My Organic Garden Overfloweth
It’s been 103 days since I planted the first seeds in my organic garden. I don’t mean to brag or anything, but there is so damn much lettuce now that it’s covering up those pathetic little tomatoes I planted February 18. The “red salad bowl” lettuce got so big it…
Fondled Women Sue Judge And Brazoria County Over Their Harassment
Thought you’d heard the last of James Blackstock, the former Brazoria County judge who resigned two years ago after admitting he repeatedly fondled numerous female county employees?Well, think again. Thanks to a lawsuit filed Monday in Houston federal court by two of the women, Blackstock is back. But the lawsuit…
Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Spicy RV: How did we miss out on this sweet-ass gig? Some…
A Renaissance Fair That Doth Keepeth The Bawdiness Within Limits
Is the world ready for a not-too-bawdy version of the Texas Renaissance Festival? That’s what a couple of Houston guys are finding out.George Appling and Eric Todd have sunk $1.7 million into buying 105 acres and and putting up permanent buildings off 290 about 35 miles east of Austin. Vendors…
Cutout Bin: The Rev. Mr. Goodwill Fairley’s Musical Guide To Race Relations
Rev. Mr. Goodwill Fairley Pull Up a Chair and Listen Meet Rev. Mr. Goodwill Fairly. With a name like that, you just know he has something to say. And, by God, you’re going to listen. Pull up a chair. Don’t worry, he’ll get one for you. Wait a sec as…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #88 Trentino Gelato’s Dulce de Leche at Shisha on Westheimer
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Guitar Zero: Taylor Swift? Really?
I don’t want this thing to become a weekly screed about the younger folk and how they need to remove themselves from my front property, but every lesson has now become a regular reminder about the relative age gap between me and not just most of the other students (one…
Game Time: Astros’ Quest For More Than 77.5 Wins Begins
It’s only March 3. Hunter Pence hasn’t swung at a meaningful slider in the dirt yet, Felipe Paulino hasn’t given up nine earned runs in four innings yet, Carlos Lee has yet to get winded walking to first base on a double-play grounder. In other words, we’re still in the…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Shuna Fish Lydon
On our recent visit to New York City, we got to interview 10 Downing’s Shuna Fish Lydon – twice. After that, we felt it mandatory to at least try her desserts at 10 Downing (Downing & 6th) before heading back home to Houston. 10 Downing was less expensive than we…
If Your “Behavior Consultant” Is Running A Million-Dollar Medicaid Scam, Should You Trust His Advice?
Edward Birts, 51, was the man behind Courage to Change, a NASA-area counseling practice that offered group therapy and other psychiatric services. So we’re guessing he offered clients plenty of advice on how to behave ethically and morally in an often confusing world.They may start thinking twice about the source…
Will The Flaming Lips Do Dark Side On The Bayou At Summerfest?
Yesterday Pitchfork (yeah, we know…) updated the interwebs with the newest details on the ongoing Flaming Lips’ tour to support last year’s Embryonic release and the band’s full-length cover of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. We already know that Wayne Coyne and the boys will be setting up…
Cowboy Tales From The Rodeo: Yep, This One’s Named “Dusty”
Rodeo cowboys basically live on the road, traveling with men and women crazy enough to ride, rope and wrestle live animals for a paycheck. Each day, Hair Balls is asking a different cowboy to tell us a little bit about himself and his wildest story from a life of rodeo…
How Not to Milk a Goat
The third annual Celebrity Dairy Milking took place in an oddly sweet-smelling arena at the rear of Reliant Center yesterday afternoon, as a lineup of bored-looking goats patiently allowed Houston’s boldest media personalities to awkwardly yank on their teats for half an hour. I learned a lot in the course…
Gary Ross, The Teflon Man Of River Oaks
Some guys seem to have all the luck. The average guy who Child Protective Services accuses of beating his stepdaughter might find himself behind bars, but not the subject of this week’s cover story.During a CPS investigation in Sugar Land, Gary Ross lit out for the Virgin Islands. He lived the…
Artist Of The Week: Wall With One Side’s Alpha-Centaurian… Oh Hell, Just Read It
Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group “Artist of the Week,” bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn’t awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. We’re certain that a bunch of people are…
Victory! For The Democrat Who Wants Obama Impeached
We told you recently about the newest entry into the Hall of Weirdness that is Sugar Land’s 22nd Congressional District: Kesha Rogers, a Lyndon LaRouche follower who was running in the Democratic primary by calling for the impeachment of President Obama.She won. Easily.Rogers took 52 percent of the 14,300 or…
Red Spuds in Bacon Grease
John Thorne, the author of Outlaw Cook and the Simple Cooking newsletter inspired me to take simple home fries seriously. If I recall correctly, Thorne’s recipe for home fries in Outlaw Cook took an hour to prepare. You put parboiled potato slices in a cast iron skillet with the barest…
Rocks Off’s Rodeo Concert Guide: Dierks Bentley
Date: March 3 Name: Dierks Bentley AKA: “Come On, That’s Not Really His Name, Is It?” Genre: Hair country Best Known Song(s): “What Was I Thinkin’,” “Every Mile a Memory,” “Loréal: You’re Worth It” Key Demographic: Romance-novel enthusiasts, guys who buy Harleys to overcome the burden of names less manly-sounding…
Continental Airlines To Tall People: Pay Up For Comfort
Houston’s Continental Airlines, all but admitting that its coach seats are torture for any human being taller than Tom Cruise, has decided to do something about it.They’ve decided to charge people for the right not to have their knees in their face for a three-hour flight to New York or…
Wine 101 with Bear Dalton
Forty different wines, fresh French bread, and decadent cheeses – no, this is not heaven. This is Wine 101 with Bear Dalton. In January, we took a wine course with legendary Spec’s fine wine buyer Charles M. Bear Dalton. The weekly two-hour course, which usually ran over, was held Tuesdays…
That Big Bang Of A Dog-Fighting Bust Turns Into A Weak Whimper In The Courtroom
The majority of Harris County dog fighters charged after a massive 2008 undercover investigation were given deferred adjudication, served as little as two days in jail, had their charges dropped, or were never arrested.Nearly 200 dogs were seized in the 17-month, three-county, multi-agency operation, but court records filed in Harris County show that…
Public Access: Five of YouTube’s Craziest Musicians
Remember the days before the Internet? We only vaguely do, yet we have to wonder how certain fringes of our society found happiness. If your thing was to dress up as an anime character and have sex-ish relations with other anime characters, where did you go? Did you place want…
Suneeta Vaswani Talks Indian Cooking
Local cookbook author and culinary expert Suneeta Vaswani gave a verbal tour of Indian gastronomy last week at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, a talk that included a few ideas to try at home. Vaswani, a Mumbai native, past president of the Houston Culinary Guild and the author of…
I Wanna Be Your Dog (Or Cat): If Elected…….
Did y’all vote Tuesday? Hair Balls did — twice! We take elections very seriously, especially when they involve such a colorful cast of characters. Our only disappointment is that animals can’t vote, and they can’t run for public office.Truly, there has been more than one occasion over the past few…
Aftermath: Old Reliable, Alan Jackson Makes Reliant Stadium His Backyard
Tuesday night wasn’t Alan Jackson’s first Rodeo. It was actually his astounding 18th appearance on the trademark revolving stage at the annual carnival of steers, beers and… barbecue off Kirby. As his rodeo career officially turned legal, the man turned in a solidly in-the-pocket performance and managed to remind us…
What’s Up, Cupcake?
