Hey, Look Over There
Our rockin’ little brother has compiled a list of the 100 Best Bayou City Songs Ever. Robert Earl Keen? Gatemouth Brown? Lucinda Williams? Guy Clark? Scarface? Willie Nelson? Freddy Fender? Esther Phillips? Archie Bell? Big Moe? Yep, they’re all on there. Blue October and Nickelback? Nope. Sorry. You’ll have to…
The Houston 100: From Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown to Texas Johnny Brown
The Houston 100 continues. Follow the links for numbers 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90 and 91-100. And be sure to check out “The H-Town 20.” 30. “Okie Dokie Stomp,” Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, 1954. Blistering big band jump blues with Gatemouth’s trademark Texas swing…Some have declared that this instrumental should…
The Houston 100: From Scarface to Robert Earl Keen
The Houston 100 continues. Follow the links for numbers 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90 and 91-100. 40. “Smile,” Scarface, feat. 2Pac, 1997. This 1997 duet off of The Untouchable with 2Pac, the late James Dean of rap, was ‘Face’s biggest chart hit, his only gold single. 39. “Ain’t That a…
Mike Winters Suspended. Milton Bradley Stuck at Home Playing Board Games.
We can’t seem to find the ACL. Well here’s some shocking news. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t Milton Bradley’s fault after all. I’m sure that most of you have either seen, heard, or read about San Diego Padres outfielder Milton Bradley’s run-in with first base umpire Mike Winters on Sunday…
The Houston 100: From Guy Clark to Don Williams
The Houston 100 continues. Follow the links for numbers 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90 and 91-100. 50. “South Coast of Texas,” Guy Clark, 1981. Though this song hasn’t been recorded as much as others in Clark’s stash, it makes it on here due to both geography and the fact that it…
The Houston 100: From Sir Douglas Quintet to Guy Clark
The Houston 100 continues. Follow the links for numbers 61-70, 71-80, 81-90 and 91-100. 60. “The Rains Came,” Sir Douglas Quintet, 1965. The follow-up single to “She’s About a Mover,” this Huey Meaux mainstay of a lament would likewise rank higher were the sound not so indelibly San Antone. 59…
The Houston 100: From Johnny Ace to Stevie Ray Vaughn
The Houston 100 continues. Follow the links for numbers 71-80, 81-90 and 91-100. 70. “Pledging My Love,” Johnny Ace, 1955. This was a posthumous hit for Ace, whose life was terminated weeks before after an infamous backstage drunken gunplay incident at City Auditorium here on Christmas Eve. Would rank higher…
Last Night: Interpol at Verizon Wireless Theater
Interpol Verizon Wireless Theater September 25, 2007 Better than: Sex. Or so I’ve heard. Download: Something from 2004’s Antics, as it seemed to be the least-represented of Interpol’s three albums Tuesday. It’s probably going to take another year before I learn all the song titles from Interpol’s Our Love to…
The Houston 100: From Charles Brown to Sippie Wallace
The Houston 100 continues. Follow the links for numbers 81-90 and 91-100. 80. “Please Come Home for Christmas,” Charles Brown, 1960. A minor hit for Texas City’s Brown, the song has endured for decades to become the second of his Yuletide staples. Think you’re miserable at Christmas? Try these lyrics…
This Just In: Tattoos Make You Look Like a Bad Ass
Good news for folks who, in the late ’90s, got drunk, got sentimental, and, along with their best friend (and much of the population), got tattooed with one of those silly Chinese symbols and really have no idea what said symbol means, but are marked with it – such a…
Miss Pop Rocks: Marcia Does Jan?!? Say it Ain’t So.
Is the pop culture universe simply trying to destroy my world? Last week it was the revelation that movie execs want to remake “Footloose” staring Zac Efron. Now, the word on the street is that Marcia and Jan Brady were closerthanthis, if ya get what I’m sayin’. And if you…
‘Stros Win, Pence Homers, Lidge Gets the Save… Are We There Yet?
