NEW UPDATE with Court Hearing — Michael Brown: Booked into Harris County Jail, Where Maybe He Can Meet Some Folks Who Treat Him Like Family!
Ex-hand surgeon Michael Brown has been booked into Harris County Jail for allegedly not paying child support. Bond has been set for $500,000. We’re not sure yet if this is for an alleged nonpayment for his kids from ex-wife Darlina (in Colorado) or his children in Houston. It’s been a…
How Many Texans Own Guns? A Whole Freakin’ Lot, Poll Shows
Hey, we all know Texans like their guns. We just didn’t realize how much they love them. (Well, to be honest, we did if we gave it much thought, but we hadn’t, and now there’s new evidence showing it.) For most of those interested, the key finding of the new…
Rocks Off Would Like for You to Join Us; Music Freelancers Wanted
We have some excellent music writers here at the Houston Press and Rocks Off. But we’d like a few more. It’s a big city out there, and a vast music scene. So Rocks Off is looking to add a few more stalls to our stables, a few more arrows to…
Rocks Off’s Rodeo Concert Guide for “Bros”: Lady Antebellum
The Rocks Off Rodeo Concert Guide is our annual helpful(?) primer for those of you unsure about your HLSR music choices for the big event at Reliant Stadium. Date: March 5 Name: Lady Antebellum AKA: “Starland Country Band”…
Cowboy Diaries 2013: Kyle Irwin, College Boy from Alabama
True cowboys are hard to find, but not at the Houston Rodeo. Life on the road leads them here this time every year for the biggest rodeo in the world, where they’ll ride and wrangle livestock for cash and glory. Each day, Hair Balls will spotlight one person with enough…
Upcoming: BuzzFest XXX, Bad Company, Queensryche, Clutch, Digweed, Metric, etc.
Baauer: With Danny Brown., Tue., April 9, 8 p.m., $20/$22. Fitzgerald’s, 2706 White Oak, Houston. Bad Company: With Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Stone Cherry., Thu., July 11, 7 p.m., $21.00-$100.50. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Lake Robbins Drive, Spring. Benoit Pioulard: With IDYL, Marshall Walker, B.E. Godfrey., Wed., March 20, 9…
This New Mad Men Teaser Tells Me Nothing
Today AMC released a tiny teaser for the upcoming season of Mad Men that’s cool except that it tells me nothing, beyond showing me party pictures I have already seen. Does this “Affair of the Year” refer to a really badass party that the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce agency is…
All-You-Can-Eat Brazilian, Dinner & a Movie, and More Date-Night Meal Deals
Today’s Houston Press Voice Daily Deal is good for half-off a Brazilian…but not the painful kind. Grab up today’s voucher to enjoy fifty percent off dinner for two ($39), four ($78), or six ($117) at Angus Grill Brazilian Steakhouse. Choose from nine delicious meats, carved table-side (think beef, pork, lamb,…
RIP @ArianFoster (February 2, 2010 – March 4, 2013)
It all started a little over three years ago with this: Walking into the Twitter house for the first time. Hello digital world…— Arian Foster (@ArianFoster) February 2, 2010 And now, after three years of deep thoughts, weird thoughts, ticket giveaways and ill-timed JPEGs of hamstring MRIs, it appears that…
Dinner and a Movie at Sundance Cinemas, or the Only Way I’ll Go to the Movies Anymore
Movie theaters still have a place for those who don’t want or can’t afford to build a media screening room in their homes but still enjoy the spectacle of seeing a truly great movie on the big screen. (Torrents are only good for so many things…) Increasingly, however, theaters have…
Mark E. Smith: 10 Outrageous Quotes by the Fall Front Man
Since The Fall’s humble beginnings as a learned, literary group of misanthropes in 1976, the one consistent factor of the band has been the insane rambling of legendary front man Mark E. Smith. Smith is known as an idiot, an asshole or a brilliant genius. Sometimes all three at once…
Today’s DVDs & Blu-rays: The Intouchables, Lay the Favorite, Ultramarines and a Duck Dynasty Season 2 Giveaway
Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano’s The Intouchables is a feel-good film with its heart in the right place, even if it covers very familiar territory. Based on a true story, the film follows an elderly wealthy Frenchman, Philippe (played to perfection by François Cluzet), who’s paralyzed from the neck down…
Voucher Bill Senator Backpedals, Denies Any Bill in Works
After months of preaches and promises on a potential voucher proposal during this legislative session, it appeared Sen. Dan Patrick had finally found a mark willing to sponsor a bill relating to his “Business Tax Scholarships.” As reported in The Rio Grande Guardian last Wednesday, Sen. Eddie Lucio, a Democrat…
El Patio Boasts the Other Blue Margarita in Town
Five years ago when I first started reading about food in Houston, two menu items kept coming up again and again in online reviews, chat forums, etc. The first item was the fajitas at the Original Ninfa’s on Navigation. The second was the famous blue margarita at El Patio. I’ve…
Rest in Peace: Nekst, a Video Tribute By His Brother, Vizie
Losing a family member is one of the most painful experiences that anyone could possibly live through. Losing a best friend at the same time is downright tragic. When Houston-raised world-famous graffiti artist Nekst passed away this past December, those who knew him and his extensive body of work felt…
Last Night: Styx at Reliant Stadium
Styx Reliant Stadium March 4, 2013 When Styx made the decision to open with “Blue Collar Man” last night at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, I couldn’t decide at first if the band was pandering to its anticipated crowd at something as common as a rodeo or being clever…
Here’s the Champion Artwork at the 2013 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Denisse Molina, who drew a picture of a cowboy getting his saddle ready for a day’s work, took top honors out of more than 300,000 pieces entered in this year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo School Art Awards this past weekend. The Pasadena ISD sophomore saw “Stowing the Riggins” named…
Putting Broken Eggshells Back in the Carton: Great or Gross?
