The Atlantic Calls Houston an Unstoppable Juggernaut for Job Creation
Reading all the recent praise that has been heaped on Houston for our economy, gay mayor, food and whatever else people can dream up has made me a little nervous. From Hellhole to City of the Future in just a few years? How can that be? Well, according to The…
Reality Bites: Rock My RV With Bret Michaels
If you give Bret Michaels credit for one thing, make it consistency. Plastic surgery and the relentless march of age aside, he looks like he could’ve stepped straight off the set of the “Something to Believe In” video. His go-to outfit for the last 20 years — jeans, bandana, Harley-Davidson/Jack…
Protest Planned Over Potential Sale of CW-39 to Kochs, for Some Reason
Some Houstonians who don’t want their beloved CW affiliate bought by the right-wing Koch brothers are planning a protest outside the station’s Westpark Drive building today, and we can’t really figure out why. Ronald Gonzalez, who plans to speak at the demonstration, tells Hair Balls that the Kochs “can’t be…
Free Press Summer Fest: Your Next Favorite Bands
This weekend’s Free Press Summer Fest at Eleanor Tinsley Park is officially (way) sold out, so our readers who don’t have passes at this point are sadly now forced to test their skills at the “secondary market.” For those of you who are already in, this week Rocks Off will be…
Cover Story: Summer Movies 2013 and Joss Whedon Goes From The Avengers to Shakespeare
World War Z, Man of Steel, The Lone Ranger – all kind of big movies in a summer ahead that promises more blockbusters than obscure indie films. To help you plan your dance card we’ve outlined what’s coming up from late May to mid-August including films such as Monsters University,…
Judge Rules That Gang Members — Including Piggy and Law Dog — Barred From Public Space
It seems a simple solution. Gangs have turned certain swaths of Houston into no-man’s lands, shuttering businesses, keeping otherwise law-abiding citizens cowed in their houses. These gangsters — these Crips, these Bloods, these members of Most Wanted — have turned otherwise placid neighborhoods into war zones. The individuals have been…
Upcoming: Courtney Love, Mac Miller, James Blake, Jo Dee Messina, Red Baraat, etc.
Better than Ezra: Thu., Aug. 29, 8 p.m., $23. House of Blues, 1204 Caroline, Houston, 888-402-5837. Blood on the Dance Floor: Thu., Sept. 5, 6 p.m., TBA. Fitzgerald’s, 2706 White Oak, Houston, 713-862-3838. The Charlie Lucas Band: Sat., July 13, 8 p.m., $10. Cypress Saloon, 12710 Telge, Cypress, 281-304-7777. Courtney…
Psophonia Dance Company Goes Airborne in Spring Concert
The Setup: On May 24 and 25, Psophonia Dance Company presented Taking Flight at City Dance Studios. Flight marked a christening of sorts, as it was the first fully produced dance concert to be held in the space. The Execution: Psophonia Dance Company, under the direction of Sophia L. Torres,…
Sister Act’s Predictable Storyline Bolstered by Great Music and Powerful Cast
The set-up: If you’ve seen the 1992 Whoopi Goldberg movie, this slick Broadway adaptation of Sister Act will come as no surprise. If you’ve ever seen any Broadway show, this slick Broadway adaptation will come as no surprise. The execution: The movie, no critics’ darling, was a surprise bonanza at…
Here’s a Handy, Easy-to-Print FPSF Schedule Spreadsheet
Free Press Summer Festival has released a sweet new smartphone app this year, which is awesome if you want to share your pics of the the action, tag your favorite bands, annoy your friends with constant updates, and have tiny little impossible-to-read maps of the festival grounds at your fingertips…
Texas Leads in Carbon Emissions, Environmental Group Tries to Tie Them to “Monster” Tornadoes
The Environmental Defense Fund sent out a press release detailing the fact that Texas leads the nation in carbon emissions according to information provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. According to their report, Texas emitted 652.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2010, nearly 10 percent of the…
OMG Twin Baby Giraffes and One Is Smiling for the Camera
Twin Reticulated Giraffes, the only living set of twins, were born at Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch in central Texas. The female and male twins are fascinating quirks of nature because OH MY GOD, THEY ARE BABY GIRAFFES, YOU GUYS! Okay, everybody, just calm down. The female is named Wasswa and…
“Anointed and Adorned:” A Beautiful Display of Indian Tradition
The poet Kahil Gilbran is quoted as saying: “Marriage is the golden ring in a chain whose beginning is a glance and whose ending is Eternity.” The sanctity of marriage and its eternal bond is celebrated in many shapes and forms. For some cultures, marriage is a private and small…
25 Dishes and Drinks to Make This Summer
