Cry Little Sister: A Corey Haim Soundtrack Retrospective
The last time we were visiting our parents in Friendswood, Rocks Off noticed a new DVD version of 1987’s The Lost Boys at the sales counter of the local Hollywood Video (which must be one of the last remaining franchises in the Houston area, but we digress). We didn’t buy…
An Experiment In Terror: One Hour On Chatroulette
Since its launch in November of last year, popular video chat site Chatroulette has become a beacon of late-night entertainment for lonely people, drunken college kids, and Internet pranksters the world over. It’s also spotlighted an epidemic of grown men masturbating for the whole world to see.Yesterday Hair Balls braved…
Texas-Size Bento at Umai
Umai Japanese (8400 Bellaire Boulevard) opened quietly just a few months ago. We discovered this wonderful restaurant from a friend’s recommendation and decided to give it a shot. The interior is brilliant; clearly, the designer put a lot of thought into making the interior space welcoming and contemporary. Our outing…
Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Not Eating Out in New York: While this isn’t a local blog,…
Cowboy Tales From The Rodeo: It’s A Family Affair
Rodeo cowboys basically live on the road, traveling with men and women crazy enough to ride, rope and wrestle live animals for a paycheck. Each day, Hair Balls is asking a different cowboy to tell us a little bit about himself and his wildest story from a life of rodeo…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #83 El Ultimo Taco Truck’s Breakfast Tacos, Longpoint and Antoine
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Barbecue – More Than Just Meat
When we think of the rodeo, we think of barbecue. So in honor of the rodeo, we wanted to bring you our top five cities for barbecue in Texas. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. Sure, we have our personal favorites like Taylor and Lockhart. But, what we soon realized is that…
“We’re Ashamed The President Is From Texas” And Five Other Acts Of Career Suicide
Seven years ago this week, the Dixie Chicks had the No. 1 country single in the U.S. with Bruce Robison’s lump-raising “Travelin’ Soldier.” Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., the Bush Administration was putting the finishing touches on its Iraqi invasion strategy, which prompted Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines to tell a…
If You’re Going To Rob A Bank, At Least Be Polite About It
Photos courtesy FBIThe FBI sounds highly annoyed at the latest Houston bank robber. Not because he robbed a bank — anyone here is pretty much used to that sort of thing these days — but because he was unspeakably rude while doing so.The “Big Bully,” they’re calling him.The headline on…
It’s Already Broughten — California Trash Talk Over That Loose Bull At The Rodeo
Earlier this week the big news out of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo was a bull who got loose.One of the cowboys competing in the rodeo roped him; unfortunately he headed home to California before the local media could talk to him (The cowboy, not the bull, that is.)But…
10 Deceptively Easy Dishes
Boeuf bourguignon. Coq au vin. Molten chocolate cake. Fancy-sounding dishes for fancy-sounding meals, right? Whether you’re impressing a date or an entire dinner party, there are certain items you can serve that will have the room applauding your culinary skills — and have you taking it easy in the kitchen…
Game Time: Slow Clap For Corey Haim (1971-2010)
Deaths of `80’s child stars. Two weeks ago, it was Andrew Koenig. This morning, it was Corey Haim. If these things happen in threes, Gary Coleman may want to look twice before crossing the street this week. Just saying.This morning, anyone whose formative pop-culture years occurred in the late 1980’s…
Rocks Off’s Rodeo Concert Guide: N’Sync Backstreet Boys O-Town Rascal Flatts
Date: March 10 Name: Rascal Flatts AKA: “No Talentt Ass Clowns” Genre: Pop-country Best Known Song(s): “What Hurts the Most,” “Bless the Broken Road,” “I Want it That Way Key Demographic: Hannah Montana fans looking to butch up their image, people who’ve never heard the name “Waylon Jennings” Previous HLSR…
Mark Bly Goes Behind The 39 Steps
The Alley Theatre’s senior dramaturg and director of new play development Mark Bly spoke with Hair Balls about the new production of Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps opening today. We asked him about the story’s various incarnations, themes and how Hitchcock managed to so successfully mix danger with comedy. Hair…
Tasting Barbecue Sauces
In trying to find the top five barbecue sauces, we put our favorites on a list to try, added others we had read awesome things about, and went to HEB and picked up a basket of sauces to try (along with other snacks to dip them in). We set some…
Artist Of The Week: Saxophonist Stephen Richard Debunks 5 Jazz Stereotypes
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. There are two reasons that jazz saxophonist Stephen…
Your Guide To The Annual March Music Invasion Of Texas
March can be a harrowing, exhausting time to be a music fan in Texas. Or it can be the most exhilarating time of all.Everyone knows about the monster that is SXSW. It can be far too easy to be overwhelmed by options, last-minute hype and logistical nightmares. Luckily, this week’s…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Marc Borel
Yesterday after finishing up our interview with local wine badass Marc Borel, we decided to experience his favorite day at 13 Celsius for ourselves by attending a Tuesday cupcake pairing. We had a raspberry-filled dark-chocolate cupcake with a blend of Shiraz and Bordeaux. The deep tones of the red wine…
A Brief Guide To Super Happy Fun Land’s SXSW Overflow Fest
Thursday marks the beginning of Super Happy Fun Land’s SXSW Overflow Fest, two weeks of performers stopping by the East End art space/music venue/sock-monkey emporium on their way to and from Austin. Read more about it in this week’s SXSW-related feature package. This year Overflow Fest is bringing almost 100…
NASA Had Proof Of Water On The Moon Sitting In Their Storage Closet
NASA famously bombed the moon last year in a desperate attempt to prove there’s water on it. While water was indeed discovered, we have yet to hear any reliable figures on collateral damage to the affected areas or the native population.It turns out, instead of almost triggering a Earth-Moon war…
Broccoli Rabe ala Robb
I sautéed thin slices of leftover barbecue sausage with some garlic in a lot of olive oil and then chopped up this six-ounce bunch of broccoli rabe and tossed it with sausage and covered it. Then I mixed the sausage and greens with two cups of cooked macaroni and hit…
Aftermath: Darius Rucker’s Forever Road To Purple Rain, Via David Allan Coe And Hank Jr. At RodeoHouston
Took us long enough, but Aftermath finally understands the rodeo. After one performer who left us cold, and another who turned Reliant Stadium into the world’s biggest gospel/R&B revival, Darius Rucker’s set Tuesday was the definition of “mass entertainment.” It doesn’t matter if the music is country, rock, pop or…
Texas Traveler: Independence Day
How did you celebrate the 174th anniversary of Texas’ independence from Mexico? You probably didn’t do anything like what a group of stalwart runners spent their weekend doing — running the 203 miles from Gonzales to the San Jacinto Battleground in Deer Park.Dozens of teams of eight to 12 members…
Cougars Aren’t Giving Up As C-USA Tournament Begins
A season that began with high hopes came quickly crashing down for the Cougars, and with Saturday’s loss to the Tulane Green Wave, the Cougars finished the season at 15-15. The C-USA Tournament begins today, and the Cougars find themselves as the seventh seed preparing to face an East Carolina…
Brew Blog: Aventinus, G. Schneider & Sohn’s Wheat Doppelbock
We’ve seen it a few places around town since we picked it up at Central Market a few weeks ago, but we’d still never tried Aventinus, G. Schneider & Sohn’s wheat doppelbock, which the brewery claims is Germany’s original. The most important thing to say about this beer is to…
Idol Beat: Bowersox the Girl to Beat?
The happiest moment of my Tuesday was when I realized that American Idol was only an hour that night, not two. This is already the third week in a row with three eps over three nights, and this thing runs until the end of May, so I’ll take breaks where…
American Idol: Bowersox the Girl to Beat?
