Plant Earth: From Pole to Pole
Take all the heart-pounding visual excitement of 3D, then add in strobe lights, mist, bubbles and scents and you start to get an idea of what you’ll experience during a visit to the Houston Zoo’s 4D theater. The BBC’s award-winning film Planet Earth: From Pole to Pole 4D Experience is…
College Realignment Talk Is the New NFL Lockout Talk
During this past summer of sports talk radio, our insatiable appetite for any topic football-related, our perennial need to talk about minutiae at all times, and the usual summer content-related radio doldrums met at a tedious midpoint — a no-man’s-land that left us talking every day about the NFL lockout…
More Than Howard Hughes: Stroll Through Glenwood Cemetery with GHPA
Washington Avenue continues to be a monument to Houston’s wonky sense of “preservation,” as plenty of buildings dating back to the early 20th century have been remodeled into upscale bars and diners over the last few years. Some are not so fortunate, and have been razed to make way for…
Comment of the Day
Yesterday, Mai Pham wrote about an unpleasant meal at Giacamo’s, which was having A/C issues. Commenter Ivalee thought that was a deal-breaker: No matter how good the food may be at any restaurant, if the servers and management does not see to the customers comfort, they do not deserve your…
Jodi Leonore Latson: Quite the Alleged Medicare Defrauder
If you’re going to defraud the U.S. government, go big. It’s not like they’re going to miss a stray $62 million or so. Thus was the thinking of Houstonian Jodi Leonore Latson, 45, who — unfortunately for her — ended up as one of the bigger fish caught in a…
Top Five Best & Worst Songs About 9/11
This Sunday will be 10 years since America was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. In that time, a lot of musical ground has been covered. Some artists mention that day only in passing, as Jay-Z and Alicia Keys do in “Empire State of Mind,” but some have crafted songs about…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 19, Pork Rillette at Feast
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
George Strait’s Top 20 Songs Of All Time: Nos. 20-16
Tuesday, George Strait released Here For a Good Time, by our count his 39th album overall. Some may call that the Madness of King George, but Rocks Off the Elder and Younger have both heard Good Time; we both think it’s one of his stronger sets, continuing the bout of…
Is Houston’s Handsome Bank Robber a Dallas Dude?
Recently we told you of the FBI’s search for a man they dubbed the “handsome bank robber,” who was described as being “older, well-dressed and accessorized.” Those accessories included a black semiautomatic pistol, but that’s just how he rolls. The item rang a bell with our Web Editor Brittanie Shey,…
Cinema Slap Fight: Steven Seagal Vs. Jean-Claude Van Damme
In which I attempt to do the splits in bikini briefs…journalistically speaking. Never was there a more fertile era for white guys doing karate than the ’80s and early ’90s. The previous decade saw the rise of Sonny Chiba, Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee (along with countless imitators) and in…
Postcards from the Past: Houston Heritage Society’s “Greetings from Houston”
Perhaps you know already that the city of Houston is celebrating its 175th birthday, and that about a dozen exhibits will be hosted by as many organizations around the city this year. At the Houston Heritage Society, meanwhile, “we’re showing Houston’s history every day of the year every single year,”…
State Fair Fare: Checking Out the Competition in Minnesota
As soon as you walk through the gates of a state fair, whatever “diet” you may be on becomes null and void. If you’re watching your carbs, trying to stay away from fried foods or cutting back on sweets, you may as well just stay home. Golden-battered goodies and chocolate-covered…
BestFest Tickets are Half Off, Today Only: Get Yours Now
If you haven’t already heard, the Houston Press is hosting a massive, Texas-size block party to celebrate our 23rd Best of Houston® issue, which comes out on September 29. BestFest, held on September 24 and 25 in Midtown, will feature past and present Best of Houston® winners performing for and…
One More For BestFest: Hell City Kings
The Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest is also proud to welcome Hell City Kings into the mix on Saturday afternoon. The band, led by Houston punk Zelig Josh Wolf, was nominated for a Best Song Houston Press Music Award last year for “Never Let Go.” Hell City is sure…
Five Reasons Why Texas A&M Just Ruined College Football
Today, Texas A&M basically ushered in the era of the college football superconference when the Southeastern Conference extended an invite to the university. (That legal threat lobbed by Baylor an anonymous Big 12 school is idle at best.) Well done, Aggies. You just fouled up college football. The move by…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Cunninghame West of Valentino Restaurant Remembers When He Was Homeless, But Had a Porsche
Earlier this year at the Italian Expo, Cunninghame West, Executive Chef at Valentino Restaurant in the Hotel Derek, won the fan vote for most entertaining. Alongside Owner and Executive Chef Luciano Pellegrini, the two chefs were showing off with some air-bound pasta slinging and good, old-fashioned fun. Meeting him in…
Drought vs. Tropical Storm: Whose Side Are You On? Take Our Poll
There’s a 70 percent chance a tropical storm will develop in the Gulf in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche. Computer models show a chance it could drift northward, strengthening and possibly becoming a large hurricane aimed at New Orleans or points east. It won’t come to Texas, the experts seem to…
Redux This: Five Remakes That Have Already Been Remade
We are well aware that Hollywood seems to have a nagging trend of regurgitating the same story lines over and over again, feeding each prepackaged, prefabricated piece of cinematic goo down our throats in a noble game of throwing spaghetti to the walls in an attempt to try to find…
9 People Who Could Play The King In New Elvis Biopic
Tuesday, Paste reported that director John Scheinfeld will be adapting Elvis: Still Taking Care of Business, the memoir of Elvis Presley confidante Sonny West, who was one of the King’s bodyguards for 16 years. West was a member of the “Memphis Mafia,” Elvis’ merry band of bone-breakers and yes-men who…
Oasis in the Desert: Casablanca Brings Moroccan Food to Houston
When it opened late last year, Casablanca Couscous & Grill became only the second Moroccan restaurant in Houston. And the truth is, for a city that prides itself on being such a melting pot of ethnicities and cuisines, there is a tremendous amount of food that can’t be found here…
Texans Preview: The Interactive Season Prediction
For a larger, interactive version, click here. As noted below, our annual Houston Texans season preview, which includes our annual belief that the team will improve and make the playoffs, is up and on the Web. Our Sean Pendergast was optimistic even before word got out about Peyton Manning’s injury,…
Photobooth on Montrose: A New Space for Artists and Audiences to Play
Everyone has fond memories of photo booths from their childhood; piling in and seeing how many people can get their photos taken at one time; it was a playful experience, much more real than a digital file that makes it to a Facebook wall but rarely makes it onto a…
Upcoming: Anthrax, Joe Walsh, Rhett Miller, Zac Brown Band, Etc.
