10 Rock and Metal Replacements That Actually Worked
Sometimes it seems like music history has seen as many replacement band members as there are bands, because precious few groups have been able to keep their original lineup intact for any significant length of time. Those that do are not only an anomaly, but can miss out on important collaborations and…
Gary Puckett and the Union Gap Know Love Is a Battlefield
While the radio airwaves of the late ‘60s were rife with soft-rockin’ tunes about love and the relations between the sexes, for some reason the many hits for Gary Puckett and the Union Gap somehow seemed a little more…adult. Maybe it was Puckett’s distinctive, deep, manly man-sounding voice. Or maybe it…
“Honoring Olivewood” Pays Respect to Historic African American Cemetery
“Olivewood is a living cemetery,” says Margott Williams. In the springtime, Williams walks through the grassy, flora filled graveyard, home to her great-grandparents, grandfather, and uncles as well as hawks, plump rabbits and a coyote. Stepping into the “Honoring Olivewood” photograph exhibit is like stepping into Olivewood itself, says Kasey…
Stormy Cooper Media: Texas Country’s Best-Kept Secret
Stormy Cooper didn’t set out to become a music producer, at least not professionally. As a teenager, he started playing bass guitar and hanging out with musicians, which is generally a sure-fire way to find yourself on the road to success or disaster. In high school, he started playing around…
I Thought Houston’s Music Scene Sucked…Not Anymore
When I moved to Houston last summer, everybody told me the music scene sucked. And it wasn’t that hard to believe. I was already borderline horrified by the lack of touring bands stopping in Houston for the next couple months. It didn’t help when my new friend’s boyfriend informed me…
Super Bowl 50 — Cam Newton: “If We’re at Our Best, We Will Win”
I don’t know if we call this an advancement or merely a change, but with the Super Bowl coming to Houston next season, one of the things we now need to be prepared for is that Media Day is now a made-for-television prime time event. For the first time, last…
Michael Moore Celebrates Being in a Political Majority — and the White-Dude Minority
Three years ago, Michael Moore wrapped up a TV interview about the Sandy Hook massacre and asked the producers to leave him alone. “You guys call me every time there’s a school shooting,” he sighed. He had, after all, made Bowling for Columbine, which blasted the NRA and the nightly…
American Crime Story’s O.J. Retelling Is a Devastating Tale About Politicizing Justice
The queasiest thing about American Crime Story’s (FX) retelling of the 1995 O.J. Simpson murder trial is how easily such a flagrant miscarriage of justice could happen all over again. The twin forces that most warped that case, after all, still plague us today: a tabloid culture that reduces flesh-and-blood…
Budding Pop Diva Jess Glynne Shows Warehouse Live the Meaning of Joy
Jess Glynne Warehouse Live February 1, 2016 As Jess Glynne smiled and brought up the polished silver mike to belt out one of her pop hits Monday night, the tattooed word “Joy” was displayed to the crowd gazing at her intently. Researcher and storyteller Brené Brown (one of Houston’s greatest treasures),…
This Week in Houston Food Blogs: An Upscale Eatery Earns Approval of Barbecue Critic
This week, we’ve got restaurant reviews from some Houston hotspots, such as Dish Society and Provisions, as well as a few unusual recipes to spice up your repertoire, like a universally-appealing chocolate pie recipe. Hank on Food visited Black & White, 1001 Studewood, and gave it straight A’s in every…
Rothenberg Channels Passion for Proust to Create Multimedia Production
We all have favorite authors, but when Da Camera of Houston’s pianist and artistic director Sarah Rothenberg realized she had created an actual “Proust tower” in her home, with volumes in multiple languages, she knew she had to find a way to take that stack of books by and about…
Viacom Sues Houston Firm, Says It Can’t Use The Krusty Krab Name From SpongeBob SquarePants
The mass media giant Viacom is suing a small Houston investment company — unhappy that the business wants to name two yet-to-be-built restaurants “The Krusty Krab,” after a restaurant in the Spongebob Squarepants cartoon. Javier Ramos of IJR Capital Investments, in turn, says Viacom waited too long — it didn’t…
Make Texas Look Good or Kiss Those Incentive Funds Goodbye
Like a lot of people, some Texas officials didn’t like the 2010 movie Machete. Which isn’t exactly surprising, considering the movie’s about a violent knife-wielding Mexican federalist who tries to assassinate an immigrant-hating Texas senator. So when governor-appointed members of the Texas Film Commission saw the Machete, they pulled the plug on millions…
Ted Cruz Had a Very Good Night in Iowa
When the New York Times calls you “a giant-killer,” you know you’ve had a pretty good night. Ted Cruz bet big on Iowa as the only major GOP candidate to personally troll all 99 of the state’s individual counties for votes before the caucuses. And on Monday night it paid…
Upcoming: Acid Mothers Temple, Black Joe Lewis, Grandmaster Flash, L7, Smashing Pumpkins, True Widow, Weezer, Etc.
