Elizabeth Dunbar Becomes DiverseWorks’s New Executive Director
As soon as she applied, Elizabeth Dunbar was pretty much a lock for DiverseWorks ArtSpace’s executive director position. “We did a national search, and we had 25 really really strong candidates,” said DiverseWorks’s public relations and marketing manager, Shawna Forney. “We were immediately interested because of her visual arts background,”…
Welcome to Sugar Land, Skeeters!! Never Mind About the $24K Worth of Copper Stolen from Your Ballpark!
A warm welcomeThe new minor league baseball team the Sugar Land Skeeters got a nice introduction to their hometown over the New Year’s weekend when thieves broke into the stadium the team is building and stole $24,000 worth of copper. Life in the big city, fellas. Fox 26 reports that…
Is Dave Grohl Rebooting Probot With Hair Metal Kings Ratt? Maybe So…
When Dave Grohl released his Probot project in February 2004, it opened a whole new world of metal to a new legion of kids whose only exposure to the hard stuff may have been whatever was on MTV or VH1 Classic. Here was Grohl teaming up with crusty scumlords like…
Sara Paretsky: Breakdown
Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple is a mild-mannered, genteel lady who ferrets out crime by using her considerable wits. Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski is nothing like that. Mild manners? Nope. As a matter of fact, Warshawski has a gritty personality that grinds on just about everyone she meets. Genteel? Uh, that…
Mayor, Police Chief Hail Cut in Murder Rate
You’re living in a safer place, Houstonians. Mayor Annise Parker and police chief Charles McClelland say so. Both officials touted a drop in the murder rate today, saying homicide in the city is lower than it’s been in 40 years. HPD says there were 198 murders in 2011 according to…
R&Grunge: Four Grunge Covers We’d Like To See (& One Actual One)
The ’80s and ’90s will never die as long as young artists continue to keep their influencers alive in song. When news broke earlier this week that D’Angelo of all people have decided to cover Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”, it marked one of the few times that R&B, a genre…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Seafood Restaurants
For the next 20 weeks, we’ll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year’s winner is no easy task. We’ll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants…
KTSU Is Dead Inside, Say Current and Former DJs
Smooth jazz doesn’t equal “Jazz In All Its Colors,” say critics of KTSU. And that’s why, according to those same critics, people aren’t listening like they used to. In this week’s cover story (and accompanying sidebar by John Nova Lomax), current and former DJs of KTSU, as well as the…
5 Replacements for The Jim Rome Show
Jim Rome is done in the Houston sports-talk radio market after KILT-AM 610 dropped the popular The Jim Rome Show last week. Rome’s show had become more than a little tedious in recent years, so replacing it should be easy; here are five replacements that would make for riveting programming…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Dive Bars
“I know it when I see it.” – Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, on correctly identifying pornography. Also applies to dive bars. The dive distinction is complicated. Used to be you could stick a bar in the non-dive phylum if a web jukebox were present. But nowadays there are dives…
Cover Story: The Killing of KTSU
Critics say that KTSU has a soul that’s empty, its “Jazz In All Its Colors” now a potent hue of smooth-jazz wallpaper. In this week’s cover story (and accompanying sidebar by John Nova Lomax), current and former DJs of KTSU, as well as the station’s lost listeners, talk about the…
Happy Birthday Bernard Sumner: Our Favorite New Order Songs
For about the past month I have been in a New Order phase, which started in earnest the day that I picked up their 1993 documentary, New Order Story, in it’s expanded form with a separate disc of all their music videos, at a thrift store. With lead singer and…
Palestinian Chicken at Al Aseel: Yes, It’s Real
In this week’s cafe review of Palestinian diner Al Aseel, I referred to an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm called “Palestinian Chicken” in which Larry David’s character on the HBO show finds a Middle Eastern restaurant serving the best grilled chicken he’s ever tasted. David, a Jew, keeps eating there…
Unidentified Male Drive-By Victim, Bayou Body Count No. 1
A 31-year-old man who was killed in a drive-by shooting became the first murder victim of 2012 Tuesday evening. The man, whose name has not been released, was driving in the 4400 block of Ward about 7:20 p.m. “when a newer model silver Dodge Caliber pulled up next to him,”…
The 2nd Annual Main Street Block Party Announces Lineup
The Main Street Block Party is returning on January 28 to the The Continental Club, The Big Top, and The Mink’s front and backrooms, armed with another great lineup, this time featuring Austin’s What Made Milwaukee Famous and Dallas’ hardcore cataclysm, Power Trip. The day-long festival was highly successful last…
Tasting Notes: This Week in Wine Blogs
Bear on Wine: It just goes to show that you can teach an old horse new tricks: Texas wine industry legend and fine wine buyer for Spec’s since 1996, Charles “Bear” Dalton, has launched a new wine blog. Houston has enjoyed a vibrant food blogging scene for some time now…
DVDs & Blu-rays: The I Don’t Care How She Does It Edition
I Don’t Know How She Does It stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Greg Kinnear and Pierce Brosnan; Douglas McGrath directs. The Setup: Sarah Jessica Parker plays Kate Reddy, a woman trying to juggle a demanding job and busy home life, pleasing her boss, husband and two kids all at the same…
Rick Perry Thinks This Picture Will Convince You He’s Not Crazy to Keep Running
After a huge thumping in Iowa, where $6 million bought him just 10.3 percent of the vote, Our Governor Rick Perry said he was coming back to Texas to reassess whether God made a mistake in telling him to run for the Presidency. This morning he tweeted, “And the next…
A Month of Oatmeal: 31 Ways to Enjoy
Who knew January was National Oatmeal Month? And does anyone actually care? Normally, I just wouldn’t give a damn – because really, what does National Oatmeal Month even mean? But since its a new year and one of my resolutions is to stop being a cynical bitch, I thought having…
MFAH Set to Launch Titanic Latin American and Latino Art Archive…and It’s Free
Like many ideas that are actually executed, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston didn’t exactly anticipate the International Center for the Arts of the Americas (ICAA) having the legs that it does. “This is the only center of its kind in the world,” says Dr. Mari Carmen Ramirez, Wortham Curator…
Comment of the Day: Penn State & The Pedobear
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Artist of the Week: Future Kings, The Journey Agents
A prophecy, delivered by a Golden Dream Eagle with ruby eyes and fire in its belly: In the near future, funk will rule the world. It will be the governing body and it will drive earth’s natural process and it will be the sole religion and so on. When you’re…