Need a sugar fix? If you happen to be in the vicinity of the newly licensed What’s Up Cupcake in the Heights, stop on by for a treat. From the looks of the silver 1954 Airstream trailer — which is the very antithesis of aerodynamic — you half expect Mork…
American Idol: It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World
Word broke Tuesday afternoon that this week’s American Idol contest eps would be flipped, with the guys going first and then the girls following on Wednesday. The reversal of the standard girls-first set-up happened because Crystal Bowersox — the blond, bluesy, Carole Kingish girl who plays guitar and harmonica and…
Idol Beat: It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World
Word broke Tuesday afternoon that this week’s American Idol contest eps would be flipped, with the guys going first and then the girls following on Wednesday. The reversal of the standard girls-first set-up happened because Crystal Bowersox — the blond, bluesy, Carole Kingish girl who plays guitar and harmonica and…
Stirred and Shaken: RocBar’s Stephanie’s Panties
The full blame/credit for the name of this week’s cocktail goes to Stephanie, one of the sparingly dressed rock-and-roll-themed female bartenders at RöcBar (530 Texas, 713-236-1100). She calls her signature drink Stephanie’s Panties, because, as she put it, “It’s not the best thing in the world, but it’s close to…
This May Be Your Only Chance To See Good Baseball At Minute Maid This Year
The good news is that good baseball will be played inside of Minute Maid Park this season. The bad news is that this good baseball will not involve any games played by the Houston Astros.And if you’re interested in that good baseball, then you better hit Minute Maid Park this…
Talking About Flooding, And Councilmember Noriega’s Silver-Polishing Ordeal
Bob Schwartz, the president of the Brays Bayou Association, suggested Tuesday to the city’s Committee on Flooding and Drainage that it should consider condemning and acquiring property along the bayou, using the land as a flood detention area.”If there’s a deteriorating apartment that no one’s interested in, you could acquire…
Thank Buddha, Or God, Or Xenu: We Don’t Have To Endure Another Month Of Perry Vs. Kay
The least surprising primary night in a long time has….lived up to its non-surprisedness.Rick Perry, the longest-serving governor in the state’s history, succeeded in painting someone else as an incumbent.And let’s just say Perry has staked out his claim to the 2012 GOP presidential nomination — his acceptance speech was…
Texas Touriga Port
Touriga Nacional is a weird, difficult-to-grow grape that is used to make port in Portugal. For reasons that defy logic, Paul Buist planted Touriga in his Robert Clay Vineyard in rural Mason County some time ago. A tiny winery that gets good press from wine guru Robert Parker called Sandstone…
Former Baylor Football Coach: Stealing Newspapers Is “Best Team-Building Exercise We Have Ever Done”
Baylor football fans don’t exactly get teary-eyed while reminiscing about the Guy Morriss era; in five seasons ending in 2007 he “led” the Bears to an 18-40 record. Even by Baylor football standards, that’s nothing to write home about.Morriss was replaced by former UH coach Art Briles, and has since…
Chef Chat Part 2: Shuna Fish Lydon
Yesterday we left off our interview with New York Chef Shuna Fish Lydon’s views on eating thoughtfully. Today we reveal more about her culinary world. Eating Our Words: Have you had any recent discoveries in flavor and textures? Shuna Fish Lydon: When I was in London, I had to rethink…
The Shameless Chef: Emergency Donuts
Ever really, really, really need some donuts, but can’t get at any? Maybe your favorite local bakery already ran out for the day. Maybe it’s Christmas and nobody’s open. Maybe it’s the zombie apocalypse and you’re too busy fending off the undead to look on the Internet for a non-zombified…
Songs All Self-Respecting Texans Should Have On Their iPods
Skip to about 1:30 for the song, but Lyle’s intro is pretty funny too. Happy Texas Independence Day, y’all. Have you voted? Good. Now relax. It’s time to have some fun. The other day, the Sir Douglas Quintet’s “Westside Blues Again” came on Rocks Off’s iPod and, in the course…
There Is No Reason To Panic Just Because Wild Bobcats Are Roaming Downtown Houston
Authorities have corralled a bobcat from a parking garage on Rusk.Not Bobcat Goldthwait. Not one of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats. A bobcat, as in the four-legged predator who is a known meat-eater. Fierce hunters, bobcats can kill prey much bigger than themselves, but usually eat rabbits, birds, mice, squirrels, and…
Bobby Heugel’s Weekly Cocktail – The French 75
The French 75, or Materiel de 75mm Mle 1897, was a revolutionary military device — it didn’t require realignment after being fired, meaning it could fire more quickly than other guns. The gun was a staple of the French Army during World War I. We aren’t sure whose wise idea…
Magnolia City Mixtape: Mucho SXSW News, Numbers In Katy, Sasha Fierce Is Dead, Etc.
ZOMG Psychedelic summer camp! Texas Psychedelic Rock invites you to the 2010 Memorial Day Cosmic Campout, featuring George Kinney of Austin ’60s psych band Golden Dawn. Tickets start at $50 a person, but oddly enough, the event is in Arizona, not Texas. Still looks fun. As The Smiths would say,…
Game Time: John Daly Thinks Tiger Woods Is A Lightweight
Anyone who watches NBC’s hit television series The Office knows that one of the integral, recurring aspects of the show is Jim Halpert’s penchant for pulling pranks on office kiss-ass Dwight Shrute (played to perfection by Rainn Wilson). If you don’t watch the show or perhaps just want to take…
Hitting the BBQ Trail with Robb Walsh
Somewhere around the fifth brisket of the day, our stomach gave out. It had held up through endless links of sausage, a bowl of peach cobbler, several batches of ribs, lemonade, three varieties of potato salad and even a turkey leg. But the brisket finally did us in. Robb Walsh,…
Ask A Rapper Some Rappers: What Do Houston’s ATW MCs Know About Hockey?
