“Form Follows Function”
Only organizations as relentlessly dedicated to visual art in all its forms as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston would have a hoard of cups, saucers and chairs designed by world-famous architects. For the past decade, the Houston chapter of the American Institute of Architects has helped MFAH build a…
“Vladimir Frumin: Beyond the Frames”
Borrowing the stylistic use of light seen in Renaissance paintings, NASA engineer and photographer Vladimir Frumin has put together a series of work for “Beyond the Frames,” currently on display at the Russian Cultural Center. The exhibit takes a look at the female form through classical black and white photographs,…
“Dance with Camera”
Humanity is involved in a millennia-long romance with dance. The exhibition “Dance with Camera,” currently at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, explores this relationship through film, video and photography, seeking to define the allure of movement. Ironically, the media used give us a much closer view of the action while…
2010 Houston Press Music Award Winners… All Of ‘Em
So the 2010 Houston Press Music Awards, ceremony and showcase, have come and gone – quite recently, really – and as you’re reading this, Rocks Off is probably still working on our wrap-up of the show. Or asleep, but we doubt it. We’ve been having a little trouble with that…
Signing Off from the HPMA Awards Ceremony
Ed note: The full list of winners will be published on Rocks Off within the next half hour, so please be sure to check back. Rocks Off had been using our Flip cam since before 6 p.m., so by the time Tax The Wolf took the stage at 10:10, the…
Post-Stage Interviews from the HPMA Awards Ceremony
As Los Skarnales left the stage, Rocks Off grabbed an interview with lead singer Felipe Galvan. “The other nominees are really good musicians and friends of mine,” he said. “When you’re getting recognized, that’s a win win situation. And music is for everybody, so we’re just glad people can know…
Live: More Notes From the HPMA Awards Ceremony
More notes from the awards, in full swing: The Mighty Org just won best guitarist. Practice those cards, presenters. Fat Tony’s acceptance speech for Underground Hip-Hop: “Third time for Third Ward.” Tony says he’s meeting with a label Monday — he didn’t say which one — and may have his…
Fat Tony, A Dream Asleep and Robert Ellis Sound Off on HPMA Showcase and Fitzgerald’s
“It was ok,” said Fat Tony, who plays at 8:30. “The sound wasn’t good, and people don’t like when the sounds not good. But I got paid, so…” Tony’s looking forward to a fun-filled evening, even though he only gets to play two songs, “Like Hell Yeah”, which has been…
Pregame at the Houston Press Music Awards Ceremony
The winner’s envelopes are here and the room is starting to fill up as bands gather to find out who are the winners of this year’s Houston Press Music Awards. Our staff has been milling around and have reported back to us these nuggest. How was your showcase? Ryan Gerth,…
Randy Scott: Bryan Pastor Accused Of Coercing BJs In Bizarre Perversion Of Chris Hansen’s Stings
Very kinky crimes alert… Fifty-one-year-old Randy Scott, the pastor of Bryan’s Bethel Temple Assembly of God was arrested here in Houston in connection with what is being portrayed in court documents as an extremely bizarre scheme. According to court documents made available after his arrest Saturday, a confidential informant has…
A New Home for Burns BBQ
As much as Houston loves barbecue, it’s hard to find a consistently great spot for it. After all, with so many categories and components, it’s fairly easy to mess it up. Sometimes it’s too dry or lacks flavor. Maybe there’s no smoke ring or fat cap. Or perhaps the crust…
Odd Pair: Birthday Cake and Durigutti Malbec
I usually like to pair my un-birthday cake with a nice, dry French champagne. After all, if you only have 364 days of the year to celebrate the day on which you were not born, you really should do it up right. But on this occasion, I was seeking a…
St. Thomas High School — What, YOUR High School Didn’t Have A Six-Story Parking Garage?
We’re trying to figure out if we’ve ever heard of a high school with a six-story parking garage, and the answer is no, we haven’t — until today. Today we learned that St. Thomas High, right here in Houston, will be having a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for its new, humongous,…
Eyesore: Unexplained Cop-and-Graffiti Magnet in Midtown
Anyone who takes Gray St. to work and back sees it every day. If you’re like Art Attack, you’ve wondered out loud, “What is it?” and “What was it?” Why is this fenced-up, graffiti-marred, inexplicable building still standing amid the massive amount of development this area (Midtown’s eastern edge) has…
XXXL Bandit Lives To Waddle Away Again
The man the FBI has dubbed The XXXL Bandit has walked away from another bank robbery. Once again no getaway car was seen. We don’t think this speaks highly of the effort on some people to catch this guy. Last month he struck on Clear Lake City Boulevard; the latest…
Doozo’s Dumplings
Eating top-flight Asian dumplings in the food court of a shopping mall is a little trippy. Actually, the entire shopping mall is strange. The Shops at Houston Center is a place that I would wager most Houstonians (even Inner-Loopers) have never visited. It’s a not-very-exciting mall, but during the lunch…
Top 5 Rejected Musician-Licensed Perfumes
The Sex Pistols have their own perfume now. Go ahead and let that marinate for a second. Your brain is probably trying to reject it as fact, so maybe you’d better have a look at the press release. Lemon? Black pepper? Patchouli and leather? Sooo… it smells like someone left…
Feta Fries at Harry’s
Of the many things on the menu at the Greek-South American diner hybrid that is Harry’s (see this week’s review: “Midtown Moussaka”), the feta fries are one of my favorites…
Game Time: Trevor Ariza Trade — Instant Analysis
I was not writing for HoustonPress.com when the Trevor Ariza signing went down last year so you’ll have to take my word for it — I was very skeptical and surprised by the signing at the time. (Note: There are megabytes and megabytes of sound from me on the internal…
Stirred & Shaken: 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…
Where’s It Hanging?
Helen Little might not be a widely recognized name in the local art scene, but chances are it soon will be. A sophomore at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Little contributed her Photoshop piece Fields of Fruit, shown above, to the juried exhibit “Collections: Annual HSPVA…
Top 5 WTF Music Award Acceptance Speeches
As we may have mentioned once or twice, tonight Rocks Off and the Houston Press reveal the winners of this year’s 2010 Houston Press Music Awards over at Warehouse Live. It’s a free show, with performances from nominees like Nick Gaitan’s Umbrella Man, Fat Tony, Los Skarnales, Grandfather Child, Tax…
Debbie Riddle: For Your Own Sake, Avoid CNN
State Rep Debbie Riddle doesn’t need career advice from us. But if she were to ask, we’d tell her stay the hell off CNN. Stick to Fox News.Riddle went on Anderson Cooper’s show last night and — well, she showed the nation the Debbie Riddle we have come to know…
Diving Into Houston’s Best Dive Bars
Although the number of “true” dive bars is shrinking by the day, that didn’t stop our own John Nova Lomax from tracking down the best ones left in the city and covering them in last October’s feature story, “Dive Bars: A Handcrafted Tour of the Best, Most Obscure Places to…
Nikki Araguz: A Life Examined, With Many Twists Along The Way
It’s going to be a while before the courts sort out whether Thomas Araguz and Nikki Purdue had a legal marriage; and until that happens, the Araguz and Purdue families say they will not be able to properly mourn the fallen Wharton firefighter. It’s hard to imagine two people less…
HPMA Showcase Videos And A Brand-New Buxton Track
Despite arriving late due to another job, photographer/videographer Austin Miller shot some great photos at Saturday’s Houston Press Music Awards showcase – just like all the other lensmen of Team Rocks Off – and managed to capture some video footage (somehow) as well. It’s mostly of the outdoor-stage activities, but…
Tourists, Tar Balls and Tort: Galveston and Deepwater Horizon
Before his visit to Texas President Obama hosted a cookout for family and friends on the South Lawn. On the menu: andouille sausage, crawfish and shrimp, all fresh from the Gulf Coast. He told press in a statement, “Americans can confidently and safely enjoy Gulf seafood once again.” Galveston area…
Yo Interns, Apply Yourselves!
We’re looking for writers and photographers with attitude, interested in the arts and blogging the bejesus out of them. If that’s you, then please apply for an internship. You need to be an aggressive self-starter ready to run off and cover whatever we throw at you. We’ll give you all…
Federal Pretrial Services: Getting Defendants “Confident” And Less Embarrassed For Trial
The federal Pretrial Services Agency in Houston has launched a new program that basically counsels felony defendants who are out on bond and awaiting a federal trial. But in the program’s early stages, things haven’t gone exactly as planned. According to Cynthia McMurray-Smith, an officer with the pretrial service, the…
3Bubble: Fresh Enterpreneur Has Funny Name, Worthing Pride
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. A list of rappers that ended up being…
Bartender Chat: Bryan Johnson of Sugarcane
When Bryan Johnson says he’s bartended nearly everywhere in town, he means it. He started at Meteor and then worked his way through the city from Deco to Hue to Vintage and a dozen other places before finally ending up at Sugarcane. He says that Sugarcane is “me growing up…
Carlos Lee: Worst Everyday Player In The Majors
The Houston Astros haven’t really had that much to brag about this season. The team has been bad. They’ve become a dumping ground for guys who could no longer cut it with the Phillies. But last week, by use of analysis, it was determined that the Houston Astros are best…
League Of Extraordinary Industrial Retards: Funniest Goths Ever!