10 More Sh*t People Say Videos and Then We’re Done
We will happily admit that when we were told by 30 of our Facebook friends that we just “had to watch” the Sh*t Girls Say Youtube sensation, we were completely amused. We cannot count the number of times in a week that we start a sentence with, “First of all,…
Fast Times: Burger King BK Chef’s Choice Burger
When it comes to the Burger King BK Chef’s Choice Burger ($5) there’s good news, and there’s bad news. The good news is that it’s exactly what the advertised description promises: 5.5 ounces of burger patty (USDA-certified ground chuck!) seasoned with salt and pepper, American cheese, naturally-smoked thick-cut bacon, fresh…
GET LIT – Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography
In the ’70s and ’80s, during stints with Trapeze, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and solo/duo efforts, Glenn Hughes proved a triple threat musically as a singer, songwriter, and bassist. Plus, he had fucking rock star hair. The problem was, he also did three times the amount of drugs — cocaine…
Fashion Shows: Finding Fashion on the Spring TV Schedule
Project Runway All-Stars isn’t the only fashion-centric show on the spring television schedule, though it’s likely the most anticipated. Favorite contestants from past seasons are returning for an “all-star” season full of beautiful clothes and — more importantly — high drama. Thirteen designers will compete for $100,000 in cash, $100,000…
Brew Blog: Southern Star Le Mort Vivant
We have a grand Christmas tradition in my house, one that’s gone on for as long as we’ve had kids. Every Christmas Eve, after the kids are in bed, my wife and I wrap presents. It’s a tradition forged out of a combination of laziness and pragmatism. Sure, we could…
Galleria Jewelry Store Smash-And-Grab: It Doesn’t Get Much More Brazen Than This (w/VIDEO)
It got pretty brazen at a Galleria jewelry store before the holidays. Authorities have released a video of a smash-and-grab that is just that: Robbers entering the Ben Bridge store at the posh mall about 9 p.m. December 22, bringing down Thor’s hammer on the jewelry cases, and running off…to…
Why Should Houston Want to Experience Another NFL Playoff? Five Painful Memories
Even though their team is coming off three straight losses, Houston is getting amped for the city’s first NFL game since 1993. We have to ask: Why? Haven’t the NFL playoffs caused our city enough emotional trauma through the years? Hey, we’re football fans too, so we know how it…
Sweaty Spandex: The Hottest Fitness Celebrity Babes of All Time
Just in time to make you feel awful about yourself and your soon-to-be-failed New Year’s fitness resolutions comes this collection of the hottest fitness babes of all time. Don’t worry, I’m a dude and even some of these ladies’ abs make me feel like Jabba the Hutt after Thanksgiving dinner…
Christmas Catfight Lands Mom and (Alleged) Meth-Peddling Daughter Behind Bars (w/VIDEO)
A woman charged with meth possession earlier this month is behind bars again after she and her mother were filmed beating a woman they suspected had been working with the police. According to Trinity County Precinct One Constable Woody Wallace, Brandy Liles, 28, and her mother Mary Ann Toms, 49,…
100 Creatives 2012: Magid Salmi
What He Does: Magid Salmi needs a break. The artist has had three shows in the past two months in Houston, which is no small feat. The works all revolve around his “GMO Quarantine” series, a clever, ingenious look at genetically modified foods, which includes photographs of foods mixed with…
The Fall of Sputnik: 6 Songs for a Satellite
On this day in 1958 Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to be put into orbit, fell to Earth after completing 1,440 orbits. The launch of Sputnik was seen as a major blow to the American quest for space superiority, and a significant step forward in the space race by…
Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs
J. C. Reid, Texas: Chicken fried steak is one of Chris’s areas of expertise, which he puts to good use in this Food Fight-style battle between two of the great CFS joints in town: Barbecue Inn and Triple A. I was just happy to see that my favorite won. Chili…
12 Sexy Saxophone-Album Covers: Unsubtle BJs, Even Less Subtle Vagina Allusions (Semi-SFW)
They just don’t make saxophone albums like they used to. Or maybe they do, but nobody buys them. We’re pretty sure, though, that they don’t make saxophone-album covers like they used to. Apparently back in the day there were three main ways to sell the public on your latest collection…
Playoff Fallout: Houston Boat Show Closed Saturday
It hasn’t happened in 56 years, but the Houston Boat Show will be closing one day during its run this year, in order not to create a traffic nightmare at Reliant Park Saturday. As you may have heard, the Texans now have an NFL playoff game scheduled for that afternoon…
Forecasting the NFL Head Coach Guillotine
They call it “Black Monday.” It’s the day after the NFL regular season ends, when any still-employed head coach whose name has been remotely associated with the words “hot” and “seat” tiptoes cautiously into his office and hopes that there’s not a box on his desk to pack his things…
Free Download: “The Sun and Moon” from Cursive’s New Album
Via Rolling Stone, the Saddle Creek princes Cursive have released, for your free listening pleasure, the first single titled “The Sun and Moon” from their forthcoming seventh album I am Gemini out February 21. The concept album is described on the band’s site as “the surreal and powerful musical tale…
Chris Gray Day Tentative Schedule Released
Chris Gray Day will be held in Houston, Texas on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at The Continental Club complex, at 3701 Main, affectionately known to locals that live near and haunt the grounds as “The Island”. Today Rocks Off gets to announce the first round of bands playing that day’s…
I Finally Ate an In-N-Out Burger
When the first locations of California-based burger chain In-N-Out Burger opened in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, emotions ran high. Perhaps too high. One notable woman wept loudly into her fries as she exclaimed, “Pinch me, it doesn’t feel real!” It felt very real to me as I waited in a…
The “Merry Christmas” Bandit Wishes Yuletide Greetings As He Robs You
Employees of a northeast-side gas station probably were feeling a little low about 4 a.m. December 19. First, because they were working at a freaking gas station at 4 a.m. in the morning. Second, because they had just had a pistol waved in their faces by a robber demanding cash…
John Paul Jones’ Six Coolest Led Zeppelin Bass Lines on His 66th Birthday
Growing up listening to rock music and being a bass players wasn’t always a super exciting proposition. Most of the great bassists of all time are jazz musicians. Being a rock bass player means holding down the low end and keeping the groove intact. While this can still be challenging…
Evernote Food: An App That Helps You Record Your Meals