The happiest moment of my Tuesday was when I realized that American Idol was only an hour that night, not two. This is already the third week in a row with three eps over three nights, and this thing runs until the end of May, so I’ll take breaks where…
Pedro Martinez, 21, Bayou Body Count No. 62
If your name is Omar Sebastian Garcia and you were at Sunny’s Flea Market on Saturday afternoon, you’d better run like hell. The long-arm of the law is out to getcha.Harris County Sheriff’s detectives have filed murder charges against the 20-year-old Garcia for allegedly stabbing to death his relative through…
I Wanna Be Your Dog (Or Cat): More Than A Feeling
March 10 (otherwise known as “today”) is a historic date: On this day in history, Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call, which we all know was to Domino’s, for a large pepperoni-and-sausage deep-dish. Also on this day in 1952, Batista led a coup in Cuba, which resulted in…
Stirred and Shaken: Roeder’s Pub’s Dragon-Ass
What would you do in this situation? You’re with a small group, doing some weeknight drinking on the patio of a neighborhood everybar — in this case, Roeder’s Pub (3116 S. Shepherd, 713-524-4994). You’re waiting to hear a selection on the jukebox — specifically, you want to introduce a friend…
Bayou Beat: Local SXSW Acts – Holla At Us, New Indian Jewelry Next Month, Sting Strings Up The Woodlands, Bertell Will Teach You The “Suicide Position”
Bayou Beat: Because sometimes Houston is too big for just one Mixtape. Attention Houston bands, rappers, folksingers, etc.: If you are playing in Austin next week – anywhere in Austin, not just an official SXSW event – please email chris.gray@houstonpress.com ASAP. Rocks Off has some questions we’d like to ask…
You Give $10,000 To A Political Colleague, She Pleads Guilty To Tax Fraud The Next Week
Terri Hodge was a state rep from Dallas for 14 years; earlier this year she faced a tough re-election fight. Hodge sent out a desperate plea for help, and among those answering was Houston state rep Senfronia Thompson, who wrote a $10,000 check from her own campaign fund.And nine days…
Backstage with South Pacific in Houston
With opening night just a few hours away, the 14-member traveling stage crew with South Pacific, aided by 60 locals, were in the final stages of the 13 hours it takes them to unload and set up Tuesday morning at the Hobby Center. The reinvention of the classic Rodgers &…
Prasek’s Hillje Kielbasa Sandwich
Split and toast a hoagie roll, apply German mustard liberally to both sides. Place one grilled Prasek’s Hillje Smokehouse beef and pork kielbasa in the middle. Top with sauerkraut and devour with a schooner of Shiner beer. That’s the recipe for this classic Texas sausage sandwich…
Patrick Sims, 28, Jeffrey Chaney Jr., 25, Marcus Whitaker, 33 Bayou Body Count Nos. 59-61
Many Texans like to think that stashing a gun in the house will keep them safe. But this isn’t always the case. And there’s a chance that two robbery victims could still be alive if they didn’t have such easy access to a firearm.Jeffrey Chaney, Jr. was standing in the…
Fresh-N-Best Is the Best
Maybe it was because we were up at the crack of dawn that we made it to Fresh-N-Best donuts on Bellaire early enough to get the donuts while they were still fresh and warm. Usually when we get donuts it is like noon, and by then all the fatty little…
That Company Claiming To Prevent ID Theft Settles Claims In Texas And Elsewhere
You’ve probably seen the LifeLock commercials on TV or heard them on the radio — company CEO Todd Davis throws his Social Security number out there for everyone to write down. Do with it what you will, miscreants, because Davis has LifeLock protection!! You can’t touch him!!And, for $10 or…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Marc Borel
Yesterday we chatted with wine badass Marc Borel about his favorite wine and the biggest challenges facing the Houston wine community. Today we ask him a few more questions. Eating Our Words: Is there an opportunity for your customers to get great wines at affordable prices in convenient locations? Marc…
Who Shot Ya?: Famous, And Not-So-Famous, Unsolved Musician Deaths
Late into the night of March 9, 1997, a GMC Suburban carrying Brooklyn rapper Notorious B.I.G. left a party sponsored by Vibe magazine and was riddled with bullets as it waited at a red light on Wilshire Boulevard near Beverly Hills. When the Suburban arrived at nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center…
Are CEP’s Days Numbered in HISD?
Two-thirds of the Houston ISD students sent to Community Education Partners, the private facility that operates two alternative campuses here, aren’t required to be there by state law. It’s local district policy and the discretion of the individual principal that decides if a student is removed from his home campus…
Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Rodeo Foods
If you have been a vegetarian for a while, you probably won’t need this article. If, however, you have gone veg for lent, or even as a New Year’s resolution, this may help keep you on track in the meat-ville that is the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. We understand…
Cowboy Tales From The Rodeo: More Worried About Your Horse Than Yourself
Rodeo cowboys basically live on the road, traveling with men and women crazy enough to ride, rope and wrestle live animals for a paycheck. Each day, Hair Balls is asking a different cowboy to tell us a little bit about himself and his wildest story from a life of rodeo…
Get Down With The Gourds At FotoFest 2010’s Free Opening Party This Friday
One of the best – and least publicized – free parties in town is the FotoFest opening, and this year the organizers are upping the ante by presenting Austin roots-rocking favorites the Gourds this Friday night. This year’s exhibition is titled Whatever Was Splendid: New American Photographs, and features works…
Game Time: David Carr Officially Makes The Bay Area A Quarterback Leper Colony
If there are any college math students out there who double as sports fans and you’re looking to do a thesis on a nice, safe sports topic where the content will keep you interested and the various regression analyses will always — ALWAYS — end up supporting your cause, use…
The Shameless Chef: Pumpkin Pancakes
For some reason, the food industry thinks we’re only supposed to enjoy pumpkin-flavored goodness between Halloween and Christmas. That’s the only time we’re instructed to eat pumpkin pie or pumpkin-flavored ice cream… hell, that’s the only time those awesome pumpkin-flavored vegan cookies are available. Well, I say damn the man…
Rocks Off’s Rodeo Concert Guide: Darius “Don’t Call Me Hootie” Rucker
Date: March 9 Name: Darius Rucker AKA: “Hootie” Genre: Post-grunge country Best Known Song(s): “I Only Wanna Be With You,” “Hold My Hand,” “Alright” [sic] Key Demographic: Ex-frat boys looking to relive their millennial glory days; slightly tone-deaf, time travelers from the year 3017 who want to witness the exact…
Judge Puts His Controversial Death-Penalty Ruling On Hold
Harris County’s controversial district judge Kevin Fine, who got headlines across the Net with his ruling last week that the Texas death penalty was unconstitutional, has backed off a bit.Media reports say he announced today that he’s rescinding the ruling, but instead will schedule a hearing so attorneys can argue…
SXSW: The Food
If you’re like most intrepid folks braving the crowds at Austin’s annual South By Southwest Festival this year, you’re either a relatively poor journalist, a relatively poor freelance writer or have recently been made relatively poor by shelling out mad Benjamins to purchase a pass. Luckily for you, SXSW has…
Beyonce As Ginger “The Movie Star”? How About Meat Loaf As The Skipper, John Mayer As Gilligan…
Good news, everyone! Hollywood has heard your desperate pleas: Warner Bros. is producing an updated movie remake of Gilligan’s Island. Thank God! This should go over even better than Land of the Lost did! All kidding aside, this might actually be good news, since if the movie version of Gilligan’s…
Rick Perry’s Campaign Is Only Implying Bill White Was A Corrupt Mayor
Rick Perry’s press office was notoriously aggressive in the race against Kay Bailey Hutchison, filling reporters’ e-mail boxes with attacks before KBH ever made her first bungled, hapless appearance on the trail.Things will not be different when it comes to Bill White, it seems.One week after they won their respective…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #84 Salchi-Burger at Brisa Cocina, San Felipe and Post Oak
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Relax, Boys: Science Says Porn Is Good For You
The news just keeps getting better and better for guys who like to look at porn, thanks to (the male-dominated) World of Science.A while back came the announcement that masturbation can cut down on the rate of prostate cancer, and who wants prostate cancer?Now comes a study, complete with research…
Ask A Rap Group: Galveston’s Them Island Bois On “Stanky Legg,” Their Own “Johnny Bravo” And Other Dance-Rap Tracks
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place – lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good – so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted…
Brunch at Backstreet Cafe
We visited an old favorite for brunch this weekend, Backstreet Cafe (1103 South Shepherd). Some hours before the rain hit, we sat outside on the garden oasis of a patio, which is one of the café’s biggest draws. We weren’t the only ones with this idea. It was packed, and…
Don’t Like Long Delays On Continental? Try Dealing With Cancellations, Suckahs
Houston’s Continental Airlines — the company that, through a partner, gave us the “nightmare” nine-hour flight delay — has come out with a bold new customer service statement.Essentially, it’s “You think delays are bad? Just wait until we start canceling flights.”Spurred by events like that long tarmac delay, the feds…
New On DVD: Precious, Up in the Air And Embarrassment For Robin Williams And John Travolta
We’re not going to quibble about the fact that Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire supposedly earned only $46.8 million while John Travolta’s Old Dogs reportedly snagged $48.5 million and George Clooney’s Up in the Air pulled down more than $80 million. (All three films are being released…
Aftermath: Tim McGraw, Haggard But Dependable At RodeoHouston
Sunday, 24 hours before his RodeoHouston appearance, Tim McGraw walked the red carpet at the Academy Awards, where his The Blind Side co-star Sandra Bullock would come away with a Best Actress statue later in the evening. Not living in Hollywood, we don’t know what happened after that, but Aftermath…
Bobby Heugel’s Weekly Cocktail: The Blood and Sand
There are very few cocktails that call for Scotch that are worth the effort it takes to make them. While there are some exceptions, the Blood and Sand is the undisputed among today’s cocktail enthusiasts. Named for the 1922 Rudolph Valentino silent film of the same name, the Blood and…
Magnolia City Mixtape: The Cost Of SXSW, Mourning Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous, New Wild Moccasins Album, Dan Aykroyd At The Art Car Parade, Etc.
