Tristan Prettyman
Tristan Prettyman is difficult to categorize. Everything written about her blames her sound on beach-party superhero Jack Johnson, which might have something to do with the fact that they both treat surfing as a religious experience and perform their stripped-down acoustic pop with the same desperate need. But San Diego…
Capsule Reviews
“Drawing Inside/Out” This sprawling drawing show is housed way up on Lawndale’s third floor. Curated by Michelle White, Lawndale programming committee member and curatorial assistant at the Menil Collection, the show features an assortment of artists with varied approaches to drawing. Joey Fauerso presents a witty DVD, Four Ways to…
Back to “School”
Grad school lesson one: It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Lesson two: It costs 40 grand to figure that out. These were the findings of Houston artists Jason Villegas and Jason Kunke after their first year at the notable Rutgers and CalArts, respectively. However, the two embraced the…
Drive-By Truckers, with the Black Crowes
Picking a favorite from Drive-By Truckers’ last three albums is a fool’s errand. Even so, A Blessing and a Curse may prove their most enduring release. Not as yoked to the Southern-fried country-rock sound they built, the Truckers’ stylistic stretching on Curse is accompanied by several gut-wrenching paeans: Mike Cooley…
The Citizen Kane of Crap
The Devil’s Sword (Mondo Macabro) Few trash movies live up to their reputation, but here’s a balls-out wonder that surpasses it. Grab a 12-pack of Bintang and cue up this jaw-unhinging slab of Indonesian sword-and-sorcery circa 1983 — a start-to-finish feast of martial arts, mullets, flying heads, vestal virgins, dry-ice…
Creepy Guys and Dolls
Thanks to the tightening of airport security, modern audiences know that an innocent doll from a stranger is never just an innocent doll from a stranger. The setting for Frederick Knott’s Wait Until Dark, the first of the Alley Theatre’s Summer Chills shows, is a simpler time, however. Sam Hendrix…
Cam King
Not many folks can claim to have played with Roky Erickson, written Christmas hits for Garth Brooks and had a song in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Wimberley songwriter and guitar-slinger Cam King can. He was also once part of the torrid Austin punk band the Explosives, who so impressed former 13th…
The Last Bland
For comic geeks, an X-Men game that promises to fill in the backstory between movies sounds hotter than a date with Jean Grey. Finally, we get to discover what Wolverine has been up to between films — besides winning Tony Awards as alter ego Hugh Jackman, of course. That’s the…
Freedom, Now!
When Mayor Bill White called a press conference to announce Chevy’s Freedom Over Texas, the city’s big ol’ Fourth of July celebration, we were tempted to roll our eyes. Sure, it’s cool that native Texans Los Lonely Boys will be headlining the musical entertainment. And yeah, the Bud Light Texas…
Recycled Steel
After all that, just… this? After all the anticipation, all the hype, all the product available on toy-store shelves and kiddie sections at bookstores, after all the promise that this would be the most super of Superman movies, all we get is just this…this… remake? Because let’s first call Superman…
Have a Seat on The Bench
We’ll admit, sometimes hip-hop concerts can be a bore. But The Bench, the monthly hip-hop showcase that’s been happening since November 2004, is anything but. Interactive and charismatic host B-Boy Craig brings positive, good-fun vibes, and H-town’s finest emcees and DJs bring the sounds. Today at Warehouse Live, The Bench…
Dandy Dude
We all know Yankee Doodle as the guy who stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni. In the 1942 movie Yankee Doodle Dandy, however, there’s nary a man riding to town on a pony. Instead, the highly decorated (by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,…
Cruella de Vogue
For an industry in decline, print journalism has done a fashion publicist’s job of staying in vogue, particularly among the more stylish of career-seeking college grads. Never mind telling these BlackBerry-toting eager beavers that even an unpaid gig in the field is as rare as a winning lottery ticket: The…
Something’s Fishy
Scott Huber — better known as the local left-field rhymer Babelfishh — pushes a brand of quirky, lo-fi indie hip-hop that’s basically the opposite of what hip-hop and rap sound like in and around the South. Of course, he’s from San Jose, California, just south of where Anticon, the indie…
Super Savior?
