Bryan City Officials Trying To Star In Their Own Version of
If you’re a cop, you know what kind of call you don’t want to get?Well, obviously, there’s plenty of them, come to think of it. But take away all the death and dismemberment, the ones involving kids and buddies getting hit, and you know what must suck?Answering a domestic-disturbance call…
Hazed Cheerleaders Hold A Press Conference
Verbal abuse, silly string sprayed in the mouth, being shoved into a pool while bound and blindfolded – if it’s between consenting adults, that’s what some of us at Hair Balls consider a smooth second date. When it’s less than welcome and serves as an initiation ritual, though, it’s referred…
A Disastrous Choice For Homeland Security?
President-Elect Barack Obama is piecing his cabinet together among a flurry of rumors and trial balloons about who’s getting what. One name that’s been prominently mentioned is Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano for director of Homeland Security.In a piece for our sister publication New Times, in Phoenix, Michael Lacey argues that…
Beyonce and Luke the Drifter
Because her public appearances are stage-managed to the hilt, and otherwise she generally stays out of trouble (or out of sight altogether), Beyonce is of constant interest but limited use to gotcha!-media outlets like TMZ. “It’s hard to imagine Beyonce scratching an itch without undergoing a little media training first,”…
A Handy Guide To Terror Targets In Houston
Sometimes it seems like organizations that want to protect Americans from terrorism end up doing all the terrorists’ research for them. The Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank headed by John Podesta, formerly Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff, has compiled a handy guide to the nation’s most vulnerable…
You Local School Districts Are Paying Your Teachers Too Much!
There’s beeen plenty of drug talk when it comes to Houston schools lately, but what about some good news?Well, how about the fact that school districts are bitching that teachers down here are just getting paid too damn well?It’s true. (We’ll pause to give the teachers reading this a chance…
November 2008 in Photos
Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen the National, Usher, Baby Bash, Metallica, Madonna and Willie Nelson, not to mention voting, posing, drawing, partying, bikinis and face paint. And now you can see it all in one place. Yep, it’s that time of the month. — Keith Plocek…
Return of the Gay You-Know-Whats From Outer Space
Two years ago, in the grand tradition of Harris County officials’ thoughtful e-mails, misdemeanor court Judge Larry Standley e-mailed colleagues a missive that included references to a movie called Gayniggers From Outer Space, followed by another with a really dumb joke involving wordplay on “Cinco de Mayo.” Judge Mike Fields…
Artist of the Week: Breyland
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. A few months ago, we were at…
Last Minute Thanksgiving Shopping
Photos by Robb Walsh Forgot the whipped cream for the pumpkin pie? You might take the opportunity to check out the latest in grocery stores — the new mega-HEB at Bunker Hill and I-10. It’s only 130,000 square feet — the humongo-HEB in Pearland is slightly bigger — but it’s…
Krys Kolanos Is Awesome. The Rest of the Aeros (and the Uniforms), Not So Much.
It’s been about a month since I’ve seen the Houston Aeros play a game – they’ve been on the road and I’ve been on vacation. So I’m not really sure about what’s going on with this team. They leapt out to a 5-0-0-0 start, which was the second best in…
Krys Kolanos Is Awesome. The Rest of the Aeros (and the Uniforms), Not So Much.
It’s been about a month since I’ve seen the Houston Aeros play a game – they’ve been on the road and I’ve been on vacation. So I’m not really sure about what’s going on with this team. They leapt out to a 5-0-0-0 start, which was the second best in…
Aftermath: Eagles of Death Metal at Meridian
[jump] EODM came onstage leading with their hips, slinging guitars like Vikings celebrating a battle. Lead singer Jesse “The Devil” Hughes looks like every man with a girlfriend’s worst nightmare, wielding a decadently-coiffed moustache and poured into a pair of women’s Levis ready to slip off rings and whisper…
Once Again, We Struggle To Identify The “Celebrities” In Houston’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Tomorrow brings the 59th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in Houston.As always, it brings with it the traditional question Houstonians ask about the event each year: Who are these so-called “celebrities” that we’re supposed to be so excited about?There’s C-list celebs. There’s D-list losers. And then there’s the level of fame…
Former UH-Clear Lake President Finds Another Job He’s Not Good At
The latest edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education has a story (not online for non-subscibers) about troubles at the American University of Afghanistan, a high-profile Bush Administration project in Kabul.Development there has been slow, and the blame goes mostly on the school’s president, who recently resigned, the paper said.[Faculty]…
Tonight: Thunderado and the Small Sounds at the Continental Club
Thunderado’s Paul Beebe (center) and friends at the Continental, Christmas 2007 The Small Sounds is another local project Beebe participates in, and the band has a somewhat higher profile than Thunderado due to regular gigging at Rudyard’s and other local venues. The sound is a sparse mixture of pop, psychedelia and…
Chinese Democracy Not Exactly Flying Off the Shelves
It seems that Kanye West’s new 808s & Heartbreak and the obligatory (read: record-label obligation) Linkin Park live record were beating Axl out the door.The store seemingly had hundreds of copies waiting for imaginary eager ears’ purchase; no one was biting while we were there, though. But we did pick up…
If You Call It “Art,” You May Get $3,500
A couple of local art non-profits have teamed up with the Warhol Foundation Initiative in San Francisco to give Houston artists a little bit of help in the wallet department. The Idea Fund (also supported by the Aurora Picture Show, DiverseWorks and Project Row Houses) is offering money to artists,…
Slideshow — Ike’s Still Here
Hair Balls made a tour of downtown and some inner-city neighborhoods and found that evidence of Hurricane Ike’s destruction is still very much evident. It’s nothing like what Galveston and other beach-front communities are facing, of course, but plenty of Houston businesses and homes are still being repaired.So, in case…
A Modest Proposal for the Rehabilitation of Galveston
We’ve seen the devastation first-hand, read the gloom and doom reports. Bolivar has been erased. UTMB’s cutbacks threaten terminal meltdown for the Galveston economy. The schools are in peril. The beaches are ravaged.What is to be done?Predictably, there is a call for casino gambling on the island. In an October…
Be Thankful for Mole
The photo here is of a tortilla enmolada at Otilia’s, one of several restaurants in town that make mole from scratch. The mole of Mexico is a rich gravy, made of combining chile puree (reconstituted dried chiles), fruits, toasted bread, nuts, herbs and, in some cases, chocolate. The gravy…
Intercontinental a Xanadu of Healthy Food, Group Somehow Says
Houston has never really been known for its healthy eating, what with all the “Fattest City” this and the “Most Fast Food” that.But it appears there’s one area where we are not totally in the grip of the fried-food cabal: The airport.Bush Intercontinental Airport came in fourth in a nationwide…
Missing NASA Tool Bag Found! Launch A Rescue Mission!