I encountered a confusing phenomenon recently, and I need your help to sort it out: broken eggshells left in the carton, then put back into the refrigerator alongside the still-intact eggs. My buddy who does this — whose egg carton I found filled with ten empty eggshells, almost lovingly reconstructed,…
Here’s the Lowdown: The Boz Scaggs Interview, Part 1
From his earliest records and concerts to his most recent discs and tours with buddies Michael McDonald and Donald Fagen as the Dukes of September, Boz Scaggs has always shown a reverence for music history. That’s especially true for the old blues and R&B tunes he’d hear wafting over the…
Weather Week: It’s All Drought-y Out There
In case you hadn’t noticed, we haven’t had a lot of rain lately. Under most circumstances, that’s a good thing. We’ve had some seriously beautiful weather over the past week or two. And still, we need the rain. We may not be as dry as we were in 2011, when…
Pop Rocks: Cheer Up, Justin Bieber — Your Birthday Could’ve Been Worse
I’d have thought the worst possible thing about Justin Bieber turning 19 would be that nagging lack of body hair. How wrong I was: Justin Bieber was preparing for a “big night” on Friday as he celebrated turning 19, but it seems his party plans soon went south. “Worst birthday,”…
Sexual Orientation Questions at NFL Combine Spark Sports Radio Discussion, Create Welcome Distraction
I listen to a lot of sports talk radio. I listen to as much of the various hosts as possible across the five different stations that offer all-sports formats — yes, five; it’s insane. There are some shows and on-air talent I like better than others. We’re all like that,…
Zagat Survey Reveals: In Times of Turmoil, We Still Buy Coffee
A recent Zagat survey revealed that we still consume coffee even if the price of a cup of Joe continues to increase while our economy struggles to get back on its feet. In fact, the average American consumes 2.2 cups of coffee each day, according to the Zagat statistics. Although…
The Rocks Off 100: K-Rino, South Park Coalition’s Southside Maven
Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there, too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? K-Rino has been such…
The Incredible, Hilarious Memo on How to Make Texas Tech & Its Coach “Cool”: A Quiz
The guys at Deadspin have gotten their hands on a piece of comedy gold — a memo on how Texas Tech can make itself and its football coach, former Red Raider QB Kliff Kingsbury, into ultra-hip, highly cool icons that the kidz of today will flock to just so they…
Grand Admiral Thrawn: The Real Reason to Be Disappointed About Star Wars: Episode VII
Let me get this out of the way here before there is any confusion. I am nothing but ecstatic that Disney now has the rights to Star Wars. Yes, Disney makes some awful movies, and their live-action resume isn’t without some truly glaring turds like John Carter or Race to…
Chef Randy Evans Hosting the Iron Fork Competition at 2013 Menu of Menus®
In 2012, Menu of Menus® celebrated its tenth anniversary with a move into a stunning new space — Silver Street Station — with plenty of room for the thousands of guests that showed up and with the inaugural Iron Fork competition. Last year saw master chef Monica Pope hosting the…
Happy Birthday, Proclaimers! 5 Songs That AREN’T “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”
It’s likely that all you know of The Proclaimers is their single American hit, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).” Not that that is necessarily a bad thing. After all, that song is completely awesome, and if it’s good enough to send off David Tennant from Doctor Who, then it is…
The Most Incredible, Heartbreaking Buzzer Beater You’ll Ever See (w/ VIDEO)
Reason number 3,142 that living in the Internet age is awesome: Whereas back in the day, basketball fans were largely privy only to buzzer beaters during March Madness, NBA games and a random hand-filmed highlight from one of their local high school teams on the evening news, thanks to the…
Remembering Patsy Cline, 50 Years After Her Fatal Plane Crash
On March 5, 1963, country singers Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins died in a plane crash near Camden, Tennesee, about 90 miles west of Nashville. Around 6:20 p.m., their Piper Comanche PA-24 aircraft slammed into the ground, killing everyone on board instantly and leaving a six-foot-deep hole. Randy…
Cowboy Movies to Tide You Over When You Aren’t at RodeoHouston
So you’ve left RodeoHouston and you wish you could take some of that same vibe home with you, or back to the office. Never fear, we’ve found some great country-laden rodeo flicks for you to further your westernization. Remember, it doesn’t need to be rodeo season for you to enjoy…
Bigger Crawfish Are Here: A Roundup of Houston’s 10 Best Mudbug Spots
We’re at the part of the crawfish season when peeling becomes less laborious, where miniature-lobster-sized crustaceans replace the teensy mudbugs that filled your bucket just weeks ago. This is the perfect time to strap on a bib and stock up on moist towelettes for high-yield shell peeling. Since our local…
Rookie HPD Cop Shoots, Wounds Suspect a Month into the Job
Most cops can go their entire 20- or 30-year careers without firing a gun at someone in the line of duty. Houston police officer B. Russell Jr. wasn’t so lucky. They say wounding (or killing) a suspect can be a traumatic thing for a cop to go through, and Russell…
Texas Yoga Conference a Festival of Art, Music, Dance (and Yes, Yoga)
This year the Texas Yoga Conference celebrated its fourth anniversary, and its growing popularity allowed it to graduate to a conference space at the George R. Brown Convention Center. The three-day conference (March 1-3) offered local and visiting yogis the opportunity to experience yoga in its various incarnations as well…
Rockets Crush Mavs: 44-Point Third Buries Dallas, Probably Ruins Playoff Chances
It’s never a bad thing when, in one night, you can absolutely destroy a Dallas sports franchise on the floor and, for all practical purposes, ruin their chances of making the playoffs. Given that the Rockets haven’t beaten the Mavericks in nine straight tries leading up to last night’s win…
Rocks Off’s Rodeo Concert Guide for “Bros”: Styx
The Rocks Off Rodeo Concert Guide is our annual helpful(?) primer for those of you unsure about your HLSR music choices for the big event at Reliant Stadium. Date: March 4 Name: Styx AKA: “I guess the Monsters of Rock cruise didn’t require their assistance this year.”…
Last Night: Austin Mahone and Demi Lovato at Reliant Stadium
Demi Lovato, Austin Mahone Reliant Stadium March 3, 2013 I’m determined to make it through this entire review without unleashing my sailor mouth, so bear with me as I use words like “heck” and “darn.” I know; it’s strange for me, too, but this review is about a tween heartthrob…