The other night, Gothtopia and Wife With One F were hanging out with Caddy of My Bitch Tits, whose debut single about dating an XBox we are eagerly awaiting, when she asked us if we had heard about the League of Extraordinary Industrial Retards. We confessed our ignorance, and she…
Slideshow: White Linen Night in the Heights
While music fans (and much of the Press staffers) were bar crawling Washington Ave. last Saturday for the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase, those with a taste for genteel, Southern leisure (and apparently, as the above photo attests, a desire to butcher the soles of their feet) were gallery-and-shop hopping…
Clams and Ham at Dolce Vita
My sister-in-law visited recently and requested that we get some pizza at Dolce Vita. My response was to quote of Jules in Pulp Fiction, “Shit, Negro! That’s all you had to say!” Unfortunately, the reference was lost on her and we enjoyed a moment of awkward silence followed by my…
Jodie Fisher: The Woman Who Took Down HP Boss Proudly Shows Her Texas Tech Love (And Breasts) (NSFW)
Jodie Fisher is the woman whose sexual harassment claims led to the resignation of Hewitt-Packard CEO Mark Hurd.Valleywag, the Silicon Valley part of the Gawker empire, reports that not only has Fisher done soft-core porn in the past, she posed for Playboy. You can’t tell from their censored version above,…
Jack Freeman: Why Does Houston’s Rising R&B Star Want To Kill R&B?
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…
Metro: A Survey Of Some Its Most Photogenic Crashes
Metro continues to find innovative ways to entertain via crashes. This week it was a bus plowing into a (thankfully empty) day-care center .At least this one didn’t involve rail. But hey, let’s revisit some of Metro’s crash highlights:…
MoveOn.org Throws a Little Protest in Houston
Local members of MoveOn.org held a rally Tuesday taking aim at corporate control in Washington, delivering petition signatures to the Heights office of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and urging other elected officials to endorse the “Fight Corruption Pledge.” Spurred on by the collaboration of thousands of members of the grassroots…
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. Chili Bob’s Houston Eats: There’s a new Ethiopian restaurant in town…finally. Not…
The Glamour Boyz: Beware Of Found Footage
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. One of your daily video guide’s favorite people is Rocks Off’s own…
Bayou City Art Festival Announces 2010 Featured Artist
The Bayou City Art Festival announced Monday that the October event’s featured artist is Alabama naive Jeannie Maddox. Maddox’s photo-realistic paintings of swimmers are highly collectible and sell world-wide. “Colleen,” right, was created specifically for the festival, and will appear on billboards, T-shirts and posters promoting the event. But people…
Jewish Panties: Donations Accepted (But It’s Not What You Think)
Okay, we’re just throwing this out there.Belden’s, the terrific Jewish grocery store in Meyerland, has a box asking for donations of used panties. Some — not us, certainly — might question if someone at Belden’s has a certain thing for such items. You know, because in Japan vending machines sell…
Cat Mutilations In The Heights: A Sick Crime Wave From Last Summer Hits Hair Balls At Home
This time last year, there was a gruesome series of cat-killings in the Heights/Timbergrove, River Oaks and Montrose. The cats were mutilated — some eviscerated, others beheaded, still others quartered, and some all of the above. One mutilated kitty was left on display in front of a shop at the…
Hayya’ alas Salaah: Ramadan Begins Tomorrow
August 11 marks the beginning of Ramadan in 2010. The date that signifies the beginning of the ninth month of the Islamic religious year changes each year based on the Islamic lunar calendar (which is, coincidentally, the only widely used lunar calendar in the modern world), but it also marks…
Rand Paul’s Aqua Buddha: Another Baylor Mystery
Rand Paul, son of our own Ron Paul and — hard as it may be to believe — a serious contender to become the U.S. Senator from Kentucky — (well, maybe the “Kentucky” part is not that hard to believe) is in the news today because of a brief item…
Five Ways To Spot a Foodie
Yesterday, our own Katharine Shilcutt wrote an incisive, observant and nuanced article regarding the backlash against the “foodie” culture. Naturally, the discussion in the comments section, on Twitter, and elsewhere on the internet has primarily revolved around the many virtues of frog’s legs, and whether or not a cooked frog…
Houstonian vs. Food: 5 Challenges for Local Eaters
Katharine Shilcutt’s recent account of four guys and a 15-pound burger at French Press Café inspired me to see what great feats of eating the Bayou City has to offer those on a quest to stretch their stomach lining. Here are five of the greater Houston area’s best eating challenges:…
Texas Monthly Looks At (Most Of) Houston’s Mental Health Issues
This month’s Texas Monthly features a “Letter from Houston,” which focuses on the city’s mental health services, primarily the Houston Police Department’s Mental Health Unit, the Harris County Jail and “transinstitutionalizaton, the migration of mentally ill from hospitals to jails and prisons.” The writer, Patricia Kilday Hart, points out that…
Justin Bieber’s Autobiography: The Lost Introduction
Today Rocks Off got word that pop sensation Justin Bieber was finishing up his first autobiography. The 16-year-old is set to release Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever: My Story in October – in print, not tweet by tweet, no less. Following in the footsteps of other poppers like Miley…
Cooking with Salmon Skin
Most people know of salmon fillets at the grocery store. These fillets are what most people are comfortable eating: huge boneless slabs of fish. However, my favorite parts of salmon are those parts typically discarded. While doing some seafood shopping at 99 Ranch Market, I picked up a Saran Wrapped…
Game Time: You Can’t Spell “Shitty Boyfriend” Without “BO”
I’ve heard all the hype about how much more fun Astros games are to attend since the team decided to go “baseball botox” and at least try to look younger, shipping out Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman in consecutive days last month. Friends of mine talk about how much more…
Bun B Fires Back At Source Rating Critics… Including Ours
“I get 5 mikes, you say The Source ain’t shit. If your favorite would’ve won, would you say the same shit?” – Bun B, “B.M.F. Freestyle” Whoever came up with that saying “if you’ve got nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all” must have been a rapper at…
Zico Coconut Water
Water, water, everywhere, and so much of it stinks. These days, it seems like every beverage company is hocking its own special version of H2O that promises consumers a transcendent hydration experience. Since it’s the sultry season and Houston tap water leaves much to be desired, I have been on…
Artist Quotes: Lovie Olivia
On August 28, local artist Lovie Olivia will exhibit “Thrice Removed,” a new series of paintings at Spacetaker’s ARC Gallery (Winter Street Studios, 2101 Winter St.). According to a press release, “Her work explores the multi-dimensionality of women of the African Diaspora in light of the challenges and joy associated…
Blue Bell Scoop Shop
August in Houston is not for the weak, which is exactly why we’ve come to rely heavily on our beat-the-heat home remedies: things like sweet tea, snow cones, gazpacho and ice cream. Not at the same time, of course. All of that means that August is the perfect month to…
Music Awards Ceremony Lineup: Umbrella Man, Fat Tony, Los Skarnales, Grandfather Child, Tax The Wolf, Lee Alexander
Rocks Off is pleased to announce the lineup for tomorrow night’s Houston Press Music Awards ceremony at Warehouse Live: Nick Gaitan & the Umbrella Man, Fat Tony, Lee Alexander, Los Skarnales, Grandfather Child and Tax the Wolf. Most of them performed at this past Saturday’s HPMA showcase on Washington Avenue,…
Alison Stein Learns Facebook Is No Place To Fix Traffic Tickets
If you were coming back from making funeral arrangements for your father, and got tageed with four pretty BS traffic tickets, you’d be pissed.And if your father was a longtime Houston firefighter, you might turn to HFD to see if you could get a little help.That’s what one Houston woman…
Brew Blog: Deschutes Brewery
Many excellent West Coast and Pacific Northwest brewers have long shown the good sense to ship their wares to Texas, and Deschutes Brewery has now joined the party in a real way, too. The Bend, Oregon brewery has inked a deal with Ben E. Keith Beverages to expand its local…
True Blood: A Bloody Night On The Sun With Otep
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. Ed. Note: The True Blood…
Jane Draycott, Alleged HFD Harassment Victim: Still No Word About Shoplifting Charge
Jane Draycott, one of two women suing the Houston Fire Department over alleged sexual harassment, has discovered a spectacular way to sabotage her case: She’s been arrested for trying to shoplift $300 in merchandise from a Walmart. Reports indicate that Draycott was nabbed after she left the Spring store with…
Chicken and Children at Ruggles Green
The newest Ruggles outpost — Ruggles Green — is now open at CityCentre, which is quickly becoming saturated with excellent restaurants, much to the pleasure of culinarily starved west Houston residents. Ruggles Green (800 W. Sam Houston Parkway) is situated on prime real estate: the grassy main “square” at CityCentre,…
Five Comedians We Thought Were Dead
Recently Bill Cosby died … again. Last week, the well-known internet hoax popped up for the second time this year (in fact, it was the top trending topic on Twitter a week ago). Funny thing is, we could’ve sworn it was true, but like five years ago. We’re not sure…
Chris Stewart: Klein HS Star Takes On Unique Challenge At Notre Dame
Chris Stewart was a highly recruited lineman coming out of Klein High School; he chose to go to Notre Dame. After a few bumps, he’s thriving, and right now he’s taking on a challenge no Irish football player has ever tried: Going to ND’s law school while playing a fifth…
Top 10 Anti-Drug Rap Songs
A kabillion rap songs out there celebrate ganja and booger sugar – case in point: Young Jeezy at the Arena Theatre this weekend – but anti-drug rap songs are insanely rare. You have a better chance of finding a mastered copy of Detox. Luckily for you, Rocks Off went digging…
Trying the Pitaya
The dragonfruit, or pitaya, is known for its great health benefits, and it’s touted on the side of juice bottles and energy drinks for its vitamin, fiber and mineral-rich context. Bolder distributors even state that the fruit has been used to treat everything from diabetes to asthma. Really…
Upcoming: Atari Teenage Riot, Heart, Rocks Off’s “Reduxion,” Etc.
