“Richard Misrach’s After Katrina”
Without featuring a single person, the photographs in Richard Misrach’s “After Katrina” are nevertheless all about human loss. The exhibition’s 69 photographs present graffiti as a free and uncensored means of communicating. Some words express frustration: “PLEASE REMOVE YOUR CAR FROM THE BOAT WITHOUT CRUSHING IT” and “SOB THAT LOOTED…
The Adventures of Arthur Ignatius in Wonderland
New theater company Killdozer Productions tells a mighty strange origin story on its Web site. As the tale goes, in 2004, a small-town muffler repair shop owner was put out of business by a cement company. He got his revenge in a truly dramatic way – going on a suicidal…
A Behanding in Spokane
Playwright Martin McDonagh, the man behind the gruesome comedy The Lieutenant of Inishmore, loves using blood and guts onstage. And A Behanding in Spokane, the fast-paced one-act that made its debut earlier this year and is now at the Alley Theatre, is no exception. This story features a white man…
Laura
Based on Vera Caspary’s 1943 pulp-fiction novel of the same name, the play Laura begins with the gorgeous woman at the center of the story already dead – someone took a shotgun and blew her face off. But that doesn’t stop Mark McPherson, the New York City detective in charge…
“Las Comadres Recycled: Outdoor Sculptures”
For “Las Comadres Recycled: Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition,” Talento Bilingüe de Houston has assembled a total of eight life-size sculptures made from repurposed, found materials. The figures, created by several emerging Houston artists, including Liz Conces Spencer and Regina Agu, have bodies molded from cardboard tubes and planks of wood, and…
Weird Weekly Video: Bexar’s Beard
Bexar, also known as “Olivier,” is a Houston artist who transforms discarded electronic devices into sculpture and jewelry as Bexar, and creates brightly colored abstract photos as Olivier. He’s been known to put himself in his pieces as well, like the above video. Bexar assures Art Attack that the beard…
HPD’s James Rodriguez: How To Rape A Woman In Custody
James A. Rodriguez wasn’t a Houston Police officer for long, but he made the most of it while he was.Unfortunately for him, the “most” he made was raping women in custody. At least once, maybe twice.And now he’s being sued over it. As is the city.According to the federal lawsuit,…
Top 5 Fried Foods That Shouldn’t Be Possible
There aren’t many fried foods we won’t at least try, but that doesn’t mean they should exist outside of a theoretical physics textbook. Fried beer, for instance; it doesn’t seem like something that should be possible, yet get us sober and hungry enough and sure, we’ll binge on fried beer,…
Gallery Scene: Opening This Week
Tons of openings this Friday and Saturday. Big recommendations for Art Palace, CTRL, DiverseWorks and the Art Car Museum on Friday. And on Saturday, don’t miss Nestor Topchy’s one-night-only event, along with the Moody Gallery Anniversary show. As always, here’s our rundown of places to see fresh artwork and hit…
Houston’s 10 Favorite Rainy-Day Albums
Weather like Houston had this past week seems to make everyone “sad panda” and turn to lusher, less upbeat music. Snuggle-rock, dad-rock, beard-rock – music you hear in coffee shops seems to be ruling our city’s personal airwaves. As Tropical Storm Hermine trampled through Houston yesterday, we asked our friends…
I Heart the OC…Pizza
If you have never tried the OC pizza at Onion Creek on White Oak, do yourself a favor head over there pronto and indulge in one of my favorite things on offer there. Imagine the best Stouffer’s French Bread pizza in the world and then turn it up to 11…
Game Time: Stephen F. Austin Football — The “F” Now Stands for “Fakers”
My birthday is on January 22. (I don’t say this because I want you to get me anything — although I wouldn’t say NO — I am merely pointing it out to illustrate how I feel this time of year.) Growing up, it was great having a January birthday because…
Groundhall Now Open, Not Changing Name Anymore (We Think)
Over the last couple of months, it’s been kind of fun – and kind of frustrating – to try to keep up with what’s been going on over at the old Engine Room at 1515 Pease, up to and including what the damn place is called at any given moment…
Climate Change, Houston’s Hot Summer And An Extreme-Weather Future
August was the hottest month ever in Houston. A whopping 88.7 degrees, on average, topping previous records from both 1980 and 1962 by a full three-tenths of a degree.And while that doesn’t sound like a lot to most folks, it’s the kind of number that makes scientists and environmental advocates…
Coffee by the Cup at Bohemeo’s: As Fresh As It Gets
While I’m currently hooked on Bohemeo’s mochachino — a frozen concoction of espresso, chocolate, cream and ice that far surpasses a Frappucino in quality and taste — during the summer months, once the weather starts to cool again, it’ll be back to one of the things Bohemeo’s does best: coffee…
Stirred & Shaken: Zimm’s’ Martini & Wine Bar’s White Angel
Last Tuesday, while visiting my mom’s house, I noticed a copy of Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s on the end table. I like the movie, which is great ammunition when I’m calculating ways to convince people that I’m sensitive, but I never got around to reading the novelette. I sat…
Sugar Land’s Baseball Team: And The Finalists For Team Name Are…All Terrifically Bad
Sugar Land, as most people who care know, is getting a minor league baseball team and a new stadium to house them.As is part of the textbook for these things, the owners had a contest for suggestions on what the team should be named. Usually they have a name in…
The 10 Most Fun Musical Instruments To Destroy
A company in Japan is making disposable guitars expressly made for smashing. At around $60 a pop, you won’t be too terribly sad about hacking up the stage with it or clocking your bastard bassist or dullard drummer over the head at the end of the gig. Hell, at these…
Even Brad Pitt’s Charity Houses Are Incredibly Good Looking
Brad Pitt set a goal to rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. He wanted to “make it right” for the residents of a neighborhood that had not only been dealt a crippling blow by Katrina, but had also been virtually forgotten by the recovery effort. No one was…
Yankee Pot Roast Sandwich at Katz’s Deli & Bar
When I went to Katz’s this past weekend, I knew I would get the onion rings, not because they’re particularly amazing but because I had been craving fried batter. The more challenging decision was whether to order the Reuben. I love Reubens and had been curious about Katz’s version in…
Juarez: Children’s Lives On The Mean And Deadly Streets
Juarez has become the murder capital of the world, as drug wars spiral out of control and authorities appear helpless to do anything about it.It’s hard enough living there as an adult, but it’s a special kind of hell for kids.About 10,000 of the city’s half a million children have…
Three Firefighters Fired Over Racially Insensitive Comments (Updated With HFD Response)
Three Houston firefighters have been “indefinitely suspended” over racially insensitive comments made on a patient’s record, a firefighters union said today. Jeff Caynon, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, said his group would be appealing the decision. “This inept city investigation – which could not identify who wrote…
Bartender Chat: Diana Franco of Velvet Melvin Pub
Diana Franco is exactly the kind of bartender you want serving you on those nights when you’re looking for a place to relax with your friends while drinking a cold beer. Or a 46-ounce Tank. Seriously. When I asked Franco what drinks are most popular, she laughingly pointed out the…
Can’t Buy Me Love: Post-Breakup Beatles In A Tangled Web
You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup By Peter Doggett It says something about the market for books about the Fabs that this is one of many dedicated to the group’s breakup, financial story and legal battles. However, Doggett (Are You Ready for the Country?) not…
Dimitri Fetokakis on the New Niko Niko’s in Market Square
When I met Dimitri Fetokakis on the patio of his Montrose Greek-American cafe on Labor Day morning he was calm, cool, and as bright as one of the sunny side-up eggs that come nestled in the pitas on his new breakfast menu. He didn’t seem at all like a restauranteur…
Lani Medrano: Teen Son Walks In On Her Having Sex With His Friend
Look, everyone has issues with their mother of one kind or another. But this Mother’s Day, put aside all thoughts of her nagging about your room or lack of a good job and remember this: At least she never put you in the position of walking in on her and…
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 Mija Chronicles: While absolutely no one I know was able to…
Rap’s Top Ten Lyrical Blunders
Most rap boasts revolve around three things: cash, chicks and anus – as it turns out, rappers love to brag about their ass a lot. But after years of bragging about the same three things, redundancy blurs the line between braggart and ridiculous. Even the best of the best MCs…
One Fell Swoosh: The Art of Selling Sports
