At Long Last, Front 242 Returns to Numbers
This coming Saturday, Houston concert organizers The New Beat and Past Present Productions will bring electronic-music legends Front 242 to play a concert at Numbers, the Belgian band’s first show in Houston since 1993 and a rare chance for fans to see the Electronic Body Music pioneers perform live. Recently…
The 5 Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Dogfight, the Venezuelan Film Festival and More
Our suggestion for Friday might seem an odd plot for a musical. Bayou City Theatrics’ Dogfight is about a group of young Marines on their way to serve in the Vietnam War. It’s their last night in the States and as a joke they make a bet to see who…
Khun Kay Thai Cafe Honors Queen Sirikit’s Birthday With Special Dish
August 12 is a very important day in Thailand: it’s Mother’s Day and the 83rd birthday of the Queen Sirikit. Having assumed the throne in 1950 just shy of her 18th birthday, Queen Sirikit is the world’s longest-reigning monarch. In celebration of their beloved queen (who, incidentally, is also a…
A Dying Man’s Last Fight for Gay Marriage in Texas
The first thing John Stone-Hoskins did after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage was call to have his husband’s death certificate amended. Because instead of celebrating, he was mourning. An employee with Texas Department of State Health Services answered the phone. As Stone-Hoskins remembers it, the state worker told…
Fear Not, True Detective Fans: There’s Still Plenty of Bad Television Out There
For a while there, boob tube aficionados were enjoying what some have dubbed the “Golden Age of Television.” Beginning in 1999 with HBO’s The Sopranos, TV — or at least the basic/pay cable segment of it — entered a period of unprecedented high quality, highlighted by shows like Mad Men, Breaking…
Montgomery County Terminates Contract With Animal Shelter Directors
After eight months of controversy over the Montgomery County Animal Shelter’s new directors, the county’s commissioners voted Tuesday to terminate the contract with the private corporation overseeing the shelter, KSTAR News reports. A vocal group of volunteers, fosters, and ex-employees had for months complained of an alleged decrease in animal…
Former HPD Officer Charged In Armored Car Robbery
A former Houston Police Department officer was arrested Monday night and faces three charges, including extortion, related to his alleged involvement in an multi-million dollar armored car robbery in Houston two years ago, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Joel Quezada, 33, faces up to 20 years…
High Flying With Peter Pan Under the Big Top in Houston
Charlie Burnell loved the Peter Pan story and wanted to bring it to life, but in a different way, he says. Starting in 2006, the producer began work with designer William Dudly to craft a new show (it took three years to pull together) that they thought would be perfect…
Local Boys Icky Hollow Do It A Little Differently
Many readers may not have heard of up-and-coming local rockers Icky Hollow, but they seem to be moving forward at an incredible rate. Winners of the 2014 Texas Buzz Music Award for Best Vocalist and reaching No. 1 on the ReverbNation chart with their song “Melody of Pain,” Icky Hollow…
Four Crazy Things We Learned About HCC Before It Settled the Renee Byas Lawsuit
At first it just looked like a simple contract dispute. Last September, Houston Community College sued Renee Byas, the college system’s former general counsel, hoping to invalidate her employment agreement with the school. HCC claimed that Byas had been “insubordinate” and that a closer look at her contract extension revealed…
First Look at Fluff Bake Bar
Rebecca Masson is a woman of many names, and almost all of them include the word “sugar.” Make no mistake, the queen of confections has earned her title through long hours in kitchens across the U.S. and France, and her first stand-alone bakery, Fluff Bake Bar, is fit for royalty…
Jidenna’s “Classic Man”: Why This Song Sucks
Remember last year, when Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” shot into our lives via iHeartMedia as the most annoying song of the summer? Remember how it gave us enough memes and awkward think-pieces to justify Iggy’s existence as a musical being? Remember how that eventually led to a 2015 where she has…
Leon’s Lounge Gets Ready to Serve Another Round
Leon’s Lounge, the watering hole at Main and McGowen that has been a focal point of Midtown life for nearly seven decades, is about to open another chapter in its colorful history. A couple of weeks ago, the building was leased by a partnership headed up by Duane Bradley, owner…
Hello Revention Music Center, So Long Bayou Music Center
The downtown music venue known as Bayou Music Center is no more. Today Live Nation announced a new presenting sponsor and immediate name change for the theater, although its new patron is hardly a household name. Forthwith it shall be known as Revention Music Center, after the Houston-based company that…
