It Begins, O’Brien/Manziel: New Year’s Eve’s Perfect Texan Storm
At around 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday night, about the time that my girlfriend Amy and I were leaving small, Washington-area Italian joint Patrenella’s after a quiet New Year’s Eve dinner, that’s the time my iPhone started to buzz. The deluge of tweets and texts (mostly positive) confirmed it — Penn…
Countdown to 2013 King of Content: The One-Hit Wonders
When it comes to crowning the King of Content for the year 2013, quantity is the basis on which the kingdom is built, and rightfully so. Maintaining a consistent flow of excellence/criminal behavior/bizarre work/belligerence is what gets you the ultimate reward. But the extravaganza that is an overall calendar year…
Cover Story: Movies 2014: Why I’m Irrationally Excited About Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Wearing the hat of a critic means making rational arguments about irrational subjects. Art is irrational. Movies, music, sculptures, painting, burlesque, video games, and professional wrestling may all have rules, but these rules can just as easily be thrown away if the final result speaks to the heart. Love, like…
This Week’s Cafe Review: A Step Back in Time to French Indochina at Ba Mien Bistro
When I think Vietnamese food in Houston, I think Midtown. I think Little Saigon, and hole-in-the-wall bánh mì shops and wonderful pho with very little charm. Ba Mien Bistro, the subject of this week’s cafe review, might just change that notion. When you step inside, you’re immediately greeted by a…
FPH NYE With Girl Talk, George Clinton, etc. at Sam Houston Park, 12/31/2013
Free Press Houston New Years Eve Sam Houston Park December 31, 2013 When gates opened at 4 p.m. Tuesday, it felt a bit early to start partying on New Years Eve. That’s still hours later than any festival normally begins, true, but Tuesday the Free Press Summer Fest team turned…
Countdown to 2013 King of Content: 1. Johnny Manziel
With the prism of social media through which we can now consume the daily lives of our sports heroes, the question is continually asked “What would so-and-so have been like to cover/watch/root for in the age of social media?” If you’re looking for doppelgängers for old time athletes (a more…
So, Is the New 93.7 FM The Beat Any Good?
When KPTY Party 93.3 signed off for the last time in March 2009, who knew it would be almost another five years before the city of Houston would see another fully developed hip-hop/R&B station in its aerospace? In other words, hip-hop fans in the city have been longing for such…
Countdown to 2013 King of Content: 2. Gary Kubiak and Matt Schaub (Schaubiak!)
Photo by Marco TorresAnd we will all go down together!Every year since 2010, I’ve written the Houston Texans season preview for the print edition of the Houston Press, and while I’ve never been further off on a prediction for the final won-loss record than I was in 2013, I don’t…
This Week in Food Blogs: Sweet, Savory Crepes & Pinterest Fails
The Pancake Princess: This week, Erika made one of her most loved breakfast dishes, pannenkoeken, a.k.a. Dutch pancakes, or crepes. She reminisces about how each person in her family would top these light, delicate pancakes her father used to make when he was a kid. Her brother topped his with…
Local Filmmaker Raises Money for Father’s Funeral After Tragic Fire
Three years ago Josh Vargas took to Indiegogo to raise $10,000 for In a Madman’s World, his biopic of notorious Houston rapist and murder Dean Corll and his two young accomplices David Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley. Now, he’s back on Indiegogo for a much sadder purpose; to raise $2,400…
100 Favorite Dishes 2013: No. 53, Bánh Canh Hue at Simply Pho
This year, leading up to our annual Menu of Menus issue, Kaitlin Steinberg counts down her 100 favorite dishes as she eats her way through Houston. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most awesome, most creative and, of course, most delicious in town. It’s a…
3 New New Year’s Resolutions to Make This Year
I don’t know about you, but I have been making the same New Year’s resolutions for the past decade. Every other year I throw in something different just to shake things up — lose ten pounds instead of five — but in general, as long as I have been making…
What to Drink After You Drank Too Much: Top 5 Liquid Holiday Hangover Cures
Throwing back a tipple or two during the holidays may be par for the course, but if you find yourself less than chipper the following morning, consider bingeing on something other than ethanol to regain your holiday cheer. Here are my top five favorite liquid cures for the dreaded holiday…
What to Expect Your First Year as a New Band
Somewhere, some kid unwrapped his or her first guitar this Christmas. And, maybe he or she found a few other kids who also received instruments — or at least Guitar Center gift cards — and have decided to form a band. It’s an exciting time. You come together, bonded by…
Three Little Birds: Songs for New Families and a New Year
In 2013, some friends of ours shared with us the good news they’d be having their first child. They are excellent people, so we were very happy for them and the kid they’d soon welcome. I’ve been a dad nearly half my life now (yikes), but the only bit of…
Chiptune Star Perfecting the NESKeytar
Three years ago I brought to your attention a chiptune artist from the UK named Greig Stewart. Chiptune music is works played through retro video-game sound equipment like the sound card on a Game Boy. Stewart was riding high on the Guitar Hero craze like everyone else at the time,…
Eight Albums to Look Forward to in 2014
I know we’re still all digesting the musical releases of 2013, but it’s officially a new year and time to start talking about 2014’s offerings. With the early part of the year’s release schedule set in stone, we know we have a lot to look forward to, and it won’t…
93.7 FM Now Marching to a New Beat
As many of you now know, around noon today 93.7 FM ceased to become a classic-rock station — good riddance, some say — and flipped formats to hip-hop and R&B, rechristening itself “The Beat.” Thus far, according to 937thebeathouston.com, songs have included Sevyn Streeter and Chris Brown’s “It Won’t Stop,”…
Weather Week: Ring in the New Year with a Jacket
For the most part, 2013 has been a relatively uneventful year for the weather. The Atlantic Hurricane Season was a giant dud and we managed to get ourselves out of the drought, finally. But, one thing has felt true of this year more than the past couple, it’s been chilly…
Five Healthy Breakfasts to Kick Off 2014
The first meal of the New Year ought to be a healthy one. From the Christmas parties complete with a bounty of booze and food to the box of cookies Aunt Sally sent you to share with your friends and family that you kept all to yourself, your body is…
NFL Playoffs: Early Super Bowl Futures Odds, Who Has Value?