Atari Teenage Riot, Black Congress, Female Demand: Wed., Sept. 29. Numbers. Betty Wright, Willie Clayton: Sat., Oct. 2. Arena Theatre. Cory Morrow: Mon., Aug. 30, 5:30 p.m. Cactus Music & Video. Devil Driver, Kataklysm, Kittie: Tue., Aug. 31. Scout Bar Clear Lake. Flyleaf, Story Of The Year: Sat., Sept. 25…
Steve Slater: Five Other Ways Flight Attendant Could Have Handled The Situation
You’ve heard the fabulous tale of Steve Slater, a flight attendant on JetBlue. As the plane he was working pulled up to the gate, some asshole jumped out of his seat to get his luggage.Because that person was so, so much more important than anyone else.Slater objected, the guy allegedly…
International Food Diplomacy: How Not to Get Into a Fight at an Austrian McDonald’s
I received a lovely email this morning from an intern at My Table Magazine, requesting my “favorite food memory while traveling” for an upcoming issue. Because I realize that My Table is soliciting these food memories from numerous people and probably doesn’t need my rambling recollection, and because I realize…
Play Guitar With Your Ass? She Can.
In addition to trolling around on YouTube looking for the wettest, the weirdest, the wildest, and the wrongest music videos, Rocks Off enjoys a good soak in the simmering vat of Craigslist’s musician’s postings. You never know when you’ll run across a local act surreptitiously trying to look for new…
Office Art: Where’s It Hanging?
Museums and galleries aren’t the only places to gawk at fine art. Plenty of corporations and businesses snatch up works to hang in their lobbies, communal spaces and boardrooms. Art Attack wants to know what’s hanging at your office. Where are the hidden masterpieces? What clunky eyesore sculpture did your…
So What’s Up With Kanye’s “Power” Video?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn’t a national holiday or pre-empted by HPMA showcase coverage, Rocks Off will have some of them hear discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Paul Wall, Fat Tony, Preemo, Sam Sneed, Thurogood Wordsmith Not Invited: Taylor…
Rice Will Get A Chance To Make A Bang In This Year’s First Game (Against The Longhorns)
Two seasons ago, the Rice Owls went 10-3 and won the Texas Bowl. Last year, the Owls went 2-10, including 0-9 to start the season. Saturday, the Owls got down to business for this season, and the question lingers: is this going to be like 2008, or 2009?”We have the…
Pop Rocks: Levi Johnston – The Future’s So Bright…
Been a busy month for Levi Johnston. The 20-year old former hockey player and impregnator of Sarah Palin’s eldest daughter not only saw his engagement to Bristol disintegrate over reports he wasn’t so discriminating with his seed (“Levi is one of three possible fathers who were with Lanesia during the…
Pop Rocks: Levi Johnston – The Future’s So Bright…
Been a busy month for Levi Johnston. The 20-year old former hockey player and impregnator of Sarah Palin’s eldest daughter not only saw his engagement to Bristol disintegrate over reports he wasn’t so discriminating with his seed (“Levi is one of three possible fathers who were with Lanesia during the…
Where Are We Drinking?
A row of four taps, a familiar-looking sign in the background. You might think you’ve got this one in the bag, but you could very well be surprised by where we’re drinking this week. Think you have it figured out? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Hundred Year Flood Brings A Little Sunshine
Ed. Note: Wednesday, August 11, 11:23 a.m.: The video Rocks Off had posted previously was a rough cut. We have now embedded the finished version. Every day Rocks Off trolls the tube of you in search of videos to share. If you have a video you think deserves to be…
Larry Dressendorfer: Terrible Bike Bandit, Terrific Mugshot Poser
Photo courtesy FBSOLarry Dressendorfer: It’s a GREAT day to get a mugshot!!Last Saturday, Richmond police officer Michael Hicks was dispatched to a high noon disturbance in the parking lot of Rosita’s Bail Bonds downtown in Fort Bend’s quaint old county seat. There they found an irate man collecting some belongings…
Fugitive Sex Offenders Will Be Easier To Find, Officials Say
Photo by Paula BeltránPat Lykos, flanked by representives from the city and countyIt’s gotten tougher to be a fugitive sex offender in Harris County, a group of law enforcement officials announced Monday.The three main local agencies dealing with sex offenders are merging their databases and monitoring operations and have improvements…
Houston Runners Take on The Beer Mile
There’s competitive eating, and then there’s competitive eating, or in the case of the Beer Mile, competitive drinking. The concept is simple: chug a beer as fast as you can, then run a ¼ mile. Do that four times, and you’ve completed the beer mile. First person to cross the…
A Day At Play In The HPMA Showcase Sandbox
You know how when you were a little kid and you came home from school after playing all day in the sandbox, and then your mom told you to go take a bath and you’re like, “okay mom” and then you do and when you’re done you decide that you…
Creepshow at the Craft Center
They’re protagonists in horror movies. Little brothers pull their heads off to make sisters scream. Bitter enemies burn them in effigy. And then there are the inflatable kind. The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft’s current exhibit, “Dolls Now,” thankfully leaves out the latter type, although we wouldn’t put it past…
Has the “Foodie” Backlash Begun?
Late last year, all of the sister papers in the Village Voice Media chain were informed that we were no longer to use the word “foodie” in blogs or in print. The reason? “Foodie” has not only become overused but has developed a strongly negative connotation: A foodie is no…
Notsuoh Hit With Lawsuit For Bizarre 2009 Falling Man Incident
Last February Hair Balls reported on a bizarre pre-dawn incident at downtown nightclub/art space Notsuoh in which a highly intoxicated man allegedly fell out of one the upper floors of the building at 316 Main. That man, now identified as Nathan Fisher, survived, and is now suing Notsuoh owners Jim…
Furor To Frenzy: HPMAers Plump, Two Star, Tramps, Runaway Sun
[When last we left Nick Hall, he was dodging “mandannas” after some surprise Louvin Brothers from Robert Ellis and friends.] Stepping out into the heat just long enough to see that Runaway Sun hasn’t started up at the main stage, Aftermath dashes across Washington, dodging jitneys, for a funk bath…
Wine of the Week: Coppola Sofia Blanc de Blancs
What does Francis Ford Coppola do well other than direct movies? You guessed it, you little oenophile/movie geek, you. Yes, Coppola makes some damn delicious wines in addition to creating some of the most iconic American movies ever to grace the silver screen. This canned concoction, however, was not his…
Lisa Williams, 41, Bayou Body Count No. 195
A man got into an argument with his ex-wife, shot her several times in the back and then apparently took his own life, police said.Lisa Williams, 41, was at her home in the 16100 block of Bantam Ridge Court on the southwest side of town when she and her ex-husband,…
Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Stacks
I’m continuing my Italian kick with a dish that combines two of my favorite fruits, eggplants and tomatoes, with one of my favorite cheeses, mozzarella. Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Stacks 3 large globe eggplants, each about 1 pound, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices 1/4 cup kosher salt, plus more for…
HPMA Audience Members Sound Off On What They Saw
Aftermath is pretty familiar with local music fans these days, so on Saturday at the HPMAs, we tried to talk only to people we had never seen at shows before to get a feel for who was enjoying what and what the showcase should try to do next year (besides…
Game Time: Brian Cushing — Saga of the Overtrained Athlete
“It’s not a lie, if you believe it.” — George CostanzaNo one could carry out a lie like George Costanza. If you watched Seinfeld, you remember the episode where George told his would-have-been in-laws, the Rosses, that he had a timeshare in Long Island’s luxurious Hamptons just to get out…
300 Bowling
I love nostalgic bowling alley food — slightly overcooked tater tots, hot dogs with packet-relish, and fake cheese nachos. So when I was invited to a birthday party at 300 Bowling (925 Bunker Hill Road, 713-461-1207), another member of the growing “bowling lounge” genre, I was interested to see what…
Houston Playwright’s Script Is Albee-Approved
Art Attack had never heard of Houston-raised playwright Michael Swift until this morning, when we received a press release about his Texas Law Men, a play opening this Thursday and running for four performances only at Obsidian Arts Space in the Heights. According to the release, the play tackles the…
Saturday: Buxton, Preemo And Coast’s Showcases Blow Us Away
Team Rocks Off was staffed with the not-insignificant task of effectively covering nine different venues during Saturday’s Houston Press Music Awards, which led to this member of the Aftermath squadron being camped out at Kobain for the first half of our day. We accepted our post and then took a…
Albert Randle III, 23, Bayou Body Count No. 194
A bar shooting near the Third Ward left a 23-year-old man dead Friday night.Police received a call shortly before midnight about a shooting at C. Phil’s Bar at 401 Alemda Road. When they got there they discovered Albert Randle III had been shot in the chest.He was transported to the…
Health Dept. Roundup
Health inspectors found some extensive offenders this week, so we’ll get right to it. Little Caesar’s (5700 W. Little York) was closed temporarily after a routine inspection August 1. In addition to some paperwork snafus, inspectors found potentially hazardous food not being kept cold or hot enough. Raw food also…
Could Rocks Off Last An Entire Hour On The Washington Wave?