Note-taking smart phone app Evernote is widely considered one of the best productivity apps on the market, particularly if you do a lot of note taking. I ranked it as my number one app of the year and find it indispensable for keeping track of everyday tasks. The company that…
Enter Our Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Prize Package Giveaway
You can win this six-piece Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy prize package, which includes a TTSS T-shirt, a copy of the novel by John Le Carré, a pass for two to any screening of TTSS at any Regal theater location Mondays through Thursdays, a tricked-out TTSS pen and voice recorder, a…
Donald Trump for President: Texas’s Voice Shall Be Heard
The biggest political news of the moment isn’t the Iowa caucuses, because all of us Real Amurricans already know Rick Perry is about to shock all those naysaying know-it-all Beltway elites. The big news came over the holiday weekend: An independent party supporting Donald Trump for President has managed to…
Tuesday January 3, 2012 Deals of the Day
Happy New Year, deal-seekers! If one of your resolutions is to spend less, or maybe just “spend smarter,” this week’s Daily Deal is a great way to start. Today’s VOICE Daily Deal from the Houston Press is good for 50 percent off ($15 for $30) fine Italian fare at Amore…
Distant Early Warning: Kenny Rogers, Ting Tings, Helstar, Styx, Yann Tierson
The Bad Plus: Sat., May 5. Da Camera, 1427 Branard St., Houston. Colin Hay: Wed., March 21. Dosey Doe Coffee Company, 25911 I-45 N., Spring. D.R.I., Carry The Storm, Fallacy: Sat., March 10. Scout Bar Clear Lake, 18307 Egret Bay Blvd., Houston. Eastern Sea, Darwin’s Finches: Sat., Jan. 14. Fitzgerald’s,…
Ask A Rapper: Picking Wu-Tang Tracks With DeVille
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 to ask…
R.I.P. Hank Wiggins, Owner of Hank’s Ice Cream
Long before dessert pioneers like the Eatsie Boys were making sweet corn ice cream out of their colorful food truck, Hank Wiggins was making batches of the stuff — as well as other seasonal favorites — at his namesake ice cream parlor on South Main. Wiggins passed away on Saturday…
2012 Starts Out Deadly on Houston’s Roads
Drive better, Houston. The first two days of 2012 saw four fatal traffic accidents, three of them on or near the Loop. Two occurred in the early morning hours of January 1, meaning they were probably New Year’s Eve-related, but still: That’s way too much dying going on. The deaths…
Gothic Council Trims the DJ’s Set List
Every goth has a song that is a club staple that they simply cannot stand. We don’t know if it’s some type of gothic hipsteritis, or if we just all have that breaking point that a DJ insists on poking until it crumbles, but there it is. Case in point,…
Wine of the Week: Not So Bored-O with the Other Bordeaux
Bordeaux gets a bad rap. Hipster wine bloggers love to dis it (myself included), in part because they can’t afford the good stuff (the classified “growths” as the top-tier wines are called) and in part because most of it now tastes like Californian wine (over-oaked, over-concentrated, highly alcoholic fruit bombs)…
Pedobear Shows Up at Penn State-UH Game
Even if you were watching closely as UH dominated Penn State in the Ticketcity.com Bowl Monday, you might not have noticed one attendee. The notorious Pedobear, an Internet meme embodying child molesters, was not only there, not only carrying a sign with the Penn State symbol saying “Keep Quiet and…
Baller Blockin: 7 Independent Hood Rap Movies
We have the post-holiday blues today. Part of it is because we ate too much bread pudding and drank four bottles of Andre champagne. The other part is because, for yet another Christmas, we didn’t get Baller Blockin in our stocking. By now we thought we’d be curled up in…
Build-A-Bar: Averell Damson Gin Liqueur
A few weeks ago, on one of our now sadly rare evenings at Anvil, I turned to bartender Matt Tanner for some suggestions. I’d been searching for a new tipple for this column, and recent trips to Spec’s hadn’t really turned up much that really jumped out at me. Without…
‘ShadeCloud’ Gets Renewed Lease on Life
Most Christmas decorations will be coming down post-New Year’s, but you can still expect to see at least a few lights shining bright all night long in Houston trees over the coming weeks. Art League Houston in Montrose recently extended “ShadeCloud,” an outdoor installation in its sculpture garden that features…
Carolyn Farb, Jesse Dayton Go Undercover with Kinky Friedman
Over the weekend we learned of at least one high profile 2012 recording project that involves Houston at least peripherally: local arts patron and charity fundraiser Carolyn Farb will be the executive producer of a Jesse Dayton album of Kinky Friedman covers tentatively titled Sold American. Farb was part of…
Quality “Waffles” at Northwest-side Eatery
First off, let’s get something out of the way. There is no evidence that I could find that chicken and waffles originated in New Orleans, or that the town even has a particularly strong claim on the dish. Chicken and waffles is a dish that has soul food roots that…
For Great Art, Head to the Houston Permitting Center — Seriously
Some of the best artworks in Houston right now can’t be found at a gallery or museum, but a government building. When the city decided to turn an old rice warehouse at the end of Washington Avenue into its new Permitting Center, it also set aside money for new art…
Comment of the Day: Enjoy These Texans, Dammit
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Pop Rocks: Is No Celebrity Marriage Sacred?
Sometimes the jokes just write themselves. Russell Brand stands to land $20 million or more from his divorce from wife Katy Perry, reports said Monday. The British actor and comedian told New York magazine last year that he and Perry did not sign a prenuptial agreement. And since the two…
Pop Rocks: Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian — Can the Celebrity Marriage Be Saved?
Sometimes the jokes just write themselves. Russell Brand stands to land $20 million or more from his divorce from wife Katy Perry, reports said Monday. The British actor and comedian told New York magazine last year that he and Perry did not sign a prenuptial agreement. And since the two…
Cougars Dominate Penn State and Run Away with the TicketCity Bowl
The Houston Cougars didn’t just win a football game yesterday. They didn’t just win a bowl game yesterday. The Houston Cougars went out and defeated a ranked team from the almighty Big 10, and they did so in a convincing fashion, downing the Penn State Nittany Lions 30-14. The Cougars…
The 2012 Katy Perry Fantasy Relationship Draft: Which Rappers & Rockers Should She Date Next?
The pop and tabloid world was rocked last Friday as we got word that Russell Brand was divorcing his wife of 14 months, Katy Perry, smack in the middle of the holiday season. The pair spent Christmas apart, with Perry cavorting in Maui in a bikini – yes, there are…
Moonlight and Magnolias in Full Bloom at Theatre Southwest
The setup: During the golden age of Hollywood, there was no movie more golden than Gone with the Wind, steered, coaxed, shoved into greatness by its manic producer David O. Selznick, who had gone independent after a decade of producing sterling pictures at both RKO and MGM (King Kong, A…
Where Are We Drinking?