In theory, when it comes to wagering, the NFL Playoffs should be one of the prime handicapping junctures on the wagering calendar. Think about it — there is no need to factor in the week to week motivational differences, letdown possibilities, and (at least for the first weekend of the…
New Year’s Lucky Foods: Ensure a Prosperous & Fortunate 2014
What’s the best way to start the New Year on the right foot? With food, of course. Each country and region has its own special “lucky” foods to eat on New Year’s Eve and Day. In the Southern portion of the United States, it is common to have a plate…
Do Women Really Run the Fashion Industry? Yes and No.
When people think about the fashion industry and the individuals at the helm, most immediately imagine veterans like Anna Wintour, Diana Vreeland or Coco Chanel. No one ever thinks of names like Frank A Bennack Jr head of Hearst Corp. parent company of Elle Magazine or Michael J. Dolan head…
Offseason Blueprint: Four Priorities for the Texans
Is Rick Smith ready to rebuild the Texans?The early time of death was surprising. But with a painful illness that we already knew to be fatal, perhaps it’s a relief for everyone involved. No, we certainly didn’t expect the 2013 Texans to become the worst team in the NFL at…
Wake Up on New Year’s Day With Less of a Hangover
Water and Sprite are the best prevention of a hangover
The Best Comics in November Part 2: Stalin Gets a Superwoman…That’s Not Good News
Each month the staff at 8th Dimension Comics picks out the best book to review. Yesterday we gave you Part 1 Uber #8: Kieron Gillen is proving to be a fairly amazing storyteller, both helming the new Wolverine Origins series and this interesting historical take on the second World War…
Countdown to 2013 King of Content: 3. Fan Fighting League
It feels like we fight a lot more these days, as a people, as a society. I don’t mean argue and verbally spar, I mean it feels like we are much more okay with literally punching each other in the face. Maybe that’s the case, maybe not. Or maybe it’s…
Pop Rocks: 1995 Newsweek “Why the Internet Will Fail” Essay Actually Predicts Its Successes
In 1995, Newsweek writer Clifford Stoll decided the Internet was nothing more than a passing fancy. He was so convinced, he penned a hearty screed decrying prognosticators who suggested the Internet would amount to anything more than a noisy, cluttered nuisance of random data. Stoll was, obviously, quite wrong. He…
Ten Most Anticipated Restaurants (We Hope) Coming to Houston in 2014
Many have said that 2013 was a disappointing year for restaurant openings in Houston. Writers and eaters alike lamented the fact that there was no Uchi this year, no Underbelly, no Oxheart. Plenty of great restaurants opened to be sure, but nothing with the immediate star power of some of…
The Rocks Off 200: John Cramer, Guitar Apostle of Project Grimm
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Jeez, where…
5 Reasons to Stay Off the Freeway New Year’s Eve
In Matrix: Revolutions, the characters had what seemed to be an irrational fear of driving on the freeway. It was almost comical as it was more akin to something one might imagine from an 80-year-old grandmother and not an ass-kicking cyber terrorist. Still, when the viewer realized it was became…
100 Creatives 2013: Chris Bakos, Sound Designer and Musician
Sound designer Chris Bakos may have the respect and admiration of Houston’s theater community but his mother still isn’t quite clear on what he does for a living. “My mother still asks me, ‘Now what do you do?’ I try to explain it to her. I tell her, ‘You know…
Top 10 Projected Food Trends for 2014 in Houston
Looking back at 2013, the foods that really stick out in our minds are the trendy ones: Cronuts. Sriracha. Pretzel buns. Kale. These dominated the discussions on food blogs, in culinary magazines and on morning talk shows. So with 2014 approaching, we thought we’d get ahead of the game by…
Countdown to 2013 King of Content: 4. Dwight Howard
The reconstruction of the Rockets from the wake of the Yao Ming’s Feet Era is still not totally complete. With Omer Asik’s remaining a Rocket (which I would prefer he do, by the way), the chances for at least one more move by Daryl Morey are high. I mean, it’s…
10 Albums From 2013 You Should Have Heard
Terry Allen, Bottom of the World You can yack on all day about Kevin Fowler, Josh Abbott or some other artless, vacant, party-popular, Texas good-ole-boy bands, but the old salts know that Terry Allen’s music is that real Texas deal. On his first new material in 14 years, Allen touches…
Top Five Foods to Give Up in 2014 and What to Eat Instead
No, this is not an article about how to be healthier in the new year. Read a fitness blog if that’s what you want. This is about foods we are just so totally over. Not trends, necessarily, but things that need to chill out for a little while as we…
