Remains Of Burned-Out Church May Become A Park
Now here’s a good idea, and we mean that sincerely — transforming the battered hulk of the burned-out, historic Bethel Baptist Church in Midtown into a park.KHOU reports that City Council has voted to buy the land what is left of the church, which suffered a massive fire in 2005…
The Chronicle Cuts: Jeff Cohen Ain’t Talking
Today’s Chronicle carnage is for the most part limited to the advertising/circulation side (Check out the comments on our updated master list of cuts for some unconfirmed names on that side), but the buzz is still about yesterday’s bloodbath.We figured it’d be a good idea to talk to Chron editor…
39 Innocent People, 500 Years In Jail: Texas Justice
Wrap your head around this one: “Since 1994, Texas has exonerated 39 innocent people who served over 500 years in prison for crimes they did not commit.”That’s the first sentence of The Justice Project’s new report, “Convicting the Innocent: Texas Justice Derailed.” And after skimming through this thing, Hair Balls…
Jandek Confirms April 5 Matinee at Rudyard’s
Reclusive Houston singer-songwriter savant Jandek will play a hometown gig – something that happens slightly less often than a full solar eclipse – 4 p.m. Sunday, April 5 at Rudyard’s. Tickets are $4, and Rocks Off recommends getting there as soon after the doors open at 2:30 as possible, because this one…
Nebraska: The New Japan
It’s long been known that Japan has the market cornered on bizarre vending machines. From machines dispensing beer and sake to bowls of hot ramen and farm-fresh eggs, the Japanese are a people who love a good automated food product. In a patriotic move to bring that fame and glory to…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: David Serby’s Honkytonk and Vine
Note to lonesome L.A. cowboys (hangin’ out and hangin’ on): DO NOT put your too-trite, beat-up, scuffed-up, working-man’s boots on the cover of your CD. Ditto your two-tone cowboy boots. LA tonky David Serby has the Dwight Yoakam look nailed on his second album, Honkytonk and Vine, right down to…
Post-Partum Depression As A Defense For Killing Your Child: Maybe Coming True In Texas?
In a surprisingly civilized and advanced move for our great state, local Texas House Democrats Jessica Farrar and Garnet Coleman co-authored and introduced a bill that would make post-partum psychosis a possible legal defense in trials of women who kill their children. Under the terms of the bill, in the…
The AG Vs. Don McGill Toyota: Those Wily Salespeople
Lesson Number One if you’re dealing with Don McGill Toyota in West Houston, especially if you’re not really fluent in English: Read all the fine print, even the parts where salespeople have folded the contract over so you can’t see it.Texas AG Greg Abbott announced today a $78,000 settlement with…
Westheimer Block Party Preview: Updates from Buxton, Guitars, Tambersauro, Muhamid Ali, Sew What and More
With the Westheimer Block Party coming up Saturday, Rocks Off put out an open call on Hands Up Houston asking any band or artist playing the festival to send him a brief email about what they’ve been up to lately. We’ll be doing this all week, so keep ’em coming…
Oysters Poached in Cream with Lardons and Leeks
Just because the season for raw oysters is ending doesn’t mean we won’t be eating oysters anymore. I had the best cooked oysters in recent memory for lunch yesterday. They were poached in cream that had been flavored with bacon and leeks and served over puff pastry. And they were…
More Bad News For Newspapers: Rice Cancels Its Student Subscriptions
As if the journalism world isn’t reeling with news of layoffs, buyouts and doing goddamn more to goddamn less, here’s more bad news: Rice is canceling all its student subscriptions to the Houston Chronicle and The New York Times.They’ll save $30,000 by doing so.We went to UH, not Rice, so…
Slideshow: Slim Thug CD Release Party at Level
Devin the Dude, Chamillionaire and lots more came out to downtown nightclub Level last night to salute Slim Thug at the release party for his latest CD, Boss of All Bosses. Bill Olive was on the scene – click here for a slideshow…
Flamin’ Hellcats Corral Scarface, Billy Gibbons, Texas Tornados for New Album
Local trio the Flamin’ Hellcats have been some busy vatobillies. The band is in San Antonio this week recording its new album with Grammy-winning engineer Joe Trevino at Blue Cat Studios, and keeping some pretty fast company. Frontman Jaime Hellcat reports that the band’s old buddy Scarface and Augie Meyers, Flaco Jimenez and…
The Judge Who Couldn’t Wait Files A Response
Sharon Keller, chief justice of the state’s highest criminal court, has filed her response to charges that she refused to keep the office open for an hour to accept an appeal on behalf of a guy being executed that night.Essentially, none of it’s her fault, and the guy was guilty…
Oysters and Coffee
These petite-sized Galveston Bay oysters made a lovely breakfast. I ate them with some heavily buttered German sourdough rye toast from the HEB on Bunker Hill and a cup of Community Club coffee. A drop of lemon and a dash of Tabasco perked up the breakfast half shells nicely. Oysters…
Artist of the Week: Matt Harlan
Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group “Artist of the Week,” bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn’t awful? Email their particulars to introducingliston@gmail.com. It’s hard to explain why, but we’re big…
Literacy Advance of Houston to Honor Hannah Storm
Every now and then I like to step away from the snark and write about something good that’s going on. Today is one of those days. On May 1, 2009, Literacy Advance of Houston will be honoring ESPN SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm as its Champion of Literacy as part of…
Literacy Advance of Houston to Honor Hannah Storm
Every now and then I like to step away from the snark and write about something good that’s going on. Today is one of those days. On May 1, 2009, Literacy Advance of Houston will be honoring ESPN SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm as its Champion of Literacy as part of…
Remember To Check Our Chronicle-Cuts List For Updates
We’ve updated (and will continue to) our master list of Chronicle employees who were let go in the Great Axing yesterday.Any other names, or any names that mistakenly made it on to the list, please contact us.Those who worked directly for the paper got two weeks’ pay for every year…
Some Thoughts On The Chronicle Cuts: So Long, Suburbs
(Note: For a while, this item was posted with the wrong byline — it’s by Steve Olafson, not Richard Connelly, and always has been. Thanks, and sorry.)The layoffs at the Houston Chronicle cut much deeper into the editorial side of the newspaper than the announced company-wide 12 percent reduction that…
A Baton Rouge Soap Opera (Starring Sheriff’s Deputies) Comes Here
Seems like hurricane evacuees are not the only ones who flee Louisiana to Houston for safety. A Baton Rouge family recently escaped here to get away from the local cops, whom they claim maliciously prosecuted them repeatedly after the family tried to expose corruption at a homeowners association involving payouts…
Grab Some Kielbasa
Anytime I find myself anywhere near the Polish food store next to Polonia restaurant at 1900 Blalock, I stop in and buy six or eight kabonosy sausage. I am guessing the long skinny Eastern European pork sausages were the inspiration for Slim Jims–both varieties of dried sausage are eaten as…
Be Kate Winslet Or Cameron Diaz — But Not A Famewhore, Please — Right Here In Houston
Remember that movie The Holiday? Strangers Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet are both single and incredibly hot, and they connect on a house-exchange website, vacation at each others’ homes in LA and Surrey, and find love along the way? ABC is doing a reality-show spin-off of the extremely realistic romantic…
Girl In a Coma Update: Chances’ Manager Weighs In
Rocks Off just got a call from Chances managing partner Nick Vastakis, who offered a much different take on the altercation between Girl In a Coma singer/guitarist Nina Diaz, bassist Jennifer Alva, Diaz’ boyfriend and two off-duty HPD officers working security at the Westheimer bar last Saturday night. Here’s what…
The Former Chron Employees’ List, So Far (Updated April 3)
So far we’ve been limiting our list of laid-off Chron people to names readers might recognize; we’ve heard from some current and ex-Chronsters that they’d like a master list, since no centralized information is coming anywhere else.With that in mind, here’s what we’ve heard so far. Other names are still…
From Our Rocks Off Blog: San Antonio Punk Rockers Take On HPD, Lose