Is Superman gay? Or is he Jesus? It’s been fun watching people online pontificate on both scenarios. (We don’t remember Jesus wearing a cape — or tights, for that matter. And does being buff, sensitive and impeccably groomed make Superman gay?) Regardless of what he is, people will be packing…
Letter-Box Edition
It may not be an “iconic manifestation of civilization,” as documentarian Ken Burns proclaims, but The New York Times crossword puzzle is undoubtedly an institution. Printed every day for the past 64 years, in weekly cycles of increasing difficulty, the puzzle draws politicians, working stiffs, comedians, musicians, coders and homemakers…
A Dreamy Nightmare
Nightmare of You sounds like the perfect name for a death-metal band. But sounds can be deceiving. This New York-based group is an indie-pop band that crafts bittersweet, piano-laced odes to a lost, abandoned, forgotten love. But not all its songs are melancholy. Nightmare of You straight-up disses jaded indie…
Real Simple
John Szarkowski, photographer-turned-curator-and-critic-turned-photographer again, has been a student and teacher of simple yet profound compositions his entire life. Often compared stylistically to Walker Evans and Ansel Adams, Szarkowski’s photographs are empathetic, thoughtful takes on everyday people and ordinary landscapes. The first retrospective of his 63-year career, “John Szarkowski: Photographs,” consists…
He’s Still Vince from tha Block
On Saturday afternoon, football fans are streaming into the posh digs of Fox Sports Grill. They’ve arrived at the Galleria wearing their jerseys, pumped and hyped. As they push past the security guard, a couple of them gawk at the big banner of smiling hometown pigskin hero Vince Young. “Vince…
Burr…He’s Ice-Cold
Note to comedy junkies: Don’t jack with Bill Burr’s set. In Tampa recently, a woman in the audience tossed ice at him during his act. Burr figured the authorities would give the attractive ice tosser the usual babe treatment. “Hot girls can say and do dumb shit, and guys don’t…
Sangria
On a Sunday evening at Little Woodrow’s (2301 West Alabama, 713-529-0449), I’m hanging out with three doormen: Leroy, Will and Bill. After about 12 seconds of coaxing, they offer up a few pointers on how to be successful in the art of the lay. First, and most important: “Eye contact…
Why Did You Mispronounce the Word Paciencia on TV?
Dear Mexican, I caught your appearance on the June 19 edition of The Colbert Report. I admire your insight and cultural references, but I noticed you mispronounced the Spanish word “patience.” You told Colbert that the word was pacencia instead of the correct word, paciencia. Why do assimilated Mexicans lose…
Welcome Back, Carter
Back in the day, nine-year-old Derrick Carter used to play disco records at his family reunions in Chicago’s western burbs. While his aunts and uncles chowed down and danced, young Derrick was slowly learning how to keep a party flowing. The training paid off. In the mid-’80s, Carter started playing…
My Big Fat Greek Moussaka
With its soaring wood-beamed ceiling and stately stone walls, Yia Yia Mary’s on San Felipe is the Parthenon of pita sandwiches. Looking out over the enormous dining room, it seems the blue-and-white-checkered tablecloths go on forever. On my two visits to Yia Yia Mary’s, a large array of televisions were…
Shine It Up
For a musical that preaches against the evils of drug use and graphically shows the deleterious effects upon abuser and loved ones alike, Sparkle needs a jolt of speed. Now playing in a drugged-out, somnambulistic production at Ensemble Theatre, this stage adaptation of the 1976 Irene Cara film dilutes whatever…
The Essence of Soul
When club/party promoters start referring to a weekend as Essence Festival Weekend, you know it’s a big deal. And it is a big deal having the 2006 Essence Music Festival here in Houston, after years of it being a summer attraction for the city of New Orleans. It’s obvious why…
Crabs and More
It’s hard to find crab cakes that aren’t made with lots of fillers. But at Forno’s of Italy (6439 West 43rd, 713-688-8757), they’re full of lump crabmeat and little else except seasonings. Pan-fried to a golden brown, they have a crispy exterior and a wonderfully soft interior. In the crab…
Capsule Reviews
All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go There’s a play buried somewhere inside Catherine Filloux’s comedy/drama about transvestites vs. the Amish (yes, you read that correctly), but you’d be hard-pressed to find a coherent one in this messy production, now stumbling all over itself at Theatre Suburbia. Come to think…
Our top DVD picks for the week of June 27
Commander in Chief: 2-Disc Inaugural Edition Part 1 (Disney) The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection (MPI) Cow Belles (Disney) Danger After Dark (TLA) Evil (Magnolia) Is It Really So Strange? (Frameline) Failure to Launch (Paramount) Family Affair: Season One (MPI) Fear Factor: The First Season (Universal) Imagine Me & You (Fox)…
What a Masshole!
If you’ve ever been to Boston, or, frankly, any city in Massachusetts, you’re probably aware that certain folks there can be a little, well, crappy. Sarcastic. Jerky. Confrontational. There’s a term for these characters: Massholes. Comedian Josh Wolf is a Masshole, and damn proud of it. He and his comic…
Chillin’ with tha Eskimoz
I’m in the Racketmobile Mark IV, and I’m headed out to check out one of H-town’s hottest new rap sensations. Off into the wilds of southwest Houston I go — the sun is setting in clouds of smog as I cruise through the blood-soaked streets of the Gulfton Ghetto. I…
Cut Short
High school senior Pavlos Karnezis was filing into his first-period physics class one morning last November when a friend approached with a pressing physics problem of his own: how to keep his pants up. Patricia Paquin, principal at Hightower High School in Missouri City, is a stickler about dress-code policies…
For the Children
Actor-filmmaker-author Turk Pipkin has led a pretty sweet life. The Austinite has had roles in feature films such as Friday Night Lights and TV shows such as The Sopranos. His buddies include Willie Nelson; the two recently collaborated on the book The Tao of Willie. But recently the media man…
Viva la Revolucin!
