reverse Mortgage Lenders May Be the Big Bad Wolf
In early August 2016, 73-year-old Mary Taylor opened her mail and found some shocking news: The southwest Houston home she’d lived in for more than 30 years was in foreclosure. Five months earlier, she had received a certified letter from a company she’d never heard of, Reverse Mortgage Solutions, saying…
John Mayer’s Search for Everything Leads to Some Sweet Sounds
The singer and super-guitarist has the heart of a casanova and soul of a bluesman.
The Safdies’ Gritty-City Throwback Honors the Wrong Elements of Tough-Guy NYC Movies
Since it premiered at Cannes earlier this year, the Safdie brothers’ man-on-the-run, darkly comedic thriller Good Time has been hailed as something of a return to classic New York movies, i.e. from before the Giuliani cleanup, when Martin Scorsese was experimenting with cinema on the streets. In this film, Ben…
Bertrand Bonello Takes on Teen Terrorism in a Hypnotizing, Estranging Film
Often populated with voluptuaries, the films of Bertrand Bonello unerringly distill mood and milieu. In his heady, sinuous biopic Saint Laurent (2014), for example, Bonello ditched the traditional, usually tedious birth-to-death arc that most films in that genre follow to focus instead on the years 1967 to 1977, the great…
The Dark Tower Looks Bad, But There’s Actually a Bright Side
Yes, you’ve heard it’s bad. It is. But there are some things to like in The Dark Tower, directed by Nikolaj Arcel, the new adaptation of Stephen King’s epic novel series. Just as in the books, an evil sorcerer named The Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey) orders around his henchpeople…
Do the Creators of The Only Living Boy in New York Get That Their Boy’s a Drag?
There is a better, more touching movie hidden somewhere inside The Only Living Boy in New York, and you can often see it creeping in around the edges. It’s not to be found in the somewhat empty coming-of-age narrative at the film’s center, which follows Thomas (Callum Turner), a precocious,…
Yet Again, Aubrey Plaza Is More Daring and Interesting Than the Film Around Her
Aubrey Plaza is a national treasure, but the movies still haven’t figured out what to do with her. Ingrid Goes West comes close, though, with its twisted, of-the-moment tale of an Instagram stalker who infiltrates the personal life of a social media celebrity. But for all its many virtues, it…
Texas Governor Mark White, Houstonian and Public Education Reformer, Dies at 77
Mark White, who fought to reform the public education system in Texas as the state’s 43rd governor, died of a heart attack Saturday at his Houston home. He was 77. White, a Democrat who served a single term from 1983 to 1987, was the most recent Texas governor from Houston…
J.J. Watt to Play in Houston Texans Preseason Opener
I spent all of last week in West Virginia, taking in some sub-80 degree temps while watching the 2017 version of the Houston Texans prepare for the upcoming NFL season. I had (and still have) several observations, some of which I’ve shared here, and more that I’ll share my next…
Queen + Adam Lambert Bathe in Classic-Rock Glory With a Side of Camp
More lasers than the old Friday-night Pink Floyd light shows at Burke Baker Planetarium.
Disgraced Baylor Coach’s New Job Proves Winning Trumps Everything
Dave Bliss, the former Baylor basketball coach who attempted to hide his cheating from the NCAA by labeling a recently-murdered player a drug dealer, has a new job. He is the new high school basketball coach and athletic director at Calvary Chapel Christian School in Las Vegas. This move comes…
Forget the Immersive Part and Focus on the Alluring Power of Church
Regardless of your individual beliefs, the production will make you realize the power of theater.
Texas Will Transfer 1,000 Heat-Sensitive Inmates to A/C After Federal Judge’s Ruling
After a federal judge ruled that housing inmates in a prison that can often get hotter than 100 degrees is a cruel and unusual punishment, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice plans to transfer roughly 1,000 heat-sensitive prisoners to air-conditioned units. U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison ordered last month that…
Incubus, Jimmy Eat World Take Houston Back to Alt-Rock’s Heyday
Friday night, at the Pavilion, it may as well have been 1999.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Classic Film, Crappy Franchise
Its many, many sequels have yet to deliver anything on par with the first film.