Anthrax, Death Angel, Testament: Sun., Oct. 30. Warehouse Live. Billy Joe Shaver: Sat., Sept. 24. The Firehouse Saloon. Brent Nettles, Literary Greats, Poor Pilate: Sat., Sept. 24. Continental Club. Buxton, Larry Sepulvado: Fri., Oct. 7. Market Square Park. Indian Jewelry, // TENSE //, Future Blondes: Fri., Sept. 23. Fitzgerald’s. Joe…
Houston Texans 2011 Preview: The Jinx Is Back, Baby
Stop me if you’ve heard this before — I am very optimistic about the Houston Texans’ upcoming season. I know, I know. Crazy, huh? Last year, in this very space, I called for a 10-6 season in 2010 (a logical if not glacially moving projection considering the three previous seasons…
Ingredient of the Week: Soy Sauce
Last week, we brought you fish sauce, the essential ingredient of southeast Asian cuisines like Thai and Vietnamese. This week, we feature a sauce of Chinese origin whose use has spread all over Asia and even the world. Read on, and see how you can add soy sauce to your…
BestFest Adds Los Skarnales, The Last Place You Look, Umbrella Man & Honky Tonk Blood Trio
Half-price GA passes = today’s “Deal of the Day” The first Best of Houston® BestFest is shaping up nicely. Today it gives Rocks Off great pleasure to announce four more local artists confirmed for the September 24-25 festival: Latin kings Los Skarnales, alt-rock face-breakers thelastplaceyoulook, Gulf Coast sound system Nick…
Tasting Notes: This Week in Wine Blogs
Know a Houston-based blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. TweetChat #TXWine: If you’ve been following along here at Wine Time, you know that Texas wines have been on our minds. We found out about the TweetChat #TXWines thanks to top…
Your Lawn’s Dying, But This Streetlight’s Greenery Is Thriving
Photos by Barry SigmanYou have been breaking your butt (and your wallet) trying to keep your lawn green in this never-ending drought. Maybe you’re going about it all wrong. Maybe you just need to elevate…
“Great New Work” at The Joanna: Not Just a Clever Name
Naming an art show “Great New Work” could be seen as pretentious, but this exhibit totally walks the walk. The Joanna’s latest group show features pieces, in a variety of media, made by a talented quartet of creative types that includes two locals and two out-of-towners, including Ryan Lauderdale of…
RIP Mydolls Guitarist Kathy Johnston
Sometimes people come into our lives with the force, elegance and nimbleness of water. Musician, photographer, and patient advocate Kathy Johnston, the Mydolls guitarist and percussionist who passed away barely beyond midnight this past Sunday, invoked those traits. She had been battling leukemia since 2004, according to a memorial at…
Rejected Dejected: Astros Waiting Around for MLB to Do Something About Jim Crane
Somebody finalize this deal already.It’s known as the Rejected/Dejected shot. The camera focusing on the batter as he walks back to the dugout after having just struck out, usually on a called strike. It’s one of those shots that best capture the emotion of the game and help to bring…
Build-A-Bar: Thinking Outside the Box with Fish Sauce
One of the things I find important in thinking about and creating cocktails is not feeling constrained. While classic cocktails, time-tested ratios, and common ingredients can certainly provide a good foundation on which to build, they certainly shouldn’t be seen as tight strictures. Some of the most interesting cocktails I’ve…
HGO’s Musical Bridge to 9/11 Memories, Courtesy of Composer Jake Heggie
Unlike his librettist Gene Scheer, composer Jake Heggie didn’t want any direct contact with the Houston firefighters who’d gone to New York City to help out in the 9/11 tragedy ten years ago, and he didn’t want to talk to any surviving relatives either. Just as he had with Dead…
Delicious Oven-Cooked Barbecue Brisket… Seriously
Okay, before you go on and on about how “real brisket is smoked by manly men with manly intentions” and all that, let me just preface this by saying my father did the majority of the cooking in our house and made one of the most incredible briskets in the…
Forlorn Hope: “Blink” & You Won’t Miss Modern-Rock T-Storm
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 sheaserrano@gmail.com. Have you ever heard of Forlorn Hope? Neither…
Comment of the Day: Pollution Priorities
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Kevin Smith vs. Kevin Smith: The Arguments for His Reality Show
Kevin Smith has put out some truly wonderful films over the years (hint: all the ones featuring Jay and Silent Bob). He has also put out…other films. Films that, frankly, we have no idea what their merits may be because none of them seemed like they were worth the price…
Matthew Mehdi Rouhani, 61, Bayou Body Count No. 139
A man was found shot to death in his westside business Saturday and his car was stolen, Houston police say. Matthew Mehdi Rouhani, 61, was found dead by employees in the 1600 block of Upland about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, HPD says. “Mr. Rouhani had not been seen since last Tuesday…
30 Seconds With Reverse The Curse’s Ed Starcher
Rocks Off sat down with Ed Starcher of Reverse the Curse, to see what we could find out about the vocalist/guitarist for one of indie-rock’s biggest up-and-comers in 30 seconds. Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? Ed Starcher: Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White And…
The Cool Fronts, The Wild Fires and the High Pressure Shuffle
With apologies to Bruce Springsteen for a weak attempt at borrowing his album title, the truth is our weather has been about as crazy and out of control as a three-hour rock show, except instead of booming speakers, girls flashing the stage and a ring of pot smoke hanging over…
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. New York Times: No less than the New York Times visited El…
The 10 Coolest Houston Fire Station Patches: Skulls, Gangs & Singed Balls
With everyone watching the wildfires blazing around the state, it’s a good time to think good thoughts about the people who risk their lives as firefighters. Each Houston Fire Department station has its own patch, and some of them are very cool. Or odd. Here are the ten best, in…
Saturday Night: Wild Men Of Rock At The Continental Club
Wild Men of Rock feat. Andre Williams, Archie Bell, Roy Head, Little Joe Washington, the Allen Oldies Band & special guest Sundance Head Continental Club September 3, 2011 Question: How much “Mustang Sally” is too much “Mustang Sally”? It’s never been deconstructed David Allan Coe-style, but Aftermath is of the…
Michael Biehn to Join Bruce Campbell at Splatterfest
This year’s Splatterfest is shaping up to be a major event for Houston horror fans. As was reported earlier, the legendary star of the Evil Dead trilogy Bruce Campbell will be on hand to sign autographs, take questions, steal your girlfriend and otherwise entertain the masses. In addition, you’ll be…
Yoko Ono’s “Imagine Peace” Billboard Returns to Houston for Tenth Anniversary of 9/11
Starting early this morning, Houston downtown commuters could see the simple, two-word phrase that has become symbolic of positive thinking in times of crisis, “Imagine Peace,” hovering on a billboard above I-45. The billboard, a public art installation designed by Yoko Ono (and based on John Lennon’s legendary song “Imagine”)…
Comment of the Day
Today Christina Uticone shared what her friends have to say about which foods are the best for the munchies. Commenter Jack made his own suggestion: “Dirty” anything from Zilla Street Eats. What doesn’t taste better topped with crushed cheetos or cheesy fries? It’s true – Zilla’s fare does seem tailor-made…
Helicopters Save Bastrop Park’s Historic Building, For Now
The Refractory in Bastrop State Park, built by FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps back in the Depression, had a close call today with the wildfires that have hit the park hard. At 2 p.m., the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department says, fires got within 200 yards of the structure…
Scary Wildfire Video of Bastrop State Park
All but about 100 acres of the 6,000-acre Bastrop State Park have been blackened by fire, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department says, and they’ve posted this video to show why. With surprising alacrity, a fire creeps across the land, with nothing to stop it and wind to push it…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 20, Lasagna at Capri Pasta Pizza & More
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Marsha Mason to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Gulf Coast Film Festival
Marsha Mason, a veteran Hollywood and stage actress, will receive a lifetime achievement award at the Gulf Coast Film Festival later this month. Mason’s best-known films include Only When I Laugh, The Goodbye Girl and Cinderella Liberty (she won Golden Globes for the last two), but Art Attack still fondly…
Rice Says They Can Painlessly Double Your Phone’s Capacity
If there is one problem in this world that needs to be fixed right now, it is the crisis of how freaking long it takes to get video on your phone. (Note: Your “top problem” may vary according to Third World-ishness.) Fret no more, or at least for only a…
September Knows How To Party: Bourbon!