Tuesday Trivia Night at Underdogs Brings Crowds and Craft Infusion
Troy Witherspoon, owner of new beer-based food truck Craft Infusion, said that partnering up with fellow newcomer Underdogs was as natural a pairing for him as food and beer. Underdogs is one of the most interesting new craft beer bars in Houston, a welcoming space with a dog-friendly policy that’s…
(UPDATED) Turn Those Tables: Wayne Dolcefino Runs for the Katy School Board
Wayne Dolcefino spent many years at KTRK digging out misdeeds by such elected officials as school board members. Now that he no longer has a job at Channel 13, he’s turning the tables — he is running to become a school board member in Katy. We’ve heard Wayne called a…
Dynamo Win Season Opener, Await Mexican Opposition
DC United headed into this past Saturday night’s matchup against the Houston Dynamo knowing two things… One, the Dynamo have yet to lose against MLS opposition at BBVA Compass Stadium. And two, United has never won in Houston, going a combined 0-7-1 lifetime in the Bayou City. So without suspended…
John Cage and the Burden of Choice
If there’s one word John Cage is associated with, it’s chance. It’s crucial to the experience of his signature work, the silent composition 4’33”, as well as his process in a variety of mediums. Cage relied on chance in the composition of both his music and his visual artwork, something…
Saturday Night: Brantley Gilbert at Reliant Stadium
Brantley Gilbert Reliant Stadium March 2, 2013 The specter of Honey Boo Boo hovered over Brantley Gilbert Saturday at RodeoHouston. If one single human being apart from the not-so-pint-sized TLC reality star embodies the word “redneckognize,” it’s the man responsible for the song “Kick It In the Sticks.” It’s a…
Breaking Breakfast: Burger King Bacon Gouda Sandwich
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day by a factor of about a million. I used to be one of those “I can’t eat first thing in the morning” people, but I trained myself to be a breakfast eater (it’s so much healthier, you guys — seriously) and now…
Want to Help an Awesome Dog Who Was Nearly Burned to Death?
First, the bad news: Some unfathomable a-hole set a dog on fire last week. Now, the good news: Thanks to some kick-ass animal lovers in Houston, he was rescued from the streets, given top-notch emergency medical care and now has a good prognosis. The good news comes with a price…
10 Music Films at SXSW That You Don’t Wanna Miss
Well, it’s SXSW time again, friends, and you know what that means: dashing around Austin all day, drinking until our eyebrows fall out and doing our best to stick to pre-planned schedules intended to maximize the amount of live music that we can cram into our ear canals before passing…
How to Write a Hit Musical On the Anniversary of Always…Patsy Cline at Stages
There are as many ways to write a hit musical as there are playwrights. Cole Porter sometimes gathered collaborators for a world cruise – he wrote Begin the Beguine on the Cunard liner Franconia in 1935 – between Indonesia and Fiji. Chorus Line began when dancers gathered at New York’s…
5 Corned Beef Dishes to Try Just in Time for St. Paddy’s Day
March is finally here and that means St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. Besides celebrating this Irish holiday with lots of alcohol and green-colored food, corned beef is a staple item during this time of year. Don’t just settle for a regular corned beef hash or corned beef…
Punk! Rock! Comedy! Slays at Mangos
Mixing punk rock and comedy may not seem like a sane idea, but if you were at Mango’s last night, then you know that it is. The Montrose club played host to “Bukowski Lives! A Night of Drunken Headliners!” which was an exclusive four show comedy tour that only came…
Saturday Night: Coheed and Cambria at Bayou Music Center
Coheed and Cambria, Between the Buried and Me, Russian Circles Bayou Music Center March 2, 2013 The last time Coheed and Cambria came through town, they were opening for Iron Maiden at The Woodlands. I’d never really considered Coheed to inhabit the same universe as those heavy-metal gods; their music…
Burgers Off the Beaten Path: Taqueria Taconmadre
For a taqueria slinging al pastor tacos, there’s a disarmingly small-town Americana vibe at Taqueria Taconmadre. This isn’t the bright green Taconmadre bus that many Houstonians visit regularly for their fix of breadbox-sized burritos, but the bright orange taqueria on Edgebrook just outside South Houston. Consequently, it’s not the burritos…
Foul Balls, Philosophy and Baseball Gods: Notes from the Houston College Classic
Six teams. Three days. Nine games. Seventy-one innings, give or take a couple here and there. So was The Astros Foundation 2013 College Classic. And after sitting through all nine games and three days, it’s safe to say that this weekend was anything but a classic of college baseball. Most…
Cowboy Diaries 2013: Morgan Wilde, Performs Jumping Jacks in the Hall Before Riding Horses
True cowboys are hard to find, but not at the Houston Rodeo. Life on the road leads them here this time every year for the biggest rodeo in the world, where they’ll ride and wrangle livestock for cash and glory. Each day, Hair Balls will spotlight one person with enough…
Dragonflies Take Over the Museum of Printing History
When you think of the word “dragonfly,” what comes to mind? Does it evoke the feeling of exploration? The dragonfly buzzes to and fro, wherever it wants to go; it is free. The dragonfly is an odd insect as it falls into that limited category of insects that humans enjoy,…
Friday Night: Mary J. Blige at Reliant Stadium
Mary J. Blige Reliant Stadium March 1, 2013 Watching Mary J. Blige’s bravura Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo performance Friday night brought to mind the old, old Hollywood saying about Ginger Rogers doing everything Fred Astaire did, except in high heels and backwards. (Kids, ask grandma or just Google it.)…
What’s Cooking This Week? Asparagus & Mozzarella-Topped Chicken & More
I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don’t make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredient’s I’ve bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter…
Gays in the Boy Scouts: Texas Elected Officials Are Signing on to Say Hell No
A conservative group called “Texas Values” is taking a new approach in the battle to make sure that no Lone Star boy scout ever, ever gets cooties from being near a gay person — the group is circulating a letter urging the Boy Scouts of America to reject gay scouts,…
Best Comics of February: Classic Doctor Who Returns and So Does… Vibe? Really?