Note: The Wave is a jitney that rides up and down Washington Ave. dropping people off whereever they please. It’s cool if you’re drunk. It’s the worst place on earth if you’re not. 4:11 p.m.: So Friday night, Houston Press music editor Chris Gray called and said, “Hey, I had…
Israeli TV Show Is Taping In Houston And Honoring Right-Wingers
Houston is the first stop for Israeli TV hosts Ari Abramowitz and Jeremy Gimpel as they take Tuesday Night Live in Jerusalem across the United States. “We want to give an empowering, uplifting, inspiring message about Israel. And there’s apparently a big thirst for it,” Abramowitz says. Also apparent are…
Coming Soon: A Mini-Season of Shows at Barnevelder
Barnevelder Movement/Arts Complex, located over by Minute Maid Park, will be hosting three different groups from mid-August through early October: Hope Stone Dance, NobleMotion Dance and The Catastrophic Theater. Beginning August 12, Hope Stone, in collaboration with Infinite Movement Ever Evolving, presents Lemonade Stand, a dance piece that Hope Stone…
Feeling Darragh, D.R.U.M., Karina, Skarnales On The Showcase’s Western Edge
How was your Saturday? We spent ours hopping from bar to bar, soaking in rays (inadvertently), and downing copious amounts of liquid refreshment. Oh yeah, and we managed to see eight bands in four hours. Dive in for our take on the HPMA showcase: the good, the great, and the…
BBQ Done Right at Gatlin’s BBQ
As mentioned in last week’s Openings & Closings roundup, Gatlin’s BBQ has now taken up residence in the spot on W. 19th Street where the late, lamented Jazzie’s once served up some of Houston’s best po-boys. Sadly, while Jazzie’s closed up shop one day to “remodel” and never returned, at…
Like A Movie, HPMA Showcase Afternoon Over Far Too Quickly
This was the first year and no doubt the first of many for the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase to converge on Washington Avenue like a sweet-sounding pestilence made up of drums, mikes, a few steel guitars and a tanker truck full of music-scene pride. Many people said that this…
Pernell Dwayne McCardell: Don’t Try To Carjack A Uniformed Police Dispatcher
We don’t claim to be criminal masterminds here, but we think we can offer two pieces of advice: If you’re going to try to carjack somebody, pick ANYONE other than a person in a police uniform.Just as a corollary to that, if you do somehow manage to attempt (and fail)…
The Brew Ha-Ha on the Brewmasters International Beer Festival
Hopheads, grab your steins! It’s a brewtiful day to love beer in the Lone Star State. On Labor Day weekend (September 3-6), through a partnership with Spec’s and Food & Vine Time Productions, Galveston’s Moody Gardens will host the largest-scale beer event in Texas. The Brewmasters International Beer Festival will…
Shatavia Anderson, 14, Bayou Body Count No. 193
A 14-year-old girl was found shot to death as she was walking home early Saturday morning, police say. Shatavia Anderson had been escorted by a friend and the friend’s relative to the corner of Greens Road and Wayforest on the north side of town; she then was headed to her…
Ozeal, Satin Hooks, Zydeco Dots, Kristine Mills Simmer On Showcase Saturday
2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, and nobody’s home at The Drake. The place is a bit hidden, with its posh entrance tucked around back, hidden from the street by the abandoned industrial façade. The cool, dark interior provides a refuge from the heat outside, but the space still manages to…
Dynamo In A Deep, Deep Slump
Wins are scarce these days for the Houston Dynamo. Hell, they’d take draws at this point. Neither was the case last night in Seattle as the Dynamo fell 2-0 to the Sounders FC. The match was a physically-played game, as one would expect when these two Western Conference rivals clash…
$13 at LaFayette Cajun Seafood
Where: LaFayette Cajun Seafood, 10829 W. Bellfort, 281-564-1388. What $13 gets you: a bowl of passable crab bisque and either snapper Pontchartrain or blackened snapper Opelousas smothered in a diet-mocking helping of heavy, creamy, saucy sauces. Some girls decompress by booking emergency mani-pedi sessions. I, on the other hand, turn…
This Week in TV: Football Season is Over
One football season ended, another warmed up, and I am this close to canceling cable and just using the Internet. This was the week in TV Land: • I have never wanted a team to win a game as badly as I wanted the Lions to beat the Panthers in…
Saturday: Trae Was A Very Special HPMA Showcase Guest Indeed
Trae Tha Truth Bud Light Outdoor Stage August 7, 2010 Trae tha Truth was the special guest at this year’s HPMA showcase. As such, he brought along a few special people he normally doesn’t bring to shows, namely a live band and hypeman extraordinaire Go DJ Hi-C (he’s the CEO…
This Week in TV: Football Season is Over
One football season ended, another warmed up, and I am this close to canceling cable and just using the Internet. This was the week in TV Land: • I have never wanted a team to win a game as badly as I wanted the Lions to beat the Panthers in…
Riding The Musical Wave At Saturday’s HPMAs
Saturday didn’t start out very promising: Almost as soon as Rocks Off arrived at the intersection of Washington and Silver, where the Bud Light main stage was set up, the sky darkened, then drizzled, then began pouring rain. The downpour barely lasted 15 minutes, however, and when it cleared up,…
Cougar Football Opens With High Hopes For The…Defense?
The Houston Cougars got their 2010 football season underway on Friday, meeting for photos and their first practice while the team held its annual media day. Despite a successful 2009 season, the Cougars come into this season wanting to forget last year, wanting to get done what they failed to do…
Opening Report: CAMH’s “Dance with Camera”
Making my way into the Contemporary Arts Museum’s opening of “Dance With Camera” on Friday was like retreating into a cool, dark cave. Black walls and subdued lighting are the perfect cinema-like backdrops to a stunning variety of photographs, films and videotapes documenting the activities of dancers and choreographers over…
It’s Good Time To Explore The Other Blogs At HoustonPress.com
You’re reading this blog right now. And that’s great, we appreciate the hell out of it.But don’t forget the rest of what Houston Press offers Blogworld.Art Attack is up, running, glitch-free and should definitely be your bookmarked location for Houston arts reporting with smarts.And be sure to check in on…
Where Are We Eating?