I don’t know how this all got started, these National (fill in the blank) month/day, but if September is celebrating the joys of bourbon, who am I to stand in the way? Well, officially, it is National Bourbon Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the rich tradition of this golden…
Hoodstar Chantz Picks The Best Freestylers & Battle Rappers Ever
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 to ask…
Cinch It! Project Runway Accessory Design Spinoff in the Works
Belts, and jewelry, and handbags — oh my! Lifetime Television and the Weinstein Co. production powerhouse behind Project Runway have announced a new accessory design competition series to premiere in late 2011 or early 2012. The creatively named Project Accessory “will follow enterprising artists who will be put to the…
Billy Joe Lackey, 32, Bayou Body Count No. 138
A gunfight on the northeast side left one man dead Sunday morning, Houston police said. Billy Joe Lackey, 32, was killed in a shootout with Johnathan Dixon, 25, about 11 a.m. Sunday in the 7900 block of Lynette. Police got a call about gunshots and when they arrived on the…
Here For A Good Time: George Strait Lives It Up On LP No. 39
Today sees the release of George Strait’s Here For a Good Time his 39th release counting compilations, live works and those Christmas discs. As one of Houston’s most vocal champions of Strait (with a music blog, that is) Rocks Off deems the new album one of Strait’s best, and also…
Wine of the Week: Texas Blanc du Bois
Above: Blanc du Bois grapes from the 2010 harvest at the Cruz de Comal Winery in the Texas Hill Country. To tell the story of winemaking in Texas today, we need to start with what happened in California back in the 1970s and the way wine has been marketed historically…
Death to Digital: Learn Steampunk Techniques in Art Asylum’s Earring Class
It’s been ten years since Wear It Again Sam, the popular Montrose vintage clothing store, shuttered its Westheimer location and moved to the Heights. That location also closed its doors a few years ago, but that hasn’t kept Sam VanBibber, the shop’s proprietor, from doing what she loves: Making something…
Shell Pays $500K to County for Not Telling About Pollution Incidents
Shell Chemical has settled a threatened lawsuit over not notifying Harris County of five pollution incidents at its Deer Park plant, County Attorney Vince Ryan has announced. “The failure of a company as large and prestigious as Shell to notify the county of serious air-pollution releases was unacceptable,” Ryan said…
No Love, No Hope: Converge’s Jane Doe Turns 10
This next week is full of big musical anniversaries. Saturday marks 20 years since the release of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” single, Genesis’ ABACABturns 30, and System Of a Down’s Toxicityand Bob Dylan’s “Love and Theft” all hit the decade mark. And one of the most significant cultural moments…
The Austin Food Blogger Alliance Weighs Ethics Against Charity
Texas is ablaze today, wildfires ravaging Bastrop and threatening small towns outside of Austin. Fifty-seven fires are burning across 100,000 acres of Central Texas, and more than 1,000 homes have been destroyed since this latest rash of fires broke out on Monday. And in Austin, local bloggers are trying to…
Gaming and Playing on Display at Media Archeology
Each year, the Aurora Picture Show and the Mitchell Center for the Arts present a festival of “live cinema performance” that they call “Media Archeology.” This year they present three artists in three nights that will put the audience in three distinct positions with respect to the work, and will…
Great New Photos of the Apollo 17 Landing Site
NASA released this morning some neat new images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter of the landing site of Apollo 17. The enhanced photos give the best look yet of the astronauts’ footprint tracks through the dust and the parts of the Lunar Module that were left on the surface…
Last Night: Avenged Sevenfold, Three Days Grace & Seether At The Woodlands
Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival feat. Avenged Sevenfold, Seether & Three Days Grace Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion September 5, 2011 First, Aftermath would like to give credit where it’s due. To everyone who attended the Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival at the Woodlands Pavillion Monday night, we’d like to say…
Tuesday September 6, 2011 Deals of the Day
Today’s VOICE Daily Deal from the Houston Press is good for 50 percent off ($7 for $14) at The Brisket House, where their “no-frills” menu features everything that’s good about Texas, thrown into a smoker and infused with the flavors of pecan and oak. Brisket not your thing? Try The…
Texas Wildfires, Via Facebook and Twitter
Recently we wondered what 9/11 would have been like with today’s social media. We’re getting some slight taste of it with the wildfires raging through Central Texas and Magnolia. People are tweeting updates, pleas for help rescuing livestock and horses, putting up photos and setting up pages where volunteers can…
Green Day Singer Kicked Off Flight Over Pants, Heralds Armageddon
Mason Lankford said, “There will come a day when we forget the Rapture ever even happened,” but Rocks Off is keeping an eye out for signs of our impending Armageddon. We were wrong last time, but we’re totally right this time! In a bizarre incident last Thursday, Billie Joe Armstrong,…
Too Hot To Handle: Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino
I’d heard about Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino for some time, and after reading a couple of Houston Press articles about it, I put it on my to-do list of places to try. We arrived around 6 p.m. on a typical sweltering hot summer day. On first impression, I loved the…
Twitter’s Commercial #Sucks: “Like” Our Social Media Taglines?
How do you describe a sucky commercial in just 140 characters? Last week the microblog site, Twitter, showcased its first commercial to really, really bad reviews. From Adweek to MSNBC to Gawker, everyone was Tweeting the same thing — this commercial is crap. Not that Twitter needs to be spending…
Roberto Melgar, 33, Bayou Body Count No. 137
An early-morning card game in Guflton erupted into gunfire Sunday, leaving one man dead. Houston police say Roberto Melgar, 33, was playing cards with friends at an apartment in the 5900 block of Glenmont about 5:45 a.m. Sunday when they heard a gunshot outside. “An unknown male suspect, armed with…
Is Tha Carter IV Really Better Than Watch The Throne?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn’t a national holiday (and soon after when it is), Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Chane, Kiotti, Doughbeezy, Brad Gilmore, Kyle Hubbard, Chingo Bling, C-Stone, KDOGG, hasHBrown…
Alpha Meals
In the past few months, I’ve started to pay more attention to children’s food. That is to say, food products designed for and targeted toward the younger set (and their caregivers). Maybe it’s because my friends are having kids, maybe it’s because I’m pushing 30, or maybe it’s because I’m…
Eyeopener Tours Celebrates 25 Years with a “Best of” Tour
For 25 years, the Barbara Hinton’s Eyeopener Tours has visited Houston’s many “visionary environments” and folk arts treasures, introducing tour-goers to our peculiar, largely unknown cultural assets. Starting with the Orange Show Monument, where the tours are based, the tours have helped to bring attention to ephemeral or underappreciated treasures,…
Top Ten: Stoner Foods
So the word on the street is that food tastes better when you’re stoned. I’m just guessin’ though — I would never engage in anything illegal like smoking The Pot! Swearsies. I hit up the Internet — and a few of my favorite potheads — to bring you this list…
Friday Night: Hippiefest At Arena Theatre
Hippiefest feat. Dave Mason, Mark Farner, Gary Wright, Rick Derringer & Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals Arena Theatre september 2, 2011 The title of this annual touring package show was something of a misnomer, as most of the acts made their FM bones in a harder-rocking ’70s than during the Flower Power…
Comment of the Day: Birth of a Sex-Toy Blog Item
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Pop Rocks: Chaz Bono Is Nowhere Near the Most Offensive Contestant on DWTS
As someone who doesn’t watch Dancing with the Stars (note to self: watch DWTS for upcoming “Sight Unseen” blog), I’m not sure if I’m supposed to care about the announcement that Chaz Bono was added to the cast: Transgender activist Chaz Bono is speaking out for the first time against…
Pop Rocks: Chaz Bono Is Far from the Worst DWTS Contestant
As someone who doesn’t watch Dancing with the Stars (note to self: watch DWTS for upcoming “Sight Unseen” blog), I’m not sure if I’m supposed to care about the announcement that Chaz Bono was added to the cast: Transgender activist Chaz Bono is speaking out for the first time against…
“Change Your Name To A Symbol” & Other Dumb Ways To Derail Your Music Career
Sunday marked the 18th anniversary of the date Prince changed his name to that confounded “Love Symbol”, and we can’t help but wonder if he would have had more success had he waited a decade or two. Like it or not, in today’s highly compact, smartphone-addicted culture, abbreviations are becoming…
Unidentifed Male Left for Dead Outside After-Hours Club, Bayou Body Count No. 136
The body of a man who was shot to death was discovered outside a southwest-side after-hours club early Monday morning, but that’s about all police know. The body was found about 6 a.m. Labor Day outside the La Raza Discotec on Hillcroft near Bellaire Boulevard. Drivers passing by noticed the…
Where Are We Drinking?
