Houston Gets the Clap Tonight – the Soul Clap Dance Party, That Is
Looks like Rocks Off better get out of here pretty quick and take a nap, because it appears we’ll be overindulging at Mango’s for two nights in a row. We might be able to dance off some of those beers this time though, because on his way to Fun Fun…
Mid-Week Match-Up: And Then There Were Two
Houston is barely coming off the adrenaline rush of the mayoral election, and already it has been set careening into the non-stop thrill ride of the runoff.You thought Annise Parker and Gene Locke brought the high-octane heat in the first round? You ain’t seen nothing yet. (Probably because you weren’t…
Art Rock: The “Shred ‘Til You’re Dead” Tour at Meridian
6:30 p.m. tonight at Meridian, 1503 Chartres, 713-225-1717 or www.meridianhouston.com…
Oyster Season Opener
My first oysters on the half shell this season came from Captain Benny’s in Austin. They were good-looking and reasonably tasty, considering we haven’t had much cold weather yet. If I had to bet, I’d say these oysters were harvested in Louisiana a week or so ago. (The season opens…
New On The Web! More Party Pics and Coverage of Rich People!
Heartbroken fans of Clifford Pugh, Shelby Hodge and Heather “Shopgirl” Staible take solace — the trio of ex-Chron lifestyle scribes have a new home online at Culture Map Houston, which debuted a few hours ago. “CultureMap, a new online magazine and “mapazine” — the first of its kind — headquartered…
Health Department Roundup: Washington Corridor Edition
Ever notice that the Washington Corridor is roughly but uncannily shaped like a pancreas, with Washington Avenue as its pancreatic duct? We did. Without further ado, a few Health Dept. violators from the area this week: According to its website, Bubba’s Sports Bar and Grill (6225 Washington Ave.) is designed…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: The Mucky Duck Hits a Hot Streak In the Cool Weather
Lonesome, Onry and Mean just noticed that venerable listening room McGonigel’s Mucky Duck has a major streak of high-grade talent Nov. 12 through 17. Beginning with the Subdudes on the 12th, the Duck quickly plows through Texas legend Ray Wylie Hubbard (13th), troubadour-poet Tom Russell (14th), one of Nashville’s biggest…
Game Time: Larusso Vs. Skywalker, The Death Match
I’m not afraid to admit it, I’m a huge fan of The Karate Kid. And I’m not just talking “guilty pleasure” fan.No sir, not only do I actually own all three DVD’s in the Karate Kid trilogy, but my Karate Kid III DVD actually has some scenes that skip because…
Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. The Ferm: Sir Ron may or may not blog drunk from time…
The Dallas Cowboys (And Friendswood), Keeping It Classy
Whitney Isleib is a Friendswood gal who’s a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, which means she’s willing to sell her dignity for fame. So she was probably hoping to become an Internet sensation one day.Not this way, though.The web is alive — IT’S ALIVE!! — with photos Isleib posted on her Facebook…
A Picnic Lunch
Picnic, that cute little sandwich shop on Bissonnet by the owners of Raven Grill just two doors over, specializes in customized, to-go box lunches. The shop has everything you need for the perfect picnic. Lettuce-free salads stock the shelves in abundance – potato salad, pasta salad, chicken salad, fruit salad…
Enjoy This Fine Selection of Uncle Charlie Posters – and Buy One Saturday
In our alter ego as a print journalist, this week Rocks Off sits down with Uncle Charlie, whose vibrant posters have been adorning Houston concert halls and living-room walls (like ours, for example) since the Vatican and Unicorn days when Charlie did gig flyers for his own band, Houston hardcore…
Program Notes: Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor
Here at Rocks Off, we enjoy album covers with turds on them and making fun of R. Kelly as much as the next guy. And just wait until Chris Brown gets here next weekend. But there’s a lot more to music than that. In a possibly fruitless effort to class…
Bayou Body Count: Amazingly, A Drug Deal Goes Bad
Gotcha!That’s been the news so far this week from the police and sheriff’s office, whose detectives have been clearing old cases and racking up arrests.The Harris County Sheriff’s office announced today that they’ve bagged a pair of dishonest drug dealers with a penchant for gunplay.Back in August, a deputy was…
A House Divided: Mango’s
Mango’s Café (403 Westheimer) is like your androgynous vegan little brother. He doesn’t really know what or who he is and decides to be as vague as possible when surrounded by strangers. This house of mostly vegan cuisine and rock and roll almost offers some really incredible food experiences. Mango’s…
Our Bold Political Prediction For The Coming Governor’s Race
Here at Hair Balls, we like to scientifically sift through mountains of poll data, do extensive focus-group interviews, and examine voting trends dating back to the 1960s before making any bold predictions.This one time, as Michael Corleone would say, we are willing to make an exception.Our bold prediction: Houston businessman…
Aftermath: Surfer Blood, More Than the Poor Man’s Vampire Weekend, at Mango’s
One can sit around all day and wax faux intelligent about where a band gleams their influences from. It’s armchair quarterbacking for the kind of folks who wake up in the middle of Sunday afternoon and could give a good goddamn about 100 yards and monied monoliths of bro. For…
Five Reasons Why Peter Brown Barely Beat Roy Morales
Ah, Peter Brown. You spent more than $3 million of your wife’s cash, you put up dazzling ads that showed you jazzercising your way to Houston’s future, you led the polls most of the way, as long as “Undecided” wasn’t included.Yet you lost. Badly. Instead of making the runoff, you…
How to Make the Perfect: Chicken Stock
When I talk about making homemade chicken stock, people look at me like I have a third eye. Why would you do that when you can just buy it at the store? Because making stock tastes way better than the store-bought stuff. Very few recipes are easier than this one…
Dancing With the Stars: Gridiron or Iron Chef, Your Times Have Come
Last night was the seventh elimination round of this season’s Dancing With the Stars, and the second one to see two people go home. I guess at this point in the season the gimmick is starting to wear off? In which case, why not just have fewer contestants to start?…
Flashback: Rakim at House of Blues
One of the true architects of hip-hop, Rakim stopped by House of Blues’ Bronze Peacock Room Tuesday night to conduct a clinic in peerless lyricism. Rocks Off’s lensman Marco Torres was there. Did you know Rakim is the nephew of R&B trailblazer Ruth Brown? We didn’t either. Click here for…
Stirred and Shaken: The Cougar Den’s Cougar Cooler
When I attended University of Houston, the only on-campus watering holes I frequented were the stadium parking lot and the Communication Building. (During one end-of-the-semester newspaper party, a colleague who also went on to write for this very column nearly pissed on my head from a second-story walkway. We’re a…
Coogs Take On Tulsa, Where The Hurricanes Are Golden
Before this football season began, it was thought that the Tulsa Golden Hurricane would be the toughest competition to the Houston Cougars for the C-USA West championship. But as both teams head into game number nine this weekend, it’s beginning to look like those fears might have been a bit…
Artist of the Week: Funk/Soul Rockers and Microsoft Word Mortal Enemies Kuumba Freeque
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. Hi there. Welcome back to the most popular…
I Wanna Be Your Dog (Or Cat): This Edition Has A Cool Theme Song
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to alleviate the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care’s crowded conditions while welcoming a loving, loyal, possibly slobber-ridden companion into your life. Attached are the photos of your primary targets. If you or any team member are caught or killed, the Secretary…
Final Scenes As Parker And Locke Head To The Runoff
Note to Peter Brown — if you’re going to spend so much money on a campaign, get a microphone that works. His speech to supporters was kinda inaudible on TV, at least on KHOU.Then again, it wasn’t like the guy who’s now in third place had anything compelling to say:…
Bill White, Getting Grilled On Fox 26
Fox News (the local kind), you giveth and you taketh away.First, you go live to Roy Morales HQ, giving the candidate the rare chance to appear on TV (explaining why he’s failing miserably). A dedicated coterie of supporters is bunched behind him in the perfect camera angle to make it…
We Have A Winner In The Mayor’s Race!!!! (For Best Party, That Is)
Peter Brown, who showed he knows how to spend his wife’s money running a mayoral campaign, is showing tonight he can spend it on parties, too.While the Annise Parker and Gene Locke events are listless and miserly with the freebies, Brown’s party at the Heights Theater is crowded, has an…
Election Night Parties So Far Are As Scintillating As The Campaign
Things are very quiet at the vote-watch “parties” tonight, as the candidates and their supporters settle in for what’s likely to be a long night of seeing who ends up being the odd person out.This description, of the Annise Parker bash, is pretty much true of the others. Except for…
You Call This Progress? Denied The God-Given Right To Vote Just Because You Hate Computers
What do you do if you want to vote today but have a fervent opposition to using a computer?You get screwed, that’s what.Rad Rich, who pretty much founded the punk scene in town in many ways, went to vote today. He then concisely described his experience for Hands Up Houston’s…
No Rocks Off Movie Night Tonight – We’re Saving Ourselves for Urban Cowboy Next Week
Next Tuesday, Rocks Off Movie Night at the Mink returns with the 1980 “classic” Urban Cowboy. Classic if you’re from Houston, anyway. The film kicks off our three-week series on movies filmed in and around Houston proper. Ben Stiller’s directorial debut Reality Bites and Wes Anderson’s hipster-baiting Rushmore follow in…
A Fajita Taco at El Charro
I hardly ever get a fajita taco anymore. I am always looking for something more interesting, like lengua or barbacoa. But at the El Charro across from the Maxwell House plant, all of the tacos come hot off the griddle, rather than out of a steam table. So the fajita…
Top 5 Restaurants in Sugar Land
The suburbs don’t have to be all about McMansions, box stores, and soul-crushing conformity, do they? Open your mind and head to the land of Tara Lipinski, Tom DeLay and sugar. 5. Sushi Bistro and Latin Grill, 2168 Texas Dr. Like many so-called fusion places, Japaneiro’s falls short by trying…
Not The Usual Kind Of Prison Business
Last year we wrote about how the Texas prison system was a bit haphazard in deciding which books to ban inmates from receiving (for instance, all S/M-related activity is strictly verboten, yet The Pleasure’s All Mine, The Memoir of a Professional Submissive was approved).A deputy editor at Cruising World magazine…
Did You Know Houston Has Had the Same Official Song Since 1915? Maybe It’s Time for a New One.