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…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #89 Kubideh and Zereshk Polo at Kasra Persian Grill on Westheimer
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Just Making A Quick Trip To Walmart For Some Cigs, Warden
It’s bad enough when inmates are escaping from jails. Is it worse when they’re returning to jails?The Austin American-Statesman broke the story of a trustee at a minimum-level TDCJ facility in Sugar Land who broke out — if that isn’t too strenuous a word for the effort involved — up…
Inquiring Minds: Dropkick Murphys’ Al Barr On Boston Politics And His Punk-Loving Kids
Since 1996, Boston’s Dropkick Murphys have been leading the young and old astray with their own brand of Celtic punk rock and rugged pub leanings. Over almost a decade and a half, the band has released six studio albums, two singles and rarities collections, and a couple of live albums,…
It’s Not For Girls
The other day while grocery shopping at HEB, we came across a Yorkie-brand candy bar from the UK with the tagline “It’s Not for Girls” written on the wrapper. A candy bar that’s not for girls? We were intrigued. What could be so special about a candy bar that only…
You Won’t Be Waiting Long If You Vote Today
It’s 11 a.m. at the Third Ward Multi-Service Center. The expansive, modern facility is spotless, the voting computers are shiny new, and poll workers are lined up behind a rectangular table, organized and ready for action.Only thing is, there are no voters anywhere in sight.”The county and the parties need…
Farouk Shami Is On Fire. His Campaign Song? Eh…
One of the benefits of writing for a music blog is you don’t have to follow politics unless you just want to, or unless some politician is so desperate they think commissioning a campaign song Auto-tuned up the yin-yang and with lyrics that went out of style when disco did…
The Baby Jesus in Velvet Underwear
I had some wine with Catalan sommelier Antonio Gianolo the other day. Gianolo is Houston’s most outspoken apologist for the biodynamic winemaking movement, a group that brings astrology and New Age spirituality to grape growing. Gianolo was wearing a T-shirt with a quotation from Randall Grahm, the founder of Bonny…
Game Changer: Farouk Shami’s Rap Song
Some may carp that it has come too late in the game to make a difference, but we ask you to listen to what we guess is called “Farouk is on Fire,” by the rapper J. Xavier.Shami is described in the song as “our future Texas governor,” which at least…
Big Blaze Hits Dallas’ Lower Greenville Strip
The Lower Greenville Avenue portion of Dallas is one of the city’s more enjoyable areas (Caveat: We haven’t been there in a while; maybe it’s become Douchebag/Yuppie Central.) (And yes, we know the response to that is “Well, it is in Dallas.”) A four-alarm fire engulfed a chunk of the…
Two Houston Artists Named Finalists In John Lennon Songwriting Contest
What do Fergie, Natasha Bedingfield, singing pop sisters the Veronicas, former Grateful Dead bassist Bob Weir, ex-MTV 120 Minutes VJ Matt Pinfield and legendary Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier have in common? They’re all new fans of Houston Americana singer-songwriter Lee Alexander and Latin pop duo Vanaz, or enough of them…
New On DVD: It’s The End Of The World As We Know It, And John Cusack Feels Fine As He Cashes A Paycheck
The only DVD released today that earned big bucks at the box office was the Sony Pictures apocalyptic thriller 2012. The year 2012 has long been predicted by various ancient cultures as the year the world will end (or at least end as we now know it). That idea’s the…
Houston Coffee Scene: Grizzaffi Coffee
Nick Grizzaffi, owner and operator Grizzaffi Coffee at Discovery Green Park downtown, has a work ethic unmatched in the city. Starting out with a catering-size espresso machine, he’s proven to be an asset of reliability for the park, garnering the attention of city planning officials and Discovery management. Beginning this…
Rocks Off’s Concert Guide To The Rodeo: Alan Jackson
As a service to our readers, we’d like to present Rocks Off’s Concert Guide to the Rodeo. Presented each weekday over the course of the next month, we hope it helps you make sound musical choices by telling you who’s singing about putting a boot in your ass and who’s…
R.I.P, Aeros’ Playoff Hopes
It’s all over for the Houston Aeros. Done. Finished. Kaput. No hope. The ship ain’t sinking, it’s sunk. There might be 18 games left in the regular season, but it doesn’t really matter anymore.The Aeros lost to the Texas Stars on Saturday night. They lost 5-2 in a game that…
Mugshot Hall Of Fame (Lipstick Division)
This isn’t a mugshot, this is an advertisement. Who wouldn’t buy weed from this chick?Elizabeth Lucia Vallatos is 34 and lives in Porter with 40-year-old Roger Sanchez Klein. As the Montgomery County Police Reporter lays out the story, the two apparently enjoy a thriving home business.As the officers spoke with…
Where Are We Drinking?
The King lives! At least he does at this local bar, one of our favorite watering holes. Does this dazzling display look familiar to you? Think you know where we’re drinking this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Distant Early Warning: Ben Folds, Caribou, Lupe Fiasco, Randy Travis, Steve Martin, Etc.
Authority Zero, Voodoo Glow Skulls: Fri., April 9. Wired Live. “Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live”: Fri., April 16. House of Blues. “Bamboozle Road Show” With Hanson, Good Charlotte, Forever The Sickest Kids, Cartel, Boys Like Girls, All Time Low: Fri., May 28. Verizon Wireless Theater. Ben Folds: Sat., May 8…
Pop Rocks: What We Learned From The Olympics
Another edition of the Winter Games has come and gone, and while the last two weeks have been marked by triumph (the first American medals in Nordic Combined) as well as tragedy (Nickelback’s closing ceremony performance), it’s time to contemplate the important lessons we’ll take away from Vancouver.Canadians Are Pretty…
Alice in Chains
Walt Disney mulled an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland for decades before producing an animated feature in 1951, although by all accounts, he didn’t much care for the prim little protagonist, let alone her supporting cast of “weird characters.” One wonders what Uncle Walt would have made of his studio’s…
Bob Perry Loses A Big Verdict In Fort Worth
Houston homebuilder Bob Perry usually gets what he wants, whether it’s John Kerry getting Swift-Boated out of the White House or a Texas Supreme Court filled with his pals and recipients of his campaign cash.One thing he really wanted was to beat Bob & Jane Cull of Mansfield in a…
The Big 3: Shiitake Mushrooms, Sriracha Hot Sauce and Monterey Jack Cheese
Sriracha is having its food moment. It’s everywhere, from Bon Appetit magazine to numerous chef’s tables to Asian dives. And why not? It has a great flavor and allows you to really kick up the heat factor in a dish. Lately, we’ve been enjoying it with shiitake mushrooms and Monterey…
How Do Get Your Tortillas Fluffy?
The recipe I gave for flour tortillas in The Tex-Mex Cookbook called for flour, lard, water and salt. I think this is pretty much the standard Houston flour tortilla recipe. The tortillas come out pretty good. But they aren’t like the fluffy tortillas they eat in San Antonio. After eating…
Golfer Carol Mann: Tiger Woods Is Learning To Become a Human Being
LPGA Hall of Famer Carol Mann, the featured speaker at today’s 2010 Lunch With a Legend series, said it took her until she was in her late 20s to start becoming a human being — a metamorphosis that she says fellow golfer Tiger Woods is just embarking upon now.Mann, who…
Campaign Shocker: Rick Perry (All But) Admits He’s Gay
Maybe we spoke too soon with that pre-bituary of Kay Bailey Hutchison’s gubernatorial hopes.Because we just don’t know how Texans are going to cotton to the fact that their governor appears to be an ABBA fan.Rick Perry’s campaign has released a new video entitled “Earmark Queen,” which is all about…
Chef Chat Special Interview: Shuna Fish Lydon
Houston pastry chef Plinio Sandalio recommended we interview Shuna Fish Lydon (Twitter: @shunafish) of 10 Downing (10 Downing Street in New York) during our recent trip to NYC. Before coming to 10 Downing, the world-renowned Lydon worked as a pastry chef for French Laundry, Gramercy Tavern and Verbena in Manhattan,…
Little Joe Washington Still Having Birthdays, Celebrating Them In Public
Last year around this time, Rocks Off and our buddy Lonesome Onry and Mean both got caught up in multi-day musical benders that left us both dazed and confused (conditions from which some would argue we have never fully recovered). Although our respective paths through those days were very different,…
The Death Of The Kay-For-Governor Effort, In Five Telling Moments
The campaign of Governor Rick Perry has been gleefully sending out “pre-bituaries” — in other words, stories analyzing what went wrong with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s gubernatorial race.Barring an upset of Truman-like proportions, the only question remaining in tomorrow’s primary will be whether Perry gets 50 percent now, or has…
Aftermath: Golden Axe And Fat Tony Help The Free Press Scratch Its 7-Year Itch At Mango’s
This past Saturday night, Free Press Houston celebrated its seventh anniversary at Mango’s with an assortment of local musicians whose styles ranged from loud, shrieking guitars (Golden Axe) to young, smart hip-hop (Fat Tony) and everything in between. Since we’ve been writing for Rocks Off, it’s been a concern of…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #90 Fajita Tacos at El Charro, 3801 Harrisburg
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Game Time: Olympic Hockey, You Had Me At Hello, Eh?
