NASA Lets You Eavesdrop On Apollo 11’s Private Conversations
NASA is continuing its information dump for the 40th anniversary of the moon landing; now they have put on the `net digital recordings of some of the private in-capsule conversations of the Apollo 11 astronauts.”You’re in a spacecraft, on a mission to land on the moon for the first time…
Vintage ZZ Top Artwork and Houston’s Hippie Past
What goes around comes around. The same week ZZ Top is playing The Woodlands (which you may have read about on Rocks Off once or twice this week), the Buffalo Bayou Partnership announced it’s renovating the International Coffee Building (right), site of legendary if fuzzily remembered psych-rock club Love Street…
Bayou Body Count: Nothing Good Comes From A Naked, Gun-Toting Man
Houston police officers at the Northeast Patrol Division substation got more than just a shock Tuesday when a car wildly crashed through the facility’s security gate. They ended up in a shootout in which the driver of the car was killed. According to a mix of police and media reports,…
In the Little Stalls Behind Canino’s: Papalo
After the item about the Mexican herb chepil appeared, Tracy Lee Vaught, of Backstreet Café and Hugo’s, emailed me. “Next time you are at the market, pick up some papolo and put it in your tacos. It is quite peppery,” she wrote. “Hugo uses the chepil in his rice when…
Twitter Ticker: Musicians Love to Overshare
It’s amazing the things that people have to say in 140 characters or less. Some take forever to update their adoring public, about their lives while others tweet like it’s about to go out of style. Do they not realize everyone can read these things? And that they are, more…
Beaumont News Anchor Indulges (Allegedly) In Insane Facebook Feud
What the hell is going on in Beaumont?Now granted, that’s a question you could ask pretty much any day of the week, but right now it concerns a Facebook spat between a prominent local news anchor there and a critic.Jim Walker, a main anchor at Fox affiliate KBTV, seems to…
Bringing Home the Gold at the Kolache Olympics
The press conference room at Reliant Stadium was filled with a distinct aroma as the judges entered. It wasn’t the scent of sweaty Texans players or their coaches’ cologne; it was the sweet, doughy smell of kolaches. Plantain kolaches, Hawaiian chicken kolaches, teriyaki steak kolaches, sloppy joe kolaches… Dozens upon…
L.A. Honky-Tonk King Mike Stinson Moves to… Houston?
It was official at 1:45 a.m. this early morning: Mike Stinson, king of the L.A. honky-tonkers – author of Dwight Yoakam’s “The Late Great Golden State,” among many others – has arrived in Houston. And this is not just a visit. Stinson recently told LOM that after several trips to…
Rents Buck The Trend Here In Houston, Unfortunately
An economic crunch like the one we’re having can usually bring a glimmer of good news — like, maybe, rents go down for a lot of people.And, in fact, rents have gone down for a lot of people, according to the latest national report by a tracking company called RealFacts.They…
MP3 of the Day: Grizzly
There’s nothing better on the Fourth of July than stumbling across a new band from your hometown whose surly, punk-flavored roots-rock is as American as hot dogs and waterboarding. That’s what happened to Rocks Off this past Independence Day when, while wandering around the Island taking pictures, we stumbled across…
Love Street Lives!! Sorta, Maybe
We blogged this morning about the brief heyday of the Love Street Light Circus & Feelgood Machine, Houston’s hippie haven back in the Sixties.In response we heard from Trudi Smith, who tells us Love Street is coming back. Well, the building is, at any rate.The Buffalo Bayou Partnership is planning…
Stirred and Shaken: Tony Mandola’s Italiantini
When you start with one of my favorite drinks, the vodka martini, and you introduce a little creativity from a savvy bartender at my favorite restaurant in the city, Tony Mandola’s Gulf Coast Kitchen (1962 W. Gray, 713-528-3474), the result is a can’t-miss. The Italiantini, which combines Italian vodka and…
Police May Have Found The Murderer Of A Popular Local Guy
The many friends of Brett Elliott, an advertising man murdered in March in his burned southwest Houston condo, might finally be getting a break.KHOU is reporting that a DNA match might have targeted his killer.The station’s Jeff McShan reports: HPD homicide detectives say it wasn’t the fire that killed him,…
Bayou Beat: ZZ Top Winner, New KPFT Schedule, the Little Joe Twitter Mystery and More
Well, it wasn’t a very crowded field, but we have a winner in our ZZ Top lookalike contest: Cary Godshall, who sent in this picture of a friend of his. (Bonus points because he looks like ZZ Top today and not circa Tejas.) Cary wins a four-pack of lawn tickets…
Five Best Apollo 11 Myths
Hey, guess what!! Monday brings the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing!!Oh, you heard? Well, get ready to hear more — this weekend and Monday will no doubt be a “One small step for man” marathon.Which is fine — the moon mission was a crazy, awe-inspiring thing that…
Artist of the Week: 10th Grade Cutie
Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group “Artist of the Week,” bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn’t awful? Email their particulars to introducingliston@gmail.com. We started listening to Friendswood punk rockers 10th…
A Cafe Bites Nibble
Brett Floyd and Floyd Landry are partners in Floyd’s Cajun Seafood and Steakhouse (1300 East Broadway, 281-993-8385), which recently opened in Pearland. “We opened the Floyd’s in Webster in 2004, then another one in Beaumont in 2006, which had been a Don’s Seafood for 38 years,” says Brett Floyd, “and…
Houston 101: The Brief, Groovy Life Of The Love Street Light Circus & Feelgood Machine
The Sixties. A time when you could open a club called the Love Street Light Circus & Feelgood Machine. Unironically, too!I mean, look at that picture. It looks like it’s from a very bad Hollywood movie — you can almost hear the lame attempt at psychedelic rock, the wavy light…
Aftermath: Pete Yorn at Meridian
Pete Yorn has been and will always be “sad bastard music” to Aftermath’s ears. One thing that has always interested us about the forlorn tunes that seem to drip from Yorn’s fingers is how big of a female audience he has. We have quietly hypothesized that somehow women are drawn…
Hey, Astros: Please Don’t Make Terrible Trades
I think Clear Channel has John Lopez working way too many hours. I made the mistake of listening to him for a bit yesterday, and not only did he make the mistake of wishing that the Astros would trade for Toronto’s Roy Halladay, he appeared to be upset that the…
Behind The Scenes At The Circus Whether PETA Likes It Or Not
It’s circus time in Houston! A joyous time of annoying protests from PETA and magic for boys and girls of all ages!!Take a look behind the scenes as they set up the ring at Reliant Stadium in this slideshow. And then: Kids, get your cotton candy!! PETA people, get your…
Obscure Wine Grapes: Cividin
If I said the flavor and aroma of this sweet white wine reminded me of an overripe pear, would that be a bad thing? Friuli winemaker Emilio Bulfon found these ancient wine grapes accidently dotted among other varietals in one of his vineyards. It isn’t clear whether the grape originated…
Lost Tuneage: The Jayhawks