A vase of fresh-cut flowers and the aroma of baking bread. Does the warm scene below look familiar to you? Think you know where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Saturday Night: Matt & Kim At The HPMA Showcase
Matt & Kim Bud Light Outdoor Stage August 7, 2010 As the sun went down and the moon came up on the crowd at the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase main stage, a palpable sense of relief settled over everyone. The long, hot day was over and the throngs were…
Rogelio Flores, Bayou Body Count No. 192
Intoxication manslaughter charges have been filed against a man who forced a speeding tow truck to crash, killing its driver, police say.Rogelio Villalobos, 25, was driving eastbound in the 8900 block of Jensen about 1 a.m. Friday when he cut off a fast-moving tow truck, police said.The truck went off…
The Houston Zoo Cute-Off: The Final Four
The Final Four is here in the 2010 Houston Zoo Cute-Off, the cut-throat competition to determine just who is the cutest of all.Round two results were decisive, setting up a Final Four for the ages. It’s1. Lou the tenrec…
Shot Through The Heart: Images From Saturday’s HPMA Showcase
Good afternoon, everyone. Rocks Off hopes you’re having a nice, relaxing Sunday. We’d like to thank all of you who came out to our Houston Press Music Awards showcase on Washington Avenue yesterday, and especially all our colleagues who helped make it happen. It was hot and sticky, especially after…
Raves, Trains and Jitney Mobiles at the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase
Best moment? Early in the Matt and Kim set, a train roared through just north of Washington Avenue. The engineer, seeing the huge crowd in the parking lot just east of The Drake, laid on his horn and waved to everyone as the band played on. It was really nice…
More from the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase
The party’s about to start at the Bud Light Main Stage, the sun is on it’s way down and the night’s just getting started. “Big crowd at Walter’s. The Manichean are struggling towards a late start.” — John Gray “People are arriving in cabs for B L A C K…
Live from the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase
We’re hanging out all day on Washington Avenue watching some of the best bands in Houston perform at the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase. We’ll be checking into Rocks Off periodically to keep you up to date as well. You can also follow us on Twitter at @HoustonPress and @hprocksoff…
Eat, Pray, Love & The Expendables: Win Preview Passes While You Ponder That Venn Diagram Of Ticket-Buyers
You know how you used to visit Hair Balls all the time, looking for preview passes to the best new movies? And sometimes the not-so-best movies? You can’t do that anymore. But what you can do is keep an eye on our Art Attack blog, which, to be frank, you…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we’re still trying to figure out a way to combine grits and dumplings. Don’t tell us it can’t be done; we’ve got a dream. How did we start the week out? Why, by linking to every other food…
The Octanes Replace The Small Sounds At HPMA Showcase
Attention local musicians, music bloggers and music organizations: have something that should be included in Magnolia City Mixtape? Leave a comment below or email brittanie.shey (at) houstonpress (dot) com. • Happy Friday! Please enjoy this video from Rocks Off sister blog Backbeat of pint-sized Reggaton artist Mini Daddy. • Late-breaking…
Five Recent Movies That Needed A John Hughes Soundtrack
Even though John Hughes had not made a decent movie since 1991’s Dutch (missile twisters FTW) when he died one year ago today, the world still mourned the loss of one of the best filmmakers to ever take on the human experience. Hughes may have only dealt with dysfunctional Midwesterners,…
Openings & Closings
As mentioned earlier this week, the latest Tony Vallone outfit — Caffe Bello (322 Westheimer) — has finally opened in the old La Strada location in Montrose. Early indications are that the fabulous pizzettas are the restaurant’s strong point, with overbearing service as a problem issue. Luckily, that’s something that…
The Week in Photos
Each week, we’ll 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. For more information…
TPWD Cutting Back Access To Bat-Viewing, Cave-Visiting
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is closing some of the state’s caves and prime bat-viewing sites to fight a contagious disease that’s fatal to bats.White Nose Syndrome has spread from the East Coast, and the sites are being closed “our of an abundance of caution, said David Riskind, director…
Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count No. 191
A man “in his 60s” was killed by a drunk driver early this morning on the south side of town, Houston police say.Edward Cano, 35, faces an intoxication manslaughter charge after the 12:30 a.m. accident.Police said Cano was driving northbound on Cullen near the South Loop when his Toyota Tacoma…
Friday Meal Deals
For the entire month of August, participating locations of International House of Pancakes are letting kids 12 and under eat for free between 4pm and 10pm. The fine print: valid on “Just for Kids” menu items. Drinks are not included unless otherwise specified on the “Just for Kids” menu. Dine-in…
FAIL: Wyclef Jean, Richard Ashcroft, Mark Wahlberg, iTunes
Wyclef Jean’s Latest Vanity Project: President of Haiti: Wyclef Jean is best known for being the member of the Fugees who quite improbably enjoyed the most solo success. We would have bet on Lauryn Hill, but unfortunately, she went crazy. Crazy may be contagious among ex-Fugees, because now Jean wants…
Comfort Food at Cream Burger
“I’ve had a terrible day,” my friend grumbled. “Terrible! I need meat.” “Burger or steak?” I asked. “Burger,” she quickly replied, a scowl still on her face. “Definitely burger.” And so we were off to Cream Burger (3481 Elgin). The little burger shack in the Third Ward, just on the…
Game Time: Andre Johnson — Houston Texan For Life
Andre Johnson held out for the first three days of organized team activities this past spring, ostensibly to send a message to the Texans that he wanted to be paid in accordance with what he has become — the best wide receiver in the National Football League. I would argue…
Saturday’s HPMA Showcase, Hour By Hour And Genre By Genre
One of the main ideas behind the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase – besides everyone having a good time, of course – is exposing local artists to thousands of potential new fans in one fell swoop. But those potential new fans have to be willing to take the bait, and…
Jazz Fest: Not Your Dentist’s Jazz
Elevator music. Smooth jazz in your dentist’s office. The Kenny G your in-laws spin as they sip chardonnay. All these associations sometimes make us forget the true essence of jazz. This weekend, you can reacquaint yourself with the genre at Discovery Green. The sultry sounds flow through downtown this weekend…
Houston Restaurant Week: Lunch Deals
This year Houston Restaurant Week is offering $20 prix-fixe two-course lunch deal in addition to the $35 three-course dinner deals of years past. (The Houston Food Bank gets $3 for every lunch, and $5 for every dinner.) So as a service to you, dear reader, I have pored over the…
Extreme Makeover Home Almost Complete
A beautiful two-story, four-bedroom, 4,400-square-foot home was unveiled to the family of Eric and Elaine Johnson last Sunday as part of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Fresh from a dream vacation to Paris, the new home presented a flurry of emotions for the couple and their five girls, ranging from tears…
Beatles Mockumentary Revisits “Paul Is Dead” Myth
Paul McCartney Really is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison Highway 61 Entertainment 95 mins., $14.95. ROCKS OFF WORLD EXCLUSIVE: At last, the truth can be told about one of rock and roll’s greatest mysteries! As he lay dying of lung cancer in 2001, a weak George Harrison dictated…
Upcoming Events
Houston Restaurant Week is in full swing right now. With so many restaurants to choose from, people have been overwhelmed with choices — not a bad position to be in, really. I love CultureMap’s efficient little “cheat sheet” for trying to figure out which restaurants to select based on categories…
City’s Housing Department Axes 29 Jobs
The city’s Department of Housing and Community Development has cut 29 jobs due to budget strains and will begin a restructuring “that will restore financial integrity, improve performance and facilitate expansion of the mission to include a new focus on community development.””This is a top to bottom reorganization reflecting our…
Dax Riggs Says Goodnight To The World, Hello To Houston
Tonight Dax Riggs debuts his brand-new LP, Say Goodnight to the World, for Houston ears at Walter’s On Washington. The record is his first full-length release since 2007’s We Sing of Only Blood or Love and more than worthy follow-up, tempering Love’s death rattles with softer tones at certain turns…
MFAH Commissions Beijing Olympics F/X Mastermind for New Artwork
The Museum of fine Arts, Houston announced this morning that it has commissioned a permanent, site-specific work by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang. Cai is world-known for grand-scale works and major installations–he was the director of visual and special effects for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics–a…
Happy Hour Scene: Loggia
The Place: Loggia2248 Texas Dr., Sugar Land281-903-7324www.loggiasugarland.comThe Hours: Monday through Friday 3-8 p.m.The Deals: Domestic drafts are $2, well drinks are $3, and calls are one dollar more. House wines are $5. Loggia also has nightly drink specials like $1 domestic drafts on Mondays, and $1 wells on Wednesdays.The Scene:…
Lynette Mwanyoka, 27, Bayou Body Count No. 190
A 27-year-old woman died of a gunshot wound to the head Tuesday night.Lynette Mwanyoka died in the Wyndham Oaks Apartments in the 2400 block of South Kirkwood about 10:40 p.m., police said.HPD responded to a call of a shooting and found Mwanyoka dead in the apartment. Another victim was taken…
Rocks Off Invites You To The HPMA Showcase
Rocks Off and the Houston Press are having a little party on Washington Avenue tomorrow afternoon called the Houston Press Music Awards showcase. We may have mentioned it before. If you’d like to come, we’d love to have you. Click here to vote in this year’s awards and showcase wristband…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Ronnie Killen of Killen’s Steakhouse
We finish our visit with Chef Killen by topping off my tank with a steak, creamed corn and some crème brulee bread pudding. The simple seasoned New York strip was proof that less is more. Nothing was on the steak but salt and pepper and maybe some drool from me…
The Heights Vs. Walmart Battle, Now With Spoof Advertisements
Everyone may not love Walmart, but everyone loves Walmart ads (Right?) Happy employees enthusing about their work in briskly edited, jauntily scored vignettes.We’re sure Walmart’s happy with them, too. Although they might not be too pleased with this version, put out by the Heights-area group that is fighting desperately to…
Slim Thug Uses Twitter In A Non-Sexual Way
Hands down, Slim Thug is the most interesting Houston rapper on Twitter. It’s really not even all that close. Bun has come on strong these past two or so weeks, Cham is good for tech junk and basketball arguments, Trae always has some controversy worth checking on and Paul Wall’s…
Mark Cuban: With Nolan Ryan Out, It’s Now Up To You To Save The Astros
My dream for the Houston Astros was destroyed very, very early on Thursday morning when Nolan Ryan and his business partner, Chuck Greenberg, won the bankruptcy bidding for the Texas Rangers. I’ve written before that I was hoping Ryan’s bid would lose, and that with this loss, Ryan would set…
Recipe Review: Brennan’s Pralines, Part 2
If you’re feeling adventurous and want to make something that you can pass out to your family and friends (who will immediately love you unconditionally), then try this recipe. It’s the orange zest that really makes all the flavors pop. See Part 1 for helpful tricks and tips. Brennan’s New…
Southern Comfort at White Linen Night in the Heights
This year, the ever chic White Linen Night in the Heights is billed as “Sultry, Steamy, Exotic, and Artfully Provocative.” Well, they nailed the “steamy.” But besides white linen, the common thread for Saturday night’s event is shopping. Go to the event’s website for a full list of participating businesses–like…
Ray Hill Can’t Get Arrested In This Town (Really)
Longtime gay activist Ray Hill knows the law, and he knows how to push buttons. We thought he knew how to get arrested to make a point, but several Houston police officers proved up to the task of not falling for it.Maybe it was due to the fact the whole…
Last Night: Aerosmith At Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Ed. note: See a slideshow from Thursday night’s concert with Aerosmith and Sammy Hagar here. Aerosmith Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 5, 2010 Remember when you were little and would watch your parents fight around the house? Everyone can relate, unless you grew up in a Martian family that never…
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. If you’re attending the Houston Press Music Awards this weekend, be sure to add your photos to our Flickr pool. They might even show up online. As usual,…
Where’s It Hanging?
