The Woggles’ Thoroughly Modern Modness Drums Up a Big Beat
“We have four different people writing the same song over and over again!”
The Wages of Sin Pay Dan Baird Pretty Well
The former Georgia Satellites front man and longtime roots-rock musician testifies to the importance of a good top hat.
Ten Things to Do in Houston for $10 or Less (Six Free), March 16-22
This week several artists and authors passing through Houston take a closer look at the marginalization of Americans.
Lee Ann Womack Embraces New Role as Americana Queen
The East Texas native talks about her upcoming Houston-recorded album and crossing back over to ‘real’ country music.
Victoria Man Linked to Mosque Fire Arrested, Held by Feds on Another Charge
A month after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had come to what felt like an almost inevitable conclusion that the fire that destroyed the Victoria Islamic Center on January 28 was believed to be arson, a man currently in federal custody has been accused of starting the fire that…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Noodles, Brews and Margaritas
From $5 noodles to a beer-fueled fish fry, here’s a look at this weekend’s best culinary happenings: National “Eat Your Noodles Day” at Izakaya Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (depending on demand) 318 Gray Izakaya recently debuted its new ramen menu, with a total of six choices including the…
Director’s Choice: Legends and Prodigy: Houston Ballet’s Next Mixed Rep Program
Initially Chun Wai Chan’s parents had visions of him being on China’s Olympic swimming team. He had big hands, long arms and was athletic. Seemed like a good match. But there were a few problems with that dream. “The trainer was hard to work with. I was 7 or 8…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Kong: Skull Island
Title: Kong: Skull Island Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: Marge: “He’s not dead!” Mr. Burns: “No, but his career is. I remember when Al Jolson ran amok at the Winter Garden and climbed the Chrysler Building. After that, he couldn’t get arrested in this town.” Brief Plot Synopsis: Humans monkey…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: Michelin-starred Yauatcha Opening Soon
Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these deliciously fun culinary happenings, from ways to dine for a cause to the opening of a world-renowned dim sum teahouse: Now is your chance to eat and drink for a cause. Benefiting the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas to honor its…
Openings & Closings: Welcome to Houston, Yauatcha!
Yauatcha, which launched in Soho London in 2004 to immediate acclaim, has finally arrived in Houston. Hakkasan Group’s Michelin-starred Chinese Restaurant will debut at 5045 Westheimer Road in The Galleria. The dim sum teahouse is helmed by executive chef Ho Chee Boon, who will present his award-winning Chinese cuisine through…
The Five Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Rodeo Then Regatta
After a week worth of work treat yourself to a funnel cake or some food truck goodies this weekend. Choose between the rodeo that packs all the comfort food of a carnival or get in touch with what make the Bayou City just that at the Buffalo Bayou Regatta. Even if you’re looking for something…
Texans Trade QB Brock Osweiler to Cleveland in Historic Salary Dump
They say that the two best days of a boat owner’s life are the day they buy the boat and the day they sell the boat. I suppose, if you’re the Houston Texans, the same could be said about employing Brock Osweiler. Oddly enough, for the Texans and Osweiler, those…
Why This Song Sucks: The Chainsmokers and Halsey’s “Closer”
The Chainsmokers released one of the most popular, and terrible, songs of 2016.
South By Due East, Houston’s Best “Fake Festival,” Is Back
All of the music performed this weekend will eventually air on public-access cable.
Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s 45th Annual Regatta Blends Water, Sun, Fun
Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s 45th annual regatta, one of the five largest regattas in the country, is happening this weekend in Houston’s queen of all waterways.
Harris County Sheriff, Judge Decry Money Bail System in Major Lawsuit Hearing
To Harris County criminal court Judge Darrell Jordan, Harris County’s bail system is like a leaking tub. Testifying this week before U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal in a lawsuit accusing the county’s bail system of being unconstitutional, Jordan offered a bleak picture of how the county’s money bail system…
Stirred And Shaken: Parkside’s Rose Parade
And so I find myself seated at an Austin happy hour during the nerdy, educational portion of SXSW. At least I’m fairly certain it’s the nerdier portion. There are many people walking around in backpacks and lanyards, clogging the elevators in my hotel with their talk of education and team…
Tony Romo to Be Released by Cowboys Thursday — Let the Bidding Begin!