Who ‘Dat? Emerging from “The City of Lakes” in 1985, the Jayhawks showed that Minneapolis could produce a band at the forefront of another genre besides pioneering alt-rock (The Replacements, Hüsker Dü) and funk (the Purple One); namely, the nascent alt-country/”No Depression” movement. Named as a nod to the Band’s…
KBR: Prostitution & Rape, Allegedly Yes; Headscarves, Allegedly No
It’s hard to know what kind of workplace behavior is acceptable at KBR these days. On the one hand, if you believe the many lawsuits filed against the nation-builder, it’s not unheard of for the men stationed in Iraq to verbally and sexually abuse their women colleagues, even rape one…
“Moon FTW IRL!” — Apollo 11, As If They Had Twitter Then
You know what sucked about the moon landing? They didn’t Twitter it.If it’s not on Twitter, we’re not sure we can trust that it happened. Even if the headlines say otherwise.Now, however, the problem is solved, thanks to the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.They’ve put together an impressive “relive…
Bourdain Is Back
No Reservations is back. The ever-loquacious Anthony Bourdain visited Chile, skipping from Santiago to wine country, the coast and Patagonia, sampling food, waxing poetic and keeping it real the entire time. Here is a recap of the delicious Chilean cuisine and Bourdain-isms from last night’s episode: Bourdain began his belly-busting…
The Last Roundup: Broken-NCYDE, Jenny Lewis, H.A.W.K. & Z-Ro, Something Fierce and More
29-95’s Joe Mathlete introduces the world to “crunkcore” artist Broken-NCYDE. Prima Donna meltdown or not, Jenny Lewis still has talent. If only she had manners. We Wore Masks screens her “See Fernando” video. Southern rap is still alive. Thankfully, Cocaine Blunts knows this, giving us H.A.W.K. and Z-Ro’s “Diggin’ the…
Psychologist’s Fraud Arrest May Affect Trials He Testified In
Matthew Leddy, a local psychologist, was arrested late last month for theft and Medicaid fraud, accused of billing for work that he didn’t perform, according to articles in the Houston Chronicle and the Conroe Courier. The articles don’t mention, however, that Leddy was working for the Mental Health and Mental…
Our Favorite ZZ Top Covers: QOTSA, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Dwight Yoakam, Willie Nelson, Tina Turner and… Rapeman?
[Note: Now with added Ministry.] Counting down to Friday’s ZZ Top/Aerosmith show in The Woodlands is starting to feel like the week Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers played there last year: a steady build of anticipation and antsiness, until Friday we’re flat-out squirming to get out of the office. By…
Hard Times on Milam For A Man Who Wants No Publicity For His Publicity Stunt
Just minutes ago we got a text from a friend on lunch break, informing us of neatly dressed man briskly walking down Milam armed with a posterboard that read “I Need a Job.” He gave us no other clues to go on but when one hears about someone meandering around…
New Burgers at Hubcap Grill
In a previous post about taco burgers, I mentioned I had struck up a conversation with Ricky Craig, owner of Hubcap Grill, and offered my services as a taste-tester for any new burgers he might be working on. This week I got the call. Craig invited me and several other…
MP3 of the Day: Giant Battle Monster
If you plan on seeing Houston’s Giant Battle Monster live, tonight at the Alvin Bowling Alley is your last chance until Christmastime. The psych-rock band, whose spacey, expansive jams bear a striking resemblance to the Mars Volta, is going on hiatus to record and generally recharge the proverbial band batteries…
Texas Watchdog Finds A Lucrative Revolving Door At The Houston Airport System
When we first encountered the Houston Airport System’s side-business advising various countries and cities how to build airports, we were a little baffled by it. HAS wasn’t exactly forthcoming with financial information on it all, and we moved on to other things.We don’t know if that insignificant item started anything,…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Meet Mark Selby and Selby Mills Lemaire
LOM still can’t get over the death of Tim Krekel. Nor can we get over that he was, for the most part, so underrecognized and underappreciated by the world at large. Several late-night dinner parties have passed at our house in the weeks since his passing, and we always seem…
Ron Paul Aide Is Too Sexy For The Net, Too Sexy For The Net
Note: This item incorrectly had Richard Connelly’s byline on it for awhile. It’s by Steve Olafson. Apologies to all.Question: How sexy are Ron Paul-style Republicans? We intended to post a YouTube video that might have addressed the above question, but before we did so, we decided to place a call…
Is the Honor System Dead?
Driving back from vacation, I noticed a honey stand along the highway in the town of Shirley, Arkansas with a sign that said “Self-Service.” I pulled over and took a look. There was sorghum, local honey, bee pollen, beeswax and honey candy for sale. You took whatever you wanted and…
Ask a Rapper: Stunta da Crook
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask…
The Economist Loves Texas And Houston, Unless Those Nasty Democratic Hispanics Take Over
Texas Republicans are buzzing over the latest issue of The Economist, the conservative British magazine that tends to get a lot of respect.It contains a special report that can be summed up in four words: “Texas good, California bad.”Among the findings you might be surprised to learn, especially if you’ve…
Distant Early Warning: Al Green, Arctic Monkeys, Living Colour, Meat Puppets, Melvins and More
Al Green: Fri., Sept. 11. Arena Theatre. Arctic Monkeys: Sat., Oct. 3. House of Blues. The Beauvilles, Flowers To Hide, The Live Lights: Sat., July 25. Meridian. The Black Crowes, Truth & Salvage Co: Wed., Oct. 14. House of Blues. “Broke Lizard: Live”: Thu., Oct. 15. House of Blues. Cold,…
Obscure Wine Grapes: Bargain Bin Bonanza
Piculit Neri, an Italian red wine made from an ancient varietal, was the first subject in a series about obscure wine grapes I started on this blog a couple of weeks ago. I was proud of myself for buying such a cool bottle of wine at Nundini’s for under $20…
Houston 101: Where Kingmakers Reigned And Plotted
For decades, vital issues affecting the U.S. and Texas were hashed out in Suite 8-F of the Lamar Hotel in downtown Houston.The suite had only two rooms and a kitchenette and it was decorated in whatever the relevant time period’s definition of “tacky” was, but it became the Unofficial Capital…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Honky-Tonk Hits the Galleria Area
KPFT DJ Rick Haysquierdo announced Monday that he will be hosting a monthly happy-hour concert series at Jimmy Wilson’s Seafood and Chophouse in the Galleria area. Miss Leslie and Her Juke Jointers will inaugurate the new series Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m. Haysquierdo, who hosts Lone Star Jukebox from 9…
KBR In Iraq — Come For The Nation-Building, Stay For The Brothels
Jo Frederiksen of The Woodlands has joined the ever-growing number of women who claim they were sexually abused and harassed in Iraq under the watch of their former employer, Halliburton’s Kellogg Brown & Root. She recently filed a lawsuit in Harris County District Court against the company. According to the…
Where Are We Eating?