Now that we are past Memorial Day weekend, it is (un)officially summertime — time for swimming, playing outside, cooking delicious meals and treats, and mixing up drinks. We have 25 dishes and drinks for you to make all summer long. Some are classic and some will help expand your palate…
UPDATED: Guns N’ Roses at House of Blues, 5/28/2013
UPDATED: Rocks Off just got off the phone with someone in the GN’R camp, who told us it was she who pulled our credentials, and that Axl had not even read our post from earlier Tuesday. So there it is. Guns N’ Roses, Venomous Maximus House of Blues May 28,…
Tear the Dome Down If You Must, But Not for a Freaking Parking Garage
I have spent most of my 44 years on this earth in the city of Houston. I started visiting the Astrodome when I was just a kid for Astros and Oilers games as well as the occasional high school football game. I even walked on the floor for one of…
Murder Ballad’s World Premiere Cast Recording is Raw, Explosive, and Spellbinding
The edgy sung through rock opera is not a novel conceit. Neither is a murderous love triangle. Audiences have seen both done many times before; however the critically acclaimed Murder Ballad has definitely caught the verve of the New York City theater scene. It opened at Manhattan Theatre Club’s The…
Urban Dictionary’s Top 10 Musician Slang Terms
Fapulous 1. Orgasmic, amazing, awesome. 2. Really, really hot. “Did you see that ass?” ‘Yeah. It was Fapulous!” “Urban Dictionary is flat-out fapulous.” And it’s true. Urban Dictionary is fapulous, always available to help a blogger out with a never-ending supply user-submitted definitions that are filled to the brim with…
This Week in Food Blogs: Cheap, Local Pastries and a New Favorite Burger
Examiner: Looking for a dessert just for yourself? No, it’s not a cupcake. The Examiner serves up a recipe for a single-serving cake on the go. If it comes out anything like what’s in the picture, you’re in for a sinful yet delicious treat. Gastronaut: Tucked inside a neighborhood grocery…
Some Excerpts From the Dead, Rope-Around-the-Dick NASA Dude’s Kinky Novel
Hair Balls was saddened to hear about the death of former NASA official Paul Muller, who was reportedly found dead in his home in Thailand, “with a rope tied around his genitals and waist and another rope tied around his neck, hanging from a knob of his bedroom door.” Saddened…
100 Creatives 2013: Greg Ruhe, The Human Puppet
When Greg Ruhe was young becoming a professional puppeteer was not on the agenda. But 25 years later this is exactly what he does. Ruhe’s puppets may not be what you expect. Yes, in his school workshops he does work with more traditional puppets, shadow puppets, etc, but the majority…
Carbonation & Candy at Rocket Fizz
It’s no secret I’m passionate about potables, especially the adults-only kind. But love of liquids also extends to soda, especially during the summer when I tend to crave the unique sweet burn of a carbonated beverage. So I when first walked into Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop in…
Is That All There Is?: Philosophy’s Greatest Hits
I love Queen, and the late Freddie Mercury had the best rock voice ever (in my opinion), so it pains me to say that some of music’s worst thought-out lyrics are scrunched into the opening lines of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” “Is this the real life?/ Is this just fantasy?”, the song…
Arian Foster Injures Calf and Rides a Cart Back to Reliant
The Texans started up their second week of Organized Team Activities Tuesday morning, and aside from Kubiak’s effusive praise for second-year guard Brandon Brooks and the defense’s intercepting four passes, the biggest story was this: Arian Foster strained his right calf, left the field, wrapped it in ice and rode…
Five 1980s Dance Movies That Need Musical Versions
Beginning next week, Theatre Under the Stars is bringing the 1980s classic dance film Flashdance to the stage. The movie is about a wannabe ballerina who cuts her chops as an exotic dancer by night and works as a welder by day. Despite that seeming like an unrealistic lifestyle, it…
Summer Entertaining: Movie Night & DIY Popcorn Bar
Summer entertaining doesn’t have to be limited to the grill. Escape the heat with a movie marathon complete with a DIY Popcorn Bar. All you’ll need is freshly popped corn, paper bags or popcorn buckets, and a few fun toppings. Use chalkboards or cardboard to make your own signs, and…
Six Houston Acts Who Have Done Daytrotter Sessions
It’s no secret that Houston has an amazing music scene, but seeing local acts get love on a larger scale only reassures what Rocks Off has been saying for years. Last week, The Tontons’ first Daytrotter session was released to the masses, and featured four songs, including “Bones 1” and…
UPDATED Coalition Looking Forward to TDCJ Closing Some Privately Run Jails