H-E-B’s New Restaurant Is Ambitious, but Table 57 Isn’t a Destination
It was interesting — even intriguing — to hear that the new H-E-B near San Felipe and Fountainview would be the first in Houston to sport its own restaurant, Table 57. There are similar concepts in San Antonio and Austin. Chef Randy Evans, best known for his former restaurant Haven…
Abstractionist Tells the Story, But Leaves the Interpretation to the Viewer
It’s an embarrassment of riches over at G Gallery, with a multitude of colorful offerings by prolific gestural abstractionist David Preston Wells. Not all the works in his “Reverie” exhibit are necessarily new, but their vivid colors, layered composition and running themes of movement or transportation (boats, trains, automobiles) tie…
5 Under 25: These Houston Millennials Already Making Their Mark
Millennials. Every day it seems as if there’s another story about them, touting their ingenuity or criticizing their lack of a work ethic. Born between the early ’80s and the early ’00s — there is no firmly agreed-upon date range — members of Gen Y, according to sociologists who study…
This Week in Houston Food Blogs: Hatch Fest at Central Market
This week, we’ve got the scoop on Houston Restaurant Weeks, a review of SaltAir and some very attractive calzones. Zagat’s Marcy de Luna put together a list of restaurants that are participating in HRW that you don’t need a reservation to visit during this busy time of year. It includes…
100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2015 No. 71: Milk Chocolate Stout Malt at Fat Cat Creamery
Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It’s a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It’s a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern…
Doctor Who: 3 Times the Eleventh Doctor Was Terrifying
I’m always a little baffled by the difference in the way people see various Doctors and the way they actually are. Nine is typically described as a grim, melancholy figure even though he spends most of his time being manically joyful. Eight is written off as a romantic nice guy…
Upcoming: A$AP Rocky, the Bluebonnets, Cheap Trick, Fidlar, George Ezra, Halsey, King Diamond, Mastodon, Toadies, etc.
40oz to Freedom: Fri., November 13, 9:30 p.m., $10. Scout Bar, 18307 Egret Bay Blvd., Houston, 281-335-0002. 6th Annual Vampire’s Ball: With TroyBoi, Surain., Sat., October 31, 9 p.m., TBA. Stereo Live, 6400 Richmond, Houston, 832-251-9600. A$AP Rocky: With Danny Brown, Tyler, the Creator, Vince Staples. Fri., October 2, 7:30…
Rice Football Is Changing the Learning Curve With Virtual Reality
Pretend for a moment that we’re eight weeks into the 2015 college football season. It’s a crisp Friday night in Houston in late October, and all eyes of a national television audience are on Rice Stadium. It’s the fourth quarter of a tie game against Louisiana Tech. Heading into the…
Waller County Sheriff to Clergywoman: “Go Back to the Church of Satan That You Run”
An odd altercation Monday between Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith and a clergywoman ended with Smith telling the woman to “go back to the church of Satan that you run.” United Methodist pastor Hanna Bonner was the apparent subject of Smith’s derision, and she caught the elected official’s comments on…
Four More Bogus Rock Myths That People Believed
Rock music lore is littered with stories about the musical gods and goddesses that have been a part of its history, and some of those stories end up being true. Many rock stars are unconventional people, and the lifestyles some of them end up leading tend towards the extreme, so…
When “The Greatest Band of All Time” Lived in Houston
The hottest dance band out of Houston in the late 1930s and early ‘40s was the Milt Larkin Orchestra, led by a collection of former Phyllis Wheatley High School horn players who swung to that “big foot” rhythm. Just 26 when he started the band, Larkin was still much older…
This Week in Houston Food Events: French Restaurants Celebrate Julia Child’s Birthday
All Month Long Houston Restaurant Weeks Don’t forget that this fundraiser is in full-swing all month and into September! Not sure where to go to celebrate? Check out our list of new Houston restaurants that are participating in this year’s Houston Restaurant Weeks. French Wine Summer-Cleaning Sale Do you have…
Lower Dens Make Jana Hunter’s Homecoming a Happy One
Lower Dens Contemporary Arts Museum Houston August 7, 2015 Lower Dens may be from Baltimore, but singer-songwriter Jana Hunter’s years spent in performing as a solo artist in Houston led to a warm reception Saturday night, with the crowd treating the band as hometown heroes as they played a special…
Man Facing Capital Murder Charges After Family of Eight Shot to Death
On Saturday, a family of eight was found dead in their home, and the suspect, David Ray Conley, surrendered to authorities after a standoff with Harris County sheriff’s deputies. Earl Yanske was among the first to know. He had known that Conley, who was his sister Valerie Jackson’s ex-boyfriend, had…