Christmas Eve With a Dead Body
I’d come home from my rather extended Christmas Eve family gathering at my aunt’s big house down in the Galleria area around 9 p.m. My daughter was flush with the joy of her loot and the thrill of running around with her cousins, and insisted on having every present opened…
The 25 Best Houston Rap Projects of 2013, Nos. 5-1
5. DeLorean, Grace A year ago, Hood Politics 3 ranked as one of the best tapes in the city – a proper balance of Delorean’s idiosyncratic middle ground between New York’s traditional rap appeal and Southern bravado. Grace capitalized on that motif and more, tossing plenty of Texas and Southern…
The Top 25 Music Videos of 2013, Nos. 5-1
Here we are at the absolute Top 5 music videos that were released this year. There’s whimsy, beauty, and a whole lot of pain and regret. Ignored as usual by the mainstream powers that be, these are the works of absolute beauty that they are absolutely hiding from you. Get…
The Top 10 Misogynistic Songs of 2013
Just in case you were wondering, it is probably a good idea to never, ever write a song with the lyrics, “And all she eat is dick/ She’s on a strict diet/ That’s my baby.” Want to know why? Because it’s gross and sexist, and not very good advice for…
Updated: Texas Becomes Second Most Populous State, Adds More Than 387,000 Residents
Update: Unfortunately, I inadvertently wrote that Texas was moving to second most populous state when, in fact, it was simply remaining there. Additionally, New York remains in the third spot behind California and Texas. My apologies for the mistake. Original Post: According to the New York Times, the state of…
Gay NFL: Why Are We Still Talking About This?
Twenty years ago, there were two players on the Oilers who were gay and no one cared. Thus explains the report from the Houston Chronicle, a simple, almost afterthought of a story that was part of a roundup last week of articles about the 1993 Houston Oilers profiled in a…
Countdown to 2013 King of Content: 5. Royce White
I know right about now, after he assembled a roster that includes the acquisition of arguably the two best players in the league at their respective positions within nine months of each other, that to say, “Hey, not all of Daryl Morey’s moves have been that great” sounds like blasphemy…
5 Flavor Additions That Are Trying Too Hard for Novelty
What can you use doughnut-flavored vodka for?
Bob McNair Rushing to Repeat the Mistakes of the Past
The saying goes that he who forgets the past is doomed to repeat it. And with the Texans supposedly on the verge of hiring Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien, it’s more than evident that Bob McNair has wiped the past from his mind. O’Brien is the current IT boy…
The Best Comics in December Part 1: Krampus Is Coming
Each month the staff at 8th Dimension Comics picks out the best book to review. Look for Part 2 tomorrow. Krampus #1: It seems like a weird time to start a Christmas series with Christmas being, you know, just now over, but there’s no denying that Brian Joines has come…
What’s Cooking This Week? Kimchi Bibimbap, Hangover Chicken Soup & More
I love cooking for my fiancé and planning meals for us, but cooking for two often proves to be difficult. If I don’t make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredients I’ve bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter…
The Desolation of Rods: With Release of Harris, 1560 Has Shed Nearly All Its Talent From “The Game”
Almost three years ago, I wrote a story about how a local upstart sports talk station was waging a kind of David-versus-Goliath war against corporate-owned stations, and doing it with wit, attitude and creativity. No one argued that the group of young hosts and creative staff assembled by what was…
Mayor Parker, Longtime Partner Plan to Wed
The story of a politician marrying her longtime partner would not normally be much in the way of news. Sure, there would be talk, but mostly it would be relegated to gossip magazines and the socialite section of newspapers. In the case of Mayor Annise Parker, it is far more…
The Top 10 Theater-Related Recordings of 2013
Imagine you’re a kid with big dreams. It’s a balmy Christmas in Crosby, Texas. You’re opening presents with your family and unwrap the 1978 Original Broadway Cast Recording of Evita. Your mother, who gifted it to you, beams with joy at your surprise. You wanted the film soundtrack, but this…
The Top Ten Eating…Our Words Posts of 2013
It’s the end of another year, and here at Eating…Our Words we’re looking back at all the great stories we shared in 2012, remembering some that weren’t so popular and figuring out new ways to keep you coming back for more. We’ve already looked at the best new restaurants of…