Once a month the amazing staff at 8th Dimension Comics selects a pile of the best new releases for us to peruse and judge. Star Wars: In the Shadow of Yavin #2:While we all wait impatiently for Episode VII to become reality, do take a few moments to check out…
Top 5 Grocery Products I Wish Existed In Real Life
In a world that contains dulce de leche Cheerios, peppermint patty-flavored coffee creamer and vegan mayonnaise, it’s hard to imagine needing, let alone wanting, greater variety in foodstuffs. Yet still I do. Here are my top products I wish actually could be bought in a supermarket. 5. Cashew Butter Ritz…
RodeoHouston Hops on “Harlem Shake” Bandwagon
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo doesn’t stay so successful by not keeping up with the times. So before each of this year’s evening concerts, you can watch a bunch of people who work at the rodeo gyrating to the latest real-life Internet meme, the “Harlem Shake.” Last week a…
Joe Flacco Has a New Contract: Next Big Thing or Next Cautionary Tale?
On December 16, the Baltimore Ravens lost their third game in a row, 34-17 to the Denver Broncos in Baltimore to drop to 9-5 on the season and virtually clinch a relatively ho-hum four seed in the AFC. On that day, their starting quarterback, Joe Flacco, completed 20 passes on…
The Best Concerts in Houston This Week: Tianna Hall, Tom Russell, Bruno Mars, etc.
Tianna Hall Sambuca, March 4 You could argue that Tianna Hall is the best jazz singer in all of Houston. I mean, you could argue against it, too, but it’s like arguing that the moon landing was faked. Her smoky voice is a fine mix of skill and improvised magic,…
Houston Ballet Concludes Run of Magical La Bayadere
The Set-Up: This past weekend, Houston Ballet concluded its run of Stanton Welch’s La Bayadére (The Temple Dancer). The seven-performance engagement marked the second time the company has performed this extravagant story ballet set in Rajah-era India. The Execution: Watching La Bayadere is like watching a Victorian storybook come to…
H-E-B Plans New Galleria-Area Store; More Apartments Torn Down to Make Way
In 2010, Montrose residents were upset to find out that the languishing Wilshire Village apartment complex, built in the 1940s, were scheduled for demolition after Texas grocery giant H-E-B purchased the large parcel of land at Dunlavy and West Alabama. Later that year, West University residents were upset to find…
Wozzeck: An Unblinking Journey Through Hell on Earth
The setup: When you find out that Alban Berg’s opera masterwork Wozzeck (1925) is playing in a concert version at the Houston Symphony, you’re first impression is hardly to jump up and down and clap your hands, “Oh, goodie; quick, let’s go hear Berg!” Berg’s opus is difficult work, hard…
Michael Morton: Cleared of Murder By DNA, Bill Would Extend Time He Could Sue Over Prosecutor Misconduct
Imagine being accused and convicted of killing your wife and being stuck in a jail cell and missing out on Michael Jordan, Y2K and Avatar. It must suck, especially when you didn’t do it and there are others driving around in their white Broncos and writing books on how if…
Houston Makes Great Strides in Selling Its Own Music Scene
A few months ago, Rocks Off wrote an article expressing our surprise and disappointment at the paucity of musical content on the City of Houston’s tourism site, visithoustontexas.com, the Texas-friendly smiling face it officially presents to the Web and thus the world. There wasn’t much at all, just a few…
The Second Annual Go Pig! Or Go Home! Throwdown Is Coming This April
“Go pig! Or go home!” That is the gauntlet that has been thrown, and the challenge, the question, the machismo duel that will pit 23 of Houston’s most prominent chefs in a challenge to create Houston’s most supreme incarnation of a suckling pig. The second annual event is scheduled for…
UPDATED Promoter Sues Owners of Club Where Jay-Z, Beyonce, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade Celebrated All-Star Weekend
A group called All Pro Management is suing the owners of Rich’s, where Jay-Z (aka Mr. Beyoncé Knowles) hosted an NBA All-Star par-tay, accusing them of cheating All Pro out of proceeds from liquor sales. The promoters claimed to have paid $25,000 to host the event, according to the Courthouse…
Man of la Mancha: TUTS Scores a Fresh, Inspired Take on a Classic Hero’s Tale
Check out our interview with TUTS Artistic Director Bruce Lumpkin and choreographer Michelle Gaudette. The set-up: The eponymous hero of this musical classic, Man of la Mancha, which played on Broadway for almost six years (winning Tony awards for Best Musical, Composer and Lyricist, Actor, Director, and Set Design), is…
Last Night: Zac Brown Band at Reliant Stadium
Zac Brown Band Reliant Stadium February 28, 2013 I knew I was going to be a fan of the Zac Brown Band back in May 2012, when just hours after the Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch succumbed to cancer, the group came onstage at New Orleans’s Jazz Fest to the strains…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Joe Macri of Up Restaurant and His Melting Pot of Cuisines
This is Part 3 of a three-part Chef Chat series. If you missed the previous posts, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. This week we chatted with Joe Macri of Up Restaurant, finding out about his Italian roots and his quick decision to leave the East…
Cheyenne: The Week in Art 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…
More Concrete Coming on SH 288: 26-Mile Toll Road to Pearland
Hey Pearland!!! You are about to either a) enter a bright new day of easy commuting to downtown Houston, or b) add to our area’s smog problem via the addition of more concrete laid down for the rich to use while the less well-off suffer. It’s a matter of perspective,…
Community: Who Are the Real Nazis?