Nike Inc. has generated some of the most recognizable pop-culture symbols and slogans of our generation, not to mention consistently moving and thought-provoking works in print and television media. What makes the multi-billion-dollar corporation especially intriguing is its alternate role as an inspiration and facilitator of art independently, through commissioned…
Tomball Leaves Nation’s Illegal-Immigrant Problem Unsolved
The Tomball City Council, despite a packed hall that included many non-residents, decided not to jump into the illegal-immigration debate last night. You might call it common sense, or you might call it further evidence that Muslims and Mexicans have planted sleeper agents on the Tomball City Council, but after…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Randi Markowitz of Gluten Free Houston
We visited with Randi Markowitz after GFH’s (1014 Wirt Road, Suite 230) second Saturday morning bake sale to talk about a home cook’s entry into commercial gluten free baking. EOW: How did you get started? Markowitz: It all started with a small Kitchen Aid mixer, which is 15 years old…
Flawless Escape: The Sun Also Rises On Dudes In Polo Shirts
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. There are a few gents around these parts…
Texans 2010 Preview: Not So Fast With The High Hopes
It’s not bad enough that the Texans are starting this season with what is projected to be the toughest schedule in the NFL. Or that the Texans are starting out with Brian Cushing on the suspended list for the first four games. And never mind that the Texans are still…
Top Five: Worst Hollywood Storms
All this rain got you ready to curl up on the couch with a blanket and a movie? Steer clear of the following disasters. In honor (and in defiance) of Tropical Storm Hermine, these are the five worst storm movies of all time…
Cage Match: Bare Wires Vs. Adam Lambert
Ladies and gentlemen, tonight a battle for your musical soul will be waged here in Houston. In this corner, wearing the failure-colored trunks and sporting a haircut worthy of a wedgie, Adam Lambert at the Hobby Center. And in this corner, weighing in at 400 lbs, bringing with them all…
Fried Beer Wuz Robbed
The overall winner of this year’s Big Tex Choice Awards (the much publicized food awards at the annual State Fair of Texas) was an underdog from three brand-new competitors: the fried Frito pie. And although I’m happy for the gentlemen who won (as happy as you can be that someone…
Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman: It Was The `70s In Dallas, Babe
Bobbie Wygant interviews Robert Mitchum from Atombomb.tv on Vimeo.The Internet blossomed a bit yesterday with the discovery of an old interview of a very earnest, non-surly Harris Ford promoting Star Wars.It turns out it was from a Dallas station, and the woman who did the interview, Bobbie Wygant — a…
5 Reasons Houston Should Be A World Cup Site
FIFA, the organization that runs the World Cup, is sending representatives to Houston this week to judge the city’s feasibility to host some Cup games if the U.S. gets the tournament in 2018 or 2022.Obviously, we think it should. We love our soccer here.But if FIFA needs a list of…
Valley Sheriffs Want To Search Southbound Cars, Too
Be careful if you’re driving south with your guns and life savings. If some sheriffs have their way, county cops could take it all away. Late last week, sheriffs from Cameron County and El Paso County announced that they would love it if deputies started inspecting every car and truck…
Putting the Ho’opa’a Back in Hula
Want to see more photos of the dancers? Check out our slideshow. Houston is probably not the first place you think of when you dream of the Polynesian Isles, but for the past year the city has been home to a halau, or a traditional Polynesian dance and cultural school,…
Vid Picks of the Week
Every week, Art Attack’s internet-video expert Vernon Caldera shares his current faves and curiosities. Got something to recommend? Email him. Check out Caldera’s picks after the jump…
BrewHaHa Grand Tasting
See photos from the BrewHaHa in our slideshow. This weekend beer lovers gathered at Galveston Island’s Moody Gardens for what organizers hope will be the first of many Brewmasters International Beer Festivals. Eating Our Words was there too, and while Food and Vine Time Productions, the couple-owned company behind the…
Carol Vance: Former DA Cancels Book-Signing Appearance; Death-Penalty Foes Claim Victory
Carol Vance, a former longtime Harris County District Attorney, canceled an an appearance last week at Murder by the Book to promote his biography Boomtown DA.The store said simply the cancellation was “due to extenuating circumstances,” but death-penalty foes are crowing. Groups had been warning for days that they intended…
A Bosnian Feast from Balkan Market
My intent when ducking into Balkan Market and Coffee Shop (10928 Westheimer) last week wasn’t to indulge in a giant side of smoked beef. It was actually to get supplies for dinner that evening, which I managed to accomplish despite being distracted by the vast quantities of goveđa pršuta and…
Game Time: College Football Week 1 — Ain’t No Party Like a Boise Party
Last night, as Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore gathered the Bronco offense in the huddle to concoct one final haymaker in their prize fight with Virginia Tech, guaranteeing we were going to see some sort of fantastic finish — either a game-winning touchdown or a game-ending stop — oddly enough,…
Tomball Solves The Illegal-Immigrant Problem Tonight
The illegal-immigrant problem will be addressed tonight at a meeting of the Tomball City Council, which is as fine and noble a venue for such a discussion as can be imagined. Councilman Derek Townsend told KPRC that he will be introducing an ordinance “that would prevent illegal immigrants from renting…
The Great Food Truck Race – Episode #4 Recap
NOLA, baby! 8:01–Hi, I’m Tyler Florence, and I’m kind of a d-bag. But at least my sunglasses don’t look like a 14-year-old girl’s this week. 8:02– Driving into NOLA, Grill ‘Em All is feeling very confident. “We’re going to go where the party is.” Um, that would be everywhere, dudes…
Weird Party Seeking Donations, Leads In Family Member’s Death
This is about the worst thing you can report, let alone have happen to someone in your family, but Weird Party guitarist Bryan Agan’s family is looking for donations and any information surrounding the suspected homicide of his 18-year-old cousin last week. Agan says from what he has been able…
EPA Gives Houston Big Grant To Boost Electric Cars And (Non-Electric) Bikes
The Environmental Protection Agency has just announced it’s giving a $423,000 grant to Houston to help the city boost its electric-car program.The city already has about two dozen charging stations downtown for the vehicles, and now can add more and also improve bike-related infrastructure, the EPA said.According to the announcement:…
Mixed Shawarma Plate at Yildizlar Restaurant
Ever since I got over my irrational prejudice against strip mall restaurants (probably sometime in my teenage years), I have been eager to give a second glance to those establishments that suffer from bland concrete exteriors and generic signage. This is how I came to appreciate Yildizlar, an unassuming Lebanese…
Brew Blog: Hoppy Man from Twisted Pine Brewing Co. of Boulder
Through all 22 ounces of Hoppy Man, an imperial IPA from Twisted Pine Brewing Co. of Boulder, we had trouble making up our minds. Was this the most subtle version of an imperial IPA possible, aimed at beginning drinkers looking for a mild adventure? Or did the brewery simply miss…
The Top Six Bank-Robbery Scene Soundtracks
Ed. Note: Updated to include scenes from Set It Off and Big Bad Mama. It’s been quite a summer for bank robberies in the Bayou City. It seems like more banks are being plundered than ever before by a rogue’s gallery that includes the XXXL Bandit, the “Master of Disguise”…
Selling Counterfeit Cisco Parts To The Prison System? Get Ready To Meet Your Victim
Robert Erdman ripped off the federal Bureau of Prisons and other agencies to the tune of almost $1.5 million, and now he will get a close-up view of just how good the computer systems in the BOP are.Erdman was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison for selling counterfeit…
Raw Milk Cheese: It’s a Brick…House
It looked so lovely just sitting there in the case, as if it had been waiting for me to come along: a wedge of butter-yellow cheese, turning a rich gold color toward its curved edge. I noticed it because of how lonely it looked, surrounded only by a few other…
Gallery Report: Done, But Not Finished
Who says an artwork has to be finished before it can be put on display? Artist Andrew Cloud addressed that question Friday night with the opening of his show “False Starts: The Unfinished Paintings of Andrew Cloud” at Khon’s in Midtown (where Art Attack was once a bartender). Faced with…
Gerry & The Pacemakers DVD Revisits Classic “Mersey Beat”
Gerry & the Pacemakers It’s Gonna Be All Right, 1963-1965 For a while, Gerry & the Pacemakers were the Beatles’ main Liverpool rival in terms of popularity with fans and in sweaty clubs like the Cavern. But for the band – singer/guitarist Gerry Marsden, brother Freddie on drums, bassist Les…