Our New Year’s resolution was to learn how to bartend like Tom Cruise in Cocktail. What was yours? Leave us alone. We’re still working on it. Just guess the bar in the comments section below…
Texans-Bengals Part 2: Why Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong
In national NFL circles, the apparent lead storyline for this weekend’s Wild Card opener seems to be Cincinnati’s opportunity to atone for their December 11 collapse against the Texans. Upon a closer look back, it’s Houston that has the most to make up for. The clash in Cincinnati wasn’t an…
Bryan Braman Lives Out Metallica’s “Seek & Destroy”
I’ll readily be the first to admit it: I’m pessimistic about the Texans chances of winning in the playoffs this weekend. Besides losing three straight games, T.J. Yates, also known as “The Savior” was hurt against the Titans on Sunday, Gary Kubiak has finally come back down to Earth as…
7 Things from Sunday’s Texans-Titans Game That Made Me Happy
Well, the time for worrying is over. Soon Saturday will be here and the playoffs will be upon us, and as the great Bobby Knight once said, if the entire two-deep winding up in the hospital at some point is inevitable, why not sit back and enjoy it? So I’m…
Brinson’s “Tebowin'” Puts Christianity Under Center
Rocks Off is fascinated by Tim Tebow for the simple fact that he is one of the most divisive figures we have seen in the last decade. He parts the Red Sea of public opinion, like Obama does the U.S. House of Representatives. One doesn’t need to live in Denver…
Mongoose versus Cobra: Midtown’s Craft Beer Bar Set to Open on McGowen
McGowen used to hold a streetcar, Ian Rosenberg told me on a crisp, clear afternoon as we stood on the curb near its intersection with Main Street. In front of us was an ivy-covered building barely noticeable from the street, despite its two-story size and sturdy brick walls. In the…
Friday Night: Hayes Carll, Robert Ellis, and Shovels & Rope At House Of Blues
This Friday night set effectively set the tone for my New Year’s weekend. It was raucous, relaxing, and poignant, shoving us into the new year with a bit of twang and grit – as if I didn’t already carry enough in my DNA. With Hayes Carll closing, Robert Ellis in…
Tunnel Explorer: Zaytona
While my forays into the tunnels occasionally reveal bright spots, signs that, perhaps, someone is trying to make good food underground, I’m still overwhelmed by the sheer mass of careless, pointless dreck foisted on us tunnel dwellers. It’s our own fault, I suppose. Certainly, we could come above ground, brave…
Comment of the Day: Good Band Name
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
My New Year’s Resolution for 2012: Explore the East Side
I have what my friends call a “map fetish.” I even have a degree in cartography. Totally useless, but what a great expenditure of my time in college considering that most degrees are basically useless pieces of paper anyway. My tendency to plot data spatially does lead to some interesting…
Rap Round Table: Which People DO NOT Need To Be Involved In Hip-Hop In 2012?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Each week Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Chingo Bling, Chuckway, Mac, Carolyn Rodriguez, D-Risha Not Invited: 2011. God, we are so over her. This Week’s Prompt: Which person does not…
What’s Cooking This Week?
Happy New Year, everybody! You know that that means; it’s now time to join the gym, vow to stay true to your healthy resolutions, and give up by the time Cupid comes bearing promises of love and boxes full of chocolate-covered everything. You’ll start with one or two strawberries, naturally;…
Altovise Mahone, 27, 2011’s Bayou Body Count No. 199
What appears to be that last entry to 2011’s Bayou Body Count is a 27-year-old woman found dead on the far west side at noon on New Year’s Eve after an apparent robbery. (Note: H+Our numbers differ from HPD’s official murder count because, among other things, we include intoxication manslaughter…
Game On! Go Wild at Rainbow Lodge
Our trip to Rainbow Lodge began with a gift certificate we received as a wedding gift … in 2009. A thoughtful friend from New York did her research and said this seemed like the perfect place for two Alaskan transplants to Houston to go out for dinner. “Imagine a 100-year-old…
Speed Limit: 10 Songs About Fast Driving That Aren’t By Sammy Haggar
On this day in 1974 Richard Nixon signed into law that mandated lowering the speed limit to 55 mph. Now, the reason for this was to make the country preserve gasoline in the middle of an OPEC embargo (which it did), but they also sold the bill to us as…
A Whole New Vibe: Vibe Lounge Houston
Karaoke and sports bars are not uncommon down the long stretch of Bellaire in Chinatown. What is uncommon is one that serves delicious, well-presented, high-quality dishes in an ambiance you wouldn’t expect from the area. After a rather disappointing meal at Wild Cajun, a friend mentioned a new bar, Vibe…
Aggies Defeat Northwestern and Reliant Stadium for a Bowl Game Win
You’ve seen those commercials during late night or during the middle of the day. Those commercials with some “attorney” droning on about your rights and asking if you’ve been exposed to asbestos or some other dangerous substance. Commercials giving you a 1-800 number and urging you to become part of…
January 2: The 5 Least Earthshaking Historical Events This Day, Despite What Wiki Says
Today, January 2 is being celebrated as if it was January 1. But that’s no reason to honor this day, which has seen so many historical events. On the other hand, it seems to us that Wiki had to reach just a little to come up with supposedly earthshaking events…
5 Franchises You Didn’t Know Had Video Game Adaptations
To be clear, turning franchises into video games is a scam to get people to buy them as presents. “Oh, you liked Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Here’s the game they made about it. Happy Christmas.” That sort of thing. For the most part the game designers are on a rushed…
Where Are We Eating?
A plate of ribs and sweet potato fries in a place surrounded on all sides by wine. What could be better? How about the fact that this plate is one of the brunch items — yes, ribs for brunch — served at this Houston favorite. Think you know where we’re…
Titans 23, Texans 22: Let’s Hope It Was Indeed Meaningless
No helmet needed The Texans ended their most successful regular season with a third consecutive loss, effectively doing everything possible to dim NFL Playoff Fever in Houston. The mantra fans kept mumbling to themselves is “meaningless,” which is what everyone was calling this 23-22 loss to the Titans. And obviously…
Happy New Year, Porn-Style, From The Houston Press
It’s a money-shot kinda New Year’s!! Here’s hoping all your wishes come true, and 2012 builds to a big climax…
From All Of Us at Eating Our Words: Happy New Year!
