American-born Cajun With Checkered Past Deported From Houston To Honduras
Diane Williams has had a pretty rough life. Over the past 20 years, the 34-year-old black-haired, olive-skinned Cajun of partial Native American ancestry has been arrested numerous times here and her native Louisiana on ticky-tack drug and prostitution charges.At some point, she started resorting to aliases, the better to throw…
Hottest Pita Contest
The pita bread at Droubi’s Bakery & Deli at 2721 Hillcroft used to be my favorite because you could always find a package that was still warm. The Hillcroft location is where Droubi’s does all its baking. But recently Phoenicia Specialty Foods at 12141 Westheimer one-upped Droubi’s. Not only is…
Lost Tuneage: Nazareth
Who Dat? Formed at the end of 1968 out of the ashes of a group called the Shadettes, Nazareth – taking its name from the first line of the Band’s “The Weight” – included Dan McCafferty (vocals), Manny Charlton (guitar), Pete Agnew (bass) and Darrell Sweet (drums). As the group…
Dow Chemical, Always Helping The Kids. By Polluting The Air
If you worry about pollution — especially in light on the EPA’s latest study of the cancer risk posed by air pollution — you might see that instead of threatening our lives, air pollution actually helps all of us, especially those of us who are most vulnerable, the kids.For purposes…
An Open Letter to Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Jenny Lewis and the Heartless Bastards
Dear Eric, Steve, Jenny and Heartless Bastards (and all your band members), First of all, Rocks Off would like to welcome you back to Houston. We’d apologize about the heat, but hey, it’s Texas in June. Just be glad you weren’t routed through here six or eight weeks from now…
For Continental’s 75th Anniversary: Five Not-So-Great Highlights
Houston’s Continental Airlines announced today it’s taking delivery of a plane done up in “retro livery,” which to the rest of us means an old-school paint job and decoration, to celebrate the 75th anniversary.It’s “The Blue Skyway” design from 1947, in case you’re interested, and was chosen by current and…
Dharma Cafe’s Accidental Blueberry Coconut Pie
You know when you “accidentally” eat all the leftover pie? Well, accidents sometimes bring about new pie too, as John Gurney and Susan Ralph of Dharma Café can tell you. While trying to bake a chocolate cake from a recipe in pesky metric, the measurements became lost in translation and…
Web Extra: Josh Freese for Hire
With record sales plummeting and disposable income not so disposable anymore, musicians (along with everyone else) are going to greater and greater lengths to stay solvent. Still, drummer Josh Freese – a top L.A. session musician and former Nine Inch Nail, currently a member of Devo, the Vandals and A…
Think Houston Radio Sucks? Try KACC’s Lost Fidelity
Last week, we railed on the big boys over at the Eagle and the Arrow for perpetrating hours and hours of Billy Joel and the Eagles on the ears of Houston. It seemed to us that between those two fighting for the same audience, it was in fact the listener…
True Lifetime Movie Network Tales: Juicy Divorce in Spring
Here is the inaugural installment of True Lifetime Movie Network Tales, in this case ripped from court papers down at the 1st Court of Appeals. The names are being withheld out of sympathy for the participants. Put yourself in this man’s shoes for a moment… After your wife of 25…
Three Brothers Bakery Reopens
I picked up my first loaf of seeded rye at the newly reopened Three Brothers Bakery on South Braeswood yesterday morning, along with $5 worth of poppy seed strudel. Then I promptly ran home and stuffed my face. I would have bought a loaf of challah too, but it was…
A Cafe Bites Nibble
Growing up in Rome, New York, Mike Rovell was known as “Mighty Mike.” “The slogan for the Rome High School was the ‘Mighty, Mighty Romans,’ so now you know how the name Mighty Mike’s Subs (11150 Westheimer, 713-532 7827) came to be.” “I just had to follow my heart,” Rovell…
Artist of the Week: BetterLuck
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. For some reason, back in 2002 we were…
The Spring School District In Full Retreat: Oh God, Not “Team-Building” Exercises
KHOU had a nice report recently about Spring ISD spending thousands of dollars on staff retreats at a time when school districts generally are hurting for cash.A couple of things, though.1) Here’s some of the report: “One retreat will take place this week at La Torretta Del Lago Resort and…
Aftermath: Talib Kweli at Meridian
Hip-hop is a peculiar thing. Not only is it a genre of music, it’s an art form as well. Unlike any other genre, when an artist makes a command, the audience immediately complies. When they spit rhymes, verse after verse, they take their willing participants on a journey to places…
Learn Valuable Skills At Home!! Through HISD!!!
HISD is expanding its at-home learning program, whereby kids from across the state (mostly home-schoolers) can get a tuition-free educational curriculum monitored by a certified teacher via computer and phone.The district partners with the Texas Connections Academy to offer the program, which is the only one of its kind in…
Three Brothers Bakery Reopens
I picked up my first loaf of seeded rye at the newly reopened Three Brothers Bakery on South Braeswood yesterday morning, along with $5 worth of poppy seed strudel. Then I promptly ran home and stuffed my face. I would have bought a loaf of challah too, but it was…
Does Anyone In This Town Know Who Roky Erickson Is?