A coalition of anti-private-prison groups is claiming victory for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s plans to close two privately run detention centers in the wake of a $97 million budget cut. Grassroots Leadership, along with the ACLU of Texas, the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, and other groups had pushed…
Free Press Summer Fest: Our Staff Picks From Close to Home
This weekend’s Free Press Summer Fest at Eleanor Tinsley Park is officially (way) sold out, so our readers who don’t have passes at this point are sadly now forced to test their skills at the “secondary market.” For those of you who are already in, this week Rocks Off will…
Game Wardens Investigating Galveston Boat Hit and Run
So a hit and run is bad enough, but think about the badness of a boat and run. The phrase “boat and run” may sound the tiniest bit funny, but not if you let yourself imagine being out on the water in the Galveston Channel just past Seawolf Fishing Pier…
Trial Connected to June 2012 Trae Tha Truth Shooting Underway
A civil trial is underway in Harris County District Court, with county attorneys seeking an injuction that would forbid 16 alleged gang members –including a man who was later arrested and charged for the June 2012 shooting that killed three people and wounded popular Houston rapper Trae Tha Truth –…
Style Deals and Beauty Steals: Bubble Necklaces, Eyelash Extensions, Spray Tans and More
Assuming you didn’t blow your budget on a Memorial Day Weekend shopping spree, we invite you to peruse the Houston Press Voice Daily Deal: Style Edition. Today’s Voice Daily Deal is good for 54 percent off on a bubble necklace from Bella Sweet Boutique–that’s $18 for $39, in your choice…
United’s 787s Make a Comeback After Grounding
After a four-month grounding, United Airlines’ Dreamliner 787s return to the air. These aircraft are supposed to be Boeing’s salute to energy-efficient travel. According to Boeing’s Web site, this midsize airplane can carry between 210 and 290 passengers over a distance of up to 8,500 nautical miles, depending on the…
Today’s DVDs & Blu-rays: The Numbers Station and Some Sneak Peeks
We like The Numbers Station with John Cusack as a black ops agent who’s on the rebound from making a serious mistake in the field. He’s been assigned to guard a code operator (Malin Akerman) at a secret CIA outpost. Things get complicated when the outpost comes under attack by…
Weather Week: And Then, High Pressure Set In
Early in the Bill Murray comedy Stripes, Murray’s character is dumped by his girlfriend, an act that would lead him to ultimately join the army. After she slams the door, leaving him on his knees in the entry hall of his apartment, he turns around and, in a moment of…
Question: Who the Hell Is Even In Guns N’ Roses Nowadays?
Tonight, Guns N’ Roses plays what’s being billed as an “intimate” performance at House of Blues. From our perspective here at Rocks Off, that’s a good thing. The opportunity to get close enough to W. Axl Rose to check carefully for plastic surgery scars is one many longtime fans never…
Close Up Space Misfires In a Comedy With Too Few Laughs
The set-up: In Close Up Space, the senior editor of a publishing house, an office tyrant, has kept his rebellious teen-age daughter in a series of academic institutions, thousands of miles away. Expelled from the latest, she returns to attack him. Add an assistant whose past excesses with Mary Jane…
Dwyane Wade: Man of 1,000 Holds and the Dirtiest Player in the Game
Back in its heyday, World Championship Wrestling (also known as WCW, also known as the company that Vince McMahon ended up purchasing for pennies on the dollar so he could get his hands on their tape library in 2001) had a wrestler by the name of Dean Malenko. Malenko was…
infinite Movement Ever Evolving Moves to Newport, Rhode Island
Since arriving in Houston three years ago, infinite Movement Ever Evolving (iMEE) has presented stunning contemporary ballet that has awed audiences with innovative and intelligent choreography. True to its name, the company is on the move; starting on June 3, Artistic Director Spencer Gavin Hering takes up his new post…
Assembling the (Almost) Perfect Moscow Mule
Last Christmas, my ever-thoughtful sister Jackie-O presented me with a set of six Moscow Mule mugs to aid and abet my cocktail adventures. Jackie-O, usually devoted to other varieties of vodka highballs, had herself recently developed a liking for the spicy, slightly citrusy spirit of the Moscow Mule. While she…
Rolling Stones Attempt to Tell Their Own Story On Crossfire Hurricane
The Rolling Stones: Crossfire Hurricane Eagle Rock, $14.98 DVD/$19.98 Blu-Ray, 147 mins. Originally shown on HBO last year, Crossfire Hurricane is the latest release from the Stones camp to commemorate the band’s 50th anniversary, and meant to be the definitive documentary on their career. But what it ends up being…
Summer of Johnny: Manziel Says, “Get Your Guns Up!”
