“Perspectives 175: Marc Swanson: The Second Story”
New York-based artist Marc Swanson is best known for his crystal-encrusted taxidermy deer heads and deer sculptures. The works embody, for the artist, a very personal narrative that relates Swanson’s rural New Hampshire upbringing as the gay son of a conservative, hunting-enthusiast father. Swanson is bringing his artwork, much of…
Helmut Newton: White Women, Sleepless Nights • Big Nudes
If you’re expecting to see nudie magazine-type shots at the exhibit “Helmut Newton: White Women • Sleepless Nights • Big Nudes” you’re definitely in the wrong place, pervy pal. Instead, attendees of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s latest photography show can get all sophisticated about the genre of nude…
Christian Lopez, Overtaxed Yankee Fan, The Sequel (Where He Becomes A Charity)
That’s it, you win, Christian Lopez. I give up. You all remember, Christian Lopez, right? (It’s only been like 24 hours since I last wrote about him. Please tell me you remember.) Just in case, Lopez was the ample Yankee fan who on Saturday, in the name of all that…
Comment of the Day: Stream this, Netflix!
Yesterday’s post by Olivia Flores Alvarez that called out Netflix on its recent fee-uppage caught a lot of attention, mostly by folks who felt similarly about the whole situation. Monkey’s ready to switch over: ‘ll probably cancel and wait for Google or Amazon. I want more choices at cheaper or…
Rene Huerta Jr.: Guesses Border Cops Will Forget the Secret Ammo-Holding Compartment In His Dashboard, Guesses Wrong
It’s difficult to say whether Rene Huerta Jr. was ballsy, dumb or maybe forced to do something against his will. But he dodged a huge bullet (ha HA!) in November 2010 when Customs and Border Protection inspected his car as it crossed over from Mexico to Brownsville. They found a…
Comment of the Day
Nothing like taking your kids to a restaurant and having the servers work extra slowly. Nicholas Hall wrote about his experience with his bored kids at an Olive Garden in DEFCON dining. One commenter, Laurie, felt relieved at the post: Thank God. I thought your children were superhuman freaks for…
Upcoming: Five Free Events This Week
They say the best things in life are free. When it comes to free entertainment, though, you can only spend so many days sitting on your couch watching your cat chase one of those laser pointer things. Is that really the best thing in life you could be doing to…
Iobani Gomez: Coerces Woman into Sex for Silence About DWI, Police Say
Drink. Drive. Go to jail. By now, everyone has heard that tersely worded PSA many times. According to a police affidavit reported by KENS, a San Antonio woman checked the first two items off that list and was coerced into sex acts twice by an opportunistic predator. Alamo City police…
Mellow Gold: Our Favorite Lite-Rock Hits Ever
A few months ago, we did an extensive blog, maybe too extensive, on those made-for-TV compilations like Jock Jams, Monster Ballads, and AM Gold. What started out as a larky exercise in how to rag out the search engine on YouTube, turned into another chapter in our recurring obsession with…
Michele Bachmann’s Slavery-Pledge Fracas: UH Gets Drawn In
The Colbert ReportGet More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive GOP Presidential superstar Michele Bachmann recently took time out from her constant anti-gay missteps to mess up in a new area: slavery. She and Rick Santorum have signed a “Family Leader” pledge about social issues that includes…
DEFCON Dining: Eating Crow at Olive Garden
Just when I’d been getting all up on my high horse, my kids decided to remind me that they are, after all, kids. If you’ve been following along, you’ve probably figured out that it’s my general position that children are perfectly capable of comporting themselves with dignity while dining. There…
Where’s the Bull? Cast Members From Urban Cowboy Musical Stop By HMNS Texas Exhibit
They certainly dressed the part. Clad in cowboy hats, shorts and flip-flops, members of the cast of Urban Cowboy the musical, which opens at Miller Outdoor Theatre tomorrow, stopped by the Houston Museum of Natural Science Wednesday morning to have a gander at some Texas treasures. On hand were the…
Weather Porn: 5 Examples of When Meteorologists Go Bad
When the graphic to the right appeared recently in USA Today, it led to talk about how a good editor needs a dirty mind to spot things like, we guess, a huffing sun giving a hand job to a thermometer. But really, the weather always seems to attract the unfortunate…
25 Essential Eponymous Albums
Eponymous: (of a literary work, film, etc) named after its central character or creator: The Stooges’ eponymous debut album. On this day in 1983, a young woman from Michigan who had recently given up on a career as a hard-rock singer released her first album of electronic dance-pop, an album…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 71, Shawarma at Abdallah’s
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Johnson & Johnson Hip Replacement Lawsuit Spearheaded by Houston Attorney
A “medical disaster” has occurred and a Texas attorney is, in his opinion, working to clean up the mess. Ed Blizzard is a heavy-hitting, Houston-based pharmaceutical injury lawyer and mass tort litigation expert. As a chief negotiator in a 1990s case against Dow Corning — which was found to have…
Tasting Notes: This Week in Wine Blogs
Know a Houston-based blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. The Blend: We’re not sure how we missed the photo (above) of Houston’s top Italian wine specialist Joseph “Grappa Joe” Kemble, statewide wine buyer at the flagship Spec’s. We loved Alfonso…
Muggle Girls are Easy: The Sexual Awakening of Harry Potter
When we first met Harry Potter, he was known as The Boy Who Lived. After eight films and several lip-locks with his female co-stars, he’s also become The Boy Who Loved. Here’s our look at the sexual awakening of Harry Potter, film by film. Editorial disclaimer: We’re going to focus…
Cover Story: Houston’s Illegal Game Rooms, All But Immune to the Law
“There are few places as depressing as an illegal game room on a sunny Tuesday afternoon,” writes our Craig Malisow in this week’s feature story, “Game On.” But these grim places have popped up all over town, skirting laws that can be violated with only a slap on the wrist…
Designer Imposter? Elle Macpherson hosts Fashion Star for NBC
Buzz is growing around a new fashion design show called Fashion Star, hosted by supermodel Elle Macpherson. While no air date has been set, a 10-episode series is expected to air in the near future. It’s recently been announced that Nicole Richie, Jessica Simpson and designer John Varvatos will be…
Thanh Phuong’s Got Good Game
There’s nothing new about using game meats like venison, quail or rabbit in Vietnamese cooking. Boar luc lac? Sure. Venison tai chanh? Absolutely. What’s new is its general availability in Houston. As in, it isn’t generally available. So when I heard that a place in Pearland had an entire portion…
The Seven Ages Of Britney Spears: A Poem
By William Shakespeare and Craig Hlavaty All the world’s a stage, even things like MTV and stuff. And all the men and women merely players, even Fred Durst and that one chick from that one show that we forgot the name of. She had long hair probably. They have their…
Museum District Day 2011 Announced
In Houston, we’re used to the whole free museum thing, but on Saturday, September 17, the public will have even more free access to exhibits and information on art, history, science and nature. Sixteen area museums will waive their general admission fees on that day from 10 a.m. to 5…
William Chambliss: Suspected of DWI with Grandkids Perched on Roof of SUV
Drunk driving is a terrible idea. Drunk driving with kids in the car is even worse. Leave it to an East Texan from the Lufkin-area village of Huntington to invent an even worse variation on this potentially deadly theme. On Monday, concerned citizens phoned in a tip to police about…
“Chicken Lips” Makes Texas’s Top 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders List
It may not enter the pantheon of great criminal nicknames, but Robert “Chicken Lips” House has earned a different singular honor: He’s been named to Texas’s Top 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders list. House, 41, is wanted for failure to register as a sex offender and for parole violations, the…
Colombia on Your Plate at Colombian Cuisine Restauarant
I’m beginning to wonder if I may have a fetish for strip center restaurants, as I look at the posts I’ve submitted…, there seems to be a theme. That notwithstanding, if the food is good, the location is irrelevant. This is certainly true when it comes to Colombian Cuisine Restaurant…
5 Great, Utterly Absurd Moments In Diva History
Many performers are referred to, or refer to themselves as “divas.” This happens especially when the performer in question has thrown a tantrum for little or no reason. You see, “diva” is actually French for “spoiled pain in the ass.” A fine recent example comes from right here in Houston:…
Beam Me Up: 10 Awesome Space-Age Buildings
Selfridges, Birmingham, England Yesterday, a 1930 image of an unknown person’s impression of what Houston would look like 50 years later circulated on Twitter. 1930’s idea of 1980 is incredibly cooler than what 1980 ended up actually being, and is filled with a sort of Gothic art deco reminiscent of…
Unidentified Female, Bayou Body Count No. 101
The body of a woman who was dead from a gunshot to the head was found in the Third Ward this morning. The body was discovered in the 3300 block of Calumet about 1 a.m. today, Houston police say. It was lying in the street, and the victim, whose identity…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Octavio Madrigal of Theo’s Restaurant
One’s A Meal, the beloved Greek spot in Montrose, has seen some changes this year. It has a new owner (Ted “Theo” Mousoudakis), a new name (Theo’s), and best of all, a beer and wine liquor license that kicks in today. The food never stops at this 24/7 restaurant, and…
Muhammadali Seeking Funds For Ride To Awesome Fest
Muhammadali needs a magic tour bus… not just to pick up school children and drive them around “inside the human body,” they’re also trying to get to a DIY punk festival called Awesome Fest 5 in San Diego. There will be a big benefit show with free food to raise…
Racing Rachael: High Steaks
I was starting to think that either Rachael has a lot of 30-minute chicken meals or that I’m addicted to cooking chicken. So, for the next few weeks…NO chicken. Two things intrigued me about the entrée recipe: the placement of the salad in relation to the meat and the creation…
Tony Romo’s Over-the-Top Wedding Video
Candice & Tony’s Wedding Trailer from Joe Simon Films on Vimeo.Joe Simon is a fimmaker who shot the wedding of Dallas Cowboys clutch fumbler Tony Romo. And, well, it’s interesting. “I love the personal vows that Candice + Tony wrote to each other, when people are truly in love you…
Google+ Vs. Facebook: A Pepsi Challenge
Google unveiled its new Google+ platform, a conglomeration of Gmail/G-Chat/Video, and some have already panned it as being a blatant rip-off of Facebook and some are praising it for its brilliance. Even this publication has given Google some advice as to what it needs to do to knock FB down…
Tianna Hall: Jazz Singer Unafraid Of Soundgarden, Radiohead
It’s hard to describe how difficult it is to be a good jazz singer. Jazz is such a nuanced, sometimes overwhelming experience, that vocalizing it is, at times, akin to juggling bulldozers. And crap, man, bulldozers are heavy. Which is why when singer Tianna Hall’s music got dropped in our…
Fried Pork Intestines and Other Taiwanese Specialties at Kiki Cafe
Last week, when a I took a friend to try authentic Taiwanese food at Kiki Café (9126 Bellaire Blvd at Ranchester, Tel: 713-772-8883), he took one look at the appetizer menu and said “I’m gonna have the fried pork intestines.” I looked at him questioningly, thinking he was joking, while…
Comment of the Day: Union Leaders, Corrupt and Not
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
TLC’s Tattoo School Angers Tattoo Artists & The Inked Alike
This week on TLC, Tattoo School makes its debut, touting artist Lisa Fasulo and her “two-week tattoo school,” which claims to be able to create a functioning, working tattoo artist out of anyone in 14 days. This is not a realistic idea, and most seasoned tattoo artists and those that…
Curt Flood: The Story of a Well-Paid Slave
Baseball’s forgotten manThe man’s name is Curt Flood. He spent a majority of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, winning multiple Gold Gloves for his superb defensive play. He was one of the outstanding baseball players of the 1960s. But when he’s remembered nowadays, he’s not remembered for his…
Before Harry Potter, There Was Dr. John Dee…
History is full of mysterious magicians. The modern world gives us Anton LaVey, Gerald Gardner and Aleister Crowley. In the ancient world you had Edward Kelley, Nicolas Flamel, and the Count of St. Germain. Of all those illustrious names, however, the name of Dr. John Dee stands out from the…
Thieves Suck: How to Protect Yourself When Your Stuff Is Stolen
Sunday evening while I was out for a jog, my car was broken into and my purse was stolen. By some miracle of paranoia, I happened to have both my cell phone and wallet with me on the run, not for fear of them getting jacked, but because I’m always…
Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Sunset: Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winner and food critic for our sister paper…
Lights in the Heights Survives, Sort of
Lights in the Heights, the holiday festival that has grown to overwhelm the quiet Woodland Heights neighborhood that hosts it, will return in 2011. There’ll be some changes made, however. Martin Hajovsky, the keeper of all Heights information, says that after some discussions about ending the event, organizers will keep…
Nicki Minaj Not Charged In Poolside Dallas Hotel Fight
Nicki Minaj, the colorful (in more ways than one) rapper who is never very far from a headline, has apparently not been charged in a poolside Dallas hotel fight Monday evening. According to Rocks Off’s sister blog in Dallas, DC-9 at Night, Minaj and an unidentified man who was staying…
Comment of the Day: Watch to the End
Yesterday’s funny-because-it’s-true list of movies you only need to watch halfway through raised the hackles of several readers today, and not just because of writer John Gray’s inclusion of Stripes on this list (I’ll agree with Full Metal Jacket, but more Bill Murray is more Bill Murray, and more Bill…
Hey Netflix – WTF?