We don’t know if it’s the election or what – actually it’s not, but bear with us – but this afternoon Rocks Off got to wondering whether or not Houston had its own official song, lyrics and music officially sanctioned and ratified to embody the Space/Bayou City’s hopes and dreams…
The Shameless Chef: Sausage and Cheese Drop Biscuits
Here on the Shameless Chef, we’ve already used pan sausage, and we’ve already used Bisquick. Inevitably, the decision was made to combine them. We’re through the looking glass here, people. You’ll need: 1 tube of pan sausage Bisquick shredded cheese of your own choosing (we’ve used cheddar and mozzarella) milk…
The Very Center Of The Center
Photo by Blake Whitaker We always knew it — even with the closing of the Bookstop, the corner of Alabama and Shepherd is the center of the world. Or the “Center of the World Center,” as the city’s public works department might put it.We can only be glad that the…
Mast Museer & Meat
It had been a while since we’d visited Garson Persian Restaurant (2926 Hillcroft), and it had undergone a major renovation. So we decided to give it a second look. We drove into an empty parking lot about 8:30 on a Sunday night. We were one of only three small groups…
Election Day In Houston Is As Thrilling As Expected
Photos by Blake WhitakerELECTION FEVER!!!!!! You probably won’t catch it.Outside the East End’s Settegast Park Community Center this morning, the situation was getting out of hand. Annise Parker and Gene Locke campaign workers were engaged in a shouting matching over one of the myriad issues that have caused bitter rifts…
Ask a Rapper: Fat Tony on Why Hip-Hop Is a Young Man’s Game, and Jay-Z’s “Coldplay Rap”
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place – lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good – so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted…
Game Time: The Horrible Turn Of The Texans’ Owen Daniels
(I want you all to watch in amazement while I introduce you to the literary technique known as the “shplegue”. This stands for “shameless plug that turns into a segue.” Watch and learn…)I’m not sure how many of you have seen the web-based tragicomedy Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, but this…
Ceviche at El Sinaloense
On the southwest side of Baytown, sandwiched between the giant ExxonMobil Baytown Refinery and the City Hall, is a neighborhood I call “old Baytown.” It’s an area of older shops and houses, with what appears to be a largely Hispanic population. Market Street runs through the middle of it. I…
Vote With a Bullet: Songs for an Otherwise Ho-Hum Election Day
The run-up to the 2009 elections has been quite a letdown compared to the fascinating and occasionally surreal 2008 campaigns. Obviously, there’s nothing that can compare to last year’s Presidential contests, and the local mayoral race has been less than compelling. We were going to present this as a list…
Trying To Save Memories Of Mary’s
Mary’s, the bar that many people think of as the gay bar in Houston history, is no more, a victim of unpaid rent.But there’s a scramble going on to try to keep as much of the place as possible, as a way to preserve a cornerstone of Houston’s gay past.A…
Irresistible Puns and Pancakes: How Kerbey Lane Mix Stacks Up Against the Original
Does the magic of a wee-hours rendezvous after a long night on 6th Street make the pancakes at Austin’s Kerbey Lane so good, or can they be concentrated, boxed and shipped to places less eager to be weird? The short answer is, yes they can. Available for some time at…
Tonight: Florida Indie Beach Boys Surfer Blood Sail Into Mango’s
Florida-based indie kids Surfer Blood pull into Mango’s tonight, touring ahead of their upcoming Astro Coast LP. The band was recently anointed by Rolling Stone’s online feature “Hype Monitor” as “bright and booming and hooky as FM radio in the late ’70s.” Rocks Off can hear traces of early “Blue…
The Final Fantasy: An Inside Look at Anime and Cosplay Conventions
The costumes are expected. The fanciful, the extraordinary, the bizarre, the obscurely referenced, the painstakingly planned and the larger than life weren’t surprising — after all, this was a cosplay (short for “costume roleplay) convention. What was unexpected, however, was the gender-bending everywhere that we looked. The most gorgeous men…
Star Snow Ice Part 2: Sweet Vanilla Ice
Yesterday we talked about the soup at Star Snow Ice, the amazing restaurant tucked away in the corner of a plaza off Bellaire and Beltway 8; today we take on its sweet offerings. Snow ice, a common dessert in Asia, has gained in popularity here. It’s served two different ways…
The Big 12: We Want Mediocre Bowl Games, Dammit
Apparently the Big 12 is so bad when it comes to football that the league’s commissioner is begging the NCAA to declare that any team that wins six games is automatically invited to a bowl game.As if most of the bowl games weren’t bad enough to begin with, just think…
Also on Your Mayoral Ballot Today: Former Pik N’ Pak Owner Ralph Ullrich
Last Friday, Rocks Off was hanging out with some friends at the West Alabama Ice House and ran into Ralph Ullrich, otherwise known as Ralph the Plumber, also otherwise known as one of Tuesday’s mayoral candidates a little further down the ballot than the three (and a half) examined at…
Donut Patrol: Ich Bin Ein Bismark
The Bavarian cream-filled Bismark is the thing to get at Daily Donut on Barker Cypress just north of 290. The cream-filled donut there was delicious, while the raised donut was stale and lame. Though Daily Donut calls this a Bismark, some would disagree with both the usage and the spelling…
Pop Rocks: For Election Day, The Five Best Corrupt Politicians In The Movies
It’s Election Day in Houston, and as the city braces itself for the tsunami of indifference that always comes from knowing the one significant race this time around is going to end up in a runoff, we decided to take a look at some of the shadier movie politicians out…
Dancing With the Stars: Go Home Already, Irvin
A heated competition where anything’s possible and the winners are usually juicing: That’s right, folks, it’s the seventh week of Dancing With the Stars. Let’s do it! This week saw another double-dance night — one individual, one team — to be followed by another double elimination. And I know I’ve…
Aftermath: Peaches, Stripping the Onion (and Herself) at House of Blues
It’s been a long time since Aftermath has been to the kind of high-energy, high-theatrics rock and roll show that makes us totally forget ourselves, even if just for an hour. Monday night at House of Blues, Peaches gave us exactly that kind of show, a relentless assault on good…
Where Are We Drinking?