“What—what is this salty discharge?….This is horrible! I care!” — Jerry Seinfeld, wiping away tearsI have to admit, it was a bit of a strange feeling. As time wound down in the third period of what at the time was a 2-1 Canadian lead over the United States Olympic hockey…
Monday Mix Bag: A Mic Pass In Atlanta, New Felony Video And Some Wal-Mart Confessions
Back in the day when we were teenagers in the hood, there was this guy with a really great personality who would come to our door once a month with brand new store merchandise. We’re talking about anything from bicycles to VCRs (we said it was back in the day)…
Top 5 Chicken Soups to Fight Off the Winter Blues
Between the unforgivingly cold and dreary winter we have experienced this season and the plethora of respiratory infections it brings, soup is on our mind – chicken soup. Isn’t it funny how we ignore this dish ten months out of the year, but relish it when we need a warming…
Texas Traveler Tries Curling
Sometimes it’s a bad idea to watch the Olympic Games in a bar. When someone shouts over the broadcast of the biathlon “Hey, I could do that,” you might not want to challenge them, especially since this is Texas and that bar patron probably already has one half of the…
Turning The Screw: Guerilla Foco Clan, Z-Ro, Devin, Lots Of Bun, Kid Cudi, Juvenile And More
Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off’s weekly rap post. It probably won’t rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: “Reflection,” Guerilla Foco Clan Wire to Wire Of course, the universe spun out of control this week. Devin, trying…
Gregory Cruise, Jr., 23, Bayou Body Count No. 51
You never know what you’re going to find until you look.That was the lesson early Saturday morning for a bunch of cops who were called out to investigate a murder at an apartment complex along the 10900 block of Telephone Road, just south of Hobby Airport.At about 5 a.m., police…
The Parade, The Cook-Off: Can The Rodeo Be Far Behind?
You want photos of the wholesomeness of the rodeo parade, featuring giant cans of food, and the debauchery of the rodeo BBQ Cookoff, featuring giant cans all but bursting out of western shirts?You know you do. (WARNING: BBQ pictures might not feature the aforementioned giant cans. You’ll just have to…
Banh Mi Dac Biet at Thien An
We’ve been to Cali Sandwich (3030 Travis St.) more times than we can count. It’s definitely our go-to cheap Vietnamese sandwich spot. But somehow, we missed Thien An (2905 Travis), only a short distance away. On a mission to get us to try his favorite Vietnamese sandwich shop, our friend…
Aftermath: The Fabulous Thunderbirds Warm Up The Rodeo BBQ Cookoff
It never fails to amaze Aftermath that what little real spring Houston actually gets usually happens during the three weeks the rodeo is in town. If the city is in the grip of winter when the cookoff crews fire up their BBQ pits, you can bet AC units across town…
Jeff Skilling Gets Even More Desperate To Prove Houston’s Full of Hatahs
Today is the big day before the U.S. Supreme Court for Jeff Skilling, former Enron exec, former Manhattan party animal, current federal inmate.Among other things, Skilling’s lawyers are arguing that his federal trial should have been moved from Houston because we all were so affected by Enron that no one…
Grateful for Bacon
Grateful Bread’s maple-cured slab bacon is a thing of wonder. It’s a lot like the meaty Hungarian and Polish slab bacon I buy at Phoenicia and the Russian General Store, only fresher and without the preseveratives. I like to slice it extra thick, cook it slowly and leave it a…
Aftermath: Leslie & The Lys’ Dance Party At Walter’s
How Leslie Hall managed to transform what at once seemed like 15 short minutes of fame into a full-time career is somewhat of a mystery. Back in the infant days of social media (a.k.a. 2004), Hall was known as the Gem Sweater Girl, and shared company with other internet memes…
Alley Theatre Plays Alfred Hitchcock For Laughs
It’s a mashup of Alfred Hitchcock and Monty Python, designed to scare the poop out of its audiences (or at least set them on the edge of their seats) while making them laugh.The Alley Theatre is bringing in Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, a two-time Tony award-winning show offering a…
Breakfast at Bellaire Coffee Shop
We woke up from the usual weekend of overindulging in Houston’s late-night amenities with a craving for breakfast at noon-thirty. Not wanting to deal with crowds, pretentious brunches or high-priced egg dishes, we opted for keeping it real at Bellaire Coffee Shop (5422 Bissonnet), a total throwback to a bygone…
Aftermath: Appleseed Cast’s Low Level Owls Fly High At Rudyard’s
Some of our peers keep around a box of mixtapes from long-ago friends and lovers, while others still cling to their cassettes from high school and college. Acting like archaeologists, this hoarding reminds them of who they were then and allows them to tap into a deep well of memories…
The Week in TV: Let’s All Go Back To Not Caring About Hockey For Another Four Years
The Olympics are over, spring is just around the corner, and I would totally write you a personalized 5,000-word essay about why you are all so awesome. This was the week in TV Land: • I saved the most recent Parks and Recreation, the one that aired before Valentine’s Day,…
Coogs’ Pitching Keeps Putting Them In Big Holes
The Houston Cougar baseball team was able to win two of the three games that they played against the visiting Santa Clara Broncos. That they won isn’t too surprising. That they won despite the continued awfulness of the starting pitching is rather surprising. That they nearly won all three games…
Where Are We Eating?
A brief glimpse of Basmati rice. Some intensely-colored saag paneer. A dribble of korma sauce. Yes, it’s clear that we’re eating Indian food this week. But can you tell where? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Where Are We Peeing?
The fortunate, and unfortunate, thing about this bar is that it is dangerously close to our house. It’s always on the way home from wherever we have been earlier in the night, be it a late night at work or hanging out at our favorite Westheimer boozeterias. Too many nights…
Rodeo Parade Report Card
Fifteen minutes into the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo Parade, the 6-year old girl sitting on the curb in front of us, turned and asked her mom, ” Can we go home already?” It was not a good sign. Hair Balls has been to more than a dozen Rodeo…
Four Things to Live-Tweet Instead of Your Abortion
You know, we really thought we’d seen everything the interwebs have to offer (’cause, um, we’re, like, all over the internets and stuff), but this week, when a woman named Angie steadily live-tweeted her medical abortion, we stood corrected. But before your judge-y little feet leave the ground to begin…
Bob Dylan + The Astrodome’s Awful Sound System = Maybe Not Such A Good Idea
Some people think the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo books too much fluff and not enough “important” artists. Rocks Off has never thought it’s quite as cut and dried as all that, because although it’s hard to make a case for, say, the enduring artistic merit of Rascal Flatts, recent…
Bats Invade Schools, Courthouses Across East Texas; Plans For World Domination Near Complete
Earlier this week, Hair Balls reported on a bat infestation at Clear Lake’s Bay Elementary School.Sadly, the problem is more serious than we knew. Much, much more serious.The courthouses in both Gregg and Angelina counties have also played host to the squeaky squatters.Last month, the creepy flying mammals were spotted…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we’re already training Rocky IV-style for all the rodeo food we’re going to have to consume. We’ve been curling fried-turkey-leg barbells, squatting under the weight of enough chipped beef to crush lesser men, and dragging huge parcels of…
Upcoming Events
By far, the biggest food event happening in Houston this weekend is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s kick-off event: The World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, taking place all weekend long. The smell of mesquite chips, brisket and mop sauce is thick in the air from the South Loop to the…
How To Really Fight DWI — Mass Transit And Neighborhood Bars
Like his mentor Jane Jacobs, Scott Henson, the award-winning blogger at Austin-based Grits for Breakfast, believes that some crimes can be curtailed through better urban planning.Specifically, Henson believes that our society’s approach to drunk driving (“Tail ’em, nail ’em, and jail ’em,” as he puts it) is too simplistic, needlessly…
Ex-Houstonians Close Your Eyes: A Happy Metalcore Band?