The Netflix Team sent over an e-mail earlier today – our $9.99 a month membership plan that covered unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs is changing. Now we have a choice of unlimited streaming and no DVDs or unlimited DVDs (one at a time) and no streaming (each for $7.99 a…
Yankee Fan Catches a $13,000 Tax Bill Off Derek Jeter’s Bat
Growing up, the dream of many a young boy is to catch a significant souvenir baseball at a game. If you’re a young lad who grew up watching the New York Yankees this past decade and a half, I would imagine that catching a ball, any ball, off of Derek…
Comment of the Day
Eating Our Words has some damn fine commenters, who bring honest and often insightful comments to our blog posts. In short, you guys rule, but your rule-age makes it difficult to pick a comment every day and today was no exception, but one rose above the others for obvious reasons…
RIP, Sherwood Schwartz: Five Brady Bunch Episodes That Remind Us of Gilligan’s Island
Even if you think Ginger was a slut and/or the Bradys were bubble-gum lame, there’s little arguing that Gilligan’s Island (1964-1967) and the Brady Bunch (1969-1974) remain where it’s at for influential sitcoms. Don’t believe us? Well, Houston Press recently gave a visual ode to the Brady Bunch in our…
Out Today: Washed Out Wins, R.E.M.’s First Bad Day, Incubus Chills
This week sees the return of Incubus with an original disc after a greatest-hits collection, Sublime’s first round of music with new lead singer Rome, a set of re-imagined hits from Alkaline Trio, and and R.E.M. reissuing 1986’s Life’s Rich Pageant. Today also holds the debut LP of Washed Out,…
TEA Applies the Hammer to North Forest (And HISD): Historically Terrible District Should Be Taken Over by Houston, It Says (Updated with HISD Response)
The Texas Education Agency has finally had enough of the North Forest ISD, a lower-income school district with chronic problems demonstrating proficiency on standardized tests. Today the TEA took the unusual step of ordering it to close, and suggesting it be taken over by HISD. Yeah, thanks a lot, HISD…
Today’s DVDs: Uncle Boonmee Who can Recall His Past Lives, Naked and Strip-Tease
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives stars Thanapat Saisaymar and Janjira Pongpas with Apichatpong Weerasethakul directing. The set up: Family members visit Uncle Boonmee, who is dying, in his home in the Thai jungle. What our critic J. Hoberman said about the movie: The acme of no-budget, Buddhist-animist,…
Sheriff Asks Congress for More Money to Patrol Port
HCSOGive me more money, Garcia said.Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia told a congressional subcommittee today that he needs more cash to protect the Port of Houston. “At the end of the day, it comes down to the ability of someone to patrol in a patrol boat or a patrol car,”…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 72, Sausage Sampler at King’s Biergarten
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Good Air Pollution News in Texas? “Flexible Permit” Companies Agree to EPA Guidelines
It’s a rarity: Good air-pollution news in Texas that doesn’t involve the Obama administration forcing state officials to do their job. The Environmental Protection Agency announced today that 156 Texas companies who have received the notoriously loose “flexible” permits have agreed to abide by EPA guidelines and standards for air…
Brew Blog: Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest
From the outside, it looks like any other semi-rundown convenience store, sure to pedal in porno, smokes, over-priced half gallons of milk, and brown-bag clad 40s. It kind of looks like that from the inside, too, I guess, but we’re getting off-track. The point is that D&Q is quite possibly…
Chance McClain’s Kissless the Musical Heads to New York
The Houston Family Arts Center’s Actor’s Academy has been selected to perform and cast Kissless the Musical as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival in the fall. The show has had two staged readings locally and will have its world premiere as a full production at the festival…
ACL Fest Schedule Released; Your Guide To The “Death Duels”
This morning, the organizers of the Austin City Limits Music Festival announced the schedule for the September 16-18 Zilker Park throwdown. We all knew there would be some tough choices, but Rocks Off found that when we actually dug into it, it wasn’t so bad, as long as you hate…
Houston Led Nation in Population Growth in Last Decade, Rice Finds
Rice U video No city in America grew more in population in the last decade than Houston, a Rice study said today. And if you don’t believe it, they put out the slick video above to erase any doubt. Houston added 1,231,393 residents between 2000 and 2012, the study of…
Who Doesn’t Like Heitz?
If you’ve been following along here at Wine Time on the Eating Our Words blog, you know that we don’t drink a lot of Californian Cabernet Sauvignon at our house. Fact of the matter is we rarely drink monovarietal (i.e., a wine made from a single grape variety) Cabernet Sauvignon…
Berndt Brothers: Grand Jury Does Not Indict Pair Who Left Dead Mom on Floor for Months
Edward and Edwin Berndt, the brothers who let their mother’s rotting corpse sit in their living rooms for months, will not face criminal charges, KHOU reports. Their attorney, Robert Scardino, told the station a grand jury decided not to indict the two because they are mentally disabled. As we wrote…
Tuesday July 12, 2011: Deals of the Day
Today’s VOICE Daily Deal from the Houston Press is good for 53 percent off ($7 for $15) fresh, gourmet burgers and homemade fries–as well as sliders, wings, and more–at Little Bitty Burger Barn. Eating light? No worries–LBBB has a selection of salads and sandwiches that won’t wreck your diet. A…
The 71’s: Harder, Louder, More Alive Than Ever
Rocks Off has been covering The 71s since pretty much the first day we worked here, when a slight attention-span problem ended up obligating us to attend a Christian rock concert at which we somehow had a massively fun time. Since then, we’ve watched the group grow, invade a Walmart,…
Art Institute of Houston Moves to River Oaks Plaza
The Art Institute of Houston made its move official yesterday as classes began at its new River Oaks Plaza facility. The new location houses 11 computer labs with more than 300 workstations, a new audio studio, a video production studio and a library with more than 24,800 separately cataloged items,…
C.J. McElroy Ditches UH, Signs Professional-Baseball Contract
C.J. McElroy, a Clear Creek High graduate who had committed to the University of Houston, has instead decided to give it a go at professional baseball. “We have learned from the McElroy family that C.J. will be signing a contract to play professional baseball full time with the St. Louis…
Deep In the Heart (Attack) of Texas – Update!
“Deep In the Heart ‘Attack’ of Texas” is a new sandwich from Cer Te, a restaurant in Manhattan known for its sandwich options and their occasionally clever names: the Brooklyn Bridge, the Godfather. But this latest sandwich was designed by a customer of the restaurant, a man only known as…
Six People Who Should Have Never Tried To Rap
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask…
Join Art Attack for National Dance Day on July 30
It’s no secret that we’re kind of big fans of Fox’s dance competition series So You Think You Can Dance. We’ve been recapping the show all season, and now, we have a chance to live out the action. And we’re asking you to join us. On Saturday, July 30, in…
You Won’t Have Ron Paul to Kick Around Anymore (Unless He Wins the White House)
Will the U.S. be able to survive without Ron Paul in the House of Representatives? We’re about to find out. Paul’s district newspaper, the Brazosport Facts, reports today that Paul will not seek re-election after almost a quarter-century in Congress. Instead, the 75-year-old pol will concentrate on his pipe-dream 2012…
Off-Duty HISD Cop Wounded in Drive-By Shooting
An off-duty Houston school district cop who was visiting relatives on the south side was shot in a drive-by, police say. The officer’s name has not been released, but HISD says he’s worked there for almost six years. He was in the 3800 block of Mt. Pleasant near Scott about…
Upcoming: Chromeo, Dawes, Kaiser Chiefs, M83, Etc.
“The 94.5 The Buzz/Bud Light Weenie Roast” With Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Puddle Of Mudd, Crossfade, P.O.D: Sun., Aug. 28. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The Aggrolites: Sat., Sept. 24. Warehouse Live. Better Than Ezra: Thu., Dec. 29. House of Blues. Big D & The Kids Table: Sun., Oct. 16. Warehouse Live…
Off the Wall: Brennan’s Creole Bread Pudding Using Hot Dog Buns
Last week, Christine Ha gave us some tips on what to do with all those leftover hotdog buns from the 4th. That’s when EOW reader CameronByars chimed in with her two cents – “Hot dog buns are also great for making bread pudding, as they are sweeter than other breads.”…
Five British Shows You Should Be Watching on Netflix
Netflix: the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems! OK, that’s wrong (and kind of plagiarized), but Netflix is still fantastic. One of the biggest benefits of the service, especially the Watch Instantly feature, isn’t just seeing movies and TV shows you know and love, but getting to…
Rockabilly Musician Chadd Thomas Found Dead In South Austin (UPDATED)
The Austin Police Department released more information in Thomas’ investigation Thursday afternoon. Update (5:18 p.m.): The Austin American-Statesman and KVUE are both reporting that the Travis County Medical Examiner has ruled Thomas’ death a homicide from blunt force trauma. Rumors ran rampant across Facebook last night reporting the death of…
Comment of the Day: The SlutWalk Debate
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Art Review: Liz Hickok’s Giant Jell-O Jigglers
Liz Hickok’s photographs of cityscapes made from multi-flavored Jell-O are certainly fun and curious. There’s obviously an enormous amount of work required for each photographic setup–making the molds, the staging areas, the miniature foliage, lighting. Hickok recreates the San Francisco skyline as seen from Alcatraz, the White House, the Statue…
Build-A-Bar: Batavia Arrack
I’ll come right out and admit that I still haven’t fully wrapped my head around Batavia Arrack. I’ve been trying for a few weeks, and its essential character still eludes me. One night, a sip of the stuff tastes like dark rum mixed with the heady smokiness of Scotch. The…
Unidentified Male, 18, Drinking Beer and Playing Gun Games, Bayou Body Count No. 100
What better way to pass the time than by drinking beer and “passing around and playing with a revolver”? That’s what Houston police say a group of five men were doing about 8 p.m. Sunday when — in a sentence you hate to read — “One of the individuals, believing…
Five People You Should Never Invite To A Concert
For music lovers, few experiences outrank the transcendent nature of witnessing a great live music performance. And most avid fans have a tried and trusted circle of friends they take along for the ride, knowing that even the most righteous rock show can be can be fatally flawed with the…
Eater: Top Chef “Texas” Coming to Houston After All?
Yesterday afternoon, Amber Ambrose broke two interesting pieces of news on Eater regarding Top Chef’s current tour through Texas as it films for its next season. “Today, the tipline brings the rumor that after shooting in Dallas (where they are presently) and then Austin, the show will also shoot in…
Friends With No Strings Attached: Five Pairs of Movies That Are Basically The Same Thing
The Hangover II got a lot of flak earlier this year for basically being a re-hashing of the original Hangover tale. I don’t understand why people were so upset. You don’t go see an Austin Powers sequel without expecting a reference to bad teeth, you don’t go see a Harry…
Similar But Not the Same: 5 Pairs of Movies That Are Pretty Much the Same Thing
Friends With Benefits opens July 22, and more annoying than the fact that some studio executive probably said, “You know who I want to see in a movie? Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis!” is the fact that this movie comes out a brief six months after No Strings Attached, which…
2 Sexy 4 Shirts: Video Boys Of Summer Frolic Au Naturel
The only summer trend that matters this year – to us, anyway – is “Boys Gone Wild.” So, what happened, H-town dudes? It’s as if when Free Press Summer Fest wrapped up, none of you has wanted to strut around town sweaty and shirtless since. This is one of the…
KTRK Ad From 1971: Typewriters! Reel-to-Reel Tape! Bullfights! Who Wouldn’t Tune In?
This is an advertisement for Channel 13’s Eyewitness News circa 1971, and it is magnificent. In our view, it represents a serious lack of judgment that news stations no longer use one-minute ads set to the Mission: Impossible theme, with constant cuts to the space-age state-of-the-art equipment that looks like…
Where Are We Drinking?
Milkshakes are serious business at this retro soda fountain, even down to the vintage machinery used to whip them up. Does the sweet Hamilton-Beach below look familiar to you? (It has to; I think it’s the only one in town.) Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
100 Creatives: John Adelman
What he does: John Adelman is a visual artist who labors intensely to create dense, layered pieces through repetition. Often comprised of simple subject matters, the sheer volume of iterations comes together to create works that are intriguing and pleasing to the eye. “Almost all my work deals with layering,…
Red-Light Camera: Printable Car-Window Signs For Your Close-Up
As noted previously, Houston’s red-light cameras — despite a referendum calling for their removal — are back in business, taking pictures and causing fines. If you’re unlucky enough to be caught by one of these things, which from anecdotal evidence can have hair-trigger reactions to even the slightest transgression, you…
Centro-matic Scratches A Very Specific Itch At Fitz
Unless there’s no way to avoid it, the one night of the week Rocks Off does not like to review shows is Friday. After five straight 10- to 12-hour days (at least), our brain is usually in tatters and all we want to do is limp home or to a…
Comment of the Day
Today Christina Uticone, an admitted po’boy newbie, made a pit stop at the Antone’s on T.C. Jester and quite a few people were quick to point out that this is not one of the original Antone’s restaurants and many believe nothing more than a weak knockoff. Ahkhew took a slightly…
Veteran Cop Harry Leroy Kelley Sentenced For Selling Hollow-Point Bullets and Other Police Gun Gear
A Kingwood man who was a veteran Liberty County police officer was sentenced to a year in federal prison for illegally buying and selling police guns and ammunition, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Beaumont announced. Harry Leroy Kelley, a 17-year veteran of the Cleveland Police Department and the Liberty County…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 73, Chu Chee Eggplant at Nidda Thai
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
7 Reasons Transformers 3 Made Me Want to Kill Myself
Yes, I try and keep it sports-related in this space as much as I possibly can. That’s what I’ve been asked to bring to the table on Hair Balls and that’s where my area of expertise lies. However, sometimes there is confluence of circumstance so powerful that I must stray…
The Slurpees Are Back in Town
Guess who just got back today? (I love Thin Lizzy; sue me.) Slurpees, that’s who. While there hasn’t been a 7-Eleven in the Houston city limits since the late ’80s, fans of its famous Slurpee still exist. Although it’s just a cleverly marketed rip-off of the California-based ICEE, there’s something…
5 Movies You (Probably) Will Only Ever Watch Half Of
You know the feeling: You’re watching one of your favorite movies, and you start fast-forwarding through this one part that you’re not as fond of as the rest of the film, and then you keep fast forwarding, and before you know it, you’ve hit the credits. For some reason, this…
Eight Rejected Shuttle Designs: From Space Zeppelins to Flying Boxes to Cool Deltas
The space shuttle isn’t the most graceful design ever (although it can look great in such pictures as the first one here): it’s a bit boxy, more akin to an 18-wheeler than a Ferrari. But the idea of a reusable space vehicle presents unique challenges, and NASA had plenty of…
Wine of the Week: A Delicious Portuguese Quaffer
This weekend found us at Canyon Lake where Tracie P’s family (they’re from Orange) takes their summer vacation every year. The menu at the lake varies very little and the fare is invariably lip-smackingly delicious. This year my favs were Tracie P’s King Ranch Chicken and my mother-in-law Mrs. B’s…
Visual Narrative:”Beautiful Son” at Moody Gallery
Saturday night, Lawrence Lee let his alter ego out to play at the opening of his exhibit “Beautiful Son” at the spacious Moody Gallery. The opening was wedged at the end of a street-long succession of gallery openings. The black-and-white ink-on-paper paintings were based on a story he wrote five…
If Not Rapper, What Job Would You Want To Have?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn’t a national holiday Rocks Off will have some of them hear discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Bun B, Fat Tony, Preemo, Chingo Bling, Kane, Thurogood, KAB, hasHBrown, B L A C K I E,…
Falling Skies: “Silent Kill”
Let me be clear. I don’t watch alien movies. I don’t watch alien TV shows, I don’t read alien comic books or graphic novels or news stories. I don’t care if Sigourney Weaver had all the girl power in the world or that David Duchovny was a fox back in…
Ronald & Anita Witt: Union Officials Lived High Life on Members’ Money, Feds Say
A husband-wife team of union officials lived the high life on members’ money, federal prosecutors charged in indictments announced today. Ronald Witt, 64, and his wife Anita, 56, were respectively the business manager and treasurer of local 450 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, whose members operate heavy equipment,…
Ingredient of the Week: Duck Breast
Last week, I discussed my latest addiction to Revival Market’s duck. This week, I bring you the duck dish itself. What is it? Part of the poultry family, duck is fattier and and thus more succulent than its cousin, the chicken. Some say they dislike the gamey taste of duck,…
The Miss Firecracker Contest at Company OnStage: Not To Be Missed
The set-up: Southern charm, inventive acting and skilled direction blend into an explosive package in The Miss Firecracker Contest at Company OnStage. Preparations for the annual beauty contest take over a hugely dysfunctional family in Act One, while Act Two takes us backstage at the exciting event itself. The execution:…
Saturday Night: Robert Ellis Wins Nashville’s Heart
Robert Ellis & the Boys, Those Darlins, Old 97’s Mercy Lounge, Nashville July 9, 2011 “It takes a lot of balls to do that in this town, but y’all pulled it off,” a man in the second row yelled towards the stage amidst a wave of applause. Robert Ellis and…
Christopher James Murray, 32, Bayou Body Count No. 99
A July 4 argument turned into a July 5 killing on the south side of town, Houston police say. Christopher James Murray, 32, was in the parking lot of his apartment building in the 8300 block of Canyon about 1:20 a.m. on July 5 when he was gunned down, police…
True Blood:True Death?
Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He’s lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood – which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Each season of True Blood…
Fast Times: McDonald’s Mango Pineapple Real Fruit Shake
For me, McDonald’s falls squarely into one category: I Have the Worst Hangover Ever, And Just Enough Energy for The Drive-Thru. Seriously, even on road trips, McDonald’s is a last-resort meal for me. (I am willing to admit that few things beat back a hangover like Micky D’s, so it…
Prog-Rock Bassist Enters Stupid Criminal Hall Of Fame
Sometimes when Rocks Off interviews this musician or that one, we’ll ask them what they do to kill time on the road. Some of them read, others take in the local sights if they have time, obviously a lot of them listen to music. The answers are usually pretty mundane,…
The Celebrity Alumni Of The Betty Ford Center
On Friday, Betty Ford, former First Lady, wife of former President Gerald Ford and founder of the Betty Ford Center, died at the age of 93 from natural causes. She was a recovering alcoholic who helped found the influential rehabilitation clinic, vowing to help those in need who were in…
SlutWalk Spills Stripper Heels, Rape Survivors Into the Streets
Houston woke up to a parade of fishnets, taped nipples and self-proclaimed sluts Saturday morning. Almost 100 allies and victims of sexual assault snaked through Montrose for SlutWalk, dropping jaws and stopping traffic. SlutWalk was started in Canada, where a police officer advised a group of college women to stop…
New Restaurant Guides Show Off Houston’s Greatest Grub
Fearless Critic and My Table’s Ultimate Food Lover’s Guide to Houston are both roaring back onto the scene this year, updated and ready to guide Houstonians in their quest for the city’s best. The last edition of The Ultimate Food Lover’s Guide to Houston was released back in 2008 by…
30 Seconds With The Manichean
Rocks off sat down with Cory Sinclair and Justice Tirapelli-Jamail of the Manichean to find out what we could learn about our favorite local avant gardners (that we didn’t already know) in 30 seconds. Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? Justice Tirapelli-Jamail: “Paranoid Android” by this…
Energetic, Exuberant Buddy–The Buddy Holly Story at UpStage Theatre
The set up: UpStage Theatre’s production of Buddy-The Buddy Holly Story is heart-warming, vastly entertaining, full of musical classics, and, all-in-all, a glorious, flawed celebration. It is not really a play at all, though it sketches key events, but is one of the first jukebox musicals. The skits by Alan…
Jackquine Bell: Escape From Walmart Robbery Via Shopping-Cart Scooter Somehow Thwarted
The getaway vehicle — a key component to any successful robbery. You can use anything from a Mini Cooper (à la The Italian Job remake) to a sleek, speedy roadster. Or you could use one of those shopping-cart scooters, in which case your master plan seems likely to fail. It’s…
Friday Night: Dwight Yoakam At Arena Theatre
Dwight Yoakam Arena Theatre July 8, 2011 Aftermath has never considered Dwight Yoakam a country artist in the general sense of the term, the way most people define country artists. In our mind, he simply rocks too hard to be lumped in with people like George Strait or Alan Jackson…
Tunnel Explorer: Flavors
Have you ever burned the roof of your mouth, then spent the next week poking at that spot with your tongue, worrying it over and over despite the pain caused by touching the wound? I’m the type of person who does that. It’s a morbid fascination, I suppose. That same…
Dynamo Win Their Fifth Game of the Season
Positive things happen when you score two goals and keep your opponent from putting one in. For the Houston Dynamo, that meant earning their fifth win of the season, 2-0 over visiting Toronto FC Saturday night at Robertson Stadium. The shutout is the second in a row for the Dynamo,…
The Week in TV: Dunder Mifflin Finds a Boss
James Spader joined The Office! Well, he kind of already did, but now it’s official! Oh, who are we kidding, that’s boring news. This was the week in TV Land: • Well, the rumors became reality last week: The Office is adding James Spader to its cast. He’ll be reprising…
Two Unidentified Males, One Shot by Cop As He Was Stabbing the Other, Bayou Body Count Nos. 98 & 99
Two men died in an early morning altercation today at a gas station near the West Loop and W. 18th Street, one by being stabbed to death and the other, the guy doing the stabbing, by a policeman’s gun. No names have been released yet, but Houston police said two…
Ground Control To Major Tom: Happy Birthday “Space Oddity”
On this day in 1969, David Bowie released what would arguably become his (first) calling-card track, “Space Oddity.” The version you see and hear above is one that the world would briefly know (we found it in promo reel Love You Till Tuesday) before he became the Bowie that we…
Discount Dining: Pradaria Steaks & Churrascaria
Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a meat lover. A dry-aged, medium-rare ribeye would probably be my requested last meal. So when a Living Social deal arrived in my inbox for $30 for a rodizio dinner for two at Pradaria Steaks & Churrascaria, I jumped on it. At $17.95 for…
Blues on the Light Rail: Ensemble Theatre to Ride & Sing (Update With Time Change)
Well my mama told me, my papa told me too Now my mama told me, papa told me too Well I shouldn’t be here tryin’ to sing these railroad blues. Metro will ignore this parental advice Wednesday when they partake in a stunt that actually sounds like it could be…
ArtHouston: 15 Galleries in Seven Hours
ArtHouston, the self-described “busiest day of the year” for local art, is an annual summer event designed to showcase and promote Houston’s vast network of galleries. This year’s lineup boasted more than 30 participating locations, and with a little strategy and an enthusiastic companion in tow (who will be referred…
Po’Boys and More at Antone’s on T.C. Jester
A recent invitation to Antone’s Famous Po’Boys for a media tasting finally forced me out of my “I-only-eat-po’boys-at BB’s” rut. The visit turned out to be full of surprises–and I don’t just mean the hour I spent in traffic on I-45 on my way back home after a tractor trailer…
Saturday Night: Rihanna At Toyota Center
Rihanna Toyota Center July 9, 2011 Don’t stop the music photos in our slideshow. It may be cutting against the grain to say this, but Rihanna may be the most transgressive pop star out there right now. She can do spectacle just fine – can she ever – but she…
Comment of the Day: A Highway Tailgater Declares War
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Stylish, Elegant Emma at A.D. Players
The set up: One of literature’s most enduring masterpieces, Emma (1815), Jane Austen’s sublime comedy of manners, is painted in vivid pastel, not bold swathes of primary color. The world is confined exclusively to the village of Highbury and its constricting domesticity. In early 19th-century England, women who had no…
Free Brett Wallace
Let Brett play.The Astros enter the All Star break with a MLB-worst record of 30-62. No team, not even the Chicago Cubs, is close to matching the team’s ineptitude at this point. And if the Astros keep up this pace, they’ll finish the season with a record of 53-109. (Feel…
True Blood: Boxing Gandhis & Other Likely Possibilities
Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He’s lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood – which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Each season of True Blood…
Water Your Lawn During This Drought? The Pros (It’s the Right Thing to Do) & Cons (It’s an Expensive Pain)
The punishing drought rages on and on with little relief in sight. And already, officious homeowners associations are getting on residents for not watering their lawns. If it’s not a busybody HOA, it might be your neighbors silently seething and cutting you off from future barbecues. So — Are you…
Where Are We Eating?
You don’t find a lot of deep-dish pizzas in Houston. And you especially don’t find many good deep-dish pizzas in Houston. But the pizza below is an exception. Does it look familiar in all its bubbly, crusty, towering glory? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
If You Ran a Red-Light Camera This Morning, You’ll Get Mail
The red-light cameras have been turned back on and fines are being issued. Much as it pains Mayor Annise Parker to get all the revenue, she will be forced to take it until the city can appeal a judge’s ruling. U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes late Friday denied a request…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 74, Hobnobs from Fluff Bake Bar
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Comment of the Day
Today Nicholas Hall blogged about some incredible Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream he made from a David Lebovitz recipe, and he exhorted readers to send in suggestions on what to cook next. Scott Lynch followed orders: I’ve made this ice cream before, though actually without the pralines and it was…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we’re still nursing bottle rocket burns and kebab skewer wounds from the 4th of July celebration on Monday. Did anyone else get really, really drunk and wind up donating half of your paycheck to the National Rifle Association…
Patti LaBelle Developments: Two Members of Entourage Charged
UPDATE September 24, 2014: A federal jury cleared Patti LaBelle and her entourage in the beating of a West Point cadet at George Bush International Airport. Two members of Patti LaBelle’s entourage that were involved in an incident with a West Point cadet at Bush Intercontinental have been charged. KTRK…
The Seven Wildest Astronaut Hair Photos, and the Two Grave Disappointments
Zero gravity can wreak havoc on hair. Female astronauts can do pretty much anything males can, but the men simply cannot match women when it comes to alarming pictures of space hair. Until, we guess, some hippie dude flies up to the space station. Here are the seven best pictures…
Texans RB Arian Foster, ESPY Nominee, Is Chilling by Reading Paulo Coelho and Digging Egyptian Culture
Yao Ming retired today, the Astros are in the midst of their worst season ever and the NFL lockout continues. But at least there’s one glimmer of hope in Houston’s pro sports scene. Texans running back Arian Foster is nominated for three ESPYs tomorrow night, ESPN’s fan-chosen accolades. Why should…
Ray Benson: “Before Keith Richards, There Was Bob Wills”
Although he grew up outside Philadelphia, Ray Benson is the quintessential Texas musician. Somewhere in his rambling South Austin studio/office compound is a proclamation declaring him the 2004 official state musician, not to mention the umpteen Grammys he’s won as front man and bandleader of Western Swing revivalists Asleep at…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 75, Pancakes at Fountain View Cafe
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Jamie Leigh Jones Rape Suit: Jury Rules in Favor of KBR
A federal jury rejected claims by Jamie Leigh Jones, who says she was gang-raped as a KBR employee in Iraq and then mistreated by the company. The jury found she was not raped, and KBR did not commit fraud. Jones, 26, sued KBR/Halliburton over what happened in July 2005 in…
Rod Castle, CEO of Osito Foundation, Dies
Prominent GLBT fundraiser Rod Castle died yesterday, though the cause of death has not yet been determined. Rod Castle was co-founder and CEO of the Osito Foundation, a Houston nonprofit that donates teddy bears to children affected by HIV/AIDS. Co-founder Oscar Velasquez, the foundation’s director and president, was Castle’s partner…
Iron Grip: James Purefoy Goes Medieval
James Purefoy has built his career on intense, brooding, period warrior roles–American audiences probably know him best from his work as Mark Antony in HBO’s Rome. But talking to Purefoy on the phone, it’s easy to imagine his steely gaze softening and his firmly set jaw loosening into a smile…
The 10 Most Horrible Music-Biz Bosses
The movie Horrible Bosses comes out today, and while the heinous supervisors in question all work in areas unrelated to entertainment, this shouldn’t be taken to mean the music industry is free of bad managers and executives. Rocks Off knows if anything, the music biz has had more than its…
Paul Hester: “Doing Time in Houston 1966-2011”
Paul Hester’s photography shades in the revolving moments of our everyday lives with the context of time and place — where we were and where we are going — and his exhibition, “Doing Time in Houston 1966-2011,” tells these stories. Organized on a continuum, the work, which is on display…
Raul Leal: Immigrant Detention Center Officer Kicked Detainee in the Face, Breaking Skull, Feds Say
A former officer at the Port Isabel Detention Center kicked a detainee in the face, breaking a bone in his skull, and then lied to investigators, federal prosecutors alleged today. Raul Leal, 31, was arrested without incident in his current home of Georgia, and faces ten years for the civil…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Tommy Birdwell of TQLA
After sitting down for a lengthy and fascinating conversation (recounted in parts one and two), Chef Birdwell brought out a few of the dishes on TQLA’s recently revised menu. We began with the barbecue duck tamale, made with achiote masa and cascabel barbecue sauce, topped with a tomatillo guajillo chile…
Upcoming Events
Justin Basye, Peter Jahnke and their bunch of wild young hearts chefs were the talk of the week, as their new pop-up dinner series was announced this past Monday. Les Sauvages (translation: the savages, or the wild ones) is a series of pop-up dinners not unlike the recent Pilot Light…
Binarium Sound Series, Now With TV Program
Europe has it. So does Japan. The States? Not so much…and that’s lame. When I interviewed Sonny Rollins years back, the veteran saxophonist said the main reason American-based jazz and creative music isn’t really in the public consciousness is because there aren’t any television programs devoted to the subject. Using…
Last Night: Turnin’ Headz Rap Showcase at The Mink
Turnin’ Headz The Backroom at the Mink July 7, 2011 10:18-10:50 p.m.: So, our intention tonight was to head over to The Mink for this Turnin’ Headz underground rap showcase after going to see the premiere of new music videos from local rappers Montana, The Niceguys and Thurogood* Wordsmith at…
Yao Ming Hangs It Up
We knew this day was coming, and it has arrived: Yao Ming is retiring. The usually reliable Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has tweeted, “Rockets’ Yao Ming has decided to retire from the NBA, league sources tell Y! Sports. He informed the league office within past 48 hours.” Things have…
Red Sox Fan Gets to Second Base (The Good Kind — w/ VIDEO!)
