Great Leaps Forward: The Evolution of Thy Art Is Murder
As he speaks from a tour bus headed toward Portland, Oregon, guitarist Andy Marsh’s subject is his band, Thy Art Is Murder. Since its beginnings, the Australian extreme-metal group has had several new members and with that, a change of attitude. But more than just Thy Art Is Murder’s music…
How ‘Destroyer’ Shot KISS Into the Stratosphere
Shout It Out Loud: The Story of Kiss’s Destroyer and the Making of an American Icon By James Campion Backbeat Books, 400 pp., $24.99 It was late 1975, and the career trajectory of KISS lay at a crucial crossroads. Despite the band’s wildly outlandish makeup and costumes, an increasingly bombastic stage show,…
New Chapter, New Tour for Whitechapel
The six-piece deathcore band known as Whitechapel from Knoxville, Tennessee are a solid group of guys. Remaining resolute and dedicated not just to each other but also to a former member, they gave him a permanent position alongside the band. Truly indicative of Whitechapel’s bond and ardent character, that kind…
A Christmas Carol Returns at the Alley With Jeffrey Bean as Scrooge
It’s November and time for Jacob Marley’s ghost to rattle his chains and scare the bejesus out of the youngest audience members attending A Christmas Carol at the Alley Theatre. Of course the focus of the play is not Marley’s ghost – he learned his lessons too late – but…
Ben & Jerry’s and New Belgium Collaborate on Hybrid Brew and Ice Cream Flavor
Recently, Ben & Jerry’s announced it had partnered with New Belgium Brewing to produce a limited edition beer (Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale) and ice cream (Salted Caramel Brown-ie) in the spirit of advancing the efforts of Protect Our Winters (POW), an advocacy group dedicated to engaging the snow sports community…
Eat This: Murgh Akbari at Shiva Indian Restaurant
The Rice Village branch of Shiva Indian Restaurant offers on the whole decently-prepared chaats, biryanis, and curries of varying heat that will satisfy your craving for (slightly Americanized versions of) classic Indian dishes. There are two reasons, however, why you should favor Shiva over other the many Indian restaurants…
100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2015, No. 39: Spicy Blue Cheese Burger at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It’s a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It’s a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern…
The Houston Cinema Arts Society Festival Features Texas Filmmakers
One of the most exciting finds of the year for Richard Herskowitz, artistic director and curator for the Houston Cinema Arts Society Festival, was Krisha, a film by native Houstonian Trey Edward Shults. “This is one of the best debut films I’ve ever seen,” Herskowitz tells us. The story follows…
Things I’ve Learned From Caring for a Mentally Ill Loved One
Life presents us all with challenges, but some are more predictable than others. Trying to find a good job, paying the bills, and struggling to find one’s way in this world are all things the majority of us have to address at some point. Far fewer people expect to have…
Former Texas Abuse Victims’ Advocate Accused of Being a Creep
A former La Marque man is being accused of using his status as a “life coach” and advocate for survivors of sexual abuse as a way to harass vulnerable women. George “Bo” Budinsky, 65, parlayed a 2011 appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show (as part of 200 male survivors of…
5 Easy Tips For Good Nutrition From Rocco DiSpirito
Chef Rocco DiSpirito is probably best known for controversial reality show The Restaurant, which followed the launch of ill-fated eaterie Rocco’s on 22nd in New York’s Flatiron District. Viewers who watched the second season had an inside look at the power struggles that can erupt between chefs and investors. The…
Six Reasons Fun Fun Fun Is the Most Unique Festival In Texas
For the most part, I’m not a music-festival kind of guy. Over the years I’ve spent lots of time in various huge fields and parking lots waiting through a bunch of bands I didn’t really want to see, so I could check out a handful I really did. I’d had…
Anti-HERO Ringleader Defends Man Sued For Photographing Women in a Bathroom
Jared Woodfill, the former Harris County Republican Party leader who successfully championed the fight against the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance by proclaiming “no men in women’s restrooms,” is representing a man in court who has admitted to taking photos of women changing clothes without their knowledge—in a bathroom. Ten years…