We were order No. 1 recently at this throwback burger joint, which offers grape Kool-Aid on tap and extra thick and creamy chocolate shakes. Yes, we ordered both. Does the scene below look familiar to you? Think you know where we’re drinking this week? Leave your best guess in the…
100 Creatives: Scott Erickson
What he does: Scott Erickson is the artist-in-residence at Ecclesia, the Montrose-area church off of Taft Street. “I called it ‘Creative Catalyst’ but they wanted something more pastoral-sounding,” he says in regard to his title. Erickson paints and currently holds a studio on the church’s second floor, but he also…
College Football Week 1 Recap: 10 Things
College football is back, and probably for the first time I can remember, the feeling that the return of football brought with it more than anything else was relief. Finally, we can stop obsessing over agents, runners, tattoos, memorabilia and Nevin Shapiro. The games are here and even though most…
In Honor of Labor Day: 5 Great Images of Working in America
Labor Day is almost over, so as we shotgun our last beer, choke down our seventh overcooked burger and rub the chlorine from our reddened eyes, let’s take one last moment to reflect on the labor movement and the working Americans. The working class has long been a source of…
Comment of the Day: Another Sign You’re Not From Houston
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
The Top 25 Comedy Rap Songs Of All Time: Nos. 5-1
Here we are at long last, folks. Here are the top 5 hilarious rap tunes of all time. It was tough to decide who would rule the roost. Seriously, we thought harder about this than we did over naming our daughter. In the end, we think we’ve saved the best…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 21, Tex-Mex Burger at El Real Tex-Mex Cafe
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Pink Gin: Nobody Talks Bad about Plymouth
In Belize, my friend Kiv taunted an Englishman for sipping a pink cocktail, in a waterside tavern. After some words ending with the trite “You and what army?” the man and his buddies — British SAS commandos on leave from jungle training — promptly heaved Kiv over a railing, into…
Ten Sex Toys That Can Also Be Used As Weapons
When we read last week about a robbery at ye olde Conroe sex shoppe, it occurred to us that these establishments get knocked over a lot. What is it about these places — besides the obvious — that’s so inviting to criminals, anyway? And then it occurred to us that,…
Spice Up Your Labor Day With Five Songs About Sugar & Herbs
Rocks Off is grateful to Eating Our Words for sharing this blog with us; it was written by EOW contributor Ginny Braud. What smells so good in here? While pondering the “Top 5 Songs about Food”…I figured, why not be a little more specific? I mean, I’m sure there are…
Fast Times: Sushi Counter at Disco Kroger
Sure, drive-thru windows are fast, but the fastest fast food in town is pre-made anything from the grocery store. Enter: the sushi counter at the new and improved Disco Kroger on Montrose. I haven’t had time to explore the store beyond the produce section (so much better!), cheese shop, and…
The Week in TV: AMC Officially Tired of Things Like “Viewers” and “Feelings”
You want zombies? You’ll get ’em. Eventually. This was the week in TV Land: • AMC’s been on the ropes recently when it comes to audience relations: Prolonged negotiations for Mad Men pushed the drama’s return to 2012, they barely avoided a similar blow-up for Breaking Bad, and they made…
Cops Raid Northwest Side Barber Shop, Find Stupefying Quantity and Variety of Drugs
My oh my, the Goodfellaz Master Barber Shop certainly did live up to its gangster-iffic name, if a court document Hair Balls obtained is to be believed. On August 4, a gang/narcotics investigation culminated with a raid on the North Houston Rosslyn Road establishment. Before cops even entered, they claim…
DEFCON Dining: La Guadalupana
“Iguana Lupana!” shouted my daughter, Juliette, when asked where she wanted to eat breakfast on a recent Saturday afternoon. We’re late risers, to a fault, when the weekend affords us the opportunity. Three O’Clock breakfasts are not out of the ordinary, and so we prize places that serve it all…
The Return of Case Keenum
See more pics of UH’s win against UCLA, and tons of tailgaters, in our slideshow. Case Keenum, dressed in full gear for the first time since destroying his right knee, takes his first live snap in nearly a year. He rifles a pass to E.J. Smith for a gain of…
More Labor Day Music: 5 Secret Anti-Labor Songs
Work sucks. You know it, Rocks Off knows it, and just because your boss magnanimously decides to throw you one day off between July 4th and Thanksgiving doesn’t change that fact. So you take your solace where you can, in the little things, like music. Musicians are hard workers like…
Can’t You Smell That Smell? The 5 Worst Ambiance-Killers in a Restaurant
Sometimes, you just have a feeling from the street that a restaurant isn’t for you: forced valet cordoning off an otherwise-empty lot, or perhaps a surfeit of BMWs parked outside when you only have $10 in your wallet for a meal. Often, however, it’s not until you set foot inside…
True Blood: Which Witch?
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. For some reason, Art Attack…
Lesbian Lube, and Three Other Sex-Based Pick-Up Lines to Try at Your Labor Day Barbecue
Today is Respite from Labor Day, which means it’s best spent lying on your back for a full 24 hours. Like seesawing or tie dancing, lazing is best executed with a partner. Partnerless? Never fear. Chicks at the barbecue will be powerless against your arsenal of timely pick-up lines. If…
Moules au Curry at Jeannine’s Bistro
When I was in London this summer, I went to Belgo, “the world’s greatest Belgian restaurant.” Debatable. The restaurant resembled the set of Alien, and my waiter didn’t speak any English and was wearing a cheesy monk costume. My moules frites were pretty good, but they cost, like, 30 dollars…
Hostel in Montrose’s Lovett Inn Opens This Month
In January the group Hostelling International announced plans to buy the famed Lovett Inn in Montrose and turn it into a youth hostel. There were some neighborhood concerns about parking and traffic, but those have apparently been dealt with: The hostel is having a grand opening September 25. “Tours, music…
Happy Hour Scene: Char Bar
The Place: Char Bar 305 Travis 713-222-8177 The Deals: $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon The Hours: 5 p.m. to close Wednesdays The Scene: We’ve only been to Char Bar a couple of times, but each time there were always at least a few women present. Wednesday after work, however, there were…
Happy Birthday Joseph Merrick: An Elephant Man’s Playlist
Today would be the the Elephant Man’s 149th birthday. Born Joseph Merrick (sometimes erroneously listed as John Merrick), the Elephant Man suffered from an illness that, although still inconclusively proven, caused enlargement of various parts of his body. His grotesque appearance led to his only being able to work as…
Happy Labor Day! 5 Great Union Movies
Today is Labor Day, the day on which we honor working men and women across the country with a well-earned day off. Unless, of course, they are working Labor Day sales. In which case, better luck next year. So not everyone actually gets a full day off. No big deal…
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice: Top 5 Songs About Sugar, Spices & Herbs
While pondering the “Top 5 Songs about Food”…I figured, why not be a little more specific? I mean, I’m sure there are 5 different songs about ice cream, or cheeseburgers, or chicken or candy (all in good time, my pretties…). Wanting to highlight some of the building blocks of cooking,…
True Blood: Best. Episode. Ever. Song Ain’t Bad, Either.
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. For some reason, Gothtopia has…
Cougars Dominate First Half Against UCLA, Set Table for Perfect Season
The Houston Cougars did their best impersonation of the Houston Texans on Saturday. They dominated the first half, playing a fantastic two quarters that masterfully mixed their passing and running games. Case Keenum showed zero aftereffects from his ACL injury, and the offense clicked as it hasn’t since the 2009…
For Labor Day: 10 Songs About Childbirth
Cyril Connolly said “There is no more sombre enemy of good art than the pram in the hall.” The famed English literary critic knew, like several here at Rocks Off, that having kids puts a hell of a dent in a parent’s free time, and the constant demands of children…
Where Are We Eating?