Note: events in bold reflect highly recommended shows. 8th Wonder 3rd Anniversary: With Black Joe Lewis, The Hot 8 Brass Band, Walker Lukens Music, Fat Tony, Say Girl Say, Khruangbin, The Waxaholics, DJ Gonz. Sat., March 12, noon, $30 to $125. 8th Wonder Brewery, 2202 Dallas, Houston, 713-397-0072. Acid Mothers…
Three More Zika Virus Cases Confirmed in Harris County
Yesterday, Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services confirmed that three additional people who live outside Houston city limits have tested positive for the mosquito-transmitted Zika virus, bringing the count to seven people total so far. All three people had traveled to El Salvador, officials say, though none were traveling…
Doctor Who: Penelope Wilton Should Have Been the War Doctor
Let me open by saying that I adored John Hurt as the War Doctor, and even though I haven’t had the chance to check out his continued adventures on Big Finish audio yet I hear nothing but great things. Hurt was and remains amazing. You will never hear me say…
The Best Way to Experience State of Grace Is to Visit During Non-Peak Hours
The twice fried hot chicken, a.k.a. Korean fried chicken, at State of Grace is a crispier, saucier and overall better version than some examples at other places that claim to specialize in the dish. One diner was so impressed with the moist chicken revealed under the brittle crust that he…
Gary Kubiak Made It to the Super Bowl With the Same Tactics That Got Him Fired
For Gary Kubiak, his 2013 season appeared to be one long, slow death march for his head coaching career, a metaphorical Netflix series concocted by the most evil producers in television history. There were blowout losses, there were season-ending injuries, there was Kubiak’s own on-field mini stroke and there were…
The Texas Music Chart Is No More, and That’s Really Stupid
Texas has always had a unique music scene that is fundamentally different than most other states. Sure, every state has local bands and their own unique styles of music, but Texas is different. It’s a place where artists who are virtually unknown outside of the state can make a living…
Don’t Fall Down on the Job in Texas: Employers Don’t Have to Provide Injury Coverage
All he remembers feeling while lying on the semi-truck trailer’s steel floor was someone pounding his knee with a hammer. Andrew Ellis had just rolled into a little town outside San Antonio to drop off a load at a hardware store. He was using a two-wheel dolly to unload a…
T2 the Ghetto Hippie Wants to Be a Different Kind of Houston Rapper
T2 the Ghetto Hippie has never been the kind of rapper who’s afraid to smile. Onstage, he’s a ball of energy, bouncing and swaggering and basking in the electric joy of his role as chief party-rocker. His rhymes are tight and his ambitions are lofty, but it’s T2’s happy-go-lucky defiance…
Last Call for Tin Hall…in a Manner of Speaking
Everyone should witness at least one live auction at least once in his or her lifetime. Even if you’re not even there to buy anything, there’s something bittersweet about watching bits of the past get sold to the highest bidder one lot at a time, but not while actual bidding…
The Halal Guys’ Houston Opening Wasn’t Exactly Smooth [UPDATED]
The Houston location of The Halal Guys, which originally earned fame and respect in New York for its food carts that serve gyro, chicken and garlicky sauce, opened to an eager audience on Saturday morning. Unlike most restaurant openings, though, this one caused traffic and parking problems so dire that…
Speeding Driver Smashes Into Growler Store and Jenni’s Noodle House W/VIDEO
A speeding driver crashed his SUV through the glass storefront of Jugs Draft, a beer and growler seller at 3109 South Shepherd. Because of the vehicle’s angle and speed, it also plowed into the Jenni’s Noodle House next door. Jenni’s Noodle House co-owner Scott Tranweaver related his understanding of the…
Court Upholds New Trial on Junk Science Case, But in a Very Weird Way
In a decision that flustered some of its own the judges, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has — in a baffling manner — again decided that a man who was convicted of killing his girlfriend’s infant daughter in 1999 should be granted a new trial because the cause of…