Two members of San Antonio-based punk band Girl In a Coma were released from jail this morning after a fight with two off-duty Houston police officers late Saturday night at Montrose bar Chances, an eyewitness and friend of the band told Rocks Off Tuesday. Singer/guitarist Nina Diaz and bassist Jennifer Alva…
Girl In a Coma Members Released From Jail After Weekend Brawl
Two members of San Antonio-based punk band Girl In a Coma were released from jail this morning after a fight with two off-duty Houston police officers late Saturday night at Montrose bar Chances, an eyewitness and friend of the band told Rocks Off Tuesday. Singer/guitarist Nina Diaz and bassist Jennifer Alva…
Cop Moonlights At Bank, Robs It, Gets Recognized
Photo courtesy Conroe PDYou know the expression, “Don’t shit where you eat?” Well, you could probably add “Don’t rob your own employer or you’ll be recognized and arrested” to the list.Earlier today, the FBI and Conroe Police Department announced that 20-plus year Conroe PD veteran Sgt. Michael Tindall has been…
Chron Cuts: The Jeff Cohen Memo, More Names
Here’s Houston Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen’s memo to the staff about Black Tuesday:TO: StaffFROM: Jeff CohenRE: Newsroom ReductionThe Chronicle employment cutback that Jack Sweeney has communicated to us began this morning. Each department in the newsroom is affected in one way or another.This is a sad day. A newsroom is…
10th Grade Cutie Makes Good on Power-Ballad Promise
Fresh off harassing teen metal bands and Lemmy-fying suburban ice cream shops, Friendswood freak-punks 10th Grade Cutie booked time in a San Antonio studio for a demo session. This new track, “Flying on the Wings of Love (In Space)” was recorded in less than an hour and features singer Rex…
More Names Of Newly Ex-Chron People Emerge
The bad news is coming out at 801 Texas, and the cuts include some familiar bylines. We’ve written about some of them here, but more are starting to emerge.Perhaps the most surprising is Clifford Pugh, the lively fashion/society/arts writer who blogs regularly and was just sent to New York (or…
Three Of A Strange Kind At The Bush Library
Good Lord, what a trio in this lede from a press release: “George Bush, 41st President of the United States, will present the [Drayton] McLane Leadership in Business Award to Chuck Norris in recognition of Mr. Norris’s achievements as a martial arts legend, entrepreneur, and humanitarian.”It goes on from there…
A Useful Idiot
But Caduceus Wines seems to be the exception to the rule. Notoriously eccentric entertainer Maynard James Keenan, lead singer for hardcore metal bands Tool and Puscifer, may seem like an unlikely candidate to start up a vineyard and winery. Believe it or not, Keenan is a food and wine lover…
Get Lit: Delta Blues by Ted Gioia
Raw and untamed in its sound, performed by larger-than-life characters who might have popped out of fiction, and shrouded in a (often self-mythologizing) mystery, it’s no wonder that the Delta blues attract such interest and scholarship, and is lauded as the most “true” distillation of the genre. Combining history, sociology,…
MFAH Buys A Piece Of Obama-Hope History
Anyone who drives by the Breakfast Klub can see a giant version for free, but the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is one of the institutions that has purchased a print of the famous Shepard Fairey “Hope” illustration of Barack Obama.The MFAH has also purchased a print of the original…
Eat Your Vegetables: Jackie-O Motherfucker
My last two entries have been about records that are considered “classics” in some sense or other of the word, but this week, Eat Your Vegetables take a turn for the contemporary. Portland improv/folk/psych/rock/etc. group Jackie-O Motherfucker is one of those acts that’s really better described as a “collective” than…
With Poor Boys Like These, Who Needs Cheeseburgers?
The oyster poor boy at BB’s Cajun Cafe is right on the money. And that’s not an easy thing to accomplish. To make a first class oyster poor boy, the cook needs to start with large oysters and batter them lightly–no gritty cornmeal please. Then he needs to leave the…
Tommy Tune Award Nominees Announced; St. Agnes Kicks Ass
TUTS’ Tommy Tune Awards have become a big deal — they’re the Tonys for high-school musicals.Which may sound lame, but the ceremony is actually pretty nice and the productions some of these schools put on are impressive.As always, they’re not to be confused with these high-school Tonys.The nominees for this…
At The Chron: Where You Going With Those Boxes, Boy?
It’s been an excruciating five-week wait for employees of Houston’s only daily newspaper who are scheduled to learn today and tomorrow if they still have jobs. As one nervous reporter described it on Twitter a few days ago, “Out working on plans B-through-F. Anything to take mind off impending Tuesday…
Cecil Cooper, Standup Comic
Thanks to Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Chron, I’m able to bring you the comedy stylings of Houston Astros manager Cecil Cooper. Only problem is, according to Ortiz, Cecil Cooper wasn’t joking. “We should win 90 games this year,” Cooper told the press yesterday. The Astros are going to…
Cecil Cooper, Standup Comic
Thanks to Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Chron, I’m able to bring you the comedy stylings of Houston Astros manager Cecil Cooper. Only problem is, according to Ortiz, Cecil Cooper wasn’t joking. “We should win 90 games this year,” Cooper told the press yesterday. The Astros are going to…
Chronicle Cuts To Be Stretched Over Two Days
Good news on the pending Houston Chronicle cuts — the latest word is that the layoffs will be in the range of 12-13 percent of the newsroom. That’s bad, but not as bad as the 30 percent figures that some understandably frantic people were tossing around. The bad news is…
Scientists Love The Muck Outside Houston
Somewhere, a little outside Houston, recently existed a massive colony of creatures that astounded scientists with their sheer size and intrigued them with their behavior. The creatures even engaged freely in “suicidal altruism,” in which some would sacrifice themselves for the greater good. (Would that Sean Hannity might see the…
Stuff The Ballot Box For A Local Author! Maybe Even Read His Book!
A local author is making a concerted run at the big time, and he’s looking for help.John Oehler has written a book called Papyrus, a thriller that deals with modern and ancient Egypt in what seems like a not-exactly-un-Da Vinci Code way. But hey, if you’re looking to be a…
Miss Pop Rocks Still Does Not Have a Cell Phone
I do not have a cell phone. A few years ago, this made me sort of an odd duck at parties. Now, not having a cell phone means I’m positively a relic if not a true freak of nature deserving of shunning by the community. Everyone has a cell phone:…
Thelma Shall Rise Again
Thelma’s B-B-Q will reopen at the corner of Scott and Southmore sometime in the not-too-distant future. The sign out front is already up. A note on the front door says the business will reopen on April 1st, but I’m thinking that’s an April Fools Day joke. Granted, the dining room…
NASA Learns Not To Allow Write-In Votes In Their Lame Contests
We’re guessing this is something that just might get mentioned on The Colbert Report tonight: The winner of the contest to name a new room on the space station is “Colbert.”As we noted before, NASA’s four suggested names were Serenity, Earthrise, Legacy and Venture.But they didn’t take into account the…
The Chronicle Makes A Promise
Tomorrow is D-Day at the Houston Chronicle, when heavy layoffs get announced.We can’t imagine having to go to work wondering every second if you’re going to get that tap on your shoulder or that ominous e-mail asking you to report to HR, so our thoughts go out to the people…
Our Robb Walsh Gets Plagiarized In Journalism’s Mini-Scandal Of The Day
Breaking news: Ocala, Florida, has an “award-winning lifestyle magazine.”Further breaking news: That magazine steals. A lot.A local paper in Ocala (we assume it too is award-winning) has the story of how Ocala Magazine’s editor, Heather Lee, was a enthusiastic plagiarist.A story Lee “wrote” about her own upcoming wedding was “copied…
Aftermath: Taylor Swift at RodeoHouston
Teenage girls turned up in droves for Taylor Swift at RodeoHouston Friday night, letting out piercing screams in between every song, rivaling the intensity of those at the Jonas Brothers concert. Swift already belongs among that small cadre of artists who can send then fans into a frenzy just by…
Our Robb Walsh Gets Plagiarized In Journalism’s Mini-Scandal Of The Day