Several giant glasses of Pilsner Urquel. (And one boring glass of poncy red wine.) This is how you drink a beer! Can you figure out where we’re drinking this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Distant Early Warning: The Wailers, Bob Schneider (Again), Hayes Carll, Peanut Butter Wolf, Queen Latifah & Dashboard Confessional Cancel, etc.
The Wailers, The Supervillains: Sat., Jan. 9. House of Blues. 30 Seconds To Mars, Cage The Elephant: Thu., Dec. 3. Verizon Wireless Theater. Adam Richman: Wed., Dec. 2. House of Blues. Asleep At The Wheel: Sat., Dec. 26. Crighton Theater. Bob Schneider: Thu., Dec. 31. Meridian. Breaking Benjamin, Sick Puppies,…
Why Notre Dame Will Win The BCS Title And Texas Won’t: Part Nine
We have documented weekly just how Notre Dame is moving inexorably towards a BCS championship while UT is deluding itself that it is doing so.Today, though, we discuss why ND’s road may be harder.We have discovered, shockingly, that the pernicious influence of the KKK and other such anti-Catholic institutions have,…
Little Mums, Small Court at Lamar High School’s Homecoming Game
Hair Balls has already seen Lamar High School play a game this season — a 27-21 win against Chavez — but this weekend we traveled to Joe K. Butler Stadium to watch the team again. It was Lamar’s homecoming, and we were curious to see what a homecoming game looked…
The Halloween Drunk Tank
Beneath an almost full moon on Halloween night the (probably) drunk man tried to follow the tip of the officer’s pen with his eyes. Behind him a parade of costumed yuppies shuffled between Washington Avenue’s trendy bars: sexy school girls, sexy devils, mobsters, Facebook. Officer Don Egdorf waved his pen…
Still Suspended: St. Arnold’s Saturday Brewery Tours
It came as a bit of a shock after a successful grand opening party last Wednesday night to find out that Saint Arnold’s much-anticipated Saturday afternoon brewery tour — a regular weekly event and the first at their new facility — had been cancelled late last week. As with most…
Planned Parenthood Director Becomes an Anti-Abortionist Protester
This just in from Bryan, TX: Abby Johnson, the very recently former director of Planned Parenthood in that city, is now a protester outside the facility. In an interview filmed by KBTX – TV, Channel 3, Johnson said she’d had a change of heart after viewing an ultrasound and can…
Lunch at Sandy McGee’s
Located on historic Morton Street across from Richmond City Hall, Sandy McGee’s has been a small-town staple and source of Sugar Land’s favorite broccoli-cheese soup since 1986. On the weekends Sandy’s is filled with moms and daughters taking a break from midday antiquing, while weekdays bring suits from the courthouse…
Get Lit: Neil Diamond is Forever: The Illustrated History of the Man and His Music by Jon Bream
Neil Diamond’s hipster cachet has increased greatly in the past few years: The Rick Rubin albums, Saving Silverman, ultimate Neil tribute band Super Diamond and Will Ferrell’s deadly funny SNL impression, in which “America” is presented as an anti-immigration number. But his fans have long been an extremely dedicated lot,…
The Top 6 Costumes at the Montrose Crawl
The third annual Montrose Crawl took over Westheimer on Saturday night as crowds of Halloween revelers lurched from bar to restaurant to bar. With the attendees encouraged to come in costume, it was as if Arne’s and Party City had simultaneously exploded onto the streets of Montrose. Needless to say,…
Happy Hour Scene: Baker Street Pub
Barring an act of God, we never thought we’d go back to Baker Street Pub in Rice Village after our 22nd birthday. But, an act of God found us there last Sunday, when $2.50 Ice Picks lured out friends back to the former college haunt. On Saturdays and Sundays, Baker…
Google’s New Music-Search Engine Will Be the Death of Us All
This past week, Internet search-engine giant Google introduced a new music-search tool that immediately opens a pop-up window for people searching for a song, where either the entire song or a snippet will play for them. It’s still in the beginning stages, so not all songs are available. We started…
Game Time: Weekend Review
I hope everyone had a great weekend, and that you were all able to enjoy the nice weather by moving your television and recliner into your driveway to watch football on TV. I’d like to start off by welcoming the Texans to this new thing for them called “November”. Boys,…
Farewell Anonysaurus Tex
So long, anonymity — it’s been swell. For nearly ten years now, I have done my job incognito. Now I am joining the ranks of no-longer-anonymous restaurant critics. Last Friday, I gave a lecture to the students and faculty of the Texas A&M Meat Science Center without the usual hat…
Somehow, Some Way, Free Press Houston Has Assembled the Westheimer Block Party Stage Schedules
Because we worked somewhere that shares a property line with SXSW for many, many years, Rocks Off knows a little bit about how the carcinoma-like March music festival places its 1,500-something bands into its 75-something venues. Basically, they work on it all year long – we reckon the schedule for…
Bayou Body Count: Mistakes Equals Murders
No one likes being punished for something they didn’t do. Even more so when the punishment is a series of deadly bullet wounds. But that’s exactly what happened to Quincey Taylor, Houston police say. A little more than three months ago, police got a call about a shooting that was happening…
Star Snow Ice and Teriyaki Part 1: Savory
Star Snow Ice (the Teriyaki is silent) on Bellaire and Beltway 8 is a popular destination of Taiwanese nationals living in Houston, and for good reason. Walking into this place feels like walking into Taipei, with Asian businessmen standing in line next to private school students and young adults who…
Whirlwind Weekend: See What You Missed
Halloween weekend was cause for much merriment and mischief making. Whether at Rich’s or the Roxy, the House of Blues or the streets of Montrose, a cosplay convention or an erotic ball, fun was found all over the city this weekend. Check out our favorite photos below. The huge Houston Press Halloween…
Aftermath: More Drums and Drummers Than We Ever Thought We’d See at an Intercontinental Airport Hangar
Videos by Craig Hlavaty Any drummer jokes, say the one about Ginger Baker and coffee both sucking without Cream, pretty much have to go out the window when you enter an expansive warehouse that includes over 100 boys and girls, and men and women, pounding on their respective kits. Sometimes…
Free Yourself From the Shackles of the Internet!
You groan as you hit snooze on your iPhone or BlackBerry’s alarm, then you resume the ritual of checking your text messages, Gmail, and Twitter with bleary orbs. You drag yourself outta bed, hastily shower, pull anything that’s unwrinkled and clean onto your limbs, and scurry to your car to…
Steam Punks: Baristas Throw Down at Houston’s First Latte Art Competition
Judging a latte art competition is deceptively difficult, as we found out on Friday night. Silence Huang, one of our fellow judges and a master barista from Taiwan, drew careful diagrams on the back of our judging sheets, pointing out all the idiosyncrasies and aspects that we should watch for…
Friends Can Be Cruel
Houston police have closed the books on yet another homicide after tracking down the final suspect in a deadly carjacking.Moses Reed, 17, was arrested last week and charged with murder for the July 15 slaying of 53-year-old Huu Khanh Phung. Detectives had previously arrested a juvenile on the same charge who…
Why The Texans Losing Owen Daniels Isn’t As Bad As You Think
For most teams, a season-ending injury to arguably the NFL’s best receiving tight end would be considered a devastating loss. But to the Texans, the absence of Owen Daniels may not be all that significant. Sure, Sunday’s come-from-behind, 31-10 romp over Buffalo was tempered with news of Daniels’ apparent torn…
Aftermath: Drive-By Truckers’ Cathartic, Down-Home Halloween Redemption at House of Blues
It took Aftermath most of Friday to figure out why we were in such an awful blue funk after Thursday’s Pogues show, especially after the band delivered a more brilliant set than even this 20-year fan thought they were capable of. But after leaving work early and relaxing for a…
BBQ Brisket Tasting at Texas A&M
The Barbecue 101 class for freshman at Texas A&M is using my Legends of Texas Barbecue as a textbook, so I was invited to be the guest lecturer last Friday. The subject was brisket, and the theme was “To Wrap, or Not to Wrap.” I talked about the history and…
The Week In TV: Trauma Dies On the Operating Table
It’s a beautiful weekend, the rain has stopped, and my Batman voice sounds like Cookie Monster. This was the week in TV Land: • I take nothing but pleasure in the misfortune of the untalented, which is why it’s my pleasure to pass along the news that ratings for Comedy…
Aftermath: An Exuberant Pre-Halloween Show With The Factory Party, Ringo Deathstarr and Springfield Riots at the Mink
In Aftermath’s opinion, there are few things more enjoyable than spending an evening together with friends at the beloved haunt that is the Mink. We’re able to toss back a drink or four, catch up on each other’s lives, and hopefully hear some really great music. So Friday night, we…
Where Are We Eating?