The famous $100,000 tool bag lost by an astronaut on the current shuttle mission has been found!And no, not by that nut from Minnesota who’s been calling media outlets all over to say the bag is up for sale on eBay.It’s been found in space, streaking through the night.An amateur…
Intercontinental A Xanadu Of Healthy Food, Group Somehow Says
Houston has never really been known for its healthy eating, what with all the “Fattest City” this and the “Most Fast Food” that.But it appears there’s one area where we are not totally in the grip of the fried-food cabal: The airport.Bush Intercontinental Airport came in fourth in a nationwide…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: New Records from Nicholas Tremulis and Felix Cavaliere
Nicholas Tremulis with Robbie Fulks, “Mystery Train” Some killer records have recently fallen through Lonesome Onry and Mean’s cracks, either due to a lack of space in the paper or LOM having just found the CDs under the seat of his truck. Yeah, stuff happens. The Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra’s Pinky…
Breaking News: No HISD Teachers Or Staffers Arrested For Drugs Today
We were baffled.Here it was, pushing hard towards 3 p.m., and no one had yet been arrested on an HISD campus for drugs. That didn’t seem right, so we e-mailed district spokesman Norm Uhl.Incredibly enough, he reported back that it was, indeed, true:…
Houston Now Has A “Dirty Dozen” Bank Robbers; Nickname Expected To Result In Arrests Soon
Bank robberies are sprouting up like bankruptcies all over the Houston area, and the FBI and Crime Stoppers has decided to do something about it — break out the nicknames.The two organizations officially announced today a list of the “Dirty Dozen” bank robbers in the Houston area, including “The Note…
It Ain’t Easy Being the Live Music Capital
According to an Associated Press article in today’s Houston Chronicle, Austin’s self-proclaimed status as “Live Music Capital of the World” is under siege by everything from condo-dwelling yuppies demanding those darn nightclubs turn that blasted music down and let them get some sleep (sound familiar, Walter’s?) to lack of available downtown parking…
An Algae Farm Near The Ship Channel? Why The Hell Not?
You know what the Ship Channel area needs?Besides a whole lot less pollution, we mean.It needs a good farm. An algae farm, in fact. That’s the thinking of a Nevada company, which has announced plans to build a 20-acre algae farm near the Channel if it can get some financing…
Real Astronauts Don’t Drink Pee
Everyone is breathlessly following the latest space mission to see if astronauts will one day successfully be able to drink urine (NASA — the kinkiest space agency evah!!)It’s a bit of a comedown from the moon days.As it turns out, at this time in 1969 NASA was just getting ready…
Recession Thanksgiving Tip: Drink Beer Instead of Wine
Airline travel is down, grocery stores are giving away free turkeys to get customers in the door, and everybody is looking for ways to economize this Thanksgiving. But before you decide to save money by buying a jug of Riunite instead of an expensive wine, consider serving your guests American…
Metro Has Locked In Pain At The Pump
Speaking of Metro finances, it looks like the people who buy fuel for the buses have locked in a price of $3.55 a gallon until October of next year. The buy was completed in “midsummer,” according to an e-mail from agency spokeswoman Raequel Roberts, when diesel averaged close to $5…
Macy’s Whistleblower Settles Suit In Time For Holidays
Thanksgiving and Macy’s have always gone hand in hand. And this turkey season, one former local Macy’s employee has an extra reason to be thankful. She recently settled a lawsuit against the retail giant claiming members of management at the Baybrook Mall store were running a theft ring and then…
Fighting Over Dogfighting Dogs Continues
We wrote Friday about how the Houston SPCA is killing all those dogs who were “rescued” when a major dogfighting ring was broken up recently.The local SPCA is clear that it does not adopt out pit bulls or fighting dogs because it thinks they are harmful. They made an exception…
Usher’s Security Don’t Take No Mess
I really wanted to hang out after taking pictures and catch the set and maybe write a review of some sort. Usher came out to unbridled squeals and hoots and danced with some new-age flappers, launching into “Love In This Club.” “Ursher” almost ran into my camera going down one of…
The Houston/San Antonio Chronicle-Express Takes Another Step Forward
Hey, copy editors and page designers at the San Antonio Express!!Like your jobs? Then you better hope you like Houston.A memo to staff from Express editor Robert Rivard offers more details on the coming consolidation of operations between the Express and the Houston Chronicle, both Hearst newspapers.A lot of things…
Trae’s Cartoon Is a Big Hit on the Web
Go ahead and add “Cartoon rappers smacking the shit out of each other” to the ever-growing list of popular Internet entertainments, then file that under “Things that come as absolutely no surprise at all.” Since premiering on worldstarhiphop.com a few days ago, the first installment of Houston MC Trae tha Truth…
Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Post-Denmark, Pro-Texans, Really Jetlagged Edition
You’re not going to believe this, but last week, I wrote a post in which I predicted the Texans would defeat the Browns. But I headed back out for Europe, and things got lost in the shuffle, so that post never ran. But trust me, I actually did write that…
Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Post-Denmark, Pro-Texans, Really Jetlagged Edition
You’re not going to believe this, but last week, I wrote a post in which I predicted the Texans would defeat the Browns. But I headed back out for Europe, and things got lost in the shuffle, so that post never ran. But trust me, I actually did write that…
Recession Recipes: Bread and Butter Jalapeños
Our pickled pequin post drew a comment from Jim Sherman, a regular reader who said: “I don’t bother with heat when pickling peppers. When I pickle just about anything except radish or carrot, I do soak the veggies overnight in a Kosher brine to draw out as much water as…
Ain’t Nothing Wrong With A Texas Mathbook
Teachers in a California school district are up in arms over the fact that publisher McGraw-Hill mistakenly sent unedited copies of math textbooks riddled with errors. In addition to typos and problems with the answer-keys, the books, approved for California academic standards, came with covers for the company’s Texas books.(The…
Metro May Be Facing A Cash Crunch Soon
There’s been some noise recently about banks demanding $14 million from METRO to cover loans insured by AIG, causing agency officials to travel to Washington and hold out the hat.Maybe METRO planned for the $14 million problem months ago – that’s the amount of additional revenue expected from October’s fare…
Tunnel Mole, Givin’ It Up In The Tunnel
Don’t know what your Thanksgiving plans are, but the Tunnel Mole is feeding a dozen folks!Nope, the Mole did not give birth to a litter since the last missive. I don’t even know my holiday guests, much less share DNA with ’em. I did what so many are doing –…
Slideshow: Things that Took Less Time than Chinese Democracy
As many of you no doubt know by now, what passes for Guns ‘N’ Roses these days did the unthinkable Sunday and released Chinese Democracy (available exclusively at Best Buy), disappointing thousands of critics who are going to have to think of some other metaphor for something…
Evacuate From Ike? Let’s See, Go To A Hotel Or A Nursing Home Shut Down For Code Violations?
Hurricane Ike was a time of coming together, where folks dug deep to lend a helping hand and neighbors acted, well … neighborly.But not everyone, according to one Galveston County woman.Estelle Reeves is suing her former employer for allegedly firing her following the storm after she says she discovered her…
The Houston Zoo’s Got More Herpes Than A Motley Crue Groupies’ Convention, PETA Says
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protested at the Houston Zoo Saturday, demanding that the zoo stop breeding elephants after the death of two-year-old Mac from the elephant herpesvirus.Hair Balls caught up with PETA spokeswoman Lindsay Rajt at the protest. “PETA is appalled that yet another young elephant at…
HISD: Home Of The World’s Busiest Drug-Sniffing Dog
Houston school officials want to be very clear — the latest employees arrested for drugs were not teachers at a northwest side charter school.Their desire to make the point clear is understandable, given that so many teachers and staffers have been nabbed for pot lately.So let’s emphasize — the two…
Rare Giant Squid Found Near Houston!
