UPDATED Leah Purcell, Spindletop Owner, Won’t Serve Time or Pay a Fine
Update, Feb. 6: See the end for a statement from Katie Jarl, director of the Texas division of the Humane Society of the U.S. Update, Feb. 5: See the end of the original post for a statement from First Assistant District Attorney Phil Grant. The owner of a shuttered dog…
Houston Loses a Classic: Texas Cafeteria Has Closed
Texas Cafeteria has closed. It was known for serving humble classics like beef tips, chicken-fried steak, and chicken and dumplings. We called the restaurant and spoke with owner Pauline Koumonduros. It turns out this is a case of a longtime restaurateur calling it quits after decades in the industry. “We…
UPDATED Son of Slain Episcopal Priest Arrested, Charged With Murdering Family
Update 3:30 p.m.: We have obtained a copy of the criminal complaint filed in the case, which outlines many previously unreported details surrounding the deaths of the Rev. Israel Ahimbisibwe, 51, his wife, Dorcus Ahimbisibwe, 47, and their five-year-old son, Israel Ahimbisibwe Jr. This story has been updated throughout. –…
EPA: Tanking Oil Price Means Keystone XL Could Impact Climate Change
Since it first reared its head in 2011, the Keystone XL oil pipeline has become the glaring symbol of a much larger debate about how we balance the recent North American energy boom with growing concerns that the unchecked burning of fossil fuels could ultimately cook our planet to death…
Reality Bites: Branson Famous and a Farewell to “Reality Bites”
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. Nelson: What is this place? Bart: Branson, Missouri. My dad says it’s like Vegas, if it were run by Ned Flanders. I’ve passed through Branson, MO and if anything, Bart…
Congressman From Crazy-Ass Florida Calls Texas Crazy
People in glass houses should not throw stones, especially if their glass houses are in Florida. But Florida Congressman Alcee Hastings called Texas a “crazy state” Monday during a committee hearing over a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act…
Texas Workforce Commission Accuses Neighborhood Group of Racial Discrimination
Shortly after buying some property in the Spring subdivision of Northwood Park in September 2003, James Mosbey opened up a small car wash and a “personal training and nutritional counseling” business out of his home, posting billboards outside the house and signs around the yard to advertise. Those signs sat…
The Fifteen Sundance 2015 Films You Need to Know
This year, Sundance started a week late to bypass Martin Luther King Day. Perhaps that’s why buyers bid on films like sprinters racing after lost time. Thanks to their spending spree, every movie on this list should eventually make it to a theater near you — or at least to…
NFL Suspends WR Josh Gordon for One Year
If you were making a list of hardest occupations in all of sports, you’d have a tough time finding one more difficult than “Cleveland Browns fan,” especially when you consider that it’s a job where the only compensation is a lifetime of ridicule and misery. Since returning to the league…
Art or Not, Mel Chin’s Work Is All Over Houston
As a non-professional Houston gallery-goer, I’ve been aware of Mel Chin sort of floating in the ether for a long time. I’ve even seen his work in group and solo shows, I know, though the only one I can definitely remember is his The Funk and Wag From A to…
Meth, Mistaken Identity Lead to Kidnapping Attempt
Shane Davis, 41, lives in Houston. Davis does have a five-year-old daughter, but she does not live in Houston. Unfortunately, meth can make simple details like these very difficult to remember. On the morning of January 28, a 37-year-old woman and her three-year-old daughter, neither of whom are named Nellie,…
The Best Comics in January: It’s Squirrel Girl Because Why the Hell Not?