Public Enemy at Warehouse Live, 12/27/2013
Public Enemy, Phranchyze, Branzil Warehouse Live December 27, 2013 Nearly 30 years after they bum-rushed their first show, there remains nothing quite like a Public Enemy concert. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers bring a dominating live energy to the stage that is, has been and seems likely to…
Countdown to 2013 King of Content: 6. Tim Tebow
They say that in death, there is life. If that’s true, then Exhibit A might be the NFL career of Tim Tebow. During a four month period beginning back in late April, Tebow was waived by the New York Jets, courted by something called the Omaha Beef, signed with the…
Doctor Who: 5 Worst Things About Getting Someone Hooked on Doctor Who
Now, it’s probably escaped regular readers’ attentions because I hardly ever talk about it, but I’m a tiny bit obsessed with Doctor Who. Seriously, though, it almost never comes up in my written work. That said, I’ve led more than a few people into Whovian fandom, and that’s great because…
2013: The Year in Houston Openings & Closings
It’s that time of year again. As we say goodbye to 2013 and welcome 2014, let’s take a moment and reflect on the restaurants that opened and closed this year. Unlike our usual Openings & Closings reports, this one is simply a month-by-month listing of which restaurants joined the Houston…
Our Top 10 Favorite Houston News Stories of 2013
It’s been a busy year in Houston. It always seems to be a busy year in the nation’s fourth largest city. In particular, 2013 saw some significant developments in Houston’s landmarks. From light rail to stadiums to iconic stores, real estate was in the news. Of course, there was also…
100 Creatives 2013: Katherine Burkwall-Ciscon, Pianist for the Houston Ballet
Houston Ballet pianist Katherine Burkwall-Ciscon plays well with others. So well, in fact, that one of her master’s degrees (yes, she has more than one) is in collaborative arts. (Burkwall-Ciscon has a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and a master’s degree in piano…
Films for Foodies (and Winos): Sideways
Movie studios scramble to have big-name stars headline their films, but in many of my favorite movies, food is the star. Few things are better than pairing a foodie film with a great meal so we can enjoy ourselves just as much as the folks onscreen are enjoying their own…
The Holiday Hangover Hell Yeah Show at Warehouse Live, 12/28/2013
Holiday Hangover Hell Yeah Feat. Los Skarnales, Tontons, the Suffers, Quiet Company, Wild Child, Bagheera, Ishi & Featherface Warehouse Live December 28, 2013 One of the most insufferable things about being a Houstonian for the past year or so has been the never-ending parade of people telling us how great…
McDonald’s Has More Problems Than Its McRib Sandwich
Poor McDonald’s! It’s been having a really rough year. and it looks to be ending on a very low note. First, the Internet explodes with accusations of the company issuing proportionately lower salaries; an average McDonald’s salary falls around $18,000 annually, lower than those of childcare workers and cashiers. Then,…
100 Favorite Dishes 2013: No. 54, Kimchi Koagie at Koagie Hots
This year, leading up to our annual Menu of Menus issue, Kaitlin Steinberg counts down her 100 favorite dishes as she eats her way through Houston. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most awesome, most creative and, of course, most delicious in town. It’s a…
Titans 16, Texans 10: And the Texans Are Officially on the Clock
Finally. It took weeks of torture, but the long, slow, painful death of the Houston Texans’ 2012-13 season mercifully came to a close on Sunday. Fittingly, it ended at the hands of the former Houston Oilers — in the same year that its former icons Bud Adams and Bum Phillips…
The 25 Best Houston Rap Projects of 2013, Nos. 10-6
10. Trae Tha Truth, I Am King You can’t keep a good asshole down. If Trae Tha Truth could be compared to any figure outside of rap, he’d be akin to The Undertaker — never stopping, always coming and always present. From the onset, I Am King felt like a…
Rage Across Dallas: Rocks Off’s Lights All Night 2013 Recap
From El Paso’s Sun City Music Festival to South Padre’s Ultimate Music Experience to Houston’s own Something Wicked, Texas ragers have plenty of EDM festival options, even if EDC Texas didn’t materialize this year. This past weekend in Dallas, they had another shot at electronic music glory with Lights All…
The 25 Best Music Videos of 2013, Nos. 10-6
Welcome to the top ten, and I promise it’s a great one. The general mood of the best music videos these days is an obsession with alternate fantasy worlds. I don’t know if that’s an indication of wanting to escape from tough times or a just a whole lot of…
The Best Concerts in Houston This Week: Wood & Wire, FPH NYE, Riverboat Gamblers, etc.