I was pleased to see that the study group of Greendale Community College was back this week where they belong, walking the halls of their dysfunctional scholastic home. And while this week’s episode was on its way back to form, there was something lacking. The jokes were there but not…
Rocks Off’s Rodeo Concert Guide For “Bros”: Mary J. Blige
The Rocks Off Rodeo Concert Guide is our annual helpful(?) primer for those of you unsure about your HLSR music choices for the big event at Reliant Stadium. Date: March 1 Name: Mary J. Blige AKA: “Damn, we sure have a lot of white men on the concert calendar this…
McDonald’s Fish McBites: Crispy, Tender Poppers
As a kid, I loved fish sticks and couldn’t get enough of them. So the Fish McBites caught my eye the first time I saw an advertisement for them. These crispy fried balls of fish seemed to be just like fish sticks, but in a bite-size tater-tot form. I couldn’t…
Boom Goes the Astros’ Dynamic Pricing Model: Get Ready to Shell Out the Big Bucks
Are you an Astros fan? Do you love going to Opening Day? Do you have a good credit score? Well, if you want to attend this Opening Day against the Texas Rangers, you better have a fantastic credit score because you’re going to need to get a bank loan to…
Upcoming Events: Last Supper at Fratelli’s Authentic Italian Cuisine Restaurant
Have you been looking for a reason to make it down to Guru Burgers & Crepes in Sugar Land? Been meaning to check out Open the Taps and help the non-profit support craft beer-friendly legislation in Texas? Just want the first sip of the newest Saint Arnold brew? You can…
Heard of “Screwmbia”? Royal Highness Will Show You at Bombón
In the world of Latin rhythms, a new duo is making noise with a combination of cumbia and various electronic dance genres. Royal Highness consists of youngster Svani Quintanilla and veteran turntablist Luis Espada. Svani is from Corpus Christi, and is the nephew of the late Queen of Tejano music,…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Jack the Giant Slayer
Title: Jack the Giant Slayer Heh, for a Second That Looked Like Giant “Slater.” Such a fate Elizabeth Berkley doesn’t even deserve. Or maybe she does. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant to the Film: Three sheep out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: A young farmer named Jack aquires magic beans,…
Last Night: Dropkick Murphys at House of Blues
Dropkick Murphys House of Blues February 28, 2013 If you happened to lose your wooden leg last night at House of Blues, it’s pretty understandable. I mean, it was a Dropkick Murphys show, after all. No one expected anything tame. The crowd was riled up well before the band took…
Top Five Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Bless the Orange Show, C. Robert Cargill, “Guitar Art” by Pen Morrison and More
The Orange Show’s media and marketing guru, Jonathan Beitler, explains the annual Bless the Orange Show performance, one of our choices for Friday, this way: “It’s a way for the Orange Show to cleanse the stage after the last performances, renew the space and make sure we have a good…
Faking It: Make Your Own McDonald’s Shamrock Shake at Home
Springtime and St. Patrick’s Day are just around the corner. Take one look at the McDonald’s menu and you will realize that it is indeed that time of year — the Shamrock Shake is back. This bright green minty-vanilla milkshake has been offered around St. Patrick’s Day since the ’70s. I…
Cowboy Diaries 2013: Stevi Hillman, Hospital Worker and Girl Horse Trainer By Day
True cowboys are hard to find, but not at the Houston Rodeo. Life on the road leads them here this time every year for the biggest rodeo in the world, where they’ll ride and wrangle livestock for cash and glory. Each day, Hair Balls will spotlight one person with enough…
The Wave Builds: Now the City of Gonzales Nullifies Federal Gun Statutes, They Think
Two weeks ago, League City became the first Texas town to nullify federal gun statutes. It was clear from the beginning, however, that it would not be the last. Numerous municipals legislators had contacted the town’s City Council for advice. A dozen other cities had reached out for a copy…
Getting to Know Nine Inch Nails All Over Again Through Ancient YouTube Footage
With the coming return of Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails to the touring and recording grind, fan excitement is at a high. It’s almost as high as it was when NIN finally followed up the massive Downward Spiral with The Fragile double disc in 1999, or when they returned again…
See Roscoe Mitchell Play a Saxophone for 10 Minutes Straight, Without Breathing, During His Houston Residency
If you’re going to make a career out of playing a not-always-well-received genre of music, one must link with like-minded musicians, says avant-garde woodwind player and Art Ensemble of Chicago member Roscoe Mitchell, who continues to experience financial and artistic success by playing and composing creative, original music…
Weaponized Bacon Unofficial Theme at Rodeo’s 2013 Gold Buckle Foodie Awards
Yesterday afternoon, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo held its annual Gold Buckle Foodie Awards in which the dozens of carnival food vendors enter their yearly over-the-top culinary creations to be judged by a ravenous pit of on-air media personalities and journalists. “I’ve been doing this five years and I…