Blessed Darkness Descended on Fitz at Bayou Doom Fest III
Bayou Doom Fest III Fitzgerald’s August 8, 2015 Fitzgerald’s, the beloved old music hall on White Oak that’s been the subject of much speculation of late, is typically nobody’s idea of a cool and placid retreat. It’s loud, it’s rickety and frankly, it doesn’t often smell too great. But when…
State Officials Refuse to Issue Birth Certificate Listing Same-Sex Couple as Parents [UPDATED]
Last week, Leigh and Robin Jorgeson had a baby, and while that’s wonderful news for them, it really shouldn’t be a news story. But they’re a same-sex couple living in Austin, and state officials refuse to issue a proper birth certificate, so now it is. And it’s annoying. Here’s the…
Dish of the Week: Watermelon & Feta Salad (The Perfect Summer Side)
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’re sharing a salad that will cool you down during those hot summer days. And it’s made with watermelon and feta. While…
5 Seconds of Summer Bring on the Screams
5 Seconds of Summer, Hey Violent The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 8, 2015 There are certain types of live music experiences that every music fan should experience at least once, no matter what genre they love the most. These include, but are not limited to, running in a circle…
Texans and Redskins Finish Off Joint Practices With Multiple Fights (w/ VIDEO)
In actuality, the three practice sessions that took place this past week between the Houston Texans and the Washington Redskins weren’t even supposed to happen. If you recall, the Texans joint practice partner was supposed to be the New Orleans Saints during the week in advance of their game on…
Reverence, Monstrosity and New Media Form An Interesting Trio of Exhibits
Drawing inspiration from a 19th century free woman of color, who broke from the family tradition of plaçage (non-white women becoming concubines for ethnic European men) to form an African-American congregation in New Orleans, Letitia Huckaby has produced a series of portraits honoring the modern-day nuns of the congregation, entitled…
Authentic Southern Food Hits a Freezer Near You
Not so long ago, a mom in the Deep South found that her neighbors were clamoring for her delicious Cajun food, casseroles and Southern dishes, so she kept making more and more until it became apparent that she had an actual business on her hands. No Time 2 Cook was…
Yo Adrian! Check out Berryhill’s Philly Cheesesteak Taco
Ding! It’s round three in Berryhill Baja Grill’s Taco of the Month Series. This August, patrons can enjoy Berryhilll’s taco version of the cheesesteak made with strips of juicy ribeye, pickled jalapenos, sauteed onions and red as well as green peppers. Provolone or cheese wiz? Neither, for Berryhill give the…
Man of La Mancha Rides Again at Houston’s Queensbury Theatre
The set-up: When Mitch Leigh, Dale Wasserman, and Joe Darian’s musical adaptation of Cervantes’s classic novel Don Quixote opened at the temporary ANTA Theatre off-Broadway, Man of La Mancha (1965) set the Great White Way afire. Here was a dark, adult, socially conscious, yet uplifting show. Unknown composer Leigh’s score…
With HERO on the Ballot, Get Ready for Some “Bathroom Bill” Fearmongering
With Houston’s non-discrimination ordinance set for a public vote, there are a few key things Houstonians should prepare for. Notably: fearmongering campaign ads. Specifically: Ads trying to convince everyone to fear public restrooms. In cities and towns around the country, HERO equivalents have went to the ballot, or have been…
Deflate-Gate Reaching Donald Trump Levels of Stupidity
The Donald Trump of sports controversies continues to bang the drums of insanity. And with the start of the NFL season about a month away, it’s looking like the nonsensical Tom Brady-Deflategate saga’s not going to just disappear. At least not until Brady’s done doing to Roger Goodell what he’s…
100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2015, No. 72: Pork Ribs at Roegels Barbecue Co.
Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It’s a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It’s a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern…
Six Excuses You Can’t Use Anymore to Crap on Houston
Growing up in the Houston area I never really understood how some people living outside Texas viewed the city or its residents. My family never really traveled outside the state when I was a kid, so other than the occasional encounter with a visiting non Texan I never got much…
Dawn and Hawkes Treat the Duck Crowd Like Family
Dawn and Hawkes McGonigel’s Mucky Duck August 8, 2015 Playing to a sold-out show at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck Saturday night, acoustic duo Miranda Dawn and Chris Hawkes treated the Houston audience like family. Elaborating on their tour, their lives and their future plans, the musicians seemed much matured since their…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Week: Jill Scott, David Grissom, Robbie Fulks & Redd Volkaert, Jonathan Tyler, etc.