On Broken Record, an interesting breakdown of what it costs even a well-known band to play SXSW. And here’s a follow-up. Here’s a plethora of remembrances for Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous, who committed suicide over the weekend. Nonalignment Pact writes about seeing the band at Rudyards in 1999. Andrew Dansby of…
Juan Espitia, 35, Bayou Body Count No. 58
It was a stab ‘n run.Julio Espitia, 35, was in the parking lot of his apartment complex at 10910 Gulf Freeway early Monday morning, police say, when he started arguing with a man.At some point, police say, the man cut and stabbed Espitia several times. He died on the spot.Police…
Houston 101: Yet Another New Nickname For The Bayou City, Er, Space City, Um, H-Town…
Unlike, say, the Big Apple or the Eternal City, Houston has never quite settled on one definitive nickname. A Canadian newspaper has just announced that we have a new one, but more on that in a second…Beginning in the 1870s, locals were calling Houston the Magnolia City, in honor of…
Where Are We Drinking?
No doubt you’ve been here with a bachelorette party, or forced here by promises of giant cocktails in buckets, and ended up dying a little inside while you whiled away the hours listening to absolutely horrible covers of some of your least favorite songs, making you like them even less…
Distant Early Warning: The Melvins, A.R. Rahman, Chicago/Doobie Brothers, Kidz In The Hall, Maxwell, Sage Francis, Etc.
The Melvins, Totimoshi: Mon., June 7. Warehouse Live. Andre Nickatina: Fri., May 28. Wired Live. Andrew Karnavas (Solo Album Release Show), Nick Gaitan, Clory Martin: Sat., April 24. Continental Club. A.R. Rahman: Sat., July 3. Toyota Center. Bo Peep, Shit City High, Room 101: Thu., March 18. Wired Live. Bone…
As March Madness Looms, Rice Begins To See Light At The End Of A Dismal Tunnel
The Rice Owls go into the C-USA men’s basketball tournament tomorrow as the Number 12 seed. They finished the season 7-22 (1-15 in conference). Their chances are nearly nil for advancement past the first round. Their chances for getting to the NCAA nearly nonexistent.But the winning’s not the important thing…
HISD Pays A Bundle To Settle Claims Of A Tainted Bid Process
The Department of Justice has announced that the Houston school district will fork over $850,000 to settle claims that its bidding process for computer services was tainted.The Federal Communications Commission had frozen so-called “E-rate” payments to HISD in 2006 after allegations that district officials had improperly accepted dinners and gifts…
Chef Chat: Marc Borel, Wine Badass
The wines served in Houston can be all over the place, but one wine bar continues to stand above the rest, 13 Celsius. We recently sat down with local wine “badass” Marc Borel. You too can ask Marc questions about wine via Twitter (@marcborel). Eating Our Words: Any suggestions for…
Today In Disgusting Lawsuits, Starring Overflowing Toilets, Toenails And An Amputated Leg
Here’s a lesson for all you DIY guys, or maybe all the spouses whose significant other wants them to get off their ass and become a DIY person: Fix a toilet and you can lose your leg. In a most disgusting manner.That, at least, is the claim made by Houstonian…
Aftermath: The Russian Spring Festival At Under The Volcano
Aftermath didn’t think it was possible, but this year’s Russian Spring Festival at Under the Volcano was twice as large as it was last year. This, of course, led to twice the chaotic fun that eventually exhausted the revelers. Assisted by local accordion whiz and vocalist Greg Harbar, Austin’s Flying…
Meet Marcus Master Batum, Who Does A Lot Of Exactly What It Sounds Like He Does
It’s a fact that most men like to play with themselves. Some even enjoy doing it in public. One man in particular, however, apparently likes to do it in front of unsuspecting women, over and over again, regardless of the consequences.His name, according to court records, is Marcus Master Batum.Seriously,…
Monday Mix Bag: Backstage With DJ Flea, Lucky Luciano Protege Lil Koo Puts Freeport on the Map
We’re always scouring the Internet for videos that’ll help give listeners of hip-hop an appreciation for the work put into making a track, mixtape or album, or provide aspiring artists some helpful hints on how to be successful in the game and have the right mentality going in. We’ve got…
Unidentified Woman, Bayou Body Count No. 57
Sure, Brandon Cornett may have shot his wife in cold blood, but at least he didn’t try to deny it.Police say that they got a call Saturday night about a shooting and drove over to 9002 Sterlingshire in northeast Houston. When they arrived, police say, Cornett walked up to the…
Houston’s Version Of International Women’s Day Grows Even Larger
Don’t have anything to be happy about on this miserable Monday yet? Well, if you’re a woman, you have no excuse for sulking. Today is International Women’s Day dog gone it! So as you sit in your office or home (not earning the same pay as your male co-worker or…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #85 Vegetable Trio in Sichuan Sauce at Spicy Sichuan, 9888 Bellaire
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Game Time: Sandra Bullock Inspires Me To Salute My Favorite Moms In Sport
So yesterday I spent my Sunday out at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with my 12-year-old daughter, Judy Anne, and my co-host John Harris and his daughter. It was the Sunday that I have unofficially dubbed “Rodeo Bubble Gum Music Sunday,” the last two years headlined by the Jonas…
Aftermath: The Jonas Brothers, Past Their Sell-By Date At RodeoHouston
Is it evolutionary, do you think, or devolutionary, to value a type of music that carries with it an implied sense of shittiness – a value given to it for the simple sake of allowing the listener to access his or her own individual feeling of interpretive entitlement of an…
Finding Your Dog’s Grave Shouldn’t Be A Where’s Waldo Thing, Right, Houston Humane Society?