Obama’s Immigration Program Again Blocked in Court
In light of congressional inaction on immigration—and increasing pressure from progressives, human rights groups and the Hispanic community—President Barack Obama last year announced a policy change that would shield a broad category of undocumented immigrants from deportation. Claiming Obama had overstepped his authority, the state of Texas spearheaded a lawsuit…
European Masters Updated With Twists on Race, Age, Gender and Orientation (NSFW)
Both familiar yet oddly unsettling, a new collaborative effort between New Orleans-based photographers Epaul Julien and Elizabeth Kleinveld (she also resides in Amsterdam) offers a modern take on European masterpieces, with a retelling of classic paintings through twists on age, race, gender and sexual orientation. The pair, who bill themselves…
This Week in Houston Food Blogs: A Day of the Dead Culinary Tour
This week, we’ve got restaurant reviews, recipes to keep you warm during the cool months and looks at a few unusual foodie events. Día de los Muertos was last week, and Nancy of Tag Sale Tastes went on a Day-of-the-Dead-themed culinary tour with chefs (and brothers) Hugo and Ruben Ortega…
Houston Doctor Accused Of Botching Dead Infant’s Delivery
A Houston doctor with a history of failing to meet the standard of care during baby deliveries is again under fire after gruesome allegations surfaced on social media this weekend that one of her recent deliveries was mismanaged and resulted in the death of a newborn baby. On Friday evening,…
An Unsung Female Astronomer Gets Her Due in Main Street Theater’s Stirring Silent Sky [UPDATED]
“I need to know,” cries star-obsessed Henrietta Leavitt (a radiantly flinty Shannon Emerick) as she’s surrounded by crisp projections of the blazing heavens. What is it we really see in the vast firmament? Where do we fit in among the countless points of light overhead? What does it all mean? There…
Eat This: Fall Harvest Salad at Local Foods
When visiting Local Foods, it can be hard to steer yourself away from its classics, like the Crunchy Chicken Sandwich and the Truffled Egg Salad. These installations have been on the menu since Local Foods first opened its doors and remain because they are consistently good. However, let us not…
Jenni Rebecca Stephenson’s Controversial Departure from Fresh Arts
Jenni Rebecca Stephenson still had her job as the executive director of Fresh Arts on October 20 when she appeared on NPR’s Houston Matters and questioned statements by Museum of Fine Arts, Houston director Gary Tinterow. Hours after the program aired, Stephenson was replaced by Julie Farr, who’s also the…
Don’t Let the Standings Fool You: The Texans’ Issues are Many and Profound
On a rainy Monday night last week in Charlotte, Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano sent a 52-yard field goal end-over-end through the uprights, giving the Panthers a 26-23 overtime win against the Indianapolis Colts. The kick kept Carolina undefeated on the season at 7-0, but perhaps more significant, and certainly…
Helen Greek Food and Wine Presents Wonderful Food Both Traditional and Not
It’s a rare delight when a restaurant under-promises and over-delivers on its food. At Helen Greek Food and Wine, what arrives on the plate often surpasses the modest menu description. Take, for example, the Greens-N-Cheese pie. Instead of being a small, pie-shaped tart, it’s a fluted, browned artwork of delicate…
There is No “Smart Reason” for Naked Women in Video Games
This year in gaming has had seen one of the most ridiculous trends in game development in recent memory: the conceit that there is a reason for nude or near-nude female characters in a game outside of the obvious one involving giving straight male players a boner. Studios that really,…
First Look at The Burger Joint: The Newest Place in Montrose for Classic Burgers
It’s no secret that Houston is a burger loving town. Heck, we were even named America’s best Burger City in 2011 by Travel + Leisure Magazine, so when a new place for burgers enters the market, we take notice. Debuting to long lines last Wednesday, The Burger Joint is the…
In Lucifer’s Name: Michael Ford’s Invented Religion Comes to Old Town Spring
Luciferians are early risers. At 8:30 a.m. on Halloween, about 20 Luciferians, wearing mostly black, gathered in the Greater Church of Lucifer, a small restored house on Main Street in the heart of Old Town Spring surrounded by kitschy cupcake stores and cute boutiques with names like “Frou Frou Galore”…
Upcoming: Black Coffee, Bonnie Raitt, Brazilian Girls, deadhorse, Ellie Goulding, Prong, Robert Earl Keen, etc.