Rocks Off is practically bouncing off the walls with anticipation for tonight’s Roky Erickson show at the Continental Club, a sentiment shared by (at last count) around 250 of his friends and fellow Houstonians. Erickson (read all about him here) may not have a problem filling up the club tonight,…
The Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in Houston, Not As Dangerous As Dallas
Using exclusive, apparently rigorous data from the real estate Web site Neighborhoodscout.com, the personal finance Web site walletpop.com has come up with a list of the 25 most dangerous neighborhoods in America.We were oddly dismayed to see that none from Houston made the cut, while two from Dallas did. (The…
Everyday He’s Hustlin’: Only 18, But He’s Got A Bigger Multi-Media Empire than You
Well, there he was at a table in an H-E-B in Fort Bend County and he was peddling books, which is either the most naive or desperate or optimistic of things someone can do in a grocery store on a weekend. Actually, it was his book. Eighteen years old and…
Free Burrito Day at Mission Burrito
Another week, another free burrito. It’s like we live in some kind of burrito heaven, where the guacamole flows like water. Mission Burrito is offering one free item per person for lunch and dinner today: a burrito, a burrito bowl, a salad or two tacos. They all come with the…
Aftermath: Double Dagger at Super Happy Fun Land
Wallet, keys, lighter, cellphone, camera(s). We had it all last night as we walked into the arty confines of the East End’s Super Happy Fun Land. But one thing we didn’t have was a pair of earplugs, and right about now we feel kinda silly not dishing out the extra…
Marvin Zindler, Going Back To The Chicken Ranch One Last Time
Next month will be two years since Houston has been robbed of the bewigged, be-surgeried, bellowing presence of Marvin Zindler.His friends and family are planning to mark the occasion with a special presentation of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.Which is kind of odd, really.Zindler was forever linked with the…
Metro Cop No-Billed In Shooting; Agency’s Top Cop Says He Did Apologize To Victim
A Harris County grand jury on Monday no-billed the Metro officer who shot and killed a knife-weilding man who had threatened at least one Metro passenger. Accidentally shot in the May 5 incident was Guadalupe Acosta, who subsequently sued Metro. Metro Police Chief Tom Lambert revealed the grand jury’s decision not to indict…
Black Firefighters Protest Lack Of Action On A Noose In A Locker
A senior captain in the Houston Fire Department kept a noose hanging in his locker, and according to the Houston Black Firefighters Association, the fire department, city council and mayor haven’t taken the incident seriously. “They basically gave him a slap on the wrist,” firefighter Michael McCook tells Hair Balls…
Food Fight: Battle Kolache
Although primarily Czech in origin, the kolache is as fully Texan a food as chicken-fried steak or mayhaw jelly. First created by Czech and Slovakian settlers in central Texas in the mid-1800s, the original kolache was simply a pastry with fruit fillings like blueberries or apricots. These days, the definition of a kolache has expanded…
I Walked With a Zombie: A Roky Erickson Primer
Rocks Off is starting to get really excited about Roky Erickson’s show at the Continental Club Wednesday night. As of around noon Tuesday, about 50 tickets were left, available at Sig’s Lagoon. Sig’s owner Tomas Escalante said a “handful” would be available at the door as well. Unlike most Houstonians…
Sweat Your Ass Off Tomorrow Helping The New Buffalo Bend Nature Park
Got a couple of hours to spare Wednesday morning? The Buffalo Bayou Partnership is looking for some “heat-resistant” volunteers to help put in 9,000 wetland plants at the still under-construction nature park, Buffalo Bend Nature Park. (Okay, with that many plants it might take a little more than a couple…
GQ One Of The First Out Of The Blocks On the 40th-Anniversary-Of-The-Moon Thing
In case you don’t realize it, you soon will — next month brings the 40th anniversary of man landing on the moon.If you were older than eight years old in 1969, you no doubt remember where you were the moment One Small Step happened (Me: In a rental house down…
$7 at Hubbell & Hudson
Where: Hubbell & Hudson Sandwich Counter, 24 Waterway Avenue, The Woodlands, 281-203-5600 What $7 will get you: Some of the best sandwiches in the greater Houston area. The Italian grinder, piled high with ham, salami and roasted red peppers, was $7. Most of the sandwiches at the made-to-order sandwich station…
Laid Off UTMB-Galveston Faculty Not Having A Lot Of Luck With Appeals
The Scientist, a magazine that takes a skeptical look at goings-on in the medical industry, has a new report out on UTMB-Galveston’s treatment of faculty in the wake of Hurricane Ike.Color them unimpressed. (Free registration may be required.)Or, maybe impressed — just not in a good way. If you’re tossing…
Things the Devil Should Have Done Besides Go Down to Georgia
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down To Georgia.” The song, which climbed all the way to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and lives on today as a “boss battle” in Guitar Hero 3, made its first appearance…
Department of Homeland Security to KHOU: Houston Is Not A “Sitting Duck,” Dammit
A little over two years ago, KHOU ran an investigative report with the understated title of “Is Houston a Sitting Duck for Terrorism?” The report looked at security measures at the three general-aviation (read:small) airports around here and came to a calm, soberly reported conclusion: Hence experts like [Mary] Schiavo…
Boudin Balls with a Gooey Surprise
On a recent trip to the Bolivar Peninsula with a carload of friends, I stopped in the small town of Winnie, Texas for a quick pit stop at the local Texaco gas station that had a hot food counter serving mostly pizzas and fried foods. These counters, combined with a…
The Soundtrack of Our Lives: Local Musicians Pick a Love Song
For every relationship, both failed and successful, there’s a song that reminds you of that special (or not-so-special) person whenever it plays. Not to be used with the more cliched “our song,” which is picked by both parties and can, most of the time, be repeated out loud with some…
The Astros May Suck, But At Least You Can Listen To Jim Deshaies
So I’m watching the Astros/Twins game on Sunday afternoon, and it gets to be that inning for the trivia question. The question this time asks Jim Deshaies and Bill Brown to name the four Minnesota Twins that have been named as American League MVPs. So they start tossing out names…
Run for Cover: Rusted Shut Releases Second LP in 20-Plus Years
On Dead, only the second Rusted Shut full-length in the Houston group’s two-decades-and-change existence, noisy plutonium punk-metal remains the burnt main course. Often, this heavy outpouring of vitroil seems to consist of three unequal components: singer Don Walsh’s anti-social/anti-societal, distainful diatribes, drummer Domokos Benczedi’s relentless thrash and a roiling tidal…
Where Are We Eating?
It’s proven to be easy to guess a restaurant by its dining room. But is it as easy to guess the dining destination by its menu? Seen here, the food offered at this place may make the type of establishment easy to peg, but the name might be more difficult…
New Novel Explodes The Lid Off All Those Striking Dockworkers In Houston
A dockworker’s strike in Houston? When was the last time we had a dockworker’s strike in Houston?We’re not sure, but such an event plays a key role in a new novel that got a big-time review in The New York Times yesterday.Black Water Rising, by an author named Attica Locke,…
Ask a Rapper: Yung Redd of Swishahouse
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…
Bill White Swears His Campaign Donations Won’t Be A Loan
Supporters of Bill White’s Senate campaign — or at least people he hopes are supporters — are getting a special one-time offer these days.White says he’ll match every donation he gets with one of his own! Limited time only!! And that’s not all…..Actually, that is all.Says the e-mail from the…
Let’s Make This Rick Perry-Bobby Jindal Bet Interesting, For Chrissake
The Texas Longhorns are playing the LSU Tigers in the College World Series, and that can mean only one thing: an entirely dull press release announcing some stupid bet between the governors of the respective states.And voila!! Rick Perry’s putting up Texas barbecue, Bobby Jindal is putting up seafood, and…
From Prep to Plate: Fajitas at Ninfa’s on Navigation
Robb Walsh’s recent feature on the dubious origins of most fajitas eaten in restaurants today sent Houston Press photographer Troy Fields on an interesting journey to the original Ninfa’s on Navigation, to photograph the entire process of prepping their famous fajitas. The meat used at Ninfa’s is certified Hereford skirt…
Distant Early Warning: Atmosphere, Chickenfoot, Weezy & Jeezy, the Pogues and More
Andy Moor: Fri., July 17. Rich’s Houston. Atmosphere, Eyedea & Abilities, Attracted to Gods: Tue., Aug. 4. Warehouse Live. Chickenfoot: Wed., Sept. 16. Verizon Wireless Theater. Cosmic Gate: Fri., July 3. Rich’s Houston. David Allan Coe, Sean Reefer & The Resin Valley Boys: CHANGED Thu., July 16, 8 p.m., $20-$40…
Kendra Wilkinson Is Spawning!