As best I can tell, having been a citizen (like all of us) on Planet Manziel (better known as Earth) for the better part of six months now, really dating back to his circus touchdown pass to Ryan Swope against Alabama, new and exciting chapters in the Adventures of Johnny…
The Rocks Off 100: Love Dominique, Wicked Heart R&B Chanteuse
Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. At first glance, you may…
Three Cooking Shows to Watch This Summer
While most of your regular-season shows will take a break this summer, you can now tune in for new programs and seasons of food and cooking shows. If you’re looking for a little inspiration in the kitchen or are just in dire need of a new television show to get…
The Hottest Cosplay Of Comicpalooza 2013
Check out all of our Comicpalooza 2013 adventures: Day 1: Talkin’ ‘Bout Geek Education, Day 2: Let’s Get Dangerous, and Day 3: Fear of a Black Dalek. With another year of Comicpalooza in the books it’s time for us to celebrate our favorite part of the convention: the costumes. We…
How To: Choose the Perfect Melon
There’s nothing better than slicing into a juicy, sweet and perfectly ripe melon during the summertime. But if you’re like me, you haven’t brought home the best cantaloupe, watermelon or honeydew every single time. Unfortunately, you cannot briefly examine any melon to determine if it’s ripe the way you can…
Downtown Parking Rule, Signage Changes Aim to Clean Up Existing Parking Mess
If you are familiar with downtown Houston and have ever driven behind someone who isn’t, you know what pissed off feels like. Making matters more complicated is a mess of parking design. Because Houston’s downtown was neglected for so long, little attention or care was paid to how parking was…
Another Conservative Voice Outed Behind Anonymous Account — This Time, with As Much NSFW Talk As You Could Want
There’s something to be said about anonymity on the Internet. Well, there are many things, many of which I’d never want to attach my name to. Hence, the wonder of pseudonyms and false accounts, allowing those tasked with maintaining a professional veneer to unleash all the words and sentiments swirling…
RIP Jackie Gray: Affable Longtime Houston Blues Drummer Passes Away
Jackie Gray, a longtime fixture on the Houston blues scene, passed away Sunday, reportedly of lung cancer. Details are sketchy, but by several accounts Gray had been ill for some time. He passed away at a local hospice facility. As of Monday, no arrangements for burial had been made due…
Doctor Who: An Alternative History of 11 American Female Doctors
A little while back I explored the idea of Doctor Who if it had been an American institution instead of a British one, complete with American actors as the famous Time Lord. It was a good bit of what-if that I’m still very proud of. Recently, I had some fans…
Five Blind Wine Pairings, Five Sommeliers and One Fantastic Dinner at Philippe Restaurant + Lounge
Five courses, five sommeliers, two bartenders and a Master Chef of France. As far as wine dinners go, last week’s Guest Sommelier Wine Dinner at Philippe Restaurant + Lounge was nothing short of a tour de force. The dinner marked the finale of sommelier Vanessa Treviño-Boyd’s wildly successful Sommelier Tasting…
Macbeth: The Bloody Scottish Play Presented by Stark Naked Theatre
“It’s one of those challenges that any actor can measure themselves by. It’s a great play and if you can do it well, then you’ve done something,” actor Philip Lehl says, explaining why Stark Naked Theatre picked Macbeth for its final play this season. Theater co-founders Lehl and wife Kim…
Top 10 Musical Guests On TV’s Martin
Martin was one of the funniest television sitcoms of the ’90s. We all tuned in on Thursday nights to see what would go down with Martin, his girlfriend-turned-wife Gina and their group of friends’ nonstop hilarious antics. But besides the numerous amounts of characters played by Martin Lawrence himself, Martin…
True Believers at Warehouse Live, 5/25/2013
True Believers Warehouse Live May 25, 2013 “We were a gang,” espoused the True Believers’ Alejandro Escovedo in a recent interview about the band’s heyday in the mid 1980s. The band’s home turf was the hotly contested streets of the former Cosmic Cowboy utopia of Austin, but their range extended…
Gregg Popovich Is Single-Handedly Trying to Kill Sideline Interviews, and Why I Love It (w/ VIDEO)
Television coverage of sports has had some fantastic inventions over the last several years. For example, I’m a huge fan of the score and time of the game constantly embedded in the upper corner of the screen. (Watch YouTube clips of old games and see what a pain in the…
The HMNS’s Hall of Ancient Egypt: A Permanent Exhibit that Will Be Permanently Changing
The Houston Museum of Natural Science’s just-opened, 10,000 square foot Hall of Ancient Egypt exhibition wing may be new but the museum’s commitment to the subject is not. “We have had an Egyptian exhibit in one form or another going back at least to the 1980s and probably earlier, says…
Hall and Oates at Arena Theatre, 5/25/2013
Hall and Oates Arena Theatre May 25, 2013 In one of the many throwback moments Saturday night at the Arena Theatre, a woman, who had clearly forgotten what year it was and what band she was watching, rushed the stage while Hall and Oates were transitioning between their final two…
Flashdance, the Musical Brings Its Dance Dreams Back to Life in Houston
Alex, the dancing girl with big dreams from Pittsburgh, is coming back to Houston in Flashdance, the Musical, the play derived from the 1983 hit movie (starring Jennifer Beals and Michael Nouri) defined as much by its infectious beats as its one shoulder exposed shirt style. Oh and the athleticism…
The Black Angels at Fitzgerald’s, 5/24/2013
The Black Angels Fitzgerald’s May 24, 2013 Every once in a blue moon, a concert experience is so confusing and outside of the norm that it almost doesn’t make sense. Friday night’s Black Angels show at Fitzgerald’s was one of those times. The Austin retro-psych band is a dry-martini-and-cigarette kind…
Rice Owls Win C-USA Tournament
Rice’s Keenan Cook connected on the fastball over the plate from Southern Miss’s Nick Johnson. He took a step toward first base, then raised his fist high in the sky with jubilation as his shot landed in short center field. Ford Stainback sprinted home from third base and the Rice…
Comicpalooza 2013 Day 3: Fear of a Black Dalek
Gentle readers, and commenters, I have made a dedicated effort in this year’s coverage to not make my reports exclusively Doctor Who related because lots of amazing stuff from all across the realms of fandom happens at the ever-more impressive Comicpalooza. That being said, even on a day when I…
What’s Cooking This Week? Beer Can Chicken & More
I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don’t make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredient’s I’ve bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter…
Soundgarden at Bayou Music Center, 5/24/2013
Soundgarden Bayou Music Center May 24, 2013 See more of Soundgarden and their long-suffering local fans in our slideshow. Grunge sounded old even when it was new. This misbegotten mutation of metal and alt-rock tapped into such primordial angst and soul-suffering it seemed world-weary even as bands like Soundgarden acted…
Ten Tips to Eat & Get Beach Body Ready
Swimsuit season is here and most of us are probably not quite ready to set foot on the beach or go poolside. Along with working out in the gym to burn some calories and get your body in shape for the summer, you’ll need to alter your diet to get…
10 Songs In the National Recording Registry That Might Surprise You
Here’s something you may not have realized. The U.S. government passed a law to preserve important films in the Library of Congress back in 1988, but it took them until 2000 to get around to doing so for recordings. We music lovers get no respect. Luckily, Congress did finally get…
Sondheim Doesn’t Quite Get Us There in Road Show, But Stages Repertory Theatre’s Try Is Impressive
The setup: If only this latest musical from Stephen Sondheim were his first, then we could hail a rising new talent, instead of having to justify a spinning of his wheels. Coming from the reigning master of the American musical (Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Follies, Company, Pacific Overtures,…
The JFK Trauma Room is a State Secret Stored in Kansas? Huh.