Warm. Homey. Comfortable. We kind of want to stay here all afternoon. Can you figure out where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess in the comment section below…
Coogs Pull Off a Last-Minute Win, Thanks to Fendi Onobun
Case Keenum delivered his standard Heisman-worthy performance. Charles Sims continued his fantastic freshman season. James Cleveland and Patrick Edwards caught key touchdown passes. But the Houston Cougars 50-43 last minute win over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles can, perhaps, best be attributed to unheralded senior tight end Fendi Onobun, a…
Aftermath: Even If You Couldn’t Get In, R. Kelly Was Still Kinda Fun
Aftermath was really looking forward to R. Kelly. When we were asked to cover the event we were a little hesitant, since modern R&B is entirely outside of our scope of musical knowledge, if not slightly outside our personal musical taste. But after mulling over it a little we began…
Texas Traveler: Matagorda
The Sunday drive. Sometimes it’s more about the trip than the destination, y’know? Texas Traveler needed to get out of town for the day. We didn’t know where, just someplace new. Someplace different. We looked at a map and picked a place. Matagorda? Why not.View Larger MapWe took 59 out…
My Top Five Imported Mustards
When I wrote about mustard recently, I got so many interesting recommendations that I went out and bought a bunch. Some of the tastiest mustards I tried were imported. Here are my current top five imported mustards: 5. Maille Dijon Originale (Canada) Good mustard seed, excellent vinegar, a touch of…
Kimberly Frost Weaves a Bewitching Story
Earlier this year, Houston author Kimberly Frost launched her Southern Witch series with Would-Be Witch, which was released in February, and Barely Bewitched, which released in September (a third installment is planned for 2011). The series combines horror with humor and centers on Tammy Jo, a young woman who lives…
Turning the Screw: Bun B, Slim Thug & Killa Kyleon, Bun B & Wale, Chingo Bling, Z-Ro vs. Lil Flip, Jay-Z, 50, The Kanye, Run-DMC, DMX, More Chingo, etc.
Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off’s weekly rap post. It probably won’t rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: “She Love It” remix, feat. Bun B, Slim Thug and Killa Kyleon After watching the actual video for this…
Día de las Muertas
Last week the city of Juarez, Mexico passed a milestone: as of October 21, the number of murders in the border town reached 2,000. That number surpassed last year’s 1,600 murders, and eclipsed the pre-2008 murder average of 200 per year. Many of the victims are women, continuing an alarming…
Five Last-Minute Halloween Costumes for Geeks and Nerds
Friday, October 30th. The day before Halloween. Not that we think this fact has escaped you, dear, dear reader. But we know exactly what predicament you’re in. It’s clear by the panic on your face. You don’t have a Halloween costume, do you? Shame shame. But we figured. Although it’s…
“MMMBro”: Hanson And Other Rock And Roll Bands Of Brothers
Back in the summer of1997, one couldn’t walk out of their house without hearing someone humming, blaring, or damning to Hell that juicy nugget of pop rock that was Hanson’s “MMMBop”. Depending on your age and gender, you either understood the hooky genius of the song or you were just…
Repeat Subway Robber Hits the Same Sandwich Shop Three Times
Fresh bread, healthy options, elaborate sneeze-guards — some people just really love Subway. And Crime Stoppers and local law enforcement are asking for the public’s help in identifying “The Repeat Subway Robber” — a dude who’s robbed the Subway at 2002 Runnels at least three times since September 22. According to…
GG Allin Is Back, And He’s Bringing Milo From the Descendents With Him
Just a few months back, Rocks Off became the proud father of his own seven-inch-tall GG Allin bobblehead doll. Aggronautix, a small Internet toy company created a diminutive and bobblin’ version of the tattooed New Hampshire-born “Poo Poo Rocker” complete with soiled underpants, blood-splatters, and a dirty sneer. We now…
This Week In Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we’ve finally secured the patent on sourdough incense. This week started off with a bang, when Greenway Barista slammed the Luling City Market on Richmond, which is actually unaffiliated with the actual market in Luling City. We’re allowed…
Last Call: “Perspectives 167: Jason Villegas,” “Leandra DiBuelna” and”Unseen and Rediscovered”
There are three art exhibits vying for your attention this weekend, and each of them is worth a visit. First is “Perspectives 167: Jason Villegas” at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, which closes November 1. A University of Houston graduate, Villegas is living in Brooklyn while he attends grad school…
What’s In a Name? Philosophically Minded Houston Rockers The Manichean
It’s a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we’re trying hard to decode Houston’s oddest monikers in order to find a little meaning. The Manichean is a – well, it’s band that plays music here in town. Define them, you say? Not…
Upcoming Events
Tonight at Coffee Groundz, a grand coffee competition will be taking place unlike anything the city has ever seen. Baristas from Houston and all over the state will compete in the H-Town Latte Art Throwdown to create the most original and elaborate latte art for a panel of judges. The evening…
Chipotle Will Install Solar Panels Everywhere But Houston
Hair Balls is always worrying about reducing our carbon footprint — in fact, we’re constantly using aerosol-spray cleansers and dusters to reduce it like a mofo — which is why we were stunned to learn in the Houston Business Journal that beloved burrito builders Chipotle Mexican Grill will be installing solar panels…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Drive-By Truckers or the Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe?
Lonesome Onry and Mean is torn as to his whereabouts this evening. Drive-by Truckers will be knocking down walls and eardrums at House of Blues, and that’s where we’ll probably end up. But if Galveston was 70 miles closer – it’s not the drive down, it’s the drive back! -…
Hop On Board: Houston Culinary Tours Embarking Soon
Have you ever wanted to cruise around with one of your favorite chefs, picking their brains as you hit his favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants in the city? Your chance to do just that is coming soon. Whole Foods Market and the Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau have put together an intimate series…
Dynamo Can’t Find the Goal, But at Least They’re Not Flopping Pricks
The 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs officially kicked off yesterday, as our boys in orange played the Sounders FC to a 0-0 draw in Seattle. The match was a hotly contested one, with the Dynamo trying to bully the smaller, more finessed Sounders squad. Even though both teams finished with three…
Friday Night Noise: Houston’s Black Leather Jesus vs. L.A.’s Hive Mind
This week, Friday Night Noise begins an ongoing effort to review a track by each and every one of H-town noise gangster Richard Ramirez’s solo or group projects. No, really. Does FNN claim to be a Ramirez authority? Not at all; FNN would need an entire lifetime to track down,…
A Palestinian-Texan BBQ Sandwich
I ate a brisket and sausage sandwich the other day at the new Brookstreet BBQ location on Westheimer west of Beltway 8. Ever since I ate the Bohemian Special at Mustang Creek BBQ in Louise, I have been trying to recreate the brisket and sausage sandwich at every barbecue joint…
Game Time: Friday Broken Glass
Just cleaning up some random broken glass in my “Blog” folder on a Friday … Can You Guess This Team? Channeling my inner Cosmo Kramer… WHO WANTS TO HAVE SOME FUN?! Ok, well, I’m going to describe a fairly well known football team to many of you, and after I’m…
Bar Beat: Katie Statlander of Velvet Melvin’s
Tucked in on an unremarkable stretch of Richmond, Velvet Melvin’s isn’t the kind of bar you hear a lot about. “When I describe this place to people, I say it’s a neighborhood bar. It’s kind of a hole in the wall. You could see somebody in pajama pants or you…
Aggies and the Ding Dong Song
The code of conduct at Texas A&M is hard to keep straight, but here’s the latest: It’s okay to be an Aggie yell leader and sing the Ding Dong Song on video, but it’s not okay to be a yell leader adviser and sing the Ding Dong Song on the…
The Music of True Blood, Episode 1.4: Catching Dengue Fever at the Dragon House, and Warehouse Live
Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He’s lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood – which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. With Season 2 just completed,…
In the Little Stalls Behind Caninos: Got Guayaba?