The 12 Finest Trees in Texas: A Photo Tour of the State’s Pretty, Historic, Beloved Live Oaks & More
Texans love their trees, whether they’re being used for climbing, for getting some desperately needed August shade or as easy-to-remember landmarks for locals making plans to meet each other. To be sure, there are some less peaceful uses of trees in Texas history: lynching, sniping, chaining people to trunks. But…
Five Art Masterworks That Should Be Metal Album Covers
It’s not often that you get the opportunity to combine masterpieces of painting and metal. It’s not completely unfounded, considering Guns N’ Roses copped from Raphael’s School of Athens for the cover of their Use Your Illusion set. But it’s rare, like mixing pro wrestling and classical literature. But if…
100 Creatives 2013: Alicia DiRago, Whimseybox Founder Bringing Craft to the Masses
What She Does Alicia DiRago is the founder of Dismount Creative, a crafting blog and community that she started three years ago after moving to Houston from Chicago with her husband for his work/ In Chicago, DiRago worked as a chemical engineer, and thought for sure she’d find work easily…
Health Department Roundup: Ruchi’s, Truluck’s and Bald Guys Shedding in Your Food
Chicks dig the long ball, no doubt. But would you rather have Adam Dunn’s power-hitting, possibly-actually-mentally-handicapped ass striking out 200 times a year, or, say, the legendary consistency of Tony Gwynn? When it comes to health inspections, Ruchi’s is Gwynn, without a doubt. The taqueria chain regularly runs into issues…
Texas A&M Gives Kevin Sumlin a Nice, Big Raise
So how much are an 11-2 record, a Heisman Trophy, a win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa, a Cotton Bowl rout of Oklahoma and a top ten recruiting class worth? Well, if Kevin Sumlin’s new contract that he inked earlier this week with Texas A&M is any indicator (and really, it’s…
The Best Concerts in Houston This Weekend: JD McPherson, Drew Ireland Benefit, etc.
JD McPherson Continental Club, March 1 Tickets are already getting scarce for one JD McPherson, who is rapidly rising out of obscurity via Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. McPherson came by his bopping R&B/rockabilly sound honestly, by studying vintage labels such as Vee-Jay and Specialty, and then working his love of the…
Openings & Closings: The Big Sleep for The Big Mamou
Earlier this week, Eating…Our Words got the scoop on a few upcoming openings to keep an eye on, starting with the new Fat Cat Creamery ice cream parlor opening this summer in the Heights. Owners Jarvis and Sarah Johnston plan to sell eight flavors of their popular hand-packed ice cream,…
Tina Fey’s Next Chapter, Hopefully It’s Not a Bunch of Rom-Coms
Even three weeks after the finale of 30 Rock, I still have a heavy heart over the fact that I will never see a new episode of one of my favorite sitcoms ever again. There will never be another lesson in how to overcome your feelings by Jack Donaghy, never…
Burglars, Don’t Let the Homeowner Disable His Own Alarm System If There’s a Panic Button on It
We have to think that pure laziness played a part in the botched burglary in Humble yesterday morning. Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office received a panic-button alarm from a home in the 6400 block of Ackley Drive about 4 a.m. Wednesday. How did they get that panic alarm?…
Nosaprise Opens His Book of the Dead Vol. 1
You have to hand it to Nosaprise. although you can’t help worrying a little, too. This month the Houston rapper/musician’s grownup job as an arts teacher presented an opportunity for him to attend a lecture in Nigeria — travel expenses paid — and he stuck around to visit family and…
The 10 Weirdest Members of Congress: Yes, Texas Is Well-Represented
Picking the ten weirdest members of Congress is a tough, tough job. Not because they’re thin on the ground, of course; it’s more a case of how the hell do you cut it down to ten? Voice Media Group’s Caleb Hannan was willing to tackle the assignment, thankfully, and he…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Joe Macri of Up Restaurant, On Why He Still Likes to Cook on the Line and Serving Sustainable Food with Minimal Allergens
This is Part 2 of a three-part Chef Chat series. You can read Part 1 here and Part 3 in this same space Friday. EOW: What brought you to Up Restaurant? JM: I wasn’t used to a very strict type of cuisine. My creativity just wasn’t being fed. The Mandolas…
Last Night: Alan Jackson at Reliant Stadium
Alan Jackson Reliant Stadium February 27, 2013 As part of RodeoHouston’s Armed Forces Appreciation Day Wednesday night, the U.S. Air Force rappel team glided down from the roof of Reliant Stadium carrying a giant American flag. This was before the short, standard fireworks show that still makes me drool like…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Movie Theaters (With and Without Dinner)
Before we start the list, we want to make a few things clear. Our concept of “best” isn’t just the fanciest or the most plush. We’re evaluating the overall movie-going experience, not the building. We looked at several factors, including crowds, physical setting, cost, concessions (having full in-theater service wasn’t…
The Americans: “If I Wanted to Deal with Him, You Don’t Think He’d Be Dealt with?”