A rare giant squid — a squid with elbows — has been sighted in the Houston area.It’s called the Megapinna squid and even the stoic National Geographic says it’s “alien-like.”Again, this strange and mysterious animal has been sighted a mere 201-and-a-half miles from downtown Houston.Fortunately, one-and-a-half of those miles are…
For the Benefit of Mr. Projector
Mr. Projector breaks it down… During the last year of writing the Nightfly, we’ve had the opportunity to meet some thoroughly entertaining people. There was the gentleman who managed to turn playing the guitar with his crotch into an art; the ostentatious club owner who made it a point…
On Hold: Lots Of Impressive-Looking Buildings
The Houston Business Journal has done a story on the trophy projects that have been announced but put on hold here in Houston.It’s not online, but Swamplot does a good job summing it up.In short, it might be best to just admire these slick watercolor depictions, because it’s probably all…
ArtCrawl Houston 2008, Now with More Video!
We’ve just loaded up some video from Bill Olive and Rachel Estrada of this weekend’s ArtCrawl action. Check it out: — Keith Plocek…
Art Rock: Warren Hatfield Benefit at Rudyard’s
10:30 p.m. tonight at Rudyard’s, 2010 Waugh, 713-521-0521. Free (donations accepted). …
At Least Some Houston Companies Might Not Fail, Magazine Says
BREAKING NEWS (MUST CREDIT HAIR BALLS!!!) — The stock market is in trouble. We’d put up some links if anyone was bothering to cover what we, at least, think is an important story.One media outlet that is covering it is Forbes magazine. They’ve come out with a list of five…
Japanese Army Has Not — Repeat Not — Shot Loyal Americans At Fort Bliss
Here’s a press-release headline you don’t see every day: “Japanese Troops Conduct Successful Patriot Firings At Fort Bliss.”It seems to leave the impression that there’s a lot of news we need to catch up on from the weekend. Like the whole Japanese Army takeover of Fort Bliss and the surrounding…
Aftermath: B.B. King at House of Blues
Photos by Mark C. Austin B.B. King deserves a break. If the genial Buddha of the blues, now 83, would rather spend the bulk of his two-hour set bantering with the sold-out crowd about Viagra (groan) and the wayward ways of womankind instead of, you know, singing and playing, he’s…
Big Step Taken In Efforts To Maintain Historic Black Cemetary
Olivewood Cemetary, tucked behind industrial buildings west of Studemont just south of I-10, is one of the city’s historic black cemetaries.It’s not as well-known as some of the other pocket cemetaries around Montrose because of its semi-secluded location, so it has historically tended to fall into disrepair. Weeds can grow…
Turning the Screw: Von Won, Lil O, Ludacris, Flo Rida, the Roots, Suge Knight, Too $hort, The Kanye, Ghostface Killah and More
(Churchy) Single of the Week: “I Love You,” Von Won Wire To Wire Hat tip to Lil’ O and all of those that showed up for his “Put On for Your City” food drive. No word on whether or not he pepper-sprayed the food and…
The Ax Begins To Swing At The Courthouse
Changes at the Harris County courthouse have been expected since the Democratic semi-sweep in November.Here’s one we didn’t expect — Fred King, the communications director for the county district clerk, is gone. As of last week.”It’s just personnel decisions with the new clerk,” says Claire Kennedy, an assistant who’s moved…
Democratic-Donating Chron Editorialist Leaves Paper
Andrea Georgsson, the Houston Chronicle editorial writer who got in hot water for donating to Democratic candidates, has left the paper.Bloghouston points us to an item on the blog of Richard Prince, who follows black issues in the journalism world, where the news broke.Georgsson, who formerly was an education reporter…
75 Years of Beer
Raise a glass and toast the 75th anniversary of the day that Texas ratified the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution repealing Prohibition. Although the national repeal of Prohibition did not become final until December 5, 1933, the beer industry salutes Texas on November 24th for bringing us one step…
Over the Weekend: JFK, Via Colori, ArtCrawl and Ugly Buildings
Short week coming up, which is awesome. Wait, did we just say awesome? We meant totally stressful. Let’s get to it.JFK’s Assassination, 45 Years Later Craig Hlavaty trucked up to Dallas to hang out with fellow conspiracy, um, buffs.Via Colori Margaret Downing spent some time in downtown, looking at the…
Via Colori in Downtown Houston
Artists of all ages representing local schools and businesses were in full and colorful work mode this weekend on the streets running behind the central branch of the Houston Public Library and next to Sam Houston Park. The streets were closed off so the artists could spread out and apply…
Ignore The Coming Depression By Bowling Luxuriously
When we think of bowling, we don’t generally think of a fine-dining experience. And when we think of the current state of the economy, we don’t think of a more expensive way to enjoy a traditionally cheap activity. So we were a bit surprised to hear about 300, AMF’s new…
JFK’s Assassination, 45 Years Later
On Saturday, mourners and conspiracy theorists alike converged on Dealey Plaza in Dallas to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Every year this patch of land in the West End becomes a sort of one-stop shop for shadowy speculation and bitter discourse. All…
The Ballad of Peck Kelley
Life magazine has thrown open its photo archives. Already, 500,000 of what they say will be 10,000,000 images are on the Web. I did a quick search, and the shots are pretty fantastic, but apparently Life’s photographers weren’t all that drawn to Houston’s music. Except, that is, for this one…
Voting Open in Skyline Network’s Sammy Awards
It’s time once again (the second time, specifically) to vote for your favorite bands, bars and venues on a blog that’s not our own. The local “Party! Call Me!” crew behind The Skyline Network opened the primaries for its Sammy Awards. This first phase is an open primary where you…
The Five Worst Movie Vampires
With the release of Twilight, we’re seeing a continuation of the metaphorical “defanging” of the vampire in modern culture. Vamps used to be terrifying creatures of the night, bent on evil and slaking their undead thirst. Now they’re brooding fops who want to talk about their feelings. Here are five…
Ignore The Coming Depression By Bowling Luxuriously
When we think of bowling, we don’t generally think of a fine-dining experience. And when we think of the current state of the economy, we don’t think of a more expensive way to enjoy a traditionally cheap activity. So we were a bit surprised to hear about 300, AMF’s new…
If You’re Gonna Be Extradited, It Might As Well Be For Selling Fake Viagra
Randy Gonzales can be proud, indeed: He is the first man ever extradited to the United States for selling fake boner pills. Top o’ the world, Ma!!!! Gonzales was sentenced today to 20 months in federal prison without parole for selling fake Viagra and Cialis over the Internet. Agents seized…
UH Prof Killer Likely To Escape Prison Due To Insanity
Yesterday we wrote about Kristen Dewald killing her husband – a University of Houston professor – after hearing voices. Dewald’s next hearing is scheduled for December 3, and it seems likely the judge will issue a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity verdict. A psychiatrist with the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County,…
B.B. King Sure Has a Lot of Friends
Is there anyone who doesn’t love B.B. King? If you’re talking about the 83-year-old bluesman’s fellow musicians, the answer is a resounding “No!” King has probably sat in with with more players (and vice versa) than anybody else save perhaps Willie Nelson, with whom of course King has teamed up…
Fight Your Blight With A Website, A’ight?