Each month the staff at 8th Dimension Comics picks out the best books to review. Effigy #1: I feel bad these days because I owe pretty much all my current interest in comics to falling in love with DC Vertigo at the turn of the century. If it had the…
UPDATED: Melange Creperie Wants to Come in From the Cold (and the Heat)
For more than five years, “Buffalo” Sean Carroll has delighted guests with his snappy patter and the frilly-edged, filled crepes from his cart, Melange Creperie. The cart has become such a fixture in the Mango’s parking lot at the corner of Taft and Westheimer that people honk and yell hello…
The Fight Club Guide to Valentine’s Day: Help for the Unromantic, Unattached and Lazy
So it’s Valentine’s Day and there are dozens of romantic dinners, parties and performances planned all around town. For the truly enamored, a big bouquet of roses, a candlelight supper, some candy and a diamond engagement ring should cover all the bases. What about folks who aren’t “in love” at…
“After the Fire Is Gone”: A Near-Forgotten Willie (and Tracy) Nelson Classic
To hear Tracy Nelson tell it, her decision to ask Willie Nelson to sing a duet with her on “After the Fire Is Gone” was mostly just kismet meeting standard industry practice. “I loved that song and knew I wanted to cover it just as soon as I heard the…
Try These 5 Seriously Awesome Hot Dogs in Houston
Everyone loves a good hot dog. And while of course a classic ‘kraut and mustard topped weiner is good — a dog loaded with chili and smashed into a bun along with potato salad is better. Here are five outrageous hot dogs that should definitely make it to your “must…
Group Calls for Federal Inquiry Into Jordan Baker’s Death
The Houston Justice Coalition has started an online petition on Change.org calling for a federal inquiry into the officer-involved shooting death of 26-year-old Jordan Baker last year. The online petition was posted on Saturday and had collected 160 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon. Justice Coalition members say they want to…
Those Really Red Reissues Really Rock
Punk rock in Houston today just makes sense, but in the late ’70s, it was not exactly the place to be. As punk rock was just beginning to find its footing amid complaints from the older generation of rockers that it was all just noise, Houston had little to offer…
The Continuing East Coast Adventures of Children of Pop
Note: this is the second installment of the tour journal written by our friend Chase DeMaster, aka Houston chillwave-jam specialist Children of Pop, about his and homie Gabe Lopez’s recent pre-#snowpacalypse trip to the Eastern Seaboard. When we left off, the pop-children were headed to their gig at Lower East…
The Lowdown on the New Numbers Documentary
A Kickstarter to fund a cinematic look at Houston’s longest-running nightclub and concert venue launched this week. Director Marcus Pontello and producer Jeromy Barber of Dinolion are seeking $40,000 in crowdsourced funds to try and explore the unique history of the legendary venue in Friday I’m in Love. “This started…
Harris County Sheriff’s Deputies Arrested a Lot of Dudes Looking for Prostitutes Last Month
Over the course of two weeks, the Harris County Sheriff’s Department cuffed 100 “johns” looking for prostitutes, more than any other department in a national sting operation involving 37 law enforcement agencies across 17 states. HCSO says the arrests came during the ninth “National Day of Johns Arrests.”…
Gambling! Early 2015 Heisman Odds Are Out
It’s early February, so naturally it’s time to start looking at odds for next season’s Heisman Trophy, right? (Ahem…RIGHT?!?) The correct answer is “Why, ABSOLUTELY, Sean!!” Actually, while there’s never a bad time to analyze odds on the Heisman (or on anything, really), for the better part of the last…
OneHunnidt Brings the Love at Field Sobriety Listening Party
Neat thing about listening sessions: it’s the one space in time where constructive criticism is thrown completely out the window. That can be dealt with afterward, once you figure out what exactly your ears have just digested. Naturally, OneHunnidt angled mostly for fun and relaxation on Monday night. He’d already…
Pre-Sale Is Now Open for the Houston Press Menu of Menus®
Just in time for you to reserve your spot in this year’s Menu of Menus at Winter Street Studios, the Houston Press is offering a presale that ends on February 7 at 10 a.m. Restaurants have already started to commit to the event, including Eculent, Garson Restaurant, Latin Bites, Maine-ly…
Zola Jesus Sings Some Very Modern Blues at Fitz
Zola Jesus, Deradoorian Fitzgerald’s February 2, 2015 Zola Jesus is not an indie artist. She is not an electronic artist. She is neither an industrial, goth, nor an experimental artist. She transcends these silly, superfluous labels like David Bowie, Diamanda Galas, Prince and Kate Bush before her. She fuses together…
Warren Sapp Arrested for Solicitation, Fired by NFL Network
If you’re in the media covering the Super Bowl, the week leading up to the game can be a long one. Lots of hours, lots of prep work, not much sleep. I can attest to this, having done a five-hour radio show for all five days from Radio Row last…
OITH Does Well by Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito
The set-up: Mozart’s penultimate opera, La Clemenza di Tito, is music fit for a king, which is certainly appropriate since it was commissioned to celebrate the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II’s coronation as King of Bohemia in September, 1791. The celebrations were hastily planned, leaving only about two months to…
Bistro Menil Has Some Good Food and Significant Service and Style Issues
The charcuterie plate at Bistro Menil is such a remarkable deal that guests might do a double take when it arrives at the table. It’s a mere 12 bucks for a wealth of meaty, salty and tart delights. There are tender, firm slices of cured ham; onions slowly bronzed in a…
The Stars Have Fallen on Discovery Green