George Boehme: West U Councilman Caught In Underage Drinking Sting Because He Can’t Add
George Boehme: Caught in TABC sting, but it’s all goodWest U city councilman George Boehme was nabbed in a TABC underage-drinking sting last week, but escaped a jail trip because, apparently, he can’t add. Boehme owns the Edloe Street Deli & Cafe, which serves beer. He told the West U…
Rainy Day Recipe: Traditional Beef Stroganoff
There’s something about a rainy day–or hell, a tropical storm parked in the Gulf–that always brings this particular dish to mind. Perhaps it has something to do with our Eastern European ancestry, but when it comes to pasta dishes there are few that can sate our stormy weather cravings better…
Ingredient of the Week: Chicory
What is it? Chicory is a versatile, edible, flowering plant. The leaves are used for salad, and the roots can be found in coffee as an additive (or a substitute in some cases). With Houston’s proximity to New Orleans, we usually think of the famous coffee at Café du Monde…
First Play: E. Wood’s “Dirty Harry” Vs. Coast’s “Tonight You’re A Star”
Houston exists largely as its own market. As such, rappers here tend to not like to -on the record, anyway- rank themselves or their albums or songs against each other or each other’s. So we’ll do it for them. Email sheaserrano (at) gmail (dot) com. The Songs: This week, we’ve…
Unidentified Male, 43, Bayou Body Count No. 218
It started as a party, it ended with a stabbing. Jesus Casteneda-Rodriguez, 25, is wanted by police in connection with the stabbing death of an acquaintance on the northwest side early Sunday morning. Police say Casteneda-Rodriguez and the victim, whose identity was not released, were visiting friends in the 3100…
Straight Outta Huntsville: NobleMotion Dance’s KinkyKool Choreography
Huntsville might seem an unlikely base for a contemporary dance company, but choreographers Andy Noble and Dionne Sparkman Noble aren’t looking for a safety net. In their mission statement, they say they want to challenge both their own boundaries and those of their dancers and collaborators. On Friday night they…
Upcoming: B.O.B., Crocodiles, Danzig, Fastball, NOFX, Etc.
Aaron Hall, Slim: Thu., Sept. 30. Arena Theatre. All That Remains, Asking Alexandria, And She Whispered.: Tue., Oct. 26. Warehouse Live. B.O.B.: Tue., Oct. 19. Warehouse Live. Crocodiles, Golden Triangle: Sat., Nov. 6. Walter’s on Washington. Chayanne: Sat., Dec. 4. Toyota Center. Chely Wright: Sat., Oct. 23. Stereo Live. Danzig,…
Hermine: Get Ready For The Usual Streets To Flood
The remnants of Hermine, a/k/a The Storm Named After No One, are expected to hit Houston today with some heavy-ish rains. You know what that means — TV crews will be sprinting to the intersection of the Beltway and the Katy Freeway for footage of a flooded intersection. That area…
10 Places I Liked as a Photographer, Want to Try as an Eater
Last week, I wrote about my experiences photographing 100 restaurants for the Houston Press online restaurant guide. During the month I was shooting, I shot eateries both familiar and not so much. Given my time constraints, I didn’t have the chance to stop and enjoy the fare at the majority…
Weekly Time-Waster: A Little Old-Timey Harpoon Surfing
Three-day weekend you say? While you were out celebrating the beginning of the end of the worst of the main-stretch of Houston’s hot-and-humid uniseason, swatting mosquitoes and emptying six-packs, Art Attack was hard at work trying to find legal loopholes in the Federal Holiday Codex that might allow us to…
What Is The Best Pimp C Verse Of All Time?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn’t a national holiday Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Bun B, Trae,Yung Redd, Lil’ Flip, Fat Pimp, H-Kane, Preemo, Scooby, GT Mayne, C-Stone, TV Johnny, Fat Tony,…
Dynamo In Another Typical Loss; World Cup Checks Out Houston
If one game was a microcosm of the Houston Dynamo’s 2010 MLS regular season, it was the 2-1 loss this weekend to the San Jose Earthquakes.The loss all but dashes any playoff hopes the Dynamo had; though they are not mathematically eliminated yet, they might as well be.”If you want…
Pop Rocks: Bigmouth (AKA Morrissey) Strikes Again
Former Smiths front man and staunch animal rights advocate Morrissey is raising some eyebrows with comments he made about the Chinese in a recent interview: “Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? Absolutely horrific. You can’t help but feel that the…
Where Are We Drinking?
What kind of food does Coco Rico go best with? If you can figure that out, then you’re probably already quite familiar with where we’re drinking this week. Does the scene below look familiar to you? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
30 Seconds With ERASEtheVIRUS’ Benji Bordelon
Rocks Off sat down with bassist Benji Bordelon of EraseTheVirus to find out what we could learn about him in 30 seconds. Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? Benji Bordelon: “It’s A Small World After All” at Disney World…. Self-explanatory. It just makes you want to…
Raymond Garcia: I Wouldn’t Have Abused That Kid If It Was A Girl
There are ways to respond to police when you’re being questioned about possibly sexually abusing a kid. Defense lawyers would probably not suggest using Raymond Garcia’s template.Garcia, 24, was identified in a police lineup by a San Antonio mom and her 8-year-old child, who said he was the man who…
Pop Rocks: Bigmouth (AKA Morrissey) Strikes Again
Former Smiths front man and staunch animal rights advocate Morrissey is raising some eyebrows with comments he made about the Chinese in a recent interview: “Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? Absolutely horrific. You can’t help but feel that the…
Why ND Will Win The BCS Title And UT Won’t 2010 — Part 2
Our second annual weekly explanation of why Notre Dame will win the BCS title this year and the University of Texas won’t got off to a predictable start this weekend: The Irish manhandled a savage opponent while the Longhorns struggled mightily to eke out a win over a school we…
Ricky Penson: Please Enter Your Guilty Flea
Just like many a mother has warned, if you lie down with dogs, you’ll get up with fleas. A Lufkin man recently learned that lesson, and what’s more, he’s sharing it with the police force of that honky-tonking little East Texas city whether they like it or not.Around midnight September…
Working Girls: A Labor Day LP Gallery
What better way to wish y’all a happy Labor Day than with a gallery of album covers featuring working women in uniform? Obviously, we couldn’t think of one. Enjoy, and for the love of God, we hope you haven’t been doing, and/or won’t be doing, any actual labor today…
Dr Pepper Takes A Dive Off A Highway Ramp
Heavy rain squalls marched over Montrose in the last hour or so, and likely led to this crash on 288 near Alabama. Twitter reports from witnesses say the driver was on Alabama and flipped on the highway below, being ejected from the truck. But those are just first reports, of…
Saturday Night: Butch Hancock & Jimmie Dale Gilmore At The Mucky Duck
Butch Hancock & Jimmie Dale Gilmore McGonigel’s Mucky Duck August 4, 2010 Even with a cover charge, spending an evening with Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, who have known each other for so long and written so many songs enshrined in the Texas-music pantheon, feels a lot like eavesdropping…
Spinach Linguini with Creamy Alfredo Sauce
Finding a good balance is the key to success in life. This is especially true when it comes to your food. Though most of us want to eat at least somewhat healthfully, we also want our food to taste better than an old shoebox. I love pasta and I love…
Greg Abbott Goes After Google. Next: Justin Bieber, Lindsay Lohan and Lady Gaga
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has gotten a lot of ink with his investigation into Google’s search rankings.Abbott usually spends his time on right-wing causes like fighting the Obama health-care plan or battling the feds’ efforts to make Texas actually enforce clean-air laws. So why would he take on Google?What…
Saturday Night: Talib Kweli At House Of Blues
Talib Kweli House of Blues September 4, 2010 For more shots of Fat Tony, Talib Kweli, etc., see our slideshow here. Once upon a time, Talib Kweli was poised to become a mainstream hip-hop success. His blend of conscious rhymes with accessible beats made him a force in rap. Peers,…
Urban Food Legends – Part 2: Dew Shrinks Testes, Red Bull Tumors and KFC Mutants
According to UrbanDictionary.com, an urban legend is “a frightening untrue story in which the storyteller insists is true, but has no evidence to back up.” The tales below are three of the wildest, weirdest and most unfounded urban legends ever to hit the food service industry. Mountain Dew Shrinks…
UH Opens Season Like It Should, And In Front Of A Sellout Crowd
Playing a school like Texas State to open up a football season is never quite as easy as it looks. Just ask Michigan and Ole Miss.The Houston Cougars were very aware of the upset possibilities, and they were very aware of the opposite danger, that they could appear to be…
The Week In TV: Will Keitel Be The Office’s Corporate “Cleaner?”