A make-your-own-toast bar? Where on earth are we eating this week? Or have we already given it away with that little hint? Leave your guess in the comments section below…
Commercials That Are Workin’ My Nerves Lately
Like any good pop-culture whore, I watch television too much. Well, maybe too much for you, but for me, just right. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some things on television I’d rather not see. For instance, commercials. I don’t have Tivo (yes, I suffer, dear friends…I suffer), so I am…
Last Call for ZZ Top/Aerosmith Lookalike Contest
Rocks Off is a little disappointed we haven’t gotten more response to our call for ZZ Top and Steven Tyler lookalikes – we are giving away a four-pack of lawn tickets to Friday’s ZZ/Aerosmith show, after all. Yes, it’s a little hot for all that facial hair, but we’re fairly…
The Chronicle’s Ortiz: Chief Of The Morality Police
I stumbled upon this Jose de Jesus Ortiz blog post on Sunday morning while I was in the process of trying to digest Saturday night’s 13-2 Astros loss to the Washington Nationals. I puzzled over it during the day, but could never really make much sense of it. But then…
Hey!! We Almost Made It Through A Few Days Without A Fire Department Racism Scandal!
The hits keep on coming at HFD. At least they no doubt have the process down for putting on a press conference to decry yet another racist incident in their ranks.The Chron is reporting that another noose-like bit of rope has been found in a fire station.It apparently was discovered…
Slide Show: Lesser-Known Live Aid Albums
Monday is the 24th anniversary of Live Aid, the globally televised fundraiser for African famine relief organized by Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof (now Sir Bob Geldof) that revolutionized everything from satellite communication to concert promotion to the relationship between performers and charitable organizations. Live Aid turned U2 into superstars,…
Today’s Children’s-Hour Story: The Hungry, Hungry Bank Robber
Today’s bank robber is bold, aggressive….and hungry.Not only hungry for food, but hungry for a need to be understood by his victims.About 10:30 this morning, the FBI says, a pair of robbers entered a bank at 12514 Tomball Parkway. One pulled out a shotgun; the other, the FBI said, while…
Our Apologies to HPMA Nominees Asida Soul
Asida Soul – Chaka Khan’s Ain’t Nobody & Cameo’s – Sparkle Rocks Off was horrified to learn this morning that Houston R&B group Asida Soul had unintentionally been left off both the print and online editions of this year’s HPMA ballot. Thanks to Tia from Asida Soul for writing in…
Maureen’s Gourmet Bakery
For eight years, Maureen’s has quietly sat in the same Sugar Land strip mall. There aren’t many places that have that kind of longevity — the Droubi’s that was once there sadly vacated the ‘burb entirely — so there must be a good reason. As it turns out, Maureen’s is…
You Can Beat The Rap, But You Can’t Beat The Genital Groping
In the movies, a good ol’ de-pantsing scene usually gets a round of laughs. But it’s not funny when it happens in real life and the cops are the ones accused of doing it on the side of a highway in front of passing motorists. Willis resident John Lagway is…
MP3 of the Day: Hamamatsu Tom and the Bareback Hell Stallions
Tom Triplett of the Homopolice and NO TALK struck out on his own early this summer with a different, but not altogether new, sound in Hamamatsu Tom and the Bareback Hell Stallions. They sound like they would be more at home at the Big Easy off Kirby than some hipster…
Benjamin Franklin Si, Cesar Chavez No? Let’s Examine
The Dallas Morning News reported last week about some experts (Must… not… use… airquotes…) who are assessing social-studies textbooks for Texas schools and don’t like the inclusion of such people as Cesar Chavez and Thurgood Marshall.The story has gotten traction around the web, and the Texas state teacher’s union weighed…
Summer Squash and Exotic Mexican Herb Soup
On our way home from Arkansas, friends loaded our car up with their unwanted giant zucchini and summer squash. We arrived home with something like 15 pounds of the stuff. So when I found some chepil in the stalls behind Canino’s, I knew exactly what to do with it. I…
Turning the Screw: Soulbrotha, Lil’ Flip, Z-Ro and Chill, The Game vs. Jay-Z, Drake, Flo Rida, Ghostface, Big Body Click and More
Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off’s weekly rap post. It probably won’t rhyme, at least most of the time. Email tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: Soulbrotha Wire To Wire Lil’ Flip’s new mixtape is supposed to drop this week. Anybody else already hate that…
Girl Found In Canada Might Be A Missing Child From Houston
The FBI, the United States Embassy and child welfare authorities in Houston and Hamilton, Ontario are investigating a strange case that possibly involved a missing local girl. According to the Hamilton Spectator, last month, 40-year-old Carol Ann Cozzi arrived in Hamilton with a young daughter named Briana Cozzi in tow…
Weekend Video Log: Benjamin Wesley, Jamie Foxx, Arc Angels, Bob Schneider
You may have noticed there was a lot of live-music activity in town over the weekend. But even Rocks Off couldn’t get to it all, so we decided to root around on YouTube for a bit. There’s an important lesson here; namely that if you’re at a concert and happen…
Bayou Body Count: Lots Of Bodies, Not Too Many Witnesses
Houston police are reporting little information about several slayings over the past week. Witnesses appear to be scarce; suspects even more so. Early Sunday morning, police say, a 17-year-old was shot to death in the parking lot of a nightclub at 7136 Clarewood. The teen arrived at the club at…
Snackshot: Bad-Ass Po-Boy
This week’s enormous Snackshot comes to us courtesy of Groovehouse and Beaver’s Ice House. From the photographer’s description: “Shrimp & Oyster Po-Boy with house made chips.” From the online menu: Bad-Ass Po-Boy Sandwich ‘Overflowing with cornmeal-fried oysters & Gulf shrimp, slaw, crispy onions & spicy tartar sauce.'”…
Aftermath: Boondocks’ Second Anniversary Party
Aftermath has said so before, but these days it’s all about Rocky Moon & Bolt. We hadn’t seen the brand-new local glam-rockers since their 20-minute debut at Walter’s back in March, but came away from Bolt’s set at Boondocks’ second-anniversary bash Sunday night even more impressed than before. Rocky and…
TSU Gets Some Good News: It’s Off Probation
You don’t often hear too much good news coming out of Texas Southern University; usually it’s a drumbeat of overspending presidents, chaotic finances, infighting or whatever other educational scandals can be thought up.So we should let them revel in what — for most schools — wouldn’t be anything to brag…
Aftermath: Buxton, Wild Moccasins and Ghost Mountain at Mango’s
Another day, another beer, another night of balancing on the bar at a jam-packed Mango’s. But no complaints will be heard from this direction – Saturday’s show was too good for any negativity. Starting out with newer dance music influenced by electro and French house, duo Ghost Mountain, set a…
Late Night Scene: Tacos a Go-Go
The first best thing about Tacos A Go-Go is the flood of sweet, sweet air conditioning that hits you as you walk in the door. The red metal tables and folding chairs would make a perfect setting for a pair of old men playing dominos, but right now all but…
The Astros At The Break: An Assessment
It’s All-Star Game break time in Major League Baseball, which means that there are no chances for the Astros to lose again until Thursday. Surprisingly, the team’s record is an even 44-44 and they somehow find themselves in contention for a playoff spot. Of course, the Astros are also seemingly…