Somewhere in Kansas there are boxes of stuff that used to be the trauma room President John F. Kennedy was brought to after that infamous drive through downtown Dallas. And the public isn’t allowed to see what those boxes hold. The shots rang out in Dealey Plaza and President John…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Week: DJ Sun, Guns N’ Roses, Shinyribs, Quiet Company, etc.
DJ Sun The Flat, April 1 Now that some of the well-deserved publicity surrounding DJ Sun’s first-ever full-length release, One Hundred, has subsided a little, his true accomplishment on the disc seems even more impressive. In the span of 70 minutes, he pours his 20-plus-year career as one of Houston’s…
White Shoes for You: Happy Memorial Day!
Some questions are impossible to answer: Whether God exists, what exactly happened when the universe was created and what happens when we die. Mysteries! There are other Important Questions that plague us on a day-to-day basis, and though less profound, they certainly inspire deep thoughts nonetheless. This week, the debate…
Patti LuPone’s Far Away Places – Live at 54 BELOW is Sumptuous and Sophisticated
54 BELOW, located in the shadow of the legendary Studio 54, is lovingly referred to as Broadway’s Living Room. Patti LuPone, one of modern Broadway’s biggest stars opened the venue with her cabaret performances of Far Away Places, conceived and directed by Scott Wittman, on June 1 and 2, 2012…
Notes on Totes: Testing the ADK Packworks “Grocer” Pack
When ADK Packworks contacted me to ask if I was interested in testing out their three-way Grocer tote, I was immediately intrigued. As you may (or may not) remember, I occasionally play hooky and spend the afternoon riding the light rail, having a couple of cocktails, and doing some light…
Comicpalooza 2013 Day 2: Let’s Get Dangerous
Yesterday was all about trying to learn new and exciting things in the world of geekdom and even a little bit of science here and there. I kept it scholarly. On Saturday, I decided to try a different tactic. It was time to get physical. This started with a brisk…
Read My Lips: No “New Slaves” For Houston
For the past couple of weeks, the suddenly punk Kanye West has been promoting his forthcoming album “Yeezus” by projecting the video for the single “New Slaves” on 66 buildings across the globe, from Chicago to Berlin. On Friday, the word came down that Houston was next on the list:…
Comicpalooza 2013 Day 1: Talkin’ ‘Bout Geek Education
This is my third year covering the Comicpalooza convention, and each year it’s gotten better and bigger. 2013 seems absolutely massive with pockets of all kinds of geekdom spread out all over the entire George R. Brown Convention Center. Every time you think you’ve seen it all you stumble across…
Despite Flyers Outing HIV Status, Kris Sharp Proves Victorious in UHD Student Elections
Before Kristopher Sharp even knew the final results of this month’s student body vote at the University of Houston-Downtown, he learned that there was a petition circulating that was already demanding an election recall. The petition was simply the latest move in a remarkably vicious smear campaign against Sharp, a…
Rick Perry “Greatly Disappointed” That Scouts Vote to Discontinue Youth Discrimination
The Boy Scouts have finally lifted their ban on including gay members within their ranks. While gay Scout leaders are still barred, young men will be allowed in regardless of orientation. For the sane among us, this is a cause for celebration. For Gov. Rick Perry, however, this is a…
The 10 Worst Rock Singers of the ’90s
In about 12 hours or so, the editor of Rocks Off expects to be a very happy man. One of our favorite bands of all time, and one that we haven’t seen live in almost 17 years, is playing tonight at Bayou Music Center: Soundgarden. Certainly Soundgarden has a lot…
Focus: The Week In Photos
It’s time again to check out the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. We love street art, unique perspectives and beautiful photos of Houston’s creative community. If you think you’ve got a good eye, drop your pictures in the pool…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Ruben Ortega of Hugo’s and the Traditional Foods of Mexico
This week, we’ve been chatting with Ruben Ortega of Hugo’s and Backstreet Cafe. This is the third and final part of a three-part Chef Chat series. If you missed our previous posts, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Ruben is the lesser known sibling of Hugo…
Lance Deleon: Cop Accused of Shooting Neighbor’s Cat with Crossbow
When the incoming vice president of the Boerne Police Officers Association told the Boerne Business Monthly in 2011, “Sometimes the public’s perception of police officers can be associated with negative circumstances…we would like to see that change,” we wonder if by “change” he meant “shoot my neighbor’s cat with a…
Bob Schneider at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, 5/23/2013