Listening to We Will Overcome by Abilene natives Close Your Eyes is kind of like being beaten in the face with a brick wrapped in a Hallmark Card. The beats are heavy, though lacking the double-bass that is often the line between metal and hardcore, and the guitars thrash expertly…
Habanero Floral Vinegar
Georgia Bost is obsessed with the hibiscus. She has discovered native hibiscus flowers in East Texas and created new hybrid varietals that are used in landscaping. She has also experimented for some years with hibiscus vinegars. You can find her “Bostx” line of flavored vinegars at the Midtown Farmer’s Market…
Five Things To Know About The Rodeo
During last year’s Livestock Show and Rodeo, Hair Balls was at the stadium just about every day interviewing different cowboys for stories from a life of rodeo. From what they told us and what we saw, we’ve put together a list of five things to remember when heading out to…
Recipe: Hamentashen
This weekend is the Jewish holiday of Purim. One of the coolest things about Purim, besides the fact that it’s one of the few times you can actually get drunk at synagogue, is the food. A favorite is the triangle-shaped cookies called hamentashen, which are shaped like the hat of…
Ain’t No Grave At All: The Lighter Side Of Johnny Cash
On what would have been his 78th birthday, Johnny Cash is seeing yet another resurgence in popularity. Since his death in 2003 and the biopic that was released two years later, Walk The Line, the man’s shadow has grown to heights that no one ever would have imagined. In death…
Slaying Dragons with Sake
I had some excellent sake with my seafood at a dinner recently. It had a fresh, fruity flavor and a lively kick. If you don’t know much about sake but want to sample some serious stuff, experts recommend Wakatake Daiginjo Onikoroshi as the place to start. You drink this one…
Newest Rap Fans: Cranky Old White Galvestonians
The latest fans of rap music? Old white people who hate public housing.In Galveston, at any rate. The Galveston County Daily News reports that opponents to the plans to rebuild Ike-ravaged public housing units have been e-mailing a 2005 video of the song “Hustlers and Paperchasers,” a video that features…
Radar Eyes: Psychic TV Founder’s Manager, Label Owner And “Avant Career Weirdo” Ryan Martin
Radar Eyes: State your name and purpose… Ryan Martin: Ryan Martin, artist, musician, writer, avant career weirdo. RE: What have you been working on most lately? RM: Lately, I have been focusing my energies on my management work with Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, who has had a hectic past year and…
In a Dream World, Coast Plays the Guitar and Cares About People 15 Hours Away More Than He Does Those 150 Trillion Light-Years Away
You remember Northside rapper Coast, right? Of course you do. We did a write up on him a few months back and we have to say his blog received probably some of the most heartfelt comments since we started covering Latino hip-hop artists. In fact, since then so many people…
Former Congressman Craig Washington Sues The Two Teenagers He Shot At
In July 2009, former U.S. Congressman Craig Washington admitted in court to illegally shooting at a pair of teenagers who were trying to park in a private lot that he owned in Midtown. The shots struck the car, the boys were unharmed and Washington eventually received two years of probation.Now,…
Two Houston Artists Who Don’t Let The Internet Do All Their Hustle
The last time Rocks Off met up with Fat Tony, we drove to his house and called him as we arrived. He told us he’d be out in five minutes. Ten minutes later, we sent him a text. He texted back, apologized for holding us up and said he was…
Stinky Girl Scout Cookies Not in Houston
The Girl Scout’s Lemon Chalet Crème cookies that have been the subject of a recall “quality withdrawal” in other parts of the country because they taste and smell bad should not be confused with the Lemonades cookies being sold by Girl Scouts in the Houston area. That’s the word from…
A White-Supremacist Story To Warm The Cockles Of Your Heart (Assuming It’s True)
It’s the feel-good Klan story of the year (so far)!!Forty years ago KPFT, the Pacifica station here in town, was famously bombed by a member of the Ku Klux Klan who, we guess, didn’t like Pe-Te’s Cajun Bandstand, or whatever the 1970 equivalent of it was.This week, things were different,…
Eyeballin’ Masters Of American Music’s Jazz Docs Make DVD Debut
Well before Ken Burns produced his (now) definitive video opus on the history of jazz, the Masters of American Music series was among the first serious documentaries on the music. Originally sold or broadcast in the ’80s and ’90s, they are now making their DVD debuts from Naxos/Medici Arts. The…
Late Night Scene: Guerilla Barfare
We recently took a Les Givral’s sandwich to the Kelvin Arms in the Village, where we devoured it with Miller High Life in the vault on a Saturday night. We are going to start a new trend in the bar scene in Houston. On your way to your favorite watering…
Big Texas Round-Up Of Illegal Aliens With Criminal Records Ends
If you’re an illegal immigrant with a criminal record living in Houston, you can breathe easy. Or relatively easy, anyway.A big statewide round-up aimed at people like you — the largest such round-up in state history — ended last night. So if you can lay low and live with your…
Blissful Fast Food Ignorance
We’re not sure if we’re ready to see how many calories or fat our fast food indulgences have. We know they’re bad for us — we’re not dumb. But maybe it’s not knowing how bad that keeps us making those late-night runs to Whataburger. We may not be able to…
Houston’s Comicpalooza Gets Some Good Ink
The Comicpalooza convention next month is a gamble — its a big step up for an event that started three years ago in an Alamo Drafthouse, moved last year to a shopping mall and is now taking over the George R. Brown convention center.Last fall a similar event, the inaugural…
Five Spot: New Shit From Swishahouse, B L A C K I E, Cham & J-Dawg, Hash Brown And Trae
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and, sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. It’s five videos and occasional cussing. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. You know what’s a fun game? The game where you try to figure out…
Aeros In Dire Need Of Some Help As Season Nears End
Standing outside the Aeros locker room last night, waiting for the doors to open and go in for the interviews, it was still possible to hear the music being played in the Toyota Center. And just as the doors opened, the sound crew busted out The Beatles and “Help.” If…
Top 10 Restaurants in Pearland
When we think of great dining, we think Pearland, right? Well…probably not. But if you happen to live there, you know there are plenty of places to get a good bite. 10) Gringos Mexican Café, 2202 Broadway Yes, we know that this place isn’t what it used to be, but…
SXSW News: Muse, STP, Warpaint, Descendents (Almost), Jim Jones Revue, FPH/Pegstar Party, RSVP Info, Etc.
Let it be known that today that is first day we groaned when we saw a new glut of SXSW missives end up in our inbox. Gone are the bright-eyed days of early January when we welcomed each SXSW e-mail like a homebound war-weary soldier. Now when we see something…
The 10 Weirdest RodeoHouston Entertainer Bookings Of All Time
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is right around the corner, and Rocks Off will be providing our loyal readers with more coverage than is healthy for anybody. This will include tons of concert reviews, starting with Alan Jackson on opening night and continuing throughout the festivities, which will culminate…
Health Dept. Roundup: 77024 to 77035
Forging ahead methodically through the city’s zip codes here on Health Department Round-Up, we bogged down in a swamp of violations in the 77020s last week. This week the sailing was much clearer, so we picked up where we left off at 77024 and coasted all the way to 77035…
American Idol: Crappy Singers Gone; Many Crappy Singers Remain
Ryan spoke at the top of last night’s American Idol of how the contestants were “fighting to take their place in history,” which seems grandiose even by Idol standards. I was hanging out with an actual Idol fan last week — a woman who watches every season — and she…
Sorry, 18- To 24-Year-Olds: A Favorite Loophole To Getting Your License Is Closing
Sorry, Texas kids and young adults — one of your favorite loopholes on the road to getting a driver’s license is closing next week.Beginning March 1, every first-time applicant for a driver’s license between the ages of 18-24 must take a driver’s-ed course.Before this, DPS spokesperson Tela Mange tells Hair…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #91 Cochinita Pibil at Tacos La Bala 5800 Bellaire
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Musicians’ Want Ads Craigslist Won’t Touch
Time once again to poke through Rocks Off’s secret Craigslist-style want-ads page and see who’s looking for what… For Sale > Free: my yard sale is a wonderland hey. i’ve been a singer-songwriter for a while now, but i’ve had enough of the limelight. i can’t stop saying stupid shit…
Idol Beat: Crappy Singers Gone; Many Crappy Singers Remain
Ryan spoke at the top of last night’s American Idol of how the contestants were “fighting to take their place in history,” which seems grandiose even by Idol standards. I was hanging out with an actual Idol fan last week — a woman who watches every season — and she…
Spring Break Dilemma: South Padre Or Athens, Texas?