We hope you got your cork popped last night, and that it didn’t resemble the Robert Mapplethorpe-esque, slow-motion mess above. Where did you ring in 2012? Follow Eating Our Words on Facebook and on Twitter @EatingOurWords…
Happy New Year to You
It’s Happy New Year time. A wide range of hope (Will this headache ever quit? Can we have world peace?) abounds. You’ve partied, you’ve spent, you’re full of good ideas for a better 2012. We’ve been busy, you’ve been busy. Now, with our best wishes, before you charge forward –…
Cougars and Lions and Cats and Aggies: Oh My, It’s Time for a Little Bowl Action
There’s probably nobody happier to see this college football season come to an end than the players for the Penn State Nittany Lions (9-3), unless, of course, it’s the players for the Texas A&M Aggies (6-6). Then again, with the way their hopes and dreams came crashing down to the…
The 25 Best Rap Albums from Houston’s Glorious 2011
Counting down the 25 best local rap albums of ANY year is less than easy. Counting them down for this year, the most energetic, frenzied year for Houston rap since 2005, it is more than impossible. Rather: WAS more than impossible. After countless at-length conversations with those that know better,…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where the good Christmas cookies have all been eaten out of the assortment, and the remaining raisin-y duds are used as shuriken to scare squirrels away from the bird feeder. 2011 has frankly been for shit, and we’re primed…
Upcoming Events: Butchering on the Brazos
Still not sure what you’re doing tomorrow night? We’ve got you taken care of. New Year’s Eve dining options New Year’s Eve open-to-the-public-for-a-price parties New Year’s Eve events that don’t necessarily involve Champagne but look cool anyway And what’s that? You need a place to get a good hangover brunch…
Rocks Off Resolutions: How We Hope to Improve in 2012
It seems like every year around this time, we start with the, “God, I need to lose weight” or “stop smoking” or “exercise more” or “stop murdering babies.” It never seems to work and by March, we are back to our old, fat, smokey, lazy, baby murdering ways. It’s a…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Chris Leung of Restaurant conāt, Tasting His Desserts
The last two days, we’ve been chatting with pastry chef Chris Leung, one of the partners in the soon-to-be-open Restaurant conāt, about how he got into the pastry world, where he honed his technique, and how he comes up with a new dessert. Today, we’ll taste some his creations, which…
Zen: The Week in Photos
It’s time again to check out the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. We love street art, unique perspectives and beautiful photos of Houston’s creative community. If you think you’ve got a good eye, drop your pictures in the pool…
Texans, Pats & Tebow: This Weekend’s Best Bets, NFL Edition
Witness the go-to move for a blog contributor who is technically on vacation but still likes to keep his commitment of five posts a week to his freelance employer because he loves them and loves money. Not one, but TWO posts worth of football predictions! Today, you get my NFL…
Openings & Closings 2011: The Fast & Furious Year In Review
This post is not a grand proclamation on the state of Houston’s dining scene, nor is it an homage to the now-closed restaurants we’ll miss the most. It’s also not a post on the best new restaurants of 2011, nor the biggest disappointments of the year — we’ve done all…
DEFCON Dining: The Queen Vic Pub and Kitchen
I despise valet parking. That’s not even hyperbole. I’ve parked six blocks away from a restaurant and walked, rather than valet parking. Perhaps it’s silly. Perhaps it’s merely shame at the growing detritus of 14 combined years’ worth of kids piled in my backseat. Regardless, it’s one of the reasons…
TPWD Raises $335,000 In Three Weeks, But…
It’s been about three weeks since the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department put out a frantic call for donations to make up for a $4.6 million budget shortfall caused by the drought. How are they doing? At first glance, it seems okay — $335,000 has been raised, TPWD says. But…
Wine Time: Know Your Champagne from your Chamat
Antonomasia is the figure of rhetoric whereby a proper name becomes a common name. In the U.S., we say Xerox for photocopy. Kleenex for tissue paper. FedEx for courier (as in I FedExed a package). And here in Texas, we say Coke for nearly any kind of sparkling soft drink…
Reality Bites: Ghost Adventures
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch all of them, one at a time. The Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures, which I can only assume draws a somewhat smaller audience than No Reservations, begins with what is supposed to be convincing first-hand testimony from…
Your Houston City Limits Music Preview For 2012
For the past few weeks I have been asking local acts to tell us about their 2012 plans, be it touring, recording, breaking up, or just gigging around town. You would have thought more rappers would have chimed in sense they are veritable promotion machines, but I didn’t get much…
Bartender Chat: Matt Bradshaw of El Gran Malo
We stopped into El Gran Malo this week because nothing quite warms your chilled bones like a few shots of crushed black pepper, sea salt, cayenne and toasted Texas pecan-infused tequila. We sampled some of the bar’s newest infusions, snacked on bacon-wrapped jalapenos that were so spicy my ears hurt,…
Week in Photos: Masked
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. We’re looking for pictures that represent the best of Houston, from food to art to events, to secret hidden spots of beauty. Just drop them in our Flickr…
Art Car Museum’s Latest Show a Mixed Bag
The Art Car Museum’s group exhibition model sounds like a recipe for disaster — put out an open call for works, and take the first 125 that you get. Oh, and give them a one-word theme. But that’s the case with “Reconstruction,” the annual open call show running now at…
Famous People’s New Year’s Resolutions (We Think)
Every year around this time, we go into New Year’s Resolutions Mode, where we vow to lose that beer-belly, read more books and hook up with at least one Kardashian. But Hair Balls is just regular folk, and no one’s really interested in regular folk, which is why we’re presenting…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Ice Creams
For the next 20 weeks, we’ll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year’s winner is no easy task. We’ll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants. But…
How NOT to Raise Money to Make a Music Video
Friends and enemies, music videos are an enduring passion of ours, both filming them ourselves and reporting on the best that we come across year after year. We think the medium has only become better and better with technology being made easier and cheaper for the average independent artist to…
The 10 Most Popular Art Attack Posts of 2011
Looking back at the most popular posts this year on Art Attack is almost like looking back at the memes and pop culture memories that shaped 2011. A cultural zeitgeist, if you will. We’ll always remember the time we found out Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t the good guy action hero we…