We’re just around the corner from new TV, but what are you doing reading this on your day off? Shame on you. This was the week in TV Land: • This week sees the beginning of the fall season on some networks, with the rest catching up as the month…
True Blood: A Sam Merlotte Sad Bastard Mixtape
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. HBO likes to give us…
Health Dept. Roundup
This was a light week for city health inspectors, who appeared to make the same number of rounds but not the same number of lengthy write-ups. Here are a few moderate offenders they found: A September 2 pre-opening inspection at Americas Restaurant, 2040 W. Gray) noted the ventilation in the…
Rice Scares The Longhorns, But Can’t Pull Off The Upset
The word coming out of Austin was that the Texas Longhorns were planning on stressing the running game this season, especially in their opening game against the Rice Owls.And if Saturday’s 34-17 win over Rice was any indication, then it’s going to be another long season of Texas fans calling…
Saturday Night: Creed At The Woodlands
Creed Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion September 3, 2010 For more fiery images from the show, see our slideshow here. Imagine God is a million eggs, trying to fit inside the tiny little basket that is His consumers’ wallet. These eggs never change, never ripen (do eggs ripen?), never move, never…
Terry Grier Takes Aim at Cutting Beauty-School Classes at CLC
Are classes in hair cuts and skin care — especially if students are not actually going to pursue that as a career — really the best use of a kid’s high school years?Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier asked that question at last week’s workshop agenda, focusing on the cosmetology program…
Where Are We Eating?
Chunks of sweet, buttery crab spilling off the cakes and onto the plate below. Which Houston restaurant has constructed such a lovely mound of richness? Think you know where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Ivernal Stubbs: Mississippi-Bred Criminal’s Schemes Get Classier In Houston
You could call Ivernal Cawone Stubbs and his occasional cohorts stupid criminals and be done with it, but there’s something about their schemes we find oddly affecting — in the same way we once sort of rooted for Wile E. Coyote.Right now, the 23-year-old Mississippi native is in the Harris…
CNN Proclaims Jim Parsons “Super Hot on Web”
Today, CNN reported: “It is official: Jim Parsons is the new poster child for geekdom.” That’s all fine and good, but if the Big Bang Theory star is to be the poster child for anything, we wish it were for general awesomeness. You see, we know Jim. We love Jim…
Labor Day: Be Sure To Be Blogging
Labor Day is a Monday of a long weekend, but don’t worry — there will still be blogging going on at the Houston Press.Be sure to check in here and with Rocks Off, Eating…Our Words and Art Attack.We’ll have analysis of what we hope will be Cougar and Rice Owl…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where discussions on where to go for lunch routinely erupt into violence, the way our comments section almost did over our article on food vs. service. Some believe that, as long as the food is great, the service is…
James Sias, 29, Bayou Body Count No. 217
Photo courtesy HPDJaved Shakeen Linton, accused of murderA 29-year-old man was shot in the back as he sat in the driver’s seat of his car Wednesday afternoon on the far west side.James Sias was shot by Javed Shakeen Linton, 25, police say. Linton was arrested Thursday.Police say Sias was sitting…
New-School Pirates Are No Longer After Your Buried Treasure
Being a pirate on the high seas isn’t what it used to be. The rum-swigging, foul-mouthed, unkempt groups in search of buried treasure have evolved in the 21st century. Their new concern: Fueltrax systems. How’s Disney supposed to make a movie around that plot line? Co-captains of a ship that…
Grocery Snob: 5 Foods That Must Not Be Generic
Kroger brand granola bars and canned chick peas? They are in the cart. Walgreens brand Ritz, er… snack crackers? Sure. I am a huge proponent of generic selections at the grocery store. For the most part, it doesn’t matter whether it is Lucky Charms or Kroger’s Marshmallow Treasures, it all…
FAIL: Lady Gaga (Again), Take That, Pogues, Paste Magazine
Fans Upset Because They Won’t Get to See Their Crappy Boy Band: We’re not sure who to side with on this one. On the one hand, we despise scalpers and other scam artists of Jason Debney’s type. Debney screwed a lot of people out of their money by selling them…
We Heart Twaggies
Can I sleep my way to the top of Twitter like in real life? – @monikkab What happens when you combine hilarious tweets with a few talented, and a few, well, motivated artists? Hilarity ensues. The result is Twaggies, a ridiculously funny site that brings twitter posts to life, because…
Rick Santorum Coming To Houston To Rebut JFK, Constitution
Fifty years ago, then-presidential candidate JFK delivered a historic speech on the separation of church and state to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association. As the first Catholic candidate for president, he’d been facing concerns that he wouldn’t follow the will of the people, but of some dude in a pointy hat.Half a…
Upcoming Events
This Sunday, celebrate Labor Day by enjoying the labors of others at Under the Volcano’s 13th Annual Chili Cook-Off. The cauldrons will be boiling all day, but the public are invited out to dig in from 4 to 9 p.m. at the popular Rice Village bar. Johnny Falstaff will be…
Young Mammals Emerge From Hibernation At Big Star Tonight
Rocks Off is still getting used to running into (or emailing) local musicians we haven’t seen for a while, asking them where they’ve been and getting the answer “on tour.” We’re not complaining. That’s the case with Young Mammals – after a sharp set at Free Press Summer Fest, the…
5 Things I Learned Photographing 100 Houston Restaurants
George Carlin once described the phrase “fussy eater” as a euphemism for “big pain in the ass.” When I was young, I was a big pain in the ass. Don’t get me wrong, I have always loved food. I just didn’t branch out much, which made dining out a tricky…
Game Time: Houston Texans — 5 Winners, 5 Losers
The Reliant Stadium sprawl of empty seats, the equally sparsely populated press box, the rare ease with which one could navigate pregame traffic — all those things would seemingly indicate that the Texans final preseason game in 2010 against the Tampa Buccaneers was meaningless.The post-game crowds around the lockers of…
Fanciful Feasting at Cha Champagne Bar
Cha (810 Waugh – yes, it rhymes) is the kind of wine bar that makes even people who don’t particularly enjoy wine like wine bars because it does a great job of being both fancy and laid back. It can be economical or extravagant. They have excellent food and great…
Five Reasons Your Bass Player Hates You
John Entwistle. Paul McCartney. Cliff Burton. Flea. John Paul Jones. Geddy Lee. Les Claypool. Geezer Butler. Lemmy. Lemmy! These are just some of the best bassists that rock and roll has ever seen. But not all is bright for these folks, thumping or picking away on their rumbling four-string steeds…
Eyesore: Galveston’s Flagship Hotel
One of the many tragedies to come out of Hurricane Ike was the hammering of storm waters on the Flagship Hotel Over the Water, resulting in its closure. The hotel is situated on a pier off Seawall Boulevard and literally weathered the front line of the storm. Unlike its neighbor,…
Guy Robs Bank, Gets Away In Taxi — In Houston(!)