Aftermath: Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Girls are made of sugar, spice and everything nice. Young boys are full of snips, snails, and puppy dog tails. But what are great funk bands made of? Ah, yes, the components of a good funk band are mighty in power and capability. Nothing so small nor juvenile will do…
The Needville Kid’s Fight To Wear Long Hair Goes On And On
The six month battle between the Needville Independent School District and an Apache family seemed to be over after a federal judge ruled in January that the school district has to let 5-year-old Adriel Arocha attend regular classes, despite his long, braided hair that the family says is a symbol…
Social Distortion: It’s Time For Social Media 101
It’s obvious you’ve been going along these past few weeks, pretending you know what social media is. But dude, it’s written all over your face. You have no idea what the hell this blog is about. Good thing patience is in plentiful supply today, or else you’d be shit outta…
In the Little Stalls Behind Canino’s: Fresh Chepil
If you’re going to Canino’s anytime soon, check out the unique Mexican herbs on sale in the little stalls out back. I bought some fresh chepil last time I was there. I first learned about chepil when I took cooking lessons at Seasons of My Heart Cooking School in Oaxaca…
Get Lit: Joe Vitale’s Backstage Pass
Give the drummer some! Over a career spanning decades, Joe Vitale’s drumsticks have pounded for a who’s who of classic rockers both in the studio and onstage. Ted Nugent, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Neil Young, Dan Fogelberg, The Eagles, Bill Wyman, Ringo Starr and (most lengthily) Crosby, Stills & Nash…
Texas Traveler: Brenham
Brenham is a quaint small town that isn’t. It’s the town the Blue Bell built, which is obvious as you exit 290 to head north on Loop 577, passing picket-fenced house after house with wide sweeping lawns, until finally, around a curve and over a hill, the gleaming white ice…
Buzz Lightyear Aldrin Available Today at Radio Shack
At a table near the cell-phone chargers, Buzz Aldrin, the world’s third-favorite moonwalker, was still going strong, looking fresh and fit in his dapper suit and talking space. July 20 marks the 40th anniversary of the day Aldrin and Neil Armstrong proved once and for all that the moon isn’t…
Things to Do This Weekend If You’re (Almost) Broke
Rocks Off has been whistling ZZ Top’s “Just Got Paid Today” all day because, well, he did, but you know money – it never lasts very long. Luckily, we found a few things around town that might make it a little easier to have some money left over Monday morning…
Last Call for Art: It’s Hispanic-Art Weekend!
The art shows closing this weekend seem to have a theme: Hispanic artists and images.First is, is “Recollection of Havana,” a photo exhibit by Vladimir Frumin, based on his travels to Cuba, which closes on July 11. Frumin, a Russian national, writes poetically about the images, saying, “I have been…
This Week in Deliciousness
It was another busy week here at Eating Our Words, where we serve right-side-up pineapple cake just to be difficult. Let’s get to it. This week started off with Robb Walsh’s quick visit to Pagoda, then got into some more serious business when Sarah Rufka went bravely on safari among…
Single-Album Sets We’d Like to See, Part 4: Reel Big Fish, Chris Isaak, Trail of Dead and More
Ooo, ooo, our turn! There are some great potential one-album shows coming up that even the rest of the Rocks Off staff managed to miss. You can view the other lists here, here, and here. 5. Reel Big Fish (Warehouse Live, July 27) Album: Turn the Radio Off (Uptown/Universal, 1996)…
KBR Employee From Pearland Accused Of Raping A Woman In Iraq
A KBR employee living in Pearland has been arrested for “abusive sexual conduct” he allegedly engaged in while in Iraq. NCIS agents (that’s Naval Criminal Investigative Service to you) arrested David Charles Breda, 34, at “a Houston-area barber college,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. According to a newly unsealed indictment,…
MP3 of the Day: Grandfather Child
Houston’s Grandfather Child is an especially aptly named band – it’s a bunch of young guys playing music their grandfathers would recognize (and probably tell them to turn down). The quartet of Lucas Gorham, Ryan Chavez, Robert Ellis and Geoffrey Muller swirls vintage honky-tonk, gutbucket blues and trippy ’60s rock,…
Tonight: LL Cooper CD Release at the Continental Club
Even though Larry Cooper is now a fully functioning member of the cult recently discovered thriving on the Hippie Riviera on the north side of Lake Travis, he’s still got enough local roots to introduce his new CD Tuscon at the Continental tonight. Cooper, a veteran of ’80s outfits like…
It’s A Long, Long List Of Pollution Events For A Port Arthur Plant
Total Petrochemicals USA, Inc., based here in Houston, agreed this week to come clean on a rather big problem that was three and a half years in the making.From a Houston point of view, it could have been worse, as the problem was over at Total’s Port Arthur facility, sparing…
Upcoming Events
Support your local co-op! Central City Co-Op, which sells their entirely local and organic produce at Discovery Green on Sundays, is now selling food in an additional location in Montrose at Taft Street (a coffee house / church / art gallery / local community space) on Wednesdays. To help support…
Rocks Off Hyping Music Awards on KACC
This afternoon, Rocks Off heads down to the cradle of Nolan Ryan and instrumental metallers By the End of Tonight to play a few sides from some bands our dear readers nominated for this years Houston Press Music Awards. Rocks Off should be hitting the air around 4 p.m. today…
Houston Roller Derby Is Back In Business — The Business of Hurting
Last month the ass-kicking gals of the Houston Roller Derby league ran into a problem — the Houston fire marshals threw everyone out of the Kicks indoor-soccer arena where a match was being held.Acting on a called-in complaint, HFD marshals found the crowd to be over the capacity of the…
Friday Night Noise: Endless Blinding Sunshine and Speak Onion
Endless Blinding Sunshine, “VUout02”: Like every other noise act in the universe, Houston’s Endless Blinding Sunshine has a MySpace page, but they also have this admittedly minimalist site, which made it possible for FNN to get a handle on the sun-flecked instrumental dross-floss Steve Matis and Carlos Pozo generate. Google…
How To See (Or Avoid Seeing) Taylor Hicks In Grease
Taylor Hicks, the winner of American Idol in Season 5 (2006), is coming to Houston to play the part of “Teen Angel” in the latest national tour of the musical Grease. Broadway shows have long made a habit of picking up sales by putting in celebrities known to wider audiences…
Openings and Closings
Two restaurants on the west side of town fell victim to the wrecking ball this week: the Olive Garden (1000 Memorial City Mall) in the Memorial City Mall parking lot off Gessner, and the McDonald’s (14450 Memorial) off Tully. Both chain restaurants had been around since the 1980s and both had hosted countless…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: You Can’t Kill No Depression
Back before the print edition folded, alt-country bi-monthly No Depression began an online site and announced intentions to eventually archive all of the magazine’s 15 years of content. Music and publishing economics forced the publishers to shut down even the online version of the magazine before all the content could…
Do The Astros Really Care Anymore?