Jill Scott Bayou Music Center, August 12 Jill Scott confirmed her status as one of R&B’s leading ladies when her last album, 2011’s The Light of the Sun, went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, powered by her hit duet with Anthony Hamilton, “So In Love.” It was a…
Anti-HERO Coalition Says Repeal Measure Is Too Confusing
Last month the Texas Supreme Court suspended the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, more commonly known as HERO, and ordered City Council to either repeal the non-discrimination measure or put it up for a public vote. On Wednesday council voted 12-5 for the latter, and in November Houston voters will be…
Houston’s Summer of Wonky Power Is Now In Full Swing
It’s a tough call as always, but right now the most interesting group of like-minded music-creators in Houston is probably the acts under the umbrella of Wonky Power Records. The label’s roster boasts a pair of Houston’s most adventurous rock bands, Tax the Wolf and Satellite d’Homme; arguably its sexiest…
2015 Preseason College Football Playoff Odds Are Up, Ohio State Favored to Repeat
The clock is ticking, as we officially rolled under the “four weeks until the season starts” mark for college football on Thursday night. For you diehard college football fans, YES, that was the tremor that you felt in the Force last night. The opening weekend’s schedule is dotted with a…
Perry Got Through the First GOP Presidential Debate Without Screwing Up. Congrats?
The first official set of I-wanna-be-president GOP debates has been held — no we’re not talking about the Donald Trump extravaganza, since technically there was a debate before that — and former-Gov. Rick Perry made it almost the entire hour without making a classic Perry gaffe. Almost. Perry didn’t make…
A Singaporean Pop-Up Feast at Paper Co. Coffee
Pop-up dinners are just about a dime a dozen these days. They’re still cool, don’t get me wrong, but there are so many events happening all the time that you don’t have the same FOMO you used to get when when everyone was at a pop up dinner that you…
#NewHoustonRap: Drake/Meek Mill Is Over, Time to Move On
Quick, do a quick scan of Houston Rap Twitter and see who comes down on either side of the whole Drake vs. Meek Mill kerfuffle. Things are going to be conflicting because on one side, you want actual rappers who write their rhymes to treat Drake the same way they…
Paxton Facing Contempt for Ignoring SCOTUS Gay-Marriage Ruling
A little over two years ago, a man named James Obergefell went to the U.S. District Court in southern Ohio because the state attorney general’s office would not allow him to appear on his terminally ill partner’s death certificate as the surviving spouse. The two had married in Maryland, where…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Fantastic Four
Title: Fantastic Four Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: “You tricked me! With a ruse so hackneyed, it would make Stan Lee blush!” Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: One Mole Man out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Mopey millennials grudgingly agree to save the world, whatever, Tagline:…
100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2015, No. 73: Carrot Pizza at Weights + Measures
Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It’s a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It’s a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern…
Harris County Sheriff’s Deputies Will Stick Their Hands Inside You if They Smell Weed
The night of June 21, a Harris County Sheriff’s deputy pulled over 21-year-old Charneshia Corley for running a stop sign near Ella and Barren Springs. The deputy asked Corley to get out of her car when he thought he smelled pot. According to what Corley told Channel 13 this week,…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: It’s Lobster Friday!