Breaking news: Ocala, Florida, has an “award-winning lifestyle magazine.”Further breaking news: That magazine steals. A lot.A local paper in Ocala (we assume it too is award-winning) has the story of how Ocala Magazine’s editor, Heather Lee, was a enthusiastic plagiarist.A story Lee “wrote” about her own upcoming wedding was “copied…
Over the Weekend: 12:15 a.m. at Sovino’s White Party
Lest you think our attention was too focused on Austin this weekend, we now present a bevy of photos from Saturday night at Sovino…
Aftermath: ZZ Top at RodeoHouston
Aftermath can not begin to tell you how much of a beacon ZZ Top was for him over the past few days. The lil’ ol’ band from Texas’ RodeoHouston finale may not have had anything to do with SXSW per se, but knowing the first thing he would be doing upon returning to…
Fake-Botox Doctor’s Conviction Overturned
Gayle Rothenberg, the prominent Houston doctor who was convicted of using fake Botox on her patients, has had that conviction overturned by the Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals.The appellate court ripped into Rothenberg’s trial, saying prosecutors presented evidence — and the judge allowed it in — that was irrelevant…
SXSW: Recovery
The Sunday night after SXSW never fails to be a weird experience. Although you are dog-tired, and back in your own bed, you can’t sleep. A phantasmagoria of sights and sounds from the past few days runs through mind on a reel that seems to have no end. You remember…
Houston’s Best Recipe for Success
Chef Monica Pope at MacGregor Elementary School. Photos by Carlos Meltzer There’s alot of talk these days about problems and solutions. The economy, the environment, healthcare, education. But as we all know there appears to be a lot more problems than there are solutions. And alot more talk than there…
SXSW: Scott Miller
“I’ve been drunk all around this town, from the downside up to the upside down….” So sings Scott Miller in “Drunk All Around this Town,” which he calls “the most beautiful ballad I have ever written.” That might not be true but it is a most apropos song for SXSW,…
South by Southwest in Photos
Not sure if you noticed, but we took a ton of photos over the last few days. Click the links for all kinds of action. South by Southwest Day One A chronicle in picture form of some of the SXSW live acts you could have caught on Wednesday, March 18,…
You Can’t Protest Against The Communists Without A Marching Band
The Global Center for Quitting Chinese Communist Party held a protest yesterday in the Bellaire area. The group’s name pretty much says it all; they want Chinese people to quit the Communist party.The Divine Marching Band (that’s them in the blue and white, with the musical instruments), the GCQCCP, and…
SXSW: South Congress Circuit
As usual, Saturday afternoon for me was all about South Congress. Bands like Houston’s own Allen Oldies Band – fronted by the High Priest of the Oldies and the State of Texas’s official unofficial Minister of Fun – are traditions, as are people like Jon Dee Graham and James McMurtry…
Harassing The Nurses Doesn’t Pay, It Costs
First Surgical Partners is a Bellaire company that runs outpatient clinics for harried doctors.As it’s FAQ puts it, “an experienced management company offers ownership to the surgeons without having to deal with the day-to-day conflicts of running the center.”Conflicts like, say, sexually harassing female employees.First Surgical is paying $290,000 and…
Top Five SXSW Performances
Well, thank God that’s over. SXSW 09 is history now, so before we completely block it out of our mind for another 11 months, here’s Rocks Off’s top five reasons it was worth going to after all. Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women: L.A. roots-rocker and all-star band honored his late best…
Turning The Screw: Spitten King, Paul Wall, The Kanye, KiD CuDi, Steve Lobel, Common, Weezy, Rick Ross, Pastor Troy, Mos Def, Grand Puba, The Chuck E. Cheese Conspiracy
Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off’s weekly rap post. It probably won’t rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: “The Gold Room,” Spitten King Wire To Wire: A regular reader of Turning the Screw (who asked to remain…
Over the Weekend: South by Southwest in Photos
Not sure if you noticed, but we took a ton of photos over the last few days. Click the links for all kinds of action. SXSW, Day One A chronicle in picture form of some of the SXSW live acts you could have caught on Wednesday, March 18, if only…
Hrkac Returns to Hockey With the Aeros
On March 12, the day the Houston Aeros announced their Clear Day Roster – that roster of players who are eligible to play for the Aeros in the playoffs – the Aeros also announced the signing of Tony Hrkac. And this signing was a bit of a shock those following…
Hrkac Returns to Hockey With the Aeros
On March 12, the day the Houston Aeros announced their Clear Day Roster – that roster of players who are eligible to play for the Aeros in the playoffs – the Aeros also announced the signing of Tony Hrkac. And this signing was a bit of a shock those following…
SXSW: Balaclavas at the Independent
Who says Aftermath ain’t rock n’ roll? On the way to see Houston’s own Balaclavas at the Independent to debut new stuff off the soon-to-be released Roman Holiday, I abruptly hit a curb with bicycle. Luckily my elbow took one for the team. Well, it it ended up getting fractured…
The Rodeo Vs. Hispanics: A Scorecard
Having trouble keeping score on the latest Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo flap? Let Hair Balls help you out. We talked to both Ben Mendez, a self-described community leader and member of the non-group group protesting HLSR practices (we’ll get back to that), and HLSR’s Chief Operating Officer Leroy Shafer.What…
BB’s Cheeseburger Cries Out for Gravy
Why did I order the cheeseburger and fries at BB’s Cajun Cafe on Montrose when they have so many great poor boys? Granted, the handcut fresh-out-of-the-fryer shoestring potatoes were nothing short of spectacular. But the ground beef patty on the burger was too lean, pressed too thin, and overcooked. The…
A New Blackboard For The Poor, Via Rice University
“Can you ustnnderad this stnecnee?” Well, if you can, then you understand probabilistic logic — and you’re half-way to understanding the I-Slate being developed at Rice University by computing professor Krishna Palem. The I-slate is a solar-powered LED tablet Palem and his project partners are hoping will replace the slate…
Healthy Big Macs, Only In Houston
Why the hell is your Big Mac so small? Because you live in Houston. Houston is apparently the only US test market for McDonald’s new “Snack Wrap Mac,” which looks to be a smaller Big Mac in a tortilla. We’re sure grosser things have been contemplated before, but then again…
Egg Cetera: Conroe’s Organic Outpost
Hidden away in an easily-missed, non-descript building next to Conroe High School is one of the best restaurants in town, and I don’t say that lightly. Egg Cetera is exactly the type of restaurant we need more of, but its uniqueness only makes it that much more special. Egg…
SXSW: Daniel Johnston at Emo’s
So I generally don’t know how to feel about Daniel Johnston. I think he’s a songwriter whose simple chord progressions and simplistic lyrics meld together into absolute brilliance, no matter that his voice belongs squarely in the love-it-or-hate-it camp. I’m just uncomfortable with his history of mental illness, not in…
Overheard at SXSW 2009
“Fuck National Geographic.” “It’s not technically a mullet.” “No, I’m not fucking kidding. She and I are done.” “I can’t hear you.” (Heard umpteen times) “Awesome.” “This is awful.”…
SXSW: Protest Outside Austin City Limits
A dozen Austin activists staked out the four corners of the University of Texas communications building earlier today, passing out flyers to people on the way to Ben Harper’s Austin City Limits taping. Surprisingly, the flyer had nothing to do with herb not being a gift of the earth, but…
SXSW: Rachel Ray at Maggie Mae’s
We valiantly attended the Rachael Ray party at Maggie Mae’s on Sixth, braving free food curate by the talk show host and Rose’s Mojitos by the gallon. Hometown boy Bob Schneider opened the show upstairs, doing his old reliable ladykilling jams. While downstairs New York’s Semi Precious Weapons preened and…
Klitschko Manages 36th Knockout, 360,000th Cut
Saturday afternoon’s slaughter of Juan Carlos Gomez by reigning WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko was so predictable that only the question of when Gomez would be knocked out remained. Well, that and whether or not he’d die in the ring. (He didn’t.) The fight was held in Germany, where Klitschko…
Klitschko Manages 36th Knockout, 360,000th Cut