Bob Schneider McGonigel’s Mucky Duck May 23, 2013 Bob Schneider is better than Paul McCartney. Okay fine, perhaps the Austin-based singer/songwriter was exaggerating a tad when he favorably compared his ukulele skills to the ex-Beatle (whom he had seen perform the previous night in Austin). The guy may be the…
Summer TV Club: Twin Peaks “Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer”
When we decided to watch Twin Peaks based on the numerous suggestions from you, Jef thought we should check out the seminal episode that proved to the world that this show was not going to be yet another Hill Street Blues, “Zen or the Skill to Catch a Killer.” If…
Rice and UH Pitchers Do a Little Showing Off at C-USA Tourney
The college baseball season is a marathon. It’s nice to sprint out to a lead at the start, but the finishing kick at the end is just as important. And with seven games left in the Conference USA baseball tournament at Rice’s Reckling Park, eight teams are kicking into full…
Top Five Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: KiKi Maroon’s BurlyQ Lounge, Comicpalooza 2013 and More
Burlesque clown princess and producer KiKi Maroon describes the KiKi Maroon’s BurlyQ Lounge show, seen on Friday at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, as classy and sexy, dirty and funny.” Okay, we’re in. Maroon found burlesque shows a rarity when she started performing here two years ago. “At the time there was…
Save Big at Live Oak Bar & Grill, Quattro, Papa Mio and More
Before you head out of the office for your long weekend, pick up today’s Houston Press Voice Daily Deal, good for half-off food at Live Oak Bar & Grill. Enjoy delicious, customize-your-own burgers, or go to town on some of the best crawfish in the city. Right up the street…
Miguel’s Billboard Stage Dive: Hulk Hogan-Approved, But the Best Ever?
In the Internet age, you become a sucker for things that happen instantly. There’s no way around it. Everything that garners a reaction, whether positive or negative, will become meme’d and turned into a .gif. I’m pretty sure the more awkward moments of my life will be displayed in some…
Upcoming Events: Eat Sushi for St. Jude’s
Both RA Sushi locations in Houston will host their 9th annual “Nicky’s Week” starting this Sunday, May 26 through Saturday, June 1 to raise funds for children battling cancer and other life-threatening illnesses at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Since its inception, Nicky’s Week has raised more than $1 million…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Epic
Title: Epic What? No Fast and Furious 6? No Hangover Part III? I can attend one screening a week. When you have children, you’ll understand. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Two Rick Moranises out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Big-city girl gets shrunk to country mouse size…
Chemical Safety Board Investigation on West Explosion Blocked
In the wake of the West, Texas, fertilizer plant explosion, the folks over at the Chemical Safety Board got their team together and headed to Texas to start the process of sifting through the massive pile of rubble at the blast site to try and figure out what actually happened…
Jambalaya Festival at Bayou Music Center, 5/23/2013
Jambalaya Festival Bayou Music Center May 23, 2013 Ingredients: Houston, Texas A roomful of screaming, dancing teens G-Eazy, RL Grime, Big Boi, Zeds Dead, Earlwolf Instructions: 1. Open the doors of Bayou Music Center at approximately 4 p.m. Allow scores of teenage hip-hop enthusiasts to swarm the floor, courtesy of…
Trill Comedy Fest Kicks Off with Lots of Laughs
This weekend, the newly created Station Theater will present a first for Houston — a full three days of comedy, sketch and improv. “The Trill Comedy Festival,” which opened last night, is the brainchild of Station’s Director Shyla Ray, who wanted to put together a comprehensive comedy festival that allowed…
Top Five-ish Things to Do in Houston Sports This Weekend: Memorial Day Edition
As a general rule, unless your team is in the NBA playoffs (I’d say NHL, but most of you wouldn’t even know what I was talking about), this time of year can be pretty boring for sports fans. Baseball is still early in the year. There isn’t the hint of…
The 5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend
Memorial Day Prep and Kolache Breakfast at Revival Market Saturday, 8 a.m. 550 Heights Boulevard If you’ve got a lot of prep work for a Memorial Day weekend cookout, Revival Market is giving you an incentive to get out of the house and get going this Saturday morning. The special…
PSYched Out: The Today Show’s Obsession With Psy
One of television’s longest-running programs, NBC’s Today, has recently gone from venerable to vulnerable within the span of about a year. Thanks to more missteps than a line of drunken novice cloggers attempting the Riverdance, the morning show now finds itself routinely rated behind its main competitor, ABC’s Good Morning…
10 First Moments in Parenting That No One Warns You About