The first guavas of the season are starting to appear in the stalls behind Canino’s. Guayaba is the Spanish word for guava. The fruit is native to North America, and the word derives from the Arawak tribe of the Caribbean, who called a guava tree a “guayabo.” The green-skinned, white-fleshed…
Them Bones: Día de los Muertos at Lawndale Art Center
The 22nd annual celebration of the important “Day of the Dead” holiday at Lawndale Art Center is an open, non-juried exhibition of art by area artists and students. In addition to the exhibition, Lawndale also offers workshops and classes and will have a grand fiesta on November 7. For more…
Aftermath: Justin Townes Earle, Gaining on His Dad and Lightnin’ Hopkins at House of Blues
It seems every time Aftermath encounters Justin Townes Earle live, the guy has peeled another layer off himself revealing another astounding bit of his promise. Barely three years into his career, Earle is seemingly moving at an accelerated rate, even if the casual listener or viewer can’t quite discern what…
Midnight Munches: The Nutella Sandwich
Necessity is the mother of invention. For those long stretches between Easter and Halloween when candy is in short supply and groceries dwindle–here’s a simple recipe to squash late-night sweets cravings. Estimated prep: The time it takes for infomercials for the Topsy Turvy to transition to episodes of Simply Ming…
When Do We Go After the Crooks Behind Our Financial Collapse?
President Obama and his new administration were going to be so tough on the corporate villains who had such a large role in fostering the recession that has upended the finances of so many. But as author James Lieber points out in this week’s cover story “No Justice,” that just…
Beware the Chupacabra!
We know Craig Hlavaty swears by the Mummy at Ray’s Franks at the corner of Richey and Nance on the East End of downtown. But we stand firmly behind the deep-fried Chupacabra, a chili dog topped with goat cheese and jalapeños. Ray will make your dog any way you want…
The Month In Photos
October saw the first cold snap of the season and a slew of concerts, festivals, expos and shows. Check out our favorite photos from the month in our slideshow…
Aftermath: The Pogues Destroy House of Blues, and Rocks Off Is Ready to Move On
Attention budding music writers, assuming there are still a few of you left who think getting into shows for free is a fair trade for your health, well-being, a decent paycheck and reasonably normal social life: It’s not. It’s pretty much the opposite. If you choose to go down that…
Five Spot: Did Nnete Have Trae Banned From 97.9 The Boxx?
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and, sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. It’s five videos and occasional cussing. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. What a fortnight it’s been for Trae. First, his Restless album was named the…
The Office: Koi Pond
The Office usually has some fun nods to Halloween — Pam as Chaplin/Hitler, Dwight and Creed as the Joker — and last night’s “Koi Pond” was no exception. The horrible haunted house the Dunder Mifflin employees set up for neighborhood kids in the warehouse was fantastic, from Michael’s Dick in…
Dead Bread
At El Bolillo on Airline you can buy the traditional skull-shaped loaves of pan de muertos along with cool loaves that look like little bodies. (I assume from the crossed arms across the chest, they are meant to be dead bodies.) Pan de muertos is the traditional bread of Dia…
Flashforward: Back to [Boring] Basics
Oh, FlashForward. Remember when you downgraded from boring suckitude into poppy camp action? It was just last week, but it feels so long ago. Last night, though, you were back to your old expository tricks, rattling off plots and coincidences like it was going out of style. Like I fear…
Heckler’s Delight: R. Kelly at Reliant Arena
King of R&B. Ghostwriter supreme. Pop genius. Unabashed sex fiend. Bump ‘n’ grind horndog. Acquited pedophile. Ultimately, history will decide whether or not R. Kelly deserves some, all, or any of these labels, but here are two facts that aren’t in dispute: 1) the guy has written and produced some…
UH Hoops Still Dreaming Of Making It Back To March Madness
Guy V. Lewis last coached the University of Houston men’s basketball team in 1986. His last great team lost in the 1984 NCAA title game to the Georgetown Hoyas. He left a legacy of 27 straight winning seasons. Fourteen seasons with 20-plus wins. Fourteen NCAA tournament appearances. Five Final Fours…
Sam Houston Race Park Welcomes The Teabaggers
Sam Houston Race Park has a new way of trying to entice customers to the park: radical, extreme political events wherein the office of the President of the United States will be disparaged and its occupant compared to Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini and whatever other figure talk radio comes up with.The…
Mojarra Frita at Cocina de Colima
Colima is a small state in western Mexico, bordering on the Pacific Ocean. You don’t hear a lot about cuisine from Colima, but apparently it’s well-known in Mexico and best known for its seafood, mainly grilled and fried fish, and its ceviche. In a testament to the diversity of regional…
A Rocks Off Playlist: Halloween Songs That Don’t Suck
Let’s face it: the Monster Mash blows. So do many of the songs we’re forced to suffer through every Halloweentide. A couple of years ago, Rocks Off heard “One-Eyed One-Horned Flying Purple People Eater” on XM Radio’s Halloween-themed channel, and wanted to sneak into a haunted house and hang himself…
Bank Robbers Aren’t Even Trying Hard These Days
A couple of bank robberies this week in the area have us wondering if it’s too easy to rob a bank these days. Take the “older, well dressed man” who robbed a bank yesterday in northwest Houston: He approached the teller counter and took the teller by surprise when he demanded…
Pickles, Mustard and Pierogi
I am not sure the Polish food store beside Polonia actually has a name. The sign just says “Kielbasa, Golabki, Pierogi.” The store is justly famous for its fabulous jelly-filled paczki doughnuts and outrageous kabonosy and kielbasa. (They fly in 600 pounds of sausage from Chicago each week.) But I…
Twelve Musical Fuck Yous Better Than Gov. Ah-nuld’s Coded Message
We admit, we never thought he had it in him, but apparently the Governator is capable of human cleverness – just like all non-cybernetic organisms. That is, if we accept that the acrostic in this veto message here isn’t just a coincidence (read the first letter of each line in…
Dynamo Playoff Run Begins Tonight: A League-Wide Preview
The most exciting season in Major League Soccer history came to an end last Sunday. Every game in the final week had playoff implications on the line, whether it was teams fighting for higher seeds, or others simply trying to get into the dance.Now the playoff brackets are set and…
Food Fight: Battle Po-Boy
Photo by Erika Ray We have a friend — a born-and-raised Cajun who’s as passionate about her food as she is about her Motherland itself — who claims that it’s impossible to get an authentic po-boy here in Houston. It has nothing to do with the seafood or the fixings…
Cutout Bin: Linda Petty, Dallas Diva of a Thousand Goosebumps
Linda Petty and the Main Event Linda (no label) When Cutout Bin first saw Linda Petty’s album, it shone like a diamond from the tattered pile of thrift-store vinyl in front of us. Piercing eyes that knifed into our bosom, a torso enveloped in crimson explosions of glory, a shimmering…
Game Time: Brad Mills Shows Bald Is Beautiful
The biggest story locally this week has probably been the Astros hiring of Brad Mills. While some see it as the dawning of a new era for the Astros, I for one am sad to see the pageant that was Star Search 2009 end.So many memories…watching Drayton and Tal parade…
Top 5 Sauces That Make Chains Worth Visiting
A purist would say a good bread or steak should stand on its own — to sauce is to sin. But if A1 is the cardinal crime of fine dining, these sauces prove the opposite: a fine one can slather salvation over a culinary insignificancy. 5. Chick-fil-a Polynesian Sauce: In…
Important News For Those Wanting To Enjoy Dead Rock Stars (The Arty Exhibit, Not Some Creepy Graveside Tour)
Oops! Night + Day mistakenly listed “Never Die” Day of the Dead Rock Stars art exhibit by Carlos Hernandez as opening at Cactus Music/The Record Ranch on Sunday, November 1. The show actually opens on October 30, with a reception with the artist.So if you were going by the information…
Are “Folsom Prison Blues” and Jane’s Addiction’s “Summertime Rolls” Appropriate Lullabys for Children?