Lobster Friday @ Bernie’s Burger Bus Friday, starting at 11 a.m. 5407 Bellaire It’s back. Another month means another Friday full of lobster goodness. Swing by from 11 a.m. ’til they run out to get your hands on Chef Justin Turner’s famous Maine-style Lobster Roll, with hearty chunks of lobster, lightly tossed with house mayo, minced celery and…
Report Finds Confusion Over Voter ID Law Kept People From the Polls, Too
The Texas Voter law, requiring voters to have a photo ID, may have kept some people from the polls in November 2014’s general election—but mere confusion about the law may have kept away voters, too. According to a new report released by public policy researchers at Rice University’s Baker Institute and the University of…
Dear Straight White Men: You Are Being Pandered to As Well
Fantastic Four is here… I’m not going to see it. The reviews are bad and until someone in Hollywood realizes that for the Fantastic Four to succeed they need someone to do to Dr. Doom what Heath Ledger did to Joker every single future Fantastic Four movie is probably going to remain bad. However,…
State of Texas Sues STORM Over Contested Texas Oyster Reefs
Well, it was probably only a matter of time before the state of Texas got in on the fight over STORM. For months private oyster lease holders in Texas have been fighting over whether a navigation district had the right to issue a lease to Sustainable Texas Oyster Resource Management (aka…
Newly Signed Oceans of Slumber Preps for Prog-Metal Supremacy
On Saturday, the third annual Bayou Doom Fest takes over Fitzgerald’s, featuring downtuned metal disciples from across Houston and Texas unleashing hell on both of the historic music hall’s indoor stages. Local doom-meisters Project Armageddon, Sanctus Bellum, Funeral Horse and more will be joined by out-of-towners such as Las Cruces,…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: Build Your Own Panini & A Charcuterie Dinner
D’Amico’s Italian Market Café, 5510 Morningside, has long claimed to have the best panini in town. Since August is National Panini Month, the good folks at D’Amico’s are going to let you make theirs even better – if you think it can be done. For the whole month of August, the Rice Village location…
Sales Tax Holiday Starts Today (Beware the Malls)
For anyone with kids about to go back to school, this weekend should be a boon. For any of you sick souls who love to bask in the frustrated churn of humanity that is an overcrowded shopping mall, you should have a ball this weekend, too. Pretty much everyone else…
Openings and Closings in Houston: Fielding’s Local and a Change at MFAH [UPDATED]
Fielding’s Local Kitchen + Bar is now open at 26400 Kuykendahl in The Woodlands. It’s from the same folks who brought you Fielding’s Wood Grill, also in The Woodlands at 1699 Research Forest. Fielding’s Local sports dry-aged steaks, house-cured meats, a wood-fire oven and its own bar, The Watering Hole,…
Dawn & Hawkes Relish Making Beautiful Music Together
Austin duo Dawn & Hawkes have been capturing the attention and hearts of fans everywhere since their incredible breakthrough on NBC’s The Voice. It’s no wonder within a few notes of The Beatles’ “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” Adam Levine of Maroon 5 nearly begged to be their coach. It’s…
Houston’s 10 Coldest Air-Conditioned Bars
As is usual for this time of the year in Houston, it is hot outside. Sometimes when you are in the mood for a drink during the summer here, you just want to go somewhere where everybody knows your name and the air conditioner is cranked up with a low temperature setting. Now,…
The Endless Summer of Cayucas, Cali’s Brothers of the ‘Blue Lagoon’
Led by Zach Yudin, Cayucas is a solo project turned band named after a small, coastal town in California, which might explain why Yudin has been so successful at crafting a shimmering surf-pop sound that feels like the perfect soundtrack for a last minute drive to the beach. On his…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Weekend: Lisa Fischer, 5 Seconds of Summer, Raekwon & Ghostface, etc.
Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton Dosey Doe, August 7 According to her bio, Lisa Fischer clapped so hard upon hearing that Patti LaBelle had won the 1992 Female R&B Performance Grammy for “Burnin’,” a song Fischer had sung backup on, that she almost didn’t notice her name had also been…
Blue Bell Cleared to Make and Sell Ice Cream Produced at the Alabama Factory
Money may not solve everything, but it sure looks like it has fixed a bunch of Blue Bell’s problems. Less than a month after Fort Worth oil magnate Sid Bass agreed to bail out Blue Bell, injecting $125 million in exchange for one-third ownership of the company, Blue Bell is…
Your Final Moment of Zen: Jon Stewart Leaves The Daily Show
Back in 1999, I’m pretty sure no one could have predicted that replacing a smug, fratboy wiseass with a C-list stand-up comedian on a sparsely watched late night basic cable comedy show would lead to a sea change in America’s media landscape. It’s kind of redundant now, as we bid…