We’ve had bicycling bank robbers, banks robbers who waddled away, and now we’ve got a cool customer who takes a taxi.In Houston, where taxis are way down the list of transportation options, that’s a nice twist.The perpetrator, described as “white male, 35-40, approximately 5’7″-5’8” tall, about 170-180 pounds with a…
Deal of the Day: What Would You Like To See?
Times are hard. So maybe you can’t make it to the beach for Labor Day weekend. But at least you can look like you did with today’s Voice Deal of the Day, two VersaSpa spray tanning sessions at Glo Sun Spa for a whopping $10.That’s normally a $90 value which…
Five Reasons Labor Day Means Next To Nothing In Texas
Labor Day weekend is almost upon us — we can see you glancing at the clock, you know — and lots of celebrations and events are planned. It’s great to have a long weekend, but whoever made Labor Day didn’t have Texas in mind. Five reasons why: 1. It sounds…
At Beaver’s BBQ
I am well aware that Beaver’s BBQ is a touchy subject for many Houston restaurant-goers. Simultaneously voted the most underrated and most overrated Houston restaurant, Beaver’s certainly knows how to divide a crowd. Having visited no fewer than seven times, I can testify to their consistent inconsistencies. I yawn over…
Open Tab: Rocks Off’s New Houston Bar Column
Pull up a chair, start a tab and order a round of shots, because this is Rocks Off’s weekly roundup of the goings-on in the Houston bar scene. Ups and downs, openings and closings, we will cover it all. Hit us up with any hot tips at craig.hlavaty@houstonpress.com. Rocks Off…
Searching for Camelot: Mad Men-Inspired Fashion
Mad Men’s influence has been showing up everywhere these days, from red carpets to runways. What’s behind the hype? The show’s costume designer, Janie Bryant, creates up to 200 costumes per show. She told Glamour magazine, “I knew more about early iconic ’50s, more so than the early ’60s, but…
August 28 to September 3: The Week in Photos
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. Got big Labor Day plans? Or just taking a staycation, maybe hosting your last barbecue of the summer? No matter what you do this holiday weekend, be sure…
Stapp Sounds: Which Grunts Will We Hear At Creed Tomorrow?
Creed pulls into the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Saturday night for the second Houston stop on the band’s now year-long reunion tour lap. What guttural sounds will you be hearing coming out of lead singer Scott Stapp’s mouth all night? Click the jump to find out…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Justin Strang of Bistro Catron
We close out our chat with Chef Strang by eating our way through his menu. Before we get into the food, if you have suggestions or requests for chefs to be on our Chef Chat, drop a line in the comments and we’ll do what we can. First off, we…
Brandon Backe’s Wedding-Brawl Saga Finally Ends
Brandon Backe, the Galveston County pitcher who briefly stirred Astro hearts in their mid-decade glory days, has finally put an end to the wedding-braawl coda to his career.In October 2008, Backe and some pals were involved in a fight with cops at a wedding at the island’s San Luis Resort…
Cactus Music/New West Partner Investing In Local Musicians
Local businessman George Fontaine is another music-business player who is suddenly very high on the Houston music scene. And Fontaine is putting his money where his mouth is by investing in up-and-coming local artists. According to Fontaine, part of the group behind the rebirth of Cactus Music and a partner…
Thomas Calvin Vickers, Goateed High School Teacher, Somehow Charged With Underage Solicitiation
An eighth-grade history teacher sporting an allegedly hip goatee, who also likes to play a little online sci-fi games? Mr. Cool. All the kids probably like him. The cops aren’t so hot on him, though, especially the one who posed online as a 14-year-old female. A 14-year-old female who allegedly…
Openings and Closings
Of the two hotly anticipated projects from the Tcholakian family that have been in the works, the smaller of the two has finally opened in west Houston: Phoenicia Coffee House and Deli (12151 Westheimer), in the same center as the giant Phoenicia market. The downtown iteration of the grocery store…
Last Night: Project Runway’s Chloe Dao Hosts Fashion Houston 2010
To see photos from Chloe Dao’s show, check out our slideshow. Lot 8, for those of you that don’t watch Project Runway (or care about fashion at all), is Season Two winner Chloe Dao’s Rice Village fashion sanctuary. Last night, it was the place to be for all of Houston’s…
Which Houston Rappers Are “Blowin’ Money Fast”?
This has been Ricky Rozay’s summer, for certain. Teflon Don was, in short, a sparkly, magnanimously produced, well-acted-out album. By the way, let’s just go ahead and keep pretending like the entire planet hasn’t figured out that Ross employed a ghostwriter for TD. Hard evidence? Well, there’s none. But what…
Best Of Houston 2010: Getting To Crunch Time
We know you’re all obsessively caught up with the thrilling Rick Perry-Bill White battle, but there’s another election going on — voting for the Best of Houston 2010.We know you have opinions on the best places to eat, relax, pursue the opposite or same sex or show out-of-towners.And Houston is…
Craving Sushi for Happy Hour
Sushi happy hours are one of the best bangs for your buck: cheap drinks, lots of specially priced appetizers and of course discounted sushi. The best part is any risk you might be taking from consuming raw seafood is minimized by the copious amount of alcohol you’re imbibing! It’s science…
Last Night: Rodrigo y Gabriela At House Of Blues
Rodrigo y Gabriela House of Blues September 2, 2010 For more photos from Thursday’s show, see our slideshow here. Aftermath is not going to lie. Thursday night was about as cold as we’ve ever gone into a concert. We knew next to nothing about Rodrigo y Gabriela besides the fact…
Coogs Ready To Hit Someone Besides Each Other
Case Keenum, media darling, is ready to hit the fieldThere has been talk this off-season of the Houston Cougars being a BCS-buster, putting them in some of the same conversations as Boise State and TCU.With those kind of discussions, one would think that the Cougars would have to worry about…
Heather Luv Boggs: Inside Job…At Wendy’s
If your name is Heather Luv Boggs, well, more power to you. You’re named after a cult `80s movie, a lame `60s movie and a sex-obsessed major league baseball player. So you’ve got your work cut out for you. But at some point, police say, you masterminded an inside job,…
Scary and…Just Scary: Food D Lite
I was running down Harrisburg when I spotted it. It stood out like a sore thumb, or a greasy thumb to be more accurate. “Food D Lite (7736 Harrisburg 713-928-7074) Chinese food and burgers” is what the sign read. I made a u-turn and pulled into the empty parking lot…
You’ve Been Kanyed: 16 Musicians Soon To Become Verbs
Some names become synonymous with an action – just ask Thomas Crapper. With the overwhelming fame of some superstars being beamed at us day in and day out, Rocks Off wondered what some of their names would mean as verbs. BIEBER (v.): To defecate in a loud manner. Sorry guys,…
The Week in Art Photos
Each week, we scour the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. If you think you’ve got a good eye, drop your pictures in the pool and every Friday we’ll post the most eye-popping shots. (Be sure to enable the HTML…
HISD Lures Teens With Twilight
Not to be too damned cute about it, but as everyone knows, it isn’t only vampires who come out at twilight.The Houston ISD is more than aware that it has a healthy cohort of high school kids who just can’t seem to make it to early morning classes. Last year,…
Paul Harsfai, The Estate Sale Of The Century, Part II?