Of all the girls from The Girls Next Door, I’m really most pleased that it’s Kendra who’s having a baby with her fiancé, professional football player Hank Baskett. (Apparently, Hugh Hefner teared up when he heard the news that his little girl was all growed up.)Anyway, back to what I…
Matt Stiles Joins Chronicle Exodus
Matt Stiles, the energetic and respected governmental reporter for the Chronicle, has resigned, according to his Twitter page.He says: “Just gave notice that I’m leaving the paper. I’ll be back in Austin in two weeks. I’m sad to go, but new opportunities await.”Stiles had covered City Hall and was in…
When the Moon Becomes Round: Songs for the Summer Solstice
In Houston, June 21 comes and goes with very little fanfare. While technically it’s the first day of summer, anyone can tell you summer around here started about two months ago. Nonetheless, it seems like a shame to leave all the celebrating to the pagans; why, they don’t even have…
Rally Tomorrow At Mason Park For The DREAM Act
Keep the DREAM alive. That’s what community activists in Houston are trying to do tomorrow at Mason Park when they hold a rally in support of the DREAM Act, a piece of federal legislation that would allow certain undocumented immigrants to earn citizenship. Officially called the Development, Relief and Education…
The Last Roundup: Something Fierce Rounds Out Tour Dates, Opening In the Watermarks, Pitchman Iggy Pop and More
Something Fierce released the rest of the trio’s tour dates on Hands Up Houston. Lords of the Loop pay poetic tribute to Def Leppard via haiku. 29-95 takes a look at the Wild Moccasins’ (above) tour diary. Exactly three weeks until the band plays Houston again, and we can’t wait…
Somewhat Breaking: One Of BARC’s Top Dogs (Get It?!) Resigns, Angrily
Citing a vastly “flawed” system, BARC Senior Community Liaison Kim Grieff has tendered her resignation. In a June 18 e-mail to Health and Human Services Director Stephen Williams, Assistant Director Michael Terraso and Bureau Chief Ray Sim, Grieff wrote that, “After working over 60 hours per week every week at…
Pete’s Fine Meats Cheeseburger All the Way
The real reason I went to Pete’s Fine Meats was to take a look at the whole cabritos. But while I waited for the counterman to look around in the freezer to see what he had, I figured I might as well have lunch. In the fine tradition of the…
Slide Show: Albums Almost as Old as We Are
The other day, the Rocks Off brain trust was sitting around talking, and one of us happened to mention whatever album it was we were talking about – it might have been Duran Duran’s Rio – came out the year one of us was born. That got us thinking, “How…
Up Close And (Maybe Too) Personal At TUTS’s Cabaret
Theatergoers taking in TUTS’s production of Cabaret (Recommended, although blue-haired TUTS’s version of Weimar Republic “decadence” isn’t exactly R-rated) have several seating choices — way, way back in the depths of the cavernous Hobby Center, up a bit closer in the orchestra seats, or up really close, at tables and…
Former Anchor Sues KPRC For Defamation
Former KPRC Channel 2 anchorwoman Wendy Corona is suing her former news station, alleging breach of contract and defamation. According to the lawsuit recently filed in Harris County District Court, Corona signed a four-year contract with KPRC starting in April 2006. The contract allowed the station to fire Corona after…
Texas Traveler: Dr Pepper Museum
Waco isn’t the first place that comes to mind when people think “road trip.” Instead, visions of an ultraconservative town that was once the site of an epic, fiery battle between a cult and the United States government spring to mind. Fortunately for Waco, the town actually has much more to…
Ahh, Discovery Green….The Lush Lawn, The Sparkling Pool — What The Hell’s That Smell?
Discovery Green has become, by almost all accounts, a great addition to downtown Houston. Whether that addition also ends up feathering the nest of downtown developers with ties to Mayor White still remains to be seen.But visitors might start to notice a certain fragrant aroma on some days, one which…
Rocks Off Checks Out Corpus Christi
This past weekend, Rocks Off took a respite from sweltering H-Town to visit family in our equallly sweltering, ball-sweat-inducing neighbor to the south. Corpus Christi is rather small compared the teeming ant farm we have here, topping just over a quarter of a million beachified and sunburned folks. Rocks Off…
Sean Connery (No, Not That One) Indicted For Child Porn
The US Attorney’s office has had a busy morning announcing indictments of people for having child porn on their computers.These guys are twisted, obviously; one can only hope they limited their odd fetish to looking at things on the computer and not anything further.Among the indicted today is one Sean…
Snackshot: Corndog Dessert with Mustard Ice Cream
This week’s peculiar Snackshot comes from Plinio Sandalio, also known as fuzzzycatt on Flickr. From the photographer’s description: “Fried corncakes, hot dog ketchup, yellow American mustard ice cream.”…
Slide Show: Bun B and Friends at Warehouse Live
A who’s who of rap talent from both Houston (Devin the Dude, Lil’ Flip, Paul Wall, Chamillionaire) and out of town (Lupe Fiasco, the Cool Kids) turned up at Warehouse Live Saturday, June 20, to help the one and only Bun B “Swang on ‘Em” for a couple of hours…
More BARC News: The Hammer Comes Down On Two Vets
The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners has fined BARC Chief Veterinarian Eunice Ohashiegbula and former BARC vet David Rundell for violating U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and Texas Veterinary Licensing Act requirements. In Texas, veterinarians who dispense controlled substances must be registered with the Texas Department of Public Safety. The Board…
Houston Roller Derby Gets Blocked By The Fire Marshal
The Houston Roller Derby (here’s a feature on it) had a rough night Saturday.A big crowd packed into Kicks Indoor Soccer Arena on Shepherd in the Heights for a round-robin match….and that was the problem.The Kicks facility has a legal capacity of no more than 277; maybe 900 people were…
Turning the Screw: Devin the Dude, Mos Def, Young Jeezy, Timbaland, Eminem, Fat Pat and More
Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off’s weekly rap post. It probably won’t rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: “What A Job,” Devin The Dude Wire To Wire A judge disallowed cameras in the courtroom for Rihanna’s testimony…
BARC Wants More City Money Now, Or Dogs And Staffers Will Die
The Bureau of Animal Regulation and Control vaccinated only eight percent of animals on entry between July 2008 and January 2009, according to a BARC supplement asking for additional funding from the city. “Best industry standard is to vaccinate all animals entering a shelter, to minimize the spread of disease among the…
Late Night Scene: Max’s Wine Dive
At Max’s Wine Dive at 10:30 p.m., it is the rare table that doesn’t have wine on the table. But having had enough, our group just orders food. Around the table, attractive couples lean toward each other in those annoying, tiny bar tables over glasses of white wine. It’s mostly…
Social Distortion: While You Weren’t Tweeting
Yup. It’s Monday morning. The weekend’s indisputably over. You sucked down the last of Saturday night’s spliff before bed, and you’ve pulverized the remaining vomit from your knees with a skin-scalding jet stream. You’ve blearily navigated the clogged arteries of familiar freeways to your place of employment. You’ve stumbled into…
Aftermath: The Krayolas at Cactus Music
The coolest band in Houston this weekend couldn’t find a club or venue to play. Not at night, anyway – San Antonio’s the Krayolas did manage to play Dan Electro’s during Saturday afternoon’s live broadcast of KPFT’s Joe’s Roadhouse, and Cactus Music an hour or two thereafter. If you have…
Clemens Answers Blog Readers’ Questions, Reveals Nothing