The post-Cowboy Tony Romo Era… it’s really happening. As of Thursday afternoon, Tony Romo, a Dallas Cowboy for the past 14 years, will become a free agent. As first reported by Adam Schefter and Todd Archer, both of ESPN.com, the Cowboys plan to release the four-time Pro Bowler later today:…
HGOco’s Some Light Emerges Immortalizes Houston Landmark in Opera
Houston Grand Opera’s world-premiering Some Light Emerges immortalizes the Rothko Chapel and patron Dominique de Menil in song, weaving de Menil’s efforts to build the spiritual sanctuary with the stories of five characters, each visiting the chapel during a different moment in American history.
Cindy Wilson of the B-52’s Tries a Solo Flight
Cindy Wilson talks 40 years of B-52’s, the joy of starting over with a new solo project and her big plans with Axl and Slash.
Six Austin Spots to Check Out During SXSW
As SXSW gets underway, let’s turn our attention to hitting the road. Many folks will be visiting Austin in the coming week, and if you’re among them, and not entirely game for waiting in line for half a day to eat barbecue, here are a handful of fine establishments that…
Bill Could Make It Even Harder to Oppose TCEQ Air Quality Permits
It’s already hard enough to stop a permit application from going through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, but fighting an air quality permit may get even more difficult if a newly filed bill makes it through the state legislature. State Sen. Craig Estes, a Republican from Wichita Falls, has…
Man Accused in Murder of Deputy Darren Goforth Found Competent to Stand Trial
The man charged in the ambush-style murder of Harris County sheriff’s deputy Darren Goforth has been found competent to stand trial, as the Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday morning. Shannon Miles was accused of shooting Goforth 15 times in the back while Goforth was at a gas station filling up his…
The 10 Best SXSW Shows Headed to Houston
Why put up with the giant hassle that is SXSW in Austin when many of its most promising artists are playing here?
The Depeche Mode Appreciation Society Will Now Come to Order
With the band about to drop a new album and tour, a look back at the many faces of the seminal UK alterna-trio.
I Got Dumped on Valentine’s Day. Help!
What’s on your mind? What isn’t? Ask Willie D!
Lawyer Makes “Donation” to South Asian Group After Racist Emails
A Houston lawyer has been ordered to pay $1,800 to a Southeast Asian law group after he called a defendant a “Paki POS” and requested his deportation. First reported by Texas Lawyer, “Gary Riebschlager agreed to pay the voluntary donation to the South Asian Bar Association of Houston in lieu…
Fatal Collision on RodeoHouston Opening Night; Driver Charged With Intoxication Manslaughter
A Houston man has been charged with intoxication manslaughter after allegedly causing a fatal collision involving buses used to bring people to and from the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show. About 11:50 Tuesday night, police say the victim, a driver of a Nissan 370Z, was stopped at a red light…
Houston Symphony Presents Pathétique a.k.a. Music to Listen to When You Might Be About to Die
A scenario: You’re about to die very soon, whether you know it or not. What does the music sound like? It might sound like Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, Pathétique. Tchaikovsky conducted the premiere of Pathétique in October 1893, and died nine days later under circumstances that have never…
HISD Teacher Accused of Molesting Special Needs Student
Yet another Houston ISD teacher has been arrested on suspicion of having an inappropriate relationship with a student — this time with a special needs adult in his classroom. HISD police arrested Albert Lee Randall of Wisdom High School in west Houston on Tuesday. A teaching assistant for Randall told…
J.J. Watt Gives Out Some Sound Parenting Advice on Twitter
Whether Twitter (and social media, in general) makes athletes more popular or less popular is certainly up for debate — it’s probably both, depending on what exactly they use it for — but it is undeniable that without social media, the struggle for stories about these players during “down times”…
Michigan’s Famed Bell’s Brewery Launches in Houston With a Texas-Inspired IPA
Beer nerds will be happy to know that Michigan-based, family-run Bell’s Brewery is now available in Houston, and with the rollout of 12 beers comes a new specialty brew inspired by the Lone Star State. The Am I Right or Amarillo American IPA has a 6.0 percent ABV and the…
Doctor Who: Is Regeneration a Fundamentally Abusive Act by The Doctor?