AK’Chamel: With HAWN, Tearful Moon, Millenial Grave DJ., Fri., November 20, 9 p.m., $5. Black Barbie, 3621 Canal, Houston, 281-743-8328. Autograph: Sat., November 21, 8 p.m., TBA. 18th Street Pier Bar & Grill, 101 18th St., San Leon, 281-339-2600. Beat Connection: With Phantoms, Children of Pop. Thu., November 12, 8…
Houston Cinema Arts Festival’s Music Films Have a Strong Texas Accent
Of the more than 40 feature-length films at this year’s Houston Cinema Arts Festival, eight — or approximately 20 percent — could safely be called “music movies”: one classic comedy starring a popular ’90s rap duo, a new film about a Sinatra-style lounge singer looking to regain his mojo, and…
J. Cole & Jeremih’s “Planes”: Why This Song Sucks
Here’s something that need be admitted to publicly. Out loud. Proclaimed from the heavens and written on message boards across the world. J. Cole has ruined a pretty decent song about sex. J. Cole ruining something is rare for him, and that makes him pretty decent. As a human, he…
Five Crazy Rock Myths: “Evil Backwards Message” Edition
One persistent rock myth is that for years bands have been secretly recording backwards messages onto their albums. Fans of a certain age will especially remember certain types of watchdogs, particularly religious individuals, who are already convinced that rock is evil and Satanic, and have been spreading the tale that…
The Worst Things We Saw at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2015
That’s On Me: By pure coincidence, I ended up setting in the media tent across from someone who was supposed to be interviewed, according to their PR person, by the Houston Press. Life is weird like that sometimes: you choose a place to sit because your feet hurt, and you…
The Best Things We Saw at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2015
Peaches: I never really understand why people are like, “We need people like Lady Gaga because pop music is so boring” when performers like Peaches exist. Here’s a brief list of things I saw during Peaches’ set: Peaches walking on the crowd while smoking a joint; Peaches climbing in to…
David Sedaris Talks Travel, Trash, and Tumors At Jones Hall
An Evening with David Sedaris Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts November 7, 2015 Ever since he came to American’s attention with The SantaLand Diaries back in 1992, David Sedaris has made a comfortable living from the comedy of discomfort. No topic is off limits, including his own family…
College Football, Week 10 — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
Admittedly, I didn’t get to watch a ton of college football this weekend. (For those asking, I was busy watching my daughter do this.) So this week’s post on the world of college football was done based on my watching overnight replays of games when I couldn’t sleep Saturday night,…
Weekend Winners: The Chefs Who Wowed Over Two Days Of Competitions in Houston
Pleasant fall weather in Houston means a lot of outdoor events and competitions. This past weekend was even crazier than usual. Here are all of the many chefs and dishes that wowed judges and attendees across town. Saturday was the Houston Cellar Classic at the Uptown Park location of The…
Cougars One Step Closer To Perfection
The basic facts follow. The Houston Cougars defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 33-30 on Saturday afternoon. The Cougars stayed undefeated, going 9-0 for the season. The Cougar defense struggled at times, surrendering 589 yards (523 passing yards), yet came through when needed and forced three turnovers and got a safety. The…
Lights Brings Positive Energy to Warehouse Live
Valerie Poxleitner, better known by her stage name Lights, has done well for herself in recent years. The Canadian singer-songwriter’s last two studio albums made it into the top 50 on the US Billboard charts and broke into the top 5 on the Canadian charts. On the back of that…
Supreme Court Will Decide Whether HBU Can Block Birth Control Coverage For Employees
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday announced it would hear a case centered on Houston Baptist University attempting to block contraception coverage for its employees. HBU and other religious schools are fighting to overturn a lower court ruling that says they can’t block the feds from giving their workers birth…
This Week in Houston Food Events: It’s A Good Week For Whiskey
All Week Long National Pizza with Everything (Except Anchovies) Day All week long, Laurenzo’s at 4412 Washington is celebrating this slightly bizarre holiday with a special pizza offer; when you order a pizza, you can get a draft beer at happy hour pricing any time of day. Just make sure…