One thing FX’s The Americans is really excelling at is its nuanced portrayal of the show’s female characters. While this week made it seem like Phillip and Agent Beeman were fumbling around trying to figure out how to deal with the women in their lives (Elizabeth and Nina — and…
Van School District: Votes to Arm Some Employees, One of Whom Gets Shot During Training Session
The East Texas school district for the town of Van watches the news (Fox, we’re guessing sure) and they know that it’s time to arm themselves against the hordes of shooters trying to attack schools everywhere. So the school board voted last month to arm some employees, such as janitors,…
Five Ways to Use Those Tomatoes “on the Verge”
We purchase an inordinate number of tomatoes, at an alarming rate, on a weekly basis. We never learn our lesson, because we adore tomatoes so very much and we are (apparently) incapable of showing restraint. We buy tomatoes on the vine, we buy heirlooms at the market, we buy cherry…
Rocks Off’s Rodeo Concert Guide for “Bros”: Zac Brown Band
The Rocks Off Rodeo Concert Guide is our annual helpful(?) primer for those of you unsure about your HLSR music choices for the big event at Reliant Stadium. Date: February 28 Name: Zac Brown Band AKA: “That guy with the beanie.”…
Houston Bike-Sharing Program Sets Date for Expansion to Montrose, Museum District
For the past year, downtown Houstonians have been able to take part in a bike-sharing program called BCycle where they could pick up or drop off bikes at three locations. Now the program is expanding to Montrose, Midtown, the Museum District and a whole lot more sites downtown. Will Rub,…
The Breadth of the Brownie Bowl
About a month ago, I assembled a list of what I considered to be the five best brownies to be had in Houston. Absent from the list were any of the many brownie varieties available at The Brownie Bowl, whose owner wistfully commented: I hope to make it on this…
Austin-Based C. Robert Cargill’s Debut Novel, Dreams and Shadows, Is Getting Big Buzz
The first run for debut author C. Robert Cargill’s fantasy novel, Dreams and Shadows, is 40,000, an incredible number for a new writer. (In comparison, the first run of an upcoming book by Tolkien, the only one he ever wrote about King Arthur, is 50,000.) We ask Cargill if he’s…
Ask Willie D: My Wife Wants My Ex Gone
Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off’s advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about, in his own words, “funny, serious or unpredictable.” Something on your mind? Ask Willie D! ROCK AND A HARD PLACE Willie D, my wife becomes really negative when I talk on the…
Follow the Money: Financial Reports Released on Alvarado, Garcia on Eve of Runoff
Mom always said you are known by the company you keep, but in the world of politics you’re known by the contributors who keep you. Texans for Public Justice was out with the contributors list in that runoff duel between former Rep. Carol Alvarado and former Commissioner Sylvia Garcia for…
Battle Fast-Food Fish Sandwich: Which One Should You Have During Lent?
With fish being a choice food throughout the 40 days of Lent, many fast-food chain restaurants have added a fish sandwich to their menus, or at least brought them back. I decided to try five fish sandwiches and determine which ones are the best based on overall quality, taste and…
A Few Good Men: A Courtroom Thriller and Character Study at the Alley Theatre
Audiences are making a mistake if they think A Few Good Men is a courtroom thriller and nothing more, says Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd. “Its provenance certainly lies in the tradition of courtroom drama and murder mysteries on the one hand — and it’s a ripplingly good exemplar…
FPSF Adds Dozens More Acts, Many Locals
After the 2013 Free Press Summer Festival headliners leaked Wednesday night, this morning the festival sent out an email with a few dozen more names, including many local performers. Rewind: Free Press Summer Fest ’13 Announces Postal Service, Stooges, Cat Power, TV On the Radio, Social D, Geto Boys, Calvin…
Pop Rocks: Can Dancing with the Porn Stars Be That Far Off?
ABC announced the latest lineup of contestants for the 16th installment of Dancing with the Stars last Tuesday. The semi-annual unveiling brings with it the usual questions, such as, “How the hell have they had 16 seasons of this show?” And, “Are they using any actual ‘stars’ this time around?”…
Cowboy Diaries 2013: Seth Childers, Rodeoing and Daddying
True cowboys are hard to find, but not at the Houston Rodeo. Life on the road leads them here this time every year for the biggest rodeo in the world, where they’ll ride and wrangle livestock for cash and glory. Each day, Hair Balls will spotlight one person with enough…
The Rocks Off 100: DJ Candlestick, One Niceguy and a Very Busy DJ
Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there, too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? “My name is DJ…
The 9 Best White Russians in Houston, in Honor of Saturday’s Lebowski Fest
Jeff Bridges’ character, known as The Dude, drinks nine White Russians — his signature cocktail — throughout the course of cult classic film The Big Lebowski. Whether you consider the cocktail to be endemic to only two populations — alcoholics or hipsters, as the New York Times wrote of the…
Islamic Indoctrination Comes to Texas, and Heads Straight for Ninth-Grade Girls
Despite our best efforts, it seems Islamism has finally managed to worm its way into East Texas. These small towns dotting the eastern forests, lands heretofore known simply for Friday Night Lights and Christian piety — the kinds of places that make up Real America, don’tcha know — have finally…
Fat Cat Creamery Opening an Ice Cream Parlor in the Heights
Supplicant prayers to the food gods were answered more quickly than usual this week, as Fat Cat Creamery announced plans to open a full-service ice cream parlor just two days after Joanna O’Leary’s plea for an old-fashioned, over-the-top ice cream shop in Houston. For years, the Fat Cat Creamery has…
Signed in Blood: 7 Life Lessons from a Dropkick Murphy
The Dropkick Murphys may need no introduction. For 16 years now, they’ve been thrashing out their Celtic punk sound, solidifying their status as Boston legends in their own right. Deemed Fenway Park’s unofficial house band, the Murphys are now headlining their own St. Patty’s Day tour, putting on a two-day…