Rape, Scandal, Greed and Cockfighting — The 2011 Sports Year In Review
You know how, in the series 24, the way a season unfolds? How just when you think there has been some sort of resolution to the bad guys being bottled up, right then and there a new (often worse) layer is introduced, and ultimately in like Hour 22 Jack Bauer…
Cop Shoots Man During Denny’s Altercation
An off-duty cop eating at Denny’s shot a man who threatened him with a knife during an altercation, Houston police say. Officer J.C. Lopez, a six-year veteran, was with a group of family and friends when another group, including Clemente Vela, 32, got into an altercation with them, HPD says…
Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count No. 198
A man who tried to escape from a home invasion by jumping out a second-story window died early this morning, Houston police say. The man, whose name and age have not been released, was killed in the 8700 block of Broadway about 2:45 this morning, HPD says. The victim came…
He’s Alive! Top 9 Musician Death Hoaxes of 2011
It seems like 2011 was the year of the celebrity death hoax which involved many musicians. We use that term loosely for the sake of this blog. Death is never a joking matter but you can’t help but chuckle at the thousands of folk who got punked over fake death…
The 20 Best Arts Photos for 2011, Fangirls to Festivals
Houstonians got out and about to all sorts of cultural events this past year. So we’ve drawn up a best-of-the-best slideshow that shows where you were and what you were wearing while you mingled with the madding crowds…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Chris Leung of Restaurant conāt, On Honing His Technique
Yesterday, we chatted with pastry chef wunderkind Chris Leung of the upcoming Restaurant conāt about his background and how he got started in the dessert world. Today, we’re getting to get the meat and potatoes of how he became a pastry chef extraordinaire in the four short years since he…
Free for All: Art Without a Price Tag
Friday’s your last day to see the “Saddest Love Story Almost Never Told: Based on a True Idea” exhibit by Sketchy Neighbors, a free-wheeling artists collective. The group is known for its unorthodox approach. Members pull ideas for materials and concepts literally out of a hat. One idea for “Love…
Your Bus & Rail Is Free on New Year’s Eve
If your New Year’s Eve plans include drinking past the point where it’d be wise to get behind the wheel, Metro’s got your back. All buses and light rail are free from 6 p.m. New Year’s Eve until 6 a.m. New Year’s Day, the agency announced. Metro says it “wants…
Keep On Truckin’: Ladybird
Earlier this week, Sarah Rufca’s article at CultureMap inspired me to get out and try several of the new food trucks that have hit the streets lately. I’m already currently obsessed with The Rice Box — and that’s having only eaten there twice — so I headed out yesterday to…
First Look at the Band Lineup for Chris Gray Day January 14
Chris Gray Day will be held in Houston, Texas on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at The Continental Club complex, at 3701 Main, affectionately known to locals that live near and haunt the grounds as “The Island”. Today Rocks Off gets to announce the first round of bands playing that day’s…
Ingredient of the Week: Quoc Viet Chicken Pho Soup Base
Now that the season of big holiday dinners is mostly over, it’s time to put away those casserole dishes and serving platters, and unearth that stockpot and those gigantic soup bowls. It’s time to push the classic American meals to the back of the fridge and change things up a…
White and Nerdy: Explaining SOPA vs GoDaddy for the Tech-Challenged
When trying to explain the debate over the Stop Online Piracy Act and the involvement of domain name registrar GoDaddy in a staff meeting this week, my words were met with collective blank stares, as if I were speaking a different language. It is a look I often get from…
Last Night: Robert Earl Keen At House Of Blues
Robert Earl Keen House of Blues December 28, 2011 It sucks when your college roommate is more successful than you. Heaven knows Rocks Off was pleased as punch to hear ours had ended up blowing merchant marines for salvia in Vladivostok (just kidding, Doug!), but Robert Earl Keen’s old front…
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Champagne
If you’re anything like me, you don’t know how to make graceful small talk at parties without resorting to an awkward recitation of facts within your narrow range of interest: Ethiopian food, maps, the history of the Gulf Oil building… New Year’s Eve parties aren’t any better or worse than…
New Year’s Resolutions Via E Cards: Popular & Stupid & Why You Won’t Keep Them Through 2012
Here we sit just a few days away from January 1, 2012 — at the dawn of a new year, which could very well be the last year of Earth ever if you believe the Internet. For most people, a new year means just more hassles, like learning to write…
Voice Daily Deal at the Wortham Center Oversold, Refunds Available
Ever seen that commercial where a group of eager twentysomethings stand around a computer as the first orders for their new company come in? At first there’s just a few sporadic clicks and they look worried. Then the pace picks up and there’s smiles all round. Finally there’s a rat-a-tat…
Wortham Center VOICE Daily Deal Oversold, Refunds at the Ready
Yesterday, we offered discounted tickets to the Wortham Center’s Art Celebration New Year’s Eve Affair through our VOICE Daily Deal. Ever seen that commercial where a group of eager 20-somethings stand around a computer as the first orders for their new company come in? At first there’s just a few…
On the Rocks: Cocktails Named After Musicians for New Year’s Eve
Everything is more exciting, sometimes even redeeming, when it has a cool name: Sexual acts, alcoholic beverages, movies, albums, etc. OK, maybe just sexual acts and drinks. Since there are thousands of sites that have the former covered, Rocks Off decided to do some New Years cocktail taxonomy. We put…
What’s The New News? Challenges Media’s Third Ward Assumptions
Nathaniel Donnett has created his own newspaper. That’s right: Donnett has taken on the media. He has created a free, faux periodical, joined with seven separately decorated newspaper racks placed strategically throughout the Third Ward area, that combine for a street art/art installation/print media/social commentary fusion entitled “What’s The New…
Health Department Roundup
Health inspectors must be feeling the season — last week saw only one citation issued and one temporary closure. Will this lead to an increase in tickets issued for noise violations/DWI/speeding/expired inspection? Confirmation bias says: Most definitely. The unlucky (or irresponsible) recipient of the temporary closure was the Shell at…
Comment of the Day: Mugshot Intimidation
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Van Halen, the New Walter’s and Radiohead: Things We’re Looking Forward to in 2012
There was a lot to be thankful for in 2011 in the world of music, but, in some ways, it was also a pretty tough year. We lost some great people and almost lost one of our own. It’s a crazy, topsy turvy world out there and, as usual, we…
