UPDATED: Ex-Boyfriend of “Enchilada Queen” Sylvia Casares Pleads Guilty to 2012 Shooting
In March 2012, Sylvia Casares, chef and owner of Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen, was shot in the stomach by her then-boyfriend Michael Warren, police said. Warren, a regular cook at Casares’s food truck, No Borders, and a partner in the Sylvia’s restaurant chain fled in Casares car after the shooting, which…
Houston FBI Nabs 4 in Nationwide Child Sex Trafficking Task Force
Child prostitutes were the focus of a recent FBI anti-sex-trafficking operation in which a total of 168 juveniles were recovered nationwide. The sting rounded up suspects in more than 100 cities and involved 54 FBI divisions. In Houston, four kids were recovered, as were four pimps, according to the Justice…
Houston Lawyer Calls SCOTUS Decision on Smartphone Search a Good Thing (Of Course)
If you’ve ever wondered if, when you get into trouble, cops can just run up in your smartphone and start looking at your pictures, and emails and stuff then you can thank the Supreme Court for helping to protect your rights. The court ruled unanimously today that cops cannot search…
Reality Bites: Ladies of London
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. If it seems like I’m picking on Bravo lately, well, I am. They’re one of the few networks airing new episodes of anything now that summer’s here. It’s this stuff…
Celebrate Watermelon Season With These Local Watermelon Dishes
Spending any time outside in the summer heat of Houston sounds like a chore, but even the most sweaty, sticky afternoon can be turned around with a cool, refreshing slice of watermelon. The Texas-grown fruit is at its peak right now, and individuals and restaurants alike are scooping up melons…
UPDATED: Time Running Out for Charges in Spindletop Dog Refuge Case
Update — June 27: Katie Jarl, Texas director of the Humane Society of the United States has given us a statement that makes us even more puzzled about what has taken Holifield so long. She tells us in an email that “part of our assistance involved documenting the condition of…
UPDATED: $10 (or so) Well Spent at Rice University Farmers’ Market
Update: True Blue Friends has closed its doors and no longer participates in the Rice University Farmers’ Market. I spent five years studying at Rice University and only once did I go to its farmers’ market that assembles every Tuesday afternoon from 3:30pm to 6:30pm. That’s pathetic. I remember my…
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Brings the Heat to Miller Outdoor Theatre
The Chicken Ranch is back and this time it’s free to watch. In 2012, Theatre Under the Stars Scored a Success with The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at the Hobby Center. TUTS decided to bring it back this year for its annual free summer offering at Miller Outdoor Theatre…
The Fight for Pride Week (Part 4)
Part four in a series for Houston Pride Week. Once formed, “The Caucus,” as the Houston LGBT Political Caucus became known, quickly organized a series of actions that would see the political power of the LGBT community expand exponentially. By the end of the decade, even straight candidates would seek…
The Urban Cowboy Soundtrack Holds Up Pretty Well
Have you watched Urban Cowboy lately? It’s actually on Netflix right now if you never have. But the movie that in many ways put Houston on the map in the world’s eyes — how come nobody ever brings up Terms of Endearment, though? — frankly hasn’t aged all that well…
Never Forget, LeBron: Zapruder Analysis of Dan Gilbert’s Irate 2010 Letter
So LeBron James is unofficially officially going to be a free agent come July 1, according to his agent, Rich Paul. If history is any indicator, this means that LeBron is ready to embark on a series of sales pitches, looking to be wowed, trying to find the next place…
What Are You Reading?: A Question That Should Be Asked More Often than It Is
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to watch Frame Dance Productions’ culinary/choreography fusion Dinner/Dance 19. The collaboration between Lydia Hance and her Framers, and chef David Leftwhich made for an interesting – and tasting – dining experience in and of itself, but the interactive nature of a Frame…
This Week in Food Blogs: Drink Beer & Eat Custard All Summer Long
Zagat Houston: Bars and pubs aren’t the only places with incredible beer selections. Zagat Houston’s Marcy de Luna shares her list of eight restaurants in Houston offering really good beer menus. Down House has 11 taps and one nitrogen tap of local and seasonal craft beers, while Guru Burgers &…
Seeking Fun Summer Style? Grab a Kissue
Houston sisters Kailey and Kaygan Tissue don’t believe in a lot of fashion rules. “When it comes to clothes, I don’t have a lot of rules,” said Kailey, with a glance at Kaygan, who nodded in agreement. “It’s about wearing clothes that make you feel great. Part of that is…
Pittsburgh Got Really Hammered for Their Luke Bryan Concert (VIDEO)
In the most recent Batman movie trilogy, one of the signature scenes of The Dark Knight Rises is when Bane sets off a slew of bombs throughout the city of Gotham. Bridges explode, buildings crumble, streets are destroyed, and Gotham’s fictitious NFL football team plays in the shortest game in…
New Houston Fare at Jonathan’s The Rub Reflects Houston’s Diverse Community
It’s safe to say that Houston is a melting pot with a restaurant scene reflects that diversity. Chef Jonathan Levine of Jonathan’s The Rub acknowledged that fact six years ago when he added the New Houston Fare section to his menu, which, to him, portrays the current Houston food scene…
Celebrate Independence Day With These Red, White & Blue Cocktails
The 4th of July is right around the corner, y’all, and you know what that means. Fireworks! Independence! Parades! Barbecues! And most importantly, red, white, and blue drinks that show just how much you love ‘merica! Well, do we have the list for you. From a spiked lemonade to a…
NASA (Kind of) Has Asteroid-Retrieval Plans
Nothing will make people less dubious about NASA’s plan to lasso an asteroid like a plan. That must be what the folks at NASA are thinking, but more power to them, because they do indeed have something that is beginning to resemble a plan. See, NASA isn’t sending astronauts to…
100 Creatives 2014: John Merritt, He Brings You Tentacle Kitty
What He Does: People have been telling me for years that I needed to check out Tentacle Kitty, but I honestly just never had any idea what it was. Was it a web comic or something, or a series of paintings? It seemed really hard to quantify John Merritt’s adorable…
World Cup Fever in Houston, and You Still Have Time to Catch It (VIDEO)
Please enable Javascript to watch this videoHave you recovered from Sunday’s devastating tie yet? No? Listen, we get it: Sometimes not losing is worse than losing, but you can’t dwell on that forever. Tomorrow the USA plays Germany, and they need all the support you can give. Don’t believe that…
Get to Know PuraPharm, Space City Space-Rockers
PuraPharm is a Houston-based, five-piece psychedelic/space-rock group based whose musical stylings, according to various pundits, range from “ultra mellow space grooves” to “in-your-face psychedelic rock and roll with sax/clarinet, programmed beats and synths added to the overall wall of sound.” Formed from the ashes of a synth band called 61…
Trying to Understand How the Modern Never Land All Fits Together
Recently I bought my daughter the latest Tinker Bell movie, The Pirate Fairy. It’s a good enough film, and one of the better in the series. The real reason I was excited is that Tom Hiddleston was playing a young version of Captain Hook. If the thought of Loki flying…
Has Torchy’s Tacos Been Ripped Off Again?