Here’s a dark thought I recently had while contemplating the upcoming end of Peter Capaldi as The Doctor that is almost certainly going to make my Christmas needlessly sad this year: is the act of regeneration a fundamentally abusive one? I don’t mean that in a fan way, how we…
Hopdoddy Burger Bar Opens in Rice Village and You’ll Want the Hoss’ Hot Chicken
The second location of Austin-based burger and booze hub Hopdoddy Burger Bar is now open at 5510 Morningside, Ste 100. The first Houston location opened in late May 2016 at 4444 Westheimer in River Oaks, but the new Rice Village location is seemingly more family-friendly during the day with a large…
Houston Will Use Old Golf Course to Mitigate Future Floods
The City of Houston has apparently found better use for a golf course other than golfing: using it as a massive detention basin. As Mayor Sylvester Turner has continued to seek ways to mitigate flooding in Houston, the city laid out plans yesterday to convert the defunct Inwood Forest Golf…
Aaron Watson Opens RodeoHouston as the Underdog That Roared
The people who made Friday Night Lights ought to think about commissioning a screenplay on this guy.
Hollywood Isn’t “Liberal” – It’s Sexist and Misogynistic
Hollywood’s film industry has provided entertainment to the world for years, and that’s resulted in them affecting our culture in many ways. Because of that, some people have understandably been concerned that their influence isn’t always a positive one. For a long time, those criticisms have most often centered around…
OMB Bloodbath Is Out to Break Barriers
Expect OMB Bloodbath to be the most surprising rapper of 2017.
Remembering Robert Murphy, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Clifton Chenier’s Drummer
Also known as Tonto.
Alan Jackson Deserves a Spot Among Country’s All-Time Greats
Sure, Alan Jackson is a country legend. He’s also somewhat undervalued.
Yauatcha Opens in The Galleria on March 29
Highly-anticipated dim sum and then some restaurant Yauatcha will officially open in The Galleria at 5045 Westheimer on March 29, according to a press release. This will be the ninth location (and second in the US) of the Hakkasan Group’s esteemed, Michelin-starred eatery which already has outposts in India, London,…
DA Ogg Reportedly Wants to Reopen DWI Case Against Prominent Houston Attorney
For unknown reasons, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg has reportedly filed a motion to reopen the DWI case against prominent Houston defense attorney Anthony Buzbee, sources, including Buzbee, told the Houston Press. Buzbee’s case was dismissed in controversial fashion last December after former district attorney Devon Anderson personally dropped…
George Saunders Talks Lincoln, Writing and His First Novel at InPrint
Famed short story writer George Saunders had the idea for his first published novel — based on the death of Willie Lincoln, President Abraham Lincoln’s beloved son — in his head for more than 20 years before he decided to try and write it. On Monday night Inprint brought Saunders…
As Houston Humane Society Troubles Mount, Board Stays Silent
For years, the Houston Humane Society’s board of directors ignored complaints from employees and volunteers about a bullying, racist shelter director and derelict executive director, causing a nonprofit that drove away staff members and has been unable to find a full-time veterinarian for at least four months, former employees and…
Sol LeWitt Work Is Last Exhibit at Rice Gallery Before the Big Move
After more than 20 years of stunning, nationally and internationally acclaimed installations, Rice Gallery is being closed — making way for a Rice University welcome center. For the final show, the walls have been painted black, as if the gallery is shrouded in mourning. “Sol LeWitt: Glossy and Flat Black…
The 2017 Houston Press St. Patrick’s Day Guide