Last weekend, the Boston Red Sox came into Minute Maid Park and pretty much did everything to the Astros they possibly could short of making sweet love to all of their wives and girlfriends. If you’re an Astros fan, it was just another lost weekend in a litany of lost…
Wilfred: “Fear”
This week, we achieve the long-awaited resolution to Wilfred’s surreptitious placement of Ryan’s wallet after breaking into Spencer’s (Ethan Supplee) house, while nothing much happens to advance any other aspect of the overall story. And really, three episodes in to the series, it looks more like each episode is going…
Happy Hour Scene: Light Treason at Queen Vic
The Place: Queen Vic 2712 Richmond 713-533-0022 www.thequeenvicpub.com The Deals: $5 daily wine specials, $4 daily draft specials, $1 off cocktails and bottled beers, bar bites menu The Hours: 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays The Scene: I’m not sure what “high tea” is. I have a general idea…
July 2 to 8: The Week in Art Photos
It’s time again to check out the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. We love street art, unique perspectives and beautiful photos of Houston’s creative community. If you think you’ve got a good eye, drop your pictures in the pool…
Rocks Off Wishes Wyoming A Happy Birthday
If you’re anything like Rocks Off, you’ve been marking off the days on your calendar until you could let loose and celebrate Wyoming Statehood Day this coming Sunday. OK, so that’s a lie, but here at Rocks Off we do enjoy the lesser known-holidays and putting together playlists to honor…
Protest Your Drainage Fee Via the World’s Most Boring How-To Video
The city has announced the procedures it will use to hear protests over assessed drainage fees, and they look like they’re about as much fun as protesting your property tax assessment. Worse, they involve watching the above, five and a half minutes of instruction on how to use the “You…
Our Favorite Movies About Fashion
I could write a diatribe about cable companies–and the hell that is Comcast in particular–but I can’t complain about AND truly love the On Demand feature. I was perusing the selection the other night when I noticed one title in particular: L’Amour Fou is currently available through Comcast On Demand…
EXCLUSIVE: Some Sort of “Space Craft” Escapes from Earth
HAIR BALLS EXCLUSIVE: Some sort of “space craft” blasted off from a Florida swamp this morning, startling a large crowd of people who had gathered on the spot just because it seemed like a nice place to get rained on, Hair Balls has learned. The white ship went in a…
Top 10 Healing Songs, From One Who Knows
Rocks Off was happy to run into our friend and Blues In Hi-Fi DJ Clint Broussard the other day at Leon’s Lounge (where else?). We were a little surprised too, because it was the first time we’d seen him with two shoes on in months. As most of Broussard’s friends…
A Page Outta: David Lebovitz
You guys need to seriously up your game. Yeah, I know I haven’t written one of these since the end of June, but that doesn’t let you off the hook for not providing me with any suggestions last time. I’m getting the impression you don’t think much of the leftovers…
Comment of the Day: Rightwingers, Please Get Your Stories Straight
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
So You Think You Can Dance: Magnificent Seven Results
Wednesday night we were treated to a less-than-magnificent evening of dance, and the results last night were, for the most part, unsurprising. Chris and Ashley, who performed a bland, cold salsa ended up in the bottom three, along with Jordan and Tadd (their waltz was beautiful, but the technique needed…
Molina’s Cantina: 70 Years of Tex-Mex in Houston
Earlier this year, when Molina’s Cantina ran a 50 percent Groupon (Buy $15, get $30 worth of food), I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw the number sold: a whopping 4,012 Groupons. I’d never tried Molina’s, and it was amazing to me how a Tex-Mex…
Top Five Most Overpaid Musicians In The World
Last month Forbes released their list of the 25 highest-earning musicians of 2010, and the list contains several talents Rocks Off is happy to see keeping the lights on. No. 1 on the list, U2, is still a favorite of ours after all these years, and it’s always good to…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Horrible Bosses
Title: Horrible Bosses Could This Be The Rebirth Of Jennifer Aniston? I suppose, if she’s being reborn as a deranged nymphomaniac. And who has a problem with that? Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three-and-a-half pairs of nunchucks out of five. Tagline: “Ever Wish Your Boss Was Dead?”…
Greatest Grub: Favorite Blue Bell Flavors
My husband, a native Houstonian, and I, a relocated Vermonter, have had many a debate over the greatest maker of ice cream. As you can imagine, there is never a winner in the Blue Bell vs. Ben & Jerry’s discussion. Or maybe we’re both winners because there is ALWAYS ice…
Centro-matic Paints A Tighter Picture On Candidate Waltz
Will Johnson, enigmatic front man of Denton rock outfit Centro-matic, is chuckling over reviews for the band’s latest album, Candidate Waltz (Undertow/Thirty Tigers). “For the most part they’ve been good, but even the negative ones – and there are some that are so negative – I can appreciate as long…
The Match.com Page for the Annoying Tailgating A-Hole, If He Were Honest
Houston is filled with idiots who feel the need to ride your bumper even though you’re going a respectable amount over the speed limit. They are so annoying that we have to assume they are single; they are so selfish we have to think that if they somehow convinced someone…
July 2-8: The Week in Photos
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. The doldrums of summer are here. We want to see photos of how you’re spending your hot days and nights? Just drop them in our photo group right…
The Kevin James & Chris Farley Connection
Kevin James probably wouldn’t have a career as big and as successful if Chris Farley had not have died on December 18, 1997 at the age of 33. And Farley would be alive today had he not been addicted to various narcotics, which also killed his hero John Belushi. With…
Last Night: Torche & Big Business At Fitzgerald’s
Big Business, Torche Fitzgerald’s July 7, 2011 Big Business and Torche are the kind of bands that when you are talking metal with someone, and you drop the names and you get a blank stare, sweat forms on your back and you die a little. Like when a foodie finds…
15 Unfamous But Great Space Shuttle Photos
Even if it’s not today, at some point Atlantis will lift off and eventually finish the last of the space shuttle missions. There are plenty of famous, even iconic, NASA photographs of the program; we pulled some highlights of lesser-known ones. 15. Almost a rocket ship This makes the shuttle…
Openings & Closings: June 2011
This is a good time to live in Houston, folks. Never forget it. A week so filled with restaurant openings that it requires three pages (yes, I’m warning you in advance) to discuss should be proof enough of this fact. News that Table 7 closed up shop and a new…
100 Creatives: Chandos Dodson
What she does: Chandos Dodson is an interior designer who owns Chandos Interiors. She does both corporate and residential properties in a style best described as luxury with whimsy. Dodson says her work is a mutual process between designer and client. “I really try to take into account what my…
App of the Week: Five Things Google+ Will Need to Best Facebook
Google began allowing invites into its allegedly cool social network (simply named Google+) last week to fairly glowing reviews. The site aims to capitalize on the wildly popular Gmail e-mail platform and other integrated services already offered by Google including its cloud music service and Google docs. At the moment,…
Comment of the Day
Today Katharine Shilcutt posted about her review of the revamped Dragon Bowl — which has a new chef and a new direction — but commenter Gossamersixteen doesn’t feel like forgiving the place: Ha I had a $25 lunch one cold Saturday last winter; about the worst even poorest excuse for…
Biggest Loser, v 2.0 — Dallas Cowboys WR Roy Williams
I know when I unveiled the “Biggest Loser” feature several weeks ago, it was positioned as a way to broadly discuss nameless groups of people who engage in something stupid or deplorable. Mostly stupid. It was meant as a way to point out a general group of people doing one…
Comment of the Day: What a De-Lovely Thing to Say
As our name suggests, we at Art Attack tend to get pretty excited about anything involving art, music, museums, toe-tapping, jazz hands, full-frontal nudity, David Lynch and so on and so on and so on. So whenever one of our readers gets as excited as we do, it’s kind of…
Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble Announces Residency at New York Dance Lab
Houston’s Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble, a contemporary company that is known for incorporating musicians into its dance performances, will officially become the artist in residence for Shapeshifter Lab, a new multidisciplinary performance space in Brooklyn, New York at the end of July. Shapeshifter is led by musician Matt Garrison, who…
Trio Made $400K Lifting PINs from ATMs, Feds Say
Three men have been indicted for going to local ATMs and putting in overlay pads to intercept and store customers’ financial info, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says. Houstonians Jason Michael Lall, 38, John Pierre Griffin, 32, and John DaSilva Paz, 27, hid themselves from security cameras by blocking them with…
State Of The Scene Part 2: Welcome To Middle Finger City
Welcome back. Before we proceed with our “State of the Scene” discussion, Rocks Off would like to say a couple of things we didn’t get to in our print manifesto this week. The first concerns our former city of residence. Rocks Off may mention something or someone we heard or…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 77, Hot Italian Beef at BB’s Beef & Hot Dog
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Forrest Gump & Other “Generation-Defining” Soundtracks
The Forrest Gump soundtrack debuted on June 28, 1994, a week ahead of the film itself, which would go on to smash box-office records, win numerous awards and become one of the most beloved movies of the past 20 years. It is still endlessly quotable, emotional, and entertaining, and the…
Abortion Sonogram Hearing: Novel Arguments from Plaintffs, So Judge Wants More Briefs
Opponents trying to block the state’s new so-called sonogram bill may have a tougher road in Texas than they’ve had in other states. This morning’s hearing in Austin, before U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, did not produce an immediate temporary injunction, as opponents hoped. Instead, Sparks instructed both sides to…
Top Five Summer Drinks (Adults Only)
There are few things more enjoyable than an ice-cold beverage during the dog days of summer, except for maybe an ice-cold adult beverage enjoyed beach-side, poolside in the early evening. Although I often enjoy a simple beer on these occasions, I also have my favorite summer cocktails. Here are my…
A Boatload of Friends: “A Fleet for Abby” at Art League
A year ago, 16-year-old Abby Sunderland took to the high seas on a solo mission to be the youngest person to sail around the world. Some people applauded and some lambasted her parents for allowing such peril to come to a young girl. Houston artist Catherine Colangelo took a very…
CNN Won’t Answer Questions About Its Child-Sex Trafficking Crusade
CNN reporter Amber Lyon has made a crusade out of trumpeting the “fact” that “100,000 to 300,000” children are enslaved into sex trafficking each year. As our sister paper the Village Voice pointed out, in a piece we ran in the print edition, those numbers are almost certainly a gross…
Happy 90th Birthday to First Lady Fashionplate Nancy Reagan
I love a fashionable first lady, and so I can’t let the opportunity pass to wish Nancy Reagan a very happy 90th birthday. In spite of being first lady smack in the middle of one of the worst fashion decades of the 20th century, Mrs. Reagan moved through this era…
State Of The Scene Part 1: Growth, Splintering & Change
Thursday is the fourth anniversary of the Live Earth concerts, which Rocks Off remembers today less for any of the music – Madonna and Gogol Bordello is the only thing that readily comes to mind – than because they were on TV in the background while we began packing up…
Tasting Notes: This Week in Wine Blogs
Know a Houston-based blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Blue State Carpetbagger’s Red State Wine Blog: Good things come to those who wait. Tom “big house” Casagrande’s blog is always a great resource for great value in the wine market…
Cover Story: Houston’s First Co-op, Definitely Not a Commune
Forget everything you thought you knew about co-ops. Houston’s first has arrived, and it’s not what you think. Are you picturing a bunch of unwashed hippies prancing naked through a dirty, disintegrating house? You’re probably thinking of a commune, an anarchistic, lawless community of — essentially –squatters. Few Houstonians are…
Top 10 Opera Malfunctions: Spit, Too-Tight Tights and Choking
The Houston Grand Opera has issued an open call for supernumeraries – the people who stand in the background around the opera singers – and no experience is required. You get a little pay, free tickets to the opera and a chance to be on stage with opera greats. There…
Dropping Benjamins at Dragon Bowl
A few weeks ago, while perusing the new menu at the recently revamped Dragon Bowl, my dining companion and I noticed an anomaly at the casual Heights restaurant: There, amidst the $6 and $7 hand rolls with names like The Kennedy and Third Coast was a $100 hand roll called…
The Sour Notes Are Not Going To Save The World, It Seems
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 sheaserrano@gmail.com. The Sour Notes are a quirky, exciting, thoughtful…
The Best Worst Sylvester Stallone Movies Ever
Today is Sylvester Stallone’s 65th birthday, with the veteran action star sharing his day of birth with former President of the United States, George W. Bush. Most people know Stallone best for playing iconic roles such as Rocky Balboa and the crazed Vietnam vet John. J. Rambo. Younger folks will…
And Back Come the Red-Light Cameras, Starting…NOW!!
Mayor Annise Parker announced today that the city will go back to enforcing red-light camera tickets immediately. Voters had tossed out the cameras in a referendum, but the company that operates them said they had a contractual deal to make their dirty cash from people who ever so slightly go…
Duck Hunt at Revival Market
Revival Market gets a lot of hype for their cafe, but they first and foremost claim to be the “neighborhood butcher, grocer, and charcutier.” Every time I visit, I have not been able to drift past the market side, always spellbound by the small bounty of oddly shaped produce and,…
Norma Angelica Tapia, 42, Found Burning in Field, Bayou Body Count No. Found 97
The body of a black woman in her 20s was found burning in George Bush Park on the far west side early this morning, police say. Two people were driving by the park in the 16000 block of Westheimer about 1:15 a.m. and spotted a small fire. It turned out…
MFAH Gets Racy with Cole Porter
It reads like an except from Keith Richards’ autobiography. “The parties during these years were elaborate and fabulous, involving people of wealthy and political classes. His parties were marked by much gay and bisexual activity, Italian nobility, cross-dressing, international musicians, and a large surplus of recreational drugs. “But the quote…
Somniloquy: Songs About Talking In Your Sleep
Somniloquy is the clinical term for talking in your sleep. It’s certainly one of the most embarrassing medical condictions we can think of, besides cancer or something, because you are very much at the mercy of your own subconscious, that freaky little bastard in your head that makes you find…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Tommy Birdwell of TQLA
Houston native Tommy Birdwell, the co-owner/executive chef at TQLA, may hold the record for having worked at more restaurants than any other chef in Houston: 37, at last count. Then again, his career began at age ten. A graduate of Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Birdwell…
Comment of the Day: Messing With Willie Nelson
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Mehmood Ghaznavi, 52, Bayou Body Count No. 96
A northside jewelry-store owner was shot and killed in a robbery attempt last night, Houston police say. Mehmood Ghaznavi, 52, was in his store, Java Gold, in the 5500 block of Yale about 8:15 last night when one or more males entered the store and attempted to rob it. Ghaznavi…
Set Your DVR! Project Runway Season Nine Begins July 28th
In a few short weeks, we’ll be enjoying season nine of the Bravo-cum-Lifetime hit Project Runway, and I will be recapping all of the zany fun for you. I am, as always, far too excited about the show, but I simply cannot resist Tim Gunn … or Heidi Klum, or…
Crag Redhawk: Lamely Poses As Tribal Cop in Heart of Austin, Allegedly
One of the so-called Five Civilized Tribes, the Choctaw Indians once controlled most of what is now Mississippi. A remnant remained behind when Andrew Jackson removed the bulk of them to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. We bring you this little history lesson just to point out that the…
Racing Rachael: Hot Topic
I’m not really a fan of chicken pieces with nuts. *Insert inappropriate comment here, kids.* However, since my husband dog-eared this 30-minute recipe, I thought I’d give it a go. Is it a keeper? The food: Chipotle Cashew Chicken with Brown Rice and Glazed Spinach Salad. The chicken was sprinkled…
Doobie Brothers Say Farewell… For The First Time
The Doobie Brothers 1982 Farewell Tour, Live at the Greek Theatre Eagle Rock Entertainment, $14.98 As most classic-rock fans know, in hindsight, this title is a bit misleading. That’s because the band enjoyed a reunion tour five years later before reforming for good in 1987, playing Houston as recently as…
Ensemble Theatre Invited to Perform at National Black Theatre Festival
The Ensemble Theatre, the oldest and largest professional African American theater in the Southwest, has been invited to perform at the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on August 5 and 6. In addition, Ensemble Artistic Director Eileen J. Morris will be honored at a black-tie gala on…
Temptations Musical Heralds End Of The World
Mason Lankford said, “There will come a day when we forget the Rapture ever even happened,” but Rocks Off is keeping an eye out for signs of our impending Armageddon. We were wrong last time, but we’re totally right this time! The Temptations have been in the music business for…
Monthly Cebiche Specials at Latin Bites Cafe
Latin Bites Cafe is one of my favorite restaurants in the city, but I don’t get there as often as I’d like, so last week, when Chef Roberto Castre posted on his Facebook page that he had created a new cebiche menu – to be served for one week only…
David Aric Ladewig: Child Porn-Laden Laptop Doesn’t Make It Through Customs at Bush
David Aric Ladewig is an American citizen who lives and works in Cancun. On a return trip to the states, he brought along his laptop and an external hard drive. Which probably wasn’t the brightest of ideas, because they were loaded with more than 1,500 images and videos of child…
Houston in Love: Shakespeare’s Best on Screen
For more than 35 years, the University of Houston has taken on the Bard in Houston’s own version of Shakespeare in the Park. This year’s Houston Shakespeare Festival will bring to life two of the playwright’s most famous works, “Othello” and “The Taming of the Shrew.” HSF productions are always…
Since When Is It Okay for Minute Maid Park to Be Fenway Park South?