Dish of the Week: Autumn Panzanella
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’re bringing putting a seasonal spin on a classic Panzanella Salad. Also known as panmolle, panzanella is a Tuscan bread salad in…
The Spinning Fun of Los Trompos Due Soon at Discovery Green
Beginning November 14, twenty larger-than-life, mobile tops will appear on the lawn of Discovery Green—ready to be pushed, spun, ridden, and admired. An installation of sophisticated mechanical and social design, “Los Trompos” (“The Spinning Tops”) will transform a commonplace toy into an expressive, interactive experience for park-goers. After exhibiting a…
NASA Says Solar Winds Stripped Mars of its Atmosphere
NASA has come out with another revelation in the Mars origin story. That’s right, only months after NASA scientists announced they’d spotted evidence of water on Mars, the federal space agency has now announced that scientists working on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission (the Maven spacecraft arrived in…
Repurposed Rice Silos Play Host to Mysterious, Surreal World
A woman on a swing, laughing, as balloons rise and fall in synchronicity. The drip, drip, drip of water on a cool, gray slab. The cacophony of cans banging together in an echo-filled chamber. A darkened room with strange life forms growing in glass dishes. These are just a few…
Doctor Who: A Lonely God Goes to War in “The Zygon Inversion”
One interpretation of The Doctor as a character is The Lonely God, a being far above humanity and even his fellow Time Lords who uses companionship in order to determine how he will shape the universe. It was semi-begun back in Sylvester McCoy’s run and expanded on greatly by David…
All About Comfort Food: The New Fall Menu at Max’s Wine Dive
All year long, hungry Houstonians craving over-the-top gourmet comfort food know that they can find it at Max’s Wine Dive. From fried chicken and champagne to their infamous truffle-everything fried egg sandwich, time and again, the original spot on Washington delivers. Such was the case earlier this week when we…
James Harden Rolling: So Much for the Kardashian Curse
From Jessica Simpson making Tony Romo do stupid things on the field — as if he needed any help — to the fear of a JJ Watt relationship and how it might impact his defensive prowess, the TMZ-driven world of sports is as confounding as it is, at times, infuriating. How…
Billy Joel Is an Honorary Texan After Bravo Toyota Center Set
Billy Joel Toyota Center November 6, 2015 Billy Joel came to Houston Friday night a New Yorker, but did his best to leave an honorary Texan. The Piano Man’s Toyota Center set, which clocked in at two and a half hours, was dotted with songs by Texas musicians he admires…
PHOTOS: Chris Cornell Brings Some ‘Higher Truth’ to UH’s Cullen Hall
Note: Chris Cornell, singer for Soundgarden and occasional solo artist, stopped by UH’s Cullen Performance Hall Saturday night to sing some songs from his melancholy new LP, Higher Truth. Photographer Eric Sauseda was in the building…
Blues For Food Feeds the Soul by Feeding the Needy
Blues For Food, the annual November food drive at Shakespeare Pub, has racked up some pretty impressive numbers in its 25 years. This Sunday starting at 2 p.m., dozens of Houston musicians will gather to sing for other people’s supper, with either at least one nonperishable food item or a…
DA’s Office Won’t Press Animal Cruelty Charges Against “Porch Pup” Owner
It didn’t take long before people as far as the UK had heard of the “porch pup.” What happened to this pup over the past week has triggered outrage on social media, protests, and an outpouring of support and sympathy from animal-loving groups across the country. In a press conference yesterday,…
What Went Wrong With HERO
In the days since the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance was soundly voted down by a whopping 22 point margin, there has been a lot of talk about how fear and misinformation were the culprit behind the HERO’s defeat at the polls. Pride Houston sent out a statement saying as much:…
Paxton’s Motion to Dismiss Felony Charges Backfires in Legal Lashing From Prosecutors
When the criminal investigation into Ken Paxton’s business dealings began in earnest earlier this year, the attorney general and his supporters wrote it off as a political witch-hunt. The charge was easier to stomach when it was just a left-leaning watchdog group, stunned that Paxton skated by an admitted violation…
Kingwood Barkfest Is A Labor Of Love Celebrating Our Doggie Friends.