The stars have fallen on Discovery Green, courtesy of British artist Bruce Munro and his Field of Light installation of illuminated fiber optics. Living in the nation’s fourth largest city, light pollution has made it impossible to see the more than 2,500 stars visible to the human eye, but for…
Cougars’ Kelvin Sampson Laying the Foundation for the Future
The 13th seed Houston Cougars lost to the 4th seed Maryland Terrapins in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19, 2010. Three days later, UH head coach Tom Penders stepped down from his position. Penders had coached the Cougars to two NIT tournament appearances, two CBI appearances,…
Creating Your Own Magical Garden Fantasyland in Houston
Sometimes patio furniture and potted plants aren’t enough; you might want to entice faeries, elves and woodland nymphs to your garden by adding mystery and magic. Even if the goal is just to bring color, texture and art to your outdoor living space, exterior decorating provides the opportunity to break…
This Week in Food Blogs: Bloggers Check Out Amalfi and BRC Gastropub
We warned you last week that the brand new Two Girls Taste Texas blog was about to get rocking and rolling. Well, it did in a big way since that announcement. The ladies made three posts in a week and the newest one is about BRC Gastropub at 519 Shepherd…
The Road to 2030: Self-driving Cars, Big Data and the Future of Texas
A healthy human lung lives in a bottle at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. It’s the rather extraordinary brainchild of Dr. Joan Nichols, who accomplished the bioengineering feat without any grants because everyone doubted it could be done. Nichols is the associate director of research at the…
Upcoming: Billy Joel, Dick Dale, Primus, Slipknot, Toni Braxton, Weird Al Yankovic, etc.
Air Supply: Thu., April 23, 8:30 p.m., $29.50 to $55. Arena Theatre, 7326 Southwest Fwy., Houston, 713-988-1020. Airport Noises: With Madd Comrades, the Escatones, Treehouse Project. Sat., February 14, 9 p.m., $8 to $10. Rudyard’s, 2010 Waugh, Houston, 713-521-0521. Alesana: With Capture The Crown, The Browning, Conquer Divide, The Funeral…
Exxon Finally Has an LGBT Nondiscrimination Policy (Because President Obama Made Them)
After years of booing and hissing, ExxonMobil finally has a nondiscrimination policy to protect LGBT employees. However, you might want to hold off on dancing in the streets, since Exxon only did it because President Obama made them. ExxonMobil has a pretty shoddy history when it comes to preventing worker…
Eat This: Three Brothers Bakery King CHEESECake
The most exciting thing about regular old King Cake is the fact that lurking within is a creepy plastic newborn whose appearance in your slice means prosperity in your future. Barring that chance to secure the good luck baby (or bean, as the case may be) even the most well-made…
The Top 5 Left-Handed Video Game Characters
My wife is left-handed, and she also happened to go to grade school at a time and place where children writing with their left hands were seen as needing correction because everyone knows that’s how Satan sneaks gay Communism into you. So for many years of her life, she suffered…
Jello Biafra Thinks It’s Time You Re-Examined Really Red
Back in the early ’80s, there was a kick-ass punk band in Houston called Really Red. In a lot of ways, they were no different than a hundred other groups exploring the potential of alternative rock back in the day. In their six years together, they wrote a bunch of…
Rare Houston Beatles Pic Featured in New eBay Collection
That wonderful photo of now-Sir Paul McCartney, all of 23 years old and performing on the debris-covered stage of the Sam Houston Coliseum, is the only image from the Beatles’ lone Houston appearance a half-century ago to be included in a collection of ultra-candid pictures that was made available on…
Bakery Shocker: Roy Shvartzapel Is Leaving Common Bond — and Houston
After finding great success locally, notable baker Roy Shvartzapel is leaving his native home of Houston and moving to The Big Apple. His experience gained all over the world helped put Common Bond on the map for its outstanding baked goods…
2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class Headlined by Junior Seau
When the list of candidates for the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame class were announced, it seemed like at least two things would be a foregone conclusion: 1. The late Junior Seau, inside linebacker and face of the San Diego Chargers for over a decade, would be inducted as…
Johnny Manziel Enters Treatment Facility, Asks For Privacy
From about the time he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 draft, after four months of social media solitude and hard work to prepare himself for the biggest job interviews of his life, Johnny Manziel has been back on the “Johnny Football”…
Tom DeLay’s Undead Revival Show Plays Houston
Those expecting spangles or jazz hands were disappointed on Saturday morning at South Texas College of Law. Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was at the podium as the keynote speaker for the 29th Annual Law and Media Seminar ready to talk about his trials and travails dealing with the…
Super Bowl XLIX: 4 Winners, 4 Losers
I don’t know where this postseason rates against other postseasons in NFL history, but I do know that this was perhaps the most amazing karma train that I’ve ever seen in any four weeks of sports. In the wild card round, Dallas beat Detroit on a controversial reversed call. In…
Rakim and EPMD Take the Arena Theatre to Church
Rakim, EPMD Arena Theater January 31, 2015 It is written in the Great Book of Hip-Hop that any faithful fan of rap music, if he or she is able, must make the Pilgrimage at least once to a Rakim concert. Practically since the dawn of rap, the God MC has…
KONGOS Bring South African Flair to Warehouse Live
KONGOS Warehouse Live January 31, 2015 Headlining their first-ever North American tour, KONGOS nearly sold out Warehouse Live this past Saturday. The band is currently on tour in support of their debut album, Lunatics, which was re-released last year when the band signed a deal with Epic Records (read: Sony),…
Brent Justice: “Crush” Video Isn’t Torture — It’s Kosher!