Back in the day, even celebrities like Janine Turner couldn’t be shown at Astros games if they were pulling for the opposing team.I started working with the Astrodome DiamondVision crew on opening day of the 1988 season. And I worked on that video crew, either at the Dome or at…
Top 5 Musician Novelists
Despite what our paychecks and sometimes even our diplomas say, the perception persists that music journalists are not “real” journalists. Similarly, no matter how literate their lyrics, some folks think musicians could not possibly put pen to paper and compose prize-worthy fiction. Happily, things might be changing on both counts…
Shuttle Atlantis: Its Ten Weirdest Mission Patches
In May, as it prepared to take off, we offered a list of the five coolest mission patches of the shuttle Endeavour. We wish we could do the same for the Atlantis, scheduled tentatively to go up on the last shuttle mission Friday, but it appears the ship did not…
Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Food in Houston: Important news first: Anonymous Eater is back! Sort of…
Roger Clemens’s Attempt to Convince Us Brian McNamee Is Satan Starts Today
“If Mr. McNamee’s mouth is moving, he’s making an inconsistent statement,” Roger Clemens’s attorney Rusty Hardin during a recent hearing The doldrums of summer sports boredom should get a nice little B-12 shot (pun absolutely intended) over the next several weeks as the Roger Clemens trial kicks off. If you’ve…
Comments of the Day
Today Joanna O’Leary struck a nerve with her Top Five Dining Companions to Avoid. Several commenters had additions to the list, like TQro here: What about eating with the skinny bitch? I guess she’d fall in the Malcontent category. Always having an issue with not being able to order something…
Comment of the Day: Farewell, Cy Twombly
Over the past couple of hours, we have been touched by many of the tributes posted on Twitter to American artist Cy Twombly, who died earlier today in Rome. So instead of doing our self-gratification exercise, we figured we’d post the moving/funny/interesting things that have blipped their way onto the…
UH’s Case Keenum Named to Maxwell Award Watch List
UH’s Case Keenum, once a leading candidate for a Heisman Award, has been named for the watch list of the Maxwell Award, given annually to college football’s best offensive player. We profiled Keenum in the spring as he began a comeback from the injury that ended his Heisman-hopes season last…
Cy Twombly, Artist With Huge Houston Connection, Reported Dead
Cy Twombly, the American artist for whom the Menil Collection’s Cy Twombly Gallery is named, has died in Rome, according to the Associated Press. He was 83 years old. Twombly’s art, according to the Menil Collection website, “evaded precise affiliation with the predominant movements of the twentieth century, including Abstract…
Houston Press Music Awards Moved To November (Probably)
Recently Rocks Off has been getting phone calls, emails and even one early-morning text message from someone who apparently has our private number (but we don’t have theirs) wondering whatever happened to the Houston Press Music Awards. Yes, they are still happening. But we here Rocks Off and the Houston…
Willie Nelson Will Not Get Off Easy for World’s Most Overblown Weed Arrest
Discovering weed anywhere near Willie Nelson shouldn’t count as a surprise, so his November 2010 arrest for possession in West Texas didn’t figure to become a national circus. But it has, especially when word first somehow spread that his sentence would be to sing “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 78, Melon and Texas Feta Salad at Beaver’s
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Walter Gropius: 10 Awesome Buildings
When we think of 20th-century architects, Walter Gropius is probably not that high on our list of names. But without Gropius, we probably couldn’t also name great 20th-century artists like Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and Käthe Kollwitz. Gropius, who died 42 years ago today, founded the academy that housed the…
Mr. 16 Addresses I’m Gay, Amber Rose & More
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask…
Aeros Star in New TV Series (Up North)
The NHL’s Minnesota Wild is the subject of a Hard Knocks-type show on its minor-league system, and that means the Houston Aeros will be front and center. Becoming Wild will include episodes on the Aeros’ Calder Cup run and coach Mike Yeo, who went from heading the Aeros to the…
Top 5 Circus Controversies: Rethink Running Away with the Circus
Beginning Thursday, Reliant Stadium will transform into a three-ringed, big-topped extravaganza. Depending on whom you speak with, this may be a good or bad thing. There is a lot to enjoy from the circus: Trapeze artists, the high wire, popcorn, glow-sticks, clowns (debatable on this one) and much more. Over…
Brew Blog: Schneider & Sohn Aventinus (Eisbock)
Back in March, I very nearly created an international incident over this very beer. It was all an accident, merely a case of mistaken identity. You see, I’ve been a fan of Schneider and Sohn Aventinus for a long time, favoring it as a delicious “dessert beer.” All the while,…
Willie Nelson Not Off The Hook For 2010 Pot Bust After All
Whether or not you believe Willie Nelson mailed in his most recent Houston-area performance at Verizon in April, one thing is sure: The singer and Texas icon won’t be mailing in the fine and court costs stemming from his November 2010 pot bust in West Texas, where six ounces of…
Texas Mandatory-Sonogram Bill: Court Challenge Ramps Up Tomorrow
The legal challenge to the new bill that forces women who are seeking an abortion to get a sonogram begins for real tomorrow, with a hearing on a temporary injunction barring enforcement of the law until it is all hashed out in court. A federal court in Austin will hear…
Today’s DVDs: 13 Assassins, Of Gods and Men and The Frankenstein Syndrome
13 Assassins stars Koji Yakusho and Yusuke Iseya, Takashi Miike directs. The Set-up: A remake of the 1963 film by Eiichi Kudo, 13 Assassins follows the same storyline as Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samuri/John Sturges’s The Magnificent Seven and a host of similar films. That is, a small group of righteous…
Wine of the Week: Real Lambrusco from the Land of Bologna
In Emilia-Romagna (Italy), the land of real Lambrusco, good eating isn’t just a way of life… It isn’t just a religion… It is a sine qua non, a that without which life simply could not exist. When you live in Emilia-Romagna, Italy’s richest region, where there is a higher number…
Out Today: New West Strikes Gold On Robert Ellis, Old 97’s Discs
It’s a light batch this week as far as new releases go, with the Independence Day holiday cutting into the label’s schedules. As it stands now, Rocks Off is holding a jug of coffee in our hands to try to wake up from the food and chill-time coma we embarked…
Upcoming: CSS, Dark Dark Dark, The Judds, Etc.
Against All Will: Fri., Aug. 12. Warehouse Live. Andrew Karnavas, Clory Martin: Sat., July 23. Khon’s. CSS: Sat., Oct. 29. House of Blues. Dark Dark Dark: Mon., Oct. 10. Warehouse Live. Devildriver, Skeletonwitch: Sat., Sept. 3. Scout Bar Clear Lake. DJ Sasha Grey: Fri., July 29. Stereo Live. Pepper: Sat.,…
Tuesday July 5, 2011 Deals of the Day
We hope everyone had a great July 4th weekend! Keep the party rolling with a huge selection of great deals today. First up: today’s VOICE Daily Deal from the Houston Press! Our Voice Daily Deal is good for 50 percent off ($15 for $30) “light bites” at Fox Hollow Gastro…
Jon Buice: Man Involved in Paul Broussard Anti-Gay Murder Is Free
Jon Buice, who was sent to prison for his role in the 1991 attack outside a Montrose gay bar that left Paul Broussard dead, has finally won his long, contentious battle for parole. KHOU reports that Buice won a decision from the parole board today that will lead to his…
Get Ready to Be Judged: Chefing Shows Come to Texas
The big food TV news from over the weekend came from San Antonio (of all places), where it was revealed that Top Chef is currently filming. The news broke when a local blogger spotted Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio in a San Antonio bar, then promptly got into a fight…
Houston Rap, In The Most Graphic Possible Terms
Here at Rocks Off, we have some very talented writers who think so far outside the box it’s more like a Palma Square lidded wicker basket from Crate & Barrel. One of these is Shea Serrano, whose unorthodox interviewing style has caused many an Artist of the Week designee to…
Jolanda Jones Fires Back: A Grievance Against the City Attorney, and Big Blasts From Her Spokesperson (UPDATED)
Houston City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones, the subject of a city inspector general investigation, has filed a Texas State Bar grievance against City Attorney David Feldman. Jones’s spokeswoman, Kelly Cripe, would not provide a copy of the grievance, but she said the complaint relates to how Feldman has handled the investigative…
Watch This: Flashmob Does the Twist For Hairspray the Musical
Last Thursday, members of the Country Playhouse gathered at the plaza in City Centre on Houston’s west side to perform a number from the theater’s next play, the Broadway musical Hairspray. We also managed to get a few shots from the short performance from the company at Houston’s oldest community…
Chefing Shows Come to Texas
The big food TV news from over the weekend came from San Antonio (of all places), where it was revealed that Top Chef is currently filming. The news broke when a local blogger spotted Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio in a San Antonio bar, then promptly got into a fight…
Watch This Texas Power Plant Implode
The power plant owned by Luminant Energy Company in Frisco is almost 50 years old and is pretty inefficient when it comes to production, so it’s been retired. This past weekend it got its big sendoff, imploding to the ground in an impressive tilt-and-crash “timberrrr!!” way. The plant is in…
The Michael Bay Movie Generator: 5 Easy Steps to Mega-Box Office Success
Some controversy, if you want to call it that, popped up this weekend over Michael Bay’s apparent use of old footage from The Island in his latest release, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which grossed a staggering $400 million over the July 4 weekend. We can infer two things from…
Pop Rocks: Make Your Own Michael Bay Movie
Some controversy, if you want to call it that, popped up this weekend over Michael Bay’s apparent use of old footage from The Island in his latest release, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which grossed a staggering $400 million over the July 4th weekend. We can infer two things from…
Booze: The Southside Mystery
The Southside cocktail is a quintessential, yet underrated hot weather cooler. It’s a refreshingly light mix of gin, mint, lemon or lime, and sweetness, perfect for a summer’s evening. The only uncertainty is its birthplace. The most popular claim is that the drink originated in Chicago, during Prohibition, where leaders…
Noise Complaint Muffles Mango’s July 4 Blast
“I Want You To Party” Mango’s July 4, 2011 Mango’s could have been drastically more packed for its 24-band Fourth of July “I Want You To Party” extravaganza if not for the meddling neighbors and the red and blue. We arrived at 2:30 p.m. and watched the crowd straggle in…
That is Rock and Roll: Smokey Joe’s Cafe Kicks Up a Storm
The set up: Smokey Joe’s Cafe is a quasi-romantic, nostalgic tour of some of the classics of songwriters Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. It has no plot or theme, but instead generates the flavor and feel of returning to visit a favorite bar of one’s youth – except that the…
Mayor Annise Parker Shuts Down The Party
Not even midnight? Party on, mayor…
Comment of the Day: Your City Bureaucracy at Work
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Last Night: Taking Back Sunday At House Of Blues
Taking Back Sunday House of Blues July 4, 2011 As we walked into House of Blues Monday night, Aftermath thought to ourselves, “Is this the best way to celebrate our country’s independence?” It was a fair question, we thought, because it had crossed our minds that we should have been…
Ingredient of the Week: Hot Dog Buns
I know what you’re thinking: all that smoke from Fourth of July grilling has gone to my head, and now I’m grabbing the first thing I see in the barbecue aftermath and pretending it’s worthy of an “Ingredient of the Week” post. But hear me out before you judge. At…
Ogle Some Hardbodies at Domy Books
Saturday night, Art Attack swung by Domy Books for the opening of their newest exhibition, Hardbodies, where we got an eyefull of a new age of comic art. Hardbodies features the work of four comic/cartoon artists, Benjamin Marra, Zack Soto, Keenan Marshall Keller and Nathan Fox. Domy’s creative director and…
Top Five Dining Companions to Avoid
Even though I enjoy eating alone, I regard dining out with a friend to be one of life’s supreme pleasures. But sometimes your “friend” reveals him or herself to be a less-than-ideal consumption companion. These defective diners in disguise might be otherwise normal people but in a restaurant setting prove…
Which Goth Heroes Deserve Their Own Action Figures?
Gothtopia has been spending some time working a few shifts at Houston’s most excellent new comic shop, 8th Dimension Comics. Mostly it’s a way to fund our crippling Magic: The Gathering addiction. As we basked in the glory of geekdom and capitalism on a recent shift, we noticed that the…
Rashad Minix, 20, Bayou Body Count No. 95
An alleged drive-by shooting near the Texas Southern University campus early Sunday morning left one person dead. Rashad Minix, 20, was killed in the incident in the 3400 block of Rosedale about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Houston police say. Another man injured in the shooting was expected to survive. Minix had…
Joey Chestnut’s Stomach Is an American Hero
It’s funny, about 25 years ago, right in the middle of my teenage years, I remember being figuratively beat over the head with constant reminders of “world hunger.” If it wasn’t the Band Aid video from a bunch of Euro artists making us feel bad about celebrating Christmas while people…
What Is The Best Boxing-Match Entrance Music?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn’t a national holiday, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Bun B, Paul Wall, One Hunnidt, Mac, O.N.E., Brad Gilmore, Renzo, JD, Preemo, Authentic Snoopy and more Not…
Ira Jones, 33, Bayou Body Count No. 94
A man whose girlfriend threw scalding water on him during an argument has died from the injuries, police say. Ira Jones, 33, was arguing with his 17-year-old girlfriend Keira Jones June 18 in the home they shared in the 1000 block of East 32nd on the north side when she…
100 Creatives: Kim Hartz
What she does: Kim Hartz owns Kim Hartz Photography near Rice Village, where she specializes in taking photos of dogs and infants. Her work has been featured in the magazine Life and Dog and three of her photos were recently accepted into the general and loan collection of Professional Photographers…
Where Are We Drinking?