Pancakes Prove Popular at Saint Arnold’s One Pot Showdown
Just as it sounds, the challenge of the Saint Arnold Brewing Company’s annual (and very popular) One Pot Showdown is for teams to create a dish that is both creative and delicious all in one pot. While some items could be served on the side, like polenta or tortillas, those…
Grace Potter, Badass, Enchants Sexy Houston Crowd
Grace Potter January 29, 2016 House of Blues Grace Potter is a badass. Last Friday night, the true performer commandeered House of Blues from the time she emerged from the faux fog to her retreat back into the darkness nearly two hours later. In between, she had the crowd hanging…
This Week in Houston Food Events: Winning Wine Tastings
Monday, February 1 Great American Pie Month All month long, you’ll find classic American-style pies around town to celebrate this scrumptious holiday. Mark’s American Cuisine at 1658 Westheimer will have a new pie every week, such as shaker lemon, bourbon pecan and blackberry lime, as well as suggested wine pairings…
August Wilson’s Fences Soars at Ensemble
“You got to take the crookeds with the straights.” The notion is a repeated piece of dialogue in Director Eileen J. Morris’s excitingly insightful production of August Wilson’s 1987 Pulitzer Prize winning play, Fences. First spoken by blustery protagonist Troy Maxson as a way to explain his philosophy of weathering…
Dish of the Week: Pimento Cheese (Perfect for Super Bowl Sunday)
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’ll be covering a Southern classic that also just so happens to make the perfect Super Bowl snack (especially if you’re a…
Super Bowl 50: Top Five Story Lines
Well, we made it! As the only Houston radio station on Radio Row all week long, the SportsRadio 610 gang arrived in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon, having endured many hardships — a shortage of Bloody Mary mix on our outbound flight, a bloodbath of a reverse slot machine tournament…
Six Pioneering Abstract Expressionists at Texas-size Exhibit
In the late 1950s two emerging artists – one from Fort Worth and one from Beaumont – moved to Houston and shared studio space on Waugh and later on Nance, developing their individual expressionist styles and eventually showing at the premiere art gallery of the time: Katherine Swenson’s New Arts…
HGO’s Production of Rusalka Is Opera at Its Finest
Once upon a time… …the phenomenal Czech composer Antonín Dvo?ák wrote the ninth of his ten operas, a lyric fairy tale called Rusalka (1901), and created a masterpiece. Houston Grand Opera has imported this production from Glyndebourne Festival, where it was mounted for soprano Ana Maria Martinez in 2009. The…
How to Protect Credit Card Data in Restaurants and Bars
In December 2015, Landry’s, the restaurant behemoth that owns more than 40 brands, reported its credit card data had been breached. Wendy’s, which owns more than 6,500 locations, reported they are also investigating the possibility their system has been hacked as well. There are three major ways consumers are victimized…
Drive the New Grand Parkway for Free! (…for One Week)
Life is about to get a whole lot easier for commuters in northwest Harris County with a huge stretch of the Grand Parkway linking the ‘burbs about to go online. On Friday the Texas Department of Transportation toured reporters around two massive new segments of the Grand Parkway (officially called…
Don’t Hate on Life in the Suburbs
There has been an ongoing debate about whether it’s a better choice to live in a large city or its suburbs, and it doesn’t look like that argument is going away anytime soon. People on both sides of the issue have made good points about the advantages and disadvantages of…
6 Fake News Stories That Recently Tricked People, and Ways to Avoid Them
Anyone who has spent significant time online has probably seen a friend post a link to a news article only to find out that little if anything in it is actually true. The practice of crafting fake news has become increasingly common, making filtering those stories from real ones a…
How Your Band Can Win NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest
Sometimes, big dreams start from tiny places. This is the premise behind NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest, which is presently accepting video entries from unheralded music acts. The contest is an offshoot of the network’s wildly popular Tiny Desk Concerts series. Filmed at the desk of All Songs Considered’s host…
8 Dessert Deals to Try in Houston
Though Houston is one of the most economical big cities to eat out in these days, there are still some tricks to the dessert trade to make dining out a little cheaper—and sweeter. Here are eight dessert deals to help discount your sugar habit: Half-Price Cake at Empire Café: Every…
Johnny Manziel About Out of Time After Another Domestic Incident
In the movie Pulp Fiction, there’s a scene where the gangster Marcellus Wallace warns boxer Butch (played by Bruce Willis) that he’d better get the hell out of Los Angeles because he’s “lost all of his L.A. privileges”. In that movie, Butch had truly stabbed Wallace in the back by…
Shows of the Week: A Pop Star Turned Intimate Indie Songstress
VANESSA CARLTON McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, February 1 & 2 Best known for the distinctive piano intro of her 2002 orchestral-pop hit “A Thousand Miles,” NYC-born Vanessa Carlton is now a Nashville resident, wife (of Deer Tick’s John McCaulay) and mom to a baby girl. For her fifth album, last fall’s…
The Five Stages of Grief When Your Favorite Band Skips Houston
You know the setup: your favorite band has released new music and is going on tour, perhaps for the last time. The supporting band couldn’t be a better match. They even have a catchy tour theme and promise the coolest merch. Articles are boasting of traveling with a museum’s worth…
2016 MasterMind Award Winners Honored at Houston Press Artopia
The weather was perfect, the music was thumping, and art from almost three dozen artists and photographers covered the walls of Winter Street Studios, making Saturday night’s Houston Press Artopia the hottest ticket in town. After local favorites Gio Chamba played the opening set on the music stage, we honored…
Cook & Collins Is Shuttering — but Spare Key Will Remain Open [UPDATED]
A reader tip led us to confirm that the last day of business for Cook & Collins is tomorrow, January 31. The closing is coming almost exactly two years after it opened. An employee we spoke with by phone said it is being changed to a new concept that will…
Brooks Family BBQ — the Last Vestige of Harlon Brooks’s Barbecue Empire — Is Closed
Thanks to a reader tip, we learned that Brooks Family BBQ at 3602 Scott has closed. (This is not to be confused with Brooks’ Place in Cypress. The two companies are not related.) The reader emailed the Houston Press this afternoon to report that he had purchased some discount vouchers…
Flying Out of IAH This Weekend? Leave Early…Leave Very, Very Early
You didn’t make the mistake of booking a flight out of Bush Intercontinental this weekend did you? Well if you did, then good luck: the Hardy Toll Road near IAH will be closed from at 9 o’clock tonight through 5 a.m. Monday. According to the Harris County Tool Road Authority,…
Syncing Ink With NSangou Njikam
Theater is in a rather interesting space right now with hip-hop. A musical, Hamilton based upon the life of Alexander Hamilton is currently the hottest show on Broadway. Classic hip-hop has replaced dad rock as the go to radio choice for adults born in the ‘70s. It’s a unique twist…
Second Zika Virus Case Confirmed in Harris County
Harris County just got a second confirmed case of the Zika virus. This time the virus was found in a person in Houston city limits. A woman who traveled to Colombia in November has been diagnosed with Zika, according to the City of Houston Health Department. The woman is in…
Lyric Michelle Lifts a Live Crowd at Walters
Lyric Michelle, Kyle Hubbard, Corbin Dallas Walters Downtown January 28, 2016 By the time I got to Walters last night, most of the coolest, sharpest people in Houston’s underground hip-hop scene were already inside. Quite a few of them were scheduled to take the stage at some point, but plenty…
Is “Rebuild and They Will Come” Really the Best Strategy for the Astrodome Rehab?