A big congratulations is in order to the Houstonist blog for the get of the month. The blog, after many failed attempts, was finally able to get Roger Clemens to go on the record and answer reader questions about his career, his future, and of course, Brian McNamee and the…
Houston’s Top Ten Female TV Reporters, Based On A Highly Scientific And Professional System
Our own Miss Pop Rocks wrote an entry some time ago about the Secret Lives of Houston’s Hottest Male Newscasters, which seemed…incomplete to me somehow.I wasn’t sure of the exact problem until she followed it up with the admission of her crush on KPRC’s Jennifer Reyna, then I realized that…
Talking Skirt Steak with Mark Mavrantonis
Mark Mavrantonis, Director of Culinary Development for Legacy Restaurants, which owns the Original Ninfa’s, buys Certified Hereford outside skirt steak for the famous fajitas there. He doesn’t hold back in his opinions about fajita meat. “Using inner skirt steak for fajitas is probably okay,” he wrote me in an email,…
Texas Traveler: Huntsville
Most Houstonians probably know Huntsville for the colossal Sam Houston statue, designed by Texas artist David Adickes, himself a graduate of Sam Houston State University and a Huntsville native. At 67 feet tall, “Big Sam” is dubbed The World’s Tallest Statue of an American Hero. Or maybe they know about…
MP3 Monday: Buxton’s “Flint” and “Feathers”
In advance of the release of Buxton’s new seven-inch, that little ol’ Americana band from La Porte has shot us the new B-side from the single, entitled “Flint.” The single will be available on yellow vinyl and, to quote guitarist Chris Wise, it will be “pretty.” Since we’re suckers for…
Dad’s Day Gift Idea: Gourmet Jerky Assortment
I used to think I was a beef jerky connoisseur because I pulled over at Woody’s Smokehouse on I-45 halfway to Dallas and tried a different variety of jerky every time I took a trip north. I also thought turkey jerky was pretty adventurous. That was before I visited the…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Another Record Store Day at Cactus Music
Cactus Music and the Record Ranch is having another Record Store Day Saturday, with a lineup of events that borders on serious party happening. The highlight of the day will be a live appearance by red-hot San Antonio band The Krayolas (above). San Antonio’s oldest and most respected rockero outfit…
The Remaining Summer Blockbusters: Who Will Win, Who Will Lose
The “official” start of summer — two weeks’ worth of upper-90 degree temps notwithstanding — isn’t until this Sunday. For Hollywood however, the summer blockbuster season kicked off in May with the release of Wolverine.In the ensuing month-and-a-half, we’ve had some box office successes (Star Trek, Night at the Museum…
This Week In Deliciousness
Welcome back once again to the weekly round-up at Eating Our Words, where we’ve found a way to put gravy on pretty much everything (you just have to tell people it’s “some kinda sauce”). We like to keep things nice and informal around here, like Mike Giglio did when he…
Saturday: Paris Falls CD Release at Mango’s
Houston’s Paris Falls stayed close to home for its third album – both literally and figuratively. In keeping with its two sequentially titled predecessors, Volume III is a fresh collection of ’70s-rocked tunes recorded from the in-house studio of Raymond and Jennifer Brown. The husband-and-wife duo is simultaneously slipping comfortably…
Last Call For Art: Graffiti, The Body And A Beauty Queen
There are two arts shows and a play that warrant your attention before they close this weekend. First is “Street Tempted,” an art exhibit at Aerosol Warfare by Galveston-based artist Gabriel Prusmack. After starting as a graffiti artist about eight years ago, Prusmack has since moved on to using found…
Jackfruit Season Is Here Again!
Last year, when Saveur editor James Oseland was in town, I took him to Hong Kong City Mall. Oseland lived in Indonesia for a long time, and he was thrilled to see ripe jackfruit on sale. Jackfruit have been cultivated in Asia for more than 6,000 years and are highly…
Things to Do This Weekend If You’re (Almost) Broke
Rocks Off knows it’s hard to have fun without spending money. Trust us, like Bill Clinton, we feel your pain. But we’ve been combing the club listings and put together a list of shows and other music-related happenings that won’t set you back too any more than $10. You can…
Ron Paul, Bravely Standing Up Against The Iranian Revolutionaries
Congress, which has nothing better to do than pass non-binding, feel-good resolutionsthat will have no effect, did just that today with a vote on a bill “Expressing support for all Iranian citizens who embrace the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and rule of law.”The resolution passed 405-1.One nay?……….Dr…
Upcoming Events
The heat is already on this summer, so take advantage of the cool air conditioning and the cool deals going on at some of your favorite restaurants. Fleming’s Steakhouse will be offering special deals starting June 23. The summer prix fixe menu features a choice of appetizers, entrees and side dishes…
Friday Night Noise: Swanshit and Yellow Tears
Swanshit, “Fluorescence”: Forty-five minutes of linguine-layered, ascending drone, “Fluorescence” strikes me as a more intense, fully-realized stab at the kind of digitalized, etheral illusion-of-statis Aquarelle pursued a few years back on Of Memory and Momentum. With “Fluorescence,” it’s as if a million tiny ball-bearings or drops of water on a…
Get Shot By A Metro Cop, You’ll Get A Grilling Instead Of An Apology
We weren’t really surprised to learn that the saga of The Great Metro Shooting is once again grabbing headlines, this time with the news that the bystander who was shot now plans on suing Metro. Guadalupe Acosta, a nanny, told the Chron she was shot in the shoulder as she…
Barbarians At The Cabaret Gates
The all-time highlight of the night was when an older man began belting out a “Willkommen” to make anyone proud. Problem was, he wasn’t on stage, but was sitting in the upper mezzanine — part of the audience. Theater Etiquette 101 hit a new low at last night’s entertaining performance of Cabaret…
What Is Pul-A-Pul?
To find out, a trip to Schulenburg and the recently revived Sengelmann Hall is in order. Schulenburg lies exactly halfway between San Antonio and Houston along Interstate 10. While the small town itself was formally established in 1875, Czech and German settlers had already made their homes there for several…
Papa Was a Rolling Stone: Songs for Father’s Day
Fathers often get a bad rap. Even though most Dads work every bit as hard as Mom for their families, they get overlooked very easily, because praise and thanks aren’t supposed to matter to Dads, they’re simply expected to act the way a Dad is supposed to. To help make…
Houston’s Ponzi-riffic Allen Stanford Is Indicted
Allen Stanford, the man who singlehandedly revived Houston’s fading Enron reputation for corporate scams (here’s our feature take on him) has finally been indicted.A Houston grand jury indicted him on 21 charges of charged with 21 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice.Stanford is…
Carlos Lee’s Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer
I give Richard Justice a lot of grief. But there are times when I think he’s right, and yesterday, I think he was right. And he was right about something that’s been bugging me for three years and which nearly cost the Astros a baseball game last night.As we’re all…
Five Spot: The Illustrious Dustin Prestige
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 suspect the goal of every music writer is to be able to answer…
Copper River Sockeye and King
Hudson & Hubbell had some “Wild Alaskan Copper River Salmon” on display in the fish case yesterday. It was selling for $30 a pound. “There is no such thing as Copper River salmon,” Jon Rowley wrote back when I asked him how the season was going in Alaska. Instead, there…
Protect The Texas Jaguarundi!! He’s Cute!!