In March 2009, Estelle Nelson paid the Houston Humane Society $500 to bury her dog, Lady. An employee named Toni Baker handled the paperwork and presided over the funeral. Not long afterward, Baker was part of the exodus of employees from HHS — an exodus due in large part to…
Bartender Chat: Nick Palumbo of Kelvin Arms
After breaking his heel in a sports accident, Nick Palumbo of Kelvin Arms (2424 Dunstan Road) was told by his doctor that he couldn’t bartend anymore. But that didn’t stop him. “I started bartending days instead of nights because it’s not as busy,” Palumbo says. We’re glad he didn’t listen…
Rocks Off’s Rodeo Concert Guide: Tim McGraw
Date: March 8 Name: Tim McGraw AKA: “That Lucky Bastard” Genre: Sports country Best Known Song(s): “Don’t Take The Girl,” “Live Like You Were Dying,” “Dude, Have You Checked Out my Wife?” Key Demographic: Mets fans, arena-football aficionados, Democrats looking for a counter to Toby Keith Previous HLSR Appearances: 1996-97, 2003,…
Enrique Berman, 34, Bayou Body Count No. 56
Drugs and murder. They seem to go together so well. But which is worse? The obvious answer, of course, is murder. But in the eyes of the law, and the folks who set bond, it may not be so clear. Take the case of Hugo Fernel Romero. On Thursday, police…
Cowboy Tales From The Rodeo: The “Fullest Life,” But You’re Not Going To Get Rich
Rodeo cowboys basically live on the road, traveling with men and women crazy enough to ride, rope and wrestle live animals for a paycheck. Each day, Hair Balls is asking a different cowboy to tell us a little bit about himself and his wildest story from a life of rodeo…
Aftermath: John Mayer, Chastened And Bubble-Bath Calm At Toyota Center
At one point midway through his set Saturday night at Toyota Center, John Mayer told us to all imagine that we were watching VH-1 Classic so he could adequately interpolate Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” into his new “Half Of My Heart” with less guilt involved. A little known fact about…
Texas AG Greg Abbott Says If You Go To Chatroulette.com, Expect Sex
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon – Thurs 11p / 10cTech-Talch – Chatroulettewww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorHealth Care ReformTexas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued a “warning to parents” today about chatroulette.com, the latest Internet buzzy thing.People go to chatroulette if they have a webcam and get hooked up with a…
Shuckers Chorus Line
A dozen shuckers worked non-stop cranking open oysters for the hungry mob at Fulton’s 31st annual Oysterfest last weekend. Texas oysters for $8 a dozen, cold beer in souvenir mugs and non-stop live music are the main attractions. There is an oyster shucking competition and a men’s and a women’s…
Aftermath: Jason Aldean, Impossible Not To Like At RodeoHouston
Saturday night, Jason Aldean performed in front of over 70,000 screaming RodeoHouston fans. While his performance caught most attendants’ attention, we were focused on the impressive mustaches many patrons were rocking. Every year we attend the rodeo, we see even more glorious mustaches; it’s as if there’s an unofficial competition…
Wind Energy In Texas Sets A New Record
You probably didn’t notice it, since we here in Houston don’t end up getting much of it, but electricity created by wind energy set a record in Texas over the weekend.Well, on Friday, at any rate, at 6:37 a.m. when 6,272 megawatts — about 19 percent of the state’s total…
Aftermath: Roky Moon & BOLT And Weird Party Complete The Rock And Roll Circle Of Life At The Mink
Friday night at the Mink, one Houston band prepared to venture out into the world outside the Loop like a child going off to school for the first time, while another one was delivered unto us with fierce, happy birthing spasms the likes of which we hadn’t seen before. As…
Enjoy The Rodeo!! And Watch Out For The Rampaging Bulls In The Parking Lot!! (UPDATED With Real Cowboy Goodness)
In a desperate attempt to attract attention — or, perhaps, due to a mistake — the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo added its own version of the Running of the Bulls yesterday.As the official release from the rodeo puts it, “a bucking bull was able to get through two gates…
Is This Cheating? Instant Tomatoes
These giant tomato plants on the front porch of Wabash Feed Store on Washington near T.C. Jester are already climbing out of their cages. Odds are these monsters will set fruit in the backseat of your car on the way home, and all you’ll have to do is pull off…
Oscar Wrap-Up: The Real Winners Last Night
Well, that’s over. Before I rub anybody’s noses in my flawless predictions, I will say that this year’s ceremony seemed to flow somewhat better than others of recent years. This could be due to my hitting the sauce earlier than usual (during the red carpet…Jesus, Ryan Seacrest is short), though…
The Strip House 5 Course Beer Pairing
Okay, as several of you readers have noted in previous comments on Eating… Our Words, sometimes all these wine pairing dinners are just tiresome. You’d rather have a beer with all that fancy food, thank you very much. The Strip House (1200 McKinney) in downtown Houston has come up with…
Aftermath: Mary J. Blige’s Drama-Free Command Performance At RodeoHouston
Of all the notes we wrote down during Mary J. Blige’s powerhouse RodeoHouston concert at sold-out Reliant Stadium Friday night, we can boil it down to one we wrote after Blige gave U2’s “One” the gospel girding Bono and the boys never quite could: “Amazing.” Not only was Blige’s rapid-fire…
The Week In TV: Team Coco Plays Dirty
I’m well-rested, ready for adventure, and I play pool wearing shorts. This was the week in TV Land: • So, the Oscars happened. When it comes to the awards, I agree with Manohla Dargis: “Let’s acknowledge that the Oscars are bullshit and we hate them. … I’ve learned to never…
Turning The Screw: Troublesum, Limp Bizkit & Paul Wall, Rap-A-Lot’s Mike Dean, Miley Chopped & Screwed, Beyonce, Z-Ro And More
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: Wire To Wire Limp Bizkit asked Paul Wall to be on their new album. He agreed. Let that sink…
Where Are We Eating?
The bright flash of a sharp cleaver, the smell of smoking meat, the rich sheen of fresh links of sausage. Does this scene look familiar to you? Think you can guess where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
The Highlights Of The College Baseball Classic
They played the tenth annual Houston College Classic this weekend in a tournament of college baseball featuring three of the best college baseball teams in the country in Texas, TCU, and Rice along with Houston, Missouri, and Texas Tech.The best day of the series was Saturday as all three games…
When All The Want-to In The World Won’t Get You To The Houston Rodeo
Hair Balls had every intention of being at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Saturday afternoon. Plans were to take in the vendors at the Reliant Center, pet a few animals and eat some of the food that won the Golden Buckle Foodie awards this year.In fact, Hair Balls was…
Rocks Off’s Rodeo Concert Guide: The Jonas Brothers
Date: March 7 Name: The Jonas Brothers AKA: “JOOOOOOOOOOOOOE!!!!!!!” Genre: Parent-approved pop Best Known Song(s): “Burnin’ Up,” “SOS,” “Lick My Love Pump” Key Demographic: Daughters of women who swooned over Duran Duran, themselves the offspring of rabid Monkees fans…the circle of vaguely androgynous pop idolatry continues. Previous HLSR Appearances: 2009…
Inquiring Minds: Great Big Sea’s Bob Hallett On The Violent Ocean, Sea Chanteys, Celtic Traditions And Newfoundland’s Punk Scene
Newfoundland, now officially known as the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, was the first bit of North American soil encountered by European explorers. Ever since, the rest of the continent has left the rocky island in the far North Atlantic, and its hardy natives who mostly eke out a…
Inquiring Minds: Spearhead’s Michael Franti On Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Having A Hit Record In The Hospital And John Mayer
This week in the Press, Rocks Off talked to Spearhead founder and front man Michael Franti about Bob Marley, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell (who signed Marley and U2) and the left-field success of the Bay Area group’s hit single “Say Hey (I Love You)” after almost two decades of…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly round-up here at Eating Our Words, where we hide the cat’s allergy medicine in only the finest Muenster cheese, AND THE LITTLE BASTARD STILL WON’T EAT IT. As many of you are no doubt aware, Houston’s weather has been as mercurial and flighty as that…
Think You’ve Heard Every Last “Single Ladies” Remix/Mash-Up There Is? Try This One.