Earlier this summer we told you about the Estate Sale of the Century, involving a Rice Village house crammed to the ceilings with all sorts of collectible stuff, from action figures to clocks to religious icons to shelves of vinyl albums. Now comes the news that there may be more…
Coming Attractions: Laser Graffiti and Vintage Porn
We may have lost the Angelika Film Center for now, but there’s been some good news for independent media in Houston this week. And this month, innovators in Texas-based multimedia will be focus of the Media Archeology Festival, presented by Aurora Picture Show in collaboration with UH’s Mitchell Center for…
Houston, You Are Terrible At Driving
We may not be Pasadena, but at least we’re no GarlandYesterday we learned that Houston traffic sucks, according to new info from the state. Today we find out that it might be better that cars are in crawl mode around here because Houston drivers, you suck.Allstate’s annual rankings of safe-driving…
Urban Food Legends – Part I: Deadly Pop Rocks, Undead Twinkies and Corrosive Coca-Cola
It would be convenient to say that urban legends and myths can be traced back to some shred of a fact, but the disturbing truth is that some, especially the more entertaining rumors, appear to have no real logical foundation whatsoever. The first three out seven common urban food legends…
The Ten Worst Beatles Songs Of All Time
Rolling Stone is about to release a special issue counting down the magazine’s choices for the 100 best Beatles songs of all time, and previewed the list by posting the Top 10 on rollingstone.com. Maybe it’s just that Rocks Off doesn’t have quite the encyclopedic knowledge of the Fab Four…
Jose Luis De Jesus: Only 666 More Days Until He Becomes God, As We Understand It
You know who wasn’t surprised by today’s oil platform explosion? Jose Luis De Jesus MIranda, aka the Anti-Christ, aka Jesus of Missouri City — that’s who.And there will be plenty more disasters in the two years before he transforms into “his majestic immortal body to govern the world,” according to a press…
Happy Hour Scene: Hefley’s
The Place: Hefley’s 138 West Gray St. 713-527-8100The Hours: Monday through Friday 4-7 p.m. All day Wednesday. The Deals: Domestic beers are $2.50 and imports are a dollar more. There are also nightly drink and food specials, like 25 cent wings on Wednesday. Happy hour is all day for police,…
Game Time: College Football — Celebrating 90210 and the Big 12
I hate making tough decisions. Today was one of those days. I mean, you have the start of the college football season, which in my house and on my show is like Christmas morning wrapped up in a 21st birthday party.And yet, it is also September 2, 2010 — the…
Food Fight: Battle Baklava
Several years ago I found a letter from the early 1970’s handwritten from my great-grandmother to my grandmother. The paragraphs alternated between Serbian and broken English, some expressing open joy that my uncle had returned safely from Vietnam and others asking when she’d be back for a visit. At the…
Wine of the Week: 2007 Alto Las Hormigas Vineyard Selection Reserva Malbec
This little lady flew in all the way from Argentina to treat my taste buds. Never one to rudely dismiss a free sample, or anything related to a South American Malbec, I took one for the team and tasted it for the good of humanity. Newly distributed here in Houston,…
BREAKING & URGENT: Rapping Weatherman Will Not Rap At New SF Gig
The day Kurt Cobain ended it all. The afternoon Paul McCartney sued his fellow Beatles. The first time NKOTB broke up.All of those could be called The Days The Music Died, but they pale in comparison to the news that comes from our sister paper SF Weekly: Beaumont’s Rapping Weatherman…
Beau Hinze’s Backporch Shufflers Trounce Other Lone Star Bash Foes
A few Sundays back, The Continental Club hosted the Houston edition of Lone Star Beer’s “Battle of the Bands” contest. Of the three bands on the bill that afternoon, Beau Hinze & the Backporch Shufflers won the day, beating out two other local bands to go up against the winners…
Houston Still A Taser-Happy Kinda Town
The legacy of former Houston Police chief Harold Hurtt lives on — the city is still spending mad money buying Tasers.City council has approved another $4.5 million for the gadgets, which are supposed to reduce deadly force incidents but also prevent police from having to put up with the hassles…
Houston Filmmakers Get Some Austin Love
Four Houston films were awarded grants from the Austin Film Society this week, part of a total $111,000 doled out to Texas filmmakers. The Houston projects range from experimental short film to feature-length narrative and documentary, and the awards will go toward post-production and distribution costs. Rebecca Campbell, executive director…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Justin Strang of Bistro Catron
We continue our chat with Chef Strang to learn about his most memorable disaster food experiment and the obstacles he has faced as a self-taught chef. EOW: What was your biggest disaster from trying new things with food? Strang: Experimenting is my biggest thing. It’s how I’ve learned to do…
Creed: Critiquing Their 10 Most Heinous Lyrics
Hello, Creed fans. Listen, it’s no secret that Creed isn’t exactly Rocks Off’s favorite band. Anyone at Rocks Off. In fact, it could be said that we despise them. But wait! Wait, don’t go. Creed fans, we’re here today not to fight with you, but to inform you, to perform…
The $700K Gap At H. P. Carter In HISD
There’s a three-story school in Houston ISD, named H.P. Carter Career Center, that houses just 54 students and costs $2.86 million a year to run, Superintendent Terry Grier said at a board workshop meeting this morning. Break it down and that’s $52,963 per kid per year. But — and it…
The 3-Day Diet
On a recent visit to my grandparent’s house, I was shocked (and slightly saddened) to find tons of freshly cut fruit and veggies lining the counters instead of the usual pies, chips and brownies. When I inquired about the change, I was informed that my grandfather was trying to lose…
Two Star Symphony Talks KTRU, Silent Films, Dr. Dre And Minor Threat
This week Rocks Off got a hot tip from our pal Jason that the venerable Two Star Symphony would be playing an evening gig out in Houston’s western territories. It had been a good while since we’d seen the local string quartet, and with our Spidey Sense tingling about big…
Voice Deal Of The Day: Get In On It
Everyone loves to save money doing fun stuff, right?Now there’s a new way to do it. The Voice Deal of the Day is just what it sound like — each day brings a new coupon to some Houston attraction. Today, for instance, it’s $20 worth of food and beverages for…
Two Star Symphony Talks KTRU, Silent Films, Dr. Dre And Minor Threat
This week Rocks Off got a hot tip from our pal Jason that the venerable Two Star Symphony would be playing an evening gig out in Houston’s western territories. It had been a good while since we’d seen the local string quartet, and with our Spidey Sense tingling about big…
Would Walmart Bring Low Grocery Prices to the Heights? Not Really
To say that people aren’t thrilled with a Walmart moving into the Heights is an understatement. Last week’s town hall meeting did little to resolve feelings on either side of the issue, with River Oaks resident Michael Ainbinder — the developer behind the plans to pave the vacant lot on…
Astros Are Bobblehead Addicts Who Ignore Current Roster, Study Finds
First off, yes, someone does study bobblehead giveaways at major league parks. And does impressively charted presentations of them.That somebody is Craig Robinson of Flip Flop Flyball, who has produced a groundbreaking piece of research that demonstrates conclusively that the Houston Astros are bobblehead crazy, as long as those bobbleheads…
Another Oil Rig Explosion In Gulf
Another oil rig has exploded in the Gulf, injuring one person and raising fears of another massive leak.All the 13 workers on board have been accounted for. Officials are not sure if any oil is leaking from the rig, which is about 80 miles south of Louisiana’s Vermilion Bay.The Department…
Remember J.D.G.’s Fatherless Child?