Ever heard of the jaguarundi? Neither have we. Perhaps that’s because this unique type of cat that lives along the Texas border with Mexico is endangered. Perhaps it’s because nobody really cares. We’re guessing it’s a bit of both, but that doesn’t mean every animal shouldn’t have some human in…
Tonight: Chase Hamblin CD Release at the Continental Club
It’s not very often that Rocks Off gets to know an artist we review personally. But as we stumbled out of the Texas heat one Friday night and into Avant Garden, we asked the bartender who the artist was being played – he smiled and replied coolly, “Well, me.” A…
Refugees In Houston Struggle With The Health-Care System Even More Than The Rest Of Us
A Bhutanese refugee has been holed up in his southwest Houston apartment for months, downing pain killers. This isn’t the new life he had in mind. Rubber sandals cover the mat outside the spare, dim apartment. The man is embedded in an easy chair. He periodically winces and grabs his…
Kimchee at Super H Mart
There’s something luxurious about the banchan, or side dishes, that come with Korean meals. Before dinner has even begun, the table is already full of food — ten different little dishes — and everyone gets their own fried fish. Of course, the most recognizable dish is the kimchee. If you…
Social Distortion: The Little Election That Could
Note: Feel free to sing along with John Denver at any time. This is wholesome social media activism the whole family can enjoy! There was a land of Persians with loads and loads of hope,All gearing up to elect a new President that was not a dope,And as the polling…
Inquiring Minds: Houston Soul Singer Leela James
They say they don’t make ’em like they used to, but in one case they sure do: Leela James’ new album Let’s Do it Again (Shanachie) is a throwback to the gritty glory days of Ann Peebles and Betty Wright – whose “Clean Up Woman” leads off the record -…
Houston’s Alleged Amnesiac, Coming Soon To Inside Edition
The case of the Curmudgeon and the Amnesiac Drifter has legs. Inside Edition, the hard–hitting news program that launched blowhard Bill O’Reilly on an unworthy America, has picked up the story, putting it alongside such Frontline-esque headlines as today’s vital (also Houston-tied!) scoop: “For the first time, Inside Edition is…
Former Judge Woody Densen Indicted, And There Is Much Rejoicing Among Some Veteran Lawyers
Former district judge Woody Densen was indicted today for criminal mischief after getting caught on video keying a neighbor’s car. It’s a state-jail felony charge, since the car damaged was expensive, so he’s facing up to two years in jail.And around the courthouse, among veteran lawyers, there is much cackling…
R.I.P. Dave Rask
Rocks Off has learned that Houston singer-songwriter Dave Rask, who sustained severe burns earlier this week and was rushed to Galveston’s John Sealy Hospital, passed away from his injuries earlier today. He was 27. “It threw us all off – we weren’t expecting anything like this to happen,” Rask’s friend…
Houston Airport System Won’t Release Salaries….Because Of National Security Issues
A while back we wrote about the Houston Airport System exporting its vast knowledge of running airports to countries all over the place. HAS wasn’t too forthcoming about the financial aspects of it all.A couple of months later, Mayor Bill White suddenly forced out the HAS director — at least…
The Big Tweet: Tontons Pictures, Chamillionaire in L.A., Dead Body at Bonnaroo, Yoko Tweets and More
Follow Rocks Off on Twitter here. New live shots of thetontons: “Awesome. Add them to our flickr group. RT @kittenfc got a few photos of y’all at warehouse live last week. http://tinyurl.com/nf4uyy” A weather report from Morein: “It’s just keeps getting hotter in Houston! When will the rain come?” Words…
Dry-Aged Black Angus
While we were debating the word salumeria, a commenter by the name of SpandTexPants complained that Houston didn’t have a butcher shop that sold dry-aged beef. Well, now we do. Hubbell & Hudson Market in the Woodlands has a dry-aging case in its meat department. When I stopped by today…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Taking a Shot at Cold Shot
LOM’s significant other got a MySpace friend request from local cover band Cold Shot yesterday. Now I have about as much use for cover bands as I do a dull pocket knife, but everyone has to make a living, I guess, and we aren’t all qualified to be pole dancers…
Plagiarism? Or Great Minds Thinking Alike? A Lunatic Rant Inspires Controversy
Tuesday we wrote about a long, long manifesto making its way around the net, by the father of a one-time UH baseball player convinced coach Rayner Noble had sabotaged his kid’s career.Our item was written by freelancer John W. Royal, who covers baseball and hockey for us.Today, the writer of…
This Week In Beyonce: The Kanye Remixes “Ego,” Crossing the Street, Hairstyle Retrospective, Jonas Brothers Love and More
Can the world handle this much “Ego”? Kanye remixes B’s latest hit. TWIB loves Beyonce so much that we even put up with people covering her songs, for example up-and-coming R&B crooner Mateo and Teairra Mari doing “Diva.” “Diva” is definitely our word of the day, but then again, we…
They All Look Alike To The Chronicle
Perusing the “Hot Ticket” spread in this week’s Chronicle’s Preview section, we came across this little doozy of a mislabeled photo: The caption reads, in part, “Trombone Shorty (pictured here in Guitar Shorty mode) and Orleans Avenue will headline A Gulf Coast Juneteenth…7 p.m. Friday at Miller Outdoor Theatre”No mode…
Health Department Roundup: “Foo-la” Edition
New contributor E. Ting likes eating, but for professional reasons prefers to remain anonymous. “Foo-la” is the sound a friend of mine makes when he wants to signal that something is fancy or hoity-toity, which for him could easily be anything over $25. The word sounds vaguely Cajun, since it…
The City’s Citizen Survey Doesn’t Offer Enough Options For Answers; We Fix That
Got 10 minutes and a desire to let city officials know how you sort of feel, in a vague-ish way? The 2009 Survey of Houston Citizens is out, and despite its length (around 100 questions, depending on how many sub-questions you get), we’re not sure how much useful information it’ll…
The Eagle Has Landed
Rocks Off only listens to Houston rock radio in small doses, but when we do it’s usually of the classic variety. When our usual diet of AM talk radio veers into the right-wing ditch and becomes annoying instead of amusing, we pretty much shuffle between Country Legends 97.1 or the…
The Speedy-Mart In Friendswood, Meeting All Your Viagra Needs
It’s tough getting an edge in the convenience-store game. Exxon’s coffee is as shitty as Shell’s, the price for a pair of tallboys is about the same, gas is gas.So if you’re Ashish Shrestha of Friendswood, and you’re running a Speedy-Mart, you go the extra mile.Some over-the-counter, no-prescription-needed Viagra? Step…
Tintos Stakes a Claim to Inner Loop Tapas