Jesse Jacobs Died in Lockup Six Days After Galveston County Jailers Cut Off His Meds
Jesse Jacobs always thought he’d be a storm chaser. When a funnel cloud swirled over his hometown of Lubbock and windstorms ripped through the trees, Jacobs pulled out a chair on the back porch. He thought about meteorology school in Oklahoma. But ultimately he chose business school at the…
Dead to the World Takes Its War to Warehouse Live
Punk’s not dead. Every so often, some music pundit will say it is and the response from punks, old and young, will be loud and angry. This practice is repeated every five to ten years and is roughly the equivalent of someone poking a stick at an untamed beast just to see it rise…
USDA Investigates Company Bringing Thousands of Lab Monkeys Through Bush Intercontinental
If the shipment of hundreds of laboratory monkeys from China to George Bush Intercontinental airport expected Thursday is anything like last December’s, here’s what we can expect: no documentation showing the animals had received food or water in the previous 24 hours; leaky panels that allow waste products to spill…
Podcast: Marlon Brando, David Foster Wallace, and a Story About Jason Segel and Salad
During this week’s meeting of the Voice Film Club, Alan Scherstuhl and Stephanie Zacharek of the Village Voice, along with Amy Nicholson of the LA Weekly, discuss the Marlon Brando documentary Listen to Me Marlon. Our trio of film critics then move to The End of the Tour, the film…
Arian Foster Scheduled For Groin Surgery On Friday
There are certain word combinations in the English language that were just not meant to brush up against one another consecutively, and when they do, it feels like God is trolling us, trying to make us cringe. Colon scope, divorce court, cable outage. All good examples. But I defy you…
Online Boutique Kissue Opening Brick-and-Mortar Location at Memorial City Mall
Just over a year ago sisters Kailey and Kaygan Tissue were running their online boutique, Kissue, out of their home—and that alone was a full-time gig. At the time, a brick-and-mortar version of Kissue was still a goal for the future, to be realized after Kaygan completed her degree at…
Heavy Metl Imports Brings Two New Lines of Mezcal to the Pastry War
This week, the Pastry War held a special “break-even” event— to promote the launch of two new brands of mezcal. Heavy Metl Imports, run by William Scanlan, has just begun to import mezcal from Mezcal Real Minero and Rey Campero. Between the two labels, nine types of mezcal were available…
5 Reasons Back to School Can Not Come Quickly Enough
This was the first true summer vacation for my family, with my daughter finishing kindergarten back in June. Before that summer was just the same old daycare routine as the rest of the year, but not this time. This time it was Summer Vacation with capital letters and a theme…
Jana Hunter, Lower Dens Redefine ‘Art Rock’ at CAMH Lecture, Gig
Lower Dens are having quite a year. The Baltimore band released their third album this past spring, Escape From Evil, to widespread critical acclaim and are currently in the midst of a worldwide tour supporting that record. Beyond touring and promoting the new record, songwriter Jana Hunter has kept a…
I Had Sex With My Cousin. Help!
I HAD SEX WITH MY GIRL COUSIN Dear Willie D: Our family reunion was last month in North Carolina. Most of my family flew in. On the last day there the young adults went out to the club to dance and have drinks. I found myself bumping and grinding with…
Lamb of God’s New Album Is No. 1 For a Damn Good Reason
Just released on July 24, and now topping Billboard’s Rock Albums chart, Lamb of God’s VII: Sturm und Drang is a force to be reckoned with. The Richmond, Va.-formed band is no stranger to Billboard success after their 2012 release, Resolution, peaked at No. 3 on the same chart. Arguably,…
Fifth Circuit Strikes Down Voter ID Law, Insists There’s No Evidence Lawmakers Meant to Suppress Minority Vote
Sure, Texas’s voter ID law violates the Voting Rights Act. Yet, despite repeated warnings from opponents that Senate Bill 14, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2011, would disenfranchise poor and minority voters (something proponents of the law even publicly admitted would probably occur), the GOP majority that passed the…
Pegstar Posts Farewell Letter to Fitzgerald’s; Announces August 29 Goodbye Bash
Today Houston concert-promotion company Pegstar posted a farewell letter to Fitzgerald’s, the venue they have controlled since the summer of 2010, and announced their final show at the historic Heights music hall will be August 29. After more than 2,500 shows, the letter reads, they “will no longer book, produce,…
ICE Says Immigrants Won’t Face Deportation Following Heights Tortilla Factory Raid
Late yesterday morning, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Labor agents raided a tortilla factory in the Heights, rounding up 11 undocumented workers and detaining them for questioning before releasing them later that afternoon, an ICE spokesperson said. ICE’s Greg Palmore said in a phone interview that agents executed…