Saturday afternoon’s slaughter of Juan Carlos Gomez by reigning WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko was so predictable that only the question of when Gomez would be knocked out remained. Well, that and whether or not he’d die in the ring. (He didn’t.) The fight was held in Germany, where Klitschko…
This Week In Deliciousness
First some good news: we thought Late Night Pie was dead and gone, but it turns out we were mistaken; they’ve simply moved to a new location and will be returning with a full liquor license. Which is awesome, because pizza actually goes really well with wine…
SXSW Swag Report: Quality Over Quantity
As John Nova Lomax noted a couple of days ago, it appears the foundering economy has taken its toll on SXSW’s promotional-item racket, with the budgetary allowance for all manner of items emblazoned with this company or that’s logo being one of the first line-items to get slashed. It’s not…
SXSW: Born Free
Tight economies ain’t gotta slow anyone down. SXSW is chock full of free shows and most importantly, FREE BOOZE. Yes, anyone of legal age can literally walk into some shows and guzzle to their dark heart’s content. Or until they set something on fire. Heartless Bastards put on a barroom…
SXSW: Kylesa at Red 7
Aftermath’s favorite kind of shows are the ones where people end up on the floor or skating on beer. This was Kylesa last running through material from the new epic Static Tensions at Red 7 with lead screamer Laura Pleasants making like a really, really, really pissed off Joan Jett…
SXSW: Echo & the Bunnymen at Stubb’s
By Friday afternoon, SXSW fatigue has taken hold. You’re walking a little slower, less inclined to whip out the notebook to jot down every little observation – Rocks Off has seen many journos just typing notes into their BlackBerries, a trend that both intrigues and dismays him – and wondering…
Art Rock: The 15 Hottest Gig Posters at Flatstock 20
The poster show in the Austin Convention Center gave SXSWers a break from all the noise — and the chance to check out some erotic messiness. Click here for a slideshow…
Tonight: Amanda Palmer at House of Blues
Amanda Palmer is exhausted. Slouched in a dining room booth at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Austin, she arrived Tuesday night after an Australian tour and has already performed once this afternoon. The 17-hour time difference between Oz and Texas has left her jet-lagged, but she has an afternoon of…
SXSW: Kurt Vile and Keys N Krates at the Music Gym
We once again crossed the big ol’ road to hit up the Music Gym to see Kurt Vile and Keys N Krates. Since we hit town, we have found the most satisfaction out of this venue, with it’s relaxed and wholly chaotic feel. During regular hours it’s a rehearsal space…
SXSW: The Sonics at Emo’s
Last night we stood in line for nearly an hour to catch Seattle garage legends the Sonics at Emo’s. The five-piece group were pioneers, ultimately influencing everyone from the Replacements to the Austin’s own Big Boys. Their current hold on modern garage rock was evident by seeing members of the…
SXSW Journal: The Tontons, Day 2
Justin and I started off the day early trying to do more then the previous day. Driving around town is much more difficult then anticipated, even though we were here last year. We spent a lot of time trying to find parking and searching for boots. Not the most exciting…
SXSW: GZA Onstage with Black Lips at Emos
This was the first time they had ever been together, and the chemistry was not quite gelling. But it was still GZA live with the Black Lips. They pulled it together for a couple of minutes, and promised more and better things to come…
Slideshow: Village Voice Media Party at La Zona Rosa
We just loaded up some snaps from the VVM party at La Zona Rosa. Check ’em out…
Late Nite Pie Pulls a Zombie
Despite its closure being broadcast on reliable sources like B4-U-Eat, the padlocks on the door and the good word of other area tenants, it appears that Late Nite Pie isn’t closed after all. Swamplot got the scoop directly from the horse’s mouth this morning. (Side note: Hey, Late Nite Pie! …
The Village Voice Media SXSW Party, with M.Ward, Gomez, Cursive, Crystal Antlers, Bear Hands and Meese
4:01 p.m. Gomez just played an awesome set. Photos to come. Also on deck: Him. (Or M.Ward, whichever you prefer.) 3:07 p.m. Here’s some Cursive action. 3:00 p.m. Where y’all at? It’s filling up in here. 2:21 p.m. What’s that? You were wanting a pic of Crystal Antlers? No problem…
ABC’s World News Tonight To Examine Just How Great Houston Is
ABC’s World News Tonight, their anchor network-news show, will be originating from Houston next week, in part to examine why we seem to have escaped (so far) the crunchiest part of the economic crunch.Charlie Gibson is taking the show around the country to assess how the recession is affecting different…
Don’t Try To Photograph An HPD Officer, Dude
Don’t try to photograph a Houston cop or tape record him – a lesson local mechanic Michael Haven claims one officer tried to teach him the hard way.According to a lawsuit recently filed in Houston federal court against the City of Houston and HPD officer Glen Dickerson, Haven claims he…
SXSW: Glasvegas vs. The Texas Sun And The Sound Guy
Rocks Off couldn’t resist had see what this Glasvegas band was all about for himself, so he headed up to the Mohawk for Rhapsody Music’s day party Thursday. After a pleasant set of trippy, drone-y, dub-dusted electronica from School of Seven Belles, the much-discussed Scottish band came out and played…
Brandon Backe’s Case Goes To A Grand Jury, If The DA’s Office Comes In To Work
The whole Brandon Backe fracas, where a wedding brawl has led to nothing but confusion, is headed to a grand jury.Galveston County DA Kurt Sistrunk says he is not recommending any charges be filed against the cops in the case, but he will present it to a grand jury for…
SXSW: Dave Alvin’s Chris Gaffney Tribute at the Continental Club
Before his stunning, soul-stirring tribute to late best friend and sometime bandmate Chris Gaffney (Hacienda Brothers), who passed away last April from liver cancer, roots-rock eminence grise Dave Alvin was out back of the Continental Club talking to a mutual friend about his flight to Austin from Dallas. The plane,…
SXSW: Beware of Drunken Scotsmen
This drunken Scotsman accosted me as I was waiting in line for the Oak Ridge Boys Thursday afternoon. He seemingly just wanted to love on someone, including yours truly. He went down the line hugging everyone like he had a Pez full of ecstasy stashed in his kilt. That or…
A Slice of Heaven at Pie in the Sky
It’s official: Your grandmother no longer has any use aside from supplying you with $10 bills on your birthday and taking your side when your mother calls you fat (actually, that’s still pretty useful…). Pie in the Sky in Montgomery County will outbake your grandmother any day of the week. …
Tonight: The Derailers at Goode’s Armadillo Palace
Outside Asleep at the Wheel’s almost 40-year run, the Derailers are one of Austin’s longest-lived retro-country acts. Country bands in Texas don’t attain this kind of longevity unless they can find that two-step dance pocket and fill a dance floor. True dancehall pros, the ‘Railers have been doing it so…
Fort Bend ISD Readies A Science-Lab Taj Mahal
Residents of the Fort Bend school district have been scratching their heads over the superintendents’ determination to build a “science center” — sorry, a Global Center for Science & Technology — that would include windmills, high-tech labs, a planetarium and a “sci-max” theater.Part of what’s got them scratching their heads…
SXSW: Lady Sovereign at the Red Bull Showcase
I’m not usually one for the after parties. Generally, I’m asleep by three or so at SXSW, but for reasons I will not discuss, last night was an exception. At any rate, four AM found me at the Red Bull showcase in deepest East Austin. Red Bull is taking up…
SXSW: Working Out At The Music Gym
At 1 a.m. Thursday (aka this morning), we peddled under IH-35 to the Music Gym to catch some Psychedelic Horseshit inside. Their fractured and jagged lo-fi pop is a schizophrenic mash of freak-folk and electric expanse. The Columbus, Ohio, band played musical instruments, with the bassist going back and forth…
10 Reasons To Be Optimistic For the 2009 Astros
I know what you’re thinking. After yesterday’s 12-1 spring training loss to the New York Mets, the Astros are now 1-16-3 and haven’t won in 19 straight games. You’re probably going through some kind of depression – I know I am, but that’s got more to do with losing my…
10 Reasons To Be Optimistic For the 2009 Astros
I know what you’re thinking. After yesterday’s 12-1 spring training loss to the New York Mets, the Astros are now 1-16-3 and haven’t won in 19 straight games. You’re probably going through some kind of depression – I know I am, but that’s got more to do with losing my…