This torta comes with refried black beans and real-deal beef fajita meat inside, the skirt steak that’s so rarely found in Tex-Mex joints these days. Does this souped-up sandwich look familiar to you? Think you know where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Hello, Goodbye: Theatre Southwest’s Brisk Take on Classic Goodbye Charlie
The setup: Before the play opens, womanizer and cad Charlie Sorrel has been caught in the act of having an affair and been killed, but is reincarnated in the body of a younger woman. The comedy develops as Charlie and George, his best (and only) friend, deal with ensuing complications…
Mink Changes Owners, Management Nearly Overnight
White Mystery wasn’t just the name of the band playing The Mink on Saturday night. There was a palpable feeling of tension and “weirdness,” as one person put it, at the Midtown venue as word continued to spread across the Houston indie community that one of their favorite hangouts had…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we’ve only recently learned that internet vigilantes Anonymous have recently leaked a bunch of our emails, including messages in which we admit to liking both real bacon and turkey bacon. We regret the inevitable scandal. We started the…
In It to Win It: Free Night Houston’s Lottery Opens Next Week
More than 30 Houston arts organizations will open up some 3,000 seats to theater, dance and musical performances all over the city in October, all for free. Naturally, there’s a catch. Interested potential patrons need to enter an online lottery to win one of the prized seats. The lottery opens…
Comment of the Day
Today Katharine Shilcutt reported on the sudden demise of Ayn Rand enthusiast Paul West’s Greatfull Taco. Commenter Wyatt thought Rand would approve of how the closure was handled: Ayn Rand would probably be just fine with laying off a bunch of people with no notice. Sharing isn’t caring, it’s the…
Prediction Mania! — Weekend’s Best Bets and 2 Bonus Season Bets
I’ve never been one to just dip my toe in the water on anything. If there is a job to do, a party to attend, or a giant calzone to eat, you can count on me to go “all in” on whatever the task may be. So when we have…
Rocks Off Working It Out On Labor Day
Rocks Off thinks we’ll drink to all of the above. If you find yourself near a computer (or one of them fancy cellular phones with the Internets on there) and feel like doing a little surfing, we’ll be here. Be safe, whatever you do…
Unnatural Conversion: Seven Days in Utopia
Seven Days in Utopia stars Robert Duvall and Lucas Black; Matthew Dean Russell directs. A fantasy about a temperamental, wand-wielding young man named Luke and the aphorism-uttering master who leads him to enlightenment, Seven Days in Utopia transposes Jedi mythology to the manicured greens of competitive golf. But unlike the…
Missing: Very Expensive (Tacky?) UH Cougar Jewelry
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information on a big Memorial Day heist in the ritzy Broadacres neighborhood. The victims are anxious to get their jewelry back, and who could blame them? We, too, would be desperately missing our UH loh precious-jewel-encrusted pin and necklace, in the unlikely event…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 22, Sticky Toffee Pudding at Branch Water Tavern
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Coog Radio Signs Online As UH’s First-Ever Student-Run Station
The University of Houston finally has its first student-founded and student-run radio station, Coog Radio, which launched online this week. The idea came about back in 2009 between UH senior Conner Clifton and two friends. Prince Wilson, Student Government Association president at the time, directed Clifton to the right administration,…
Wilfred: “Sacrifice” and Le Ballon Rouge
Ryan needs a change of scenery. Wilfred’s first season is winding down, and our protagonist is finally starting to chafe under the constant needs of not only Wilfred the man-dog (or Mog…hey, is he related to Barf from Spaceballs?) but Wilfred’s owner Jenna, whose constant reliance upon Ryan has created…
Roger Clemens Ordered to Face Trial Again
In a not too surprising development, U.S. District Court Judge Reginald Walton ruled earlier this afternoon, after a morning of oral arguments, that double jeopardy did not attach during the aborted Roger Clemens trial earlier this summer. As a result, the government will get another shot at Roger Clemens next…
10 Awesome, Awful & Odd “Hey Jude” Covers
This week in 1968, The Beatles inaugurated their Apple Records label in a most auspicious fashion, releasing “Hey Jude” as a 45. The B-side was “Revolution.” Written by Paul McCartney and employing a 36-piece orchestra, “Jude” did nothing to dispel the perception that Paul was the “soft” Beatle and John…
Rob $1K from a Bank, Get Four Years; Defraud It of $100K, Get One Year
Yes, as through this world I’ve wandered I’ve seen lots of funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen. — Woody Guthrie, “Pretty Boy Floyd” Our advice: Do your bank robbing with the fountain pen. Or its modern equivalent. One week, two sentences…
Feeny FTW: The 10 Bestest TV Teachers Ever
Last week I covered your favorite movie teachers, and this week we dive into the wild and chalk-dust-covered world of television’s best teacher mans and ladies. I had to stop myself from adding Lily from How I Met Your Mother, who is an elementary teacher on the sitcom, because that…
Egg Salad Sandwich at Nielsen’s Delicatessen
Several months ago I bemoaned the fact that many Houston delis/sandwich shops do not carry egg salad, in a post on the Hobbit Cafe’s Far Down, a spectacular dill egg salad sandwich loaded with avocado. That’s still true, but I no longer care, ’cause now I know where to go…
We’ll Be Here Labor Day, Just for YOU, EOW Nation
So, we thought these pillows were kind of kinky, until we realized they’re for people with babies…Thank God it’s the weekend. Anyway, get a pencil, make a note: Eating Our Words will be reporting for duty this Labor Day. We taking eating and words that seriously. Oh, and drinking. We…
Luis Andres Cardona: Pawned Video Camera with Child Rape Tape Still in It
Apparently at some point this spring, Luis Andres Cardona ran even shorter on cash than human decency, if that’s possible. But how else is there to explain the fact that he pawned a video camera with a tape of him repeatedly raping a nine-year-old girl still in it? Yesterday the…
For Labor Day: 10 Authors and Their First Jobs
These days, people rarely stick with their first jobs, and why would they? It’s not like Marble Slab has a competitive pension plan. And though we tend to disparage those horrendous first outings into the world of work, they provide a vital function in catapulting those with artsier aspirations out…
What’s Cooking Next Week?
Mmm, last week’s menu plan hit the spot, and we’re looking forward to a fabulous long weekend followed by another week of easy cooking. Since it is a long weekend, and long weekends mean we can drink more, you may want to add a drunk watermelon to the menu for…
Las Puertas: 10 Things You May Not Know About The Doors
On this day in 1965, The Doors began recording demos together, laying down some songs set to Jim Morrison’s freaky poems. Nearly 50 years later, the band is an exalted classic-rock group, firmly implanted in that pantheon with Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, The Who, and Jimi Hendrix, and every…
Friendswood Police Chief Robert Wieners’s E-Mail Troubles
The online hackers/pranksters/terrorists Anonymous have taken on Texas police chiefs, breaking into a central e-mail and releasing a ginormous dump of private correspondence. Sadly, you probably will not be shocked to learn that Texas police chiefs often receive or forward chain-mail jokes and dubious political commentary about Muslims and minorities…
Upcoming Events: Cooler Heads Prevail
The cool weather is finally on its way, and that means movie nights in Market Square Park will be gearing up once again. This month, look for a screening of Animal House presented by the Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow starting at 8 p.m. on Friday, September 30. The movie is…
Rap’s Mortal Kombat: Why Red Bull’s Battle Is Better Than Black Star
This coming Thursday, the same day that Black Star performs at House of Blues, the Red Bull EmSee Freestyle Battle will come stomping into Warehouse Live. Six immediate reasons why you should go to the latter instead: Bun B will host (trill awesome), Trae will perform (deadly awesome), ESG will…
The Week in Art Photos: Seasides, Flowers and Doc the Orangutan
It’s time again to check out the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. We love street art, unique perspectives and beautiful photos of Houston’s creative community. If you think you’ve got a good eye, drop your pictures in the pool…
The Museum Train’s A-Rollin’
You may have seen light-rail cars sheathed in red to promote safety, and you should get ready to see some in green to promote…art. Metro is “partnering” with the Museum District to tout the cultural offerings available a few steps away from the light rail line. Metro says the green…
Odd Pair: Pseudo-Italian Sports Bar and French Wine
Let’s face it: No matter how you dress or slice the meatballs (more on that below), if you have ESPN constantly streaming on monitors that hover above your bar and dining room, you are a sports bar — even if you slap ristorante italiano onto the name of your restaurant…
The Top 25 Comedy Rap Songs Of All Time: Nos. 10-6
Welcome to the top 10 greatest comedy rap songs. Some real winners have gone before (see 25-21 here, 20-16 here, and 15-11 here), but now we’re getting to the tunes that are absolutely necessary to have. Get ready for some sharks, clowns, prime disses, and most of all a sorely…
Vikings 28, Texans 0: Five Things We Learned
The short answer is that we didn’t learn much. When the only quasi-starter to play is likely Number 3 corner Brice McCain and the offensive line features a free-agent guard signed two days ago, you know there isn’t a lot of value. But Thursday night’s preseason finale did still qualify…