Get ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as only Houstonians can — with a little something for everyone. For the traditionalists, how about mass at the Chapel of St. Basil and brunch? For the film buffs? Irish Movie Week at Bellaire City Library. Single science lovers? The Houston Museum of…
The Ottoman Lieutenant Makes Romantic Hash Out of an Epochal Tragedy
Let’s say you had to make up a list of historical moments that might serve as grand backdrops for sweeping, old-fashioned, Hollywood-style romantic dramas. How high would you rank the Armenian Genocide? How high would you rank any genocide? Watching Hotel Rwanda, you probably never hoped that, amid the carnage,…
Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan Seeks to Stop Century-old Pasadena Refinery’s Pollution
The hits just keep on coming for Pasadena Refining System Inc., one of the oldest refineries in Texas. Shortly after being slapped with a federal lawsuit where two environmental groups alleged the century-old refinery has violated the federal Clean Air Act, the company, owned and operated by Petrobras, the state-run…
Houston Texans QB Conundrum Now Includes Jay Cutler As Possible “Solution”
As we all sit and wait for the inevitable release of Tony Romo up in Dallas (which will truly be the first big quarterback domino to fall this offseason), other small-to-medium-sized nuggets of QB news hit the market, and it becomes very evident just how quarterback starved the city of…
Upcoming: 10,000 Maniacs, At the Drive-In, Depeche Mode, Diana Ross, Lil Wayne, Old 97’s, Prince Royce, The Zeros, etc.
A constantly updated guide to upcoming Houston concerts.
Two Rural Texas Towns Debate Whether Exxon’s Proposed Steam Cracker Plant Would Be Blessing or Curse
Mayor Celestino Zambrano eases his battered 17-year-old baby-blue pickup truck to the left side of the road on the very edge of Gregory’s city limits, a predominantly Hispanic, low-income town of fewer than 2,000 residents located just north of Corpus Christi. Zambrano, 67, stares at the naked black fields, usually…
Morrissey Speaks: “Give In to Numbness… You’ve Earned It.”
There is none more elegant or sublime. Drink from the font of Morrissey’s wisdom.
A Few Things All RodeoHouston First-Timers Should Know
RodeoHouston can be confusing if you’ve never been before. That’s where we come in.
Cody Johnson Steps Into Old Dominion’s Rodeo Spot
Well, that didn’t take long.
Dakota Fanning Compels as a Mute Midwife, but Brimstone Won’t Leave You Speechless
Every Western that gets made feels like it could be the last one, and yet the genre refuses to ride off into the sunset. Martin Koolhoven’s Brimstone doesn’t breathe new life into the oater, but the Dutch writer/director has clearly studied the gunslingers of yore. His film strives for a…
Rodeo Down Another Entertainer After Death in Old Dominion Family
They’re really on the clock now.
Brennan’s of Houston Celebrates 50 Years With a Throwback Dinner
Fifty years ago, on March 5, 1967, Brennan’s of Houston opened its doors to the public for the first time. In celebration of this major milestone, the restaurant hosted a special “1967 Celebration Dinner” last night, complete with throwback dishes from the inaugural menu, and, for one night only, the…
Julia Ducournau’s Audacious Raw Makes a Sisterhood of Cannibalism
Almost no one ever asks young women what they desire — in movies or reality. Feminine cravings are still seen as a dire threat, a grand disturbance to the power structure, and the few movie men who dare speak the words “What do you want?” — like Noah in The…
In a Bizarre Ghost Story, Kristen Stewart Haunts Herself
In 1976’s The Devil Finds Work, James Baldwin makes a crucial verb distinction when discussing the screen legends, like Bette Davis, with whom he was transfixed (sometimes uneasily so) in his youth: “One does not go to see them act: one goes to watch them be.” When one goes to…
Green Day Is Everything You Could Want Out of a Rock Show
The Bay Area trio is about as good as rock and roll gets in 2017.