The Greater Houston Area has its fair share of dog lovers, and there are lots of shelters and rescues doing their best to care for canines that are in need. Often their resources are stretched and a steady influx of homeless dogs is a huge problem for the organization’s and…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Spectre
Title: Spectre Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: Hank Scorpio: “By the way, Homer: what’s your least favorite country, Italy or France?” Homer: “France.” Hank Scorpio: “Heh heh, nobody ever says Italy.” Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three-and-a-half Zoidbergs out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Tagline: None, but…
Houston’s SID SEVENTEEN Just Keeps Rolling Along
Concert Pub North hosts a veteran band tomorrow night, one whose fans travel across the country to see it perform and has been shredding faces since some of you were just a gleam in your old man’s eye. The iconic Misfits are headlining the show, but we’re alluding to the…
100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2015, No. 40: Pizza at Dolce Vita
Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It’s a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It’s a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern…
Can Kelvin Sampson Revive UH Basketball? He’s Realistically Optimistic.
Kelvin Sampson likes his basketball team. He likes the effort, he likes the attitude, and good teams need both, he says. Sure, the season’s not started yet. Sure the Houston Cougars have yet to even play an exhibition game. But the team’s good, it’s easy to coach, and the guys…
The 5 Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Tosca, Wait Until Dark and More
Houston Grand Opera has brought back the tried and true Tosca for its opener for the 2015-16 season at the Wortham Center. Audiences have been enthusiastic and critics kind. There are only two more performances of the tragic Tosca, including one on Friday, so if you intend on seeing the…
Opera in the Heights Does Well by Menotti’s Music in Its Dual Offerings
The set-up: What exactly are they thinking at Opera in the Heights? In this two-opera set, Gian Carlo Menotti’s little bauble of an operetta, The Telephone (1947), has been given an insane Halloween gloss so that characters Lucy and Ben appear as Bride of Frankenstein and Frankenstein monster. What the…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: Tacos, A Cheese Dinner & More
Berryhill Baja Grill is offering its final Taco of the Month: the Mother Clucker. For the grand finale, Chef Andrew Hradecky has taken a few things Houstonians love and presented then in taco form. The Mother Clucker features crisp and juicy fried chicken topped with queso, roasted tomato salsa and…
For Jared Woodfill, HERO’s Defeat Could Be Larger Political Victory
Jared Woodfill was beaming as he bounced around the ballroom inside the Marriott on Westheimer Tuesday night, shouting updates to supporters as Election Day results started to roll in. It didn’t take long for Woodfill to declare victory. Early election totals previewed the trouncing the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance ultimately…
I Am a Man Who Goes Into Women’s Bathrooms in Houston
At the airport in San Diego, the city where I grew up, there are three options at each bathroom station — one for people who identify as men, another for people who identify as women, and one for people who identify as transgender. I identify as a man. I live…
Openings and Closings in Houston: Krispy Kreme
The greatly anticipated second Houston-area Pappas Bros. Steakhouse location at 1200 McKinney is now ready for business. You’ll find the same carefully crafted menu, wine list and high standards of service at the new location; also, need we mention the dry-aged beef? If you haven’t experienced it yet, add it to your…
Houston Texans Midseason Report Card
On Wednesday night, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair was receiving an award at a charity function for M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and, as will happen sometimes at an event like this, he spent a few minutes meeting with the media to talk football. The nice thing about Bob McNair when…
‘Gampo’ Rapper Prof Believes In Nothing, But Also Himself
Like any artist, Prof is aware some listeners will appreciate his work more than others, which is why he’s a bit cavalier about one of the worst reviews he’s ever received. The Minneapolis rapper returns to Houston tonight at House of Blues, four years after his 2011 release, King Gampo, was…
A Walk on the Swanky Side for Dogs at Houston’s Hotels
At the Houston Press, we love our pets. A lot. So, we were curious about whether or not the swankiest hotels in town would also open their doors to our precious friends. In our survey, we looked at hotels that ranked high for human guests (lots of stars), and then…
Houston’s 10 Best Bars for a Rainy Day
Between Houston’s recent stormy weather and more precipitation forecast for this weekend, it’s time to consider the city’s best rainy-day bars to visit Sure, staying home and watching TV during the rain or curling up with a good book is fine, but sometimes you just need to get out of…
Five Reasons 1970s Billy Joel Is Best
5. THE SONGS ROCKED HARDER IN THE ‘70s Even if it was still rock and roll to him, there’s a noticeable distinction between Joel’s rock and pop songs. This isn’t intended as a slur against the later songs at all; I love every one of them. But let’s face it:…
Dave Alvin: “I’m Just a Blues Guitarist.” (Don’t Believe Him.)