The Houston man going to trial Feb. 6 for producing and selling animal torture videos is arguing that a dog hacked to death by a meat clever and knife in one of the videos was not tortured, but killed humanely using kosher slaughter methods. Brent Justice’s partner in the videos,…
Dish of the Week: Braciole
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’re covering a classic Italian comfort food: braciole. Braciole are thin slices of meat — usually beef, pork, or chicken — that…
This Week In Food Events: Cochon 555 Rolls Into Town
Monday, February 2 Pisco Celebration Week At Latin Bites Today begins a week-long celebration that leads up to Pisco Sour Day on Saturday, February 7. Latin Bites is kicking off the celebration by introducing three new Pisco Sour flavors: Coca leaf liquor (yes, from the very same greenery that cocaine…
The 8 Worst Spots to Try and Park in Houston
As much as we all seem to hate valet parking in Houston, there appears to be a good reason for it: parking here can be an adventure wrapped in a nightmare. It’s remarkable for a city that tears down as many buildings as we do only to leave empty lots…
Why I Think Inner Loop/Outer Loop Debates Are Silly
It’s strange. I’ve lived in and around Houston my whole life, all over the place, and I’ve noticed a weird “friction” develop between some people in regards to life either in or outside of the 610 Loop. I guess it’s part of human nature for some people to look at…
J.J. Watt Wins NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Places Second In MVP Race
If you needed any further confirmation that J.J. Watt is on the figurative NFL Mount Rushmore in 2015, and likely the next in line to take over as THE face of the league once Peyton Manning and Tom Brady decide to retire, you got what you were looking for on…
Review: Saint Arnold Divine Reserve 15 Is a Stout Rich in Flavor
On Monday, Saint Arnold released Divine Reserve 15, the latest in the single-batch series. It’s a Russian Imperial Stout, brewed using a recipe originally released as DR5 back in August of 2007. The beer checks in at 10.1 percent ABV; I was able to obtain a bottle to sample this…
New Store Cariloha Brings Island Life to Rice Village
First time store owners Linda Whittington and Tracy Young may have happened on to the best kept secret of the islands… Cariloha Bamboo. The company takes the fibrous plant and, through a unique process, transforms it into sheets that feel 1,000 thread count, socks that don’t stink, and the softest…
The 20 Most Romantic Restaurants In Houston
When wooing a new love, basking in the warmth of a longterm relationship or even just having quiet time with a friend, everyone needs places to go that promise to be intimate and classic. Excellent service and minimal dining distractions are a must. Many restaurants on this list are longtime…
Doctor Who: Mind the Gaps in the Narrative
If you asked me to pick my absolute least favorite episode of Doctor Who across its entire history then I would definitely pick “Power of Three.” It’s not that it’s a bad episode exactly. It has more to do with how much of a cop-out it is. Amy and Rory…
Donna Campbell is Saving the Alamo!
She’s finally done it. After spending countless hours and plenty of oxygen politicking for patently ridiculous things, state Sen. Donna Campbell has finally come up with a bill we can actually support. She’s saving the Alamo, y’all! Well, sort of. See, last summer the Alamo, the site of the 13…
Dead Revolt Bassist Spencer Golvach Killed In Late-Night Shooting
Spencer Golvach, bassist for proggy Houston post-hardcore trio The Dead Revolt, was killed early Saturday morning, part of what police told KHOU they believe was a drive-by shooting rampage that also claimed one other victim. The suspect in the deaths was then killed by a Harris County sheriff’s deputy about…
The Five Best Concerts In Houston This Week: Zola Jesus, Amanda Shires, Topp Dogg, etc.