“If you build it, they will come” might be a great line for a Kevin Costner movie. But when it comes to renovating the Astrodome, one would hope that Harris County officials could come up with a better plan, especially considering that the Astrodome is, well, already built. But this is…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Artopia & a Chef’s Inaugural Brunch
Grand Opening @ The Halal Guys Saturday, 11 a.m. 3821 Farnham After a preview with UberEATS last week, the opening every halal-fan has been waiting for is finally here. Come see why THG’s white sauce has made fans all over the globe as you drizzle it over chicken, gyro, vegetarian…
Houston Symphony Announces Its 2016-17 Season Complete With Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane
This week, the Houston Symphony announced its 2016-17 season leading off with Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, the return of Yo-Yo Ma and a celebration of John Adams’s 70th birthday. The usual assortment of classical, family-oriented, pops and special events is scheduled in this the third year for Andrés Orozco-Estrada as music…
10 Most Famous Sports Punches (w/ Lots of VIDEO)
A long, long time ago, back when cavemen ruled the roost, two cavemen got angry with each other, probably over a cavewoman (and that cavewoman probably had more bodily hair than George “The Animal” Steele). One of the two cavemen clenched his hand into a ball and popped the other…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: It’s the Super “Gumbowl”
PDQ (People Dedicated to Quality), Bunker Hill: 9440 Katy; Cypress: 25686 NW Freeway; Vintage Park: 10723 Louetta, is a fast casual restaurant with a unique concept in mind: no freezers, no microwaves, just fresh food. Starting Monday, February 1 and running through Sunday, February 7, they’ll celebrate “Super Sunday” by…
Openings and Closings in Houston: Hello Canard, Good-bye Fig & Wasp (Again?)
Fig & Wasp Test Kitchen at 4105 Washington has apparently led a tumultuous and short life; Yelp reviewers report that the location is closed, and the general manager noted on that website that the restaurant is relocating only three months after it transformed from Beirut Fine Lebanese Cuisine to Fig…
Owners of Heights Tortilla Factory Indicted by Feds
The owners of a Heights tortilla factory that was raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in August are now facing federal charges for allegedly hiring undocumented workers. According to the indictment filed in federal court on Monday, Alfredo Lira and Lydia Botello-Lira, co-owners of La Espiga De Oro on…
The Five Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Blood on Stage, Blood in Art
Before there was ever the Disney version of The Little Mermaid, there was Czech composer Antonin Dvorak’s Rusalka, with a similar, but much darker, story of a water nymph who gives up the life she’s had, as well as her voice, for love. Brian Jagde (a winner of the Birgit…
Meet Ted Cruz’s Wack Pack
When Sarah “No More Pussyfooting Around” Palin awkwardly endorsed famous toupee-wearer Donald Trump at an Iowa rally earlier this month, Saturday Night Live writers and late-show monologue scribes rejoiced over this gift from the Golden Calf and other false prophets those people pray to. Less heralded is the grotesque coterie of freaks who…
With Mercury in Retrograde, the Whole World’s Gone Inane
OH, THE INANITY! What with Mercury in Retrograde most of the year, every year, and the byzantine convolutedness of modern Windows software, it’s small wonder that almost no one includes lyric sheets anymore. Which is a shame, cause a well-laid out lyric sheet is the fancy mustard on the sandwich…
Sisters Morales Are Ready for Their Second Act
Longtime Houston Chronicle columnist Marty Racine once wrote that Sisters Morales, who play two shows at Mucky Duck Saturday night, were one of those “backyard bands” that people tend to stop going to see. By backyard band, Racine meant a great act that plays in your area so much and…
Houston Fights to Shake “Stolen Music Gear Capital of the World” Tag
This week started in the worst way possible for the Black Lillies. The six-piece Americana band based out of Knoxville, Tenn., had played a Cactus Music in-store last Sunday afternoon, followed by a gig that evening at Dosey Doe Music Cafe in Conroe. The next morning, they woke up to…
Houston Grand Opera Announces Its 2016-17 Season
Simon O’Neill as Siegfried and Christine Goerke as Brunnhilde will star in the final installment of Wagner’s epic Ring cycle, Gotterdammerung, — one of the highlights of the 2016-17 season at Houston Grand Opera, which will also include a world premiere of It’s a Wonderful Life by composer Jake Heggie…
The Days Are Numbered for Acclaimed Latin Restaurant Piqueo in Cypress
If you love Piqueo’s Latin American fare, hurry over because there are only a few weeks left to indulge in it. Owner Gerry Sarmiento says the acclaimed restaurant is closing and reopening as an American concept called 429 American Grille. He says even after four years, it just never caught…
Lyric Michelle’s ‘MissDirection’ Breaks Up Houston Rap’s Boys Club
Lyric Michelle stands out when you see her at Tout Suite. She stands out when she shakes hands and smiles graciously for radio interviews or on-camera spots. She’s genuinely happy because for a brief time period, she can remember when life was dark, and decided to scold her for merely…
Which Is a Bigger Joke: NFL Pro Bowl or the 2016 NBA All-Star Game?