Bandito’s Taco Grill in Rosenberg makes some good looking tacos. They’re also, according to a few tipsters, a little too similar to tacos they’ve seen at another restaurant, Torchy’s Tacos. And they also resemble the tacos at Texas Taco Co., whose former employee was sued by Torchy’s for allegedly stealing…
Rolling Stone’s Ridiculous Top 100 Country Songs: The Second Half
Given the spread and the appeal-to-all-age-groups nature of Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time,” the possibility that the list was computer-generated seems more and more likely. Either that, or Rolling Stone is farming out its country blog to Best in Texas magazine? There are those ever-present, pesky…
The 20 Most Beautiful People at Electric Daisy Carnival 2014
Note: this article is a gift from our good friends at LA Weekly and OC Weekly. All photos by Christopher VictorioYou thought only homely people went to Electric Daisy Carnival this past weekend? Think again! This year, per usual, the bold and the beautiful made their way to Las Vegas…
A Timely Reminder What a Great Band Little Feat Was
Little Feat: Live in Holland 1976 Eagle Vision (CD/DVD), 54 min., $17.98. Is there any other band in classic rock who maintained a larger gulf between their studio and live work than Little Feat? Don’t get me wrong, albums like Sailin’ Shoes, Dixie Chicken, Feats Don’t Fail Me Now and…
Lana Del Rey: A Fine Line Between Serious and Boring
It seems like these days everyone is in a rush to be taken seriously as an artist. You can hardly bat an eye before the next pop star is making his or her “serious artistic leap.” Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Kesha have all done this in their own way…
Texas Man Was Smuggling Rhino Parts in International Operation
A Texas man pleaded guilty Tuesday in a smuggling operation that dealt in nearly $1 million worth of rhino horns and elephant ivory. Asian art appraiser Ning Qiu, of Frisco, took part in the operation, which was busted up in “Operation Crash”. The nationwide sting was led by the U.S…
Homeland Security Needs Underwear for Detained Immigrants in Texas
If you’re in the underwear-selling business, you’ve got a customer in the Department of Homeland Security. Homeland Security is looking to buy thousands of pairs of men’s, from size medium to 6X-large. (Who knew such a size existed?) A solicitation posted earlier this month by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement explains…
The White Album: How Bob Marley’s Legend Became a Blockbuster in Death
Story by Chris Kornelis. At the time of his death, in May 1981, Bob Marley was 36 years old, reggae’s biggest star, and the father of at least 11 children. He was not, however, a big seller. For Dave Robinson, this presented an opportunity. Two years after Marley’s passing, Chris…
Oh, What the Hell; Let’s Kill off Even More TV Characters
When I first brought up the subject of various television characters who could safely get bumped off with little impact on their respective shows, it was in response to Brian the dog’s death on Family Guy. That was December of last year, and I really hadn’t thought of revisiting the…
Great Whiskey Debate: And the Winner Is…
Earlier this month, I attended the Great Whiskey Debate, a private event for whiskey enthusiasts in Houston. I received an invitation to cover the event, which is part of a touring series set up by Beam/Suntory, in part to raise brand awareness but also to highlight the differences between each…
Trees Along Highway 290 Widening Project Set to Be Chopped
Update 4:50 p.m.: This post was updated to include the cost for the road project and street names. Call it arborcide or call it progress. The 290 widening project has claimed several large trees along the Highway 290 feeder road near Pinemont Drive. Pinemont to West 34th is known as…
Houston’s Best Flaming Dishes and Drinks (in Honor of Pride Week)
Everybody loves a good show at dinner, and in honor of Pride Week here in Houston, we’re looking at some of the most flamboyant flammable dishes in town. To flambé a dish is to do more than merely set food in a pan on fire. In order for something to…
LeBron James to Exit Miami Contract (The Decision II)
Weren’t we just here yesterday? Man, four years went by fast. When comparing the Cleveland 2010 and Miami 2014 situations for LeBron James, many qualitative doppelgängers are in place — Post-season run ending in a soul-crushing fashion? Check. Frustration with a rickety supporting cast? Check. Concerns about legacy, place in…
Chuck’s Eat the Street Comes to Houston in July — Here’s a Preview of the Food-Filled Episode
“Houston has a lot of people and a lot of money,” Chuck Hughes says. “Fortunately or unfortunately, you need people and money for restaurants. Houston has everything going for it.” This was a surprise to Hughes when he visited Houston at the end of May to tape his Cooking Channel…
‘The Homosexual Playground of the South’ (Part 3)
Part three in a series for Houston Pride Week. The trials, tribulations, and awakenings during the war against fascism led to a spate of coming-out items in the immediate postwar years. In 1944, poet Robert Duncan published The Homosexual in Society, the earliest attempt to formulate a gay rights agenda…
The 2014 Houston Press Music Award Nominees
You’ve been wondering, and asking us, and lately offering up a few social-media suggestions. But it’s time. Apologies for the delay, but the 2014 Houston Press Music Award nominations are at hand. What took so long? To draw up the ballot this year, we consulted about two dozen individuals from…
5 Video Games That I Can’t Believe Still Don’t Have Movies
Let’s face it, the concept of a movie adaptation of a video game is one that has had a hard birth. When you can arguably point to Resident Evil as the best work in the genre then there are more than a few problems going on. Sure, Final Fantasy VII:…