Does anybody on the Astros bench pay attention to anything? Last night, in the top of the fifth inning, Washington’s Adam Dunn fouled a pitch off of the head of Pudge Rodriguez. Pudge is clearly dazed, but continues on trying to catch. One would think the coaches or trainers would…
HISD Trustee Dianne Johnson Won’t Run Again
Longtime Houston ISD trustee Dianne Johnson has decided not to run for re-election, according to an article posted in the Bellaire Examiner and its three sister papers.A majority of the board is up for election — so far Board President Lawrence Marshall and trustee Greg Meyers have indicated they will…
Five Spot: Ganksta N.I.P., the South Park Psycho
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and, sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. It’s five videos and occasional cussing. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. We were reading some “news” the other day about how rap group Slaughterhouse (Joe…
A Chat with Scott Simonson of Chez Nous
A converted 1930s-era Pentecostal church in Humble maybe isn’t the first place you’d think to grab a drink, but when that former church has been the site of a cult favorite French restaurant for more than 25 years, it’s worth a try. Scott Simonson and his wife Stacy Crowe-Simonson are…
The National Guard: Fighting Pollution, Not Insurgents
It’s the time of year when juniors in Houston high schools, like juniors everywhere, are getting mailboxes full of pamphlets and crap from colleges and other places determined to be a part of the kids’ future. (Seeing as how Teh Kidz do everything on the net these days, it can…
Inquiring Minds: Buxton
Rocks Off has yet to deal with a diva artist, a privilege we take neither for granted nor lightly. But talking to the locals in Buxton, we can’t help but think even if these boys reach the pinnacle of success, they still won’t become prima donnas. No, they will always…
One LULAC Chapter Asks For An Investigation Of HISD’s Troubled-Kid School
A Houston chapter of LULAC (The League of United Latin American Citizens) is asking the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts to investigate the costs that the Houston ISD incurs by sending its misbehaving students to the two private alternative schools run by Community Education Partners…
Social Distortion: Goodbye, Geocities
Although technocrats have been well-prepared for the impending kick in the teeth that Yahoo! is giving GeoCities, the coroner’s report finally went out this week to users, putting a concrete date and time on the death of self-publishing and personal website building’s OG. Mark your calendars, mourners: “On October 26,…
Death By Chocolate: Five Freaky Food-Related Deaths
By now, the whole world has heard the sad tale of the gentleman in New Jersey who fell into a vat of melted chocolate and drowned yesterday. The factory worker at the Cocoa Services Inc. plant was loading chunks of raw chocolate into the vat to be melted when he…
Slide Show: Music’s Biggest Train Wrecks
The rock star life is not known to be one of taste and self-restraint. That having been said, some rock stars (and pop stars, too) descend further into the depths than even their fellow musicians, and when you stand out as a disaster in such a field, it deserves recognition…
Houston 101: That Weird Building Out On The West Side
Houston 101 is a new running feature seeking to educate the ignorant masses on some of the more offbeat bits of our town, whether it’s long-gone music places, bizarre murders, political trivia or odd bits of construction.Rising out of the strip mall-studded, boundless and bare scrub prairie suburbia of far…
Auction-House Owners Who Pled Guilty To Fraud Get Another Chance
A while back we told you how the oh-so-ritzy Hart Galleries auction house was going out of business.Their website said that “with the deepest regret and sadness that we inform you of the filing for bankruptcy.” KHOU’s website noted the couple had been charged with defrauding their customers of millions…
Food Fight: Battle Pizza
On Tuesday, we asked for your help in deciding who the contenders would be for this week’s Food Fight: Battle Pizza. Nearly 150 comments later, the choice was made. It would be an unusual triple battle between Star Pizza (which garnered the most votes from commenters), Pink’s Pizza and Romano’s…
Houston Fire Department, Get Ready For “Diversity Day”!!