Troubled by dilapidated properties in his northwest Houston neighborhood, Ollie Perry has waived his God-given right as an American to bitch about a problem without actually taking any action. Instead he launched Wednesday a website to draw attention to the abandoned and near-abandoned housing complexes in an area just south…
Pete Newell, RIP
Basketball fans ought to stop for a moment this weekend and mourn the loss of former San Diego Rockets General Manager (1968-1972) Pete Newell, who died on Tuesday at the age of 93. Long before UCLA made John Wooden a coaching legend, the blue and gold UC university system discovered…
Pete Newell, RIP
Basketball fans ought to stop for a moment this weekend and mourn the loss of former San Diego Rockets General Manager (1968-1972) Pete Newell, who died on Tuesday at the age of 93. Long before UCLA made John Wooden a coaching legend, the blue and gold UC university system discovered…
It’s Lonely Being A Twilight Fan Downtown
The Twilight frenzy has been building for weeks now. Teens (and some of their parents) have all been going zonkers waiting for the opening of the first movie in the vampire/werewolf/human love-story series. Hair Balls decided to check it out. Maybe one of the fans at today’s first screening could…
Smashburger Headed for Houston
Mark Manger Smashburger, a Denver-based burger chain offering “fast casual” dining, is coming to Houston just in time for Christmas. Picked as best local chain by our sister paper Westword in Denver. At the time the paper wrote, “The Denver-born idea of ‘fast-casual’ dining is applied to the Denver-born idea…
Southwest Adding Flights To See Obama Get His First Executive Experience
As we’ve noted before, Houstonians are going wild over the chance to be in DC for Barack Obama’s inauguration (assuming it still goes on, after the world discovers The Truth about his birth certificate.) More proof: Southwest Airlines is adding flights to Washington just to handle the increased demand, and…
And No You Can’t Send Food Up a Dumb Waiter, Even in the Finest Restaurants
Chef Michael Kramer; Sandy Collet, director of sales and marketing for Hotel ICON; and Ludovic Poirer, general manager Last night was a celebration at Voice, the restaurant in the Hotel Icon known for its basement wine cellar and kitchen and its sterling food at the bar. Famed restaurant critic John…
Los Magnificos: Like a Live H-Town Mixtape
Los Magnificos 2008 bounces into Reliant Center Sunday. Bun B Whip, ride, slab, some bit of street slang Rocks Off won’t even hear for another eight months – cars are as essential to hip-hop as crossfaders and lyrics that rhyme. But no city’s rappers place their wheels on a higher…
The Ten Ugliest Buildings in Downtown Houston
Spurred on by CNN’s recent list of the ten ugliest buildings in the world, we decided to make a Houston version. This one confines itself to downtown, and does not include places of worship. (Not that there are many ugly churches downtown.) We’ll get around to churches, pretty buildings, and…
Five Spot: What’s Worse Than a Blink-182 Reunion?
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every week, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and list five reasons why it’s either brilliant or dumb-assed. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Apparently, God hates us: Blink 182 possibly plotting comeback. There were a few other things we considered for this week’s Five…
Rip Off A MUD? No Probation For You!!
They wanted probation. Is that too much to ask? Yup. Steve Strange and Robert Carlile thought they had a nice scam going — they were on the board of directors of a Municipal Utility District northwest of town, and who the hell pays any attention to what MUD directors do?…
Aftermath: Black Crowes at House of Blues
Photos by Mark C. Austin Sure, Lars and the boys from Metallica, Down and the Sword a couple of blocks away at Toyota Center might have been louder, but the two pairs of fratellis in the Black Crowes/Buffalo Killers show have something up on them: More BBC, or Beards Per…
15-Minute Warning: Houston Lawyer Gets Miley Cyrus For His Christmas Party
OMG!! Guess who’s going to be at Houston lawyer Mark Lanier’s Christmas party this year – Miley Cyrus! When we heard that, we were like, 2G2BT!! Lanier’s parties, which include thousands of guests and which take place on his 25-acre ranch northwest of Houston (well, at least we’re told that’s…
What the Hell. Go Texas Tech!
I hate the BCS. I hate the bowl games. I want there to be playoffs in major college football. I write this because, normally, I would be pulling for Oklahoma to defeat Texas Tech this weekend for the purpose of screwing up the BCS. But I can’t do that this…
What the Hell. Go Texas Tech!
I hate the BCS. I hate the bowl games. I want there to be playoffs in major college football. I write this because, normally, I would be pulling for Oklahoma to defeat Texas Tech this weekend for the purpose of screwing up the BCS. But I can’t do that this…
Aftermath: Metallica at Toyota Center
Photos by Craig Hlavaty / Click here for more Fandom is a funny thing. It can make the stodgiest businessman a KISS makeup wearing teenager from 1975. It can turn your Mom into a wannabe groupie when she gets a little too close to Steven Tyler. You yourself may wake…
Those “Rescued” Dogs Are Dead, Or Lining Up To Die
When the feds and local law-enforcement agencies busted a big dog-fighting ring a while back, there was much talk of the more than 100 dogs that had been “rescued.” If by “rescued” you meant “Sent to Doggie Death Row,” then they were indeed rescued. A commenter to our item on…
Houston Teacher May Be Miss Black USA
Enough with the Houston-area teachers and principals and all their dope-smoking and having affairs with kids. What about something good about the teachers around here? Okay — there’s Andrea Hill, a sixth-grade teacher at Patrick Henry Middle School. What’s she done lately? Gotten herself chosen Miss Black Texas USA…
Downtown Store No One Ever Thought Was Open Is Closing
Downtown retail just can’t win for losing. Less than six weeks after the grand opening of the Houston Pavilions mixed use project, one of the classics bites the dust. Standard Shoes, the pimp-a-riffic footwear and accessory shop on the corner of Austin and Pease, is imminently shuttering. A Standard Shoes…
Wal-Mart Turns To Wind Power, A Little
Wal-Mart is going green in Texas! And we don’t just mean the dollars you save every day!! Actually, the company is kinda making a bold move of sorts, teaming up with Duke Energy to get wind power for several of its Texas stores. The two companies announced today that beginning…
Led Zeppelin Live at the Sam Houston Coliseum
The UK’s Times Online reported today that Led Zeppelin has created its own YouTube channel, with a boatload of footage including this nearly eight-minute clip of the band’s concert at the Sam Houston Coliseum in August 1971. Ramble on… – Chris Gray…
“Naked Men In The Woods” Group Fires Staffer For Tasteless Video; He Cries Foul
Here’s some news for you readers who’ve been keeping up with The ManKind Project, the controversial so-called men’s self-help group that detractors have criticized for targeting members of 12-step recovery groups, practicing therapy without a license and maintaining a dark cloak of secrecy regarding its “New Warrior” rites and rituals…
Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill and the Roots of Alt-Rap
Beastie Boys, “So What’cha Want” Today is one of those cosmological coincidences so uncanny it may be no coincidence at all: the Beastie Boys’ Mike D and Cypress Hill’s Sen Dog were both born this day in 1965. (Scorpios represent!) In the late ’80s and early ’90s, from opposite sides…
It Wasn’t The First Time Wife Had Tried To Kill Her UH Prof Husband
Kristen Dewald was charged with murdering her husband – a University of Houston professor – about a year ago, and according to new documents filed today, Dewald had attempted to kill her husband with a pair of scissors about three weeks earlier. Officers arrested Dewald for that stabbing, and after…
Study Finds That Houston Hispanics Like Beer. Next Up: Are Baseballs Round?