New Year’s Eve Outfits: Shiny, Sparkly Finds
New Year’s Eve is always shiny and sparkly — blame the free-flowing Champagne, Times Square Ball or the fact that it’s the biggest nightlife event of the year and you need to look the part. This year’s no exception, and if you’re looking to add an eye-catching accessory to your…
Return to Backstreet Café
A few years ago, I tried being vegan. Then, I swapped to a vegetarian diet, and finally, pescetarian. I found it extremely educational. (For example, I learned that I don’t want to live the rest of my life without cheeseburgers.) It also sent me on a quest to find restaurants…
Artist of the Week: Best of 2011 Edition
An appointment into the Houston Press Artist of the Week fraternity is perhaps the greatest achievement any musician can attain in his or her career. Here’s a stat that will reflect exactly how amazing an accomplishment it is: No person and/or band that has ever been appointed Artist of the…
Best Comics in December: KISS, Sex with Crystals, and Godzilla Bin Laden
Once a month the amazing staff at 8th Dimension Comics selects a pile of the best new releases for us to peruse and judge. This month we’re going to abstain from our regular series in an attempt to give some other books space and also so this doesn’t become a…
Fast Times: KFC Mashed Potato Bowl
I am currently obsessed with comedian Patton Oswalt, and I’m dying to see the movie Young Adult with Charlize Theron, just because he is in it. I have been watching a lot of clips of Oswalt’s comedy on YouTube and I recently stumbled upon his KFC Famous Mashed Potato Bowl…
Football! This Weekend’s Best Bets, College Bowl Special: UH, UCLA & an Aggies Loss
In the second part of my ongoing series “Sean phones it in on the Hair Balls blog during his vacation week,” here are six picks I really like for the upcoming week of huge (and not so huge) bowl games. Have I mentioned that I’m 56-38-1 this year? That’s SIXTY…
The Top 5 Video Game Hitlers (sNSFW)
Okay, weird confession time. We have this…thing about Hitler. We fully recognize that he is singlehandedly responsible for some of the gravest atrocities of the last century, and that his very image is enough to strike fear into the hearts of men and women everywhere. We get that, and we…
Pop Rocks: And What Rough [Gump], Its Hour Come ‘Round At Last…
Yesterday the Library of Congress announced the 25 films selected by the U.S. National Film Preservation Board for inclusion in the National Film Registry. One of which, judging by online reaction, was a bit of a surprise: The Oscar-winning “Forrest Gump,” Walt Disney’s 1942 classic animated film “Bambi,” Charlie Chaplin’s…
Pop Rocks: And I Beheld a Pale Horse, and His Name That Sat Upon Him Was Gump
Yesterday the Library of Congress announced the 25 films selected by the U.S. National Film Preservation Board for inclusion in the National Film Registry. One of which, judging by online reaction, was a bit of a surprise: The Oscar-winning “Forrest Gump,” Walt Disney’s 1942 classic animated film “Bambi,” Charlie Chaplin’s…
Yet Another List of Funny (Accused) Criminal Names: Hello, Mega Matahari!
Every so often we furnish you with a list of some of the strangest, funniest and most awesome names we find in our daily trollings of Harris County records. Usually, we do this roughly once a quarter, but this month has been fertile, so much so that we are now…
“Spirit Artist” Rocky Fields Convinced That Angels Help Him to Paint
The placard next to a Rocky Fields painting always says “Rocky Fields,” but that’s not exactly the entire truth. In 2007, the Houston-based artist began an insane stint of 30 months in and out of the hospital and physical rehabilitation sites from complications related to a back operation. After 20…
30 Seconds With Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra
Having seen Better Than Ezra live, we can tell you that no band in all of America is enjoying their career more. Seriously, they are like the happiest people on the planet. We sat down with Kevin Griffin, who we will always love for singing “The Killer Inside” to see…
Invasive Black Tiger Shrimp On the Rise in the Gulf of Mexico
Black tiger shrimp are monsters, the kind of creatures that make you think that maybe “jumbo shrimp” isn’t such an oxymoron after all. The distinctive black-and-orange-striped shrimp can grow to more than a foot in length and over a pound in weight. And according to the Galveston Daily News, they’re…
Angry Birds, Shazam & Evernote: My 10 Favorite Apps of 2011
I buy a lot of apps for my iPhone; too many, really. Some are just to review. Others are for actual use, some even every day. But, truth is, there are more on my phone than I can reasonably be expected to use on a regular basis, but I like…
New Year’s Eve Party at Sugar Land Town Square
There will be a free New Year’s Eve party in Sugar Land Town Square this year, with a children’s celebration from 7 to 9 p.m. which will be followed by a more adult celebration from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Entertainment will include Giant carnival puppets, roaming street performers, dueling…
Music Box Theater New Year’s Eve Party
Looking for the perfect combination of intimate gathering and classy soirée to ring in 2012? Trust the entertaining cast of the Music Box Theater New Year’s Eve Party show for an enjoyable evening without the black-tie hoopla. The five-piece cabaret troupe’s NYE revue includes highlights from their previous 2011 productions…
New Year’s Eve at San Luis Resort: A Roman Holiday
An evening at the San Luis Resort will include a four-course dinner, access to a premium bar, live music by the band Password, party hats and favors, a champagne toast, and a balloon drop. The event itself is $190 per person, but packages including resort stays (priced at $645 and…
Tila’s Mowtown New Year’s Eve
Mix up great Mowtown music and delicious Mexican food. Enjoy a three-course dinner, live music, party favors, champagne toast and lots more in a romantic atmosphere at Tila’s. Sat., Dec. 31, 2011…
New Year’s Eve Dinner at Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino
Enjoy a four-course dinner on New Year’s Eve prepared by Lynette Hawkins, owner and executive chef of Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino. Appetizer, first and second course and dessert for just $45 per person. Reservations strongly encouraged. For information, call713-522-1934 or visit giacomosciboevino.com. Sat., Dec. 31, 5-10 p.m., 2011…
Houston Symphony on New Year’s Eve
Conductor Brett Mitchell leads the Houston Symphony in an exciting program to ring in the new year. Expect a big, big celebration with Mitchell and his friends. Sat., Dec. 31, 2011…
Ars Lyrica: Bach and Time
Explore eternity with Ars Lyrica during Bach and Time, an all-Bach concert followed by the group’s New Year’s Eve Gala. Soprano Melissa Givens, countertenor Ryland Angel and tenor Zach Averyt join the orchestra in a program that includes “Orchestral” Suite No. 3 in D Major, Christmas Oratorio, Pt. 5 and…
New Year’s Eve Noon Bash
Kid’s can say good-bye to 2011 with a parade led by the High Steppers New Orleans Style Brass Band, a giant balloon drop, and hands on activities at the Children’s Museum of Houston’s New Year’s Noon Bash. Sat., Dec. 31, 2011…