Wood & Wire McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, December 30 Anticipating folk music’s return to the pop-culture conversation thanks to Inside Llewyn Davis by a few years, Wood & Wire have become a fixture on the bluegrass/acoustic circuit as much for their dogged work ethic as their precision-timed songs. The Austin-based quartet…
This Weekend’s Best Bets: Falling Below the Pendergast Line
Back in the day, there was a Major League shortstop named Mario Mendoza. Mendoza played parts of nine seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers. Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico (excellent town name, by the way), Mendoza was known as one of the most proficient glove men in…
Upscale Fair Food to Star at FPHNYE! Celebration
Anyone who’s been to a state fair or a rodeo, or even a small-town festival, has likely paid too much money for a funnel cake, turkey leg or hot dog. And they probably didn’t taste very good. At the Houston Gastrodome (the name of the food pavilion at FPHNYE!) in…
Countdown to 2013 King of Content: 7. Aaron Hernandez
It’s no secret that great athletes tend to get more leeway when it comes to bad behavior. If you’re a good enough college football player, many head coaches will either look the other way or give you a mere slap on the wrist if you decide to behave badly. In…
Chef Jose Hernandez Rejoins Étoile After Leaving La Balance
A mere week and a half after chef Jose Hernandez announced he was leaving La Balance Cuisine, the French restaurant he opened in Katy in mid-August, On the Mark Communications announced that he would be the new sous chef at Étoile Cuisine et Bar. Hernandez is filling the position he…
Journalism 101: Centrism Not Does Equal Objectivity
Photo by Anthony92931Too Much of This CoverageOne of the more lamentable features of national political coverage is that journalists emphasize conflict and “horse race” coverage rather than policy. This is because many journalists — e.g., David Gregory, George Stephanopolous, Major Garrett and many lesser known names that make up the…
The Passenger: An SS Officer Confronts Her Past on an Ocean Voyage
Lisa, a former SS offficer, is aboard an ocean liner with her German diplomat husband when she discovers that one of her fellow passengers looks like a former Auschwitz prisoner she tormented. Mezzo soprano Michelle Breedt, a South African by birth and now a German citizen, sings the role of…
Hosting on New Year’s Eve? Try These Houston Restaurant-Inspired Party Foods
New Year’s Eve is just around the corner. We can’t think of a more perfect way to ring in 2014 than indulging in good food and some bubbly with loved ones, so we’ve come up with a few appetizers inspired by some of our favorite bites in Houston. Check out…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Lone Survivor
Title: Lone Survivor Kind Of Gives Away The Ending, Doesn’t It? Well, so does the book. And the 60 Minutes segment. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three “Eye of the Tiger” singles out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Four-man Navy SEAL recon team enters a world of…
Weekend Weather: Warming Trend Followed by Another Cool Down
As we approach the end of 2013, Houston’s weather has been more notable for what didn’t happen than what did. Hurricane season was a dud. The drought came to an end, even if we do still linger on its edges. There hasn’t been any tough winter weather or hard freezes…
Barely Blind at Walters, 12/26/2013
Barely Blind, We Were Wolves Walters December 26, 2013 When Barely Blind announced they would be relocating to Los Angeles two years ago, it was hard to watch them leave. Thankfully, the holidays gave the band reason to return to Houston, and we were fortunate enough to catch their electrifying…
Houston Bubbles: Your New Year’s Eve Champagne and Sparkling Wine Buying Guide
Let’s just cut to the chase. As one of the largest retailers and wholesalers of wine in the country, Spec’s nearly always has the best pricing, especially when it comes to higher-end bottles. Houston Chronicle wine (and sports) writer Dale Robertson once called the outfit “Houston’s 800-pound wine gorilla”. Its…
Book Check: Boxers & Saints, by Gene Luen Yang
Title: Boxers & Saints Tell Me About the Author: Gene Luen Yang is a graphic novelist who has been publishing comics since 1996. His American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award, and it won the Michael L. Printz Award for teen…
One Fool’s 2014 Houston Sports Predictions
With 2013 giving way to 2014, it’s time for a few predictions that will, more than likely, be way off the mark. But what the hell, that means I’ll be just like the rest of my sportswriting brethren. So… PREDICTION ONE: CSN HOUSTON The next status conference in bankruptcy court…
5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend: Food Truck Friday, Free Champagne Tasting
Food Truck Friday @ Houston Press Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2603 La Branch Bare Bowls Kitchen is up next in the Food Truck Fridays series at the Houston Press. The truck will be serving lunch from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. outside our offices. Come by and grab a Yucatan…
Ten New Year’s Resolutions for a Theater Critic
Editor’s note: Jim J. Tommaney is not just a theater critic, but a playwright, director and actor. 1. Don’t make notes during a performance. It can distract performers. A leading critic in another city sits in the front row and scribbles away — it drives the actors crazy. 2. Allow…
Katy Man Charged With Hate Crime After Playing the “Knockout Game” with Elderly African American’s Face
The news media has been rapt lately with stories of an alleged game by young men called the “Knockout Game,” in which participants choose an unwitting victim on the street and attempt to knock him out with a single punch. Jon Stewart summed up the media frenzy with his usual…
Upcoming Events: Wine 101 at Camerata & French King’s Cake at Bistro Provence
On Tuesday, December 31, The League of Extraordinary Brewers invites you to “A Craft Beer New Year.” All proceeds will benefit the Brewery Incubator, created to assist Texas breweries establish their businesses. Enjoy a beer pairing dinner at 7 p.m. for $75, followed by the New Year’s Party at 9…