Dish of the Week: Chicken Piccata
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’re sharing an Italian take on chicken, with a deeper look into chicken piccata. The feminine form of the Italian word piccato,…
Rockets Go 2-0 to Start Toughest Six-Game Stretch of Season
There are still 19 games remaining in the Houston Rockets regular season, but the one not-yet-mathematically-clinched thing that we can say with practical certainty is that the Rockets WILL be the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. They trail the Spurs by five games for the No. 2 spot,…
Rebooted Houston College Classic Shatters Attendance Records
It’s no secret the Houston Astros rebooted the Shriners Hospitals College College Classic (or Houston College Classic, as it has been known for most of its history) because of dropping attendance numbers. So gone were the two major college baseball teams located in Houston. In were regional college baseball powers…
This Week in Houston Food Events: A Texas Tiki Disco
Here’s a look at this week’s hottest culinary happenings, from a pop-up “Texas Tiki Disco” to a beer-fueled ladies night: Monday through Tuesday Texas Tiki Disco at Nightingale Room Last year, the Anvil team took over the Chicago tiki bar, Lost Lake, and themed the pop-up a “Texas Tiki Disco.”…
Houston Rodeo’s Dutch Oven Dessert Competition Delights This First Time Judge
On Friday, March 3, the Rodeo Houston’s World’s Championship Bar-B-Que hosted its annual Dutch Oven Desserts Competition, with 154 sweet entries vying for top honors. The competition features two rounds of judging, and yours truly, reared as I was from a young age on toaster strudel icing packets and sticks of…
Sunnyside Residents Rebel Over Potentially Toxic Site of New Multi-Service Center
The controversy over the proposed move of the Sunnyside Multi-Service Center is as unpleasant as an old fetid landfill, with claims of mistruths told by City of Houston officials, alleged harassment of senior citizens and policies that promote “environmental racism.” As previously reported, the City of Houston is considering constructing…
MIEARS Treats White Oak Crowd to Elegant, Urgent EP-Release Show
Three female-fronted acts brought first-rate H-Town electro-pop to White Oak’s upstairs room.
Advice: There’s No Such Thing as an Ironic Nazi
A while back, a friend sent me a meme I can’t seem to find again, but it’s a simple variation on the “Jokes on Them” series, so I can describe it pretty easily. In the first panel a stick figure in an SS uniform screams “Heil Hitler.” In the second…
Houston’s Best New Seafood Dishes to Try During Lent
It’s Lent, which means many folks in the Houston area likely abstaining from certain luxuries. Now, foregoing meat on Fridays is always popular during this religious observation, which lasts until Palm Sunday, April 9. With that in mind, the Houston Press has gathered together the best new seafood dishes we’ve…
Mydolls Keep Giving Back, Inspiring Younger Rockers
Houston’s favorite punk grrrl mainstays, Mydolls played the Lawndale Art Center to celebrate their record release, Its Too Hot for Revolution.
Shows of the Week: Rodeo Kicks Off With Texas Country’s No. 1 Ex-Underdog
The livest live music in the Bayou City for the first full week of March 2017.
10 Acts We’d Like to See Play RodeoHouston 2018
Next year is not that far away…
Get to These Houston Restaurants in March and Hurry
It’s that time of month again. Time when we wrap up all of the best restaurant food we’ve found our way to in the past month. And yes, spring is officially starting on March 20, so you should probably catch up on these restaurants now, because there’s many more well…
King Kong Roars Again in a Suitably Silly Monster Mash
For a movie in which a major character’s death is discovered when a giant lizard-monster vomits out his skull, Kong: Skull Island is a surprisingly breezy affair. It’s not so much that the characters or situations are particularly lighthearted. The film offers up plenty of wartime atmosphere and grim backstory,…
Environmental Groups Slap Pasadena Refining System With Clean Air Act Lawsuit
The aged Pasadena Refining System Inc. is no stranger to problems. In recent years, the century-old facility has had a litany of incidents, everything from fires and explosions to a chemical release that forced residents to shelter-in-place for hours last year, as we’ve previously reported. Now, two environmental groups have…
Spur 5 Closure to Hassle Houston Drivers