This one should be a no-brainer: Where else in town can you find a Montrose coffee blend than this hot spot? Think you know where we’re buying our beans this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
The 11 Sexiest, Coolest-Looking Cold War Jets
Jet aircraft, particularly the fighters, represent a Freudian’s play date. Long, slender, blisteringly fast, spewing bullets out the tip and, until recently, powered as much by testosterone as by kerosene (the main ingredient in jet fuel — what a disappointment). Of course, now that women fly them, and fly them…
Comment of the Day: Fire at an Adult Bookstore
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 79, Goat Pepper Soup at Peppersoup Cafe
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
The Week in TV: Bye-Bye Beckie
It’s July 4th — what are you doing reading this? You should be blowing things up to celebrate your freedom. This was the week in TV Land: • Fire up the Boyz II Men and get ready for one last dance: Glenn Beck has ended his Fox News show two…
Wells Fargo Hit for Funding Allegedly Badly Run Private Texas Prison
Wells Fargo just can’t win: All the bank wants to do is make good on its underwriting of a private prison company with a history of inmate deaths, sexual abuse and record-tampering, and now a group called Texas United for Families wants the bank to pull out. Specifically, TUF isn’t…
True Blood: Jinx Titanic & Super 8 Cum Shot for Dinner
Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He’s lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood – which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. The title of this week’s…
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Corn on the cob was a favorite, until the Germans came. Before them, summertime guests relished the crisp Indiana sweet corn, fresh from the field, hot and buttered. But our Teutonic cousins refused the golden ears, and were giggling like brats at the end of the long table, while the…
Chanin Christine Lindgren: Asks Cops to Aid Cover-Up of Felony Assault
According to a police report summarized in the Bryan-College Station Eagle, Chanin Christine Lindgren was not happy when her on-and-off boyfriend refused to give her the cash she needed for a fix. Deploying faultless junky logic, the 38-year-old then allegedly beat him up, first with her fists. When that didn’t…
Falling Skies: “Grace”
“Grace” may have been the weakest episode of Falling Skies to date, and that’s almost entirely due to a small number of scenes. The first were those in which normally (mostly) rational characters go temporarily insane (see also Mike going after Rick), because that’s the only way the writers have…
1986: Best Musical Year Ever?
For almost two weeks now, Rocks Off has been obsessed with the year exactly 25 flips of the calendar backward from this one. It started when Steve Earle did one of his “Time Machine” shows, where the singer-songwriter who plays House of Blues Wednesday spotlights a dozen or so of…
A Very Special Fourth of July Meme of the Week
Strike up the band, beat the tattoo, unfurl the flag and light some illegal fireworks: It’s the Fourth of July, the day on which we celebrate our separation from Britain. For a lot of us, this means grilling up some dogs and burgers, playing frisbee and drinking hella beer. Here…
Say Yes to Protein at Samba Grille
I was recently invited to a media tasting at Samba Grille to sample its South American steakhouse cuisine. I wasn’t sure how I would fare — I’m more of a seafood gal than a meat-eater–but between the exquisite food and the entertaining, informative commentary of owner Nathan Ketchum, I was…
East Texas Bank Robbery: Elaborate Master Plan Thwarted Because, Well, the Bank Was Closed
The three-man, one-woman robbery crew certainly dressed the part. Each of them went to the bank in Alto, Texas, Wednesday afternoon dressed head-to-toe in long-sleeved black attire. What’s more, they were adequately tooled-up. At least two pistols were brought along, according to police, along with a black bag to put…
Peter Murphy Talks Octopi and Roses As New Album Debuts
One of 2011’s high points for Rocks Off has been the opportunity to get close to the legendary Godfather of Goth himself, Peter Murphy, as he prepared for the release of his new studio album Ninth. Murphy’s performance at Numbers earlier this year was an amazing journey into the process…
Can You Spot the Real Meat?
What’s more patriotic for a red-blooded American to do on the Fourth of July than eat meat? Grill it, barbecue it, broil it, fry it, tie it to the end of a bottle rocket and shoot it in to the sky (don’t really do that last one): Meat is glorious!…
Art Review: “Mitch Dobrowner: New Work”
If you’ve ever felt the eerie calm before a funnel cloud ravages a row of houses just a block away, or braced yourself while the offshore hurricane creeps toward landfall, you’ll appreciate the new batch of spectacular photographs by Mitch Dobrowner currently on display at John Cleary Gallery. Dobrowner’s hero…
Just Stop with the Astros to AL Talk Already
Just say no to douchebag Red Sox fans.My twitter feed over the weekend was full up of tweets from people talking about how electric Minute Maid Park was, and about how packed it was with people just dying to see the Boston Red Sox play the Astros. And most of…
Fast Times: Chik-Fil-A Chicken Breakfast Burrito
When my parents made their first trek to Houston after we relocated, they had a long list of things they wanted to do — that is, my mother had a long list of things. My father’s list contained one item: go to Chik-Fil-A. “I’ve seen their ads for years during…
True Blood: Jinx Titanic & Super 8 Cum Shot for Dinner
Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He’s lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood – which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. The title of this week’s…
Bartender Chat: Aaron Lara of Haven
Aaron Lara, bartender at Haven, is a self-proclaimed cocktail nerd. Although he got into bartending unexpectedly (he was applying for a valet position during college, but was asked to try has hand at bartending), it has become a passion. “I’m absolutely and unconditionally devoted to making drinks. I love it,”…
10 Other Reasons to Celebrate the Fourth of July
Traditionally, we celebrate the Fourth of July in honor of the foundation of this country. But the signing of the Declaration of Independence wasn’t the only awesome thing that happened on this day. Break out the fireworks, beer and red meat, because here are 10 other reasons to celebrate the…
It’s Freaking Hot: Five Alternative Indoor Activities for Beating the Heat
It is hot…really hot. It was the hottest June on record in our fair and miserable city, so everyone is looking for ways to cool off. There is the beach or the swimming pool, but you risk sunburn, swimmer’s ear and skin cancer and nobody wants that. You could go…
Saturday Night: Maná At Toyota Center
Maná Toyota Center July 2, 2011 It takes a special combination of hype and talent to sell out a concert, let alone two in a row. In recent memory, only two other artists have been booked to perform on consecutive nights at Toyota Center: Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. Mexican…
Bodard Bistro’s Special Recipe Spring Rolls
If you ask me where to go for Vietnamese food, my response will usually be: “What are you in the mood for?” Depending on whether you want rice, vermicelli, pho, banh mi, family style meals, etc., my answer would be different because most Vietnamese restaurants usually only excel at one…
Stars & Stripes Forever: 10 Musicians Wearing Old Glory
This ain’t no rag, Charlie Daniels pointed out not too long ago. It’s a flag. Fashion blog Thrifted thinks Old Glory is also one of the summer’s hottest trends, so here are 10 musicians putting their patriotism front and center. Happy Fourth of July, everybody…
Alley’s And Then There Were None, A Perfect Yarn Spun
The set-up: A remote island. One lonely house. Ten guests who’ve never met their host. And a creepy nursery rhyme called “Ten Little Soldiers,” which tells how each one gets bumped off. When the guests start dying, the plot thickens like clotted cream, because the murderer must be among them…
Top Four Patriotic Sex Positions
Recently, Houston’s patriotism has been questioned by Stephen Colbert, who took us to task for our fireworks ban, and Men’s Health magazine, who ranked us the 89th most patriotic city. Houston was beat by Austin (21), Dallas (60) and San Antonio (78). Well! We can’t stand for that. We’re unable…
Where Are We Eating?
If there’s one thing we love to eat by the boatload in the hot summer months, it’s sushi. And we especially love the sushi — or chirashi, in this case — at this hidden gem in southwest Houston. Think you know where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess…
Top 5 Worst Fireworks Foul-Ups: A Video Collection
Jackasses. That’s the best way to sum up these best-worst fireworks extravaganzas. Again, like in past lists that are centered around idiocy, incidences where folks were killed and/or little kids were burned were not included in the American-centric nonsense. By the way, King Moron of Fourth of July 2011, please…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 80, Pita Bread and Hummus at Phoenicia
Video of Phoenicia’s pita being made by Chuck Cook. This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 81, Pandan Waffles at Parisian Bakery III
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Rocks Off Smokes On Fourth Of July
After you fire up the grill Monday, fire up the computer and head our way for some leisurely Fourth of July reading. We’ll have our weekly True Blood recap, a review of Saturday night’s Mana show at Toyota Center, a look at one of our favorite musical years ever (we…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we’re going to launch a class-action lawsuit against Diet Dr Pepper for not tasting more like real Dr Pepper. We’ll probably be defeated in court by the Dr Pepper lawyers pointing out that the slogan never says what,…
Fly, Little Turtle! Fly to Freedom! (Or at Least Dive)
Look at that green sea turtle — dude is flapping his flippers with joy as he’s released out of rehab and sent back to his (or her) warm, inviting Gulf of Mexico home. The turtle was one of three released today in South Padre by the Texas Parks & Wildlife…
Comment of the Day: High School Reunions
Yesterday, Craig Hlavaty gave you his picks for the best high school reunion movies ever. Of course, one stands out among the rest: Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. Maybe it’s the infamous Post-It Note claim, maybe it’s the fact that we occasionally end conversations with “Have a Romy and…
Comment of the Day
Today Mai Pham wrote about an awesome meal she had at Azuma Kirby, which included Live Lobster Sashimi. Commenter Laurie didn’t see why the dish was prepared this way: I enjoy sushi on a regular basis, but I am under the assumption that the raw fish I am eating is…
Union Pacific Is Very Sorry for Blocking Major Galleria-Area Roads for 7 Hours Today
Galleria area drivers had a nasty morning today because a Union Pacific train was dropped dead in its tracks blocking Richmond and West Alabama for almost seven hours. Union Pacific spokesperson Raquel Espinoza tells Hair Balls the train’s crew had reached the end of their 12-hour shift, and federal law…
Wilfred: “Trust”
I suppose one complaint to make about “Trust,” the second episode of FX’s summer series Wilfred, is that it doesn’t do much to advance the plot. Then again, when your plot involved a quasi-suicidal young man who visualizes his neighbor’s dog as an Australian dude in a fursuit, how much…
As Drought Causes Foundation Problems, Good Luck Getting Help
Now that we’re nine months into the drought, we called a foundation company to see if someone could diagnose whether the ghastly cracks our ceiling had sprouted recently needed official repair. Vanessa Hutcherson at Olshan (the renowned foundation repair company in H-town) said there have been many such calls. Plus,…
Even While Accepting Help on Wildfires, Rick Perry Blasts Obama
President Obama today signed an order declaring 45 Texas counties to be disaster areas because of wildfires, and even while saying the action was “good for Texas,” Governor Rick Perry couldn’t resist criticizing Obama. “President Obama’s decision to finally approve a portion of our disaster designation request is good for…
Songs About Fireworks (Since They Are Banned)
If you are reading this in Texas, you no doubt know that this year, with the drought the state is experiencing, fireworks are pretty much a no-no for regular folks, with only fire officials being able to handle them, and only for public displays. Sadly, us normal people will not…
Sherell Baldwin: Killer of Beaten, Burned Pregnant Model Confesses and Has Very Strange Tale to Tell
Houston police have filed murder charges in the case of the aspiring model whose body was found beaten and burned last month, and according to one story he’s got quite an explanation for what happened. Alexander Adam Jackson, 24, was arrested yesterday and confessed to the killing of the 24-year-old…
Undergravity’s Feel-Good Summer Hit & Other DIY Rap News
3-2-1 for the week in Houston rap: #SouthsideSummertime It seems fair to say that, considering the video now, Undergravity’s “Southside Summertime” is the best Houston summer song since Mike Jones’ “Still Tippin'” in 2004. It is an absolutely overachieving accomplishment by the duo and guest Dante Higgins. It has the…
Jimmy Mitlo: Incredibly Successful Machine Repairman Gets Two Years. Owes IRS $550,000
Jimmy Mitlo is one industrious guy, but he’s going to have a lot of time on his hands pretty soon. He’ll be in a federal prison, perhaps contemplating how he’s going to come up with the $550,000 he needs to reimburse the IRS for unpaid taxes. Mitlo “made substantial amounts…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 82, Haemul Dolsot at Seoul House
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
CMJ Spotlight Shines On Houston Rapper Nosaprise
Here’s a cool bit of news for your holiday enjoyment. Today CMJ singles out Houston rapper Nosaprise in its “Sonicbids Spotlight” segment, and takes the first steps toward discovering there’s a lot more to Space City hip-hop these days than just chopped and screwed. “His rhymes are reminiscent of early…
Celebrate the Fourth in Style at Khon’s Firecracker Hats Show
Those who fear that their Fourth of July plans will be ruined this year thanks to the burn bans popping up all over Houston needn’t worry. The Firecracker Hat Art Show, being held next week at Khon’s Wine Bar in downtown Houston, is sure to be a quirky alternative. The…
The Wrong Ones Are Just Right On Deceiver
The end of the world has been on people’s minds lately, what with the Mayans apparently penciling in the apocalypse next year and the Rapture rain-checked for October of this ‘un. That preoccupation with the end of the world is why we skipped straight to ‘Doomsday Transmission” on the Wrongs…
Robert Keith Logan: Bible-Toting, Cadillac-Driving East Texas Meth Dealer (Allegedly)
Robert Keith Logan was one of the more unusual suspects the Titus County drug cops had ever snared in one of their Northeast Texas buy-busts. “Sometimes people don’t look the way you think they would look if they’re selling dope,” Titus County Sheriff Tim Ingram told the Mount Pleasant Daily…
Our Favorite 4th of July Movies