If you haven’t already checked out Lawndale Art Center’s “Big Show,” you only have till tomorrow, Saturday, August 7, to see Thedra Cullar-Ledford’s “Big Dude” (above) and all the others (114 works by 85 artists) in the juried show. Bit of background on Cullar-Ledford: Back in 2007, her beautiful “Backyard…
The Lady Is Dead… And It’s Wonderful (Semi-NSFW)
However you feel about the Proposition 8 ruling that passed on Wednesday in California, Rocks Off hopes that you can appreciate the war that LGBTs have fought… and in all wars there are the wounded. Peaches Christ sent us this short musical film; “The Lady is Dead” directed by Roy…
Fridays at the Dairymaids’ Open Warehouse
It’s Friday, the culmination of a loooong week of time crunching, paper pushing, dignity scraping and brown-nosing. While some of you like to channel your pent-up energy into a night of pills and binge drinking, I often like to spend my Friday nights decompressing at home. And it’s always nice…
Texas Traveler: Stonehenge II on the Move
Stonehenge II, the worse-for-the-wear roadside attraction Texas Traveler visited early last year, is getting a new home and a new coat of paint, thanks to a local arts organization. The replica, two-thirds the size of the prehistoric original, was built in a corn field skirting the Guadalupe River just outside…
Brian Joseph Bentley: Giant Sex Offender Tries, Fails To Fly Under Radar
Brian Joseph “Bubbers” Bentley is a big guy, and perhaps it’s because he carries close to 400 pounds on his 6-foot frame that police tracked him down Sunday at Galveston County’s Mainland Hospital, where he had gone to seek treatment for unspecified ailments. Galveston County Sheriffs wanted to talk to…
Giving Pledge: How Three Houston Billionaires Should Help
One of the big stories this week is Bill Gates’ and Warren Buffett’s Giving Pledge, where the super-billionaires have promised to donate half their money to charity. Even better, they’ve convinced 38 other rich guys to do to the same thing. It’s a really great plan, and the ultimate goal…
The 15-Pound Burger at French Press Cafe
A 15-pound burger. Just saying the phrase isn’t enough to indicate exactly how massive of a burger that is. Fifteen pounds – and that’s just the meat. Twenty-four slices of American cheese. An entire head of lettuce. A 15-pound burger like the one that the French Press Café (1201 N…
Kinks, Black Flag, Too Short (Almost) Launch Rocks Off Covers Night
Besides Saturday’s Houston Press Music Awards showcase – be sure to tune into our Facebook and Twitter pages for plenty of chances to win more wristbands Friday – Rocks Off has finally nailed down all the details for the first installment of our monthly cover night, set for Thursday, August…
Christie Laverne Hawkins: Bryan Woman Demands Dealer Upgrades On Stolen Truck
Christie Laverne Hawkins might not be the brightest thief in College Station, but never let it be said that she suffers from a lack of nerve.Police in Aggieland says the 35-year-old Bryan resident not only stole a pick-up truck from the Varsity Ford Dealership during a bogus test-drive on Monday,…
The Expendable Roles of The Expendables
The Expendables, a new action flick that stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Steven Austin, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger as mercenaries who try to overthrow a cold-blooded dictator, is coming to theaters. Even with their combined ages of 462 years, the only…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Ronnie Killen of Killen’s Steakhouse
We continue our chat with Chef Killen of Pearland’s Killen’s Steakhouse to learn the secrets about his crème brulee bread pudding and get the chef’s response to Robb Walsh’s unsavory review. EOW: Tell me about how your crème brulee bread pudding has made Pearland an unlikely food destination. Killen: During…
Recipe Review: Brennan’s Pralines, Part 1
If you could see my copy of Brennan’s of Houston in Your Kitchen by Chef Carl Walker, you would see that this book has been used and abused. I had only toyed with the idea of “gourmet cooking” before this book’s publication in 2001. After receiving it as a gift,…
Remember Madd Hatta’s All About Me?
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. Madd Hatta All About Me (Groovemakers Recordings, 1995) Madd Hatta has risen to Houston fame as the big stick…
Game Time: YouTube Rewind — “Ram It”, By The 1986 LA Rams (The Godfather Of Awful Team Videos)
The year is 2010, and our society has advanced in so many ways. In a scant 20 years, we’ve gone from the ability to even own a cell phone being a luxury to being able to do everything from watch television, stream music, play games, and download porn on those…
Dream Travel and Space Scares
Seeking an escape from the heat? Escape a step further into the imagination of Hungarian artist Andrea Dezsö. The Rice Gallery exhibition “Sometimes in My Dreams I Fly” (which closes this Sunday, August 8) is a direct link to the world of Dezsö’s dreams–spacey creature-scenes that come to life through…
Food Fight: Battle Éclair
Someone once said that an éclair is “a cake long in shape, but short in duration,” and with him I have to agree. I have always loved this treat, with its pillowy pastry and smooth custard filling, all glazed with a simple smear of chocolate frosting. It is the rich…
HISD & No Child Left Behind: Still Not There, But Making Progress, District Says
Another week, another bunch of statistics and reports on public school district performance. Today it’s a report on how districts are doing in making progress towards a 2014 deadline to meet standards in the No Child Left Behind Act. For two years, the Houston school district hasn’t met the progress…
Winter Wallace’s Gorgeous New Album Was No Holiday
Rocks Off has known Houston singer-songwriter Winter Wallace since at least 2000. We know plenty about her, and she knows plenty of embarrassing things about us. We know that she is scared of the Loch Ness Monster, which isn’t so weird. What’s worse is that she knows we are almost…
Freshii to Open 20 Houston-Area Locations
Will a franchise that encourages you to bring your own bowl and bikes their deliveries thrive in the land of Tex Mex and BBQ? Javier Bueno, owner of Third Coast Produce, thinks so. He and his wife Teresa signed a franchise agreement to open 20 Freshii stores in the Houston…
KTRH “News”: More Of A Joke Than Ever
KTRH used to be the radio-news powerhouse of southeast Texas, filled with aggressive and competent reporters who covered the city well.Now….well, budget cuts have affected all media, so it’s no surprise the newsroom staff ain’t what it used to be. But the station’s decision to shamelessly pander to the right…
Is Bun B’s Trill OG Really Worth The Source’s Highest Rating?