A study done for the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (Motto: “You Don’t Want To Come To Our Office Parties”) has revealed a shocking truth: Hispanics like beer. More than 5,000 Hispanics were interviewed in Miami, New York, Philly, LA and right here in Houston to determine this. “Currently,…
Tonight: Homopolice on KTRU’s Mutant Hardcore Flower Hour
The Homopolice, Houston’s newest noise-leather outfit, invades KTRU’s (91.7 FM) weekly Mutant Hardcore Flower Hour at the stroke of midnight tonight. This is going to be one of those hours of radio you may one day tell your children about. Or your minister. Expect the leather slaves to start lining…
More HISD Middle-School Staffers Nabbed For Pot
What is it with HISD teachers and pot these days? A month ago, a middle-school assistant principal gets nabbed for growing dope in his home. Now, a pair of teachers at Williams Middle School (Northwest side represent!) are making friends in county due to a meddling tipster and a drug-sniffing…
Man Still On Search For Elusive Video Of HPD Beating Him
Charles Chukwu is still trying to get his hands on a video tape allegedly taken at the city jail that may or may not show officers assaulting him. He says even though Internal Affairs investigated the matter and decided there wasn’t enough evidence to discipline the officer, Chukwu just wants…
Cutout Bin: Tom Wilson’s All American Boy
Tom Wilson, All American Boy (Aboveground Records, 1982) This album cover is like Wilson’s Flickr page. He photographs the minutiae of his daily life in the vain hope someone will be interested. Which picture will get the most views? Tom rakishly raking leaves? Showing his wacky side with an inverted…
Readers In Ireland Sadly Misinformed About Houston
You know the old saying – “any publicity is good publicity.” But might not some publicity be utterly pointless? We ask, because we have come across some that seems to be just that. Now ordinarily, a little blurb about your event in a paper like Dublin’s The Irish Independent would…
The Prison Experience Just Isn’t The Same Without Cigarettes, Lawmaker Says
After sticking another inmate with a shiv in the showers, there’s nothing better than a tepid cup of apple wine and a smoke. Unfortunately, TDCJ banned all tobacco products in 1994, making it that much more difficult for a prisoner to relax after a hard day of rec-yard baseball or…
Point Comfort Alcoa Plant May Close
The Alcoa plant in Point Comfort, about 125 miles from here, is a pretty massive operation: It can produce up to 2.3 million metric tons a year of alumina, which is the stuff from which aluminum is made. Now it may be shutting down. An Australian newspaper (an Australian company…
Slideshow: Method Man & Redman at House of Blues
Craig Hlavaty Craig Hlavaty braved a serious contact-high risk to take some shots of East Coast blunt-lovers Method Man & Redman’s Blackout 2 tour at House of Blues last night. Click here for a slideshow. – Chris Gray…
Shell Oil Finally Gets Fined For What It Puts Into Deer Park’s Air
It took awhile, but state environmental regulators and Shell Oil finally came to meeting of the minds about a slew of pollution violations committed at the Deer Park refinery. Upshot: Shell will pay a $345,744 penalty for 35 emissions events and record-keeping violations that occurred from 2004 to 2006. Hair…
Be Thou Fishers Of Men, Or Scammers Of Government
There’s no scam like a religious scam. And there’s no religious scam like one where the church involved has a really churchy name, like Fishers of Men. And that’s what we have (allegedly) in Houston — the US Attorney’s office has indicted the heads of Fishers of Men for skimming…
Metallica for Soccer Moms
No one else in thrash metal’s so-called Original Top 4 (Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Metallica) will ever be as a pleasing to the average pop fan’s palate as James Hetfield and pals. Slayer, is well, Slayer. Need we say more? Songs about blood and the Holocaust don’t really move units. The…
Woman Puts Bag Down For One Second, Loses It (In Space)
Has anyone seen my bag? It was here a minute ago. I swear to Christ, I put it down for one second, turned around and the next thing you know…it’s drifting aimlessly into the great void of space. Its circuit’s dead. There’s something wrong. Can you hear me, Little Bag?…
Ralph Macchio: The One and Only Karate Kid
No, my God, NO! There is only one Daniel LaRusso and his name is Ralph “Stone Fox” Macchio! Such was my reaction when I heard word this week that Will Smith’s nauseatingly adorable son Jaden is scheduled to remake the classic 80s film The Karate Kid. Now I have nothing…
Slideshow: Classical Indian Dance at Stafford Civic Center
We’ve loaded up some photos from Daniel Kramer of this past weekend’s celebration of the 33rd anniversary of the Anjali Center for Indian Performing Arts in Sugar Land. Have a look. – KP…
Houston Gets Another Final Four
They held a press conference yesterday to announce that Houston is getting another Final Four. In 2016. That’s a long way away, but you take what you can get. But Dallas, of all places, will get one before us. The plan is to play in Jerry Jones’ billion-dollar Cowboys stadium…
Houston Gets Another Final Four
They held a press conference yesterday to announce that Houston is getting another Final Four. In 2016. That’s a long way away, but you take what you can get. But Dallas, of all places, will get one before us. The plan is to play in Jerry Jones’ billion-dollar Cowboys stadium…
Thanksgiving Slumming with Cream of Mushroom Soup
Thanksgiving and the annual debate over that damn green bean casserole with the Durkee’s fried onions on top is coming up fast. Will you offer an urbane alternative like green beans with prosciutto and pine nuts to your recalcitrant relatives, or break down and make it according to the back-of-the-can…
Los Magnificos Car Show
Check out the Los Magnificos Car Show for a day of cars, music, hydraulics, bikini-clad models, cars, and did we mention, cars? There’s 25K in prize money for the best car, truck, bike and bomb (in car show-speak, a bomb is a car that was made before 1957). Rap and…
ArtCrawl 2008
Downtown’s warehouse district is a hip haven for creative types. Artists of every trade have set up shop there, and once a year they open their doors to un–underground types for ArtCrawl 2008. The annual tour de art allows enthusiasts an all-access pass (well, almost all-access) to the studios and…
Eddie Griffin
You know Eddie Griffin once you see him. He’s a familiar face, even if his name sometimes escapes fans. Griffin starred in the television series Malcolm & Eddie (as Eddie, duh), as well as in the films Undercover Brother and Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. And you saw him in Scary…
The Karate Kid
We like Will Smith. His blockbuster movies like Independence Day, I, Robot and Men in Black not only did well at the box office, they earned him a huge following of loyal fans. Heck, even his mushy The Pursuit of Happyness wasn’t bad. But a blockbuster reputation won’t make movie…
Transgender Day of Remembrance
You may not know Rita Hester, but her 1998 murder in Boston sparked the “Remembering Our Dead” Web project. On November 28 of that year, Hester was found stabbed and dying in her apartment, the victim of what many thought was a hate crime. After reading the sensationalized articles filled…
Beau Chamberlain