The debate about which Houston restaurant serves the most authentic Spanish tapas rages on. Among Houston food lovers, the general consensus is that Rioja is at the top of the list for authentic tapas and great paella. But to a large population of Houston diners, Rioja has one major flaw…
Tonight: Diogo Nogueira at Kahlua
Samba is not just a single musical genre; it’s actually subdivided into countless sub-genres ranging from the party-friendly Carnaval beat to the highly subtle bossa nova made famous by the likes of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao Gilberto. However, among the best-loved in Brazil (and least-known internationally) is the variation…
The New Roger Clemens Books: He’s A Steroid-Using A-Hole, and The Chron’s Wimpy
Roger Clemens is no longer the only former professional baseball player under investigation for lying to Congress. With the Tuesday revelation that Sammy Sosa was one of the 104 MLB players to test positive for PED use in 2003 (along with Alex Rodriguez) comes the word that a congressional committee…
Local Motion: Top Sellers at Area Record Stores
1. Springfield Riots, Say When EP 2. Todd Snider, The Excitement Plan 3. Jubal Lee Young, Last Free Place in America 4. Sonic Youth, The Eternal 5. Steve Earle, Townes 6. Elvis Costello, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane 7. Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest 8. Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca 9. Dave Alvin &…
A Chat with Scott Crosthwait of The Usual
Scott Crosthwait is a busy guy. His packed schedule includes waiting tables at The Hobbit Café and bartending at The Usual. Does he have a day off? “Not right now, but starting soon, I’m taking every other Tuesday off.” He looks completely at home behind the clean but scruffy bar…
Houston Homeless Get Their Own, Unofficial Library
Photo courtesy CHOMThe people at the Beacon can use a good distraction. Since the start of the new year, the homeless day center has seen a 20 to 30 percent increase in clients as more people fall victim to the worsening economy. Tracy Burnett, the director at Cathedral Health and…
Aftermath: Santigold at House of Blues
Puff-paint, splatter-paint, welcome to the hospital – the sterility of a trash heap greets you. Santigold = the moment hipster-embraced globalism became a commodity, and why globalism doesn’t matter anymore; i.e., we’re all the same. Seeing her at House of Blues is like trying to wash away your sins with a…
Bayou Body Count: Terrible Tragedy, In A Lexus
Just before 4 pm Tuesday, according to Houston police, Pedro Enrique-Garcia Rosabal, 34, called his wife to say he’d just picked their two kids up from summer school and was going to kill them. Turns out Rosabal made good on his threat, shooting his 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son with…
The Roll-N Saloon Can’t Be Killed Yet
Rumor on the ‘net had it that the Roll-N Saloon — one of the last dive bars between Montrose and, hell, Brookshire on Houston’s tony West Side — was slated for the wrecking ball. Supposedly the strip mall that houses the hard-by-the-train-tracks San Felipe tavern was soon to make way…
Grilling Recipe: Kalbi Fajitas
While I was working on this week’s feature story, “Not So Clear Cut,” I grilled a lot of different beef cuts fajita-style and asked my friends and family what they thought. The hands-down favorite at every taste test was the short rib meat. It was also the cheapest. I bought…
I Have a Girl Crush on The Channel 2 Traffic Lady
So, I’m a straight lady, but I have this weird girl crush on the Channel 2 Traffic Lady, Jennifer Reyna. I know I’m a feminist, and I’m not supposed to objectify women, and I’m supposed to be neutral about a woman’s appearance because women are already totally objectified enough as…
Talking With Fat Tony About White Lies, Black Sheep
This Friday, a screening of director James Spooner’s new movie, White Lies Black Sheep, will be held at Houston blog Indiehouston.com’s headquarters at 1816 Calumet. The film tells the story of AJ, a young black man cemented in New York rock and roll scene who, through a series of events,…
The County Attorney Sends A Message: A Local Polluter Gets Jail Time
Photo courtesy Harris County AttorneyHere’s something relatively new: A Harris County polluter is going to jail.Vince Ryan, the new Harris County Attorney, has decided to make pollution a priority, and he went after the owner of a northside auto-parts salvage company that had been dragging its legs on cleaning up…
Michael de La Cerda: “Three Hundred Sixty Five”
Last year, sculptor Michael de La Cerda’s exhibit at the McMurtrey Gallery was named “three sixty,” after the number of degrees his circular shapes covered. This year, his follow-up exhibit is called “Three Sixty Five,” referring not to degrees, but to the number of days he’s spent with his newborn…
Thunder from Down Under
There’s going to be plenty of Aussie beefcake at today’s performance by Thunder from Down Under. Voted the Best Male Strip Show by the Las Vegas Review-Journal for four years in a row, Thunder from Down Under features a dozen dancers/hunks/just-this-side-of-pornographic eye candy shaking it just for you. Among the…
Andre Dubus III: The Garden of Last Days
Few writers whip gut-wrenching drama into eloquent prose like Cajun novelist Andre Dubus III (pronounced “Duh-byoose”). The son of literary legend Andre Dubus, Andre III certainly inherited his late father’s chops. He’s landed one prestigious nod after another, from the coveted Pushcart Prize to his inclusion in anthologies like 1994’s…
Buffalo Soldiers Freedom Festival — Concert and Motorcycle Rally
One of Houston’s largest Juneteenth celebration is the Buffalo Soldiers Freedom Festival — Concert and Motorcycle Rally. In addition to the soul music concert with performances by Allan Harris, Michael Henderson and others, and a show of custom bikes, there’s a soul food cookoff, Buffalo Soldier historical displays, costumed soldiers…
Patrons & Protectors: The Heritage of the Mexican Retablo
Learn the history of one of Latin America’s most popular folk arts at the talk Patrons & Protectors: The Heritage of the Mexican Retablo with independent curator Stephen Vollmer. From their beginnings in post-conquest Mexico to their modern-day use across Latin America, retablos are much more than just religious paintings,…
Ask Not
The documentary film Ask Not examines the U.S. military policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Since its inception in 1993, the controversial policy has been both praised for making sexual orientation a nonissue and condemned for pushing gay and lesbian soldiers deeper into the closet. See which viewpoint you agree…
Cocktails for the Cure
Drink up – it’s for a good cause. Cocktails for the Cure, a Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation event, is part fund-raiser for the breast-cancer-fighting organization, part live auction and all happy hour. 5 to 8 p.m. Goode’s Armadillo Palace, 5015 Kirby. For information call 713-598-3043 or visit www.nancyowens.org. $10. Thu.,…
Houston Symphony: Sounds Like Fun!