Independence Day is here again. Turns out we’ve been free for almost 230 years, which is a pretty kick-ass record when you think about it. So what is it that makes America…you know…America? Well, the best way to solve that mystery is to ask a rock star. Not only do…
Par for the Course
You’re a community college with a rebelling faculty, a departing chancellor, a possible fiscal crisis. What do you do? Open a golf course! That’s the thinking at Houston Community College, apparently. Rumors are swirling at the school that layoffs or program cutbacks are likely, and that some employees may be…
Sunday Irie
The fourth annual CaribFest is bringing the sights and sounds of the islands to Houston (without the hassle of going through customs). The daylong family event features a parade with steel bands and floats of masqueraders in elaborate costumes. A full lineup of vendors will offer up Caribbean cuisine, and…
Hand Balls
It’s Saturday afternoon and I’m stuck watching soccer. I hate soccer. Now, I know that’s hardly a daring sentiment, or something a great many good and true Americans haven’t already yammered on about over the past few weeks, but not many of those people have roommates who’ve insisted that the…
Letters to the Editor
Formal Review Mem-or-ies: Great article [“Prom 2K6,” by Ray Hafner, June 15]! You actually made me laugh out loud a couple of times. My wife was so curious she had to get her own copy of the Press (by the way, she enjoyed it, too). This was so timely; I…
Back in the Dome
Hang on to your cotton candy – there’s a new thrill in town. No, AstroWorld isn’t coming back (RIP, you dirty dog), but funnel cakes and stomach-lurching rides are no longer just a thing of the past. The Eighth Wonder of the World (that’s the Astrodome) will get back in…
Scott Faingold Listens to Everything
The New Amsterdams Story Like a Scar Vagrant The first five songs are fairly lifeless, if professional, midtempo guitar rock, but then things pick up. The strident “Intelligent Design” is practically thrash compared to what came before, and “Calendar Days” makes the most of its loping “da-doo-ron-ron” shuffle. The Yo…
Image of the Week
A traditional Indian dancer performs before San Antonio’s Mission San Francisco de la Espada, the first mission in Texas. He’s no doubt offering a prayer of gratitude, seeing how the opportunity to lead this ceremony is considered a real feather in his cap. Click here to enlarge…
Any Means Necessary
Chances are, if you’re watching a movie featuring an American Indian, you’re watching Russell Means. The actor-activist has been in films such as Last of the Mohicans, Natural Born Killers and Black Cloud, where he has played noble and fearsome characters. Dude’s also fearsome when it comes to promoting awareness…
Magik Markers, with Lambsbread and Rusted Shut
The key to Magik Markers’ success is geography. Hailing from Hartford, Connecticut, the trio calls to mind the current noise scene of nearby Providence, and the downtown scene of New York City, circa 1979, when no-wave artists like Arto Lindsay and Lydia Lunch were shattering all concepts of song structure…
Punk-o-Rama
Ah, the Vans Warped Tour, that annual emo marathon that, for many music fans, is Christmas, a birthday and summer vacation all rolled into one. Now in its second decade, the all-day event is long on bands and short on shade. Two intrepid reporters attended the June 19 show in…
Fab and Kinky
If you just haven’t been getting enough Kinky action lately, we suggest you show up to Warehouse Live today. Author and gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman and rockers the Fabulous Thunderbirds will host a concert benefiting Society for the Performing Arts, the Children’s Museum of Houston and the New Orleans Musicians…
Tilly and the Wall
Tilly and the Wall’s tap-dancer percussionist may sound like a gimmick. But after listening to Tilly’s latest, Bottoms of Barrels, you realize that the band replaces conventional drumming with staccato tap dancing for an important reason: It keeps them from getting unfavorably compared to Rilo Kiley or the New Pornographers…
Picking Icky
Kaneem Smith doesn’t make pretty sculptures. Her work conjures up the same kind of queasy fascination you get looking at some weird dead thing on the sidewalk, trying to figure out if it’s animal or vegetable. There’s usually something slightly icky and unsettling going on in her loose, abstract forms…
Well-Heeled Soirée
Are you the type who can never have enough sexy black sling-backs? Then step to the Houston’s Fantastic Shoe Event, where you can mingle with like-minded foot fetishists and discuss issues such as toe cleavage (sexy, or still just feet?). You can also check out the Create a Shoe Contest…