Zola Jesus Fitzgerald’s, February 2 Zola Jesus sounds exactly like what she is: a classically trained child prodigy whose high-school favorites included Throbbing Gristle, Swans and Diamanda Galas; the arty drama kid who dreams of playing Coachella someday. If that sounds a little pretentious, it is, but so was Tori…
Theatre Under the Stars Announces Its 2015-2016 Season
A theater season filled with both the tried-and-true as well as some of Broadway’s latest offerings is on tap for Theatre Under the Stars audiences int he 2015-16 season. The Bridges of Madison County and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, both winners of 2014 Tony Awards will be…
Soprano Kathryn Lewek Soars as Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute
The set-up: Mozart’s final opera, a grand fairy tale filled with lofty philosophy and low-brow vaudeville, is the work that gave him the most pleasure. Not only was The Magic Flute his most profitable hit, running daily sold-out performances at the suburban, middle class Theater auf der Wieden, but the…
NASA Astronaut’s Official Portrait Is Doggone Adorable
We already knew that retired NASA astronaut Leland Melvin was pretty awesome. After all, the former NFL player has logged more than 10 million miles in space travel and met the Obamas and Elmo. Then we saw his official astronaut photo, the one with the dogs. But of course, as…
Super Bowl XLIX: Keys to the Game and Prediction
For the eight or nine days after the AFC Title Game, the prevailing story that none of us could escape was “Deflate-Gate.” Hours upon hours of coverage of the pressure of footballs, the effects of deflation and Bill Belichick’s cheating history. Honestly, the only good thing about Deflate-Gate was the…
Cannibal Corpse & Behemoth Defile House of Blues
Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth House of Blues January 29, 2015 More than 25 years into their surprisingly rigor-resistant career, death-metal archetypes Cannibal Corpse still relish their status as outsiders. Thanks to their gore-soaked and gleefully offensive album covers and lyrics, the group has battled a long legacy of censorship around the…
Seven Transportation Projects That Could Dramatically Change How Houston Drives
Traffic sucks. It’s a way of life in Houston, a fact of living in a city that is simultaneously one of the most populous and one of the most spread out. The city limits alone cover 600 square miles. Tack on the suburban areas and you have the stuff of…
TV Girl Tops a Bacchanalia of Overstimulation at Fitz
If Greek Bacchanalian festivals existed today, delirious dancing would be performed by stark raving madmen and women filled with MDMA instead of wine, listening to the clanging of beats and displaced rhythms, replacing the terrifying ancient custom of uprooting large trees with celebratory joy. Today’s partakers of Dionysian worship display…
Aaron Hernandez Trial Begins With Video of Hernandez Holding Possible Murder Weapon
We are a couple of days away from Super Bowl XLIX, a game that will be the sixth Super Bowl the New England Patriots have participated in during the Bill Belichick Era. The last time they were in this game, closing out the 2011 season, they were there on the…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Black Sea
Title: Black Sea Doesn’t Jude Law Have Five Kids? Makes sense. Compared to that, being trapped with a bunch of stinky dudes in a Soviet-era submarine sounds positively relaxing. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three and a half Cary Grants out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Disgruntled…
Friday Night Shaping Up to Be a Rocker
Friday is shaping up right nicely for those of us who frequent H-Town’s lower dens. The biggest news is that the Paul Collins Beat is at Walter’s as the centerpiece of a record fair sponsored by Sound Exchange. Collins first touched the hem of fame as drummer for the legendary…
Shrapnel-Shooting Airbags May Have Claimed First Houston Victim
Last year, when the New York Times started to break stories about airbags exploding in cars, sending metal and plastic shrapnel into drivers that made them look like stabbing victims, the issue was particularly concerning to anyone living along the Gulf Coast. As the recalls began to mushroom — in…
Fly at Ensemble Is a Really Loud Retelling of the Tuskegee Airmen Story
The set up: There’s a crucial lesson to be had in Fly, a play about the first American black military pilots, and it has nothing to do with race or politics or social justice. Yes, for sure, there’s plenty of that really important stuff in there too. But the other…
Super Bowl XLIX: Five Prop Bets to Invest In
We are about 48 hours away from kickoff of Super Bowl XLIX. Kickoff of the Super Bowl is always one of the most exciting times to be an American. It’s football, OUR sport, played at the highest level. But perhaps you don’t have a dog in the fight this Sunday…
The 5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend: Super Bowl Wings, ‘Cue, & Beer