My friends Rachel and Naomi recently welcomed an adorable pair of twins into the world. Cute couple, cute kids, everyone healthy and happy and basically the story you always hope for when the pregnancy journey starts. When you have a baby you buy a baby book. It’s full of all…
SPF 100: Memorial Day Should Bring Heat and Sunshine
If Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer, our weather is certainly going to cooperate. After a few unseasonably cool weeks and a couple good rainstorms to help ease concerns over drought, it appears as though we have finally broken through into typical Houston summer weather. Once we…
Health Department Roundup: Zelko Bistro, Two Dirty Chains and more
If you’re out in northeast Houston, taking in the sights, you might want to avoid the Sonic at 9425 Mesa. It got a ticket after an inspector turned up eight violations, including improper reheating of potentially hazardous foods; potentially hazardous and ready-to-eat food held for more than seven days; improperly…
100 Creatives 2013: Sophia L. Torres, Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Psophonia Dance Company
Sophia L. Torres has always loved being onstage, even if that meant playing the Wicked Witch of the West in elementary school. “It was my first big role, and I loved it,” she says, even though her mother wasn’t too keen on her daughter paying the villain. As a member…
UPDATED: Top 10 Downtown Bars, Clubs & Ice Houses
As does our sister blog Eating…Our Words, from time to time Rocks Off will be giving your our picks for the top taverns in various Houston-area neighborhoods. Of course, the lines can be porous, but here anything with a TABC license that cannot reasonably be considered either a restaurant, coffeehouse…
Astros Sno Cone Vendor Fired After Viral Video Catches Him in Bathroom Stall with His Sno Cones
In the era of cell phone technology, virtually nothing goes unnoticed. Such is the tale of a sno cone vendor at Minute Maid Park this week who heard the call of Mother Nature during his shift at an Astros game. A fan in the bathroom at the same time noticed…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Weekend: Black Angels, Soundgarden, Hall & Oates, etc.
The Black Angels Fitzgerald’s, May 24 Austin’s Black Angels, with a band name pulled straight from the Velvet Underground’s catalog, and a high-contrast image of Nico splayed across their logo, are unapologetic in their admiration of the prophetic NYC rock band. The Angels, though, have carved out a sound quite…
Comicpalooza: Here Come the Bronies
Since the Daughter With One F turned three, I figure I’ve watched approximately infinity hours of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. While I’m pretty sure I would never sit through another episode that I wasn’t being forced to by my little Rainbow Dash fan, I can freely admit it’s…
Openings & Closings: Sugarbaby’s Shutters, but Porch Swing Desserts Swings Open
When one oven door closes, another opens (or something like that): Sugarbaby’s Cupcake Boutique ceased operations this past Saturday, May 18. The bakery inside the bright pink-and-green building on Shepherd thanked its fans on Twitter for all their years of support: “Sold out for our last day. It was great…
A Brief History of the Lens Flares Technique — and the End of Film
Daniel Mindel, A.S.C., is part of an ever-shrinking population: cinematographers who have yet to shoot a feature digitally. He acknowledges that he “will be forced” to do it eventually by “the corporate entities that drive our industry,” but he believes “there is no need to use an inferior technology at…
Cannes: Steven Soderbergh’s Behind the Candelabra is a Delightful Little Curio
Ladies and gentlemen—anyone, really, who cares about his or her mug—step right up. According to a bit of advice proffered in one of the festival editions of The Hollywood Reporter a few days back, the beauty product to buy while in Cannes is Avibon, an “only-in-France aging cream.” If sun…
Cannes: Refn’s Again with Ryan Gosling, but Only God Forgives Isn’t in the Same League as Drive
Expectations here in Cannes were high—or at least semi-high—for Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives, in which Kristin Scott Thomas and Ryan Gosling play a mother-son duo with what might politely be called unresolved issues. Gosling’s Julian has always played second fiddle to his older brother, Billy (Tom Burke)—the two…
Fast & Furious & Elegant: Justin Lin and the Vulgar Auteurs
Justin Lin may strike some as out of place in the pantheon of contemporary auteurs. The Taiwanese-born American filmmaker, best known for having directed Fast Five and its sequel, Fast & Furious 6, makes unabashedly populist blockbusters for mainstream audiences—hardly the purview of a “serious” artist. His films, wafer thin…
Cannes: Heli Is Family Drama Set Against Mexico’s Drug Wars
One of the most exciting things about attending the Cannes Film Festival is being among the first people to see the films the world will be talking about. That’s one of the terrible things, too: There’s no one to warn you when you’re about to see a puppy murder, a…
Cannes Diary: What Are the Women in their Dresses Hoping for?