Aftermath: Elton John and Billy Joel at the Toyota Center
Let’s face it – an Elton John/Billy Joel duo show is critic proof. And as the guy sitting next to me – Dandy Andy Dansby of the Houston Chronicle – said, it’s also apparently recession proof. Every ticket in the Toyota Center from the front row mortgage-costing gold seats to…
SXSW: Oak Ridge Boys at Lone Star Lounge
Yes, the Oak Ridge Boys are back. We caught them at the Lone Star Lounge in the Austin Convention Center. They were a little grayer, way beardier, and still just as down home…
Aftermath: Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra at Under the Volcano
At the Nicholas Tremulis show Thursday night, comparisons tended to run from Rolling Stones to Zeppelin, but the one that seemed to hit closest to home song after song was Little Feat. Early Little Feat. And no less a concert-goer than Dr. Roger Wood of HCC laid it flat on…
For The Rodeo: Five Not-So-Great Movie Horses
Horses are a big part of any rodeo, and in the waning days of HLS&R 2009 it would be easy to whip up a list of movie horses that everyone knows, to wit: Seabiscuit, the Black Stallion (plus sequel), Black Beauty, and Trigger. Booooring. And while I realize this is…
SXSW: Garage Rock Madness with Black Lips and King Khan
Within the span of an hour we braved a VIP- and booze-addled Black Lips show at the Cedar Street Courtyard, and we fought off a drunken old lady brandishing a plastic lighted sword outside of the King Khan and the Shrines gig at El Sol y La Luna. Black Lips…
SXSW: The Tallest Man on Earth at Buffalo Billiards
First things first: The Tallest Man on Earth is not. In fact, if there are three billion men in the world, this guy is probably the 2,145,799,276th tallest. He’s kind of short. He’s also kind of awesome. Last night at Buffalo Billiards, Swedish artist Kristian Matsson had the small crowd…
IDOL BEAT: THE TOP 11, RESULTS
I was wrong, wasn’t I? Alexis Grace is toast – burnt toast. Girlfriend doesn’t even get to be on the next American Idol tour, which is somehow more crushing to my mind than her not staying in the competition. It means that she isn’t guaranteed the opportunity to really better…
Tip: If You’re Too Drunk To Drive, Don’t Pull Into The Police Parking Lot
Via the Galveston County Daily News comes word of yet another Great Moment In DWI History: A 35-year-old woman was, we guess, near-passing-out drunk (at 8 pm, no less — way to get an early start!!) and decided she needed to pull over.Getting that drunk and driving: Bad idea.Deciding to…
Five Spot: Slim Thug is Back
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and list five reasons why it’s either brilliant or dumb-assed. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Numerous emails from PR people over the last two or so months have informed us that but a scant four years…
Tonight: Blacktop Gypsy at the Firehouse Saloon
Not many acts on MySpace list as their influences Merle Haggard and Fleetwood Mac. Or George Jones and Sheryl Crow. But Dallas outfit Blacktop Gypsy does, and it doesn’t take many listens to their music to get the connections. Certainly the template is country but with three women in the…
SXSW: Austin’s SoCo Eateries
One of the coolest neighborhoods in Austin is across the Congress Avenue bridge from downtown. Known as “SoCo,” this stretch of bars, eateries, sidewalk cafes, food vendors, boutiques, and hip hotels starts about a half a mile from the bridge. It’s an easy walk. If you go, don’t miss Guero’s–it’s…
Rodeo: Soft-Spoken Guy On A Good-Luck Streak
Cody Blanscet of Henrietta, TX sure knows how to scramble for the big win. Last year, he was the first to rope a calf and the second to drag it into the center of the ring at the Houston rodeo. This year, the Angus beauty he bought with the prize…
SXSW Journal: Wild Moccasins, Day 2
[How bassist Nicholas Cody of Houston’s Wild Moccasins spent his SXSW Thursday.] After playing three shows in one day, including our official showcase, we all looked forward to being able to relax and having time to watch some free day shows. Thursday began with a little cable television, but then…
SXSW Art Rock: Indiehouston.org Party at 613 Allen St. (Austin)
[Note: Click here for a map.] …
Life On The Rodeo Road: From The Dirt To The Skies
Name: Bud MunnsAge: 24Hometown: Hansel Valley, UtahEvent: BarebackI got into rodeo because I grew up on a ranch, and that’s kind of the way it was. My dad did it and so did my brother. We lived too damn far from town to do anything else, so we’d just ride…
SXSW: The “Super Bloody Mary Jam” at Red Eyed Fly
If the bands at All Star Austin’s “Super Bloody Mary Jam” Thursday afternoon at the Red Eyed Fly had been as good as the free Bloody Marys, I might have stayed longer. Shortly after the free booze ran out, so did my patience. The lead singer of L.A.’s Castledoor belongs…
SXSW Trade Show: Pressing Records from Pellets
Jay Millar from United Record Pressing had a booth at the SXSW Trade Show, where he showed us how vinyl goes from handful of vinyl pellets to a trendy slab of tunes. Records start as pellets that are then melted down into a hockey puck sized disc, which is then…
SXSW: American Apparel Factory Flea Market
This afternoon off Fourth and San Jacinto, venerable hipster outfitter American Apparel hosted an outdoor flea market. All manner of humanity came out to rummage through the inventory, most of which were factory seconds, with ripped and stained items scattered throughout. There were a few gems, including a pair of…
SXSW: Justin Townes Earle at SESAC Lounge in Austin Convention Center
Justin Townes Earle ran through a short set on Thursday of new material from his recent Midnight At The Movies album…
Jane’s Addiction: Will They Or Won’t They? Houston DJs Will
Sounds like Jane’s Addiction is more or less a lock to play tonight’s Playboy/C3 Presents super-exclusive late-night party at an old supermarket at 1107 N. IH-35 this evening starting around 11. It’s pretty much the most popular rumor making the rounds at SXSW at this point – Rocks Off has…
Seen at SXSW: Matthew McConaughey
The star of such films as Sahara and Fool’s Gold was spotted at the Billy Bob Thornton show last night…
SXSW Journal: The Tontons
[A dispatch from Tontons guitarist Tom Nguyen.] Justin and I arrived in Austin Wednesday evening. We came earlier then the Adam and Asli, so that we could do a bit more and take advantage of our wristbands. After we got our wristbands we wandered around trying to find some bands…
SXSW: Anatomy of a Swag Bag
As an official SXSW registrant, your first task after checking in your hotel is to go to the Convention Center and pick up your official badge. Task 1B is to go downstairs afterward and pick up your swag bag. Over the years, I have learned you can tell a fair…
Forklift-Drivin’, ATM-Stealin’ Band Of Brothers Finally Arrested
It took three years and officers from at least five different law enforcement agencies, but it looks like they finally nabbed the ATM crooks who used and then left fork-lifts behind as an odd sort of a calling card.The Harris County Sheriff’s Office announced today that three brothers – Mark,…
The Pitch Forks Come Out Near The Galleria
Holding a pro-union demonstration near Voss and San Felipe, a short distance from the epicenter of frou-frou that is the Galleria, seems likely to elicit a less-than-enthusiastic response from passersby. But economic trouble has turned things around a bit, and local activists – most of them SEIU members or employees…
Rockets-Pistons: Can Yao Be the Closer?
Remember the notion from earlier this week that the Rockets’ late-game offense might be better off without Yao Ming? That didn’t last long. With the Rockets trailing by four late and in the midst of yet another fourth-quarter funk, Yao snapped the Rockets out of it in a major way…
Rockets-Pistons: Can Yao Be the Closer?
Remember the notion from earlier this week that the Rockets’ late-game offense might be better off without Yao Ming? That didn’t last long. With the Rockets trailing by four late and in the midst of yet another fourth-quarter funk, Yao snapped the Rockets out of it in a major way…
Lucy’s Discoverer Disses Houston, The Only City That Likes His Damn Thing
As we noted in January, the museum exhibit of Lucy, the 3.2 million-year-old skeleton that wowed audiences in Houston, was not doing so good elsewhere.Seattle crowds were relatively sparse, and the exhibit hasn’t been besieged by offers from other museums.The New York Times looked at the issue today, and even…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Texas Music Will Solve Everything! Thanks, Ed!