Kids, if you’re looking for a change from the Spring Break crowds at Corpus, South Padre or even Galveston, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department has an offer for you: Athens!!No, not Athens, Greece. Not even Athens, Georgia, home to UGA and REM wanna-bes.Athens, Texas, baby. In the misty, isolated …
Another Day, Another Metro Press Conference Saying “Us? Shred Important Documents?” (Updated)
(Updated with reaction from Mayor Annise Parker.)Metro wants us all to know that the recent hub-bub about shredding documents sought by a local attorney through an open records request, and then the alleged cover-up and firing of a pair of attorneys connected to the shredding, is over now. We can…
Yelp Is Guilty of “Extortion,” Says Miami Attorney Jared Beck
The proposed class-action lawsuit against Yelp we described earlier today is gonna be ugly. The guy who’s going to make it that way is Jared Beck, a Harvard grad who plans on being the bulldog here. The Miami lawyer — who also practices in California, where the suit was filed…
Yes, You Can Be Arrested While Asserting Your Constitutional Rights
If you’re the executive director of a group that’s called UH Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, you probably have prepared yourself for encounters with the local constabulary.(Although — just to be clear — the UHSSD says it “does not advocate drug use in any fashion, but instead encourages students…
If People Are Planning To Have Fun, It Must Be Time For A DWI Crackdown
The debauched bacchanalia rodeo is coming to town, so the Harris County District Attorney’s office and local law enforcement agencies are doing what they do when partying might occur: They’re setting up more No Refusal anti-DWI weekends.Starting this weekend and continuing over the following two weekends, cops will be out,…
Food Fight: Battle Ajvar
Bosnian and Serbian food is currently occupying the space that Ethiopian or Korean food did 10 or 20 years ago: Once considered obscure and highly exotic, it’s now on the cusp of becoming mainstream. Similarly, one of the cuisine’s most popular dishes — the bright-red dip called ajvar — is…
He Said She Said: Our Favorite Lady Country Singers, Part 2
As much as He Said bows at the altars of guys like Johnny Cash, Billy Joe Shaver, George Strait, and Ernest Tubb, we have always had an affinity for female country songs. Their songs have as much grit and gristle as anything a man can dish out, and in the…
Curling Fever Hits Houston As Only Curling Fever Can
Anyone who’s been watching the Winter Olympics is thinking only one thing: Can we please finish with all this boring hockey and get on to something thrilling like curling?Curling has become an underground hit of Vancouver, as mesmerized viewers get caught up in the enormous drama of ice shuffleboard. Furious…
Texas Traveler: Kirby’s Korner in Seguin
This “Kirby burger” set me back a little over eight bucks at Kirby’s Korner, a burger joint on Highway 123 Bypass in Seguin. The regular Kirby burger comes with mayo, lettuce, tomato, bacon, mushrooms and Swiss on your choice of a wheat or white bun for $5.29. Curly Cajun fries…
He Said She Said: Our Favorite Lady Country Singers
What’s that joke about country music? That if you play it backwards, the singer gets his car back, he gets his wife back, and he gets his dog back? There’s a particular narrative in country – men’s country, at least – that lends itself to formulaic and often-times jingoistic sentiments…
HISD Will Star in Its Own Internet Radio Station
Starting this July, from the comparative comfort of your computer terminal, you’ll be able to listen to Houston ISD Internet radio, courtesy of a joint effort between HISD and the private company RFC Media.The 24-7 Internet radio about and at least partially produced by a school district is the first…
Game Time: Idiot Speed Skating Coach Makes Us All Feel Better About Ourselves
Sometimes in life you’re only as good (or bad) as those with whom you surround yourself. The classic example is a college football coach being only as good as the assistant coaches he hires (Lane Kiffin will test this theory like it’s never been tested before). In radio, sometimes your…
Top 5 Nostalgic Foods
1. JELL-O Pudding Pops – Who could forget Bill Cosby and his pudding? Well, Bill Cosby isn’t around much anymore, and neither are JELL-O pudding pops. When people want something back, they turn to Facebook, which has more than 2,000 pudding pop fans. Kraft, who made them, has a recipe…
Is Hollywood Ready For James Bond As Townes Van Zandt?
Coinciding with the late Kurt Cobain’s 43rd birthday last week came news on the ongoing development of a supposed Hollywood biopic. Ideas for Cobain flick started being bandied about almost before the lid was sealed shut on the Nirvana frontman’s urn after his April 1994 suicide. But that’s the way…
Unidentified Man, Bayou Body Count No. 50
While it may not be true that someone is murdered in Houston every day, so far this year is been pretty damn close.This here marks the 50th slain body we’ve told you about in 55 days. And in typical fashion, not much is known about this latest, seemingly humdrum killing…
Foot Longs In Search of Big Buns
Koenemann’s Foot Long Frankfurters really are 12 inches long. They are also very tasty weiners. I did a side-by-side taste test with my usual brand, Boar’s Head Natural Casing Frankfurters. Both Koenemann’s and Boar’s Head Natural Casing frankfurters are packed in sheep intestine casings, so they pop when you bite…
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Get Their Mojo Workin’ At The Woodlands May 16
About a year and a half ago, Rocks Off had one of the best concert experiences we’ve ever had when Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers closed out their 2008 tour at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. About an hour ago, Live Nation made our week (hell, maybe our month) when…
Sportswriters Not Happy With Chron’s Latest Brainstorm
(Updated with an explanation from Bleacher Report.)Like it or not, the Houston Chronicle’s sports section does have one thing going for it: It uses actual professional sportswriters, experienced and at least nominally objective, well-trained practitioners of their craft.You can argue, as many have, that other papers have had much better,…
Yelp Slapped with Class-Action Lawsuit
A year ago, the East Bay Express went public with stinging accusations that user review site Yelp engaged in shady pressure tactics to remove or bury negative reviews for businesses that advertised or coughed up sponsorships. Now, a lawsuit is alleging something eerily similar. TechCrunch is reporting that law firms…
A Dog at YiaYia’s Roadster Grill
This is part two in a series highlighting restaurants that occupy Taco Bell buildings. YiaYia’s Roadster Grill at 5210 Bissonnet is the all-American restaurant housed in an old TB building that serves Greek food and has what we consider to be the best burger in Bellaire, although on our most…
Aftermath: Yes, No, Maybe… Maybe Not At House Of Blues
Aftermath is going to preface this review by saying that going into Wednesday night’s sold-out show – way sold-out show – at House of Blues, what we knew about Yes took up less space in our brain than those three letters do on your computer screen. We knew “Owner of…
Last Chance For Fame As A Rising Graphic-Novel Artist
The train to fame at future ComicCon conventions — the ride includes groupies dressed as the characters you’ve created — is leaving the station, and there’s only one last chance to get on board.The Houston Press is looking for a young, local fan of graphic novels who’s always hoped to…
Brew Blog: ReaperAle Brewing Co.’s Redemption Red Ale
For this week’s random historical justification to try a beer, you get to learn that Sacramento became California’s first incorporated city 160 years ago this Saturday. Granted, the state’s capitol is six hours north from El Monte, birthplace of this week’s beer, but it’s the best we could find. You’ll…
Metro’s Shredding Like It’s Trying Out For Megadeth
It seems the “snow” that folks saw this week was not really snow … in fact it most likely was small bits of paper that had been shredded and was dumped from the top floor of the Metro headquarters. Check out the incriminating video: In a lawsuit filed against Metro,…
Y’all Musta Forgot: Lil’ O’s Da Fat Rat Wit Da Cheeze, Featuring Destiny’s Child
Houston’s history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We’ll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Lil’ O Da Fat Rat Wit Da Cheeze (Atlantic/GameFace Entertainment, 2001) Lil’ O is the bronze-voiced Screwed Up Click…
Coogs May Be Getting Their Act Together As Playoffs Loom
It has been painful to watch the Houston Cougars play basketball this season, especially these past two months. There have been numerous games where the team has shot under 30 percent from the floor, and while looking even worse from the free-throw line and behind the three-point line. There has…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #92: Lasagna at Doyle’s on 34th St.