There was a time, not all that long ago, that players actually gave a shit about making and playing in their league’s respective All Star Game. The NBA All Star Game, while always bereft of defense, was a platform for grudges to be played out and legends to be enhanced…
Wendy’s Is the Latest Major Restaurant Target for Credit Card Thieves
Just a little more than a month after Landry’s reported that its charge card systems had been hacked, fast food chain Wendy’s is now reporting they are investigating another possible data breach. The Restaurant Business web site reports that Wendy’s is investigating a data breach that has occurred at…
Local Chef Wrongly Held in Immigrant Detention Center for Two Months
David Rodriguez and his wife were passing through customs at the Miami International Airport on their way back from an idyllic honeymoon in Belize when he was suddenly stopped and detained. This was unusual. Rodriguez, the head chef at Houston’s popular Tout Suite cafe, was born in Mexico but has…
Obsidian Theater Updates Euripides’s Trojan Women
Actor Qamara Black (seen above, left) had an unexpected moment during a recent photo shoot for Obsidian Theater’s production of Trojan Women. Black plays Hecuba, the former queen of Troy. About to be taken into slavery by the conquering Greeks, Hecuba is placed in chains. “We were just taking pictures…
Republican, Pro-Life DA Anderson Defends Herself Against Anti-Abortion Critics
Those who want to criticize the outcome of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office’s investigation into Planned Parenthood are sort of in an awkward spot because for one main reason: Devon Anderson, whose office will prosecute the two anti-abortion activists who used fake IDs to lie their way into a…
Reviews for the Lazy Gamer: The Witness
Game: The Witness Platform: iOS, Windows PS4 Publisher/Developer: Thekla Inc. Genre: Puzzler Describe This Game in Three Words: Oh,That’s What… Plot: I got this game very late on launch day so there’s not much to tell. In the tradition of Myst you are a stranger on an island tasked with…
Buying Beer, Part 2: Readily Available Beers That Can Be Aged
This is Part 2 of our five-part series of recommendations on beer. Last week, we covered readily-available beers that you should drink as soon as possible. (You’re welcome.) This week, we look at beers that are easy to come by, change for the better with age and aren’t stupidly expensive,…
The 10 Best Crawfish Dishes in Houston
Warm weather means crawfish season is upon us earlier than usual. Which means the time to start loading yourself with mudbugs is NOW. While you can take advantage with awesome Cajun crawfish boils at nearly any bar, you can also do so with some pretty excellent crawfish dishes. Here are…
Woo ’em With Roses: 10 Houston Florists to Hit This Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is almost here, lovers! And you know what that means; It’s time to buy that special someone in your life an even more special floral bouquet. While your neighborhood Kroger and H-E-B will do, a local florist is also an option. So get your rose on at these…
Who’s Tracking the BP Oil Spill Money That’s Supposed to Restore Oyster Reefs?
With the BP oil spill settlement about to be dispersed, some of that money will go toward rebuilding and revitalizing oyster reefs that were damaged when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded into flames and sank into the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, kicking off what ended up being…
The Best Houston Music We Heard in January
Note: We recently asked the Houston Press music staff to tell us the best local music they’ve heard within the past month — not necessarily brand-new, but not too old, either. JASON JAMES Jason James (LP) Jason James’s John Evans-produced self-titled LP on New West came out five months ago,…
This Is What HPD Doesn’t Want You to Know About Its Use of Force Policy
The Houston Police Department does not want you to know about its policy requiring officers to carry a baton when responding to disturbance calls or working a big event. Nor does HPD want you to know that if cops pepper spray you, department policy requires that they get you immediate…
SXSW Music Seeks Houston’s Next Music-App Developers
If you’re reading this on a computer, there’s a chance you have an app like Spotify streaming music in the background. Maybe that app and others, like Pandora, Shazam and Bandcamp, have also found homes on your smartphone. These modern marvels began somewhere, in someone’s brilliant imagination, and ultimately became…
Modern-Day Rap Is Crap. Help!
