PenderCast, the Epilogue: Readers Add Broadcast Feeds to My Revolutionary New Football Network
People laugh at some of the ideas that I threw out there in my post yesterday where I constructed my own version of ESPN’s Megacast for the college football national championship game. Yes, most of the ideas were tongue in cheek, generated for a chuckle (except for GambleCast, which I…
H-E-B’s ‘Mix ’em-Match ’em Cookie Bar: Pricey But Good
Up until recently I was unaware that some H-E-Bs had a “mix and match” cookie bar that offered more artisan treats, including some Italian baked goods that are usually hard to find in mainstream grocery stores. Note I did not describe this lack of awareness as blissful, because to be…
Cover Story: Fighting for Control
Buffalo Bayou has been a controversy that hits at the very heart of Houston for decades. It all started in the 1960s, when a group of concerned citizens, mostly wealthy and well-connected, learned that the Harris County Flood Control District planned to cement and channelize a vein of Buffalo Bayou…
American Horror Story: Coven: Fleetwood Meh
So we had a nice long break from Coven for the holidays, which was a little weird because horror Christmas rocked last season. Still, okay, I understand that FX might have wanted to hold off during the most wondrous time of the year for a horror series. Maybe they even…
Fancy Some Tea? Here’s All You Need to Know
After a fairly mild fall and a deceptively warm December, winter finally decided to wallop us with some mighty chilly weather. Fortunately, our weather won’t be so cold that we’ll be forced indoors by the possibility of frozen flesh like folks in other parts of the country. And while warmer…
Winter of Johnny: Manziel Announces He’s Going Pro
Since about the time he led Texas A&M to an upset of then-number one Alabama in Tuscaloosa back in November of 2012, speculation on where Texas A&M quarterback and eventual 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel might get drafted has been varied and the debate has been furious. Well, now…
Like Texans Need More Reasons to Love Home-Girl Betty Buckley
It’s hardly disputable that Betty Buckley is indeed “The Voice of Broadway,” according to New York Magazine, as well as to most hearing human beings. Beyond that descriptive nickname, she is just as indisputably the voice of a more southerly locale. Under the auspices of the Brilliant Lectures, West Texas-born…
Major League Almond Croissants: Central Market vs. Belden’s
Top-notch croissants are getting easier to find in Houston. Central Market and Belden’s Supermarket have two of the best.
Phil Anselmo Is Going to Have Some Fucking Fun This Year
In the wacky world of heavy metal, there ain’t a whole lot that Philip Anselmo hasn’t seen, heard and done. In addition to helping change the sound of mainstream metal as front man for Pantera, the outspoken singer has toured the planet with sludgy supergroup Down, released records with a…
New Jersey Traffic Retribution Scandal Tough for Houstonians to Understand
If you’ve never been to the northeast, particularly if you’ve never driven on their highways, it is probably tough for you to understand the scandal facing Governor Chris Christie and his staff right now in New Jersey. How could a pair of lane closures be that significant of a problem…
Top 5 Prix-Fixe Lunches in Houston
It’s not every day that you’ll want to indulge in a fancy meal for lunch, but when you do, a lunch prix-fixe is the only way to go. For a fraction of the cost you would pay for dinner, many of the best restaurants around town offer set lunch menus…
Cate Le Bon at Fitzgerald’s, 1/8/2014
Cate Le Bon, Kevin Morby Fitzgerald’s Downstairs January 8, 2014 Cate Le Bon didn’t dare wearing out her welcome Wednesday, but then again, it doesn’t seem she would have been able to. Around 8:30 p.m., the crowd was still scattered with groups and couples engrossed in various conversations, waiting for…
A Time Travel Found Footage Trailer and Other Takes on the Genre We Want
I love the found footage/mockumentary genre. From the originators like Ghostwatch and The Blair Witch Project, to the masterpieces of Rec and Noroi: The Curse, to the franchises of VHS and Paranormal Activity, if the movie features actors pretending to be real people I’ll watch it. The only bad thing…
App of the Week: BarJinx Helps You Find Where to Watch Your Team
It’s confusing enough to try and find out who has a Comcast subscription so you can catch and Astros or Rockets game, but imagine if you really loved the NHL? How would you catch a Philadelphia Flyers game in Houston? A new website developed by locals aims to help solve…
Polar Vortex Fashion: The Case for Long Johns
Our two-day stretch of Polar Vortex-induced weather didn’t amount to much more than a brief, hard freeze, but even this Yankee was reaching for extra socks and sweaters on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning. Luckily I had just returned from two weeks in Alaska, so my cold weather gear was…
How to Open a Bottle of Wine
Like the ability to tie a bow tie or mastery of Latin, knowing how to open a bottle of wine correctly is one of those skills that can set you apart from the crowd (especially at dinner parties). It will also lead to greater enjoyment of the wine: In part…
The Rocks Off 200: Dwayne Cathey, A Good Man to Scare People With
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Dwayne Cathey…
Weekend Weather: Closing the Door on the Deep Freeze and Opening One to Spring?
Only in Texas can temperatures swing 50 degrees in a matter of a couple days — ok, probably not ONLY here, but you get it. Tuesday morning, temperatures across the region were in the lower 20s. I have nearly dead plants that were too big to cover in my back…
Dance Month Celebrates Houston Choreographers X6
It’s that time of year again: Dance Month at the Kaplan Theatre. Presented by the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center, Dance Month offers Houston audiences a taste of dance in a variety of styles and experience levels. A highlight of the festivities is Choreographers X6, an annual concert featuring the…
10 Signs You Grew Up Eating Food in Southeast Texas
Do your non-Texan friends wonder why you call every soda a Coke, even if it’s a Dr Pepper? Do they ask you why you only suggest restaurants that serve barbecue, Tex-Mex or comfort food? Or do they have no clue what you’re talking about when you say the word “kolache”?…
Obamacare Is Moving Along, But One Guy Says He’s Paying for Insurance He’s Not Getting
Texas Blue Cross Blue Shield has lovely hold music. Just ask Fred Rhodes. He and his wife have taken turns listening to it since they found out that, despite having enrolled and paid for their new health insurance in December, they still aren’t in the system. With the advent of…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Photographers
Houston is a hotbed for photography. Between the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, the University of Houston and Rice University art programs, support programs like Project Rowhouses and the Houston Center for Photography, learning about photography, breaking into the art scene and being successful are much more…
100 Favorite Dishes 2013: No. 49, Custard Sandwich at Petite Sweets
This year, leading up to our annual Menu of Menus® issue, Kaitlin Steinberg counts down her 100 favorite dishes as she eats her way through Houston. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most awesome, most creative and, of course, most delicious in town. It’s a…
Vote or Die: The Last VJ’s Top Five Videos of the Week
Welcome back to The Last VJ, music fans. When it comes to the art of the music video, 2014 is already starting out well. We’re leaving behind the holidays and starting to work our way into the coming year of out-there cinemaudio expression. If this week’s crop is any indication,…
She Wants to Trade a Job for Sex. Help!
Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off’s advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, “funny, serious or unpredictable.” Something on your mind? Ask Willie D! HELPING MY SISTER DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH HER LIFE Dear Willie D: My sister is…
17 Houston Acts to Watch Out for This Year
BAGHEERA This slick, funky electro-duo has a huge year in store that only starts with a collaboration with Twin Shadow hooked up by Red Bull’s Sound Select Program. Bagheera’s Aidan Kennedy says he’s still figuring out what to do with the songs he has stockpiled, but he knows he’d rather…