Rick Perry Shut Out of the First Primary Debate
It’s been a rough time for former-Gov. Rick Perry. First, he gets saddled with a couple of indictments just as he is getting ready to make another bid for the GOP presidential nod. Then he does battle with fellow candidate Donald Trump and somehow ends up the loser, even though…
In Fight For Survival, Fifth Ward Churches Sue Houston Housing Authority
Bishop Roy Lee Kossie says he and others established the Latter Day Deliverance Revival Church on Benson Street in part because it was at the heart of a high-crime Fifth Ward neighborhood. “This is where the Lord called us,” Kossie said in a statement. The church, which has served the…
Jadeveon Clowney’s Father Charged With Attempted Murder
This Sunday, the second season of HBO’s award winning drama True Detective winds down with its season finale. If you’ve watched then you know, this season has been a sea of bloody violence that would make The Sopranos blush. The good news for fans of True Detective is that it…
This Week in Houston Book Events: Sara Paretsky, Chloe Neill and More
Best-selling novelist Sara Paretsky spent a summer in Chicago during the 1960s, at the height of the Civil Rights struggle. What she saw there changed her life. And her career. “I saw the city through the eyes of those [civil rights workers] and that changed everything,” she tells us. “I thought,…
Arian Foster Injures Groin, Surgery Likely
Last week, on my radio show on SportsRadio 610, my cohosts and I went through the exercise of listing our five most irreplaceable Houston Texans for the upcoming season. We each made our lists privately during the break, then revealed them during the subsequent segment. Well, all three of us…
The Milky Wayv’s “Best Mixtape Ever” Damn Near Is
There’s a hint of boldness when it comes to the outer Houston music scene. They’re the singers, the vocalists who don’t hang on to a certain genre and instead plant seeds in damn near everything. You may call them greedy, I only call them multi-talented individuals who cannot help themselves…
Shellee Coley Loves Singing Crappy Pop Songs With Her Kids
Adam P. Newton recently became a father for the first time, so he has decided to explain the entirety of post-WWII Western pop music to his new daughter, “Fig”…one genre at a time. Welcome back, Fig. Then again, you can’t go that far on your own right now, since you’re…
Anti-Abortion Group Releases Planned Parenthood Sting Video Shot in Houston [UPDATED]
The Center for Medical Progress just released its fifth undercover Planned Parenthood video—this time shot at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast in Houston—which seeks to prove that PP is illegally selling fetal tissue. The video was shot by CMP actors, who introduced themselves to Planned Parenthood as tissue “buyers” from the…
Trump, Pitbull and “El Chapo”: A Modern Folk Tale
Monday, The Wall Street Journal released poll results that stated Donald Trump’s change in rhetoric about Mexico wasn’t “playing well” among Hispanic voters. I’m not surprised, because his comments about Mexican immigrants were hurtful and his change of heart was disingenuous and incredibly convenient, given the blowback. I recently started…
Old Heights Theater Could Become a Music Venue Soon
According to a report today in Guide Live, an entertainment/events site owned by The Dallas Morning News, the owner of Dallas’ historic Kessler Theater is on the verge of closing a deal to buy Houston’s Heights Theater and could have it open by early next year. Edwin Cabannis took over…
What Will Lawmakers and DPS Learn From Sandra Bland’s Arrest?
Last summer we saw Eric Garner strangled to death before our eyes. Thanks to video footage of Garner’s fatal encounter with police, the public heard those final words that would become a rallying cry against unwarranted police violence: “I can’t breathe.” The footage of Garner’s death is just one in…
Jason Segel Tells Us About Becoming David Foster Wallace for The End of the Tour
Jason Segel didn’t tell his book club he’d been cast as novelist David Foster Wallace in James Ponsoldt’s biopic The End of the Tour. “I didn’t want to sound like Fancy Pants McGee,” admits Segel over lunch in Los Angeles. (Especially since the six-four comedy actor is famous for dropping…
Enter the Silly, Sad World of Netflix’s BoJack Horseman
BoJack Horseman lurched out of the gate last year with a whole lotta animal puns and one uncomplicated thesis: Old sitcoms suck. An aggressively stupid and mawkish show from the late ’80s called Horsin’ Around, about an equine-human hybrid in Cosby sweaters who adopts three adorable orphans, made its star,…
Ricki and the Flash Almost Rules, but When Did Demme Get Crotchety?
Jonathan Demme’s rock-and-roll dramedy Ricki and the Flash exists in a wormhole where the past five decades of pop culture are a blur. There’s 66-year-old Meryl Streep, playing a broke singer who ditched her family to dominate the stage with the whiskey growl of Janis Joplin, the jangly jewelry and…