Dave Alvin, who rolls into the Continental Club with brother and Blasters front man Phil Alvin for a late show tonight at the Continental Club, can’t believe Country Dick Montana has been dead 20 years. “Man, when I saw that yesterday it blew my mind,” says Alvin over a first…
All Cops in Harris County Must Offer Pot Leniency Program By Jan. 1
Today, the Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson announced that all law enforcement agencies in Harris County will be required to offer her First Chance Intervention Program, a leniency program for first-time, low-level marijuana offenders, by January 1, 2016. The program’s goal, since its inception in October 2014, has been to…
College and NFL Football: This Weekend’s Best Bets
Well, that unraveled quickly. Just a few weeks ago, nobody was giving you more winners on the internet than I was. I was like an ATM machine with no password (or at the very least, a password of “1234”), just spewing money all over the place for all of you…
Bourdain on Craftsmanship, Whisky and Plans for Houston
Anthony Bourdain is in Houston for a brief series of events called The Balvenie Rare Craft Collection. About 800 lucky Houstonians were able to score a spot to hear Bourdain speak and taste some of The Balvenie’s whiskys. It’s not his first time in Houston, nor will it be his…
HPD Chief: Open Carry “May Be a Great Social Experiment”
With Texas set to allow concealed handgun license holders to openly carry their guns anywhere except educational facilities on January 1, there are some concerns—both from regular joes with young kids and from CHL holders who don’t want to get arrested just for “alarming” people in public. During a panel…
Rick Perry May Have Saved a Shoddy Surgeon’s Medical License
It was in 2010 that Oklahoma medical board officials first came for Steven Anagnost’s medical license. Over the course of three years the board would investigate allegations the spinal surgeon botched a series of procedures, leaving patients paralyzed, in persistent pain, or dead. During one bungled surgery, Anagnost apparently even…
100 Favorite Houston Dish 2015, No. 41: Grilled Shrimp at La Grange
Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It’s a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It’s a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern…
The Struggles of Being Young, Homeless and LGBT
When Crimson Jordan’s mother told him that, if he wanted to make a gender transition, he would have to get out her house, Jordan chose to leave for good. It was an easy decision for 17-year-old Jordan, who says he’d been verbally, physically and sexually abused in that home by…
10 Reasons Billy Joel Is a Secret Badass
Billy Joel has amassed enough record sales in his career to become the sixth best-selling recording artist in U.S. history. He was once married to arguably the most famous supermodel in the world. His music inspired a hit Broadway musical. But was he ever “cool?” When Joel was regularly producing…
100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2015, No. 42: Duck In Two Moles at Arnaldo Richards’ Picos
Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It’s a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It’s a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern…
Tomorrow Is National Nacho Day! Here’s Where to Get Your Nacho On in Houston
With the sheer number of Tex-Mex spots in this city, it’s no secret that nachos have become a staple of Houston cuisine. So in honor of National Nacho Day (which we just found out exists and is Friday, November 6), we’ve rounded up some of the more memorable queso-smothered chips…
NASA Is Partnering With Houston Airport System to Create a Spaceport
It’s official. NASA is backing the Houston Airport System’s efforts to transform Ellington Airfield into a shiny, new spaceport. “The Johnson Space Center represents an invaluable asset for the entire City of Houston and especially for those of us who are working to establish Houston spaceport as a force within…
Sounds of the City: The Unstoppable Soul of The Suffers
Note: Sounds of the City highlights the best Houston music not attached to its strong but overdiscussed rap scene. In my spare time, I’ve probably written more fan fiction about The Suffers impending rise to world domination than anything else. They’re a band but they’re almost like the galloping Four…
Forecasts, Lines and Recommendations: Preparing for Fun Fun Fun Fest 2015
If there’s anything we should take away from the 2015 festival season, it’s that maybe music blogs should keep a few weather nerds on staff. There have to be at least a few folks that love both meteorology and music, and they sure would be handy when trying to figure…
My Man Doesn’t Like My Male Best Friend. Help!