Pop Rocks: Five Reasons America’s Got Talent and The Voice Are Better than American Idol
I hate American Idol. I want to get that right out of the way up front to be clear that I don’t have some obsession or even passing general interest in talent competitions that air on TV. Over the years, I’ve never really cared for any of them for numerous…
Out of Season Albeit Outstanding Oysters at Danton’s
Readers of this blog know that I like to live dangerously and never shy from eating food even if it’s not in season. So, when my husband casually mentioned he was in the mood for oysters, I didn’t let the fact that we were in the middle of a non-“R”…
Doctor Who: We Need Purely Historical Stories Again
Netflix recently added Series 7 of Doctor Who onto the streaming service, so I’ve been re-watching some of it. In doing so I’ve realized two things. The first is I was a little harder on the season than was strictly necessary. The second is that it’s definitely time to start…
The Rocks Off 200: Chingo Bling, H-Town’s Own Versace Mariachi
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? His birth…
Zapruder Analysis of Douchy Bro Driving Motorcycle Into Swimming Pool
“We’re going to a party!” Webster’s defines the word “party” as a “social gathering of invited guests, typically involving eating, drinking, and entertainment.” That sounds like fun, right? Like enjoyment is kind of baked into the “party” experience? Hell, the definition of the verb form of the word “party” actually…
Acts to Watch From the Springboard South Festival
Someone suggested “Music Is Life,” which is a nice slogan but simply isn’t true. Life includes mowing grass, getting oil changes and scrubbing toilets, all things that kept me from the Springboard South Music Festival on Saturday. So, with apologies to those who performed on my honey-do day, I tried…
100 Favorite Dishes 2014-15: No. 86, S’mores at 13 Celsius
Once again, Kaitlin Steinberg is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes as we work our way toward our annual Menu of Menus® issue and culinary extravaganza. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most delicious, most creative and, of course,…
Five Things That Will Actually Make Our Kids More Patriotic
Every day, in classrooms around the country, students start off their day by standing, placing their hands over their hearts and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. They may not understand why they do it, they may not even care about the words that they’re saying, but they do it, mostly…
County Attorney Vince Ryan Files Suit Against Industrial Container Cleaning Business
We’re not terribly strict about most things having to do with the environment around here. Maybe it’s because we’re living on the carcinogenic coast, or maybe it’s because that’s just not how things go in the Lone Star State, or maybe both. But when a company is spitting out enough…
Upcoming: Ana Popovic, Crunk Witch, DJ Shadow, Jason Mraz, John Evans, Ringo Starr, etc.
Adam Hood: Fri., Aug. 1, 9 p.m., $12 to $15. Firehouse Saloon, 5930 Southwest Fwy., Houston, 713-977-1962. Ana Popovic: Fri., July 25, 8:30 p.m., $68 to $108. Dosey Doe, 25911 I-45 N., Spring, 281-367-3774. Atlanta Rhythm Section: Sat., August 16, 8:30 p.m., $88 to $128. Dosey Doe, 25911 I-45 N.,…
Former TCU Football Player Jason Verrett Sets New Standard for Worst First Pitch (VIDEO)
Visual aids are the best. (You know, because sometimes words can be so cumbersome on the eyes.) Recently, in the wake of 50 Cent’s dismal effort at a first pitch before a recent New York Mets game (an effort he blamed on “excessive masturbation”), Deadspin put together a chart depicting…
Issue at Woodlands Salata Raises Question: Should You Bring Outside Food to Restaurants?
On Friday, the Chronicle’s Syd Kearney reported on a brouhaha going down on Facebook. Apparently two mothers and their kids had gone to Salata, a fast casual salad restaurant with locations all over Houston, and encountered an issue when they sat down to eat their meals. Employees of the Market…
Free Stuff to Do With Your Baby This Houston Summer
Oh the joys of new mommy-hood! Waking up at an ungodly hour, feeding, praying the baby goes back to sleep long enough to pour yourself a cup of coffee and then after, perhaps, another round of feeding, then a little playtime – maybe you have one of those mat things…
Take RiFF RaFF’s NEON iCON Seriously? Hell Yes
We used to consider RiFF RaFF a customized creation of every overzealous, hyperbolic Swishahouse freestyle that rolled off the assembly line. The jewelry, the braids, the persona that couldn’t be stuffed inside of a box and needed to be constantly out there — all of it was RiFF RaFF. Let’s…
UPDATED: The Best and Worst Things at EDC Las Vegas 2014
Note: Our L.A. Weekly sister blog West Coast Sound sent a team to the Electric Daisy Carnival, this weekend’s EDM extravaganza in Las Vegas. This article was written by Dennis Romero. UPDATE (June 25, 1:45 p.m.): See correction at end. What’s it like partying with 134,000 of your closest friends?…
Planning That Perfectly Disaster-Free Summer Tour
It’s summer. No 7 a.m. classes. You’ve saved your money. You’ve hoarded your vacation and sick days because you need those perks now. You’ve made all these sacrifices and more to be able to team with your kindred spirits and take your band on the road. You’ve planned to go…
Republicans Share Terror Tales of Immigrant Children in Texas
Here’s a word from the Department of Homeland Security: Hey, places in Central America we don’t want you to keep sending kids over the border. The response to the drastic increase in minors crossing into the U.S. by themselves, mostly from places in Central America, continues this week. Sen. Ted…
Is Mysterious Craigslist Ad a Government False Flag Op?