Project Runway: The Avant Garde Challenge
This week on Project Runway: Bert and Anthony Ryan call a truce after last week’s team challenge debacle, Laura Kathleen announces that “it’s no secret” that she hates Becky — only we’ve never heard that before at all, and Joshua M. wears this on the runway: Cutoff jean shorts, a…
Texas Johnny Brown A Star In Mississippi Too
Rocks Off would like to congratulate one of the stars of this week’s “Old School” cover story, Texas Johnny Brown, who will receive a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail this weekend. The monument for Brown, 83, will be dedicated at 4 p.m. Saturday in downtown Ackerman in Brown’s native…
Chevis Cooks, 31, Bayou Body Count No. 135
A man was shot to death in his car in broad daylight on the northside Thursday, Houston police say. Chevis Cooks, 31, was shot in the 5500 block of Kashmere at about 11:30 a.m., HPD says. He was inside his vehicle at the time, and was the second person to…
30 Seconds With Adam Tyler
Rocks Off sat down with Adam Tyler to see what we could learn about the pop star on the rise in 30 seconds. Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? Adam Tyler: There’s a song out there called “I Lit Your Baby On Fire,” and I must…
Bartender Chat: John Rittman of La Carafe
As a toast to Houston on her 175th birthday, I wanted to pay a visit to one of her oldest establishments. A Houston Press (not THIS Houston Press, the other one) article from 1962 called La Carafe “a tiny slice of yesteryear’s lamplight era” with “nuances of New Orleans…Greenwich Village…and…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: The Debt
Title: The Debt You Seem Kind Of Bummed. What’s The Matter? Oh, I was just hoping I’d be able to review Shark Night 3-D. What On Earth For? If you have to ask, you’ll never understand. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three East German Trabants out of…
How To: Make Homemade Chicken Stock Using Leftover Chicken
Chicken stock is incredibly easy to make and just so much tastier homemade than it is store-bought. Plus, there are tons of benefits to making it on your own. For starters, you get to control the amount of sodium that goes in the stock, a major bonus for healthy cooking…
Ken 2 The Fool, Comedian With A Rapper’s Game
Maybe two or three months ago, we were at a music showcase at Midtown Lounge. And it was bad. The performers weren’t necessarily subpar, but the evening just seemed to lack any sort of oomph. There were no real surprises. Musician, break, musician, break, blah, blah, blah. It was weird…
Comment of the Day: Other Ways You Know You’re a Houston Newbie
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Five Labor Day Myths (If You Live in Houston)
Face it, you’re already starting to think about the long Labor Day weekend. If you’re from Houston, though, you won’t exactly be experiencing it like much of the rest of the country does. Labor Day traditions or truisms are largely a myth down here. Here are five examples. 5. Labor…
Black Leather Jesus: The Most Horrifying Origin Story Ever
It’s a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we’re trying to find meaning in the oddest monikers. Warning: Everything in this article is terrifying, and none of the links are remotely safe for work. For over 20 years Black Leather Jesus has…
Vogue September Issue: 4 Things We Would Love to Wear…If It Weren’t 1000 Degrees Outside
The September Issue used to bring me such joy. I used to live in places where “Labor Day” meant something in terms of both temperature and fashion. Cooler days and chilly nights translated to new jeans, long-sleeve shirts, boots and funky scarves. SOCKS, for Chrissakes — I used to wear…
Week in Photos: Maria Antoinette
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. Summer’s winding down (haha, good one) and school is back in session. Are you spending your weekends tailgating? Enjoying happy hour now that the days are getting shorter?…
Openings & Closings: August 2011
Earlier this week, rumors were flying that Greatfull Taco would soon be closing its doors — a move that many were expecting for months, given the restaurant’s “cursed” location and the loss of its chef — and the rumors proved true. Owner Paul West told CultureMap that he received an…
100 Creatives: Chance McClain
What he does: Chance McClain is probably best known for having co-written the “Yao Ming Song,” a rousing rally cry for the Houston Rockets fans in the earlier part of this millennium. The song was made famous outside Our Fair City via Sports Illustrated and was even featured on the…
Drought Oddity: Now You Can Kayak a Long Stretch of the San Jacinto River
This summer’s unprecedented drought has led to at least one unusual opportunity for outdoorsy types in the Houston area — the chance to kayak or canoe a rather long stretch of the San Jacinto River. The west fork of the San Jacinto stretches from Montgomery County to Lake Houston, where…
Comment of the Day
Today Nick Hall reported on a fabulous collaborative dinner he enjoyed at Giacomo’s. He described all kinds of wonderful food and drink, but commenter Laurie thought there was something missing: Great article. Only problem was trying to decide which dish would pair best with an “Empty Nester.” And then I…
Oscar Ortiz Orozco, 53, Bayou Body Count No. 134
A schoolbus driver on his way to work early this morning was shot to death in his car in Greenspoint today, Houston police say. Oscar Ortiz Orozco, 53, was shot in the 800 block of Seminar Drive about 5 a.m. Houston police say they think he was shot as he…
Vintage Postcards and Ancient Ukrainian Art: Gallery Openings and Closings This Weekend
The summer’s coming to an end, which means this is one of the last weekends to catch the many exhibitions in town. In fact, this is the last weekend to see two of the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s popular exhibits: “Ancient Ukraine” and “Texas! The Exhibition” both close Monday…
Houston Texans — Five Things to Watch Tonight Against the Vikings
It’s the final game of the 2011 preseason tonight with the Texans’ backups taking on the Minnesota Vikings’ backups in the newly inflatable-roofed Metrodome. If you’re the Texans, I suppose the good news is that you’re traveling to Minnesota in September and not December. If you’re a Texans backup or…
Five Filthy Conway Twitty Ditties Sure To Get Her To Press Charges
True story, back when we were trying to pick out Twitter handles in 2008, we almost went by @ConwayTwitter, but we instead went for a real name. Now the handle is taken, probably by someone who doesn’t even like Conway Twitty, who would have been 77 years old today. He…
Sight Unseen: Toddlers & Tiaras
There are a million shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch all of them, one at a time. I don’t personally know anybody who doesn’t watch TV. I mean, I know such people exist, usually because they feel the need to broadcast the fact to everyone who wanders…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 23, Breakfast Tacos at Revival Market
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Bruce McMillian: Former Tony’s Chef Accused Of Molesting Kids Will Be in Prison Until He’s 84
Bruce McMillian, the former chef for the ultra-upscale restaurant Tony’s, has gotten a 75-year sentence on charges of molesting children. Under Texas law he will have to serve at least 35 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. Ultimate Fort Bend reports that mcMillian was sentenced earlier this week…
Cocktails and Collaboration: Chris Frankel at Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino
I’ve been a fan of Giacomo’s ever since I “discovered” the charming small-plates Italian spot for DEFCON Dining. I’ve been a fan of Chris Frankel since well before he helped me turn terrifying sodas into delicious cocktails. When I heard that he was doing a collaborative dinner with Lynette Hawkins…
Bruce McMillian: Former Star Chef Accused of Molesting Kids Will Be in Prison Until He’s 84
Bruce McMillian, the former chef for the ultra-upscale restaurant Tony’s, has gotten a 75-year sentence on charges of molesting children. Under Texas law he will have to serve at least 35 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. Ultimate Fort Bend reports that McMillian was sentenced earlier this week…
The Top 25 Comedy Rap Songs Of All Time: Nos. 15-11
The countdown continues (Click here for Nos. 25-21, and here for 20-16). So far we’ve seen everything from Star Wars raps to Irish street beats to towering mainstream figures like Eddie Murphy, MC Hammer, and Afroman. Today’s playlist should be triumph for the nerdcore crowd, and features some more Houston…
For Texas A&M: A Guide to the SEC
Earthshaking news that you might have missed if you’re not a sports fan: Texas A&M is leaving the Big 12 to go to the Southeastern Conference. If you’re not a sports fan, perhaps your earth has remained unshaken, but it’s a monster step for the Aggies. To help them with…
Five (Almost Free) Fall Reads to Download on Your Tablet
With our continued hot spell, it’s pretty hard to believe that the first day of fall is three short weeks away. We’re hoping that the summer heat will soon be replaced with cool nights, that the days will get shorter and that Halloween will be around the corner. We went…
Grocery Guide: Choosing Avocados
In the avocado bin of just about any market, you often can find the gamut of avocado ripeness stages, from the hard verdant green of unripe fruit, to the dark greenish-brown blobs that are beginning to cave. What surprises me is that even in well-maintained produce sections, end-stage avocados remain,…
What A Houston Blues “Walk Of Fame” Could Look Like
It was a real pleasure for Rocks Off and Lonesome Onry and Mean to bring you this week’s Houston Press cover story, “Old School,” but it was also bittersweet. Not to put too fine a point on it, but none of these people are getting any younger – although the…
Men, Nail Polish and Gender Identity: Did You Know This Was a Thing?