If you’re anything like Rocks Off, you are more than ready to throw this unholy bastard of a week off a bridge, under a bus or anywhere else it can die the violent, bloody death it deserves. But before you do, we found another mash-up of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” on…
Not Beer, Not Wine, Hard Cider
You might mistake this fruity effervescent drink for Belgian fruit Lambic, or a champagne cocktail made with pear liqueur. But this is neither beer nor wine, it’s hard cider. It’s only 4 percent alcohol, so it’s just a little stronger than near beer. But the flavor isn’t like you typical…
How Not To Get 35 Years For Pot Possession
Smith County (East Texas) judges and juries have long had a reputation of meting out severe, some might say ridiculous, punishment for drug convictions. And Henry Wooten’s case is no exception: the 54-year-old Tyler man was sentenced Thursday to 35 years in prison for possessing slightly more than four ounces…
Late-Night Scene: Hotel Derek
Last night we sat in the lounge of the Hotel Derek, drinking greyhounds and chasing them down with cheap bottled beer, hiding from the brutish realities of the night. We love hotel bars, their random mix of patrons sipping overpriced cocktails, hoping to get lucky enough to score the company…
Radar Eyes: WFMU Music Director Brian Turner Talks Yoko, SXSW, KISS, Rusted Shut And The Diceman
Radar Eyes: State your name and purpose… Brian Turner: Brian Turner, WFMU Music Director, Jersey City RE: What are you wearing? BT: A Sir Mix-A-Lot promotional construction hardhat and my Rusted Shut black tee. RE:Rubber dress or leather dress? BT: Michelin man tire suit. RE: No panties please!!!! So what’s…
Learn All About One Of The Obsessions Of That Pentagon Subway Shooter
John Patrick Bedell, the unhinged 36-year-old software developer who shot up the Pentagon Metro station yesterday, has a long trail of paranoid-fantasy goofiness.One of his big obsessions, besides 9/11-as-an-inside job and pot laws, is the suicide of Marine Colonel James Sabow. The Sabow case — the death is believed by…
Upcoming Events
Oh, boy! Gentlemen, get ready to be dragged out to Old Town Spring (not to be confused with Olde Springfield) by your ladies for this weekend’s SpringFest Wine & Art Festival. Although the festival itself is free — which, frankly, isn’t unlike a regular weekend in Old Town Spring what…
Cowboy Tales From The Rodeo: Maybe Reaching The End Of The Road
Steer wrestler Brad McGilchristRodeo cowboys basically live on the road, traveling with men and women crazy enough to ride, rope and wrestle live animals for a paycheck. Each day, Hair Balls is asking a different cowboy to tell us a bit about himself and his wildest story from a life…
Strapping on the Feedbag at the Gold Buckle Foodie Awards
A little over a month ago, after a delicious but entirely too filling ten-course meal at Soma Sushi, I made a pact with myself: no more multi-course meals. A giant part of me had broken inside — both philosophically and physically. No one is supposed to eat that much food…
The Great Warrant Round-Up Is Here, But Not As Much Fun As It Sounds
Looking to have your day ruined? Then don’t pay those outstanding fines you have filed away somewhere.It’s time for another Warrant Round-Up, where law enforcement officials will take time from fighting crime or giving out speeding tickets to go harass some guy who forgot he owes a couple of hundred…
Hollywood Shuffle: Can Anyone Beat Crazy Heart At Sunday’s Oscars?
Rocks Off presents a new series about film, musical documentaries and soundtracks. Pretty much every critic thinks Jeff Bridges is going to walk home with a shiny gold statuette following Sunday night’s Oscars. Bridges, after all, has already won the Golden Globe for best actor for his portrayal of Bad…
Game Time: Brittney Griner’s Punch, One Small Step For Women’s Basketball
I’m all about change for the better. If we’re not constantly evaluating ourselves, those with whom we surround ourselves, and our day-to-day activities, then we are stagnating. Sometimes change works, sometimes it doesn’t.In the last 48 hours, we’ve seen both ends of the spectrum. Change for the worse came in…
Preemo Might Be Slept On, But He Says the Alarm Clock is About to Go Off
We met Preemo, also starring in today’s Five Spot, for the first time a few weeks ago. He’s a real nice guy and delivered a really strong eight bars for the Houston Press Mic Pass (coming soon). He’s also a man of few words. You’ll see that when you see…
Newborn Chick Gets Knocked Down, But He’ll Get Up Again
There are lots of attractions waiting for you at the Reliant Center during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo — milking demonstrations, a kids’ carnival, petting zoo, shopping, pony rides and, our favorite, the Birthing Center.Hair Balls was attracted by the possibility of seeing a baby horse or cow being…
Happy Hour Scene: Komodo Pub
Our Thursday night happy hour travels led us to Komodo Pub, located in that little section of Midtown that’s home to Cyclone Anaya’s, Front Porch Pub and Christian’s Tailgate. We had actually started our drinking at Front Porch, hoping that the day’s sunny weather had brought out our type of…
SXSW News: Big Star, Ray Davies, Wanda Jackson, Crystal Castles, Scissor Sisters… And Free Food!
We are now sitting on 11 days and counting until Rocks Off’s home away from becomes a hotel room off 4th Street and our stomachs become lined with breakfast tacos and free beer. Officially, SXSW’s music segment starts on March 17 and we are now standing down the barrel of…
Houston Lawyer Threatens Suit Against City, Others Because He Lost His Coat
William Ogletree is a man who loves a good coat. Not so much that he won’t leave it behind at an airport food court on his way to Las Vegas, but enough that he will threaten to sue anyone who didn’t see that abandoned $800 coat and hold it for…
National Absinthe Day
We learned from Alison Cook’s Fork and Cork blog that today is National Absinthe Day. Yes, there’s a holiday for everything now. Today marks the third anniversary of absinthe’s legal reentry into the US market. The history of absinthe includes stories of intrigue, scandal and even murder. In 1912, the…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #86 Italian-Cuban Sandwich at Logan Farms, 10560 Westheimer
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
The Oscar Nominees That Should Have Been
As we mentioned previously, the Academy Awards are this weekend. 2010 marks the first time the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has upped the number of Best Picture nominees from five to ten. This is presumably to drum up interest in what has become a bloated and insufferable…
Rocks Off’s Rodeo Concert Guide: Mary J. Blige And Jason Aldean
Date: March 5 Name: Mary J. Blige AKA: “One of These Artists is Not Like the Others” Genre: Neither country nor western Best Known Song(s): “Real Love,” “Not Gon’ Cry,” “The One (AT&T Dance Remix)” Key Demographic: Older R&B listeners, Entourage fans who want to impress black chicks Previous HLSR…
Dynamo President Oliver Luck On The Latest Twists In The Stadium Tale
Earlier this week, the Houston Dynamo moved one step closer to securing their downtown crib. Well, maybe.On March 1, the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority announced that it create a task force to look into possibly taking on a limited administrative role on the Dynamo stadium. Huh?To understand what exactly is…
No Vacations For This Rodeo Girl And Her Cow
Photo by Hallie JordanSchool vacations are precious. The highly coveted breaks for most students are the standard two days for Thanksgiving, two weeks during winter, a week for spring break and of course summer.Except for Taylor Haliburton. The high school senior will be spending three weeks at the Houston Livestock…
Top 5 Fried Rodeo Foods
Texas is known for its inventive fried foods — The State Fair in Dallas pumps out all sorts of amazing creations (like fried butter and fried PB & J). So in Go Texan spirit, we’re recapping the awesome, horrible-for-you foods that can be found at the Houston Livestock Show &…
Listology: Roky Moon’s Favorite Glam Songs (Surprise!) Of All Time
Tonight Roky Moon & BOLT headline the Mink for a tour kick-off gig before heading through the Gulf and East Coasts to school foreign ears on what indie-glam is all about. Or at least show them how a ragtag band from Houston does it. On its first trip outside the…
The Office: It’s a Girl!