Mayor Bill White spoke out today on the series of racist incidents allegedly involving Houston Fire Department members, and he forcefully…..asked whomever was doing the stuff to come forward and confess.”We ask forthe perpetrator of this heinous crime to come forward,” he said at a press conference. “We will find…
Fancy Fast Food
Ever eaten a Burger King Croissan’wich and thought, “This would be better as a quiche?” Or wished that Popeye’s made chicken sushi? No, me neither. But the evil minds behind the latest Internet meme Fancy Fast Food are taking the taquitos and absurdly named ‘wiches from fast food restaurants and…
Sheila, You Don’t Have To Give Up Your Crusade To Honor Michael Jackson
A dream dies hard. Harder than a (n alleged) pedophile.Speaker of the U.S. House Nancy Pelosi delivered the hard news today in a press conference: The resolution by Houston’s Sheila Jackson Lee honoring Michael Jackson wasn’t going anywhere. “What I have said to my colleagues over the years, and certainly…
Houston Drivers May Not Suck As Much As You Think
Houston drivers get dissed all the time — we never use the turn signal, we change lanes with an “ask questions later” policy, we don’t pay a lot of attention to speed-limit signs.But at least we’re better than those clowns in Dallas and San Antonio.That, at any rate, is the…
Single-Album Sets We’d Like to See, Part 3: Motorhead, Rancid, ZZ Top and More
We waited too long to make our own list, and the other one-third of Rocks Off done snatched up U2 and Dylan. He made some good choices, though, and knows his Bono and company. [Ed note: Thanks, man. See Part 1 here and Part 2 here.] Here goes our list:…
Iron Chef on Summer Vacation
Cooking at a beach house, summer rental or fishing camp is an Iron Chef sort of challenge. You start off with some great local ingredients — like fresh-caught fish or farm stand produce — but you have to overcome the obstacles presented by the lack of equipment and staples. It…
Everyone Has An Idea On Fixing Kemah (Oh, And Don’t Ask The Police Chief Any Questions)
Hair Balls traveled to Kemah last night for what was billed as a “strategic planning meeting” to develop a plan for the city to move forward after losing $400,000 in revenue due to Hurricane Ike. We mainly wanted to talk to someone from the city about why the only budget-saving…
When Publicists Attack: Michelle Turley’s Godawful “Hard Times”
In terms of sanity, it doesn’t usually pay many dividends to look too deeply into what publicists write and email to music writers. If 80 percent of all teachers come from the lowest 20 percent of SAT scores, it’s probably a safe assumption to assume approximately the same ratio when…
Cruising For Hot, Gay, Anonymous, Public Sex — A Guide
Our sister paper in Kansas City, the Pitch, has a feature on police cracking down on the gay cruising at one of KC’s parks. (Gays in Kansas City? We knew this would happen if Obama got elected!!)As part of it, they offered a survey of similar parks in other cities…
Cutout Bin: Gary Bradford’s I’m Not Handicapped… Just Inconvenienced
Cutout Bin has been looking for this record for a while! After being introduced to Baytown’s Gary Bradford through his first album, Sings For You and You and You, (which you can see on our Web site here), we’ve had our eyes out for this later record. With the great…
Come and Get Some Daft Punk Tribute Tickets
Rocks Off enjoys ribbing House of Blues about its penchant for booking tribute acts from Michael Jackson to Guns ‘N’ Roses, but we also enjoy a good dance party as much as the next guy. That’s why we suspect tonight’s tribute offering might be the best one yet. It’s Very…
3-6-9 Oriental Bistro
In my continuing quest to find hidden gems in the restaurant-dense area of Lower Westheimer, I recently visited another “hidden in plain sight” restaurant called 3-6-9 Oriental Bistro. Located in a strip center at the intersection of Montrose and Westheimer, this classic Chinese food take-out joint is wedged in to…
Wandy Rodriguez Shows Potential (Yet Again)
I’ve got to confess that I don’t have a lot of faith in Wandy Rodriguez — when a pitcher’s 30, you still shouldn’t be talking about potential. Yet it’s games like yesterday’s 5-0 Astros victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates that leaves some people raving about Rodriguez’s potential, and leaves others…
MP3 of the Day: Kat Edmondson
Kat Edmondson probably shouldn’t be a jazz singer. She’s young, and from Austin, which means how she wound up singing jazz and not blues, country, folk or indie-rock is anyone’s guess. (That said, if you’re visiting the Capital City anytime soon, do yourself a favor and have a pint or…
Straight from the Sole: Immigration, Houston’s Mayoral Race and More
You know Soledad. He’s the vocalist from controversial Houston rap-metal act Daylight Coma. He’s got a lot to say. Sometimes it’s insightful, sometimes less so, but it’s almost always said with conviction. This week, we asked him about illegal immigrants and the race for Houston’s next mayor. You’re welcome to…
Timpson Texas BBQ Stand
Highway 59 slows to a crawl as it meanders through the small town of Timpson. At a traffic light I glanced to my left and noticed a barbecue smoker set up in an abandoned Texaco Station. A hand-lettered wooden sign said “Coming Soon: Ribs & More” in red paint. And…
Aftermath: Dave Rask Tribute at Avant Garden
Last night, the friends and family of Dave Rask came out in droves to honor and remember their friend. The mood was a somber, yet happy one as his closest associates sat in the courtyard of Montrose’s Avant Garden to kick back a few beers in night heat and reminisce…
Dora The Money-Making Explorer Hits Houston
They sing! They dance! They teach you a little Spanish! They are human beings bringing the cartoon character Dora the Explorer to life and they hit the stage at Houston’s Wortham Center (510 Preston) for six performances starting this Friday at 7 p.m. Okay so most of you could give two…
Hot Wieners on a Hot Day
The beloved Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is rolling through Houston today, making pit stops at two area Kroger stores and distributing hot dogs and wiener whistles to the masses (it made two other Kroger stops yesterday). While Oscar Mayer himself passed away this past Monday at the age of 95, his company…
Lifetime Is On My Shitlist Now
Normally, I love Lifetime. I’ve posted on this blog numerous times about the channel’s ability to deliver “so bad it’s good” television, from Tori Spelling “films” to reruns of Reba. But now they have dared to come out with some “original programming,” never a good idea for a basic cable…
Inquiring Minds: Young Mammals
It’s been a busy summer for local musicians. The majority seem to have decided the best way to beat the intense heat is simply to get out of the city for a while. Taking this idea a step father, some are leaving the state altogether for cooler, greener pastures, playing…
BARC Seeks New Chief (Must Hate Dogs. And Cats). We Submit Our Resume
With yesterday’s firing of BARC Bureau Chief Ray Sim, Mayor Bill White has called for a “change agent” at BARC, according to the Chron’s Lisa Falkenberg. Hair Balls hereby submits our application. We would have liked to talk about Hair Balls becoming that change agent (an expression we totally love, by…
“At the Seams…”