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Aftermath: Roky Erickson Is Nobody’s Curiosity
Society has a duality when it comes to accepting or rejecting the “crazy,” depending on their social strata. The rich or hip are deemed to be delightfully eccentric, while the paupers are laughable psych cases on the side of the great thoroughfare of the “sane.” When you do anything remotely…
$7 at The Fruit Palette
Where: The Fruit Palette, 2413 Rice Boulevard, 713-523-7848 What $7 gets you: A gorgeously substantial salad filled with fresh greens, exquisite fruit and hearty toppings like bacon goat cheese, and candied walnuts. Just when you thought it was time to cry uncle on those New Year’s resolutions, in comes a…
American Idol: Carol Brady Wants Her Mullet Back
Didn’t we just leave this party? Last night’s American Idol is when I realized just how much this show relies on a strict template for every episode at every stage of the competition. Twelve guys sang, just like the 12 ladies the night before, and we’ll lose two from each…
Sugar Land Democratic Congressional Candidate Has Bold Plan To Win Her Primary: Call For Obama’s Impeachment
Sugar Land’s 22nd congressional district has seen its share of entertaining candidates, from kingpin Tom DeLay to Shelley “DraculaCunt” Skeula-Gibbs. Now it’s represented by boring old Pete Olson, who can only bring the occasional crazy.But people, we are here to tell you that the 22nd’s long national nightmare of non-craziness…
Idol Beat: Carol Brady Wants Her Mullet Back
Didn’t we just leave this party? Last night’s American Idol is when I realized just how much this show relies on a strict template for every episode at every stage of the competition. Twelve guys sang, just like the 12 ladies the night before, and we’ll lose two from each…
Who You Calling Cutie Pie?
Our weekend visits to Austin used to be incomplete without a stop at the air stream cupcakery on South Congress Ave. But we recently noticed a bit of competition nearby. Cutie Pie Wagon is a pink wooden building, barely bigger than an outhouse, that holds the one-woman fireball Jaynie Buckingham,…
Pop Rocks: The Family That Rehabs Together
This continues to be the Winter of Charlie Sheen’s Discontent. The Two and a Half Men star followed up a Christmas Day arrest on domestic violence charges with the announcement that he has finally checked into rehab: In a surprise development Tuesday that casts doubt on the rest of its…
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade
When the first Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade was held in 1938, someone suggested it have the “pomp and ceremony of a Roman holiday.” While we’re not likely to see mobile Caligula-like orgies wafting through the downtown streets, there will be plenty of Western-themed floats, high school bands, horseback…
23rd Annual ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run
More than 13,000 pairs of sneakered, calloused feet will hit the ground running today at the 23rd Annual ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run. There’s a 10K race and 5K run/walk, plus a huge after-party for all the athletes and spectators. Live music and hoopla teams will dot the race course, which starts…
2010 World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest
Will the 2010 World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest break last year’s record by feeding more than 210,000 hungry rodeo fans? Well, the competitors have three days of chopping and cooking, so there’s a chance they could do it. Prizes are handed out in three categories (brisket, spare ribs and chicken), plus…
The Flu Season
Will Eno is no ordinary playwright. Theater critic Charles Isherwood called him the Samuel Beckett of the Jon Stewart generation, and Edward Albee said he is one of the finest playwrights he’s come across in years. The Believer magazine quotes Eno as saying, “I like seeing people suffer under bright…
Cele Keeper: It’s Never Too Late to Grow Up
If you’re worried that you’ve long missed your professional heyday, do yourself a favor and stop by today’s event at Brazos Bookstore to meet Houstonian Cele Keeper. Now in her eighties, she’ll read from her newly published memoir It’s Never Too Late to Grow Up, about a life full of…
“Magic: The Science of Wonder”
The Houston Museum of Natural Science is hosting a show full of hocus-pocus – the new exhibit “Magic: The Science of Wonder.” “It’s no accident that magic’s greatest innovators are often inventors or scientists first,” says guest curator and magician Scott Cervine. “It’s science that gives us the language to…
Chopin’s 200th Birthday Celebration
Less ardent music lovers might have a hard time relating to the level of passion pianist Adam Golka has for Romantic composer Frèdèric Chopin. “For a musician, [Chopin’s music] is like looking at the Pyramid of Giza,” the 22-year-old virtuoso says. “It’s like, ‘No way, was this really constructed by…
Big Love
According to one of the many wonderful female characters in Charles Mee’s Big Love, “the male is a biological accident, an incomplete female, the product of a damaged gene…” Her sister deadpans back, “That’s maybe a little bit extreme.” But Mee, the author of bobrauschenbergamerica, is nothing if not extreme…
Dierks Bentley
This past decade’s crop of mainstream male country singers isn’t so much made up of outlaws and drunks as pop singers who happen to have a twang in their step. It was a logical progression, and it’s hella easier to crossover to Top 40 in a pair of ripped jeans…
Bill Burr
Bill Burr isn’t fond of repeating himself. “I kind of retire [jokes], just because one of my huge paranoias is people actually knowing what I’m going to say before I get there,” he says, explaining that he’s shelved all the material from his HBO, DVD and Comedy Central specials. Burr…
19th Annual Mariachi Invitational
Six groups of hopefuls compete for top honors at the 19th Annual Mariachi Invitational, part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Among them will be Las Damas de Jalisco, an all-female group from San Antonio that took home first place last year. The top two groups of the competition…
Holi 2010: The 3rd Annual Festival of Colours
Have you always wanted to try throwing powder at strangers, but are afraid of the social and legal repercussions? Then mark Holi 2010: The 3rd Annual Festival of Colours on your calendar. Masala Radio’s Indian festival, which last year drew nearly 10,000 people to Sugar Land’s Oyster Creek Park, features…
The New Century
“The one-liners fly like rockets…and hit their targets smoking,” lauded The New York Times at the premiere of Paul Rudnick’s gay celebration The New Century (2008). That would be gay as in homosexual and as in fabulous. In The New Century, Mrs. Nadler describes her three grown children to the…
John Singer Sargent: A Personal View
Get the whole story about American painter John Singer Sargent from Richard Ormond, director of the Sargent Catalogue Raisonné Project and, as it happens, the artist’s great-nephew. During today’s John Singer Sargent: A Personal View presentation, Ormond uses family documents and tales handed down from generation to generation to piece…
Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series: John Banville and Abraham Verghese
Though his Booker Prize-winning novel was called The Sea, Irish novelist John Banville writes pretty much the opposite of beach fare. Seriously: The New York Times Book Review called his novel The Book of Evidence “a disturbing little novel that might have been coughed up from hell.” He gets less…
February Artful Thursday: The Art of Indian Cuisine
According to Suneeta Vaswani, a leading authority on Indian food, “We live in a ‘food without borders’ world.” At today’s installment of Artful Thursday, she’ll bring the food and the art of her country together in a lecture entitled The Art of Indian Cuisine. The author of the Complete Book…
Shadowbox Cinema
Directing duo Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion produce Web-based ads for clients such as GE, Sprint and Disney. Their YouTube sensation Rapcat has generated more than 2 million hits. Lately the two have branched out into independent film; their latest short, the comedy shocker Boob, is one of many on…
2010 HCP Print Auction