While we agree that the best place to spend on the 4th is outside, preferably near a body of water, preferably with a picnic table full of watermelon and some kind of meat, and preferably with some side-of-the-road-bought fireworks, we also realize this isn’t always reality. Weather’s a big factor…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Anthony Davis of Reggae Hut
Whenever a new guest comes to Reggae Hut, Davis offers samplings of some of his most popular dishes: oxtails (bottom), jerk chicken (top left), and curry goat. The goat, good enough to make anyone a believer, is coated in a mild green curry. The thick, stew-like curry is delicious enough…
Live Lobster Sashimi and New Menu Items Wow at Azuma Kirby
It’s been at least ten years since I’ve been to Azuma Kirby for anything, let alone sushi. Located in the upscale strip mall that also houses Crave Cupcakes, Azuma Kirby has not been my go-to destination for sushi or Japanese for longer than I can remember. The owners, who also…
Canada Day: Top 10 Artists From Way Up Yonder
Hello? Is this thing on? Rocks Off has a feeling that a lot of folks are nowhere near their computers today. Must be some sort of holiday. It is, actually. Today, not Monday. It’s Canada Day, or as it’s known in the U.S., “What Is Princess Kate Wearing?” Day. (Also,…
Montrose’s Creepiest Adult Bookstore Burns Down, Man Killed
For years, the Talk of the Town adult bookstore on Richmond just west of Montrose has been a creepy oddity — from the outside, it looked like a shabby, about-to-fall-down barn, its fading red paint, lack of windows and seeming claustrophobic conditions inside adding to the non-allure. Few adult bookstores…
Morbid Curiosity: A Final Farewell to Those Who Died in June 2011
This June we lost The Big Man, a big man on the court, men who delivered people both to and from death, men who portrayed daredevils, men who worked and played with words, and many more. Once again, Art Attack provides a gaze through our crystal ball, providing a glimpse…
Upcoming Events
Starting today, Molina’s Cantina is hosting a month-long celebration in honor of its 70th anniversary. In fact, Mayor Parker proclaimed today “Molina’s Cantina Day” to mark the occasion, something which Molina’s is celebrating with food and drink specials all day long. The restaurant has also introduced a new margarita to…
Company Brings in Guy in a Gorilla Suit to Celebrate Juneteenth, Lawsuit Claims
Here in post-racial America, where having a black president gives Americans a carte blanche to throw political and humane correctness to the wind, race is something to be joked about at all times. It’s Juneteenth, the day reserved to celebrate the end of slavery? You’re conducting a meeting with primarily…
June 25 to July 1: The Week in Art Photos
It’s time again to check out the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. We love street art, unique perspectives and beautiful photos of Houston’s creative community. If you think you’ve got a good eye, drop your pictures in the pool…
Full Collapse: The Best Pop-Punk & Emo Albums Of 2002
Monday, Taking Back Sunday will be at House of Blues with Thursday, making that evening an orgasm of 2002 nostalgia for a few hundred older indie folks here in Houston who were weaned on TBS’ Tell All Your Friends and Thursday’s Full Collapse. We were a part of the latter…
Six Destinations for Patriotic Puppy Clothing
I’ve already got my outfit for July 4th all picked out–this cute, military-inspired dress from Shabby Apple. Patriotic outfits for people are easy to find, but shopping for myself got me wondering about my dog–what about Sandy? When I started my Google search for patriotic pet duds, I thought I…
Happy Hour Scene: AvantGarden
The Place: AvantGarden 411 Westheimer 832-519-1429 The Deals: $2 Lone Star and Shiner Draft, $3 well drinks, $4 bull blasters, $5 sangria The Hours: 4 to 8 p.m. weekdays The Scene: A patio near a bus stop off Westheimer in late June sounds like some kind of sticky diesel hell,…
Sarah Palin Sneak Preview: The Agony of The Undefeated
There was an advance screening last night of The Undefeated, the new film by Stephen K. Bannon that traces the rise of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin from her early years as mayor of Wasilla to John McCain’s 2008 Vice-Presidential candidate to her new status as Tea Party darling. The…
The Truhearts: Singer-Songwriters, Bass Fishing Enthusiasts
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 sheaserrano@gmail.com. This week, the perfectly polite and thoroughly talented…
So You Think You Can Dance: Sweet 16 Results
It appears that I owe Lil C an apology. In Thursday’s performance recap, I wrote that he had made up a word to describe one of the dancer’s performances. It sounded like a cross between “malevolent” and “fluorescence,” neither of which really described any of the dances, and given Lil…
Comment of the Day: The Death of News Radio in Houston
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Sweet Independence: Patriotic Desserts for Your July 4th Bash
They can take away our fireworks, but they can’t take away our patriotic desserts. I scoured the Interwebs for a few sweet, flag-themed treats to add a spark to your dessert table this weekend. Stock up early on the basics, like red and white fruit: strawberries, blueberries, watermelon, raspberries. I’m…
Saluting C.M. Punk With Five Awesome Wrestling Promos (w/ Video)
If you’re plugged into social media, the new litmus test for the relevancy of a show, a sporting event, a singular occurrence is “Did Twitter react?” And if they did react, how heavily did the reaction clog your Twitter feed. I am a fan of professional wrestling. I’ve been on…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Larry Crowne
Title: Larry Crowne This Is A Romantic Comedy? If you’re not too hung up on the definition of “comedy,” sure. Ew. Isn’t Tom Hanks A Lot Older Than Julia Roberts? 11 years. Which in Hollywood means they might as well be twins. Rating Using Random Object Relevant To The Film:…
Houston Web Awards: The Best Tweets From Last Night’s Ceremony (Updated with Video!)
Check out all our pics from last night’s inaugural Houston Web Awards. Bun B was a busy man last night. If you check the Houston Twitterverse’s timelime from about 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., you’ll probably see dozens of pictures of him posing with Houston’s best and brightest in social…
Odd Pair: Chicken Tacos and a White Wine from Santorini, Greece
This week found me in Greece, where I had a chance to taste at one of my favorite European wineries, Sigalas (pronounced see-GAH-lahs) on the island of Santorini. A number of grapes are grown on the island, mostly white, as well as a few reds. But the variety that dominates…
We Can’t Be Stopped: Best Houston Album Ever Turns 20 Years Old
Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of the Geto Boys’ We Can’t Be Stopped. It is the most important Houston album of all time. Everyone understands this reflexively, even if they don’t understand why they understand that. It has likely been written about more than any other piece…
The Best Pamela Anderson Magazine Covers Ever
Yeah yeah, you aren’t even going to read this collection of words that I am typing right now because if you are like me, you were captivated by Pamela Anderson for the duration of the ’90s before you discovered hardcore pornography and real, interactive relationships not involving magazines and VHS…
June 25 — July 1: The Week in Photos
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. How will your family celebrate Independence Day? Grilling, hanging out by the beach or watching the fireworks — we want to see your most patriotic shots. Just drop…
Four Gung-Ho Patriotic Tunes That Are Actually British
Monday, July 4th, you’ll celebrate Independence Day. We say you’ll celebrate it because we will have already done our celebrating on the proper day… July 2. That’s the day the Continental Congress voted to tell King George III to kiss their grits. It’s true that the Declaration of Independence is…
Maxim Hometown Hottie Contestant Sandy Garza Answers the Evolution-in-Schools Question (and Four Others)
If there is an honor or award more important and respected than being named a Maxim Hometown Hottie, we don’t know what it is. The Nobel Prize rarely involves bikinis. The MacArthur “genius grant” pays scant attention to looks. Houston has a candidate in this year’s contest — of course…
Openings & Closings: Familiar Faces Edition
Some familiar faces will soon be popping up around town, from the Heights to Montrose and back again, starting with the news that Olivier Ciesielski — the former executive chef at Tony’s — will be opening his very own place in Montrose, right down the street from the now-closed Caffe…
100 Creatives: Katy Heinlein
What she does: “What am I looking at?” is a response Houston-based artist Katy Heinlein is used to hearing about her fabric art sculptures and installations. Heinlein employs a whimsical yet haute couture fashion approach to her artwork, comprised of complex shapes, simple lines and bright, bold colors. Her cleverly-named…
Seven Idiotic Ways Not to Use Fireworks This 4th of July (With Video Evidence)
Everyone likes to burn stuff and watch it explode, right? Okay, well, some people do, which is why fireworks are so popular. They combine the fun of burning things with the excitement of blowing things up. It’s like peanut butter and chocolate. This Fourth of July, there are lots of…
Comment of the Day: C’MON!
We love Arrested Development, and any time a commenter is able to make a reference to George Michael, Annyong or Lucilles 1 or 2, he or she will get our attention at some point. So we got a special treat a day after we posted our list of our favorite…
Comment of the Day
Today Katharine Shilcutt wrote about what to eat when it is too damn hot outside to cook, and commenter 1311 shared an idea: Good list. But don’t forget the ceviche. Had some trout in the freezer from a Rockport fishing trip — two hours in lime juice, tomatoes, onions, etc…
This Dude Fast-Talked $424 Out of an Elderly Woman: Feel Proud, Smart Guy
Police are looking for the man pictured here, who they say talked a Bellaire woman out of $424. He walked up to an 85-year-old woman on May 6 and told her there was something wrong with her front tire. Ever the gallant knight, he told her he could fix it,…
Mexican Drug Cartel: U.S. Rep and Sheriff Talk Tough on Keeping Them Out of Houston
U.S. Representative Mike McCaul and Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia met today and said they are going to do whatever it takes to stop Mexican drug cartels from coming to Houston. Because we want our coke and weed from American drug cartels, dammit!!! McCaul chairs the House Homeland Security Oversight…
Review: “Exurb: Input/Output”
It’s very appropriate that this interactive audio/video installation at the Joanna is running simultaneously with the Stan VanDerBeek survey at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. In the main room at the Joanna, the creators of “Exurb: Input/Output,” artist-engineers Johnny DiBlasi, Steven Kraig, Patrick Renner, Sam Singh and Eric Todd have…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 83, Grillades and Grits at BB’s Cajun Cafe
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Top 10 Music Video Parodies (Not All By Weird Al)
Two weeks ago while we were sifting through videos to make our 25 Most Influential Music Videos Of All Time list, we came across plenty of parodies of those 25 clips, mostly by Weird “Al” Yankovic and various Muppets, but there were a few crafty homemade ones as well. It…
Alleged McAllen Starbucks Masturbator Immortalized in Song
In the borderlands of South Texas, there has long been a tradition of immortalizing revolutionaries in song. Corridos, as these tunes are known, date back to the decades before the Mexican Revolution, and have been written in honor of people like Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa. “La Cucaracha” was originally…
Happy Canada Day: 10 Canadian Artists You Should Know
If there’s one thing I learned in my six years of living in Montreal, it’s that Canada is a very scary place. Not scary in the sense of violence or political corruption or severe weather (although it has its moments with each of those realities). It’s scary in the sense…
Food Fight: Store Brand Pretzels
As my friend Sara Dickerman wrote in 2007 in a fascinating piece in Slate, pretzels don’t get much love in the snack-food world. When was the last time you saw a television commercial for pretzels? Don’t answer that: right after I wrote the previous sentence I remembered Jason Alexander’s Rold…
No-Refusal Programs, Increased Anti-DWI Patrols: It Must Be the Fourth of July Weekend
Just about every government jurisdiction with a pulse is putting out reminders that they are going to be looking hard for DWI cases this coming long weekend. The state Department of Public Safety is upping patrols in areas where there have been alcohol-related crashes; HPD and Harris and Montgomery counties…
Chef Chat Part 2: Anthony Davis of Reggae Hut
Amid the strums of a soft guitar, we continue our chat with Reggae Hut’s chef Anthony Davis. EOW: When you were growing up, did you ever cook at home? AD: Oh, yeah. My great-grandmother, my father, and my mother could cook. My father was like the weekend cook, the Sunday…
Anarchitex: Welcome To The Digital Dark Age
“I find I don’t use the word ‘fascist’ as much as I did when I was younger” There’s little your humble narrator can add to the exhaustive work our own David Ensminger did on the elusive Anarchitex, something of Houston’s best-kept punk secret, and his in-depth preview of the band’s…
Book About De Menils (and Their Collection) Wins International Award
A book chronicling the lives of the founders of Houston’s world-famous modern art museum has been named 2010’s best book on an art collection by a jury at the International Art Book and Film Festival of Perpignan in France. The book, Art and Activism: Projects of John and Dominique de…
Tommy Lee Jones For Senate: New Poll Says He Could Kick Ass
The movement to draft Tommy Lee Jones to run as a Democrat to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison is most likely doomed to failure, but a new poll shows Jones might be a viable candidate. Public Policy Polling released its survey today on the 2012 Senate race, and it shows Jones…
Last Day to Vote for the Astrodome As a National “Place That Matters”
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is running the 2011 edition of its “This Place Matters” competition, where voters support local sites worthy of saving. Getting a big push this time around is the Astrodome, thanks to the folks at Houston Mod, which celebrates all things Mad Men-ish. “How many…
The Best High School Reunion Movies Ever
This year marks my 10th year away from the grim clutches of public education and high school life, and even though I still sweat around girls, and someone have managed to have my voice crack at least once a year since 2001, I feel like sort of an adult. High…
20 More Commonly Mispronounced Food Words
Two weeks ago, we ran a list of the 20 most commonly mispronounced food words that we run across day in and day out. You, dear readers, went nuts and proceeded to forward and Facebook the link far and wide in what we can only imagine was a frenzy of…
The Best Fourth Songs On History’s Greatest Albums
As we come up on the July 4th weekend, Rocks Off considered a myriad of blog ideas to commemorate the holiday. Most patriotic songs, album covers, artists? Sorry, Lee Greenwood, Richard Pryor, and Ted Nugent, but it’s all been covered. On this weekend of independence, we chose to instead remember…
Texas’s New “Show Your Papers” Drivers License Law: Big Deal Or Not?