MY BOYFRIEND DISAPPROVES OF MY MALE BEST FRIEND Dear Willie D: I’m a 28-year-old female, and my best friend is a guy who I’ve known since middle school. I recently met a guy who I like, and we have been dating for two months. When I told him that my…
Big XII Falls Short Of Top 4 In First College Football Playoff Rankings
During the last five or six years, through a combination of seismic realignment, shaky leadership, and disjointed geography, the Big XII has been the one Power Five conference with the most severe identity crisis. It’s odd sense of self boiled to a head last December when the conference directly contravened…
Vandals Hit Church Of Lucifer
Vandals shattered the front window of a controversial church on Monday night, according to church leaders and grainy surveillance footage. At around 8 p.m. Monday, a group of five people arrived in front of the Greater Church of Lucifer on Main Street in Old Town Spring, and one of them…
Critters Screwed Up Voting at One Fifth Ward Church
When Precinct Judge Amy McCan fired up the voting machines on Tuesday morning, only one of the machines turned on. There were already people lined up to cast their ballots when the polling place located at Greater Love Baptist Church in the Fifth Ward opened. The line quickly snaked out…
Bluesman Johnny Nicholas Fans the Flames of a Second Career
Bluesman Johnny Nicholas, who plays Mucky Duck Thursday night, is enjoying quite a career resurgence at 67. Nicholas grew up in Rhode Island, where he formed a band while still in high school that included Duke Robillard and one-time Fabulous Thunderbird Fran Christina. After a brief stint in San Francisco…
Turner, King Head to Runoff in Race for Mayor
State Rep. Sylvester Turner and Bill King are now in the runoff for mayor, with Turner leading the pack in Tuesday’s election, nabbing about 31.5 percent of the vote, with nearly all precincts reporting. A Who’s Who of local Democrats flanked Turner when he took the stage to greet supporters…
Swayed by Fear, Houstonians Vote for Discrimination
Houston, widely lauded as the most diverse city in America, earned a more unfortunate distinction Tuesday when voters struck down the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, a law aimed at protecting a wide range of citizens from discrimination in the workplace, in housing, and at public businesses. Religious and hard-right conservative…
More East Texas Couples Forced To Choose Marriage Over Jail Come Forward
Giving a young couple the “choice” of getting married or going to jail is kind of like blackmailing someone. The young person’s misdemeanor assault charge or petty theft charge might stay a secret from an employer who would likely fire him— just as long as he just prematurely enters into…
The Black Panthers Roar Again in a Vital New Doc
The title might seem tragic. Stanley Nelson’s welcome doc banners the Black Panthers as the “vanguard” of the revolution, a claim that’s true according to the Panthers’ own terms. The leather-jacketed crew carrying rifles onto the floor of the California state assembly in 1967? That was the berets-and-afros vanguard of…
The Peanuts Movie Is as Sincere a Pumpkin Patch as Hollywood Can Grow
Yes, it’s 3-D computer animation, and yes, it shows us more of the face of Charlie Brown’s Little Red-Haired Girl than you ever thought you would see. But the news, for the most part, is good: The Peanuts Movie is much closer in spirit to Charles M. Schulz’s half-century comic-strip…
Spectre Is Gorgeous, but May Be Too Much of a Good Thing
Because women are particularly beguiling when viewed from behind, the camera loves to follow them: Anyone who’s watched James Stewart’s lovesick detective trailing Kim Novak, a platinum dream poured into a pale gray flannel hourglass, understands the voyeurism at the heart of Vertigo. With Spectre — the 24th James Bond…
Entertainment‘s Gregg Turkington – a.k.a. Neil Hamburger – Takes Flight
Comedian Gregg Turkington sits at an airport bar in Van Nuys, orders a spiced whiskey sour — the joint’s too-sweet specialty cocktail — and stares out the window at the tiny commuter jets he hates. “I’m terrified of flying, like seriously freaked out,” he says. “But I fly more than…