Just as I was wrapping up researching and writing a lighthearted piece about what a man’s nail polish color says about him, I happened to tune in to an episode of ABC’s Primetime Nightline entitled “My (Extra) Ordinary Family: Transgender Kids.” The subject matter was pretty heavy, and the show…
Brew Blog: König Pilsener
My wife has an endless fascination with the discount carts that seem a constant fixture at the end of the wine aisles at the West Alabama Fiesta. Once, she stumbled upon a very serviceable Côtes du Rhône for a mere five dollars. We drank it weekly for a couple of…
25 Signs That You Aren’t From Houston
Earlier this week Arturo Valdes was pulled over for speeding down the West Loop feeder road in the City of Bellaire. After finding “irregularities” with his registration (probably something other than a Bellaire or West U address), Bellaire cops called in a drug dog. The K-9 alerted to the 46-year-old…
Facebook Music Coming To A Computer Near You
No one’s willing to confirm anything, but all indications point to the same scoop: Facebook is planning to launch a new music service this fall. Here’s what we know so far. CNBC’s John Fortt broke the news Kanye West-style – in ALL CAPS: “YES INDEED NEXT MONTH IS GOING TO…
Morbid Curiosity: A Final Farewell to Michael Showers, Charles “Bubba” Smith and Others Who Died in August 2011
Sadly, people are still dying every day. Despite the pleas of many, the grim reaper just won’t take a break. At Art Attack, our inquisitive nature prompts us to probe the fascinating lives of those who have passed in the previous month. The Press has already covered the deaths of…
Ben’s Beans: Another New Coffee Shop Opens Downtown
After years without a decent coffee shop, downtown is suddenly spoiled for options: Cafe Luz on the north end of downtown opened a few weeks ago. And now Ben’s Beans, next door to Dirt Bar and House of Blues, has finally opened after more than a year of construction. Owner…
Piss Off: The Top 10 Punk Rock Movies Of All Time
Tonight the Alamo Drafthouse at West Oaks Mall turns punk rock as the theater shows the 1984 Alex Cox cult classic Repo Man, with a set from Houston punk laureates the Hates to start the evening at 9 p.m. The film, starring Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton, was one…
Corey Webb: Pees in Courtroom During Trial Break
Signs your trial is not going well: When the judge says to you, “I don’t know how you were raised, but peeing in a trash can in a state district courtroom is inappropriate behavior.” That quote, which surely will go down in judicial history alongside “with all deliberate speed,” was…
Sundance Cinemas Houston Location Now Hiring
After months of relative silence on when it will open (and the estimated $2.25 million upgrade to its space, the former home of Angelika Film Center in Downtown Houston), Sundance Cinemas announced recently that it is hiring, a sign that its opening is fast approaching. Right now, the arthouse movie…
Tylan Thomas, Two Years Old, Bayou Body Count No. 133
A live-in boyfriend has been charged with capital murder in the beating death of his girlfriend’s two-year-old son. Reginald Dancy, 22, is accused of killing Tylan Thomas via ” blunt force trauma to the abdomen.” The boy died August 30 in an apartment on the far southwest side. Dancy told…
Nothing’s Shocking: Thank You, Iggy Pop
Cyberspace was all abuzz on Monday, thanks to Lady Gaga’s “shocking” VMA performance of “You and I” dressed as a young Ralph Macchio, or at least that’s what it looked like from here. It was creative and bold, and definitely entertaining – but shocking? Eh. Then again, a second look…
Health Department Roundup
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty How can you lose? Well, Petula, one surefire way to lose when you’re downtown is by operating a restaurant without the proper permits, as a couple of 77002 favorites…
Past Their Prime: 5 Hilariously Unrealistic TV Teens
Nobody ever really plays their age in Hollywood, but there’s no lie quite as big as when adults are passed off as teens on TV. It’s understandable that producers would want to cast someone a little older if possible: They’ve probably got more acting and life experience to draw from,…
Comment of the Day: Establishing Your Trekkie Geekness Hard
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Vegetables
I’m sure you’ve all seen the show The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network. You know, that one that airs late at night, when you’re sitting on your couch, hungry but willing yourself not to eat? The one where Food Network stars talk about their favorite fare…
“Rock Patriot” Mark Farner Can’t Fake The Funk
As the lead singer and guitarist for Grand Funk Railroad, Mark Farner has powered songs like “I’m Your Captain/Closer to Home,” “Some Kind of Wonderful” and “The Loco-Motion” into the Classic Rock Canon. Along with drummer Don Brewer (who sings on “We’re An American Band”) and bassist Mel Schacher, the…
Indie in the Heights: 14 Pews Will Celebrate First Anniversary with Birthday Bash
Start-up DIY venues tend to be like new magazines: There’s a good chance that after a year, they’ll be outta here. This coming October marks one year of existence for 14 Pews. Located in an old church (hence the name) in the Heights, Cressandra Thibodeaux, an accomplished photographer and moving-pictures…
Last Night: DMX At House Of Blues
DMX, Scarface, Versecity House of Blues August 31, 2011 9:15 p.m.: DMX tonight. This is only his second show since his last prison stint, which, in examination, is kind of not really that big of a thing because he goes to prison about as often as a normal human being…
Keep on Truckin’: Fez Express
Houston’s emerging mobile food scene can now check off “Mediterranean” from the list of cuisines you can find on wheels. The Fez Express truck hit the streets a few weeks ago and has been offering homemade Mediterranean fare to hungry club hoppers on Washington. Fez Express is a labor of…
Douglas Paul McCoy: Lufkin Man Jailed Twice in Two Days Over K-2
We can tell you firsthand, that K-2 can be a monster… Two Angelina County deputies also found that out Monday afternoon after they responded to a welfare check on FM 1475. There they found 48-year-old Douglas Paul McCoy sitting by the side of the highway in a state of agitation…
Pop Rocks: Balls of Fury
I never really bought into the theory that American men were becoming, for lack of a better word, pansies. It’s an idea that started taking hold way back in 1982 with Bruce Feirstein’s Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche, a satirical look at post-feminist malehood that led to more earnest reactions…
Pop Rocks: Balls to the Wall
I never really bought into the theory that American men were becoming, for lack of a better word, pansies. It’s an idea that started taking hold way back in 1982 with Bruce Feirstein’s Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche, a satirical look at post-feminist malehood that led to more earnest reactions…
Pregnant Teens: Not Beyonce’s Fault
Monday, BET.com posted an article suggesting Beyoncé’s pregnancy, which she announced at the VMAs and nearly crashed Twitter, might cause a “spike in Black Teen Pregnancy.” Have you ever heard anything more ridiculous? It’s more than unfair to blame Beyoncé for African American teens becoming pregnant when a plethora of…
Jordan Merecka: Teen’s Artificial Heart Is Powered Through His Backpack
An 18-year-old with a temporary artificial heart headed home yesterday from the Texas Children’s Hospital. Normally Jordan Merecka would have to stay hooked up to a 400-pound machine called “Big Blue” to power the temporary heart, but new developments make it possible for him to head home to Cypress. Technology…
Disco Kroger Reopens in Montrose, More Fabulous Than Ever
“We’re a part of Montrose and we’re here to stay,” declared Michael Marino, store manager of the Kroger at 3300 Montrose. “No matter who else comes in,” he added with a grin and a nod to the new H-E-B being built at Dunlavy and West Alabama, just down the street…
100 Creatives: Jodi Bobrovsky
What She Does: Jodi Bobrovsky is the properties manager at Stages Repertory Theatre and works with other local troupes as well. She is in charge of creating anything a production needs that isn’t an outfit or a wall. In her case this has included suitcases, swords, books, wallets, keys, and…
Seven Terrific New Texas Laws That Take Effect Today: Sexting, Barehands Fishing and Armed Boats
September 1 is here, and as with every September 1 after a legislative session, Texas will never be the same. New laws take effect today, and the old ways passeth. What are some of these new laws? Let’s examine. 7. “A driver may not allow a child under 18 to…