Houston’s history is dotted with albums that, fairly or un, have been swept aside. We’ll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. J.D.G. Fatherless Child (Black Majic Entertainment/Wicked Wizard Records., 2008) This album ended up in our inbox several weeks ago…
Odd Pair: Snickers Ice Cream Bar and Blanc de Blancs
Why is it that every year we forget just how miserable it gets in August? We must, otherwise, we’d have all moved to Alaska to bunk with Sarah Palin by now. Anyway, it’s definitely ice cream weather and what’s better than a delicious Snickers candy bar filled with creamy vanilla…
Heights-Area Walmart Not Needed, Opponents’ Study Proves Conclusively
Unlike the first Heights-area Walmart meeting, area residents showed up for a second go-round armed with some real ammunition. Apparently, a local neighborhood nonprofit called Responsible Urban Development for Houston hired an Austin consulting firm to find out if a Walmart near the Heights will, in fact, create jobs and…
Last Night: The Alley’s Behanding Is Funny When It’s Not Race Baiting
English-born, Irish playwright Martin McDonagh’s A Behanding in Spokane is the writer’s first play set in America, and if we’re to get a sense of McDonagh’s impression of Americans from the play, we’re all desperate, insane, racist nihilists. Also, we’re really, really funny…
Fresh Fruit Juices at Aladdin Mediterranean
Like many Houstonians, I have long enjoyed Aladdin’s quality, reasonably priced Middle Eastern fare as their well generous BYOB policy. It’s a good thing, as Martha Stewart would say, to gobble down falafel and hummus with your own bottle of cheap pinot or a six-pack of hard cider. Unfortunately,…
Rice Administrators Duck Latest KTRU Meeting
Update/correction (10:52 a.m.): According to Joey Yang, the KTRU staff does not have legal counsel at this time. Rice students and KTRU fans got yet another setback last night. Amidst a packed crowd of students, members of KTRU staff and loyal listeners, everyone with a question voiced their opinions and…
KTRU Meeting: Rice Administrators Duck
Rice students and KTRU fans got yet another setback last night. Amidst a packed crowd of students, members of KTRU staff and loyal listeners, everyone with a question voiced their opinions and frustrations. The only problem was the lack of an administration ear to hear the comments. Although the station manager…
Johnny Bush, Gene Watson Recall Houston’s Wooly Honky-Tonk ’70s
When Rocks Off and Lonesome, Onry and Mean were working on our honky-tonk feature story a few weeks back, we had the pleasure of interviewing some of our heroes. Unfortunately not everything could make it into the story, but like those cooks who use even the snout and anus of…
Rice-Longhorns Preview: Owls Lose Key Player, But Still Have Upset Hopes
The Rice Owls have played six football games at Reliant Stadium. They’ve won three of those games, including the Texas Bowl two years ago. But of the three games the Owls have lost, two of them have been to this week’s opponent, the Texas Longhorns. And those losses to the…
Pop Rocks: Remake My Day 2 (The Remakening)
I write a lot about Hollywood’s obsession with remakes because I’m a movie buff, first and foremost, and because as a “writer” it’s easy to milk an announcement of the latest atrocity from Platinum Dunes for 750 indignant words regarding the creative demise of Hollywood and why Michael Bay is…
Dana Durnford Fights To Give Indie Artists A Chance On YouTube
From a hospital bed in British Columbia, one man is fighting as hard as he can to open the doors for independent musicians to go viral on YouTube. Eleven years ago, Dana Durnford woke up in a hyperbaric chamber after a commercial diving accident, and has lived the rest of…
Finding Shade Inside Shade
I was window shopping with a friend on 19th street in the Heights when the summer heat started to get to me. It was a little late for lunch and nothing sounded good. There is something about one-hundred-five-degree heat that makes a person lose his appetite. Never the less I…
Patrick Russell Carver, 18, Bayou Body Count No. 216
A man discovered his teenaged son killed by a gunshot wound blunt force trauma when he arrived at his southeast Houston home late Wednesday morning.Patrick Russell Carver, 18, was found dead in the home near the intersection of Southport and Twig drives, police told Fox 26. The police were called…
Pop Rocks: Remake My Day 2 (The Remakening)
I write a lot about Hollywood’s obsession with remakes because I’m a movie buff, first and foremost, and because as a “writer” it’s easy to milk an announcement of the latest atrocity from Platinum Dunes for 750 indignant words regarding the creative demise of Hollywood and why Michael Bay is…
Why ND Will Win The BCS Title And UT Won’t: 2010 Edition
College football season FINALLY begins tonight. Our long national nightmare is almost over.With the kickoff comes the revival of our popular weekly series from last season, Why Notre Dame Will Win the National Title and UT Won’t.Technical difficulties caused some glitches in last year’s program; these have been rectified and…
Avatar
If you didn’t get your fill of James Cameron’s alien-filled Avatar the first time around, you can see it again on a big screen today — on a really big screen. Miller Outdoor Theatre is showing the CGI-wonder today, and while it isn’t in 3-D, the price of the ticket…
The Complete Metropolis
For 80 years, fans of the 1927 film Metropolis have seen only parts of Fritz Lang’s classic science fiction tale (bits and pieces had been lost over time). But two years ago, an almost complete copy of the film was discovered in Argentina, with some 25 minutes worth of scenes…
Dog Day Afternoon
It was 1975, and actors Al Pacino and Charles Durning joined up with director Sidney Lumet to tell the seriously twisted – but true – story of Dog Day Afternoon. Set on a hot, steaming summer day in New York City, the action starts with a botched bank heist. Instead…
Let the Right One In
To Twilight-fatigued movie fans, the 2008 Let the Right One In is a fresh take on the vampire-in-love genre. Made in Sweden, Let the Right One In follows a human boy and a vampire girl, both 12 years old, as they become friends and eventually stumble into the beginnings of…
Bingo! The Documentary
It’s quietly been an international sensation for generations, attracting everyone from giggling bunches of ‘tweens to competitive grannies, drag queens in full diva regalia to hipsters – all anxious to win the coveted cash and prizes. It’s bingo, a phenomenon filmmaker John Jeffcoat hopes to capture, if not analyze and…
“The Charreria, Mexican Pride and Tradition”
Julia Vizcarra’s photo exhibition “The Charreria, Mexican Pride and Tradition” presents a different kind of rodeo from the one Houstonians are used to. A charreria is a competition/rodeo/horse show rolled into one that’s popular in Mexico. Vizcarra’s black-and-white photography depicts the cowboys in full costume doing tricks on horseback or…
Reflections from the 4th International Music Festival 2010 in San Miguel & Mexico City: Echos de una Nacion
One of Mexico’s preeminent musicians, cellist Carlos Prieto, is performing as part of Reflections from the 4th International Music Festival 2010 in San Miguel & Mexico City: Echos de una Nacion” at the University of St. Thomas. During the two-day lecture-performance series, Prieto will perform a recital with pianist Robert…
Let the Right One In
To Twilight-fatigued movie fans, the 2008 Let the Right One In is a fresh take on the vampire-in-love genre. Made in Sweden, Let the Right One In follows a human boy and a vampire girl, both 12 years old, as they become friends and eventually stumble into the beginnings of…
Brown Bag Tour of “Amy Patton”
Take a Brown Bag Tour of “Amy Patton,” the exhibit currently at the Blaffer Art Museum. Patton won’t be on hand; instead, curator and critic Wendy Vogel will lead viewers through the gallery, explaining how the films and photographs on display fit into Patton’s overall body of work. Vogel might…
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Film director Alfred Hitchcock loved icy blonds. There was Grace Kelly in Rear Window, Kim Novak in Vertigo and Tippi Hedren in The Birds, just to name a few. But Doris Day, more well known for her work in romantic comedies and as a singer, somehow managed to get cast…
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
This year, Books on the Bayou is featuring Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi, a descendent of Persian royalty. Satrapi’s graphic novel details her youth in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, recounting how teens manage to get their hands on Michael Jackson albums and Iron Maiden posters…
Jeff Lindsay: Dexter Is Delicious
Readers who have been waiting for the newest installment in the Dexter series by novelist Jeff Lindsay won’t be disappointed in the just-released Dexter Is Delicious. Dex is still his delightfully creepy self, a blood-splatter analyst working with the police by day and a coldhearted serial killer by night. While…
1st Annual Brewmasters International Beer Festival
Labor Day weekend usually involves copious amounts of beer, but this holiday you can say it’s an educational endeavor at the 1st Annual Brewmasters International Beer Festival. Held at Moody Gardens, the four-day fest will feature the BrewTopia Beer Garden with live music, food and beer from brewers all over…
Houston Symphony POPS! Series: Broadway Rocks!