The Houston Symphony is bringing its Sounds Like Fun! series to a close, but you have one last chance to catch the family-friendly concert. The orchestra performs a program of Russian folk tales, which includes a visit to a magical land of firebirds and the adventures of courageous princes. The…
Hotel ZaZa Unleashed Poolside Pet Soiree
Those who long for dog-friendly nightlife can head to the Hotel ZaZa Unleashed Poolside Pet Soiree today. It’s an outdoor fest held in the hotel’s lush “urban oasis,” a sultry pool area featuring cozy lounge chairs and Romanesque pillars, where you and your pet can enjoy canapés and cocktails (though…
The Narrows – Live
Can’t get to the New York premiere of The Narrows? You can still be part of the fun at The Narrows – Live, a live simulcast featuring Sophia Bush, Kevin Zegers and Vincent D’Onofrio answering real-time questions from the nationwide audience (sent in via text message). The movie is about…
White Lies, Black Sheep
White Lies, Black Sheep, James Spooner’s latest film, chronicles a young man’s struggle with racial identity in New York City’s underground rock scene. Spooner wowed film festivals with Afro Punk, a documentary exploring black life in the alternative music world. He’s followed suit with White Lies, a fictitious, documentary-style drama…
KPRC Local 2 Summer Symphony Nights
Maestro Gregory Vajda conducts the Houston Symphony for the KPRC Local 2 Summer Symphony Nights. Guest violinist Tai Murray performs the evening’s highlight, Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5. Just 26 years old, Murray is currently a BBC New Generation Artist. Also on the program are Kodaly’s Dances of Marosszek and…
Artists on Film: In a Dream
When he was making a documentary about his father, the late Isaiah Zagar, who was perhaps the most important mosaic folk artist in America, filmmaker Jeremiah Zagar got the bright idea to ask Dad to tell him a secret. Caught off guard, the elder Zagar blurted out that he’d been…
“Energy”
Blakely Bering and Austin James have taken “Energy,” a collection of their new works, to BNIM, an architectural firm. “It’s new works, mixed media on panels, all very vibrant and incredibly energetic, hence the name,” says Cali Alvarado, gallery director for Bering & James Gallery. “The work is a lot…
Memories of Spain
When you think Spain and dance, you naturally think flamenco. At today’s repertory concert Memories of Spain, Dancepatheatre will offer small doses of the sensual dance, along with much more. The program includes artistic director Sara Draper’s well-known work El Cerrojo (The Door Latch), set to poetry based on the…
Artist’s and Curator’s Talk for “Existed: Leonardo Drew”
It’s he said, she said at the “Existed: Leonardo Drew” Artist’s and Curator’s Talk. After some light refreshments (read: booze), Blaffer Gallery’s Claudia Schmuckli and Drew will discuss the exhibition. Drew is known for his epic collages and sculptures, which utilize everything from shoes to cardboard to animal carcasses. Get…
Lone Star Lyric Theater Festival 2009
Four miniature operas explore what it means to be female in the Lone Star Lyric Theater Festival 2009. Along with Maid to Mistress, Lady of Monte Carlo and The Women, there’s Doctor Miracle. The opera by Bizet has been keeping audiences laughing for 150 years. See why at 8 p.m…
Ali Sethi: The Wish Maker
Author Ali Sethi has said that Americans’ biggest misconception about Pakistan is that it’s a Middle Eastern country. He corrects this, and many other stereotypes about Pakistan and its people, in The Wish Maker, his first novel, which he’ll discuss and sign today at Brazos Bookstore. The book, set in…
Brazilian Movie Night: Se Eu Fosse Você
Claudio and Helena have been married for a long time in the Brazilian film Se Eu Fosse Você (If I Were You). Boredom has set in, and both have very little respect for each other. Just before Claudio’s 50th birthday, the couple gets into a “compared to me, you’ve got…
Under the Sea 3D
Meet some of the most exotic sea creatures in the world in Under the Sea 3D, including a just-discovered species of shark and the venomous stonefish. Currently playing at the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s IMAX theater, Under the Sea 3D explores ocean life from the Great Barrier Reef to…
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare — Abridged
See a parody of Hamlet reduced to just 43 seconds in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare — Abridged. All of the Bard’s comedies, tragedies and dramas are reworked into short snippets (all 37 plays are performed in 97 minutes). The story’s major elements are more or less intact, if…
Tony Rock
It’s true he lives in the shadow of his much more famous big brother Chris Rock, but that doesn’t mean Tony Rock can’t hold his own on the stand-up stage. Unafraid to tackle politically incorrect topics, Rock riffs on the need for blacks to support undocumented Mexican immigrants. “First of…
“The Transitional Museum: Architecture by Mauricio Rodriguez Anza”
Here’s an exhibit about an exhibit space. Houston’s Museum of Art and Design is set to open next year, but you can see “The Transitional Museum: Architecture by Mauricio Rodriguez Anza” now and get an idea of what’s to come. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Through June…
Thom Pain (based on nothing)
Amy Hopper, founder of the Nova Arts Project, neatly sums up Thom Pain (based on nothing) by saying, “It’s almost as if you’re going to see an event and this guy just stands up and starts talking to the audience assembled. It’s like, ‘Is this part of the show? Or…
Contemporary Dance Workshop with jhon stronks
Learn from one of the best at today’s Contemporary Dance Workshop with jhon stronks. The Director of Houston Met’s Pre-professional Program, stronks leads today’s installment of monthly dance workshops at Frenetic Theater. This workshop is for intermediate and advanced students. 1 to 3:45 p.m. 5102 Navigation. For information, call 832-426-4624…
Family Fun Films with Pop Stars
It’s a scene that plays out over and over – formerly hip fathers coming home from a hard day at the office, pulling off their ties and being confronted by their confused children, brandishing decades-old photos of vaguely familiar musicians holding instruments. “Dad, you used to rock?” Thankfully, Dads Who…
Samba Nights in the Heights
Enjoy a big dose of Brazilian culture at today’s Samba Nights in the Heights. Live music, dancing, performances and more are all on the schedule. Don’t worry if your samba skills are minimal; there’s a free introductory class to help get the fun started. 7 to 11 p.m. Brazilian Arts…
The New Bistro Steaks and Fajitas
Here are some of the newly popular cuts of beef you might find in the grocery store meat case. We grill them and eat them fajita-style in Texas, but they are known as “bistro steaks” on the East and West coasts because of their popularity in the French bistro dish…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Beauty Queen of Leenane, Complete Works of William Shakespeare…Abridged, The Story of Burford, Category 5
Beauty Queen of Leenane If you know anything about the works of playwright Martin McDonagh (The Pillowman, Lieutenant of Inishmore), then you’re well aware that his vision of Ireland does not include leprechauns, four-leaf clovers or pots of gold. His plays are infamous for their willful violence, black-as-pitch humor and…
Victim of Circumstance
Fifteen minutes after seeing The Proposal, I’d forgotten I’d seen The Proposal. Well, that’s not entirely true: By then, it had simply merged in my memory with a thousand other films just like it — those in which phony lovers bound together by dubious circumstances become honest-to-kissin’ couples in just…