Despite our collective knowledge of many arcane forms of music here at Rocks Off, we have noticed that we are remarkably deficient when it comes to lullabies. This deficiency which has been compounded by our complete and utter refusal to succumb to the twisted evil that is most children’s music…
Federal Judge Dismisses Suit Involving Alleged Spy Shot By HPD Officers
In the court of law, it never really mattered whether Roland Carnaby was a spy, as he claimed just before police gunned him down along the highway following a high-speed chase. After all, his widow, Susan, was suing the City of Houston and a pair of its police officers in…
Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. I’m Never Full: Although she uses Twitter as her main communication tool…
Two Pastors And A Deacon Admit That Their Church Was One Hell Of A Scam
Some blog items never die.Almost a year ago we wrote about the fraud charges filed against officials of the Fishers of Men Worship Center in Houston. To this day, barely a week goes by without someone throwing up another comment on the case, either defending the officials or saying they…
Listology: Room 101’s Roburt Reynolds Chooses Bands He Doesn’t Like
When Rocks Off started asking local musicians to fill out music-related lists as suggested in Lisa Nola’s Music Listography, we never expected to get one like this one from one-man skronk-blues machine Room 101, known to a few select people as Roburt Reynolds. Reynolds, who plays Thursday at the Mink…
Legendary Houston Lawyer John O’Quinn Killed In Car Crash
Legendary Houston lawyer John O’quinn and an unidentified man were killed this morning when their SUV slammed into a tree off Allen Parkway. Police have not said who was driving. O’Quinn, 68, won huge settlements in mass-tort cases dealing with deadly breast implants and Big Tobacco. Recently, he represented Anna Nicole Smith’s…
Donut Patrol: David Landsel
David Landsel, the travel editor of the New York Post, stopped over in Houston on his way to Mexico City earlier this week. He asked me to take him to a regional Mexican restaurant. So we went to Tampico, where he took photos of his Vuelva a la Vida seafood…
The H-Town Countdown, No. 13: DJ Screw’s 3 N’ Tha Mornin’ Pt. 2 (Blue)
Roughly 84,000 rap albums have been released in Houston since 1989. We’re counting down the 25 best of all time every Thursday. Got a problem with the list? Shove it. Just kidding. Friendship. Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com. DJ Screw 3 N’ Da Mornin, Part 2 (Big Tyme Records, 1995) While…
Tortured Dogs Speak Out: “Please Stop Dressing Us Up”
Halloween used to be a holiday for innocent kids to dress up in truly cute costumes. Then it became a holiday for women to dress up in sexy costumes, and men to dress up in whatever costumes would most likely result in them hooking up with a tipsy Sexy Nurse.And…
Fearless Critic: Not The Only Brutally Honest Reviews In Town
One can’t possibly argue with the extraordinary usefulness of Fearless Critic, from its many lists, to its valuable compendium of area restaurants, to its handy ratings system. But one can definitely argue with its claim that its reviews, by “food nerds” and food bloggers, are somehow superior to those of…
What’s In a Name? Hey, Look, It’s 10th Gräde Cütie Again!
It’s a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off, we’re trying hard to decode Houston’s oddest monikers in order to find a little meaning. We mean this with affection and sincerity: 10th Gräde Cütie destroys everything they touch and should be booked only…
Pop Rocks: John & Nadya Plus 22
Ohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease: The gossip apocalypse has arrived: Jon Gosselin and Nadya Suleman will be going on a date.The Jon & Kate Plus 8 star has reportedly agreed to appear in a cheesy new reality show in which he’ll date Octomom Nadya Suleman, former Cheaters producer Bobby Goldstein told In Touch Weekly.”I…
Tex-Pole Kielbasa on a Sizzling Comal
I was singing “Kielbasa” by Tenacious D when the gorgeous blond waitresses delivered my hot sausage on a sizzling comal at Polonia restaurant on Blalock the other day. “I love ya baby, but all I can think about is Kielbasa sausage.” Next time I go to a flea market and…
Get Lit: Three More for That Already Groaning Springsteen Bookshelf
Just as Bruce Springsteen winds down a frenzied period of back-to-back album and tour marathon – despite the death of Springsteen’s cousin/assistant tour manager earlier this week in Kansas City, he and the E Street Band, as well as special guests Sam Moore (Sam & Dave) and Darlene Love, are…
Interview With a Zombie Horde
On Monday, we told you about the abject horror that gripped the streets of Montrose as the undead shuffled their way through the neighborhood in search of fresh brains (also known as the second annual Houston Zombie Walk). Our videographer, Philip Nwachokor, barely escaped the zombie hordes unscathed, and while…
Are You Drinking Stale Coffee?
Have you been to your local cafe and noticed how the coffee just seems to always taste better? You buy some coffee for the house, and the really pronounced flavors just don’t come out the same. It may be stale. Old. Decomposed. You wouldn’t purchase bananas that are already past…
Why Battlestar Galactica Kicks Star Wars’ Ass (And How To Win The New BSG DVD)
If there’s anything nerds like better than making anonymous douchebags of themselves on the Internet, it’s arguing. From Kirk vs. Picard (Kirk), to The Enterprise vs. a star destroyer (star destroyer), to Tom Baker vs. David Tennant (Christopher Eccleston) — the list of contentious topics is endless.And a frequent subject…
Inquiring Minds: Mexican Global Groovers and World Travelers Plastilina Mosh
Plastilina Mosh has a new CD out, All U Need Is Mosh, on Nacional Records, and brings its international sound to Houston Thursday for a free concert with Venezuela’s Los Amigos Invisibles. That’s right, it’s free – all it costs is a very worthwhile trip outside the Loop. Rocks Off…
Halloween Countdown: Fool-Proof Last-Second Inspirations
This is the final post in our series of articles offering Halloween costume advice. Check out the other four entries here, here, here and here. You’ve been too busy to run by Frankel’s, Party Boy or even Wal-Mart to start formulating your Halloween costume this year. No ideas have jumped…
An Evening With Sarah Cortez and Lucha Corpi
After stints as a high-school teacher and a tax accountant, Sarah Cortez decided to become a patrol cop, and it was this move that ignited her true calling: writer. “You see it all, as a patrolman, and then you go home and make sure it doesn’t eat you up,” she’s…
Scream on the Green
Trick, treat, tired. That’s usually the order of events on Halloween. One minute you’re out on the street; the next, your kids are in a candy coma and you sink into the couch, depressed about the five pounds you managed to gain in five minutes. Avoid this phenomenon with Scream…
The Legend of Yin and Yang
Chinese and American dancers, actors, singers and acrobats come together for a world-class production of The Legend of Yin and Yang. Mixing languages, styles and art forms, the show is extremely colorful and features lavish costumes and a lush musical score. Along with the singing and dancing (from traditional Chinese…
“Viva la Vida”
“Death is everywhere, so you have to stop worrying about it,” says artist Armando Rodriguez in press materials. The end of life is among the subjects Rodriguez tackles in “Viva la Vida”, b> his solo exhibit at Canal Street Gallery. The theme of the show is “La muerte no anda…
“Celebrating Our Creative Spirit: Texas Federation of Fiber Artists”
Textile artist Tim Harding served as juror for “Celebrating Our Creative Spirit: Texas Federation of Fiber Artists,” a collection of collage, tapestry, sculpture and quilted works. (He whittled 225 submissions into a final presentation of 90 pieces.) Organized by the TFFA, the exhibit features works of exceptional craftsmanship and artistry,…
“Day of the Dead Rock Stars”
Houston artist Carlos Hernandez started melding his love for music and his attraction to Day of the Dead back in 2001 when he painted Joey Ramone as a skeleton shortly after the musician’s death. For Hernandez this was a turning point. Now his DOD paintings sell out in days at…
Hal Niedzviecki
According to Hal Niedzviecki’s book The Peep Diaries: How We’re Learning to Love Watching Ourselves and Our Neighbors, “Peep culture is reality TV, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, MySpace and Facebook.” All of these seemingly innocent ways of sharing with our cyber “friends” have changed the world, and not necessarily for the…
Opera and Dance in Film/Swan Lake
For most of us mere mortals, front-row seats at a performance by one of the world’s leading ballet companies are way too expensive. Today, though, you can see the St. Petersburg-based Mariinsky Ballet’s production of Swan Lake up on the big screen for less money than a meal out. The…
“Spirits and Headhunters: Vanishing Worlds of the Amazon”
More than 150 masks, weapons, pottery pieces, costumes and intricate feathered headdresses make up the “Spirits and Headhunters: Vanishing Worlds of the Amazon” exhibit currently at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Among the highlights of the show are the elaborate ceremonial headdresses. Dirk Van Tuerenhout, curator of anthropology for…