Conspiracy-minded lunatic fringe websites are all a-twitter over a mysterious Craigslist ad asking for “crisis actors for a government emergency drill” in Houston July 4 weekend. Pulled shortly after it was posted earlier this month, the ad lives on in screenshots and talk of false flag operations on sites like…
Houston Increasing Its Walkability
By now you know all about Houston’s branding as a walkable city. Yes, we mean humid, cook-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk-in-the-summer Houston. We walk here, well, “tentatively,” at least. According to a recent study by the coalition Smart Growth America (Houston Tomorrow’s David Crossley is the president of their board), Houston ranks 15th out…
Siphon Coffee: My New Happy Place for Coffee
It didn’t take long for me to become a fan of Siphon Coffee, the new coffee shop on West Alabama, just east of Montrose. It didn’t matter that there were no seats when I arrived on a sweltering Sunday afternoon. I didn’t even have to order their signature siphon coffee…
Los Skarnales’ 20-Year Bash a Show for the Ages
Los Skarnales Fitzgerald’s June 20, 2014 It was hot, crowded, loud, and borderline dangerous. And it was damn near perfect. Friday night at Fitzgerald’s, Los Skarnales showcased every ounce of heart and love their bodies and souls could disseminate, giving Houston a performance that will go down as one of…
Jonathan Jones Brings Interior Mexican Cuisine to El Big Bad and It’s Damn Good
It’s Friday evening, just past 6 p.m., and chef Jonathan Jones is moving with ease behind the bar at El Big Bad downtown. He seems comfortable, happy. His mood is decidedly jovial, and he’s telling us about the some of the daily specials he’s running now that he’s taken over…
Houston’s Earliest Gay Scenes (Part 2)
Part two in a series for gay pride week. It didn’t take Ron Levine and partners like the club-savvy Gene Howle long to turn the new Palace into a hot spot. In October, 1970, the private club — private meaning mixed drinks were available and entry could be controlled –…
5 Ways The Incredibles Is Ayn Randian Propaganda
Most adults love Pixar movies because Pixar movies are awesome. I’m not arguing that point. However, when you’re an adult watching a Pixar movie you just kind of experience it like any other flick and go on about your business. Once you have children you can now expect to watch…
Dish of the Week: Fried Green Tomatoes
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. See the complete list of recipes at the end of this post. This week, we’re exploring the down home Southern classic, fried green tomatoes. But the “classically Southern” dish may not…
Aaron Hernandez Wants to Change Prisons, Fears for His Safety
Man, time flies. It’s hard to believe that for almost a year now, Aaron Hernandez has been a ward of the government. It seems like just yesterday that he was smashing his cell phone into a billion pieces, pacing around his house like a coked-up, caged lion, and then being…
Tradition and Translation: Extension of Nature Presents an Oasis of Tranquility in Downtown Houston
In the lobby of the 35-story Total Plaza office building in downtown Houston lies an oasis of tranquility, as two Japanese artists share an exhibition of consummate subtlety and artistry entitled Tradition and Translation: Extension of Nature. At the risk of being politically incorrect with emphasis on gender, one artist…
Latin Bites Introduces Five New Cebiches for National Ceviche Day
Nothing says summer quite like ceviche, especially when you’re eating it while lounging on a warm beach with a Pisco sour in one hand. OK, so the closest beach here is Galveston, and it’s not exactly a tropical paradise, but there is definitely Pisco and ceviche to be found in…
Carmelo Anthony’s Odds on Becoming a Houston Rocket
By the time you read this, provided that he hasn’t been abducted by aliens or that he isn’t using Elvis Dumervil’s fax machine, Carmelo Anthony has provided the New York Knicks with the requisite notice that he will opt out of the final year of his deal, pushing aside $23.3…
Get Your Steampunk on at ApolloCon 2014
ApolloCon, Houston’s science fiction, fantasy and horror convention, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year at the DoubleTree Intercontinental Hotel. Unlike other pop culture conventions that bring in Hollywood stars as their big draw, ApolloCon is more of a “thinking person’s con” that caters to crafters, writers, readers and makers. Programming…
A Bumpy, Baffling Beat-Down at BBVA Compass Stadium
From the moment I pulled into the parking lot across from BBVA Compass Stadium for the H-Town Beat Down Friday, it was pretty obvious that something was off. It was 7:05 p.m., the earliest and most on-time I’d been for a show in a very long time, and the show…
The Mountain Goats at Fitzgerald’s, 6/21/2014
The Mountain Goats Fitzgerald’s June 21, 2014 For storied indie-folk group The Mountain Goats’ second show in Houston in the past few years, fans got a toned-down version of the full band we saw the last time they were in town. Featuring John Darnielle, the guy behind all the words,…
UPDATED:Bob Schneider: We Invented Love Offers Some Powerful Images at d.m. allison gallery
The exhibition has been extended through July 21. We were wondering who to blame for love, the fierce emotion that grabs us by the throat and tosses us about like a shuttlecock in a windstorm, and now the very intellectual artist Bob Schneider has come clean, and admitted it. And…
Beyond Brunch: Canopy Shines After 5 p.m.