We’ve been lax in our examinations of Ed Shane’s monthly Flack Fest, Best in Texas, lately. Let’s rectify that. In the January issue, publisher Shane led off with this sterling bit of advice as the national and world economies fell apart. “Be careful. I’m one of those people trying to…
Scientists To Discuss Life On Mars Here This Weekend; We Discuss Cover Versions
There’s a conference here this weekend (according to the Times of London) that will discuss, partly, whether water in liquid form has been discovered on Mars.Leading to the question, obviously, of whether there’s life on Mars.That, combined with the recent cancellation of the TV series Life on Mars, is a…
SXSW: Maserati at Soho Lounge
So I totally dig these instrumentalists from Athens, Georgia, and based on the crowd last night, I apparently fit right into their target demo. The area in front of the stage was packed with white dudes in their late twenties and early thirties. The drummer was situated up front and…
SXSW: Austin Music Awards at Austin Music Hall
Austin is full of ghosts, and not just at the Driskill Hotel. (Say hi to LBJ’s mistress for us, though, those of you staying there.) Some of the ghosts aren’t even dead. Take the Dicks (above), Austin’s early-’80s hardcore trail-blazers who reconvened to play Wednesday night’s Austin Music Awards and…
SXSW 10-Cent Review: Camera Obscura at Central Presbyterian Church
Camera ObscuraSXSWCentral Presbyterian ChurchMarch 18, 2009Said Tracyanne: “This is our first show in a church. Well, in a church that’s working. Can a church work? I guess for some people.”Bonus: Church acoustics go great with the pipe organ break in “Hey Lloyd, I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken.”Drawbacks: “I know there…
SXSW: Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters at Smokin’ Music
We caught Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters set last night at Smokin’ Music, a venue appropriately sponsored by American Spirit cigarettes. His brand of “mod-country” is ridiculously catchy. It’s like rockabilly through a British Invasion filter. He must have smoked about five cigs within the first four songs…
Life On The Rodeo Road: Sometimes You Just “Stop On The Side Of The Road To Fight”
Name: Ty BlasingameAge: 24Hometown: Pueblo, ColoradoEvent: Team RopingI got into rodeo because my parents. I’ve been around it my whole life; grew up on a big ranch. I just got into it and started getting pretty good at it. I got serious when I was 16, and I started pro…
Hello: Is There Anybody In There? Just Nod If You Can Hear Me
Photo courtesy wikipediaHair Balls has an exercise for you: close your eyes for a moment, and list all of the passwords you have for all your online accounts — from your bank to your e-mail to your porn. (No — all your porn. No holding back now). Now think about…
SXSW BBQ Panel: Brisket as Health Food
The location of the nearest Texas barbecue joint and what to order when you get there seem to be the first questions on the minds of many visitors to SXSW in Austin. So this year, veteran barbecue writer Joe Nick Patoski put together a Texas barbecue panel for conference-goers. Panelists…
SXSW: Black Joe Lewis at the Radio Room
The very first live music you intentionally lay eyes and ears on at SXSW can be a very delicate choice, unless it’s a complete no-brainer. So when Black Joe Lewis is playing three blocks from your hotel, you go. Lewis, a young Austinite who rolls up some 25 years of…
Congratulations, Houston: We Were Smart Enough To Understand Those Dos Equis Ads
Here’s something we didn’t know — those Dos Equis’ ads, the ones featuring the “Most Interesting Man in the World” urging us to “Stay thirsty, friends”? We here in Houston have been among the select few seeing them.As ads, they’re unusual enough to catch attention — the grizzled face of…
Flannel File: Screaming Trees, Dust
Is there any file more flannel-y than that of Screaming Trees – a hard-rock band with long hair from Seattle, influenced by the sounds of the ’70s and ’80s, whose career began to take off in the early ’90s but was brought down by substance abuse and infighting? Tom Moon,…
Why Is Everybody Getting Laid Off But Tom Penders?
You know, as the NCAA Tournament starts today, I can’t help but notice that the Houston Cougars have once again failed to gain entry into the field of 65. Sure, they’re playing in something called the CBI, but that’s really not the same thing, is it? (Especially seeing as how…
Why Is Everybody Getting Laid Off But Tom Penders?
You know, as the NCAA Tournament starts today, I can’t help but notice that the Houston Cougars have once again failed to gain entry into the field of 65. Sure, they’re playing in something called the CBI, but that’s really not the same thing, is it? (Especially seeing as how…
Clyde’s Wyldwood B-B-Q Shack, Casino & Freakshow
After talking about Texas barbecue and the health benefits of brisket all day, I was ready for a serious barbecue sandwich on the way back to Houston. So I stopped at Clyde’s Wyldwood B-B-Q Shack and Casino. There I asked for a sliced brisket sandwich–a decision I regretted as I…
SXSW Snapshot: Hello, Officer Badass
People talk about cops being arrogant cowboy types who only wanna shaft the little guy, but damn if I wouldn’t want to cover up a crime with this guy, for real. We need more Houston cops to take the time to cheel out, like the cops in Austin do. They…
SXSW: Day One In Pictures
Good morning! We’ve just added a slideshow featuring many of the bands who played SXSW yesterday (March 18, you remember, the day after St. Patrick’s Day). Have a gander at them, won’t you?…
Scenes from Sixth Street: Lots of Hormones at Emo’s
Here’s hoping Emo’s has plenty of Cokes and Red Bull, because the drinking public won’t be having much luck getting into the club later this afternoon. At 9 a.m. this morning, a line of Hot Topic-clad high school kids was stretched around the block. The free show doesn’t start till…
Best Argument Against Smoking Dope: The Anal Rape
UH is on Spring Break right now, but if any student is checking their e-mail they are getting a lurid tale.The campus has sent out an alert telling of a non-UH student who came to visit friends at the Cullen Oaks apartment compex this past weekend.They smoked some dope. A…
SXSW Day One: Absinthe to Auerbach
It’s official: This author loves absinthe. Or whatever it was that they were serving at the Music Gym off 6th Street that they were calling absinthe. Who the hell cares? It was free and it opened our SXSW 2009 with a strange and weird sensation in the facial area. Plus,…
RIP, Late Nite Pie
Photo courtesy of happykatie. Late Nite Pie, the longtime bastion of 2:00 a.m. pizzas in Midtown, closed two weeks ago according to anecdotal reports. Not wishing to believe this was true, I headed out to Late Nite Pie this past weekend and poked around on a Sunday morning. No signs on…
SXSW Journal: Wild Moccasins
[Note: Rocks Off asked a few Houston bands to keep track of their SXSW itineraries for us. This is Wild Moccasins singer/guitarist Cody Swann’s report.]We got into Austin Tuesday night and woke up early to play at Club 1808 around 11 a.m. for the Rancho Relaxo day party. We played…
Brandon Backe’s Hard-Ass Cops Disciplined, Kind Of
We’ve raised some questions about the fact that Astros semi-pitcher Brendon Backe is opening a bar in the wake of his participation in a drunken wedding brawl in Galveston last year. Now the report on that brawl — called a “riot” initially — has come out, and thirteen Galevston police…
SXSW BBQ Panel: Brisket as Health Food
The location of the nearest Texas barbecue joint and what to order when you get there seem to be the first questions on the minds of many visitors to SXSW in Austin. So this year, veteran barbecue writer Joe Nick Patoski put together a Texas barbecue panel for conference-goers. Panelists…
Amateur Artist’s Iraq-War Paintings Stir Passions
There’s something about Marc Levine. His friends and professors at the University of Houston see it. Almost anyone who comes across his paintings sees it. And you can see it for yourself tonight at Rice University. Levine, 21, began painting images of Iraqi civilians from war photographs he found online…
Les Misérables
In its new production of Les Misérables, Theatre Under The Stars has ditched the turntable stage of the original and added projected images to its lineup. Faced with the reality of nonmoving stages across America, projection designer Zachary Borovay and set designer Matt Kinley used paintings by the author of…
HPL Book Clubs: Meyer Mystery Book Club
If Oprah’s book club doesn’t do it for you, try the Meyer Mystery Book Club (one of many hosted by HPL). The group meets monthly, and for March they’ll discuss Tana French’s In the Woods. French’s story starts when three children go missing in 1984. Police eventually find one boy…
Nightbreed
Clive Barker’s 1990 horror flick Nightbreed has been called “the greatest film you never saw,” because the box office flop was pulled out of theaters rather quickly. Later, it found a following (too late!) that appreciated Barker’s filmmaking genius. In Nightbreed, Barker focuses on Aaron Boone, who dreams about Midian,…
Hill/Finger Lecture: Vince’s Bridge
The battle of San Jacinto determined the fate of the Texas Revolution, and Vince’s Bridge determined the fate of the battle of San Jacinto. During today’s Hill/Finger lecture, local historian C. David Pomeroy Jr. will tell you the story behind Vince’s Bridge, a simple wooden structure that spanned Sims Bayou…
Fifth Annual Houston Jewish Film Festival: Bloodlines