Fall for Dance
Slavery and human sex trafficking are pretty heavy themes, but that’s what Steve Rooks, principal dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company, and Randall Flinn, of Ad Deum Dance Company, are up to in Redemption and Innocence Not Lost. Those are just two of the pieces on the program for Fall…
“Halloween Monster Show 4”
For Domy Books’ “Halloween Monster Show 4,” a simple call for entries leads to a diabolically diverse assortment of art. “I just ask my friends, and people that I like their work, to send drawings of monsters,” Domy manager Russell Etchen says. “Everybody has a different take on it. I…
Halloween Desirous 2009
Considering the photos from last year, the 6th Annual Halloween Desirous is sure to make good on its promise of “decadent adult fun.” The evening includes a pre-party meet-and-greet, swag bags, multiple dance stages and, as required at every Desirous bash, stripper poles, just in case some of the female…
“Happyville”
Houston artist Perry House, considered one of the city’s early pioneers of abstraction, has a new exhibit at Nau-haus Art Space, “Happyville.” House is described in press materials as an artist who “strips away decoration, narrative, sex, politics and even perspective, while at the same time evoking the passage of…
Andie Ryan: Shakedown
For a while there, Houston was in serious contention for the title of corporate-greed capital of the world. We’ve since slipped a bit in the ratings, but not so much that readers won’t recognize Andie Ryan’s debut thriller Shakedown. In it, corporate exec Tom Hollister uncovers what seems to be…
Jason and the Argonauts
When it first screened in 1963, Jason and the Argonauts was like nothing moviegoers had ever seen before. And even though today’s audiences don’t find special effects all that special anymore, the film’s stop-motion action fight scenes and carefully crafted monsters are still jaw-dropping. Expect to be blown away when…
3 Short Films by the Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble
In case you can’t get to Sweden in December to see them live, catch the Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble without leaving home. 3 Short Films by the Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble documents the contemporary troupe’s informal weave of dance, music and film into hypnotic images that seem freshly improvised. Confusion…
Mr. Hell
In the 2006 flick Mr. Hell, director Rob McKinnon circumvented one aspect of the typical horror film plot – no one has to kill the monster, because he’s already dead. Larry Cashion is the serial killer who comes back from the grave to kill the daughter of a previous victim…
Opera
Some of the most disturbing scenes writer/director Dario Argento ever filmed are seen in his horror flick Opera. A psychotic version of Phantom of the Opera, Argento’s tale centers on a young singer who’s stalked by an overly ardent fan; that pretty much adheres to the Phantom plotline. But in…
Young Frankenstein
We’re pretty sure Mary Shelley didn’t have Young Frankenstein in mind when she wrote her classic horror story. The Mel Brooks film written by Gene Wilder is a parody that includes an abundance of wordplay and (so as not to be outdone by Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein) a tails-and-top…
Dare Ware’s Halloween Erotic Fantasy Ball
Put on your most revealing costume for Dare Ware’s Halloween Erotic Fantasy Ball, “where fetish meets fantasy.” The steamy BYOB party packs a titillating punch with fetish play rooms, a dungeon, a live fire show and a 4 a.m. last call. So go on, pull on some thigh-high leather boots…
Drive-By Truckers
Without a proper “new” album, the Drive-By Truckers’ output this year puts most other bands to shame. First came co-front man Patterson Hood’s second solo LP, the hair-raising Murdering Oscar, then the thunderous Live from Austin City Limits CD/DVD package, and finally last month’s The Fine Print: A Collection of…
Kimberly Frost: Barely Bewitched
A young witch named Tammy Jo is at the center of Kimberly Frost’s newest novel, Barely Bewitched. Seems Tammy Jo, who came late to the witching game, isn’t a very good conjurer and needs some training, which is why two senior members of the World Association of Magic have come…
The Most Interesting Show in the World
An array of artists from around the world, from daredevils to beatboxers, burlesque dancers to contortionists, will be onstage during The Most Interesting Show in the World. With that title, the show has a lot to live up to, but organizers say it delivers a unique blend of comedy and…
“rock, scissors, paper”
The new exhibit “rock, scissors, paper” features collages, installations, illustrations and even paper clothing created by a quintet of artists using commercially printed found paper. Lisa Qualls, Inca Pan, Renata Lucia, Claire Brewster and Wonil Suh fold, cut, layer, stitch and collage the paper. Some use it as their sole…
The Rocky Horror Show
With no less than three local theater troupes mounting productions of The Rocky Horror Show for Halloween, it might be a little difficult to tell them apart, but Stage Door Inc. Artistic Director Marc Anthony Glover says the Pasadena-based company is trying hard to stand out. Glover says the show…
“L’heure bleue”
If the works in “L’heure bleue” could speak, they’d say “Boo!” “I’m sort of making a ghost of an object,” says Michael Crowder. The artist works with molding glass to create objects such as bicycle tires, phonographs and balloons. The crystal-like appearance of each gives it an (intended) ghostly vibe…
Mexican Street Food Festival
Day of the Dead never tasted as good as at the Mexican Street Food Festival. Arnaldo Richards, owner and chef of Pico’s Mex-Mex restaurant, said through press materials, “Many of these foods I grew up eating in Monterey, Mexico, and are not items we usually serve at the restaurant -…
12th Annual Polish Film Festival
Hip Poles have a word for the 12th Annual Polish Film Festival playing at the Angelika Film Center: spoko. It means cool, neat. You’ll be saying it a lot during the festival, because the programmers have outdone themselves this year. The festival opens impressively with Michal Kwiecinski’s historical saga Jutro…
“Día de los Muertos: Contemporary and Traditional”
Las Manos Magicas, a folk art gallery, has repeatedly had one of the most spectacular Day of the Dead exhibits in the city. This year is no different with “Día de los Muertos: Contemporary and Traditional.” Among the artists contributing drawings and sculptures of skeletons and other Day of the…
The Montrose Crawl
Ah, The Montrose Crawl: It’s like trick-or-treating on the rocks. The annual bar-to-bar tour allows you to don your scariest, cleverest and most scandalous apparel and hit up all the neighborhood hot spots: Poison Girl, Catbirds, Boondocks, the newly opened Anvil and the night’s final destination, Little Bigs. Enjoy plenty…
Lone Star Motorcycle Rally
There’s fun to be had both on and off your bike at the Lone Star Motorcycle Rally in Galveston this weekend. Start with the Outlaw Dave Ranch Ride, when a police escort will take the group from Stubbs Cycles here in Houston over to the island. Once there, you can…
Tricks, Treats & T. Rex
When it comes to entertaining little kids on Halloween, it can be tricky to strike a balance between inspiring giddy glee and total terror. Leave the spooking to the pros at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where costumed kiddies can encounter “creepy chemists,” “terrorizing taxidermists,” “mad scientists” and millions…
Haunted Cemetery Tour
Maybe Lizzie is just a common mass-murderer name, because in addition to Lizzie Borden (she of “40 whacks” fame), there’s Lizzie Alberti. The mother of eight used poison to kill four of her children in 1894. After being declared insane (ah, yeah), she was sent to an asylum, where she…
Lohengrin
Grand and noble, Wilhelm Richard Wagner’s epic Lohengrin tells the story of a mysterious savior who comes to the defense of an innocent woman. War, love, fratricide, magical swans, sorcery and betrayal are all part of this German opera, a co-production between Houston Grand Opera and Geneva Opera. In press…
Itzhak Perlman
Even if you’ve never stepped inside a symphony hall, chances are you’ve heard Itzhak Perlman. The violin virtuoso performed on the soundtracks of The Color Purple, Scent of a Woman and Schindler’s List, among many others. (He even played on Barbra Streisand’s Yentl, but we’ll let that slide.) Jazz lovers…
Roky Moon & Bolt
Houston’s own glam-baiting Roky Moon & Bolt sets up shop tonight at The Continental Club to play a free gig and to test out new tracks from their upcoming rock opera. Lead singer Moon is fashioning quite the theatrical experience, and to hear him talk about it is to see…
37th Annual Moonlight Ramble
You might want to bust out your recording of Cher’s If I Could Turn Back Time, because at the 37th Annual Moonlight Ramble, some people are going to finish the race earlier than they started. It’s a neat little trick Ramble organizers dreamed up by starting the race at 1:59…
Get All Dressed Up
Michael Jackson. Trend spotters say his face will be everywhere you look this coming year, and why not? It certainly has a ghostly aspect, although one wonders how all the would-be Michaels will manage the nose. But if your idea of a good time doesn’t include wearing the face and…
Civil Discourse?