Traumatized Beyond Belief
Bad BARC Online readers respond to “You’ll Be Shocked To Learn BARC Doesn’t Much Seem To Care About Its Dead Dogs, Either,” by Craig Malisow, Hair Balls blog, June 10: Dude: You totally rock, Craig! Anonymous Greener: What the hell do you people want? With the city disposing of 30,000-plus…
UH Fight Gets Nasty: Closing acclaimed Human Development Lab preschool angers parents
Spaced City Tossing Around Dead Dogs BARC doesn’t seem to care about dead animals, either by CRAIG MALISOW So you’re a higher-up at Houston’s Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care, which has experienced public relations problems for the last…um, decades…and then one of your employees comes to you in February…
Byte This
Carting a crate of used CDs to your local record store so you can make rent is a rite of passage as ancient as it can be tearful. But what about those MP3s and iTunes songs you’re ready to unload? Is there a way to sell those off, too, when…
Mango Punch: Una Casita Blanca
Mango Punch’s Walter Suhr is a great front man (as multiple Houston Press Music Awards wins prove), but his real talent lies in songwriting. His band Mango Punch’s new CD, Una Casita Blanca (A Little White House), shows Suhr’s considerable range as a writer with tunes that range stylistically from…
Defending the Polka
What’s the difference between an accordion player and a terrorist? Terrorists have sympathizers. Yes, that’s a joke, but you can forgive the polka community for not laughing right now. On June 4, the Recording Academy (the body behind the Grammy Awards) announced that, effective immediately, it was eliminating Best Polka Recording…
Immigrant vs. Immigrant
Dear Mexican, I write to you with a doubt similar to the one that Incensed in Chicago felt a couple of weeks ago, when her friend couldn’t believe that Mexicans worked in professional, white-collar jobs. I live in Tijuana, and of the gabachos that put roots here, you can’t find…
Tori Amos: Abnormally Attracted to Sin
Tori Amos’s previous album, 2007’s American Doll Posse, brought back the rebellious-outsider attitude that attracted her legions of fans in the first place, which now flowers into a full-on middle finger in the face of her suspected post-childbirth mellowing (2005’s The Beekeeper). There’s not a weak track until No. 6, the…
Gossip Girls
I recently came across an article about The Veronicas that, in addition to mentioning the Australian-born duo in the same breath as Katy Perry (cringe) and Lady GaGa (shudder), used the term “post-post feminist” to describe all three acts. The question here is not what the hell “post-post feminist” is…
Not So Clear Cut
The front end of a cow carcass was dangling from the ceiling. With a butcher’s hook and a boning knife in my hands, I regarded the bright-red expanse of raw meat. The day before, on the first day of Beef 101 class, I had patted this steer on the forehead…
A Gulf Coast Juneteenth
Even though you generally don’t get to take off work, Texas state holidays just seem cooler than their federal counterparts. Who needs the Fourth of July when you’ve got San Jacinto Day? The same holds true for Juneteenth, which commemorates the day — June 19, 1865 — when a U.S…
Hollister Hospitality
The crab cake Benedict on the Sunday brunch menu at Hollister Grill is my new favorite version of the old-fashioned egg dish. It starts off with two slices of salty prosciutto on two buttered English muffins. The ham is topped with two modest-sized but meaty crab cakes. Then come the…
Tab Benoit
One thing about Louisiana-born guitarist Tab Benoit that most people don’t know is that he’s a dedicated activist for his native state’s environment; back in 2005, he and some fellow musicians got together to make a disc warning of the danger a hurricane might bring if the levees broke —…
Blue Planet Cafe
Retired teacher Ingrid Syam and her husband Deep Syam recently opened fast-casual Blue Planet Cafe (1330 Wirt, 713-681-9800), which offers pizza, panini, gelato and coffee. “This is a simple, neighborhood cafe,” says Deep Syam. “We have free Wi-Fi and a comfy area with sofas in the back of the place…
Talib Kweli
For students of alternative hip-hop, Talib Kweli — full name Talib Kweli Greene, which is nowhere near as hip — is a venerated elder statesman. His erratic, jackhammer flow is straight-up archetypal, simplistic and free of parable, yet with an inordinate amount of consequence. Black Star, the 1998 album Kweli…
Hello, Liver
Chicken livers can have a strong taste if they’re not prepared correctly, but the Peli-Peli chicken livers ($8) at South African restaurant Peli-Peli (110 Vintage Park, building J, suite P, 281-257-9500) are prepared expertly. The presentation is as dramatic as its flavor, with the livers served in a round red…
Jenny Lewis, Heartless Bastards
Two years ago, Rilo Kiley played a set to a sold-out Warehouse Live ballroom that left more than a few of the L.A. band’s fans wishing their sardonic Saddle Creek soft-rock contained just a little more twang. The reason was Rabbit Fur Coat, RK lead singer Jenny Lewis’s 2006 solo…
Roky Erickson
I’ve always loved the story that the 13th Floor Elevators were the one band the Grateful Dead didn’t like to follow. Anyone who saw the original Elevators, and especially the Elevators’ San Francisco period, knows the band literally exploded when they took the stage. And no one was more explosive…
Eminem: Relapse
Having fought a prescription-pill addiction and mourned his murdered friend Proof, Eminem has chosen new album Relapse as his therapy. Whereas he played 2004’s Encore largely for laughs, Relapse is an oft-shocking plunder of the depths of his psyche and his imagination. “My Mom” explores the genetic and familial repercussions…
Math the Band: Don’t Worry
All harried shouting and hurtling, Nintendo-sounding synths, New England duo Math the Band craft ultra-geeky, ultra-poppy geek-pop that’s part Matt & Kim, part Atom and His Package. Kevin Steinhauser and girlfriend Justine Mainville spit out this second album in under 25 minutes with the intensity and expediency of an air…
Soaring Swan
Houston Ballet’s Swan Lake reminds us just why we love this ballet of love, betrayal and death. It will make balletomanes swoon and novices sit up in their theater seats and gape. What thrills isn’t really the story about the cursed Odette, swan by day and princess by night who…
Credit Crisis
Is it good planning or just good luck that the Alley Theatre programmed Aaron Sorkin’s breathlessly entertaining television history pageant The Farnsworth Invention during the very week that TV historically switched its signal from analog to digital? If you don’t know — and Sorkin expertly lays it all out with…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Anthony Thompson Shumate: Novus Ordo Seclorum,” “The Art Guys: New Clichés,” “Measuring Your Own Grave,” Round 30: Home. Space. Place.
“Anthony Thompson Shumate: Novus Ordo Seclorum” Novus ordo seclorum (“New Order of the Ages”) is one of those bits of Latin written on your dollar bill, as well as the title of Anthony Thompson Shumate’s exhibition at Barbara Davis Gallery. The show is based on a little-known conspiracy theory —…
Flash Drive
Ever since he discovered the photography of Gordon Parks (who passed away in 2006) during his teenage years, Jason Woods knew he found someone to emulate, to look up to, to admire. “This guy was more than a photographer,” says Woods, better known today as DJ Flash Gordon Parks. “He…