Beau Chamberlain creates fantastical foliage. His acrylic paintings and dioramas feature colorful clusters of Dr. Seuss-esque branches, trees, leaves, flowers, sticks and stones. It’s almost as if the Lorax or a Sneech is going to pop out from one of his enchanting environments. The painting Apartment Living depicts a fat,…
“Day of the Dead Rock Stars”
Not even Hurricane Ike could stop artist Carlos Hernandez from finishing the paintings for his “Day of the Dead Rock Stars” exhibit. (Although, he admits, the lack of electricity did slow him down a bit.) The exhibit includes portraits of deceased music icons Bob Marley, Bo Diddley, Jim Morrison, Janis…
Eat Drink Man Woman
There’s nothing better than a good wine accompanied by a good film and good friends. Brasil is offering a whole patio of friends today, along with My Table magazine’s Foodie Flick Night series of food and wine-themed films. This installment features Ang Lee’s delectable 1994 hit Eat Drink Man Woman…
Via Colori
Let’s face it: Art festivals can sometimes feel like outdoor malls, with the booths selling wares ranging in quality from great to what-the-hell? But it’s all about simple appreciation at this weekend’s Via Colori, benefiting the Center for Hearing and Speech. Walk around and admire artists’ work real-time as they…
An Evening of Playback Theater
The folks behind An Evening of Playback Theater go on stage with little more than an openness to new ideas. The small group of improvisational performers listens to the personal stories from the audience and, taking just a sentence or a phrase as a starting point, turns them into scenes…
“Tete-a-Tete”
For the exhibit “Tete-a-Tete,” Houston artist Lisa Qualls focused on the changing of cultural identities. In New Moon, we see the image of a man dressed in African garb, a fat baby on his knee. Two text narratives overlay the image. In Liberty, we see an indigenous-looking woman in profile,…
Joanna Carl
Mystery author Joanna Carl (real name: Eve Sandstrom) cooks up a new tale in The Chocolate Snowman Murders. The story follows Lee and her husband Joe, who somehow have been saddled with serving on the Warner Pier Winter Arts Festival organizing committee. Besides a pushy choir director, a welding torch–wielding…
Home Grown Motion
Local dancers from every background come together for an impromptu arts festival at Home Grown Motion. There’ll be hip-hop, contemporary, jazz and international dance performances by HIStory, FLY Dance and Fyasko. You’ll also see Lisa Hernandez Flamenco and Wyld Styl. This is a chance to check out Houston’s up-and-coming choreographers…
Network
Network is a hilarious glimpse at how whorish the communication industry can be. (Yeah, that’s right, we said it). The 1976 film — which won several Academy Awards — stars Peter Finch as Howard Beale, a should’ve-been-fired anchor whose insane antics, such as threatening, on-air, to kill himself, win his…
Song and Dance Ensemble of West Africa
“Out of many, one” was never so true. The Song and Dance Ensemble of West Africa, inspired by the folk traditions of the hundreds of ethnic groups of Mali, mixes Congolese soukous with bits of other folk styles from around the world, including Moorish, Latin, Caribbean and other West African…
Dan Cummins
Dan Cummins has appeared on The Late Late Show and Live at Gotham. He also had his own special on Comedy Central and has opened for the likes of Ron White, Jim Gaffigan and Dave Attell. He’s been able to snag these ace gigs with jokes about crossbreeding animals (he…
November Cinema and Media Arts Festival
Alex Rivera’s new film Sleep Dealer won two awards at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, but that’s not why he’s being featured in the November Cinema and Media Arts Festival. He’s here because curator Richard Herskowitz thinks he represents the future of media arts. Rivera makes feature films for theatrical…
Underoath
Seeing is believing, particularly in Underoath’s case. Whatever your feeling about their thunderous, increasingly complex and dynamic metalcore tsunami, their performances are a sight to behold. Writhing and shaking as though in the midst of a full-body seizure, the Florida six-piece appear on the verge off physically vibrating apart as…
Harvest of Sorrow
Get an inside look at the life of Sergei Rachmaninoff, one of Russia’s most loved composers, in Harvest of Sorrow. The documentary includes Russian and American concert footage, home movies and interviews that reveal both the composer and the private man. The film features readings by Sir John Gielgud and…
Artful Thursday: Deborah Nadoolman Landis
Holly Golightly, Annie Hall, even Ferris Bueller: Fashion icons are often born on the big screen. Just ask Deborah Nadoolman Landis, who’ll sign copies of her book Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design during today’s Artful Thursday. Landis is an expert in the field of costumes’ cultural clout; she…
Rhett Miller
As frontman for Dallas’ Old 97’s, who dragged a punk-influenced rock sensibility through the boozy, outlaw country bars and bleached landscapes of the Southwest, Rhett Miller was a forerunner of the so-called “alt-country” movement that peaked in the mid-‘90s. But while peers such as Wilco eventually moved on to the…
Coming to America
Coming to America is arguably Eddie Murphy’s funniest film. The 1988 comedy is the story of Prince Akeem (Murphy), who ditches Africa and the luxuries of royal life to find a potential princess in these United States. His sidekick Semmi (Arsenio Hall) comes along for the fun. Along with their…
Walk on the Wild Side Tour
Walk on the Wild Side Tour: “Canines of the World” is a revealing look at life in the doghouse. (Well, many of the species are actually just relatives of man’s best friend, but you get the idea.) The tour is led by animal keepers and the Houston Zoo’s own pack…
George Duke
Hurricane Ike deprived Houstonians of many things when it hit a couple of months ago, including a night of live, stankified jazz. Here’s the deal: Jazz/funk great George Duke was supposed to headline a concert at the Arena Theatre September 13. However, Ike’s tumultuous weather and aftermath forced the show…
Tunnel Walk & Rail Tour/MFAH
Sandra Lord, also known as The Tunnel Lady, takes you from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston to the University of -Houston-Downtown campus on the Tunnel Walk & Rail Tour/MFAH. The group will make stops in the tunnel system and on the METRO rail line along the way to discuss…
Stop Making Sense
Any Talking Heads fan that hasn’t seen Stop Making Sense should plan to stay up late today (or tomorrow). The concert movie directed by Jonathan Demme is considered one of the finest examples of the genre this side of heaven. Filmed at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles in 1983,…
B.B. King
Audiences first encountered B.B. King in the ’50s, thanks to the blues guitarist and singer’s relentless touring of the so-called “chitlin’ circuit” and a series of memorable recordings. But that was just the beginning: By crossing over to a rock audience in the ’60s and ’70s, King played a crucial…
Don’t Fight It! featuring Dave Wrangler, Piss Heavy and Young $quaddy
Don’t Fight It! was intended to be part dance night, part cultural study and all party. “The initial goal was more of a social experiment: to use music as a merger between curious ‘outer-Loopers’ in Polo shirts and ‘hipster elitists’ in skinny jeans,” says DJ Dave Wrangler, who is also…
Ron White
If you can’t tell by his accent that Blue Collar Comedy Tour star Ron White is from Texas, just listen to a few of his jokes: “If you come to Texas and kill somebody, we will kill you back. There’s a bill in the legislature right now that says if…