Lionel Richie Makes It Look More Than Easy at Toyota Center
Though heavy on ballads, this show flew by, never dragging.
Zero Special Session Bills Have Fully Passed. What the Heck Is Going on in Austin?
Just ten days remain in the Texas Legislature’s special session, and no fully passed bills have reached the desk of Governor Greg Abbott just yet. Which means it’s time to pop some popcorn and settle in for the show. The House and Senate have each taken starkly different approaches to…
Shows of the Week: The Gambler’s Last Deal For His Hometown Fans
The livest live music in the Bayou City for the second week of August 2017.
Beer Nation Files for Bankruptcy in a Totally Non-Sketchy Move
In a bankruptcy filing that appears to consist of one-half chutzpah and one-half bullshit, the short-lived, shuttered Beer Nation is asking a judge to terminate its lease agreement so that the pub can move to “a new location that is more business friendly.” Filed July 31, about a month after…
Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River Is a Fine Crime Thriller, with Reservations
Taylor Sheridan isn’t afraid to embrace genre. His Wind River plays more like an unusually well-made episode of CSI: Wyoming than the highly anticipated directorial effort from the screenwriter of Hell or High Water (which may well have been last year’s best-written film). Set in the desolate, snow-covered Wind River…
Construction at U.S. 290 and 610 Loop Brings Weekend Traffic Headaches
If you’re thinking about using U.S. 290 to get into town this weekend, maybe think again. The Texas Department of Transportation is wrapping up a major part of its project along U.S. 290, which will soon allow drivers to access the freeway directly from I-10. This improvement could do a…
Harris County Deputy Says She Shouldn’t Have Been Fired After Denny’s Killing
Chauna Thompson, the Harris County sheriff’s deputy who was fired for her alleged role in the choking death of John Hernandez, is now appealing her firing. Thompson’s lawyer, Gregory Cagle, argued in an appeal filed Friday that Thompson’s firing was done improperly and was politically motivated. Her termination was “done…
Miss on Bezos’s Blue Origin Is a Major Blow for Houston’s Spaceport
For a second there, it looked like the imagined Houston Spaceport that then-Mayor Annise Parker described in glowing terms when the planned project at Ellington Field was awarded a spaceport license in 2015 might have a chance of becoming a reality. Blue Origin, the space company created by Amazon’s Jeff…
Easy Yves Saint’s Don’t Panic Is a Lesson in Pure Rapping
The best moments occur when Yves won’t be conciliatory about who he is and what he does.
What to Watch for As Texas College Football Returns
It’s been a busy week for many colleges around the country as football teams return to campus to start practice for the upcoming season. It’s that time of year when coaches see how well the new offenses they implemented back during the spring are really going to work. Position battles…
EcoHub Sues Houston to Find Out How Its Recycling Deal Fell Apart
Who knew there could be so much drama over trash- and recycling-collection contracts? Continuing the saga that has unfolded at City Hall — in which City Council members have said a deal with one company “smelled,” and in which another company, EcoHub, claims Mayor Sylvester Turner snubbed him out of…
Sen. John Cornyn Still Against Legalizing Weed and Twitter Is Displeased
This may come as a shock, but Senator John Cornyn is not in favor of legalizing marijuana. Despite the fact that the Texas Legislature got closer to passing bills to relax marijuana restrictions during the 85th Biennial Legislative Session than ever before, Cornyn has remained steadfastly opposed to the idea…
House Defies Abbott’s Agenda, Votes 138-0 to Restore Funds for Disabled Kids
Defying Governor Greg Abbott’s special session agenda, the House voted Thursday to unanimously to restore millions in Medicaid funding to disabled children’s therapy programs that have been floundering for the past several years due to repeated cuts. The bill, HB25 by Representative Sarah Davis (R-West University Place), would restore steep…
Gov. Abbott, Raking in Cash During Special Session, Resists Effort to End Practice
A bipartisan group of legislators are pushing for big ethics reforms during this special session — but Governor Greg Abbott, who is using a special session loophole to raise campaign cash — is resisting the effort. A loophole allows Texas lawmakers to seek contributions during the special session even if…