There was a lot to like in last night’s two-part, hour-long The Office, from the snap of the dialogue to the long-awaited union of Andy and Erin to the interesting twists with Dwight, who is weirdly good with the ladies. It was also something to take a step back and…
Aftermath: Kenny Chesney – No Shirt, No Shoes, Big Problems At RodeoHouston
Aftermath is not a hater. We are not elitist (that we know of). We understand that reviewing a concert does not give us license to make value judgments about the audience, and that’s perfectly fine. We wish that were true about Kenny Chesney and his songs, because all his “Poets…
American Idol: Another Four Bite the Dust
I gaped with awe and then just started laughing at the overdone montage at the top of last night’s American Idol, with BIG BLOCK LETTERS about contestants fighting to be the one and take each other’s powers in the quickening, an act older than time. If this is how pompous…
Health Dept. Roundup: 77036 to 77050
We covered a little more ground on Health Department Round-up this week, marching from zip code 77036 all the way up to 77050 in our ongoing campaign to tour the best and worst of Houston’s kitchens. A March 2 change-of-ownership inspection at Houston Sabri Nihari (5901 Hillcroft in 77036) brought…
Five Spot: Odds and Ends For The Weekend With Paul Wall, Z-Ro, Trae, Flip, Devin And Preemo
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and, albeit sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. It’s five videos and occasional cussing. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. First, a declaration: Preemo is fantastic. And his song “New Pistol” absolutely has…
If It’s Spring Training Time, Carlos Lee Must Be At The Rodeo
If it’s spring training, then it must be time for the annual “Astros are going to be better than you think” stories from some members of the local media. We’ve already had the “Big Puma came into camp in the best shape of his life story” — just forget about…
Idol Beat: Another Four Bite the Dust
I gaped with awe and then just started laughing at the overdone montage at the top of last night’s American Idol, with BIG BLOCK LETTERS about contestants fighting to be the one and take each other’s powers in the quickening, an act older than time. If this is how pompous…
Houston Press Club Awards Continue To Contract
The Houston Press Club has had its share of struggles trying to hand out awards to journalists, and if you knew how obsessed with awards most journalists are you’d be pretty shocked by that statement.It’s had years when the Houston Chronicle was the only entrant in the large-paper breaking news…
Looking For A Happy Hour? We Have An App For That
Around here, we have our priorities straight. And chief among them are finding a happy hour after work that’s close, convenient and has damn good prices on booze that didn’t come from the well. So the Houston Press (along with Village Voice Media) developed Happy Hours, an application available now…
No Thanks, I’ve Reached My Bank-Robbing Limit Today, Ma’am
Photo courtesy FBI”A man’s got to know his limitations,” as Dirty Harry once said. One man who does is this guy, who robbed a Kroger at 12620 Woodforest at around noon today. This Man With No Name has got more than little Clint in him if the FBI version of…
The Blind Side’s Michael Oher Comes to Houston
The banquet crowd could only lean forward and concentrate when softspoken Michael Oher talked in Houston Monday, but no one complained. He spoke of needing to “keep your head up” even if you’re on the streets a long time. And that “there’s tons of kids out there who just needed…
Alexis Waley, 13, Bayou Body Count No. 55
A 13-year-old girl is dead.It doesn’t appear as though she did anything wrong. Just an innocent victim. Her only crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time, police say, when a driver lost all control, slamming into the teen and her mother’s car, and then in an…
Odd Pair: Hamburgers and McManis Petite Sirah
The other day, some friends were discussing Little Bigs and its wine selection. They were impressed that you could get not only wine, but good wine, at a burger joint. The conversation was inspiring — what wine would go well with a juicy hamburger? It would have to be a…
Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter… In The Woodlands
Rocks Off got word early this afternoon via Iron Maiden’s Web site that the classic New Wave of British Heavy Metal giants Iron Maiden and prog-metal heroes Dream Theater will be hitting the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on June 11. We couldn’t be more ecstatic. We have never seen Maiden…
Harris County Judge Declares Death Penalty Unconstitutional; We’re Guessing There Will Be An Appeal (Updated)
Updated with reaction from DA Pat Lykos, AG Greg Abbott and a nervous Texas Democratic Party.State District Court Judge Kevin Fine may be the only judge in Harris County with tattoos running up and down his forearms, and he is certainly the only one to declare the Texas death penalty…
Joseph Van Johnson, 26, Bayou Body Count No. 54
In his 26-years, Carlos Demond Williams has been charged with possession of drugs, assault, even stealing a check. But none of that compares with the hot water he know finds himself in.Williams is behind bars in the Harris County jail. He is charged with murder.It was a little after 2…
Coming Soon: Pig Wings at Pizzatola’s
Yes, pigs do have wings – well, sort of. Pig wings are hunks of pork that come from the area just above a pig’s foot. It’s a new cut that meat packagers are pushing lately. The little chunks of pork are cleaned up by the butcher and cooked like chicken…
Cowboy Tales From The Rodeo: Teeth Knocked Out In High School
Rodeo cowboys basically live on the road, traveling with men and women crazy enough to ride, rope and wrestle live animals for a paycheck. Each day, Hair Balls is asking a different cowboy to tell us a little bit about himself and his wildest story from a life of rodeo.Name:…
He Said She Said: Just A Few Ole Country Boys, Part 2
She Said’s taste in county music leans towards the quaint. She’s never been a fan of modern Nashville glitz, preferring instead the subversive ’60s country from artists like Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash that her grandfather loved, and the cowboy ballads her great-grandfather and his farm hand used to sing…
Game Time: Tiger Woods’ Bag Ape Speaks Publicly
I’m not sure what it says about the sad state of the Rockets, Astros, and the lackluster field of teams ready to head into March Madness in college hoops that I’ve been blogging as much about hockey and golf lately as I have about those other topics. As the quite…
Stir It Up at Cool Runnings
Housed in a strip mall on West Bellfort near Gessner, Cool Runnings is named after the 1993 film that’s loosely based on the story of the first Jamaican Olympic bobsled team. The clever little restaurant is sandwiched among scores of Jamaican eateries and reggae clubs, prompting us to imagine how…
What? This Guy Raped A 14-Year-Old?
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of Michael Alexander Chenault, 23, for breaking into a house in the northwest suburbs last week and raping a 14-year-old girl at knifepoint.He was arrested after a brief struggle yesterday after he was seen riding a bike near Willowbrook; surveillance video…
Exclusive Infographic: Who’s Going To Saturday’s John Mayer Show?
It’s no secret Rocks Off enjoys messing with platinum singer-songwriter, underrated blues guitarist (seriously), former Twitter freak and recovering Lothario John Mayer. We keep hoping ol’ Sexual Napalm will bite back at us, but thus far he’s shown much more restraint than he did in that infamous Playboy interview. Or…
Abrasive Yankee Comes To Town To Get Houston Gays Out Of The Closet
For those of you who think the Internets are just for porn and FaceTube, Houston’s Zenfilm is bringing you an online show that will make you forget about updating your status, at least for a little while: Get Out of the Closet, a reality television parody about an obnoxious Bostonian…
Food Fight: Battle Samosas
A couple of weeks back, the weekly Food Fight took one of the world’s many pocket-size food pockets into the ring for Battle Empanadas, with hairy results. This week, I decided to take another portable food item into the heat of battle. Contrary to popular belief, samosas aren’t just limited…
He Said She Said: Just A Few Ole Country Boys
For some reason whenever He Said and She Said are mulling over topics for each week of this little featured weekly blog, we always find ourselves either biting off more than we can chew, or absolutely stumping ourselves. Some topics are easier to cobble together ten songs for while other…
Marathoners Seem Pretty Pleased With Houston For 2012 Olympic Trail
Earlier this week officials announced Houston would host the 2012 Olympic trials in January of that year, as athletes compete to get to the London games.Houston was a finalist along with Boston and New York, home to two of the most famous marathons in the world.Reaction is starting to trickle…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #87 Deviled Eggs at Nielsen’s Deli, 4500 Richmond
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
HISD Cuts Positions, Saving Millions, Looking to Trim More
At least 269 positions are being eliminated in the Houston Independent School District effective this June when contract renewals are due, saving the district more than $8 million within two years, it was announced at today’s HISD budget agenda workshop.Also today, more than 800 HISD employees are getting letters from…
Rocks Off’s Rodeo Concert Guide: Kenny “Mr. Zellweger” Chesney
Date: March 4 Name: Kenny Chesney AKA: “Mr. Zellweger” Genre: “Beach” country Best Known Song(s): “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw” “You Had Me At Hello,” “There Goes My Life” Key Demographic: Sexually frustrated housewives too young to remember Billy Ray Cyrus, wannabe Parrotheads who find latter-period Jimmy Buffett…