So you’ve had more than a month to get a look at the offerings at the 2010 HCP Print Auction. Now it’s time to make your selection and fork over your cash. Artists from around the world, from newly discovered talents to mid-career artists to established masters, have contributed photographs…
La Bayadère
Houston Ballet is celebrating 40 years with a new production of La Bayadère, the story of the doomed affair between temple dancer Nikiya and her warrior Solor. Set in India, the historic masterpiece, reworked here by HB Artistic Director Stanton Welch, is known for its Kingdom of the Shades scene,…
The Brother from Another Planet
John Sayles’s science fiction cult classic The Brother from Another Planet is a look at life on Planet Earth through the eyes of a newly arrived alien from outer space. Looking quite human, the nameless character is called simply Brother by the people he encounters in the African-American neighborhood where…
“Norman Bluhm: A Retrospective of Works on Paper”
At the exhibition “Norman Bluhm: A Retrospective of Works on Paper,” viewers will see a cache of never-before-exhibited work by the late artist. “For the first time the artist’s working sketchbooks are on display,” says Loretta Howard, owner of the exhibition’s original home, the Jacobson Howard Gallery in New York…
Name That Cop Movie: Kevin Smith’s latest is a cliche-filled comedy
Cop Out establishes its movie lineage right away, with a slow-motion toe-to-head tilt up, set to the Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn,” of black-cop/white-cop buddies Paul and Jimmy swaggering stone-faced toward the camera. Director/editor Kevin Smith (who notably didn’t write the Cop Out script; this is the Clerks auteur’s…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Camelot, True Love Lies, The Women
Camelot Lerner and Loewe’s 1960 musical is as unwieldy as they come. Burdened with expectations of whether the creators of the ultimate musical, My Fair Lady, could possibly top their masterpiece, Camelot used as its framework T.H. White’s ungainly fantasy novel The Once and Future King, with its heavy-handed magic…
Oscar Time
Because they’re crafted outside the Hollywood system, you might assume that this year’s Oscar-nominated live-action and animated shorts stand in sharp defiance of conventional mainstream cinema. But the best of these ten entries are, in some ways, the most familiar — their most radical element being that they operate in…
Trio Elétrico
In the northeastern Brazilian city of Salvador, Carnaval is quite different from what goes on in Rio de Janeiro. Instead of samba schools parading through the night with drums, high-tech floats and scantily dressed dancers, a bevy of trios elétricos – large trucks equipped with a stage, amplifiers and large…
Thank God He’s An Idiot
CRIME Thank God He’s An Idiot Child-porn producer pleads guilty By Richard Connelly Sure, Joseph Montross is a sick individual — he not only enjoys child pornography, he produces it, and being a sick individual is pretty much a prerequisite for that. But, luckily for the rest of society, Montross…
Teen Porn Troubles
Teen Porn Troubles A couple of issues: Thank you very much for the article on teen porn addiction [“Teen Porn 101,” by Paul Knight, February 18, 2010]. Those of us in service to recovering teens were grateful to cooperate with the Houston Press and with Paul Knight, whose treatment of…
Tegan and Sara
For a pixie-ish twin sister act like Tegan and Sara, the inherent novelty and cuteness of your situation can be both a good and a bad thing. It’s good because two physically identical, twentysomething siblings writing songs and strumming guitars in perfect unison is an automatic marketing hook. It’s good…
Labor Woes, ATM Cards and More Slang
Dear Mexican, I am a lifelong resident of Arizona and have worked side by side with illegals for 25 years as a bloquero. In all that time, I never knew ONE of them to be an aspiring American. In fact, their loyalties remain with their home states, they listen to…
Madlib
Madlib works too much. When the enigmatic producer/DJ/rapper/whirlwind isn’t collaborating with other artists (like producing hip-hop group Strong Arm Steady’s latest release, In Search of Stoney Jackson, or working on Erykah Badu’s upcoming New Amerykah sequel), he’s just releasing stuff from his own hefty personal stash. Apparently, he has a…
DIY Soup for Dinner
The waitress at Hot Pot City on Beltway 8 at Beechnut brought two pots to our table and set them on the built-in burners. Each pot was divided down the center so it held two different kinds of broth. We sampled the spicy Mongolian and herbal Chinese broths in one…
Adam Carroll
The first time we saw Adam Carroll, he was an unknown opening for one of the rowdiest, loudest bands on the scene at that time, Mark David Manders’s group at Austin’s La Zona Rosa. When Carroll walked onstage with nothing but a cigarette and an acoustic guitar, we thought, “This…
Absolve Wine Lounge
Greg McCabe has a keen eye for a good location — which makes sense, since he was in commercial real estate for a few years before opening his new Absolve Wine Lounge (920 Studemont, 281-501-1788). “I have lived in the area for the past four years, and I’ve watched it…
Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are a familiar sight and sound at Boston-area sporting events. The Beantown bruisers have performed at several Bruins and Red Sox games, and those teams have adopted the band’s “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” and “Tessie,” respectively, as postgame victory anthems. Their concerts resemble sporting events themselves, with…
THE BIG TOP’S SCORPION SHOT
You’d probably have to go somewhere a little more upscale than Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge (3714 Main, no phone) to get a traditional New Orleans drink like a Sazerac cocktail or a Vieux Carré. But those places don’t have Hustlers Brass Band and free homemade red beans and rice…
Alan Jackson
The older Alan Jackson gets, the more it seems we appreciate him. There’s something in his Georgia lilt that you can’t find anymore in modern country singers. As he reaches past 50, Jackson and age are beginning to complement each other; you won’t see this guy getting crazy Kenny Rogers-type…
Victims’ Wrongs: Injured parties in Harris County say plea bargains go on behind their backs
It was about 8:30 p.m. on New Year’s Day when 18-year-old Taylor Brooks steered his black Camaro into an open-air parking lot in Midtown. He and his friend Evan McAnulty, who both lived a world away in suburban Cypress, had paid an attendant to park there two days before on…
Shiso Delicious
Unless you’re Japanese or have visited Japan, you’ve probably never heard of the dish shiso hasami age ($5). It’s definitely worth discovering, and Umai (8400 Bellaire, 713-750-9222) appears to be the only place in town where it’s served. Shrimp and shiitake mushrooms are minced together and formed into flat disks…
What a Tease
It’s tempting to think that artist Maurizio Cattelan is putting one over on The Menil Collection. The Italian sculptor’s works often tease art-world conventions and mock institutional authority. In a 2009 Interview Magazine article, he said, “I think it’s time for artists to get over auction houses, galleries, and high-production-value…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Dana Frankfort: Pictures,” “Jonathan Marshall — Doubled Vision,” “Ron Hoover — A Retrospective: 1972-2006,” “Wishing Well for Houston”
“Dana Frankfort: Pictures” Deftly skirting the edge of obnoxiousness, Dana Frankfort’s paintings at Inman Gallery are brashly beautiful. Day-Glo orange has to be one of the toughest colors to use, unless you’re painting a traffic cone or creating an homage to ’60s psychedelia. But Frankfort skillfully and sparingly employs a…
Communication Breakdown
A dozen or so Houston music writers met for drinks last week to address the question of how we could better serve the music community. From traditional national media to hobbyist bloggers, the conclusion was the same: There is a communication breakdown between local bands and music journalists. Many of…
Forever Roc La Familia
Perhaps one of the greatest mysteries in Houston hip-hop is “What happened to Aztek Escobar and Roc La Familia?” The Latin-minded record label founded in July 2005 by Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter was an extension of Roc-A-Fella Records and is now, for all intents and purposes, defunct. But before it went…