Preserving Houston in Photo Mashups: Houston Press’s Abrahán Garza on PBS W/ VIDEO
Houston Press front desk receptionist Abrahán Garza is also an avid photographer. His mashups of old postcards and photographs with the city of Houston as it is now, have been presented several times on our blogs at houstonpress.com. He also scored a cover photo for us not too long ago…
Biggest Loser v 7.0 — Sacramento Kings Guard Tyreke Evans
Overall, it’s turned into kind of a slow sports week, which I guess is to be expected as we are in the dreaded “post-NFL combine, pre-March Madness dead period.” Add in the fact that the Rockets have seemingly been on a second All-Star break this week (haven’t played since Saturday),…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Restaurant Patios
Patio dining in Houston isn’t quite the rage it is in more temperate cities. In fact, even cities like Chicago — which arguably enjoys the same amount, perhaps even less, of patio-appropriate weather as we do — seem to clamor for outdoor dining more than Houston does. Despite that fact,…
Happy Rare Disease Day! 5 Musicians with Odd Ailments
Like all good people, I want to kick cancer in the dick, but I will say one thing for the bastard: When you’re as widespread and horrible an attack on the human body as cancer is, you at least leave behind you a network of survivors, support groups, foundations and…
So You Want to Get into Amateur Porn? (sNSFW)
Houston Press readers may recognize the name of Zachary Byron Helm as the mind behind one of our favorite (and frustratingly unfinished) Web films, The League of Extraordinary Industrial Retards. He also made possibly the best indie comic short film adaptation of all time when he turned KC Green’s Skull…
Weep for David Duchovny’s Penis: On the Terribleness of Californication, Season 6
Honestly, when it started six years ago, Californication was provocative, ballsy and fun, with laugh-out-loud dialogue and plenty of smart musings about love, sex, family and responsibility. Over five seasons, antihero Hank Moody (David Duchovny) has drunk and fucked his way through a series of Hollywood writing jobs, all the…
21 & Over Just Dares You to Get Offended
Guy humor is always with us, kind of like the poor. For as long as cavemen have been etching fart jokes into the walls of caves, women have been rolling their eyes, as they didn’t yet have the language tools to whip up outraged essays for Jezebel. Still, given the…
Molly Flogs Houston
I wish I were Irish, and so does half of Houston, apparently, judging by the February 17 sold-out Flogging Molly concert at the House of Blues. Flogging Molly, L.A.’s seven-person Celtic punk band, blend traditional Celtic, Irish and folk with ridiculously loud and boisterous punk music to create a sound…
Praise the Lord and Pass the Pints
Restaurant News Just 24 months ago, making a list of Houston’s ten best beer bars would have been far easier. Since that time, not only have a ton of new beer bars opened up, many places have elevated their game. In fact, our rough draft for this list boasted more…
Illegal vs Legal…Again.
Dear Mexican, You mentioned in the past that your Dad is against illegal immigration, but that’s a voice you never hear. Why aren’t the legal immigrants and legal aliens “vocally outraged” about the illegals who drive down wages, drive up housing prices, use government services, give all immigrants a bad…
Capsule Stage Reviews: The First Church of Texaco, God of Carnage, The Language Archive, Paradise Hotel
The First Church of Texaco A corporate tycoon returns to his roots in an abandoned gas station in Blessing, Texas, and hires the local librarian to be his secretary, while fighting a hostile takeover of his corporation, and the librarian uses him as surrogate pastor for the community. The tycoon…
Hotel ZaZa’s Hidden Dungeon
Highlights from Hair Balls Texas Spaced City Hair Balls is kinda flipping out over online pics purporting to show a secret, mysterious room at Hotel ZaZa with concrete floors, a bed chained to the wall, a giant skull-and-bones painting and a portrait of a dude who looks a lot like…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Greg Miller: Over Time,” “Janice Jakielski: Constructing Solitude,” “Joshua Goode: Origin of Myth,” “Lisa Ludwig: Black Black Forest,” “Maggie Taylor: No Ordinary Days”
“Greg Miller: Over Time” Greg Miller often gets grouped with the Shepard Faireys and Banksys of the art world, though what the post-pop artist does is quite the opposite of the famed street artists. Miller doesn’t go out and tag walls (he considers himself “something of an environmentalist,” he says…
The Ten Weirdest Members of Congress
By just about any measure, Congress is at its lowest point in history. Only 9 percent of the country has a favorable view of the 535 men and women who make up the bicameral body. One poll even revealed that they’re less popular than cockroaches, traffic jams and that ultimate…
Dumplings to Die for at Charivari
See how Chef Schuster sears that fine foie gras at Charivari in this week’s slideshow. I was 14 years old when I fell head over heels in love with spaetzle. It was during a trip to Austria, touring around with a symphony orchestra during my years as a violist, where…
Picasso in Black and White
Do we really need another Picasso show? Maybe, maybe not. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston thinks so and has shelled out untold amounts of money to bring “Picasso Black and White” from the Guggenheim to Houston. The organizational premise of “Picasso Black and White,” which is curated by Carmen…
Fee-Fi-Fo-Fun
To paraphrase Stephen Sondheim, there are big, tall, terrible, fleshy, bulbous-headed giants in the sky in Jack the Giant Slayer. And what would a big-budget, mildly revisionist, 3-D spin on “Jack and the Beanstalk” be if those fearsome beasties didn’t somehow make it down to sea level, where a storybook…
Kiss Kiss Ho Hum
There’s a reason, beyond basic Judd Apatow oversaturation, that hardly anyone went to see his mewl of middle-aged despair This Is 40. A movie about a marriage already in progress — as opposed to one about a marriage just waiting to happen, the province of the romantic comedy — is…