While many restaurants are particularly pleasant during certain times of the day, Canopy has, I think, been unnecessarily designated as “best for brunch” by many Houstonians, including, at one point, myself. I am definitely a fan of their sweet and savory morning fare, especially the challah french toast, but a…
Five Things Perry Should Take Back While Rolling Back His Gay Comments
It took long enough, but Gov. Rick Perry finally walked back his already infamous comments in San Francisco in which he compared being gay to being an alcoholic. While we admire that Perry at least may have been (probably accidentally) implying that sexual orientation is something you’re born with, not…
Losing Weight: There’s an App for That, or How I Lost 30 Pounds Via Technology
As far back as I could remember, my dad was heavy, and while I never quite reached the same heft that my father did, I have been overweight for nearly 15 years, something uncomfortable for me to admit because I spent the bulk of my first 30 years on the…
Hey, Let’s Hold a Car Race on a Cement Parking Lot During Summer
Indy cars raced around the Reliant Stadium park last October. There were problems with the track and seating layout that resulted in 13 spectators going to the hospital after the car of Dario Franchitti went airborne. Franchitti’s injuries were severe enough that he had to quit racing. The IndyCar Series…
True Blood: Jesus, Take the Wheel
Note: Welcome back one of Rocks Off’s longest-running recurring columns, our seasonal summations of the music featured on HBO’s True Blood. I predicted that this season of True Blood would be a messed-up mix of chaos, and thus far I have been proven right. That said…the music gives me hope…
The Five Best Underrated Breakfast Spots (According to You)
This was a tight and contentious race, if e’er I saw one. Much of the discussion revolved around what is or is not an underrated spot for the most important meal of the day. For example, some of you posited that Down House might be the most underrated because you…
Friday Night at Springboard South: A Beat-Down of Its Own
The nature of Springboard South was evident just looking for parking on St. Emanuel to get to the event at Warehouse Live on Friday night. The upstart, three-day music fest opened the evening with its hip hop and R&B acts. The dearth of available street parking had little to do…
Raver’s Death at EDC Vegas Under Investigation
Note: Our L.A. Weekly sister blog West Coast Sound sent a team to the Electric Daisy Carnival, this weekend’s EDM extravaganza in Las Vegas. This article was written by Dennis Romero. The Clark County Coroner is investigating the death of a 24-year-old who collapsed outside Electric Daisy Carnival in Las…
93.7’s Beat Down Ups the Ante In H-Town’s Rap-Radio Feud
93.7 The Beat’s H-Town Beat Down BBVA Compass Stadium June 20, 2014 Whether they want to admit it to one another or not, KQBT 93.7 The Beat and KBXX 97.9 The Boxx are embroiled in a war. A cold war, but a war nonetheless. Friday was just another skirmish in…
The Five Best Concerts in Houston This Week: Hog Leg, Mickey Gilley, Deafheaven, etc.
Hog Leg Rudyard’s, June 23 James Red is one of the most spastic, all-in rock and roll front men it’s been our pleasure to witness in Houston. He sings like he’s about to swallow the microphone whole, while his body is wracked by something that would resemble the worst dry…
This Year’s Electric Daisy Carnival Headliners Are Just Awful
Note: Rocks Off’s L.A. sister blog West Coast Sound sent a team to the Electric Daisy Carnival, the annual EDM extravaganza in Las Vegas. This article was written by Dennis Romero. Big isn’t always better. The fourth installment of Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas is drawing 100,000 people per…
Hands on a Hardbody Doesn’t Get to Complete Its Run
Much to the disappointment of a lot of people, Theatre Under the Stars has had to cancel this weekend’s scheduled performances of Hands on a Hardbody presented by TUTS Underground. As reported in the Houston Chronicle this morning, the show’s authors took issues with some of the changes they said…
Sargassum, Galveston’s Seaweed that Won’t Quit
Update 2:20p: We included comments from Texas A&M researcher Robert Webster. We thought we’d be in the clear by now, or close to it, but the seaweed invasion continues. Photos taken today from the shores of Galveston show an extremely green body of water that looks utterly gross. While tourists…
“The Rooster” Is Back in Houston, This Time Against His Will
A Mexican national notorious for trafficking women in the Houston area landed in the United States yesterday and will face charges from the U.S. Attorney’s Office relating to his smuggling of women. Gerardo Salazar, 47, of Mexico City, arrived in Houston yesterday after being arrested in Mexico. He will make…
DNA Crime Lab Tech May Have Tainted Nearly 200 Cases
It’s possible dozens of DNA samples linked to criminal cases could be retested after a lab tech in the Houston police crime lab resigned. In all, 185 criminal cases may have been affected. According to reports, that includes 53 murders or capital murders. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office sent…
Food Fight: Battle “Cronuts” in Houston
Around this time last year, people couldn’t stop talking about cronuts, the croissant-doughnut hybrid created by pastry chef Dominique Ansel in New York City. This indulgent treat causes people to line up outside his namesake bakery in hopes of snagging one before they sell out. While Houstonians can’t savor the…
What’s in Fashion: Men’s Trends & Underwire Thongs
Lots of breaking fashion news hits the interwebs and I don’t want you to miss one bit of it. So, I present some of the biggest headlines each week for your reading pleasure. Click and enjoy!…
HISD Votes to Shake Up Magnet School Funding, Although Some Ask Where It Got Its Numbers
In the end, all the cute kids and impassioned adults in turns eloquent and stumbling as they rushed their way through speeches compressed to one-minute increments, came to nothing last night when the Houston ISD school board voted to go along with Superintendent Terry Grier’s reallocation of funding for the…
Proper Etiquette for Leaving a Facebook Conversation
“John Smith left the conversation.” For some, these words a simple fact of messaging via social media. For others, them’s fightin’ words. Every since Facebook gave people the power to exit a group message sent to them, they have loomed large over anyone who dares send one. Is it the…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Jersey Boys