Passione
Filmmaker John Turturro described his 2010 documentary Passione, set in Naples, as “a musical adventure that comes directly out of the people and the volcanic land they inhabit.” We’re not sure if “adventure” is a big enough word to convey the culture he captures. He recorded musicians and dancers at…
“Dining In IV”
If you can find home furnishings in a book store, why not go to a gallery for one-of-a-kind ceramic table settings? 18 Hands Gallery is holding its fourth “Dining In” show, an exhibition of practical ceramics, like plates, cups, tureens and pitchers – “the art of the table,” as the…
Hank Williams: Lost Highway
Hank Williams was only 29 when he died. But during his brief lifetime, his blazing talent changed country music forever. His dramatic life story includes a struggling, itinerant childhood, a medical condition that would leave him dependent on morphine as an adult, and a remarkable musical talent influenced by the…
Spec’s Second Annual Brewmasters Craft Beer Festival
Reach Beervana this weekend at Spec’s Second Annual Brewmasters Craft Beer Festival at Moody Gardens in Galveston. The ambitious event features tastings of more than 400 different beers, along with food and live music. (There are also related events like pub crawls and dinners.) “We started as the largest beer…
Houston Brazilian Festival: Discover Brazil
Let loose at the exotic and colorful 2011 Houston Brazilian Festival: Discover Brazil. Brazil has an impressive array of music, dance and cultural traditions, many of which will be showcased during the festival. The Brazilian Nuts Band will perform samba-based tunes, as well as Frevo, Maracatu, Xote and Baiao music…
Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock: The Casserole Queens Cookbook
Enjoy a heavy dose of retro style while you learn about one-dish cooking from Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock, also known as The Casserole Queens. For more than five years, the two women have been whipping up simple but tasty dishes, including their signature Chicken Pot Pie (made with white…
Houston Symphony: Poperazzi
Nope, that’s not a misspelling — it’s Poperazzi. The oddly named vocal trio — George DeMott and Cody Shawn Gay, both tenors, along with Janien Valentine, a soprano — is joining the Houston Symphony for an evening of Italian classics in Viva Italia. Today they’ll be singing everything from opera…
Mozart Under the Stars
With apologies to Falco, Mozart was the first Viennese rock star. He’s gone, but his music still demands a spotlight, as you’ll see during today’s tribute to him by Mercury Baroque in Mozart Under the Stars. The group will perform many of his best-known melodies, along with 18th-century chart toppers…
Old School
Midnight, The Big Easy Social & Pleasure Club, cover charge is five bucks. A blast of heat from the gaggle of horns onstage rushes out of the momentarily open door of the Kirby Drive nightclub, as a writhing mass of sweaty Friday-night humanity works it out on the dance floor…
Old School: Class of 2011
I’m known as a battle-hardened, dour curmudgeon around the office, but I actually came close to crying a couple of times during our photo shoot for this week’s cover. As when Jackie Gray, the tallest and maybe the sweetest man in the room, grabbed Little Joe Washington’s hand and said,…
Higher Ground
At one point in Higher Ground, Vera Farmiga’s decade-spanning directorial debut, the actress, playing Corinne, a woman still soaked with lake water after her baptism into an evangelical sect, resembles no less a touchstone than Ronee Blakley in Robert Altman’s Nashville: slightly high hair; starchy, sexless, long tunic dress; swaying…
How Much of a Pendejo is Gustavo?
Dear Mexican, I see a lot of vatos around wearing the clam digger pants with the knee-high white socks and white sneakers. While this is nothing new, I’ve noticed recently that the shoes and socks are the whitest white I’ve ever seen. If I wear white sneakers and socks, they…
Lord of the Hipsters
Even if your knowledge of that odd urban creature commonly known as the hipster is limited to whatever you see on TV, there’s still a pretty good chance you know Diplo. He’s the froggy-voiced star of the BlackBerry Torch commercial that’s undoubtedly popped up during one of your recent channel-surfing…
Diva-licious
“What good is sitting alone in your room. Come hear the music play. Life is a cabaret, old chum, come to the cabaret.” That was solid advice from Miss Sally Bowles in Kander and Ebb’s classic Cabaret, and, if I were you, I’d take her up on it and come…
Grave Babies
Seattle-based noise-pop quartet Grave Babies bury their hooks below a few feet of in-the-red synths, drums and guitars, and it works. It works like similar acts like Suicide, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Houston’s own post-spaghetti-westerners Balaclavas, and even some passages from new It-band iceage. Their recordings are brutal on…
Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow
Kid Rock’s story is 100 percent “Only in America” — the party-rocking Beastie Boys/Run-DMC copycat who found his inner Seger and Skynyrd just in time to cash in on the rap-rock revolution of the late ’90s and early ’00s, and went on to have even greater success nearly a decade…
The Dodos
Two years ago, San Francisco’s Dodos were in the process of smoothing out the more abrasive elements of their sound, cutting back on the clattering drums and frantic strumming in order to better highlight their gift for writing sticky, bittersweet pop songs. But with the recent release of fourth album…
Wild Men of Rock
It’s a good thing the Continental Club stage is carpeted, because any one of these four “Wild Men of Rock” could produce enough sweat for someone to slip and fall and possibly break a hip. On Saturday’s visiting team is Detroit player Andre Williams, who could show even Kid Rock…
Balaclavas, Black Leather Jesus
Balaclavas and Black Leather Jesus step up Sunday at Dean’s for a special free gig honoring their Dull Knife label head Brent Tipton’s growing one year older. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate Labor Day weekend than with a shot of Black Leather Jesus, one of Texas’s…
Head On
Head On Online readers comment on “Knocked Out,” by Steve Jansen, August 17: Expert exams: Thank you for this brave and detailed exploration of head injuries in our children. No test or any machine “that goes bing” substitutes for expert evaluation and treatment. Any neuropsychological test should be interpreted by…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Crafting Live(s): 10 Years of Artists-In-Residence,” “Emily Halbardier: Deep Green,” “Hayden Fosdick: Paper Compounds,” Marc Swanson: The Second Story, “Project Row Houses: 2011 Summer Studios”
“Crafting Live(s): 10 Years of Artists-In-Residence” The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft celebrates its ten-year anniversary with this show, an alumni exhibition of its Artist Residency Program. Approximately 35 former residents participated, creating new works based on their level of artistry today, and the results are impressive. Much of the…
TxDOT Sues Over Steamy Novel
COURTS, TEXAS TxDOT Sues Over Steamy Novel It’s titled Don’t Mess With Texas By Richard Connelly It’s official: The Texas Department of Transportation hates bodice-rippers. Especially the modern ones with their manly, bare-chested men cradling lissome, sassy cowgirls. Especially if they involve former-cop PIs named “Dallas O’Connor.” And especially if…
Mezze in the Montrose
See more photos from Byzantio’s kitchen and cozy dining room in our slideshow. My dining companion, a longtime Montrose resident, remembers a time when Byzantio only had a toaster oven sitting at the end of its long bar. I don’t. I never went to Byzantio back in the “old days,”…
All the Right Moves
You may cringe at the thought of more chillwave infiltrating your eardrums, and we don’t blame you. It seems like more and more artists are using airy melodies filled with incomprehensible lyrics, making it hard to distinguish one track or musician from the next. Thankfully, there’s Com Truise, whose incredibly…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Once Upon a Mattress, Sylvia
Once Upon a Mattress Once Upon a Mattress is the 1959 musical that introduced Carol Burnett to Broadway. Its initial production moved from off-B’way to B’way and ran, in a variety of theaters, for 460 performances. It’s a farce, and a spoof of a fairy tale, and is set in…