100 Creatives 2013: Kristina Koutsoudas, Middle Eastern, Persian and North African Folk Dance Artist
In Western culture, dance is the province of the theatrical stage. A dancer is understood to be a disciplined technician of a movement vocabulary that the non-dancer does not possess. But for the rest of the world, dance isn’t so much a chosen vocation as it is an integral part…
The Worst Music Fans of 2013
It seems like one of the biggest things music fans hate is music fandom. Is it that fanboy antics are just really that insufferable? Is it that we hate people who like things we don’t like? I don’t know, but since the dawning of time, fan wars have existed and…
Countdown to 2013 King of Content: 8. Twitter
I heard someone recently say (and my apologies in advance for not recalling to whom to give proper credit) that Twitter will be to the Internet what the Internet was to the computer. A game changer, the prism through which we consume all things digital content and communicate in rapid-fire…
Downtown’s Craft-Beer Merchants Tap Into Greatness
Lupe gestures at us animatedly, one hand wrapped around an overflowing beer mug as the other balances a large slice of roasted-fig pizza. This man with remarkable balance is singing the praises of some unholy-sounding concoction called a “Brewnog,” but we’re not quite sold on the idea. Our bar neighbor…
The Top 5 Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: D. L. Hughley, The Painting and More
Ubiquitous comedian D.L. Hughley is making his second stop in Houston this year with a holiday run that includes a Friday night show and, later in the week, two New Year’s Eve shows. The author of I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes Is…
Openings & Closings: Changes at Brian O’Neill’s & MAM’S Snoballs Gets a Permanent Location
The week of Christmas was a slow one for restaurant openings and closings (as is expected). Eater reports that Brian O’Neill’s will be temporarily closed after the holidays while owners Brian Young and Colm O’Neill revamp the pub with a new name and a new image. According to the current…
The 25 Best Houston Rap Projects of 2013, Nos. 15-11
15. Boston George & Boo Rossini, Drug War: Da Brickstape If there was ever a single-minded tape that executed everything it needed to in a small space, Boston George’s talk of trapping with Boo Rossini for the duration of Drug War: Da Brickstape was it. Nobody is going to put…
The 25 Best Music Videos of 2013, Nos. 15-11
As Rocks Off’s 25 best music videos of 2013 countdown continues, Thursday was a celebration of the year’s gratuitousness and debauchery. Today we turn it down a notch a bit to explore less garish and more meaningful stuff. And by meaningful, I mean some blood will flow. Get a towel…
Houston’s Top 10 Bars to Cure Your New Year’s Eve Hangover
As our sister blog Eating…Our Words does, from time to time Rocks Off will be giving your our picks for the top taverns in various Houston-area neighborhoods. Of course, the lines can be porous, but here anything with a TABC license that cannot reasonably be considered either a restaurant, coffeehouse…
The Best Shows in Houston This Weekend: Public Enemy, TSO, Holiday Hangover, etc.
Public Enemy Warehouse Live, December 27 Last seen holding their own alongside LL Cool J and Ice Cube on this summer’s Monsters of Rap tour, Public Enemy doesn’t know the meaning of the word “mellow.” Onstage, Chuck D and Flavor Flav are more combustible than ever, and although DJ Lord…
UPS Christmas Delays Hit Home in Houston
At about 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve, I could wait no longer. With family members set to descend on my house within two hours, it was time to get the final gifts wrapped, especially those for my mom and that side of the family as we would be exchanging those…
Countdown to 2013 King of Content: 9. Jacoby Jones
Recent history has not been kind to the Houston Texans when it comes to either former Baltimore Ravens coming to Houston or the Texans cutting players loose and seeing them wind up in Baltimore. The Ed Reed saga was chronicled in detail in the most recent “King of Content” post…
Where to Eat on New Year’s Eve and Day 2013
Making plans for New Year’s Eve celebrations can be hectic and stressful, but that’s why an array of Houston restaurants have opened their doors to help you ring in the New Year with lots of food, dancing, music and, of course, Champagne toasts at midnight. Treat yourself to an amazing…
Doctor Who: Doctor, This Is Your Life
First off, I’m going to come right out and say it; Steven Moffat cannot write a regeneration story. It’s understandable. He doesn’t like endings, clearly. For all that fans moan about the characters he’s killed, he’s really killed not a single one. They go on, living another life. That should…
This Week in Food Blogs: Eggnog Pound Cake & the History of the Chocolate Chip Cookie
The New Yorker: Can you believe the chocolate chip cookie has been around for 75 years? In honor of its 75th anniversary, The New Yorker, explained the history of the chocolate chip cookie. Many of us know that Ruth Wakefield created the chocolate chip cookie by accident, but do you…
Big Rig Accident Shuts Down I-45 North, Requires Haz-Mat Cleanup
An 18-wheeler was involved in an accident this morning at around 4 a.m. on I-45 North (the northbound side) in Spring near Spring Stuebner. The wreck resulted in a diesel spill that triggered a haz-mat cleanup. Making matters worse, the spill forced the closure of all lanes of the North…
Using a Houston Murder Case, the Supreme Court Quietly Strangles the Right to Remain Silent
You May Not Have the Right to Remain Silent On an early December morning in 1992, two brothers were shot in a Houston home. There were no witnesses. The HPD’s investigation led them to Genovevo Salinas, who had been at a party with the victims the evening before. Salinas agreed…
Beauty 2.0, Makeup in Your Pocket but Less Messy
It should come as no surprise that fashion brands have adopted the mobile format en masse. An industry built on aspiration and impulse buys wants nothing more than to dwell in your pocket so the “buy me” message never goes interrupted. Not only has the fashion industry jumped on the…
Margarita Afternoon: Goro & Gun Crafts a Masterpiece
Goro & Gun isn’t a margarita bar, but it makes a great margarita.