4th Annual New Year’s Eve Ball
Insomniac and NightCulture.com will be having their 4th Annual New Year’s Eve Ball at Stereo Live. It will feature Richard Vission and Christopher Lawrence in live musical performances, a midnight countdown complete with free champagne toast, seven full-service bars, more than 10 different artists and DJs, and party favors. The…
Tami Hoag
Suspense novelist Tami Hoag took the plot for her latest book, Down the Darkest Road, directly from the headlines. Down the Darkest Road takes a look at what happens to a family after a child is murdered. As the book begins, Lauren Lawton lost her 16-year-old daughter four years ago…
Disney: The Best Live Tour Ever
Some people say that cartoons have gone downhill since the golden days of Disney’s Mickey Mouse and friends. But we point to Phineas and Ferb as proof that it just isn’t so. Now Phineas and Ferb are going to appear live onstage in the Best Live Tour Ever, singing their…
Quintron & Miss Pussycat
Quintron & Miss Pussycat is what would happen if you put Devo, the Legendary Pink Dots and They Might Be Giants in some kind of cloning experiment that was allowed to inbreed for a couple of centuries. Formed by a modern-day Laurens Hammond and a Christian Puppet Minister (yes, this…
New Year’s Eve Live
Taking the place of Downtown Houston’s annual Gloworama celebration is the newly named New Year’s Eve Live. Like its predecessor, it will feature live music, a parade, and a 3-D light show. The free event will take place from 7 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. in and around Discovery Green and…
A Very Good Year
In 2011, Houston rap officially began its trek back toward national acclaim. So with the end of the year here, really, we have a question. What are you, Rapper, expecting in 2012, both for yourself and for Houston? We put this question to a wide range of the city’s talent…
The World’s Shittiest Superhero
I’ve been writing this column for four years now. That’s more than 150 stories on Houston nightlife. It’s pretty much an excellent job to have. And it’s a cool thing to tell people. “You know the Nightfly column in the Houston Press? I write that. That’s me. I’m the Nightfly.”…
CVS: No Birth Control
SPACED CITY CVS: No Birth Control Won’t sell morning-after pill to man By Richard Connelly If you keep a Plan B morning-after pill around for emergencies, sometimes it’s going to get used, which means you’re going to have to go get a new one, right? And if you’re a chivalrous…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Ballast/Break,” “A Brave New World,” “New Formations: Czech Avant-Garde Art and Modern Glass from the Roy and Mary Cullen Collection,” “Soundforge,” “Toni LaSelle: Climate of the Heart: Paintings from the 1950’s”
“Ballast/Break” I’m not so jazzed about the 2D works in Alexis Granwell and Carrie Scanga’s “Ballast/Break” in Lawndale Art Center’s project space, but there is some pretty nice 3D stuff going on. There’s nothing wrong with Granwell’s large drypoint and monotype prints, images that look like architectural sketches for yurts…
Capsule Stage Reviews: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Cinderella, Fruitcakes, The Santaland Diaries
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever A substitute pageant director has (gasp!) to cast six unruly children to tell the story of The Manger. The Herdsman family is financially challenged, and its six children are boisterous and rebellious and a great deal of fun, even if they have never read the…
SPECIAL BEST-OF EDITION
Dear Mexican, Thirteen years old, and I’m jacking off, not knowing I left the bathroom door ajar. Just as I blasted onto the shower curtain, my mom walked in. Aghast, she shouted, “¡Cochino, te vas hacer siego y se te va enchocar el pito!” (“You pig! You’re going to go…
Cody Canada and The Departed
Some people in the Red Dirt Music world are still kicking and moaning about the break-up of Cross Canadian Ragweed, but that milk’s been spilt. CCR front man Cody Canada’s new outfit, The Departed, which finds him able to step out of the spotlight and let Seth James shoulder part…
Fitzgerald’s New Year’s Weekend
Celebrate the coming pain of 2012 — possibly the planet’s last year of existence — this weekend at Fitzgerald’s, which is throwing a two-day party to ring in the New Year over Saturday and Sunday nights. As Fitz says on its Web site, it’s all a “distraction from the impending…
Allen Oldies Band
What better way to kick in the New Year than an evening of dancing to a Houston institution, the Allen Oldies Band. Lifelong Houstonian Allen Hill and his gang do ’em right, reaching back to the early days of rock and roll to breathe new life into the monster hits…
Young Jeezy
Despite the success of Young Jeezy’s 2008 LP (The Recession, platinum), it seemed like his latest album, Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition, was doomed to wander the ether. It was dangled in front of noses for two years, missing release dates and just generally existing in a state of chaos…
Ta-ta, 2011
The New Year is coming around the corner once again, and according to the timekeepers of an ancient civilization, this one will surely be our last. So, in light of your imminent demise, why not give 2011 a proper send-off with some food, a little music, and a glass or…
Hayes Carll
If it seems Hayes Carll has been gigging in the Houston area almost every other month during 2011, then we agree, and damn sure aren’t complaining. This has been a great year for Woodlands native Carll, with the release of his heavily adored KMAG YOYO, which not only made it…
Quintron & Miss Pussycat
Quintron & Miss Pussycat is what would happen if you put Devo, the Legendary Pink Dots and They Might Be Giants in some kind of cloning experiment that was allowed to inbreed for a couple of centuries. Formed by a modern-day Laurens Hammond and a Christian Puppet Minister (yes, this…
The 2011 Houston Press Crimes of the Year
Check out the mugshots from the Top Crimes of the Year, re-imagined as trading cards. Collect them all! With the Mayan Apocalypse just around the corner, perhaps it should come as no surprise that people are going a little nuts. And perhaps that’s why 2011 was such a banner year…
All About Schmit
Take a trip through Philippe’s elegantly-appointed dining room and busy kitchen for yourself. There’s something wondrous about watching the cork slip softly from a 15-year-old bottle of Burgundy: For a moment, it’s like watching time travel in reverse, as the stopper is loosed from the position it’s held for more…
Towering Townes
In the 15 years since his death on New Year’s Day in 1997, the now truly late and always great Townes Van Zandt is as extensively documented as any Texas musician has ever been. There’s been a documentary film — Be Here to Love Me — and two biographies: John…
Lost in Space
Horror vacui — “fear of space” — rules the day in “Seeing Stars: Visionary Drawing from the Collection” at The Menil Collection, with practically every millimeter of space covered in a number of amazingly obsessive works. Visionary artists, also referred to as “intuitive,” “outsider” or “naive,” are generally people without…