Lots of things rock. Detroit rocks. Tina Fey rocks. And thanks to the Houston Symphony Pops! series, Broadway Rocks! too. Michael Krajewski will take the podium to conduct a program of famous show tunes from contemporary Broadway hits including Wicked, The Lion King, Hairspray and Rent. Providing vocal accompaniment will…
SPECIAL LABOR DIA EDITION
Dear Mexican, I’m a naturalized citizen born in Ciudad Juarez (the most dangerous city in the world, thanks to the drug cartels) but I work for la migra. I get a lot of shit from some of my family members because they feel I shouldn’t be doing this job. I…
Blades of Gory
In 1993, inspired by his second cousin Danny Trejo’s work in Desperado, Robert Rodriguez wrote a screenplay around the character of Machete — a stringy-haired, leather-faced, ex-Federale turned down-and-dirty hit man turned violent crusader on behalf of his fellow illegal immigrants. While Trejo played a different character named Machete in…
Bowling and Cosplay
The Gaians Come to Houston You probably just don’t understand. By Chasen Marshall Raccoon and bunny tails. Pirate and samurai hats. Pizza and bowling. Teenagers and snooping parents. Anime and Manga. Virtual versus the real world. And DJ Helsing behind the microphone on behalf of Gaia Online. That’s what a…
Instrumental Story
Instrumental Story Fight for fine arts: Thank you for your timely and highly informative cover story on HISD’s high school band programs [“Battle of the Bands,” by Chasen Marshall, August 19]. The article highlighted the especially challenging atmosphere in which many of the district’s fine-arts programs attempt to function, especially…
The State Bar & Lounge’s Gypsy Martini
I was driving downtown for nearly five minutes before I realized the radio station I was tuned to had lapsed into static. It had been that kind of day. I had plans that evening, though, and needed something to reanimate me, so I claimed a meter outside The State Bar…
Our Year: What Kind of Fan Are You?
This year, for the first time ever in human history, the Texans come into a season optimistic they finally will not be mediocre. (Note: “Human history” does not include the years between 2004 and 2009.) It has been a (not too) long, (not really too) strange trip for Texans fans,…
Happened in a Honky-Tonk
Jon Wolfe calls his a “typical Nashville meat-grinder story.” After having some success with his first album and hooking up with George Strait’s nephew Trey Strait as his manager, he decided to leave Houston and go for it in Nashville. “Trey had some great connections in Nashville, and we eventually…
The American
Sometimes you feel bad for movie marketers, tasked with connecting any given film to an audience as large as possible. Take, for example, The American. Judging by the film’s trailers and advertisements, it’s a fast-paced Euro-stylish thriller starring George Clooney as a dashing, conflicted hero. Yet it quickly becomes apparent…
Fallen
Nightclubs close. It’s a natural part of the cycle, as sure as the sun rising in the morning or a member of a boy band trying to go to outer space or outing himself a few years after his fame has waned. (Note: That’s a double-decker Lance Bass reference, folks.)…
Our Year
“If you’re starving and somebody throw you a cracker, you gonna be like this: Goddamn, that’s the best cracker I ever ate in my life! That ain’t no regular cracker, was it? What was that, a saltine? Goddamn, that was delicious! That was the best cracker I ever ate in…
Budweiser Superfest
Fans of more grown-up R&B — the kind that usually hinges on actual music and real soul as opposed to synthesized computer beats — are in for a treat Saturday at Toyota Center when the Budweiser Superfest returns. In its original incarnation, Superfest was an annual urban-music staple from the…
Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock
Even without Joe Ely — who will be along in October, with Jerry Jeff Walker at the Arena Theatre — two-thirds of the Flatlanders means two of the greatest songwriters ever to stride the Great High Plains. An evening at the Mucky Duck with the two Lubbock natives means an…
Talib Kweli
Ahard-knock life? Eh, not so much. In stark contrast to so many of his fellow Brooklyn-born MCs, Talib Kweli was raised by two university-professor parents and spent part of his childhood in a posh Connecticut boarding school. As such, matters of Afrocentric conscience, not urban street survival, informed his first…
The American Heist
Saturday, The American Heist lets loose their self-titled debut LP, with a little help from death-punks Hell City Kings, trad-punks Blackmarket Syndicate and organ-y upstarts All At Sea. Since their formation a few years back, Heist has gone through a name change (the band was formerly known as Born Anchor)…
Mo’s Knockout Grill & Mediterranean Food
Mo Abdin is the big bear of a guy behind the counter at Mo’s Knockout Grill & Mediterranean Food (7918 Kirby, 713-665-7500) in a small location near the Astrodome. Originally from Syria, he moved to the U.S. when he was 15 to box. “I was a professional fighter for ten…
Autolux
Rising from the ashes of the now-legendary Failure, Autolux has taken a virtual eternity between album releases. Prior to the brand-new Transit Transit, they had released only 2001 EP Demonstration and its 2004 follow-up Future Perfect. The long wait — due to “getting the business end of music squared away,”…
Rumor to Rest
See a slideshow of everything Abdallah’s Bakery has to offer. There’s no good shawarma in Houston. At least, that’s the story my Lebanese friend was trying to sell me a few weeks ago. “Have you been to Abdallah’s?” I asked her. She had not. “You’re Lebanese, and you haven’t been…
Adam Lambert
Fans still feeling let down by the anemic, ho-hum ninth season of American Idol love to predict the show’s demise, especially now that Simon Cowell is departing. But those people have short memories. You only have to look back to the previous season to witness one of the most bizarre…
Gravitas
Two large chunks of pork come to an order at Gravitas (807 Taft, 713-522-0995), where this appetizer is simply named Crispy Pork ($10). Inside the crispy pork skin is a thin layer of fat over succulent pork belly meat, which falls apart on your fork. Unexpectedly, it lies on top…
Eclipse
All of 24 years old, singer-songwriter Bobby Long owes his recent surge in popularity to about the most modern phenomenon there is. After striking up a friendship with actor and aspiring musician Robert Pattinson through various London open-mike nights, Pattinson performed a song he and Long co-wrote, “Let Me Sign,”…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Being: Tobiah Mundt,” “If We Only Knew Now What They Knew Then,” “Kaneem Smith,” “Math of the Afterward,” “The Paper Runway”
“Being: Tobiah Mundt” Tobiah Mundt creates tiny felted wool creatures that are one part cuddly stuffed animal and three parts creepy. Balls of the fuzzy white wool seem comforting until you notice the toothy mouths embedded in them. Opaque black or luminous red glass eyes peer out from chubby faces…
Capsule Stage Reviews: The Marvelous Wonderettes
The Marvelous Wonderettes Okay, kids, let’s write a second-rate musical that has no chance of ever seeing the lights of Broadway. Judging from Roger Bean’s creation from 1999, it’s not too difficult. First we need music — not original music, that’s too iffy. How about great tunes from the ’50s?…