Countdown to 2013 King of Content: 10. Ed Reed
“Wheels up! GM Rick Smith is on his way to pick up free agent S Ed Reed in #Texans chairman & CEO Bob McNair’s private jet!” — @HoustonTexans, March 14, 2013 From about the time the wheels of Bob McNair’s jet left ground to about the time Ed Reed actually…
Pop Rocks: Media, Let’s Have Even More Diversity in 2014
It’s pretty sad that this monumental year in the media has to end on a ducking low note. Of course I am talking about Phil Robertson of the A&E reality show Duck Dynasty and the comments he recently made in GQ magazine. I’m not even going to repeat them; you…
Eat the Grasshoppers at Hugo’s: Soft Chapulines Tacos
I believe the last time I willingly ate bugs was when I was five and didn’t know any better. So, how did I find myself in my twenties ordering grasshoppers to share as an appetizer with my fiancé while dining at Hugo’s? In certain countries, bugs and insects are delicacies,…
The Rocks Off 200: Big Gerb, Houston’s Hongree-est MC
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Good luck…
Cover Story: Charlotte Rowell Believes She Knows Who Killed Her Son, Craft Beer Distributor Ashley Rowell, Ten Months Ago. And She Wants to Know Why They Aren’t Behind Bars.
Ten months ago, Ashley “Ash” Rowell, a 35-year-old father of three, and a beloved figure in Houston’s craft beer community, was gunned down in his Montrose home. Police said Ash knew his killer. Ash’s mother, Charlotte, agreed with the police. In fact, she believes she knows who’s behind the killing,…
The Five Best Hangover Foods in Houston
Last year for New Year’s, we shared The Five Levels of a Hangover and How To Cure Them With Food. This year, in honor of the hangover holiday of the year (or the start of a new year for those of you who are not complete drunks), we’re sharing where…
Did Anyone Shop at Kohl’s During Their Holiday Shopping Marathon?
I have to admit that the latest Kohl’s commercial really freaked me out. Starting on December 20 through December 24, Kohl’s announced that it would not close, at all. So for close to 100 hours straight, the retailer would keep its stores in operation to cater to the throngs of…
Unveiling the King of Content 2013: The Honorable Mentions
Relevance. It can be measured any number of ways, it just depends on the medium. In television, it’s measured by viewership. In radio, it’s measured by listenership. In stripping, it’s measured in one-dollar bills. Quantity might not necessarily mean quality (except in stripping), but typically it does correlate to noteworthiness…
In Defense of Adderall
Google the word “Adderall” and there are literally thousands of negative news stories about the horrors of the popular ADHD drug. With headlines glaring about the dangers of the drug — everything from “The Truth About My Adderall Addiction” to “Adderall Abuse Increases Among High School Students” — it seems…
100 Favorite Dishes 2013: No. 55, Juicy Lucy Burger at Lowbrow
This year, leading up to our annual Menu of Menus issue, Kaitlin Steinberg counts down her 100 favorite dishes as she eats her way through Houston. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most awesome, most creative and, of course, most delicious in town. It’s a…
The 25 Best Houston Rap Projects of 2013, Nos. 20-16
20. Rosewood Thievz, Enter the Terrordome No rap tape dug into the most basic components of an old Houston tape better than this one. A guilty pleasure that lasts for over 60 minutes with horrorcore thought processing (waiting for one of the Obama daughters to become legal), Terrordome sounds like…
Field Notes on Houston Music, 1830s-1920s
Around Tin Pan Alley-era Houston, sheet music was exchanged for the most part among music fans and aficionados, versus the then-fragile but burgeoning cylinder records (phonographs). Sadly, the true sound of musicians who improvised has been lost, but from street musicians to the thoroughly classical, here’s the rest of what…
The 25 Best Music Videos of 2013 Nos. 20-16 (NSFW)
The countdown continues! Yesterday gave us Nick Cave in smutty existential perfection, a drunken electronic whirl through a Japanese city, poor Geoffrey O’Connor lamenting his lost lesbian love outside a limo, an unbelievable rendition of Legend of Zelda tunes on the violin, and the stark beauty of Baby Alpaca. Now…
“Big Ed” Blake
Houston spawn “Big Ed” Blake, who comes home to play the Joke Joint Comedy Showcase stage for a post-Christmas gig, loves his job, especially when he observes how others are forced to make their livings. “I’ve seen all kinds of weird jobs, man. I was driving up here,” he said…
MFAH Family Flicks: The Painting
Jean-François Laguionie’s 2011 animated masterpiece, The Painting (“Le Tableau”), is set in an unfinished painting hanging in an artist’s room. There, the classes of people are divided by the completeness of their rendering. There are the ruling Alldunns (the fully flushed-out artistic creations), and the oppressed Halfies (unfinished images) and…
The Midtown Men: Holiday Hits
They started off in the original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys – Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer, the quartet now known as The Midtown Men. With smooth harmonies, the group performs tunes made popular by The Four Seasons, The Beatles, and Elvis Presley, along with…
D. L. Hughley
Ubiquitous comedian D.L. Hughley is making his second stop in Houston this year with a holiday run that includes two New Year’s Eve shows. The author of I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes Is Ruining America, Hughley finished in ninth place on the…
Ars Lyrica: Venetian Carnival
Ars Lyrica Artistic Director Matthew Dirst will have his hands full this New Year’s Eve at the group’s Venetian Carnival. Joining the ensemble for this special performance are guitarist Richard Savino, baroque flautist Colin St Martin and sopranos Blair Doerge and Melissa Givens. The program features opera excerpts, chamber concertos…
“Valentina Kisseleva: Midsummer Dream”
Moscow native Valentina Kisseleva presents work she’s created during the past several years at the exhibition “Valentina Kisseleva: Midsummer Dream.” Inspired by artists including Renoir, Cezanne, and Van Gogh, Kisseleva says her painting style isn’t easily categorized. “My style is different now than it was 10 years ago. I’ve been…
“Revisiting the Lizard Cult: Lee Baxter Davis, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Robyn O’Neil, Georganne Deen and Gary Panter”
The artists included in “Revisiting the Lizard Cult: Lee Baxter Davis, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Robyn O’Neil, Georganne Deen and Gary Panter”, on view at The Brandon gallery, share some background but have created art that is uniquely their own. The show includes work by artist/teacher Lee Baxter Davis and some…
“Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”
We can sum up the “Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” exhibit in one word: wow. “The many surprising discoveries on display in “Roads of Arabia” open a window onto the culture … of this ancient civilization like never before,” Gary Tinterow, director of…
I Slept With My Best Friend’s Mom. Help!
Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off’s advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, “funny, serious or unpredictable.” Something on your mind? Ask Willie D! FIGHTING OVER GRANDPA’S ESTATE Dear Willie D: Last month my grandfather died without a living will…
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Is a Clown’s Stab at a Masterpiece
In the 20 years since Reality Bites, his directorial debut, Ben Stiller has metastasized from sketch-comedy lunatic to Generation X darling to blockbuster king. Among the funny men, most of whom have calcified into cliques (yawn, Anchorman 2), he’s the last of the triple-threat writer-director-stars, and the only one who…
De Niro and Stallone Team Up to Beat Down Your Memories of Better Movies
The surprise in Grudge Match, the not-quite-a-comedy that pits Rocky Balboa against Raging Bull, isn’t that it has the chutzpah to posit a universe in which Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro have, since the early ’80s, been equally matched rivals. The surprise is in how easily audiences will buy…
Five Houston Culinary Splurges
On the Menu It’s the holiday season. A time for gift giving and celebration. A time for splurging, right? After all, you’ve worked hard this year. You deserve a reward. And what better way to reward yourself than with a blow-your-mind meal? Behold, our top picks for decadent foodie splurges…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Antonio Berni: Juanito and Ramona,” “Nice. Luc Tuymans,” “São Paulo 2013,” “SPRAWL”
“Antonio Berni: Juanito and Ramona” Antonio Berni (1905-1981) was Argentina’s greatest 20th-century artist, a greatness recognized far beyond Argentina during his lifetime. Since his death his fame has faded, especially in North America. The exhibition “Antonio Berni: Juanito and Ramona,” on view at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is an…
Toxic Time Bomb?
Highlights from Hair Balls Environment Houston wasn’t hit by a hurricane this season, but there are questions about what will happen to the San Jacinto Waste Pit superfund site the next time a hurricane roars through town. The highly toxic Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site has been sitting in the…
One to Grow On
Only in Houston Bun B, Trill O.G.: The Epilogue: At this point, Bun B’s influence stretches far beyond music, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still churn out a great album. Trill O.G. The Epilogue, the finale in his Trill album series, has everything we’ve come to both expect and…
Capsule Stage Reviews: A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration, Gold, Frankincense, Christmas Tree Ornaments and Myrrh, The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical, The Santaland Diaries, The White Christmas Album 2, The Sequel
A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration It’s very earnest down by the banks of the Potomac on Christmas Eve, 1864. Extremely earnest. In this musical from Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel (How I Learned to Drive) and Daryl Waters, who arranged the numerous period carols, war anthems and pop…
Special Year-End Edición
Dear Readers: Since it’s the end of the year and the Mexican is on his 18th tamale (made by the mujeres in his family, of course), behold some letters from angry readers (and one fan), along with my answers. Enjoy your champurrado, gracias for a great 2013, and may your…
Beer and Blood: Ash Rowell’s Murderer Is Still at Large, and His Mother Wants to Know Why
On the night of February 1, 2013, Ashley Rowell opened the door to his killer. The assailant, still unidentified nearly 11 months later, shot the 35-year-old father of three, who was standing in the doorway of his Montrose home. Neighbors told police the killer then ran back to an idling…
All That Glitters Isn’t Gold at Mr. Peeples
Want a closer look at Mr. Peeples? Check out this slideshow! Coming back for brunch the next day was like returning to the scene of a crime. Under the harsh light of day, the previous night’s gluttonous escapades seemed somehow dirtier, the revelry less validated. Even the waitstaff had a…
Ringing in the New Year: The 2013 Houston Press New Year’s Eve Guide
This year, the economy finally started turning around. Houston celebrated with more jobs and new people who came to experience the riches of the city’s cultural, culinary, artistic and entertainment worlds. And as this year comes to a close, we arrive at last at New Year’s Eve, the day when,…
Craft Brewers Great and Small Capitalize on Texas’s Recent Legislative Changes
Lupe gestures at us animatedly, one hand wrapped around an overflowing beer mug as the other balances a large slice of roasted-fig pizza. This man with remarkable balance is singing the praises of some unholy-sounding concoction called a “Brewnog,” but we’re not quite sold on the idea. Our bar neighbor…
Martin Scorsese Attacks Excess With Excess in The Wolf of Wall Street
Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street is the kind of movie directors make when they wield money, power and a not inconsiderable degree of arrogance. Sprawling and extravagant, it revels in all manner of excess, including sexual debauchery, hearty abuse of liquor and quaaludes, even dwarf-tossing. Its antihero, the…