Guitars, The Born Liars, Lazy Horse
Guitars treads somewhere between early Sonic Youth and Sleater-Kinney. A strong female singer (occasionally accompanied by distorted male vocals) is backed by guitars that are plucked, distorted and/or droned out. It’s all carried along by a steady bass line and simple drums that will have listeners rockin’ back and forth…
Tomie dePaola
It seems like yesterday we were circled up on the magic carpet with our fellow kindergartners as our teacher turned the pages of a Tomie dePaola book. The beloved children’s author/illustrator has created more than 200 stories in his 40-year career and garnered awards such as the Caldecott Honor Award…
The Black Crowes
On Warpaint, the band’s first studio release since re-forming in 2005, the Black Crowes show how a little time off can work wonders. The album continues to improve the band’s winning brand of Southern-fried power blues-rock, as opener “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution” and “Movin’ on Down the Line” gallop…
Children’s Museum of Houston Thanksgiving
We admit we don’t quite get the connection between kids, karaoke and Thanksgiving, but hey, why not? Besides, singing karaoke is just one of the activities scheduled for Thanksgiving at the Children’s Museum Houston. There’s also harvesting pretend corn, making paper bag turkeys and filling cornucopias with vegetables and flowers…
Tyler Perry’s The Marriage Counselor
Most people know Tyler Perry for his television sitcoms and films, including Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, Diary of a Mad Housewife and Madea’s Family Reunion. (The writer/producer/director is also the man inside the flowered housedress playing the famous matriarch Madea.) For all their bawdy humor, his stories are full…
Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse “The Devil” Hughes is the kind of guy you sit up at night worrying about when your girlfriend goes out on the town. But secretly he’s also the guy you wish you could be. Queens of the Stone Age leader Josh Homme and Hughes…
Dino-Bone-Anza
Junior paleontologists can hang out with cretaceous beasts at Dino-Bone-Anza. Working with museum staffers, kids will identify and collect fossils, and even make a plaster cast of one to take home. The Xploration Station has one of the best collections of dino bones in the state, so there’s plenty to…
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
Trey Parker and Matt Stone were producing musicals long before South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, but the pair really hit the baseketball out of the park when they gave their popular Comedy Central series the big-screen treatment. The animated film follows the foulmouthed foursome of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and…
“Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art”
At the exhibit “Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art,” you’ll see the ABCs of basketry: artistry, beauty and creativity. Crossing 300 years of African and American history, the exhibit features coiled basketry from both continents. Simultaneously art and craft, the baskets reflect the evolution of the societies that…
A Little House Christmas
Sit down to a holiday dinner with Laura Ingalls and her whole family in A Little House Christmas. When the Ingalls family moves to the prairie, their new neighbors welcome them with open arms. To say thank you, the family hosts a Christmas get-together, but being snowed in isn’t part…
Le Damnation de Faust
Attention all Berlioz lovers — if you didn’t get enough with Houston Grand Opera’s production of Beatrice and Benedict earlier this fall, consider an afternoon with the Metropolitan Opera at a big-screen, live, high-definition simulcast of Hector Berlioz’s rarely staged La Damnation de Faust. The operatic contemplation of good and…
Yuletide at Bayou Bend
Step back in time at Yuletide at the Bayou Bend: Celebrations! Once the private home of Houston socialite Ima Hogg, Bayou Bend is now a showcase for American decorative arts. During yuletide tours, visitors will enjoy a re-creation of the first dinner the Hogg family had in their new home…
Seasons of Sharing at Children’s Museum of Houston
Sample the winter holidays around the world during the Seasons of Sharing celebration at the Children’s Museum of Houston. The multicultural exhibits and events spotlight seven winter traditions, including Mexican posadas, Africa–American Kwanzaa and the lunar New Year. As the kids wander down an international street lined with playhouses representing…
42nd Annual Greek Festival
Sure, Houston may not have the whitewashed windmills of Mykonos or the towering columns of Delphi, but you don’t need to pay airfare to get a heady dose of Greek culture. (The Parthenon’s covered in scaffolding right now, anyway.) Put on your best whites and blues and head for the…
Negima (Series 1)
Anime fans can get their fix at the Alamo Drafthouse’s weekly anime night. Today’s film is Negima (Series 1), the adventures of ten-year-old Negi Springfield, a magical boy who happens to be a homeroom teacher in charge of a bunch of wily eighth-grade girls. Try for a free DVD or…
The Body Code
Want to see your eye from the inside out? Or see how DNA bosses all the other cells around? Check out The Body Code at the Planetarium to see all that and more. You’ll shrink (via movie magic) into a speck and fly through a heart, out a carotid artery…
Inside Africa: Three Hidden Wars
Conflict, genocide, epidemics and human rights abuses: In Africa, these horrors are daily, even if the rest of the world decides to largely ignore them. One person crusading tirelessly for awareness is journalist Paul Salopek, who’s simultaneously covered not one but three African wars: those in Sudan, Congo and Somalia…
Father Time
Mandatory registry: Earlier this week, a Canadian court issued an order that prevented anyone from destroying any records they have about sperm, egg or embryo donation [“Donor Babies,” by Craig Malisow, November 6]. The court was responding to a class-action lawsuit filed by Olivia Pratten, whose parents used donor sperm…
BayouSphere
“Don’t drive on the rims! Don’t drive on the rims!” Generations of auto enthusiasts have been told that mind-numbing rule, but this guy — towing a trailer, no less — knows that such mandates are for suckers. Even if you’re cruising down the West Loop, like he was before he…
Torche, Black Cobra, Clouds
“Post-metal” is not a universally accepted term, but it is useful to describe a real aesthetic phenomenon that began with Neurosis in the early ’90s and has been developed by bands like Isis and Jesu: the creation of metal-rooted music that replaces the speed and violence of traditional metal with…
Wayne Dolcefino, Art Critic
It’s your money!” went the refrain of Wayne Dolcefino’s ABC 13 “exposé” of the Houston Arts Alliance last week. Dolcefino’s four-night investigative series “The Color of Money” not only targeted the Houston Arts Alliance, it targeted art in general. There are real issues surrounding public art in Houston, but in…
Leashed Lightning in Bolt
With his blazing white coat and pig-pink ears, to say nothing of the zigzag of lightning cut into his flank, the eponymous canine lead of Disney’s lively new animated movie Bolt looks a little bit real and a whole lot not. That’s not a failure of craft: Goofy and sweet…
Is Your Band in Trouble?