Title: Jersey Boys Wow, Haven’t Heard From Them In A While. How’s Old Sizzlechest Doing? You’re thinking of the “Jerky Boys,” idiot who is a product of my subconscious. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Two shine boxes out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Four Garden Staters make…
Houston Restaurant Weeks Returns this Summer With New Prices
For many Houstonians, Houston Restaurant Weeks provides an opportunity to eat out at some of the city’s best restaurants at a more affordable cost than usual while simultaneously contributing money to the Houston Food Bank. It’s always a great time to get out and enjoy all the delicious food Houston…
Looking Back at Some of the Hurdles Houston’s Gay Community Had to Overcome (Part I)
Part one in a series for gay pride week. With the 36th annual Pride Week Festival and Parade upon us, the largest city in a leading Tea Party state finds itself on the cutting edge of gay politics, culture, and history. With a three-term, recently-married, openly-lesbian mayor, a brand new…
5 Official Novel Sequels People Forget About
If current trends continue then by 2050 roughly 134 percent of all entertainment will be sequels, and original content will be released retroactively as prequels in order to capitalize on the success of the sequel which will come first and… sorry. I’ve gone all cross-eyed. My point is, content creators…
The 5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend: Get Hoppy With Us
Houston Press Hoppy Hour @ MKT Bar Friday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. 1001 Austin Join the Houston Press at MKT Bar tonight for Hoppy Hour featuring four Karbach brews: Love Street Summer Seasonal, Weisse Versa Wheat, Hop Delusion and Weekend Warrior Pale Ale. Sip on a beer flight for…
Angry Donald Sterling Leaves Voice-Mail Messages for His Doctor (AUDIO)
Texans mandatory minicamp ended on Thursday afternoon, as did minicamps in numerous other NFL cities, which means we are heading into the Sahara Desert of the sports calendar — late June and the entire month of July. The only way to survive and navigate the upcoming six weeks is with…
The Best of the “Topless Tour” Trend on Instagram
Traveling to an exotic locale is awesome. There are new experiences, new foods, and new cultures, all at your fingertips. Or apparently your nipples. Well, if you’re part of the new Topless Tour trend, anyway. The brainchild of three college roommates, The Topless Tour is a social media movement meant…
No, We Haven’t Forgotten About This Year’s HPMAs
Some people have been asking when we will announce the nominations for this year’s Houston Press Music Awards. Hard to believe it’s already the middle of June; seems like just the other day we were mopping the sweat off our brow from Summer Fest, and now it’s almost time for…
Motorcyclist Crashes Into Moving Car, Lands on His Feet, Walks Away (VIDEO)
When I was a senior in high school, I was bragging in study hall one day to a girl next to me that I’d never broken a bone in my whole life. I have no idea why I was touting that to her. I mean, I was boasting to a…
Upcoming Events: Burger Specials & Taco Tuesday
Beginning Monday, June 23, RDG + Bar Annie will offer weekly summer specials during its Summer Food & Drink Series. First up is the Beer & Burger Menu, available from June 23 through June 29. For $29.50, each customer will be served three courses. Start with white gazpacho, or a…
The Five Best Songs About the End of the World
The end of the world as we know it is an idea we’re simultaneously petrified of and completely fascinated by. We see it constantly in fiction. The zombie apocalypse is one of the hottest ideas in fiction today, being exploited on TV constantly. Man-made and natural disaster films keep selling,…
100 Creatives 2014: Leslie Scates, Choreographer and Dance Educator
Choreographer and dance educator Leslie Scates learned two important lessons about how to be creative from her mom: “I can always acquire new skills,” Scates tells us. “[And] creativity and action are sometimes more important than a clean kitchen and folded laundry.” Scates says everyone in her family had their…
Openings & Closings: Ice Cream & Hot Dogs Are a Match Made in Heaven
Summer is a time for ice cream and cold treats, and folks headed to Galveston for a day on the beach should definitely check out Hey Mikey’s Ice Cream at 2120 Postoffice Street. The ice cream parlor opened on June 7 and features a multitude of sundaes with hot fudge…
The Best 5 Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Rainbow on the Green, The Normal Corporation, Juneteenth and More
The annual Land Rover Houston Central’s Rainbow on the Green is a dance party of fabulous proportions celebrating GLBT-pride and its set for Friday. Chad Pitt, from radio station MIX 96.5, emcees a program filled with GLBT and GLBT-friendly performers. Fans of reality television will recognize America’s Got Talent contestant…
Rolling Stone’s Ridiculous Top 100 Country Songs: The First Half
In further efforts to reassure us that it is still relevant, Rolling Stone magazine recently started a country clickbait section called most cleverly (drum roll, maestro) RS Country. I know, the heart pitter-patters in anticipation. A brief perusal of the site finds basically the same crap, errr… nuts and bolts…
Ten Hottest Things Houstonians Have to Deal With During the Summer
People have romantic ideas of summer. As a kid, it’s all about being off from school. As an adult, summer is time to squeeze in those vacation days. But no matter how much we wish otherwise, summer in Houston can really suck sometimes. Here are some of the hottest things…
Where to Eat, Drink and Caffeinate During Houston Pride Week 2014
Since 1979, Pride Houston has been celebrating the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and their allies with Pride Week, and this year, the Carnivale-themed bash is bigger than ever. Beginning Friday, June 20, venues across the city will host events honoring our LGBT community, culminating with the Pride Festival…
The Water’s Fine at Longboard’s, Galveston’s Beachside Oasis
“Oh no, you guys! I totally forgot my shoes!” A pretty blond woman has just jumped straight into the pool, forgetting her shoes in the process. She’s signaling and screeching, but her many friends are too busy doubling over with laughter to assist. “Seriously! Come on! Someone grab these!” We’re…
Check Out Our Los Skarnales Family Tree
“It was all pretty much an experiment” says John Garcia, the third original member of Desorden, the band that later evolved into Los Skarnales. “We had to borrow instruments and learned to play them as we went along. But hey, were really good at making loud noises!” And so began…
The 10 Best Concerts In Houston This Weekend: H-Town Beat Down, Derailers, Morris Day, etc.