Djuan Jones, 24, and Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Counts No. 52 and 53
Sheriff’s investigators are looking for the one who got away early Wednesday morning following a north Harris County shoot-out that left two men dead.Detectives say that 24-year-old Djuan Jones had just gotten home along the 19900 block of Cypresswood Glen Road when a pair of men accosted him outside his…
Tonight’s Menu: Semi-Roasted Duck a la Chimney
When a Santa Fe woman heard a bird rustling in her chimney Wednesday, the solution seemed clear: Start a fire.The intent, according to the Galveston County Daily News, wasn’t necessarily to cook the bird, but to convince it to go get some fresh air. Smoke it out of the hole,…
Deep-Fried Corn and Houston’s Best Boudin Balls at Samburger
You don’t have to head down to Reliant Stadium to experience some of the best fried food in Houston, and this fried food doesn’t leave town after Rodeo season is over. Just head east on I-10 to Lockwood, and hit up the cheerful red drive-thru called Samburger (6205 Lyons). When…
Y’all Musta Forgot: H.I.S.D.’s The District
Houston’s history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We’ll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. H.I.S.D. The District (Peace Uv Mine, 2007) There were three albums that did not stream off directly from a…
UH Squeaks Out A Win Over The Owls
Last night was senior night at the University of Houston. The last night that Sean Coleman, Kelvin Lewis, and Aubrey Coleman would play on their home court. The Rice Owls, coming into the game with a 7-21 record, were the competition.The game should have been a runaway. But as has…
Brew Blog: Island Creek Oyster Stout
This week on Brew Blog, our discussion of a choice beverage is (for once, maybe twice) timely. Strolling through Central Market last week, we tripped over an offering from Harpoon, a Boston brewer we hadn’t seen. The beer guy said the brewery’s Island Creek Oyster Stout ($5.99 for 22 ounces)…
Aftermath: Dierks Bentley’s Milk-Safe Hair Country At RodeoHouston
Safe as milk. That’s Dierks Bentley in a nutshell. The modern country-popper played to an overtly couple-y and female crowd last night at RodeoHouston 24 hours after seasoned veteran Alan Jackson threw a flawless night of classic country. In comparison, Bentley almost made Jackson’s set feel like a visit to…
Looking For a Happy Hour? We Have an App For That
Around here, we have our priorities straight. And chief among them are finding a happy hour after work that’s close, convenient and has damn good prices on booze that didn’t come from the well. So the Houston Press (along with Village Voice Media) developed Happy Hours, an application available now…
American Idol: Crazy Pills
Last night’s American Idol saw the top 10 female contestants perform in an episode that felt a lot like its male counterpart from the evening before: Although there were some bright moments and clear talents, most of the singers inhabited a nebulous region of bland vocals and uninteresting performances that…
Idol Beat: Crazy Pills
Last night’s American Idol saw the top 10 female contestants perform in an episode that felt a lot like its male counterpart from the evening before: Although there were some bright moments and clear talents, most of the singers inhabited a nebulous region of bland vocals and uninteresting performances that…
The Most Glamorous Foods to Serve at Your Oscar-Viewing Party
It’s that time of year again when the movie stars don their most glamorous gowns and compete for the most coveted prizes in motion pictures. So what if we’re stuck at home watching through the TV instead of stumbling down a red carpet in 5-inch, thousand-dollar heels? We won’t be…
Pop Rocks: Your 2010 Oscar Predictions
The 82nd Annual Academy Awards will be presented this Sunday, and like most of America, I’ll be watching Tinseltown’s yearly wank-fest with drink in hand and corneal clamps in place to prevent dangerous eye-rolling every time a winner thanks their high school drama teacher and reminds us all to pray…
Petition Aims To Turn Montrose’s Wilshire Village Apartments Into A Park (Updated)
(Updated with possible sale to H-E-B)The sad, twisted saga of the could-have-been-retro-cool Wilshire Village apartments is in something of a limbo right now — the area has been cleared, there’s lawsuit activity, no one knows exactly what’s going to happen to the Montrose property.Rumors are that H-E-B is looking to…
Last Year at Marienbad
Exquisitely dressed by Coco Chanel herself, a character simply known as Woman (Delphine Seyrig) is pursued through the equally dazzling Nymphenburg castle in Bavaria by the equally nameless Man (Giorgio Albertazzi), trying as seductively as he can to persuade her that they have had a previous affair and that she…
Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith, epic nerd and director of films like Chasing Amy and Dogma, recently made news for being too fat to be seated on a Southwest Airlines flight (the airline has rules about not seating passengers it deems too rotund). When the fat ass who couldn’t fly (if you’ve made…
Alfred Hitchcock’s 39 Steps
In a 2008 review in The New York Times, a thoroughly delighted Ben Brantley described Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps as a show that “flies lightly into an ether of escapism.” The comedy, adapted by Patrick Barlow from Hitchcock’s 1935 film, has a lot of the lines from the film…
Geoff Winningham: Traveling the Shore of the Spanish Sea: The Gulf Coast of Texas and Mexico
When Geoff Winningham published Rites of Fall, a 1978 collection of photographs documenting high school football in Texas, he established himself as one of the foremost chroniclers of our state’s idiosyncratic culture. Now, Winningham Ñ whose other collections include Friday Night in the Coliseum and Going Texan Ñ is a…
Rita Dove: Sonata Mulattica
One would think that becoming Poet Laureate of the United States would be the apex of a writer’s career, but since Rita Dove left that post in 1995, she has hardly been winding down. This may have to do with her having been the youngest laureate ever (she was also…
2010 Houston SPCA Mutt Strut & Runway Race
Puff up your poodle and buff up your bulldog, the 2010 Houston SPCA Mutt Strut & Runway Race is here again. Walk the runway with your pooch, try the 5K Runway Race or join in on the One-Mile Mutt Strut. (In case you’re wondering, this runway isn’t the same catwalk…
75th Annual Azalea Trail
See seven River Oaks locations awash in color during the 75th Annual Azalea Trail. Stops include the River Oaks Garden Club, Rienzi and Bayou Bend Gardens, along with four private homes. The spectacular shrubs have dazzling displays of flowers in a multitude of pastel and vibrant colors. 11 a.m. to…
“Justin Garcia: Along the Rail”
“Justin Garcia: Along the Rail” is the artist’s way of spiking interest in Houston’s industrial history. Discarded rusted railroad pins (from local tracks) protrude from his colorful canvases, serving as a reminder to viewers. “Those nails didn’t just get there, and these tracks and everything else [weren’t] built from nowhere,”…
“Russian Spring Festival” With Flying Balalaika Brothers
Austin’s Flying Balalaika Brothers are to Russian folk music what Bela Fleck is to bluegrass: Outside-the-box, no-boundaries, take-no-prisoners innovators. The FBBs combine jaw-dropping virtuosity with a masterful sense of mixing up genres ranging from rock to Russian folk to bluegrass; if that sounds weird, it‘s also cool as hell. These…
South Pacific
The list of amazing Broadway tunes that came out of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific is stunning: “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair” and “There Is Nothin’ Like a Dame,” for starters. Theatre Under the Stars is hosting the 2008 Tony Award-winning reinvention of the show produced…
Dustin Welch
Odds are most people familiar with Dustin Welch’s background — his dad is acclaimed writer/performer Kevin Welch — probably thought Welch’s debut album would aim for the center of the singer-songwriter market. No way. Backed by his regular band of young Austin hardcases, Welch’s Whisky Priest has all the muscle…
The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
It’s an American music classic. It’s also the love story between a crippled African-American beggar, the woman he loves and the man who means to take her away from him. Mixing classical, jazz, spiritual and blues music, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess includes some of the most recognizable songs from…
Flying Saucer’s St. Patrick’s Day Glass Night
One of the most time-honored St. Patrick’s Day traditions is green beer. Well, during the Flying Saucer’s St. Patrick’s Day Glass Night, you can get a week-early start on celebrating the holiday with a must-have accessory for the big day – a green drinking glass. The “Live Green, Recycle” glass…
The French Cultures Festival
While you may think you know French culture just because you’ve seen Julie & Julia or discovered in middle school that the chorus in “Lady Marmalade” meant something dirty, there’s much more to the culture and language used by 200 million people in the world. The French Cultures Festival is…
Oscars Unhinged
Are you coming to the party painted head to toe all in blue, à la Avatar? How about strapping on a Julia Child-like apron? Or maybe you’re hiding behind a giant cache of Up balloons? Come representing your favorite movie at Oscars Unhinged, the annual Academy Awards¨ bash hosted by…
“Bryan Kuntz: My America: Portraits with the Flag”
Bryan Kuntz embraces the red, white and blue in his exhibition “My America: Portraits with the Flag.” Kuntz’s contribution to this year’s FotoFest features cowboys, kids, can collectors, athletes and grannies snapped with the star-spangled banner (usually draped over their shoulders or laps). Kuntz succeeds in capturing the power of…
Slide Jam!