Political Animals A Civil Discourse Houstonian’s Obama/Nazi T-shirts selling well If you’re like us, when you see Tea Partiers displaying imagery associating Obama with Hitler, your benefit-of-the-doubt well goes bone dry. But when we received an e-mail about a local clothing company that’s gotten into the Obamanazi business, it seemed…
Dives and DIY Shepherd’s Pie
Down at the Dive Terrific: I’m not really a reader of the Houston Press, nor have I been in a dive in 40 years, but I walked into a sandwich shop for lunch today, picked up a copy and read this article on dives over lunch [“Dive Bars,” by John…
Brand New
Like AFI and a handful of other acts, Brand New plied hardcore roots and mainstream ambition for a strain of dark, chart-conquering rock that was at the right place at exactly the right time. Blending throttling screams and tight mechanics in an inky, wide-screen atmosphere, the Long Island quartet jumped…
Higher Learning
The title is a double entendre in An Education, the film version of British journalist Lynn Barber’s memoir about the crash course she received in the “university of life” while studying for her A-levels in early-1960s suburban London. So, too, is Danish director Lone Scherfig’s movie something of a deceptively…
BBQ Buffet
Dressed in a white chef’s jacket, Simon Moon neatly arranged raw marinated short rib meat (kalbi), rib eye steak (bulgogi), shrimp and lots of cloves of garlic on the grill built into the middle of our table. Korean barbecue is usually a do-it-yourself affair, but the owner of Korea Garden…
More Like Him
One of Nashville’s most enigmatic figures, Webb Wilder is not only a balls-to-the-wall rocker in the Rockpile/Small Faces tradition, his series of movie shorts — Corn Flicks, Horror Hayride, Scattergun — has achieved cult status. Wilder, whose latest album is More Like Me (Blind Pig), plays his first-ever Houston acoustic…
Empty Injuries
Gruesome Playground Injuries, Rajiv Joseph’s world-premiere play that opened last week at the Alley Theatre, is certainly compelling. Both the writing and the young playwright, who stood in a corner of the Neuhaus Stage lobby after Saturday night’s show, have all the trappings of fame, as they are beautifully brooding…
A Typical Venezuelan Dance Band
Los Amigos Invisibles’ stylistic self-pronouncement on its 1995 debut was misleading. The album was called A Typical & Autoctonal Venezuelan Dance Band, a title clearly meant to be tongue-in-cheek. First, there’s nothing typical about Amigos. Second, there aren’t many Venezuelan dance bands, and at the time of the group’s inception,…
Tween Dreams
Does Houston have the next Hannah Montana in its midst? It’s too soon to tell, but Gabby Gillespie, 12, might have what it takes. A born charmer and seventh-grader at Kinkaid, Gillespie has already been in the theater half her life, since her mom enrolled her in a community-theater production…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Perspectives 167: Jason Villegas”, “Second Seating”
“Perspectives 167: Jason Villegas” Jason Villegas isn’t old enough to remember the pinnacle of polo shirt popularity, but like some monomaniacal archeologist, he has excavated myriad examples from thrift shops. The results are on view in this show, organized by curator Valerie Cassel Oliver at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston…
No Justice
When Barack Obama donned the crusader’s mantle during the 2008 presidential campaign, his Web-savvy campaign team created keatingeconomics.com. The main video showed Charles Keating — the wealthy, politically connected poster child of the ’80s savings-and-loan scandal — in handcuffs. The video portrayed John McCain as Keating’s stooge and likened the…
Capsule Stage Reviews: The Elixir of Love, Little Shop of Horrors, Mary Poppins, The Rocky Horror Show
The Elixir of Love It takes over an hour and a half before the magic potion finally takes effect at Houston Grand Opera and Gaetano Donizetti’s sparkling opera starts to fizz. We have to wait until nearly the end of the opera for director Annabel Arden to stop being obtrusive…
Digital Leather
Seemingly the byproduct of regular acid usage and too many Sparks albums, Digital Leather (a.k.a. Shawn Foree) has produced a body of experimental New Wave synth-punk as impressive as it is abnormal. After a clutch of sold-out singles and three full-lengths, the prolific Foree has his first proper studio release,…
THE TAVERN’S BAY BREEZE
I had been asked to leave establishments for unbecoming conduct, but never for trying to cover a place for the paper. So I was surprised when that happened at Dirt Bar (222 Yale, 713-426-4222), where media types are apparently not welcome — at least not while on the job. The…
The Pogues
It’s not a stretch to say some of us have been waiting to see the Pogues for most of our lives; we witnessed their 1990 appearance on Saturday Night Live as a high-school sophomore and haven’t really been the same since. Cobbled together from traditional folk groups and first-wave London…
Straits
Chris Yeo is the owner and culinary director of Straits (800 West Sam Houston Pkwy. North, 713-365-9922), which just opened next door to the Hotel Sorella in City Centre. Yeo, a graduate of Singapore’s Hotel and Catering School, opened the first in 1987. “The Hotel Sorella has a location in…
MUTEMATH
MUTEMATH — yup, the name’s all one word and contains all capital letters, and no, we have no idea why — has been one of rock’s more unlikely success stories in recent years. Caught in major-label limbo in 2005, the band successfully won the rights to self-release its self-titled debut…
Hot aphrodisiacs at Ciao Bello
The Oysters Barone ($7.95) at Ciao Bello (5161 San Felipe, 713-960-0333) are an example of an appetizer that showcases some of the best ingredients and flavors that the Vallone empire has to offer. Four large oysters are wrapped in mozzarella cheese and then covered in oregano-spiced breadcrumbs before being deep-fried…
Meat Puppets
While the history of the Meat Puppets is unusual, what’s even rarer is that they lived to tell about it. The band started out punk, but eventually moved toward a more balanced rock sound as they worked their way through the ’80s. Surviving a tumultuous first decade together, they found…
Hidden Things
First off, eff Edloe. Edloe is your exit if you’re coming down U.S. 59 intending to visit Highland Village hideaway Mercer (3302 Mercer). Somehow, depending on which direction you’re traveling, Edloe is listed on two opposing exit signs — Buffalo Speedway and Weslayan — which basically places it at the…
Peaches
Berlin-based electroclash artist Peaches (Merrill Nisker) was working the whole sans-panties shtick light-years before Lady GaGa picked up her disco stick. The former elementary-school teacher achieved international success in 2000 with her sharp-witted dance track “Fuck the Pain Away,” which spawned countless covers, including a hilarious YouTube parody starring Miss…
Salvadorans and Murals
Dear Mexican, For most of my life I was oblivious to the hate that Mexicans have for Salvadorans. I became aware of it when I made the huge mistake of marrying a Salvi. Once I became engaged to my Salvi girlfriend or whenever I would tell any Mexican that I…