One Last Taste @ Nara Sushi & Korean Kitchen Friday & Saturday 2800 Kirby Sadly, the promising West Ave hopeful Nara will close its doors after dinner service this Saturday due to a landlord dispute. Though we’re sure you’ll be able to see more of chef Donald Chang’s incredible talents…
Upcoming Events: A One-of-a-Kind Culinary Experience
Triniti, 2815 S. Shepherd, is starting an exciting new weekday lunch service on Tuesday, February 3. The afternoon menu will showcase a variety of main course salads and sandwiches, plus a curated selection of starters and main courses — think delicious things like pulled pork and ham Cubans, soba noodle…
James Harden’s MVP Cred Is Legit, Sustainable
In watching the Golden State Warriors dismantle the Rockets twice in a week last week, it was difficult to make a case for James Harden as the presumptive league MVP if for no other reason than both Steph Curry and Klay Thompson seem to have good reason to consider themselves…
The 5 Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Love Lies Bleeding and More
Pair the music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin with ballet and what do you have? Believe it or not, a show that has traveled to considerable acclaim from its home in Canada. As part of the Houston Ballet’s The Cullen Series, Love Lies Bleeding comes to the Wortham Theater…
deadhorse Singer Mike Argo Ain’t Going Nowhere
When word spread three and a half years ago that deadhorse — the undisputed kings of the Axiom back in the ’90s — were reuniting after a 20-year layoff, most local fans were elated. Most. Not all. There was dismissive grumbling from some quarters about former guitarist and songwriter Mike…
Openings & Closings: No More Nara
It wasn’t a big stretch to guess that the chances of Nara Sushi & Korean Kitchen at West Ave on 2800 Kirby weren’t good. Its demise adds one more to the “Restaurant Death Toll” that includes Trenza, Ava and Nara’s predecessor in the exact same space, Katsuya by Stark. The…
Cougars’ Bad Offense Not Quite As Bad As Rice’s Bad Offense
The Houston Cougars and Rice Owls are bad basketball teams. Both teams struggle to score. Both teams have difficulties shooting the ball. They’re turnover prone. It can be difficult watching them play games, and when it’s like it was Wednesday night, when the two faced off at Hofheinz Pavilion, it…
Houston’s 10 Best Non-Sports Bars to Watch the Super Bowl
8TH WONDER BREWERY Sunday at noon, 8th Wonder Brewery opens up its taproom, which has plenty of TVs for you to cheer on the Patriots or Seahawks later in the day. Arrive early for a chance to taste the brewery’s inaugural release of its new Brewston Texas Pale Ale and…
Mike Barfield’s Funk Machine Was One for the Vice Squad
Mike Barfield Under the Volcano January 28, 2015 I missed the first song of Mike Barfield’s set at Under the Volcano Wednesday night, but walking in midway through “Funky Popcorn,” I immediately knew two things: The band was bringing the funk hard and dirty, and some pony-tailed blonde was into…
The 10 Best Concerts in Houston This Weekend: Buxton, Kongos, Rakim & EPMD, etc.
Buxton McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, January 30 As entrenched a band as can be found in Houston, Buxton has now notched more than a decade on local stages as their delicate, eerie style of indie-folk has continued to mature and evolve. In early March the band will release Half a Native,…
Texas Muslim Capitol Day Went About as Well as Expected
An elected official and a clutch of protesters shared their views about this year’s Texas Muslim Capitol Day. Take a wild guess how things went. (Hint: it’s possible there was even a pair of jeggings involved.) The event, organized by the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations was…
Houston Grand Opera Announces Its 2015-16 Season
It’s a season designed to portray the journeys people take, says Houston Grand Opera Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers in describing the upcoming 2015-16 HGO offerings ranging from the Siegfried (and Summers’ favorite part of Wagner’s Ring Cycle) to the return of Carlisle Floyd now in his 88th year…
All Right! All Right! All Right! Matthew McConaughey to give Commencement Address at UH
It may be one of the best attended commencements ever in the history of the University of Houston. UH has just announced that Academy Award winning actor Matthew McConaughey will give the inaugural commencement address on Friday, May 15 at the TDECU Stadium before 5,000 graduates. Turns out, UH had…
Wade Phillips Hired by Gary Kubiak as the Defensive Coordinator in Denver
So the construction (or reconstruction, as it were) of Gary Kubiak’s coaching staff in Denver is now complete. On the heels of announcing earlier in the week that Reggie Herring, who coached linebackers for Kubiak in Houston, would be taking on that exact same role with the Broncos, the announcement…
Judge’s Opinion in HPD Shooting Death Isn’t Tethered to the Facts
A Houston federal court judge based his recent dismissal of a wrongful death case on a misreading of toxicology results, relying on HPD’s Internal Affairs officers’ use of Wikipedia to determine drug levels, and chiding the plaintiffs for questioning the judgment of the officer at the center of the case,…