Hundreds of miles of distance proved no problem for curator/photographer Ariana Roesch. She organized “At the Seams…,” a collaborative exhibit by Zurich-based Brett Davidson and New Yorker Lynne Harlow, across continents. Both multimedia artists created installations for the office-like SKYDIVE Gallery, embracing its dropped ceiling tiles and artificial lighting. Another…
Immigration… and What’s In A Name
Dear Mexican, Why is it that ever since the U.S./California let you people immigrate, tunnel, weasel or whatever into this country that nothing good has happened and/or come from it? California’s welfare program is burdened with low-life Hispanics. The prison system is 70 percent Hispanic, 45 percent gang-based. Real estate…
Dora the Explorer – Live! – Search for the City of Lost Toys
Oops! Dora the Explorer has lost her teddy bear and she needs your help to find him. In the family musical Search for the City of Lost Toys, Dora and her bilingual friends sing and dance their way to a happy ending, with a little help from the audience. 7…
The Sound of Music
It’s easy to think that The Sound of Music is all lovely “do-re-mi’s” and happy ditties, but the truth is the film deals with one of the darkest times of the 20th century — the Nazi overthrow of Western Europe. The impending evil makes the innocence of “My Favorite Things”…
Forever Plaid
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Forever Plaid at a national telecast of the Off–Broadway musical. The audience will first see members of the original cast at an L.A. red carpet party, followed by a screening of a specially taped performance. After that, there’s a live performance of musical numbers never…
The Crucifer of Blood
At the Alley Theatre’s The Crucifer of Blood, an ExxonMobil Summer Chills production, Holmes and his sidekick Watson are busy with a mysterious case involving a cursed treasure chest from exotic Victorian India. The story, adapted by Paul Giovanni from Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Sign of Four, is full of…
42nd Street
Calling all High School Musical addicts. You might like 42nd Street. The show about Depression-era Broadway is full of the kind of big, brassy tap dances and likable characters that made audiences fall in love with musicals in the first place. Loretta Swit, of “Hot Lips” Houlihan fame on television’s…
James Rollins/David Morrell
Three murders in far-flung locales are the starting point for novelist James Rollins’s newest title, The Doomsday Key. The deaths of a geneticist at Princeton, a U.S. senator’s son in an African Red Cross camp and an archaeologist in Rome would seem to be unrelated, except for this — each…
David Liss
Enter into a world of blackmail, corporate espionage and ambitious politicians today when David Liss reads from his new Benjamin Weaver thriller The Devil’s Company. Set in 18th-century London, the story has “ruffian for hire” Weaver forced to steal important documents from the British East India Company. The crime is…
Music of Star Trek™ & More Sci-Fi
During the Houston Symphony’s Music of Star Trek™ & More Sci-Fi, “Attendees dressed as their favorite characters can participate in the symphony’s costume contest,” according to press materials. Ah, yeah. Geeks, don’t fail us now. Hearing a full orchestra play soundtrack selections from Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise would…
Domy Movie Nights: Holy Mountain
If you thought that Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo (1971) was an acid trip and a half, wait until you see his follow-up, Holy Mountain (1973). Virtually unseen for years because of problems with producer Allen Klein (who was also a producer for the Beatles), Holy Mountain was financed by John…
ReShonda Tate Billingsley: The Devil is a Lie
You might remember ReShonda Tate Billingsley as a local news reporter. Billingsley gave up the news game awhile back in order to write novels full time. It was a good move. She now has 18 titles to her name, many of them best-sellers and two in the works to become…
New French Shorts
All right, you Francophiles, celebrate your love of Sarkozy, champagne and truffles at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston with New French Shorts. Like all things Gallic, the two-day pre-Bastille Day screenings have a tasty little something for everyone, from Jean-Gabriel Périot’s 200,000 Phantoms, a poignant postcard reverie of Hiroshima,…
ReShonda Tate Billingsley
You might remember ReShonda Tate Billingsley as a local news reporter. Billingsley gave up the news game awhile back in order to write novels full time. It was a good move. She now has 18 titles to her name, many of them best-sellers and two in the works to become…
Barnali 2009
Calcutta-born Rabindranath Tagore was an educator, composer, social activist, poet and entrepreneur — not to mention a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, all before he died in 1941. He’s become, of course, a great source of pride for Indians and Bengalis in particular, evident in this weekend’s Barnali…
3rd Annual Frida Festival
This is one contest you actually might not want to win – the Frida Kahlo look-alike competition at the 3rd Annual Frida Festival. (Kahlo’s husband Diego Rivera might have liked her mustache and unibrow, but it’s been awhile since excessive facial hair on women was in fashion.) The contest is…
ArtHouston2009
Summers are usually slow for art dealers, so for the past 30 years, the Houston Art Dealers Association has hosted ArtHouston 2009, a citywide event meant to get people into local galleries. This year, of course, dealers are also coping with the recession, so they’re seeking strength in numbers, it…
Hidden Truths of Houston: A Film Series on the Realities Facing Our Children
“Anywhere you can buy drugs in this country, you can buy children – American children – for sex,” says Libby Spears, director of the documentary film Playground: The Child Sex Trade in America. Spears will be in Houston to introduce Playground during Hidden Truths of Houston: A Film Series on…
Shelley Calton: Hard Knocks: Rolling with the Derby Girls
Within the raucous world of roller derby, photographer Shelley Calton reveals an uplifting theme: empowerment. The artist, who has the dramatic eye of a veteran sports photographer and the empathy of a skilled portraitist, will sign Hard Knocks: Rolling with the Derby Girls, her new book of black-and-white photographs of…
Israeli Film Festival
Writer/director Doron Benvenisti’s 2007 Bittersweet centers around a group of friends in Tel Aviv. Despite their apparently idyllic lives, each is actually facing a life-changing decision. Ran’s mother, who has Alzheimer’s, has asked him to help her commit suicide. Dana’s pregnant, but her husband isn’t the father. David must decide…
The Great Indian Laughter Nite
Comedy has sent Sunil Thakkar halfway around the world and back again. The -Mumbai-native-turned-Houstonian won over the judges on Great Indian Laughter Champions — the Indian equivalent of Last Comic Standing — with his distinctly American style. Now, the Rice grad and local radio host will enjoy a hometown crowd…
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey: Over the Top
This year’s edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey: Over the Top is a “wacky and whimsical” three-ring circus where elephants dance, Chinese acrobats fly through the air and clowns fall over each other somewhere besides Washington, D.C. This year’s stars include the Torres Family (motorcyclists who perform…
“The Big Show”