Ed. Note: Unlike The Source, Houston Press style abbreviates “microphone” as “mike.” Bun B’s Trill OG has become the first hip-hop album to earn 5 mikes in The Source since 2005. In case you haven’t picked up a copy of the magazine since the Clinton administration, here’s a breakdown of…
Beat the Heat with Star Snow Ice
With the heat index at 105 degrees today and no end to the warm weather in sight, Houstonians are making do the best way they know how: by never leaving the A/C. Dashing from air-conditioned car into air-conditioned office building, from air-conditioned home to air-conditioned store. Despite the fact that…
Lauri Price: Arrested For Sexing Up A 16-Year-Old, Now Sues Authorities
Remember Lauri Price, the former substitute teacher and mother of four who was arrested earlier this year at Bush Intercontinental Airport after returning home from Canada, where she was visiting her 16-year-old lover? Well, in case you didn’t hear, the Harris County DA dismissed the charges, which were related to…
Red Tree: A Modern-Day Motown Quietly Emerges In The Woodlands
Having been a recording artist, Rocks Off can tell you that we would rather peel potatoes than go into a recording studio. What you see as the acme of artistic self-expression is often painstakingly and painfully taken apart bit by bit, criticized, critiqued and sometimes cut altogether. Hopefully, the end…
Pop Rocks: Flame, Hollywood, Flame
I’m sure you’ve all heard the terrible news by now: Judge Vaughn “Mussolini” Walker declared California’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional. Obviously I don’t have to tell you what severe ramifications this will have, not only for the soul of our country, but for the very future of the sacred institution…
Rudy Trace Soliz III: Sweet, Sweet Sex Was Why Border Agent Let Illegals In
Just as jury selection was about to begin in his trial late yesterday, Rudy Trace Soliz III, a former Customs and Border Protection agent, pleaded guilty to alien smuggling and bribery, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced today.Soliz, 28, let a female co-conspirator bring illegal aliens and merchandise into the U.S…
Ramen and Veggie Gyoza at Umai
It turns out that the authentic shiso hasami age that our own Paul Galvani raved about back in February isn’t the only delicious trick that Umai (8400 Bellaire Boulevard) has up its sleeve. I headed out to Chinatown for a little reconnaissance work yesterday afternoon, but not before stopping for…
What Are You Looking At?
Did you just see an artwork that made you smile, laugh, cringe or cry? Were you overwhelmed with bliss or consumed with rage? Art Attack wants your honest opinions. Send us your mini-reviews (think Twitter-ish-size) and photos if possible, and we’ll post the best ones in a weekly roundup of…
Middle Men: Blame Houston For Internet Porn
A Goodfellas-like movie coming out tomorrow puts the blame — or the credit, we guess — for the entire world of internet porn squarely on Houston.Where’s our statue, then?…
Matt & Kim Talk Lady Gaga, Erykah Badu, Naked Videos And New Music
This weekend the Houston Press welcomes New York indie duo Matt & Kim to town to headline this year’s edition of the Houston Press Music Awards, along with Trae tha Truth and Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights. Rocks Off will be giving away a bunch of HPMA wristbands today…
Pop-Up Fever: The Just August Project
Pop-up restaurants are growing like mushrooms across the country. The small eateries have small menus and even smaller staffs. They “pop-up” for a finite time period, and then POOF, they’re gone. Sound silly? Think about it this way: These temporary restaurants give rising chefs the tools and canvas they need…
Judge Sam Kent: His Five Other Complaints About Prison
As we recounted Tuesday, former Galveston federal judge Samuel Kent is not a happy man in prison. Among his complaints: a “filthy” cell kept at 60 degrees, being given only a single sheet, and not being able to talk to his wife often enough. Oh, and being kept awake much…
Recipe: Garten’s Garlic Bread
Here’s another recipe by Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. If you’ve noticed by now, I’m currently in possession of her book, Back to Basics. It’s a good recipe, but I have a few suggestions if you’re planning to make it. Increase the garlic to 9 cloves. Reduce the olive oil…
Seven Musical Marriages Sullied By Proposition 8’s Repeal
Just in case you’re one of the very few people who hasn’t yet been seized by government shock troops and forced to marry someone of the same sex, a California Supreme Court judge ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional Wednesday. This would be the proposition which officially defines marriage as only between…
Five Films to Celebrate Prop. 8’s Demise
Yesterday Judge Vaughn R. Walker of the Northern District Court of California ruled that Proposition 8, which declares that marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman, is unconstitutional and therefore illegal. While the ruling was immediately appealed by opponents, it’s a decision sane people everywhere,…
Last Night: Bun B At House Of Blues
Bun B House of Blues August 4, 2010 Ed. note: See a slideshow of last night’s concert and BunB’s Tuesday meet-and-greet. 9:24 p.m.: An R&B femme is performing as one of the opening acts. She has some dancers with her, which is cool. Some of them are men, though, which…
Face It, Fans: MLS Is A Minor League
I don’t read Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle often. I think of him as a kind of minor league Richard Justice. But I couldn’t resist reading him the other day when he did one of my favorite things, piss off soccer fans. Last week, apparently, he made the mistake…
Pop Rocks: Flame, Hollywood, Flame
I’m sure you’ve all heard the terrible news by now: Judge Vaughn “Mussolini” Walker declared California’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional. Obviously I don’t have to tell you what severe ramifications this will have, not only for the soul of our country, but for the very future of the sacred institution…
Red Bean Pancakes
I’m fairly sure that half of my grocery bill goes toward impulse buys, while the rest of the food sits lonely in my fridge and wilts. Foods made with red bean paste (or Azuki bean paste) are especially captivating, and I constantly blow whatever current attempt at eating better I…
Margaret Cho Sings: “I’m Sorry I Shot You In The Face”
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. Rocks Off is a pretty big Maragaret Cho fan. She’s loud, she’s…
Opening This Week in Visual Art
Plenty going on in visual art this week: openings at the Craft Center, Koelsch Gallery, Winter Street and more. Here’s our roundup of places to see fresh artwork and enjoy a free glass of wine or three. Dolls Now An exhibition of art dolls handcrafted by members of the Texas…
Bank Robbery Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Criminals?
The FBI has just released its bank-robbery statistics for the first quarter of 2010. A total of 1,183 financial institutions were robbed in the first three months of the year.How well do you know your modern-day Pretty Boy Floyds?1. Which ethnic group was most represent among the 1,380 individuals who…
Prius Is Looking For Passionate Fans On Facebook; We Deliver
To celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of the Prius, Toyota is launching a Facebook competition to find “the most passionate Prius fan in the United States.” From Toyota’s press release:As a result, this car with the singularly recognizable silhouette has attracted a uniquely loyal customer base, a true community of shared…
Anon(ymous)
In a reimagining of Homer’s Odyssey, Anon(ymous), a play by Naomi Iizuka, follows the struggles of Anon after he loses his mother while escaping his war-torn Central American country. In much the same way that Odysseus faced a series of obstacles, Anon also comes across several impediments. The play will…
“The Whole Shebang”
Playing its part in Art Houston 2010, “The Whole Shebang” will feature the works of three artists, Tom d. Duimstra, Mark Fox and Eric Davis. The exhibit is Hooks-Epstein Galleries’ first display of outsider art. “The line between outsider art and contemporary art is a very thin one,” said Eric…
Allen’s Landing Walking Tour
It’s appropriate that the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance will be giving its Allen’s Landing Walking Tour at the spot where Augustus and John Kirby Allen founded the city of Houston in 1836, during the hot month of August. It will add to the realism when participants, who will no doubt…
UpStage Theatre’s 1st Annual Festival of Comedy
The concept of a family-friendly comedy apparently isn’t very popular anymore. Just ask Arnold Richie, artistic director of Upstage Theatre. This year he decided he wanted to showcase local playwriting talent, but when he threw down the gauntlet and asked for “family-friendly comedy” submissions, he only got 20 scripts. “They…
UniverSoul Circus
UniverSoul Circus combines a big-top spectacle with black culture, and if you think that means rapping ringmasters and acrobatic slam dunks…well, you’re right; those are both parts of the act. UniverSoul was formed in Atlanta in 1993, but draws inspiration from predominantly African-American circuses from as far back as 1893…
“Dining In III: An Artful Experience”
“Dining In III: An Artful Experience” serves up plenty of reasons to set the table. The exhibition features handcrafted place settings and other tableware such as candelabras, pitchers, teakettles and cups, butter dishes and more. Elizabeth Cohen’s Floral Nesting place setting seems to bloom from the table, while Susan Curry…
Ume
A couple of years ago, word began circulating around Austin about a trio fronted by a lovely young lass — who turned out to be former Houstonian Lauren Larson, forcefully backed by bassist husband Greg and drummer Jeff Barrera — with vocals as sweet as her explosive guitar bursts were…
Back by Popular Demand: Alamar and Ajami
Two films that proved to be audience favorites during earlier screenings this summer make up the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Back by Popular Demand miniseries. The 2009 film Alamar, by director Pedro González-Rubio, is the story of a boy spending the summer with his father in a small fishing…
White Linen Nights in the Heights