H-Town Beat Down BBVA Compass Stadium, June 20 What better way to christen concerts at BBVA Compass Stadium than an insane hop-hop/R&B show with four top stars? BBVA may want to take out some extra coverage on natural disasters, because Kendrick Lamar, Trey Songz, J. Cole and Future performing together…
Best of Houston 48HFP Screening
Filmmakers across the city took the 48-Hour Film Project challenge and at today’s Best of Houston 48HFP Screening, you can see the top five. (Winning films hadn’t been announced at press time.) Each team wrote and produced a film in two days. Three elements were required for each finished project:…
The Normal Corporation
One of the trends sweeping the hipster nation is normcore, the practice of dressing in purposefully bland garments to blend in with average people. This seeking of normalcy is choreographer Jennifer Wood’s latest preoccupation. Suchu Dance’s newest evening-length work, The Normal Corporation, explores what it means to be normal, how…
“Black and White”
The simple elegance of black and white has always been an aesthetic lure, from costume designer Cecil Beaton’s black-and-white Ascot scene in My Fair Lady to Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel in 1966, termed by some the party of the century. But even Capote found…
Roman Polanski’s Venus in Fur Is a Wicked Power Play.
Plays adapted into movies always feel naked by the time they make it to the screen, their theatrical bones showing through in a most awkward and unbecoming way. That’s more or less true of Roman Polanski’s screen version of David Ives’s Venus in Fur, in which a playwright and first-time…
“Moe Profane: Nihilism and Nanner Puddin”
Artist Moe Profane is a self-described recovering Catholic, cancer survivor and heart disease patient. Building on the idea that “nothing is sacred because nothing is absolute,” Profane’s art is filled with forthright candor. That’s plainly seen in his work in the exhibit “Moe Profane: Nihilism and Nanner Puddin.” Profane, who…
The Death of the Star Wars Universe
Recently, Star Wars fans, along with much of the planet’s pop-culture collective, nearly ruptured the internet in their enthusiasm to share set-building photos from next year’s long-awaited new feature film. But these weren’t shots of just any set. They depicted the construction of the Millennium Falcon. You’ve never heard of…
“Erased”
Laura Rathe Fine Art presents “Erased,” an exhibition of work by Nicole Charbonnet and Rosemary Barile, two very different artists who share an affinity for subtlety rather than directness. Charbonnet is a New Orleans painter having her first Houston exhibition. She uses layers of watery washes of paint, reminiscent of…
They Came Together Punts the Bromantic Comedy Out the Window
Romances are Hollywood’s most anxiety-inducing fantasy. Like superhero flicks or horror films, they exist in a phony world of big scenes and breathtaking climaxes. But while audiences know that geeks can’t meld with spiders and that the bogeyman isn’t real, they still hope to fall in love, and boy, it’d…
“Keliy Anderson Staley – On a Wet Bough: Contemporary Tintype Portraits”
Photographer Keliy Anderson-Staley says her subjects are her partners in creating portraits. She reports, “I see each portrait as a collaborative effort, with the sitter shaping the image that represents them. My exposures are long, and during the full ten to 30 seconds I expose the image, the sitter becomes…
Not Even Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton Can Keep Snowpiercer on the Rails
It’s kind of happy-sad, like watching a kid you knew as a toddler graduate from high school: Chris Evans, seemingly destined to be a boy forever, is now officially a grown-up. In Bong Joon-ho’s futuristic snowbummer Snowpiercer, the Korean director’s first English-language film, Evans plays the leader of a group…
“Peter Lucas: Jump Cut”
Art League Houston is presenting new work by experienced film curator and visual artist Peter Lucas in “Peter Lucas: Jump Cut,” an exhibit of collages, altered media objects and video works. “Jump Cut” includes a multi-screen video installation featuring imagery from various printed media such as books, magazines, labels and…
Think Like a Man Too thinks like too many other movies
Comedies about the battle of the sexes tend to have one clear loser: the audience. Driven by an oppositional view of romance that proved outmoded and seldom funny, Think Like a Man introduced us to six men living in Los Angeles and their corresponding flames. Some of these entanglements were…
“SUGA”
Four Houston artists — Rabéa Ballin, Delita Martin, Ann Johnson and Lovie Olivia — each with a distinctive style and voice, contribute to “SUGA,” a group exhibit of prints. This is the fifth show for the group. (There was “ROUX” in 2011, “STIR” and “MOJO” in 2012, and “bās” in…
Obvious Child: The Finally Made an Abortion Comedy – and it’s Good
For all the Fox News fear-mongering that Hollywood is out to indoctrinate us with liberal values, when it comes to pregnancy, the movies have for years been curiously conservative. If a woman gets knocked up, she either loses the baby by accident (cue waterworks) or carries it to term (cue…
The Rover is More About Mood and Machines than Meaning
The Rover, Australian filmmaker David Michôd’s follow-up to the brutish family drama Animal Kingdom, is a post-apocalyptic western from the Outback, a stretch of land that already looks like the world’s been blown away. All Michôd needs to convince us of the devastation is a title card pegging the events…