The legislature’s massive school finance bill had attached to what will be a new law requiring drivers to present proof of citizenship or legal residency before getting — or renewing — a driver’s license. The ACLU of Texas is among groups that are not happy. “The driver’s license ID bills…
Thinking Green: Houston’s First Green Arts Fest
Next Saturday, Houston is having its first Green Arts Fest, an afternoon packed with visual and performance art all of an environmental ilk. Don’t expect just a bunch of poets hugging trees, though. Tifani Pust, the festival’s organizer in conjunction with Greeni Recycling, Houston Green Scene and Planeta Verde Now,…
Rocks Off’s Punk Professor Pens Vitriol-Filled Book
To a casual viewer, punk rock flyers and gig posters can be as violent, messy and discordant as as the music they advertise. But to David Ensminger, who’s been these paper artifiacts since at least the 1990s, the flyers are a part of the history and folklore of the punk…
Health Department Roundup
In honor of the Fourth of July, we offer Health Department Roundup, a celebration of regulations and code enforcement, concepts as American as apple pie. Provided the pie in question was baked in a code-compliant kitchen. If not, you’ll face the consequences. Drinking a soda while you roll dough? That’s…
Houston One of Top 20 Environmentally Green Cities in North America, Somehow
A new study of environmental practices in major cities in North America finds Houston ranked 16th, which is not that bad considering, you know, our air. The study, sponsored by the Siemens Corporation, used 31 criteria involving air, water supply, recycling and all that. A pair of hippie cities took…
Downtown Houston Historic Pub Crawl Returns
Boo. This week, the Downtown Houston Historic Pub Crawl returned to the Houston Urban Adventures docket. Part ghost-ish hunting and part bar crawl, the event stops at several sites that often includes the spot that hosted 1800s-era murders, a historic hotel that was it for celebrity entertainers or the meeting…
First Look at the New BB’s in the Heights
In a previous post, a reader scoffed at my pick for Cajun food and suggested I check out BB’s Cafe for a taste of the authentic cuisine in Houston. Soon after that post, BB’s opened a location near me in the Heights. It was meant to be, so I ventured…
Five Plot Points From 5200, Z-Ro’s Latest Tape
About two weeks or so ago, Roel Osteen released 5200, a grab-bag mixtape of various clips of music that have appeared elsewhere online. It’s a mostly fun tape. Notes ahead. One bulleted point for each of the fingers on his right hand. #PayingHomage The best song on the tape is…
So You Think You Can Dance: Sweet 16
Full disclosure: I love Kristen Chenoweth. She can say what she wants, do what she wants; she can even put out a freaking country album (seriously, that’s actually happening) and I will still love her, because Kristen Chenoweth can do no wrong. So I was freaking out a little when…
KTRH All But Says Goodbye to News, Welcomes More Right-Wing Blather
The Houston Chronicle’s David Barron just reported that longtime KTRH news anchors J.P. Pritchard and Lana Hughes are leaving the station in favor of new hosts Mike Matt Patrick and Lois Melkonian. In case you need an introduction to Patrick, check out the above video where he personifies the term…
The Great Outdoors: Cookout Burgers
The grill is fired up, the beer is iced down, summer’s full on. As hamburgers hit the grate, the smoke rises, flames shoot, and the sizzle soothes. Then I slide the spatula under a patty, flip it, and…the circle breaks into three pieces. Sure, I could have formed the burgers…
A-Blake Records Joins Cadre Of Local Labels
Houston has a multitude of music within – and bleeding across – its borders. By our own quick estimate, there are about 500 active musical acts in the metropolitan area, and that’s probably still a lowball speculation. With all these acts, it’s only natural that yet another label would spring…
The Voice: The Final Results
Finally, it’s here! How will I say goodbye to these special times I share each week with Carson Daly? I’m working on a transition plan. The Voice has come to a close, and the final results are in–who will be the very first “Voice”? Before we find out, there will…
Houston Under Attack: Stephen Colbert Puts Us on Blast
The Colbert ReportGet More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video ArchiveStephen Colbert took on Houston — nay, the entire state of Texas — last night because counties and cities are banning Fourth of July fireworks displays due to the drought. We are, he said, ruining great American businesses…
Visual Vitriol: David Ensminger and the Anthropology of Punk
To a casual viewer, punk show flyers and gigposters can be as violent, messy and discordant as as the music they advertise. But to David Ensminger, who’s been collecting show flyers since the 1980s, the flyers are a part of the history and folklore of the punk culture. His new…
Houston Rappers Jump On Planking Craze
So “planking” is an actual thing now, it appears. Great. Here’s how you plank: Lie flat on something. Take a picture of it. Post it on the Internet. Here’s how you plank in Houston: Lie flat on something. Take a picture of it. Send it to Slim Thug on Twitter…
Brew Blog: Left Hand Good JuJu
I love the Pandora effect. You know what I’m talking about; you set up a Pandora station around a particular band, and the intuitive wonder that is the Music Genome Project recommends other music you might like, based on the characteristics of that seed. Usually, the results are bands you’ve…
Comment of the Day: Mario Gallegos, Champion of Ethical Behavior
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Pop Rocks: Alternative Songs for the 2012 Candidates
Poor Michele Bachmann, first the John Wayne/John Wayne Gacy thing, now Tom Petty’s piling on as well: The inaugural music-related strike of the 2012 presidential race comes from Tom Petty, who issued a cease and desist letter to Michele Bachmann’s campaign to get her to stop using Petty’s 1977 hit…
Pop Rocks: Love Songs For [Presidential] Underdogs
Poor Michele Bachmann, first the John Wayne/John Wayne Gacy thing, now Tom Petty’s piling on as well: The inaugural music-related strike of the 2012 presidential race comes from Tom Petty, who issued a cease and desist letter to Michele Bachmann’s campaign to get her to stop using Petty’s 1977 hit…
Pop Rocks: Songs In The Key Of [Presidential] Fail
Poor Michele Bachmann, first the John Wayne/John Wayne Gacy thing, now Tom Petty’s piling on as well: The inaugural music-related strike of the 2012 presidential race comes from Tom Petty, who issued a cease and desist letter to Michele Bachmann’s campaign to get her to stop using Petty’s 1977 hit…
Synaca Thomas and Brittany Jordan: Couple Take $5 Bills and Turn Them into a Half-Million Worth of $100 Bills
A husband-wife team has been indicted for counterfeiting after allegedly spending up to $500,000 in fake $100 bills that started out as $5 bills. Synaca Thomas, 34, and his wife Brittany Jordan, 25, of Cypress, passed the bills at Houston-area businesses for two years beginning in January 2009, the U.S…
100 Creatives: Robert Shimko
What he does: If you have been to a play at the Alley Theatre or the University of Houston recently and wondered how certain productions achieve a feeling of authenticity or somehow seem to flow better, Shimko is one person to thank. Shimko is a dramaturg; In assisting directors with…
What Do You Do When It’s Too Hot to Cook?
As Houston’s summer weather goes, this last week of June isn’t too terrible. Low humidity, highs under 100 degrees. But looking ahead to the rest of an increasingly humid, increasingly hot summer gets more like looking down an endless gravel highway, shimmering and waving in the brutal heat. It just…
10 Hot Stars-and-Stripes Bikinis, and the Specific Parts of the U.S. Flag Code They Violate
Flag etiquette, when it comes to the U.S., is pretty strict. As the Fourth of July approaches, it’s important to remember that. Especially if you are planning on wearing a stars-and-stripes bikini. We don’t want to discourage you, of course, but here are ten examples of how innocent (or possibly…
Red, White & Brew Bash
You won’t see any fireworks at Howl at the Moon’s Red, White & Brew Bash (unless you get completely blotto and imagine some), but that won’t keep you from having a great time as you celebrate the birth of our nation. Drink specials including $10 Patriot Bones (a yard-long glass…
Kidpendence Day Weekend
Who needs fireworks when you have the 21-Soda Geyser Salute and Alka-Seltzer Rockets? Those are just two of the treats at the Kidpendence Day Weekend. In addition to games, crafts and entertainment, the weekend features the High Steppers Brass Band & Flag Waving Parade (1 p.m., Monday). 10 a.m. to…
A Star Spangled Salute
The booming cannons used in the Houston Symphony’s A Star Spangled Salute have become an annual highlight of the city’s 4th of July celebrations. Conductor Michael Krajewski leads the orchestra through a rousing program of patriotic music, including the 1812 Overture, which features not only real cannons but a fireworks…
Freedom Over Texas
Everything’s bigger in Texas, including Mayor Annise Parker’s official Freedom over Texas 4th of July celebration. Three stages will feature continuous red dirt music by good ol’ boys Chris Young, Rodney Atkins and Jack Ingram. The Bud Light Zone will bring the Bud Light Texas Volleyball Championship games, and the…
Bill Crider: The Wild Hog Murders
Sheriff Dan Rhodes is a popular guy. Well, at least with readers of the series of mystery books by novelist Bill Crider that feature the down-home officer of the law. The convicts, crooks and cretins Rhodes arrests, not so much. The sheriff is wrestling with pigs and thieves in The…
14th Annual Red, Hot & Blue Festival
Celebrate the founding of the country with a hot dog-eating contest. That’s just part of the fun at the 14th Annual Red, Hot & Blue Festival in The Woodlands, a whole weekend of music, fireworks, food and family entertainment. Things start off on Sunday night with the Houston Symphony’s Star…
DockDogs
Wet dogs aren’t usually that appealing, but the canines in DockDogs are the exceptions. The nationally sanctioned athletic competition pits four-legged competitors from across the region in high-jump, long-jump and speed competitions as they soar off a 20-foot dock and splash into a 40-foot pool of water. The games attract…
Sheryl Underwood
While Beyoncé croons about single ladies who want a ring on their fingers, blunt-spoken comic Sheryl Underwood flatly says that like many women, she’s not interested in long-term relationships. “Hey men, not every woman is going to be in love with you. We just want to fuck,” she says in…
“Salon des Refusés 2011”
Artists whose work wasn’t accepted by the Lawndale Art Center’s “The Big Show” still have a showcase in Gallery M Squared’s “Salon des Refusés 2011.” According to organizer and artist Emily Sloan, the exhibit gives the public a chance to judge for themselves — literally, since there’s a “People’s Choice”…
The Prep School Negro
When André Robert Lee won a scholarship to an elite prep school, his family was thrilled. Lee lived in one of Philadelphia’s black ghettos, and his mother supported the family by working at a minimum wage job. A good education would change Lee’s life, everyone thought, but no one knew…
Step Afrika
Most of us know stepping as performed in competitions and shows by black fraternities and sororities — an explosive mix of synchronized kicks, stomps, dance steps and claps combined with chants and spoken-word elements. It’s a sort of physical one-upmanship. Step Afrika, the first group of its kind, takes that…
Bayou Bend Family Days Independence Day Celebration,
History meets the arts at the Bayou Bend Family Days Independence Day Celebration, when the country’s founding is commemorated in American Colonial style. Family activities (sans the modern luxuries of electricity and computer gadgetry – this is Colonial style, remember), crafts, refreshments and entertainment are all on the agenda. There’s…
Masters of Cyberspace
On a Saturday in early May, Houston’s social media universe watched as locals Kyle Nielsen and Cory McIntire scooped every Houston news outlet, relaying the by-the-minute details of a downtown bank robbery gone awry — one that saw the streets around the Metro bus station turn into something out of…
Capsule Art Reviews: “The Clearing — Joey Fauerso,” “Evergreen: Original Contemporary Prints,” “Exurb: Input/Output,” “George Gittoes: Witness to War,” “Jackie Gendel: Fables in Slang,” “Jenny Schlief Stock Photography: From the Woman Series”
“The Clearing — Joey Fauerso” For “The Clearing,” Joey Fauerso takes found, generic landscape scenes and inhabits them with photos of naked men. In one, a bearded, generally hairy man is leaping off a river rock while a majestic waterfall cascades in the background. In another, the same man (I…
Middle of the Road
For a movie called Larry Crowne, it sure is tough to get a solid read on the character of Larry Crowne. Directed, co-written by and starring Tom Hanks in that title role, the film seems to want to be some kind of post-recessional pick-me-up, an “It Gets Better” video for…
Capsule Stage Reviews: To Kill a Mockingbird, Opening the Box, Wonderland! The Misadventures of a Girl Named Alice
To Kill a Mockingbird Remarkable stagecraft, consummate acting and skilled direction create a memorable production of To Kill a Mockingbird at the Pasadena Little Theatre. The ambience of a small, sleepy Southern town is effectively conjured in the introductory first act, while the drama of a black man on trial…
Why Tow Truck Drivers Can Break Into Your Car
SPACED CITY Tow Trucks Above the Law Breaking in your car? Why not? By Craig Malisow Tow truck drivers in Houston can break into your car in order to tow it — against state regulations — and here’s why: Law enforcement ain’t gonna stop ’em. We learned this by following…
Photographic Memory
There’s a sound on Robert Ellis’s new LP, Photographs, that was formed on his flag-planting 2009 debut The Great Re-Arranger and could have only been forged by playing almost every Wednesday night at Mango’s and then Fitzgerald’s for two solid years. It’s the sound of someone soaking in a city…
Branching Out
In his 11 years as the creative force behind pensively slowcore indie-rock group Pedro the Lion, Seattle-based songwriter David Bazan produced four thoughtful, theologically themed albums, incidentally carving himself as a sort of anomaly within Christian-based music. If Pedro fans didn’t delve deep into Bazan’s lyrics, often reflective of his…
Summer Blues
Want a show that’s cool enough for these humid nights of summer? Want a show that’s also hot enough to steam up the windows? Three talented ladies — and one randy male phantom who romances each of them in his fashion — sing the blues in Sheldon Epps’s 1982 Tony-nominated…
Spanish Testimony
Spanish Testimony Online readers comment on “Speak English, State Senator Chris Harris Tells Witness,” Hair Balls blog, by Richard Connelly, June 17: Should be fluent: If he’s the head of an immigrants’ rights organization and has been in the U.S. for 20-plus years, then shouldn’t he know English? Laws at…
Would Mexico Have Been Better Off if the American Southwest Remained Mexico?
Dear Mexican, Just suppose that all of the southwestern United States had remained in Mexican hands. Would the Mexicans have done any better with it than they have with the present confines of Mexico? Reversible Reconquista? Dear Gabacho, The gran parlour game! If we turn back the clock and changed…
Faster Pussycat
As a fan of all things metal, including the hair variety, one of our favorite flicks is obviously Penelope Spheeris’s 1988 doc The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. The film takes a not-so-serious look at the late-’80s L.A. metal scene, where bands like Poison, W.A.S.P and…
Foster the People
Every summer needs its indie mixtape anthem, and Foster the People’s entry for summer 2011 is “Pumped Up Kicks” from May’s full-length debut, Torches. After they formed in late 2009, the band’s dancey psych-pop didn’t take long to build a rapturous following, catching on with fans of MGMT and Cold…
Mana
It’s been a good year for Maná. Drama y Luz, the Mexican rock group’s latest album and first studio LP in five years, debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, eventually taking over the top spot on both the Latin and Latin Pop charts. First single, “Lluvia al Corazó,”…
Borgore
Have you ever had one of those really fun nightmares where everyone is dancing at superspeed while eating loads of bad drugs, shrieking like overloaded human synths and playing 32-bit videogames while wearing rubber underwear? Well, you’ve obviously never passed out at 5 a.m. with Borgore’s “Nympho,” “Gloryhole” or even…
Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa has it pretty good these days — in fact, you could say the 23-year-old rapper is living the high life. Khalifa has said he smokes up to $10K a month worth of weed, and has the bona fides to prove it: A bust in North Carolina last year…
Greatfully Delicious
Take a peek at Greatfull Taco’s colorful interior and equally colorful food in our slideshow. I had just polished off three tacos at Greatfull Taco and noticed that my dining companion across the table was strangely silent. And then I realized: He’s too wrapped up in his tacos to talk…
The Wanderer
Steve Earle is out of breath, but not from pontificating on all manner of topics from politics to Kings of Leon (an admitted favorite). The 56-year-old native Texan, former Houstonian, singer-songwriter, satellite radio host, actor (HBO’s Treme) and now author is rambling between backstage and his tour bus at Colorado’s…