The Contemporary Art Museum’s ongoing Slide Jam! series is a must-attend for anyone hoping to keep up with the local vanguard of modern art. Today’s installment features Joseph Cohen and Maria Guzman, who will show slides of their latest work and take audience questions. Cohen, who studied art at Texas…
“McKay Otto”
“Beauty.” “Love.” “Ethereal.” “Translucent.” These are the words Ñ among other, similarly lofty ones Ñ that painter McKay Otto uses to describe his new works, on display now at the “McKay Otto” exhibit at Wade Wilson Art. Otto, who trained at the University of Texas, the Glassell School and other…
From the Ashes: Former Geto Boy Big Mike
In 2004, Michael Barnett was paroled and released from prison. The rapper known as Big Mike had served three and a half years for torching a studio affiliated with Rap-A-Lot Records. That offense was the culmination of simmering tensions between Mike and the venerable Houston label, on which he’d released…
Nightfly: Hip Movement
If you were to study salsa dancing, there’d be a ton of interesting things you’d learn. You’d read about characters like Dominican Johnny Pacheco, one of the people responsible for bringing the music to America. Pacheco was important enough to his culture that he was awarded the Presidential Medal of…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Big Love, The Flu Season, Machinal
Big Love Charles Mee’s Big Love, a wild ride of experimental theater currently running at the University of Houston’s School of Theatre & Dance, is a provocative work, especially as directed by Leslie Swackhamer. Her version of Mee’s remake of Aeschylus’s The Danaids has muscular men flying in on helicopters,…
NYPD Blue: A sleepy follow-up to Training Day
All that remains of Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day is Denzel Washington’s Oscar-winning performance, his baddest and best. The rest of the movie? A blustering stumble toward parody — an overwrought, operatic buddy-cop flip-flop also starring Ethan Hawke as the rookie put to the test again and again by the devil…
Fifteen and Pissed: Newcomer Katie Jarvis’s Fish Tank
Katie Jarvis, who makes her acting debut as a rabid teenager in writer-director Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank, was discovered on an English railway station platform, yelling at her boyfriend. Whether Jarvis is a natural-born actress or is simply playing herself as Mia, a foul-mouthed, 15-year-old child of the Essex projects…
Teflon Man
Four days before he was found dead on his living room floor, John Kloss backed his SUV into the garage door of a River Oaks home belonging to Gary Ross. One of the people who talked to Kloss that night in October 2009 described him as angered, panicked. Kloss believed…
Bigfooted by Nike: Local small businesses getting squeezed
SPACED CITY Bigfooted by Nike Local small business getting squeezed By Richard Connelly For 17 years B-Bad Sportswear of Houston has been providing uniforms for teams in the Houston school district, employing 22 workers, hustling to replace torn or missing jerseys before games, proud to have made the shirts and…
Dish: Mumbai Spice
Arun Bakhshi traveled the world with Bombay Palace Indian restaurants, working in New York; Mexico City; Washington, D.C.; and Houston. He also did a stint at Yatra Brasserie here in town before deciding to branch out on his own and open Mumbai Spice (12102 Westheimer, 281-759-1400) in a space that started…
Bitten by La Bayadere
Live snakes, a stuffed tiger, opium dreams and a crashing temple — Houston Ballet’s world premiere of Artistic Director’s Stanton Welch’s La Bayadère has it all. And yes, we did say live snakes, wrangled on stage by Texas Snakes & More’s Clint Pustejovsky. La Bayadère is a must-see for any…
Chatter: Say Hey
After more than a decade and a half of underground airplay and vagabond touring, Bay Area reggae-rappers Michael Franti & Spearhead suddenly hit Top 40 stations coast to coast last year with their dancehall-flavored ray of sunshine “Say Hey (I Love You),” which peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard…
Playbill: Portugal. The Man
Chuck Klosterman once made a convincing argument that pop culture constitutes a more significant art form than the more adventurous, intellectually stimulating creations of those who sacrifice popularity for their original artistic vision. What good is art, he argues, if nobody experiences it? That proposition takes things a bit farther…
B L A C K I E
“I’ve noticed that the bigger indie bands do not release much music, they just focus on touring. I want to do that. I want to play everywhere,” says Michael LaCour, a.k.a. B L A C K I E, as he sets forth on a quick pre-SXSW tour that routes him through Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas…
The Flying Balalaika Brothers
Austin’s Flying Balalaika Brothers are to Russian folk music what Béla Fleck is to bluegrass: Outside-the-box, no-boundaries, take-no-prisoners innovators. The FBBs combine jaw-dropping virtuosity with a masterful sense of mixing up genres ranging from rock to Russian folk to bluegrass; if that sounds weird, it’s also cool as hell. These…
Matt the Electrician
Austin’s Matt the Electrician (Matthew Sower to his family and friends) must be both proud and puzzled by the blurb on his CDBaby marketing page which says, “Recommended if you like Ben Folds, Paul Simon, Taj Mahal.” Oddly enough, that description isn’t as far off as it seems at first,…
Bullies and the Name Game
Dear Mexican, I’m a pan blanco and my wife is puertorriqueña. Our son looks basically white, while a casual observer might admit that there is some Latin going on there. I’m not sure how this pertains to my question — it may or may not be worth mentioning. Our son…
Dawes
Taylor Goldsmith’s contemplations of eternity may be a bit precocious for someone in his early twenties. But he and his similarly youthful bandmates in Dawes suggest they have old souls, or at least souls whose vintage tastes place them squarely in the hills and canyons around late-’60s L.A., on debut…
Porn Again: Readers discuss our take on porn addiction
Porn Again Online readers comment on “Teen Porn 101,”by Paul Knight, February 18: Sex shaming: The part of this article that I don’t understand is, why are pornography and masturbation taboo? When people reach the age where they’re curious about their bodies, naturally masturbation is going to occur. If people…
Weird Party
We don’t normally recommend a band’s very first show outside the rehearsal space, but when it has a pedigree like Houston’s brand-new Weird Party, we’re happy to make an exception. Last summer, various present and former members of Fatal Flying Guilloteens, Welfare Mothers, Sugar Shack, These Borders and Muhammad Ali…
Scintillating Sichuan
The chicken with hot peppers at Sarah Place, a Sichuan restaurant in Bellaire Chinatown, is served with a raft of bright-red dried Sichuan peppers on top. The chicken is cut into small boneless nuggets and stir-fried with slick and meaty reconstituted brown mushrooms. It is tossed in a sauce that…
Stirred & Shaken: Rocbar’s Stephanie’s Panties
The full blame/credit for the name of this week’s cocktail goes to Stephanie, one of the sparingly dressed rock-and-roll-themed female bartenders at RöcBar (530 Texas, 713-236-1100). She calls her signature drink Stephanie’s Panties, because, as she put it, “It’s not the best thing in the world, but it’s close to…
Your Lucky Day
2010 HOUSTON PRESS ST. PATRICK’S DAY GUIDE This year, St. Paddy’s Day falls on a Wednesday — three days after the start of Daylight Saving Time. Between the lost hour and the midweek slump, it couldn’t hurt to visit your favorite restaurants and bars for some shepherd’s pie and a…
Hot Plate: Burger, Italian-Style
The mix of a traditional burger with Italian ingredients makes for a very interesting combination of flavors in the Dom Burger ($12), named after Head Chef Domenic Laurenzo at Laurenzo’s Grille (4412 Washington, 713-880-5111). A hand-formed patty cooked to your specification comes in a house-made black-sesame-encrusted bun smeared with brown…
Capsule Art Reviews: “2010 School of Art Annual Student Exhibition”, “Francesca Fuchs”, “McKay Otto”, “Ron Hoover — A Retrospective: 1972-2006”
“2010 School of Art Annual Student Exhibition” Student shows are an inherently mixed bag, but they are also a great place to find developing artists doing interesting things. With works that range from the gusty to the polished to the absurd, the University of Houston’s “2010 School of Art Annual…
Alice in Chains
Walt Disney mulled an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland for decades before producing an animated feature in 1951, although by all accounts, he didn’t much care for the prim little protagonist, let alone her supporting cast of “weird characters.” One wonders what Uncle Walt would have made of his studio’s…