Nearly everyone I know who has seen the official poster for the 66th Cannes Film Festival — a bird’s-eye view of a kiss between a young Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward — has been crazy about it. The couple’s lips meet in the center of a perfect sunburst. She’s two…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Colony Collapse,” “Halls without walls, room to feel in. The door awaits you, your return within.,” “Pastmodern,” “Salt House,” “Shambhala,” “Unwoven Light”
“Colony Collapse” Nicola Parente has a way of getting your attention. Four years ago, it was with giant mushrooms made of peat moss that sprouted from Art League Houston’s patio. The piece, a collaboration with Divya Murphy, was in response to a New York Times article that named Houston the…
The 10 Best Downtown Restaurants
Top 10 New restaurants and bars are opening in downtown Houston faster than we can keep up, thanks to a renaissance around the Market Square Park area that’s bringing new life to downtown’s north side. But that’s not the only part of downtown that’s blossoming — nor are those new…
Dead and Apathetic
Highlights from Hair Balls Political Animals In these highly charged political times, it’s easy to forget that for the most part, the average American is fairly apathetic when it comes to politics. Oh, there may be causes he or she cares about and politicians he or she despises, but when…
Cannes: Young & Beautiful Is a Portrait of a 17-Year-Old French Call Girl
François Ozon’s Young & Beautiful, a portrait of a 17-year-old French call girl, is something else again. This is another story about a family in crisis: Isabelle (played by Marine Vacth, a stunning-looking if ultimately inert actress) is a student who still lives at home with her mother, stepfather and…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Race, Spamalot, There Is a Happiness That Morning Is, Warrior Class
Race The title of David Mamet’s last successful play is a four-letter word. Surprise? Mamet is the Shakespeare of the scatological, the poet of the profane. He’s the only contemporary playwright who can drop the F-bomb with such gleeful aplomb, as well as other earthy, Chaucerian depictions of anatomy and…
Lady in Red
Live Shots There was a moment about a minute and a half or so into last Thursday night’s concert where Taylor Swift stopped, looked straight into one of the many cameras filming her show and smiled. The crowd roared as if they had seen a miracle. It was the type…
For the Love of Guns
Dear Mexican, Like many Americans, I’ve heard about the “Fast and Furious” scandal in which our own ATF was shown to be guilty and corrupt in supplying guns that ended up in the hands of the drug cartels. Now, if I say any more, I might be talking about facts…
The “Ag-Gag” War: Big Ag Declares War on Whistleblowers
Cody Carlson had no way of preparing for this moment. He was a Manhattan kid, days removed from working as an analyst for a business-intelligence firm, where he scrutinized corporations and their executives. Now he was standing in a bleak barn at New York’s largest dairy farm. There was a…
Conduct Unbecoming: One Officer’s Struggle with the Texas Air National Guard
For almost every workday over the past ten months, a 35-year-old first lieutenant in the Texas Air National Guard has done little more than sit in the Lackland Air Force Base library. His security clearance, accrued through 14 years of steady, strong work, has been revoked. His requests for transfer…
Cannes: Not Even the Gifted Emma Watson Can Raise The Bling Ring
The biggest puzzlement of these early days of the festival comes from Sofia Coppola, one of my favorite working directors. Until now, I have loved every one of Coppola’s movies: I love her sure and delicate touch, and she’s better than any other contemporary filmmaker at capturing the greatness of…
The Signature Sandwiches of Bocca Deli Are Fancier Than Usual
Take a tour through Bocca Deli in this week’s cafe slideshow. Situated in the endcap of a new stucco-clad strip mall that also houses a liquor store, the prim and tidy Bocca Deli wouldn’t look out of place in most areas of Houston. But here in Lindale Park, founded in…
Cannes: The Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis
I. First, Something About the Badges (Then We’ll Get to the Coens) Someday I’m going to write a song and call it “Ballad of the Blue Badge.” I haven’t figured out a rhyme scheme yet, let alone a melody, so please allow this outline to suffice: At Cannes, the color…
Hard Road: The True Believers Reunite
In an industry littered with tragic stories of bad luck and poor decisions, the True Believers’ tale ranks right at the top. The band’s brief rise toward the heights of fame and fortune, coupled with their sudden demise, has gone down as one of the biggest what-might-have-been legends in recent…
The Sublime Dumb Play of Fast & Furious 6
There’s one key truth that separates the tank-topped gearheads of the Fast and Furious movies from the rest of us. Every problem these lugnuts face can be solved by doing the one thing these lugnuts love most: driving really fast. It’s like if you could deal with your taxes by…
The Hangover Part III: The Heart of Fartness
The unlikeliest of all the Hangover trilogy’s comic implausibilities might be its four pampered, rich-boy leads unironically calling themselves the “Wolf Pack” without anybody ever making fun of them. In the slobs-versus-snobs comedies of the 1970s and ’80s, the snooty rich kids were always the antagonists, bullying the nerds and…
The Hopefulness of Frances Ha Is Constant.
New York is a cruel and beautiful place, just as 27 is a cruel and beautiful age. In Frances Ha, Greta Gerwig plays a woman who’s feeling the weight of both. Frances is an aspiring dancer who has reached the age when “aspiring” really means not cutting it. Life with…