Children of Pop Sent Us This Rad Tour Journal
Note: Right now we are very high on Houston chillwave/dream-pop auteur Chase DeMaster, sultan of the #veryjazzed empire, and his merry band of accomplices known as Children of Pop. Recently they headed off to give select East Coast cities a taste of the CoP flavors, hyping the second pressing of…
Super Bowl XLIX Notebook: Marshawn Lynch Snubs The Media Again
So yesterday was Wednesday at the Super Bowl, one day closer to the game, one more series of checklist items knocked off. On Radio Row, traffic began to pick up with current and former players coming to town to shill everything from jock itch cream to six inch subs provide…
UH Launches the Opera Winter Season With Frau Margot and The Elixir of Love
Unrequited love is a mainstay of opera. The heroines in Frau Margot and The Elixir of Love, presented by the University of Houston Moores School of Music experience potions, séances and more as each attempts to keep her suitors, romantic and intellectual, at bay. Thomas Pasatieri’s Frau Margot is a…
Pissed Off Inmate Admits to Mailing Judge Threatening Letter
In 2005, George Yarbrough filed a boilerplate, handwritten civil rights complaint in federal court, claiming Texas prison guards in Huntsville pummeled him and broke his jaw while handcuffing him back in 2002. Locked up on multiple charges — evading arrest, unauthorized use of a vehicle, assault on a public servant…
Rock and Roll Hero Buddy Holly Lives On via Buddy
Todd Meredith, who has the lead role in Society for Performing Arts’ production of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, has turned the musical into what could well be a lifelong career. “I always aspired to be a professional musician,” says Meredith from a hotel room in New Jersey where he…
Eat This: Wendy’s Bacon and Blue on Brioche Burger
Or, “the B^4,” you might call it in front of certain audiences who would condemn you automatically for enjoying a fast-food burger. Unlike in the case of calzones, there is no dearth of good burgers in Houston. Listicles from various outlets suggest you could eat a different burger from various…
Kinky Boots Tells of Love and Friendship With Dancing in Stilettos
A young man, living in London suddenly inherits a struggling British shoe factory when his father dies. Faced with a company near bankruptcy and row upon row of shoes that no one wants to buy, he resolves to save his father’s legacy although he doesn’t know how. It’s Kinky Boots,…
The Chinese Are Shipping a Lot of Illegal Honey to Houston, Feds Say
Federal authorities in Houston are seizing a lot of sticky icky icky of a whole different kind (although they certainly catch a lot of weed, too). According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the feds have caught more than 400 pounds of illegally imported Chinese honey here in recent months. Since…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Chris Loftis of Number 13
If you’ve ever had to commute across Houston from one end to the other for a paycheck, you can sympathize with why chef Chris Loftis, a new dad at the time, needed to work in a restaurant closer to home. He left Strata in far northwest Houston and joined the…
Is D’Angelo’s Black Messiah Really That Good?
It took maybe the final three weeks of 2014 before I truly realized that D’Angelo had released an album. That sentence alone sounds like a Christmas miracle but there we sat, enjoying our lives with a brand new D’Angelo album to dissect and enjoy. Wait — let us backtrack. D’Angelo…
UPDATED Texas Uses Of Mice and Men Standards to Execute Mentally Disabled Man
Update 1/30/15 at 8:00 a.m.: Last night, Texas prison officials executed Robert Ladd for the brutal murder of Vicki Ann Garner. Ladd’s time of death was 7:02 p.m., 27 minutes after officials administered lethal-injection drugs. — Original Story Barring a last-minute intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court, Texas will execute…
10 Great Spooky Board Games From the Past
Board games have been around a long time, and despite being a now older form of entertainment, there are lots of great ones that still manage to be fun. Sure, the old standbys such as “Monopoly” and “Risk” are a lot of fun, but I always liked the games with…
A Houston Sommelier on Top of the World in New York City
As Houston’s allure as a leading international wine destination continues to grow, a number of New York restaurant pros have found their way here. Pappas Bros. Steakhouse sommelier Steven McDonald is one of them. The San Antonio-born wine stud made a name for himself working at the Michelin-starred Ai Fiori…
Does Anybody Care About the Super Bowl Halftime Show Anymore?
The short answer to the headline directing readers to the next several paragraphs is: it depends. Isn’t that the truest answer to any query about a thing and whether it is relevant? Is Led Zeppelin still an influential rock and roll band in 2015? To some, albeit a shrinking demographic,…
My Girl Wants to Take Naked Pictures. Help!
Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off’s advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, “funny, serious or unpredictable.” Something on your mind? Ask Willie D! WHAT IS WRONG WITH SOCIETY AND WHY IS THERE SO MUCH DYSFUNCTIONALITY? Dear Willie D: Why…
The Magic Flute
When Nicole Heaston, the daughter of a Chicago music teacher, was a child taking piano lessons, she was, well, not very good. But her instructor urged her mother to listen to her daughter as Heaston sang along with her playing. In short order, she became a member of the Chicago…
Actually, Strange Magic Is the Best George Lucas Film in 25 Years
It’s hard to imagine that George Lucas has cared, much, about the fanrevolt he’s faced since ’97 or so, the year he thumbed CGI Colorforms all over the original Star Wars movies. But there’s one criticism that seems to have stung him: that Lucas, a good Marin County liberal, populated…
As You Like It
Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd says he wouldn’t have thought of tackling Shakespeare’s As You Like It if he hadn’t known from the start who he was going to cast in the lead character role of Rosalind. That will be Alley Company actress Elizabeth Bunch, by the way. “Rosalind…
Cedric Andrieux
Onstage, dancers perform a role. Jérôme Bel set out to shake up the customary relationship between dancer and dance-maker in the solo titled Cédric Andrieux, performed by former Merce Cunningham Dance Company member Andrieux. In conjuncture with CAMH’s current exhibit, “Double Life,” Andrieux’s solo exposes a role frequently left unseen:…
Houston Ballet Cullen Series: Alberta Ballet – Love Lies Bleeding
Pair the music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin with ballet and what do you have? Believe it or not, a show that has traveled to considerable acclaim from its home in Canada. As part of the Houston Ballet’s The Cullen Series, Love Lies Bleeding comes to the Wortham Theater…
QSeries: LGBTQ Lives on Film – Wildness
Director Wu Tsang captures the happy party scene inside the Silver Platter, an LGBTQ bar in Los Angeles, in his documentary Wildness. He also captures an ever-present sense of danger menacingly waiting, it seems, right outside its doors. The usual clientele of the Silver Platter, one of the oldest gay…
Wow…”We Are the World” Is 30 Years Old
If you ’80s children need a reason to feel extra-old this week, here’s a good one: “We Are the World” is exactly 30 years old. In 1985, the evening of the American Music Awards — which back then were in late January instead of right after Thanksgiving — Quincy Jones…
Capsule Art Reviews: January 29, 2015
“Drawings and Sculpture” Cryptic languages, hidden doors, secret passageways and escape hatches: Expect to find this and more in Stephen Daly’s “Drawings and Sculpture” exhibit at Gremillion & Co. It is the modus operandi of this former professor of art (now professor emeritus, University of Texas) to challenge and lead…
Capsule Stage Reviews: January 29, 2015
Madame Butterfly The girl in the chrysanthemum kimono never stays too far away too long. Depicted through Puccini’s most rhapsodic melodies that use a subtle pentatonic framework for its swirling overlay of Japanesque atmosphere, this universally beloved opera is continually on the annual top-ten list of most performed operas. Written…
Mexican Rock and Adoption Issues
Dear Mexican: Why is rock en español so mellow? You’d think that with so much injustice, Mexican rock bands would sound angrier. El Gigante de Anaheim Dear Anaheim Giant: You’d think so, right? Back in the Mexican’s rockero days, groups like Maldita Vecindad, Café Tacuba, El Gran Silencio, and so…
Martin Starr Is Grand in American-Iraqi Rom-Com Amira & Sam.
Look, if it’s going to have any chance of stirring in us that warm, giddy, life-saving thrill of love actually working out, a romantic comedy with a happy ending probably has to cheat a little bit, to inflate its obstacles, to make those final moments truly momentous. To honor that…
Black or White Wants You to Root for a Young Black Man to Be a Stereotype
There are few hard-and-fast rules in screenwriting, but here’s one I think we can agree on: Something’s gone wrong if your crowd-pleasing family drama asks audiences to hope a child’s father proves to be a crackhead. That’s one baffling turn in Mike Binder’s Black or White, a movie about race…
A Strong Star Can’t Keep Sub Flick Black Sea From Sinking
Jude Law, once so shiny-penny-clean and pretty — and with the kind of chin dimple that might have inspired Audrey Hepburn to ask, as she did of Cary Grant in Charade, “How do you shave in there?” — is only now reaching the age where we can call his face…
If You’ve Ever Loved a Terrible Person, Mr. Turner Is a Movie for You
If you’ve ever loved a terrible person, Mike Leigh’s quietly sensational Mr. Turner — a biopic, of sorts, covering the last 25 years of the life of the great 19th-century British painter J.M.W. Turner — is the movie for you. In his seascapes and landscapes, Turner found the perfect visual…