MODERN-DAY RAP IS CRAP Dear Willie D: As a lifelong fan of yours, I really miss albums like We Can’t Be Stopped. Who in your opinion is the realest modern-day hip-hop star, and how can we prevent “fake” rappers from making it to our eardrums? Lifelong Fan: Who the realest…
So Close! Houston Chef Thwarted by the Oven on Chopped
Houston chefs have been appearing on Food Network’s show “Chopped” regularly as of late. Early this month, Jason Kerr of Treadsack’s seafood supply company CHOAM, Dawn Burrell of Uchi Houston and Underbelly sous chef Gary Ly competed head-to-head as well as against Italian chef Raffaele Ronca of Ristorante Ronca in New…
Local Lifeguard Training Company No Longer Teaching Heimlich Maneuver
For years, the Dickinson-based NASCO Aquatics, one of the nation’s largest lifeguard certification companies taught a debunked rescue technique, even as other professional and medical organizations said it could further endanger drowning victims. But NASCO has dropped the technique — a version of the Heimlich maneuver done while a drowning…
Isn’t It Ironic: Anti-Abortion Activist Charged With Offering to Buy Fetal Tissue
On Tuesday Harris County released the surprise indictments against two anti-abortion activists who lied their way into a Houston Planned Parenthood facility last year (curiously, the documents were posted to the district clerk’s website Monday night but then disappeared). As expected, charges of tampering with a government document, a second-degree…
Artopia 2016: Food, Fun and Did We Mention the Blood?
Still wondering what to do with your Saturday night this week? Artopia returns at Winter Street Studios. Come for the food, drink, artists and celebration of all things artistic and creative in Houston, inclusing, of course, the presentation of awards to our MasterMind winners. This year, as part of…
Report: Basically Nothing Has Changed Since West Fertilizer Blew Up
After the West Fertilizer Plant explosion on April 17, 2013, there were many promises to change things, to ensure that something so horrific would never happen again, to alter our rules and our systems so that dangerous chemicals like ammonium nitrate would be properly stored and only squirreled away in…
B.o.B vs. Neil DeGrasse Tyson: Why This Feud Rocks
This week’s edition of Why This Song Sucks carefully analyzes the most scientific rap battle we’ve ever seen. Not the battle between KRS-One and his braids, nor Meek Mill and the gravity of his own face. Something far bigger and greater. History: B.o.B is a rapper from Atlanta. In terms…
Cover Songs I Don’t Want to Hear Bands Do Anymore
Almost every musician I know has spent time figuring out a few cover songs as part of learning their craft. In some cases, the ability to play songs by other people is one of the major motivations that makes people want to learn an instrument to begin with. After spending…
The Finest Hours Is Square, All Right — But Also Exciting and Humane
Here’s an odd thing to say of a lavishly expensive 3D IMAX maritime disaster flick that hits theaters just a month after the last one: They don’t make them like this anymore. There’s a reason for that, of course — the parents and grandparents who like ’em stolid and corny…
Former El Cantina Superior Space Gets New Concept and Notable Chef
It’s always good to see complementary business relationships evolve. The old El Cantina Superior will once again be a restaurant. Chef Jordan Asher—who we named a young, up-and-coming chef last year thanks to his work at now-closed Dosi—will be at the helm and Felix Florez of Black Hill Meats will…
M83, CHVRCHES to Help Christen White Oak Music Hall in April
This morning White Oak Music Hall, the deluxe multi-stage music venue now under construction on Houston’s near Northside, announced its grand opening date and initial concert lineup for its 40′ x 40′ outdoor stage. On tap for the opening weekend are the French electronic moodscapes of M83 (April 9); as well as young UK…