If you’re in this business long enough, you learn how to spot incipient trouble. Here’s how to tell if your band is/has been… On Drugs Telltale Quote: “Does anyone have something to help wake up/take the edge off/revive the guitarist?” Best Case: Get famous for your excess, then clean up,…
All Houston Nightlife is Onscreen at Joystix’s Pac-Man Fever
Joystix (1820 Franklin) is not a bustling nightlife spot by nature. As a matter of fact, it operates Mondays through Saturdays as a retailer of classic video-game and pinball machines. It’s done so since 1987. But for the past 18 months or so, on the first and last Fridays of…
Devin the Dude: Landing Gear
Devin the Dude, Houston’s sleepy-eyed hip-hop savant, seems to exist in a perpetual state of mania. For the breadth of his decade-long career, the Dude’s content has focused on the holy trinity of slack: pussy, weed and alcohol. His music has been identified by a conversational, self-deprecating lyricism, slow-dragging bass…
Q-Tip: The Renaissance
Unfortunately for Q-Tip, he did not die. If he had, the decade or so that’s passed since A Tribe Called Quest’s unfortunate implosion (and his subsequent wayward, pop-centric solo debut, Amplified) would’ve served as a reverent mourning period, with fans and naysayers alike belatedly acknowledging the nasally Queens MC as…
Beyoncé’s Back
Arguably the world’s most famous Houston native, and definitely its most popular female R&B singer, Beyoncé is back in record stores (and on iTunes, of course) with her third solo album, I Am…Sasha Fierce. As the double-length LP reveals, it’s been an interesting past couple of years for the superstar…
Jolie Holland: The Living and the Dead
In both her physical worlds and her musical worlds, Jolie Holland has always been a bit of a drifter. A Houston native who spent awhile in the Bay Area, she recently packed up and headed east for Brooklyn and, in the process, tweaked her sound towards a more country-rock vibe…
Spend some time with the provocative and bizarre Receptionist
Something quite ominous is happening at the Central Office — the mysterious workplace floating somewhere outside the walls of Theater LaB Houston, where Adam Bock’s The Receptionist is getting its regional premiere. The playwright, a Canadian who’s spent his writing life in the States, has been making quite a stir…
Capsule Art Reviews: “A Coarse Portal,” “The Dead Weight of a Quarrel Hangs: Selections from The Atlas Group Archive,” “Incident at Osbourne Grove,” “Liz Ward: Crazy Weather”
“A Coarse Portal” “A Coarse Portal” is Philip Durbin’s largest showing to date, and it’s a fine rogue’s gallery of the characters that inhabit Durbin’s dreamy kingdom. The artist is obviously influenced by pop art and Warhol in particular — as seen in silk screens like Pop Skulls and OJ…
The Collector: Going Backwards
“Did you know I was in the Oxford Unabridged?” asks McCormick. “I coined the spelling for the word ‘zydeco.’ Z-Y is mine.” When the music was first trickling out of Fifth Ward, there were numerous phonetic spellings for the French words les haricots, from which the music is named: zodico, zologo,…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Metamorphoses, Secret Order, Sunshine Boys, Times Square Angel
Metamorphoses This incredible show, a 2002 Tony Award winner, is the reason why theater was invented. What better way to tell these tales, bring myths stirringly alive, explain the world and deeply touch the heart? Roman poet Ovid’s classic stories are reimagined by Mary Zimmerman — and freshened up by…
The Collector: The Hoodoo Curse
Mack McCormick has been principally known for different things at different times of his life. In the 1960s, during the folk, blues and rock and roll boom, he was best known nationally as the man who brought both Lightnin’ Hopkins and Mance Lipscomb out of the shadows. As their images…
The Collector: Mack McCormick’s Huge Archive of Culture and Lore
An evening at Mack McCormick’s house in Spring Branch always has the same structure, if vastly different forms. First things first: drinks. At 78, the widower is not getting around like he used to, so he asks his guest to fetch them. In his freezer there are Tupperware bottles filled…
Feast Is Bloody Brilliant
Black pudding is the British name for blood sausage. At Feast, the remarkable restaurant in the creaky old wooden house on Westheimer where Chez Georges used to be, the slightly sweet blood pudding slices are cooked crispy and served on a plate full of little fresh-shelled English peas with a…
From Té to Sauté World Bistro
Connie Lacobie met her husband Kevin in 1982, when they both attended the University of Houston. A few years ago, they opened Té House of Tea on Fairview, which specializes in fair-trade teas, snacks and cakes. Now the couple has expanded to a full-fledged restaurant with Sauté World Bistro (2303…
Al Green Goes All Rambo
Bold stands are the order of the day, and U.S. Rep. Al Green is right on the front line. Fighting the Vietnam War. Green has issued a press release bringing notice to the fact that he’s against the Vietnamese government opening a consulate here in Houston. “The Vietnamese government has…
Mixta It Up at Benny’s Mexican Cafe & Bar
The super mixta platter ($38.99) at Benny’s Mexican Cafe & Bar (13320 Westheimer, 281-870-1107), meant for two people, will easily feed three or four. But it’s not the quantity that’s impressive, it’s the taste. Everything comes off the charcoal grill piping hot; it’s served on a sizzling comal that continues…
VELVET LOUNGE’S MEXICAN MARTINI
I’m impossibly lazy — the kind of lazy that makes people angry. I can never go out to lunch on a Saturday because I can’t get out of bed before noon. People hate that, especially the people I was supposed to meet for lunch…at noon. I’m so lazy I can…
Was Jimi Hendrix Mexican?
Dear Mexican, I recently received the biography of Rolling Stones bassist Ronnie Woods. While reading about his friendship with Jimi Hendrix, Ronnie described him as part black, Cherokee and Mexican. I’ve always read about Jimi’s grandmother being Cherokee, but this was the first I read about him being Mexican. I…
B.B. King
Audiences first encountered B.B. King in the ’50s, thanks to the blues guitarist and singer’s relentless touring of the so-called “chitlin’ circuit” and a series of memorable recordings. But that was just the beginning: By crossing over to a rock audience in the ’60s and ’70s, King played a crucial…
Me and Mr. Jones
To paraphrase one of his favorite Iggy Pop songs, Noise is now the passenger. So for all of his Facebook friends wondering why his “status” is now a quote from Wilco’s A.M. gem “Passenger Side” (“I don’t like riding on the passenger side”), wonder no further. About four years ago,…
Rhett Miller
As front man for Dallas’ Old 97’s, who dragged a punk-influenced rock sensibility through the boozy, outlaw country bars and bleached landscapes of the Southwest, Rhett Miller was a forerunner of the so-called “alt-country” movement that peaked in the mid-’90s. But while peers such as Wilco eventually moved on to…
George Duke, Jazz Crusaders
Hurricane Ike deprived Houstonians of many things when it hit a couple of months ago, including a night of live, stankified jazz. Here’s the deal: Jazz/funk great George Duke was supposed to headline a concert at the Arena Theatre September 13. However, Ike’s tumultuous weather and aftermath forced the show…
The Shredder
John Waite: He’s been “Missing You” too, Houston. (Thursday, Meridian) Suspects/Neptones: Sweet ska and swooshing surf from 3700 Main regulars. (Friday, Continental Club) Dale Watson: Pasadena native is pure honky-tonk From the Cradle to the Grave. (Friday, Blanco’s) Crystal Method: Squelchy soundtrack specialists (Tropic Thunder, Fox’s Bones) bring sprawling electronica…