Ongoing I-45 construction will be a particular pain to Houstonians beginning Friday as crews start work on a seven-month project to improve Spur 5 into downtown. The short stretch of freeway will be closed in the northbound direction so crews and demolish Spur 5 to build the new I-69/U.S. 59…
Houston Ballet Charms in Cinderella
Get up and get ready, Houston! Cinderella is back in town, and she’s ready to rumble. Forget Charles Perrault’s tale and Disney’s animated film, at least for now. Stanton Welch’s production of this age-old fairy tale is a charmer in its own right, and Houston Ballet delighted a full audience…
ICE Deports Salvadoran Father in Houston with No Criminal History
The call came in about 2:30 yesterday afternoon, and Jose Escobar asked his wife, Rose, if she was sitting down. “I’m in El Salvador,” he said. Rose was shocked. Just last week ago, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement taken Escobar, an undocumented immigrant, into custody at one of his regular…
Rick Perry, Confirmed As Energy Secretary, Could End Up Being Trump’s Best Cabinet Pick
Well, former governor Rick Perry has been confirmed as Secretary of Energy, and, stranger still, appears to be one of the best candidates President Donald Trump has tapped to join his cabinet. Remember when Perry being appointed to head up the agency he once vowed to get rid of seemed…
Desecrate the Faith’s Unholy Infestation Pours On the Brutality
The Houston quintet’s latest album sounds like someone ripping open a portal to hell.
Humane Society Board Dodges Questions About Troubled Shelter Director
Current and former employees say the Houston Humane Society’s shelter director, who has for years been accused of making racist outbursts and sexually harassing employees, resigned Wednesday, in the wake of yet more disturbing allegations. The non-profit’s executive director, Sherry Ferguson, and its attorney, Diana Hoover, did not respond to…
The Houston Press Mixtape: Rodeo Edition
We’ve hand-selected 16 songs from the most exciting artists heading into town in March.
The World Baseball Classic Is Back, but Opening Day Can’t Come Soon Enough
It’s World Baseball Classic time again. You remember, that time every couple of years where Major League Baseball interrupts spring training so it can stage its version of the World Cup, though the WBC is nowhere near as popular as its soccer counterpart. Sixteen different countries compete in a tournament with…
The Expanse Has Become the Workaday Space Opera of Our Dreams
Science fiction has gotten so high and mighty on TV that it now can be easy to admire but hard to love. Westworld and Mr. Robot may win Emmys and prompt think-pieces, but their self-reflective chill keeps the audience at arm’s length — few things are as annoying as getting…
Texas Renaissance Festival Launches New Chef Showdown With $10,000 Prize
Texas Renaissance Festival is jumping in the chef competition game this year, with its first-ever Royal Chef Showdown, which will award a whopping $10,000 cash and the very appropriately named King’s Beard Award to one lucky, winning toque. The festival is currently calling on chefs to compete by bringing their…
Judge Tosses Federal Suit Against Texas AG Ken Paxton (Again)
Texas Attorney General Ken “I Fought the Law” Paxton can breathe a little easier Thursday, thanks to a federal judge’s dismissal of of a lawsuit filed against him by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Austin American-Statesman reports that “U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant III dismissed the SEC lawsuit…
MS-13 Gang Members Charged in Satanic Cult Killing
Two MS-13 gang members have been charged with killing a woman as part of a satanic cult, and have been accused of kidnapping a male victim with the intent to sexually abuse him. Houston police arrested Miguel Alvarez-Flores, 22, and Diego Hernandez-Rivera, 18, while investigating the aggravated sexual assault and…
Three More Agu Ramens Are on the Way to Houston
Hawaiian transplant AGU Ramen, which opened three, yes, three locations in Houston at the end of 2016, has just announced plans to open another three locations in spring 2017, with an eye for further expansion as well. Agu will debut in Sugar Land at 2130 Lone Star and in Katy…
NASA Gives the Apollo Moon Bag Back to the Rightful Owner, Peacefully
The Apollo 11 moon rock bag is now back in the hands of its owner. That owner is not NASA. Instead, a Chicago woman, Nancy Lee Carlson, a collector of space memorabilia, has picked up the bag that she bought at an auction and then sent to the Johnson Space Center…