White Linen Nights in the Heights is an opportunity to go shopping without feeling as if your pocket is being picked. Many of the merchants in the neighborhood, from antique shops to art galleries, cafes to gift stores, have arranged for special pricing, live entertainment and giveaways to tempt visitors…
“do I know you”
If a picture is worth a thousand words, the works on display in the Inman Gallery’s “do I know you,” an exhibition of several dozen portraits by 30 different artists, speak volumes. The portraits consist of photographs, paintings, sculpture and various other media and run the gamut from jovial to…
Dean James (writing as Miranda James): Murder Past Due
There’s a new mystery writer in town…well, actually, it’s an old mystery writer with a new name. Dean James, author of the Simon Kirby-Jones mysteries, has launched a new series and with it, took on a new name — Miranda James. (Besides his publisher suggesting that readers might relate more…
Gift of Gift of Party and Vote Night
Gift of Gift of Party and Vote Night adds a stroke of democracy to the art world. “[It’s] real people, like us, who are interested in having a say in what emerging [artists] should be part of a museum collection,” says co-organizer Natalie Zelt. She and her cohorts selected 14…
“A5: The Annual Affordable Australian Aboriginal Art Fair”
Art from down under is coming to Houston in “A5: The Annual Affordable Australian Aboriginal Art Fair.” Critic Robert Hughes considers aboriginal art “the last great art movement of the twentieth century.” The paintings were selected by gallery owner Nana Booker during her travels to the remote communities in Australia,…
Gift of Gift of Party and Vote Night
Gift of Gift of Party and Vote Night adds a stroke of democracy to the art world. “[It’s] real people, like us, who are interested in having a say in what emerging [artists] should be part of a museum collection,” says co-organizer Natalie Zelt. She and her cohorts selected 14…
“Roberto Del Rio: Bacilli Dreams”
The artist behind the “Roberto Del Rio: Bacilli Dreams” exhibit was born in Mexico City and much of his work centers on the memories of his early life there. Self-taught and purposeful in his avoidance of the influences of other artists, Del Rio has created a body of work that…
New Bayou City Stories
It’s an exercise in democracy at SPAMMO and the Houston Institute for Culture’s New Bayou City Stories: New Digital Works from Emerging Media Makers. Each of the first-time filmmakers, from the Centre for Digital Storytelling, Houston Institute for Culture, Yates H. S. Photography Program, FotoFest Literacy Through Photography and the…
Walkabout
A trio of children is at the center of the film Walkabout (the Australian term refers to a rite of passage for adolescent boys during which they journey into the wilderness). Two white children (played by Jenny Agutter and Luc Roeg) suddenly find themselves alone and helpless in the Australian…
Sputnik: The Shock of the Century
Filmmaker David Hoffman’s 2007 documentary film Sputnik Mania captures a turning point in American scientific and political history. It was 1957; the Soviet Union had just successfully launched the first satellite into space while Americans across the country were peering fearfully into the skies, watching for signs of an atomic…
Friends of Rick
POLITICAL ANIMALS, SOCIAL DISTORTION Friends of Rick Perry follows Hitler’s girlfriend, Bieber news. By Richard Connelly Governor Rick Perry is as modern as they come, what with the Twitter and the Web page and the secession and all. So who’s he following on Twitter? Well, according to the screenshot shown…
Rad Bash
This weekend’s eighth annual Rad Bash at the Continental Club benefits Music Therapy of Houston, which, according to its Web site, aims to use music to “address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals of all ages.” Longtime Houston punk scene luminary Rad Rich has put together a solid…
Born Identity
Born Identity Online readers comment on “Nikki Araguz: Lawsuit Says Widow of Heroic Wharton Firefighter Was Born a Man,” Hair Balls blog, by Richard Connelly, July 19: One opinion: He obviously knew his wife’s history. He was probably a happy guy. Why assume otherwise? Darryl And another: What an absolute…
Lords of Acid
Ah, Lords of Acid: Lusty pleather, bondage a-go-go, cyber-punk fishnets and a flurry of kaleidoscopic LSD imagery that could give anyone over 65 an instant seizure. These are the things that made this aggressively sexualized Belgian industrial techno band fronted by Praga Khan a definitive brand in the ’90s –…
Showcase Showdown
2010 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase 2 p.m. Saturday, August 7, at the Drake, Kobain, Manor on Washington, Pearl Bar, Rebels Honky Tonk, Salt Bar, Sugarcane, Taps House of Beer, Walter’s on Washington, Washington Avenue Drinkery, Washington Avenue Grill and the Bud Light Outdoor Stage (Washington & Silver St.). See…
Train Keeps A-Rollin’
Joey Kramer has been behind the drum kit for American rock and roll titans Aerosmith for going on 40 years. Few people may know that he dreamed up the Boston- formed band’s moniker about two years before Aerosmith’s initial nucleus was even in place. Kramer has been the band’s silent but booming…
Forgotten Son
This is said without reservation, overstatement or exaggeration: There is no better way to spend $2 on a Monday night than to pay cover at Farrah’s Pub (6334 St. Augustine). Farrah’s, perhaps more commonly known as Fritz, is a BYOB beer joint located in a backwoodsy section of Third Ward…
Macondo Latin Bistro
Macondo Latin Bistro (208 Travis, 713-229-8323) has occupied the spot where Don Diego Coffee and Wine Bar used to be. “The owners are from Colombia, and they wanted to bring Colombian food to downtown,” says Ana María Córdoba, the restaurant’s marketing manager. “We are a Latin fusion restaurant serving traditional…
Tantalizing Tuna
There’s an appetizer at Denis’ Seafood House (9777 Katy Fwy., 713-464-6900) that will have you begging for more: the seared tuna plantain ($9.95). Six thick strips of crispy plantains are covered in a sour cream sauce, then topped with slices of tuna that were marinated in soy sauce and seared…
Baffled by Brennan’s
See a slideshow from the kitchen of Brennan’s. “Taste this,” my Cajun dining companion said as she nudged her bowl of turtle soup to me at Brennan’s. The disapproving look on her face indicated that she was not happy. I took a bite. And then another, to make sure that I…
Died and Gone to Houston
Every Wednesday in Montrose for almost a solid year, Robert Ellis & the Boys have demonstrated how outdated the image of John Travolta waltzing Debra Winger around that vast Gilley’s dance floor really is. The same way people who have never set foot in Texas still think of J.R. Ewing…
Washington Wave
BUD LIGHT STAGE Washington & Silver Street Zydeco Dots (3 p.m.) Nominated In: Best Zydeco If you are a zydeco fan in Houston, you already know about the Zydeco Dots. Since 1987, they have ruled the small but fervently followed genre in town, winning an absolutely embarrassing number of awards…
Winter Wallace
In Winter Wallace’s new Holiday, Sara Van Buskirk’s The Place Where You Are has some stiff competition for 2010’s best local female singer-songwriter LP. Each of Holiday’s seven tracks, recorded at SugarHill Studios, is built with such intricacy and clarity it’s hard not to press repeat just to take the…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Lighter Than Air,” “Maurizio Cattelan,” “The Paper Runway,” “Seth Alverson”
“Lighter Than Air” This exhibition, presented by Blaffer Gallery, showcases Argentine artist Tomás Saraceno’s eye-popping creations. Saraceno approaches art from his background in architecture. He’s influenced largely by the geodesic domes and spheres of Buckminster Fuller (Epcot Center’s “Spaceship Earth”) and utopian ideals of sustainability. Saraceno imagines a future in…
Dax Riggs
It’s been almost three whole years since Dax Riggs released a proper follow-up to 2007’s We Sing of Only Blood or Love, but next week Riggs comes back in full with Say Goodnight to the World. This album is an entirely louder and more menacing affair than Love — if…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Fear of Ducks, Leaving Iowa, The Marvelous Wonderettes, St. Nicholas
Fear of Ducks Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the theater, along comes the inspired lunacy of Radio Music Theatre. You’re never safe around these three (Steve Farrell, Vicki Farrell, Rich Mills), for you could die laughing, or at the very least spray your drink…
Ray Price
Ray Price is so old our mother and father used to slide the coffee table to the side of the living room so they could dance to his classic “Night Life” when it took the country-music world by storm in 1963. By then, he was already a 15-year veteran of…
SPECIAL COMIDA EDITION
Dear Mexican, As a proud New Yorker, I gotta ask: what the FUCK is up with Mexican food in this city? Sure, we’re used to getting owned by California and Texas and even Chicago when it comes to getting kick-ass, cheap, regional Mexican food. But I just got back from…
Cop Out
After obligatory helicopter views of New York’s skyline open Adam McKay’s The Other Guys, we’re introduced to Danson and Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson), a duo of headline-grabbing, unflappable supercops who keep the city exciting, if not safe, with law enforcement by the Michael Bay book. The Other Guys…
THE COZY CORNER’S SALTY DOG
“I’ll be with you guys shortly,” the bartender at the Cozy Corner (11530 Burdine St., 713-723-4048) said for the fourth time in two minutes. The air conditioning was set on “meat locker,” and some sadist had put “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” on the jukebox. The bar was done up with Fourth of July…
Unlikely Porn Star
If the plot of Middle Men sounds familiar — Luke Wilson gets in bed with James Caan, who just wants to fuck him — that’s because it’s the same as the plot of Bottle Rocket, Wes Anderson’s 1996 directorial debut, in which Wilson and Caan worked together for the first…
Houston International Jazz Festival
Music fans might not think of Houston as a jazz town – local monsters like Woody Witt, Denis Dotson and others notwithstanding — but every August all that changes at the Houston International Jazz Festival. This year’s weekend-long celebration kicks off Friday with a preview by Theresa Grason at Red…