If your brother and grandparents were killed in the Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust, would you want to meet someone connected to their executioner? Australian filmmaker Cynthia Connop answers that question and raises many others with her provocative documentary Bloodlines. Part of the Fifth Annual Houston Jewish Film Festival,…
Yo Quiero Fresh Art
The Fresh Arts Coalition wants to buy you a drink. Well, more like offer you a drink. The Coalition’s upcoming Yo Quiero Fresh Art spring mixer features free drinks (Distinguido Tequila and Saint Arnold Brewing Company are doing the pouring), along with the latest art news, performances and season information…
Domy: “Familiar Spirits” Art Exhibit
The art exhibit “Familiar Spirits” is the result of the forced collaboration between artists Matt Furie and Aiyana Udesen. “The Empress of Minor Demons (Aiyana) and I, Lord of Moldovia, did not choose to work together. I had no choice,” says Furie, jokingly…we think. Whatever the motivation, the Austin-based artists…
Fifth Annual Empty Bowls Houston
You’ll get a meal, a piece of art and the satisfaction of contributing to a good cause at Houston Food Bank’s Fifth Annual Empty Bowls Houston, all for a donation of $25 or more — not a bad deal. Your contribution gets you a simple meal of soup, bread and…
28th Annual Houston Humane Society K-9 Fun Run & Walk
Sam Houston Park will become the biggest dog park in town today during the 28th Annual Houston Humane Society K-9 Fun Run & Walk. Four-legged animals and their human friends can choose between a competitive run and a noncompetitive jog. The fun starts at noon (runners check in at 10…
Artists and Illness
The graphic and challenging art exhibit “Repository: Photographs and Videos by Sarah Sudhoff” documents Sudhoff’s journey through cancer. Today she’ll moderate Artists and Illness, a panel chock full of experts, artists, researchers and students discussing the powerful interaction between disease, the creative process, artist and audience. It’s something she knows…
2009 Art for the Hungry
At the 2009 Art for the Hungry exhibit, you might see Mickey Mouse made from soup cans, or Cinderella constructed with boxes of spaghetti. “Food architects” (yeah, we never heard that term either) are taking over Willowbrook Mall and building Disney characters completely from nonperishable food items (they have to…
I Hate Hamlet
Things aren’t exactly what they seem in the stage comedy I Hate Hamlet. Everyone thinks Andrew Rally has a perfect life — he’s rich and famous. He has a glamorous girlfriend and a great career as the lead in a television series. To top it off, he has the chance…
American Tableau
Museums spend a great deal of time and money staging grandiose, big-name traveling exhibitions, so it’s a relief, especially to frequent visitors, when they look within their own collections for something to feature. The Menil Collection has done just that with its decision to showcase John Chamberlain’s large sculpture American…
Alice in Wonderland
It’s a different rabbit hole in this Alice in Wonderland. A troupe of performers is after Alice, hoping to take her back to Wonderland for another chance to tell her story. 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Through April 11. Company Onstage, 536 Westbury Square. For information, call 713-726-1219 or visit…
5th Annual Guaranty Bank Tour de Houston
Take a ride with Mayor Bill White and State Senator Rodney Ellis in the 5th Annual Guaranty Bank Tour de Houston. The bike tour offers three increasingly ambitious routes. There’s a 20-mile route for those merely looking for a breezy, relaxing ride. There’s a 40-mile route for the more resolute…
Angel Street
Before there was Dial M for Murder, before there was Wait Until Dark, there was Angel Street. A Victorian thriller that deals with decidedly modern issues, Angel Street opens just as an elderly woman has been murdered. Her killer was after her jewels but didn’t get them. Now a new…
BooTown’s “Not So Gala” Gala
BooTown’s “Not So Gala” Gala puts the fun back in fund-raiser. The event is more like a kid’s birthday party and less like a stuffy, grown-up moneymaker, so not only can you leave the black tie at home, you can also kick off your shoes and climb into a grown-up…
Constant Star
The focus of Constant Star, Post-Reconstruction pioneer Ida B. Wells took on the United States railroad system, President McKinley and W.E.B. Du Bois. At the turn of the last century Ms. Wells, the daughter of freed slaves, changed history when she sued the Chesapeake Ohio and Southwestern Railroad for violating…
Babes on Boards
It’s strictly BYOBH at today’s Babes on Boards skating session — Bring Your Own Board and Helmet. The all-women morning features several top pro women skaters including Mimi Knoop, but skilled amateurs and even no-talent newbies are welcomed — so long as they’re women. Babes on Boards doesn’t admit any…
Country Playhouse 2009 New Play Reading Series
The 2009 New Play Reading Series at Country Playhouse continues today with Katy resident Scott McWhirter’s Broke Poet, a look at our relationship with machines set in a Godot-esque world. Next week’s performance is Tom Stell’s Republic Day, about a family’s search for justice. The series concludes April 5 with…
The 1940 Air Terminal Museum’s Aviation History Day
There will be some big shots at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum’s Aviation History Day, including the Smithsonian’s R.E.G. Davies. But the real stars are the planes, including a 1943 Lockheed Lodestar and a 1957 Cessna 172 (get a good look at the Cessna while you can; it’s being given…
The 10th Muse
From dance to opera to poetry to performance art, Divergence Vocal Theater combines an array of artistic mediums in its original productions. The company’s powerhouse roster includes local artists such as artistic director and mezzo-soprano Misha Penton, pianist Stephen Jones, choreographer Toni Valle and baritone Michael Walsh. In their latest…
“Beyond the Walls: The Battle for Iraq’s Future”
Embedded U.S. journalists in Iraq told us one side of the story, now unembedded Rick Rowley tells us another. Rowley’s “Beyond the Walls: The Battle for Iraq’s Future” is a collection of short films shot outside the Green Zone, in Falluja, a Mehdi Army stronghold in Sadr City, and a…
Barry Eisler
A law degree, three years in the CIA, and a black belt in Judo probably come in handy for author Barry Eisler. His John Rain series of novels are noted for their realistic depiction of compelling characters and edge-of-your-seat action. But Eisler’s left Rain at home this time for his…
José Manuel Pellicer “Atlantic Diaspora”
Mexican photographer José Manuel Pellicer’s exhibit “Atlantic Diaspora” discusses “the aesthetic, the political and the economic questions of origins,” according to press materials. There’s an opening reception at 6:30 p.m. with the artist today if you want to delve into that a little deeper. The exhibit is on display 8…
Lavell Crawford
We’re going to skip the usual “he’s a big man who gets big laughs” tag line that most people use to describe Lavell Crawford. Let’s just say, he’ll never make a living doing Jenny Craig commercials, so it’s a good thing he’s funny as hell and doesn’t need to. 8…
Napoleon, Part 1
You gotta hand it to those Coppolas — they’re a hardworking bunch. This time it’s Carmine (Francis Ford Coppola’s dad) who’s in on the action. His music has been added to the recently restored silent film Napoleon, Part 1. Abel Gance’s 1927 classic, considered one of the most thrilling silent…
Blue Willow Bookshop: Linda Olsson
The author of Astrid and Veronika discusses and signs her latest title, Sonata for Miriam, today. Linda Olsson’s debut novel, Astrid, was extremely well received, and fans anxiously awaited Sonata. It seems the wait was worth it. The story takes readers to Poland, New Zealand and Sweden, as protagonist Adam…
Industrial Icon Martin Atkins Knows From Touring
Surely Martin Atkins has had one of the most fascinating careers in alternative music. Since joining John Lydon’s profoundly influential post-Sex Pistols band Public Image Ltd. in 1979, the drummer has played with just about every metallic industrial band that matters — Killing Joke, Nine Inch Nails, Ministry — and…
2009 Art for the Hungry
At the 2009 Art for the Hungry exhibit, you might see Mickey Mouse made from soup cans, or Cinderella constructed with boxes of spaghetti. “Food architects” (yeah, we never heard that term either) are taking over Willowbrook Mall and building Disney characters completely from nonperishable food items (they have to…
Tropa de Elite/The Elite Squad
Violence toward the police in Latin America isn’t a crime; it’s an art form. (Remember the new Nuevo Laredo police chief who was killed his first day on the job? And the five police officers who were killed in ten days in Ciudad Juarez?). So it’s easy to understand why…
La Sonnambula — Live
Jealousy, phantoms, sleepwalking and love converge in La Sonnambula, the latest performance to be broadcast live by Met Opera. Bellini’s story of a pair of lovers who are torn apart by pride and suspicion is set in the present for this production. Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Florez sing the…
Tulia, Texas
The Texas panhandle town of Tulia made the national news in 1999 when 46 of the 5,000 residents were arrested in a sweeping drug sting. Thomas Coleman, the officer who worked the case alone, was called the Lone Ranger and named Texas Lawman of the Year. It should have been…
Michelle Ellsworth: The Objectification of Things
The lowly hamburger is the star in Michelle Ellsworth’s The Objectification of Things, a multimedia production that somehow makes a patty and bun compelling. In Objectification, it’s the artist’s intent to ditch the human-centric point of view and prompt people to reconsider the often overlooked world of nonhuman, carbon-based objects…