One woman, one thousand works of art. “It’s hard to say what my strategy will be,” says Laura Fried, this year’s juror for “The Big Show” at Lawndale Art Center. Last year, more than 400 local artists delivered 1,014 works, in person, to be considered for the annual exhibition. Fried,…
“The Third Level”
You’ve got just one short week to visit the art exhibit “The Third Level.” Some of Houston’s most talented artists have works on display, including painter Bert Long, photographer Sergio Santos and sculptor Jonatan Lopez. A total of 40 are participating in the show, meant to spotlight local artists who…
Caged
Hollywood and Bollywood are well represented in Houston. Now it’s Nollywood’s turn. (For the uninformed, Nollywood is the Nigerian film industry.) Caged, a new Nollywood release making its Houston premiere today, is the story of a young singer who has a bit of a bumpy road on her way to…
Baroness
Baroness cannot be content with just writing songs. The group’s sludgy metal is about creating layers of feedback and distortion and then climbing on said pile to reach a summit of massive dissonance, at which point monstrous notes loom over the freshly built terrain. In Baroness’s slow-boiling riff-tinkering, every movement…
Kidnapped
Larry Plake was just outside the control tower on his way to bed aboard the Cheyenne, an oil barge anchored six miles off the coast of Nigeria, when he heard the shots. A veteran rig worker for Houston-based oil and gas contractor Global Industries, Plake, a Texan through and through,…
New Leaf
There comes a moment in nearly every delicious meal at Banana Leaf in which you put down your chopsticks and ponder a simple question: Why isn’t there more Malaysian food in Houston? I know I’m not the first or only person to pose this question, but it bears repeating. Malaysian…
Deviled and Delicious at Brick House Tavern & Tap
If you think that deviled eggs went out of fashion in the ’70s along with meat loaf and Salisbury steak, think again, as they’re making a resurgence as an appetizer at the Brick House Tavern & Tap (12910 Northwest Fwy., 713-462-0576). An order of deviled eggs ($3.99) comes with six…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Amy Blakemore: Photographs 1988-2008,” “Carlos Runcie-Tanaka: Fragmento,” “Perspectives 166: Torsten Slama,” “Toil and Trouble”
“Amy Blakemore: Photographs 1988-2008” The photographs Amy Blakemore takes with a crappy plastic camera can make you cry. Dad (1999) is an image from this exhibition, a 20-year survey of the artist’s work at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The entire time I was in the gallery, people kept…
Knight Moves
>Stephen Schneidau is a zealous man. Or an arrogant man. Or just a man with a strong sense of history. Whichever of those applies, Schneidau and 12 friends and family members are attempting to resuscitate a piece of Houston nightlife lore: The Gallant Knight (2511 Bissonnet). “I don’t know if…
Maryland Bang
A hail of bullets greets Baltimore MC Ryeisha “Rye Rye” Berrain in the club. Well, the crowd hails the sound of bullets. There’s nothing outright dangerous about a Rye Rye performance, and only her mike’s packin’ heat. But her music holds your ear’s attention like a stickup. It features a…
MUGSY’S JUICE BOX
The new Mugsy’s (2239 Richmond, 713-522-7118) is in the building formerly occupied by LZ Pub (RIP). If I had a dime for every night I spent posted up at the corner of the bar at LZ’s, I’d have a shitload of dimes. Circa 2002-2003, no weekend bender was complete without…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Reckless, Steel Magnolias, The Story of Burford, Category 5, The Wiz
Reckless Although her louse of a husband has just confessed to hiring a hit man to kill her — on Christmas Eve, no less — unconquerably happy Rachel (Jennifer Wood) puts on the smiley face of Doris Day as she flees into the snowy night in her robe and slippers…
Pete Yorn
With his scruffy-model good looks and his equally unkempt Springsteen-meets-Replacements approach to the singer-songwriter racket, New Jersey native Pete Yorn has held onto his place on Columbia’s roster all decade thanks to a few modest hit singles and a knack for landing songs in TV and movies. Leaving behind the…
Totally Gay for You
“Heterosexuals can’t understand camp because everything they do is camp,” opined an associate of the old Playhouse of the Ridiculous, a New York theater known for its good-natured, anarchic sexual farce — a piece like Turds in Hell, which offered a farrago of sodomy, sadomasochism, incest, coprophagia, bestiality, homosexual behavior…
Almost A Millionaire: One man’s brief stint in the spotlight
Spaced City by Craig Hlavaty The producers of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire were in town recently to audition contestants for the show. Our Craig Hlavaty has already gone down this road before; here’s his tale. Back in the summer of 2005, when I was slinging dough for Domino’s…
Memories of Michael
Online readers comment on “Tell Us Your Thoughts and Memories of Michael Jackson,” Rocks Off blog, by Chris Gray, June 26: Thrilling: The Michael Jackson memory I have is about the song “Thriller” or, more specifically, the video to the song. I must’ve been about ten, and this was when…
Tapeworm? What Tapeworm?
Even offstage, it seems, there is no Gregg Turkington. There is only the comedian he embodies onstage, Neil Hamburger. Like Andy Kaufman’s alter ego Tony Clifton, Hamburger is a larger-than-life lounge lizard whose genius lies in being so bad that he’s good. With his incessant throat-clearing, he’s made an art…
Enjoy the Silence
>The most annoying thing about going to concerts in Houston is not runaway service charges and ticket fees, or even finding a place to park. It’s the audiences. For whatever reason, whatever the venue, they can’t seem to shut up. Yes, concerts are a social activity. And if the evening’s…
The Hot N’ Heavy Tour
Sometimes, it’s the little things that really make a band’s sound. Vocal harmonies, a little extra time in postproduction or a perfectly timed cracking of the voice can all make a song much better. In the case of Drop Dead, Gorgeous, it’s not really any of the aforementioned things that…
Earth, Wind & Fire
“Do you remember the twenty-first night of September?” Chances are you probably don’t remember what you ate for breakfast on Monday morning, but you know the origins of that lyric all too well. Earth, Wind & Fire may just be scientific elements to the musically deprived, but for those schooled…
Jamie Foxx
So, how many of you Houstonians were offended when Jamie Foxx didn’t plug his upcoming show in Houston at the BET Awards a couple of Sundays ago? (A better question might be how many of you Houstonians were offended by the BET Awards, period?) He announced his July 4 weekend…
Tintos Spanish Restaurant & Wine Bar
“After 18 years doing this for others, I was ready to take the challenge on my own,” Alberto Alfonzo says about why he decided to open his own restaurant, Tintos Spanish Restaurant & Wine Bar (2015 W. Gray, 713-522-1330). “Even though the economy is down, in hard times, good people…
Wild Moccasins, Buxton, Ghost Mountain
“Zoom in, keep balanced on the edge of the bar, don’t flash underage boys your underwear. Forgetting something, must be…oh! Take the picture.” A situation like this is a lot for a seasoned vet, let alone a rookie intern. But such is the state of affairs one finds herself in…