Rainbow on the Green
The annual Land Rover Houston Central’s Rainbow on the Green is a dance party of fabulous proportions celebrating GLBT-pride. Chad Pitt, from radio station MIX 96.5, emcees a program filled with GLBT and GLBT-friendly performers. Fans of reality television will recognize America’s Got Talent contestant Derrick Barry, who wowed judges…
Gabriel Iglesias
Five years ago, comedian Gabriel Iglesias attracted just a few hundred fans to a stand-up stint in a Houston comedy club. Last year he played to more than 10,000 fans in Toyota Center. It was Iglesias’s biggest crowd ever. Now he’s back and looking to break last year’s attendance record…
Juneteenth Parade
In these days of instant news, it can be hard to imagine waiting for word of world events. In the mid-19th century, delays were common, although we think the two-and-a-half-year delay in word of the Emancipation Proclamation reaching Texas was excessive, even by pre-20th-century standards. It was June 19, 1865…
Jazz on Film: Sixties Jazz Films by Dick Fontaine
The Jazz on Film series continues with Sixties Jazz Films by Dick Fontaine, a trio of short films made between 1966 and 1968 by documentary filmmaker Dick Fontaine. He captures interview and performance footage of four of the most adventurous musicians of the time: Ornette Coleman, John Cage, Rahsaan Roland…
Antonya Nelson
Industry bible Publishers Weekly has said author Antonya Nelson “is at the peak of her game.” Booklist said she’s “scandalously funny, her characters are royally screwed up and wildly inept, and their dire predicaments bust down the doors on the most painful of life’s cruel jokes…” And Vogue called her…
Houston Symphony Free Neighborhood Concerts
Summer’s here and another season of the Houston Symphony Free Neighborhood Concerts is upon us. The June 24 show at Miller Outdoor Theatre features works from a wide variety of composers including Beethoven, Ravel and Dvorak to Duke Ellington, Morton Gould and the team of Liu Tieshan and Mao Yuan…
Capsule Art Reviews: June 19, 2014
“Alongside” The Barbara Davis Gallery’s exhibition of “Alongside,” a group showing of nine artists, is international indeed, with some Houston contributors joined by artists from New York, Sweden and Denmark and one who was born in Israel and now resides in Providence, Rhode Island. Dominating the entrance is Snowcanoes by…
Capsule Stage Reviews: June 19, 2014
Disney’s The Little Mermaid Disney’s 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid was made into a Broadway musical, closing in August 2009, and was then reworked for a national tour. Children will be delighted, but this production is infused with intelligence and charm and has enormous appeal to adults. The good…
Speaking English and Drag Queens
Dear Mexican, Why do some Mexicans expect us to learn Spanish instead of them learning English? (NOTE: I did say SOME, not most or all!) I’m offended whenever I am ASSAULTED by listening to anything in Spanish on phone menus or see it on forms that I have to fill…
Treating a Mystery: A Disease Named Pandas May Be Causing Frightening Changes in Children
One night, when she was about nine, Reagan Rhodes insisted to everyone in earshot that she was going to die in her sleep. Since she’d expire in a matter of hours, she had to say good-bye to her family. This information was conveyed in piercing, sob-soaked screams that chilled everyone…
Farm-to-Table-Light: Embrace Dish Society For What it is, Not What it Could Be
The term “farm-to-table” is so overused that it’s lost much of its meaning. When the phrase first became a buzzword in the culinary lexicon about a decade ago, everyone expected it to be the saving grace of the restaurant industry — and the world. All produce would be sustainably raised…
The 2014 Pride Houston Guide
It’s time to dig through your closet, tear apart your attic or hit the thrift stores. Pride is here and this year, your everyday clothes just aren’t going to cut it. This year Pride Houston is getting decked to the nines Carnivale style. That’s right: feathers, costumes and more. It’s…
Come Ready to Take a Selfie at the Soto Exhibit at the MFAH
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has a hit on its hands, and a cultural accomplishment as well, in its installation “Soto: The Houston Penetrable,” by Venezuelan artist Jesús Rafael Soto. It is so successful that I envision it in headlines, much like film noir movie posters in the 1930s:…
The Water’s Fine at Longboard, Galveston’s Brand-new Beachfront Poolside Bar.
‘Oh no, you guys! I totally forgot my shoes!” A pretty blond woman has just jumped straight into the pool, forgetting her shoes in the process. She’s signaling and screeching, but her many friends are too busy doubling over with laughter to assist. “Seriously! Come on! Someone grab these!” We’re…
Clint Eastwood’s Jersey Boys Walk Like Jersey Men
If you think summer movies are clamorous, try a current Broadway musical. Watching Jersey Boys onstage is like soldiering through some extreme eating contest where you’re force-fed dessert for three hours. It’s all falsetto heroics and hustled-through character drama, every beat of every scene over-scored, over-rehearsed and overbearing. And it’s…
Bring It Undead
You could call it Bring It On meets The Craft and stop right there with considerable accuracy. But why would you, when All Cheerleaders Die actually delivers as much trashy, gory fun as a movie with such a title suggests? Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson’s teen horror romp benefits from…