BooTown’s Grown-Up Storytime XV
BooTown returns in Grown-Up Storytime XV with tales by and for the audience. The monthly installment features members of the local theater troupe performing stories submitted via fan mail. As always, the group is working to the last minute (read: not by press deadline) and won’t decide what will be…
SXSW: Bavu Blakes at the Mohawk
Sorry, but Bavu Blakes is kind of a dick. I was super psyched to see the Austin hip-hop performer at the Mohawk with a full-on band, complete with backing soul singers, but he just came on and immediately started bitching about the sound. Fair enough. Maybe the sound wasn’t great…
Amanda Palmer
Amanda Palmer, best known as front woman of The Dresden Dolls, is flying solo these days. Touring in support of 2008’s Who Killed Amanda Palmer, she’s incorporated into her punk-cabaret aesthetic additional shenanigans such as ukulele ballads, dramatization by The Danger Ensemble and rare but titillating techno-infused striptease. Never a…
Heartless Bastards: The Mountain
Gnarlier than a century-old live oak, Heartless Bastards’ The Mountain plugs the Cincinnati-born trio’s scorching postmodern blues — their debut, 2006’s All This Time, could skin a cat — into the eerie backwoods folk of Greil Marcus’s semi-mythical “old, weird America.” Opener “The Mountain” is an epic Neil Young &…
Justin Townes Earle: Midnight at the Movies
Opening with the lonesome, Randy Newman-esque title track, Justin Townes Earle’s sophomore effort Midnight At The Movies sees Steve’s son moving further away from the debut The Good Life’s folksy twang and diving headlong into alt-country and gutbucket blues. Earle’s new characters are devoid of the swagger exhibited on the…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Get a Rope,” “Perspectives 165: Contents Under Pressure,” “The Puppet Show”
“Get a Rope” Named after that famous retort in the picante sauce commercials, “Get a Rope” pulls together nine New York City-based artists with varying connections to Houston. Curator Cathy Grayson specifically chose artists whose work bears an immediate and often sexually charged directness, the kind of perspective, she thinks,…
Houston’s Working Class Gets Bumped by the Crashing Economy: Hardcore Homeless
The man I am, is not the man I want to be. And the man I was is not the man I am. And the man I want to be is the man I’m going to be, and it’s not the man I am. — Steve Shreve Steve Shreve and…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Doubt, Five Flights, Masters of Movement, Nursery School Musical, The Pie Dialogues
Doubt Given its pretentious subtitle, “A Parable,” as if this warrants deep, after-theater discussion, John Patrick Shanley’s phenomenally successful Catholic-school whodunit is a play that should be hawked on Oprah’s book club. Shallow, anemic and faintly homophobic, it has inexplicably been bestowed a Tony Award for Best Play and a…
Eternal Flame: I Love You, Man
Just as we thought the “bromantic comedy” had overstayed its welcome, the genre reaches its high point with I Love You, Man. The subtext is finally the text — it’s right there in the title. The movie delivers an absolutely complete, fully realized, delightfully novel redo of the hoariest of…
Thursday: Common Existence
For a band whose fortunes rose with the evolution of post-hardcore, an album like Thursday’s Common Existence is a bit of a gamble. It’s not that the North Jerseyites have completely abandoned their roots, and “post” itself is an indication of departure and experimentation no matter the genre it modifies…
Tony Gilroy’s (heretofore unseen) Expert Light Touch in Duplicity
Whether it’s the amnesiac super spy of the Bourne franchise or the weary law-firm fixer of Michael Clayton, Tony Gilroy specializes in characters who wear so many masks that, memory loss or no, they scarcely know who they are anymore. Guided by instinct, his soldiers of fortune patrol a ruthless…
Stages Goes Down the Devastating Rabbit Hole
Well into the lonely march of grief, the characters who populate the devastatingly suburban landscape of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Rabbit Hole are working hard at acting normal. They wash clothes, go to work, bake desserts. But it isn’t long before the powerful cast of Stages Repertory Theatre’s beautiful Houston…
Hearts of Animals: Cave Lights
Hearts of Animals’ Cave Lights, the second release for ArtStorm records — yes, another fledgling local label — constructs another level of frontwoman/sole proprietor Mlee Suprean’s icy fortress of solitude. Like HOA’s 2007 single “Stars Say No,” Cave Lights traffics in pinballing high-frequency sounds, layered artificial percussion and fragile vocal melodies…
Sondheim, Con Men and Certain Death
Spaced City So Long, Sondheim Houston’s drought continues by Richard Connelly TUTS (Theatre Under The Stars) has announced its musical choices for the 2009-10 season; there are (as usual) no surprises. If you’re a Stephen Sondheim fan, you’re out of luck. Not that we would expect TUTS to put on…
Houston Punks Legionaire’s Disease Band, Gone But Hardly Forgotten
“I’ve got a bum arm here,” a gruff but cheerful-sounding Jerry Anomie says from the other end of the phone. “I’ve had two cervical operations, so my right arm ain’t workin’ good. “I’m gonna have to hold the phone up with one hand and roll a joint with another,” he…
Design Haters and Soccer lovers
Our New Look Not everyone was wild about our new design: We’re biblical: That’s just it. You are supposed to be able to look at, and read, a paper! Journalism 101 teaches you, keep it legible! Keep it readable! Big, bold, simple print! Maybe this is more sophisticated and arty…
Sunday Night Blues in Mr. Gino’s Salt-of-the-Earth Lounge
“Nigh-teensehemtythree.” That’s approximately how Eugene Chevis, owner of Mr. Gino’s Lounge (7306 Cullen), answers when asked how long ago he opened his blues-drenched Sunnyside establishment. It sounds a lot cooler rolling off his tongue than the numeral 1973 looks in our notebook, too. That’s also the year Chevis began the…
Mexican Birth Control and Undocumented College Students
Dear Mexican, Why is it that when I go to the Mexican supermarkets to buy productos femeninos, fully 98 percent of the aisle provided for such things is composed of maxi pads and the limited selection of tampons are in dusty boxes with a sell-by date of 1986? I assume it…
Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra
Asked to explain jazz, Louis Armstrong once said, “If you’ve got to ask, you’ll never know.” It may be fair to say the same about Chicago’s Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra. Forget that bassist Derek Brand plays regularly with Muddy Waters’s right-hand man Hubert Sumlin. Or that John Pirucello builds high-quality instruments…
Houston’s SXSW Strategy
South by Southwest is less a music festival than a force of nature, a ravenous beast that for one week in March consumes everything in its path and the surrounding countryside. But it’s also like the old joke about the blind men and the elephant: it can be whatever you…
Houston’s Working Class Gets Bumped into Homelessness and Poverty by the Crashing Economy
Lorenzo Timmons spent most of the ride home staring at the crisp piece of paper in his lap. He remembers thinking, “we won’t have to worry about nothing no more,” and, “everything’s going to be all right.” Lorenzo, who was 27 at the time, has the reserved, thoughtful demeanor a…
Phosphorescent
In 1975, Willie Nelson recorded a tribute to his musical hero, Lefty Frizzell: the all-covers album To Lefty from Willie. Despite Nelson’s efforts, Frizzell remains one of the more underappreciated country musicians, but Nelson’s intent was essentially to say “thank you” from one Texan to another. In this spirit, Matthew…
Downtown Attraction The Grove
It’s said that you can judge how good a restaurant truly is by how well they cook a rotisserie chicken. If that actually is the case, The Grove should be one of the best restaurants in town. Their rotisserie chicken was a masterpiece of simplicity. The skin had the crispy,…
Kylesa
Kylesa is one of a wave of bands, formed around the turn of the century in the Deep South, that play mid-tempo metal mixed with hardcore, punk and post-rock, drawing heavily on the work of Neurosis. On Static Tensions, its third widely-released LP, Kylesa subordinates its experimental or psychedelic qualities…
Pink’s Pizza
Ken Bridge and his partner Ed Gomez have just opened the second location of Pink’s Pizza in Midtown (710 West Gray, 713-521-7465), the first one being in the Heights. Why did they decide to expand? “Because we’re hot!” says Gomez. “We were getting people from all over the city coming…
Chairlift
Instant celebrity is a double-edged sword, and today’s saturated culture has become a veritable killing field of bands who have been made momentary media darlings, only to be cut down as soon as that episode of The OC has faded from memory. Brooklyn electro-pop outfit Chairlift — you know, that…
Crave Sushi
Crave this: It’s not common to find “chips and dip” ($3) on the menu of a sushi restaurant, but then, Crave Sushi (2900 Travis, 713-527-8744) is no ordinary sushi restaurant, and this isn’t ordinary chips and dip. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and beetroot are all sliced paper-thin, then fried…
Roy Hargrove Quintet
Waco native Roy Hargrove is without a doubt one of jazz’s leading lights among the under-40 set, at least until he reaches that milestone later this year. But fans of Common, D’Angelo and Erykah Badu — a fellow alum of Dallas’s Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and…