The Astros won last night, defeating the Cincinnati Reds 8-5. That was win 69 for the Astros. Hunter Pence hit home run number 16. Brad Lidge got the save. There are five games left in this season. And I’ve got nothing. Sorry, I know you all come here looking for…
The Houston 100: From Harry Choates to Johnny Preston
The Houston 100 continues. Click here for numbers 91 to 100. 90. “Jole Blon,” Harry Choates, 1946. The unofficial Cajun national anthem was first recorded in Houston, by Choates, a Port Arthur-raised hellraiser who would die in a fit of delirium tremens in the Austin jail at 29 five years…
Countdown to the 2007 Houston Press Best of Houston® Issue
Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect. Why does this year’s Best Of Houston® feature a category for Best Regular Public Speaker at City Council…
Retro Active: A Nuclear Era, But I Have No Fear
A few weeks ago, because my XM radio unit and my heart are both perpetually stuck on the Eighties channel (XM 8), I started to notice how many of the seemingly innocuous pop songs from those pastel-tinged years had much heavier concerns. Perhaps those erudite Englishmen Duran Duran put it…
The Kansas City Wolf Is a Real Man, er, Mascot
I know I’ve been giving Shasta a hard time lately (as has much of the country), but when you get your ass kicked by the Oregon Duck, that’s going to happen. So, Shasta, I want you to watch this video. This is how a mascot should act. Notice that the…
Mike Gundy, Jenni Carlson, Bobby Reid and Chicken. Which One Is Not Like the Others?
The biggest smackdown of the college football season started in a parking lot in Troy, Alabama. That’s where Daily Oklahoman sports columnist Jenni Carlson saw Oklahoma State quarterback Bobby Reid eating chicken. Or rather, being fed chicken by his mama. Reid—once considered the second coming of Vince Young at Galena…
The Houston 100: From Mack Hayes to Hersal Thomas
Below are songs 90-100 from our Houston 100, five-score of the best songs ever from Houston. We will be running these lists ten at a time here on Houstoned Rocks, and we’ll unveil the Top 20 tomorrow in the print edition and on the Web site. – John Nova Lomax…
Welcome to MySpace: Joe Pags Gets Hacked
For the past several days, Joe “Pags” Pagliarulo, the weekday mid-morning host on KTRH-radio, has been talking up his just initiated MySpace page. In just a few days, the number of his friends skyrocketed, he has been announcing proudly on the radio. Listeners have been encouraged to join up, the…
Drenched In Blog: National One-Hit Wonder Day
They come from small towns, large cities and bustling metropolises. They look just like me and you. Each of these individuals takes our enjoyment and excitement into their own hands. They lay down their careers and sacrifice their dignity for us. For all the unsung and fallen one-hit wonders, there…
Last Night: Dan Deacon at Walter’s on Washington
Dan Deacon Walter’s on Washington September 24, 2007 Better Than: Just about anything else you might find yourself doing at 10:30 p.m. on a Monday. Download: “The Crystal Cat,” from Deacon’s Myspace Page. Along with several other songs (not available for download) and a bunch of immensely entertaining videos, this…
This Week in Café: Sushi Jin on Memorial
At Sushi Jin restaurant on Memorial, they get their hamachi via Air Japan from the Tokyo fish market. It sounds incredible, but as the market for seafood becomes increasingly globalized, Tokyo has become everybody’s Central Market for fish. Each morning, tens of thousands of tons of seafood from every ocean…
This Week in Café: Sushi Jin on Memorial
At Sushi Jin restaurant on Memorial, they get their hamachi via Air Japan from the Tokyo fish market. It sounds incredible, but as the market for seafood becomes increasingly globalized, Tokyo has become everybody’s Central Market for fish. Each morning, tens of thousands of tons of seafood from every ocean…
Sports Columnist Smackdown: John Royal Writes Back
For those of you just tuning in: John Royal said this. Jason Friedman said this. And now John Royal responds below. Um, we appreciate your zeal, Ms. Cheerleader, but did you even bother to read this post? Wow, now I know what move.on.org feels like after that General Betray Us…
Countdown to the 2007 Houston Press Best of Houston® Issue
Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect. Back in the oil-boom days, the joke used to be that the building crane was the official bird…
Jason Lane Traded to the Padres. Let’s Rock.
With apologies to The Mamas & The Papas. “Stepped his way on towards first base Well, Milton got down with the ump and played head case You know Bud Black liked him calm – and now Milton’s gone away. California dreamin’, Lane’s gone to the Padres.’” Hey, Ed, I’m sorry…
Get Lit: Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga, by Ian Christe
Coinciding with the band’s semi-reunion (Sorry, Ed; no matter how good Wolfie is, no Michael Anthony, no reunion), this is the first full-length bio of Van Halen’s brilliant but erratic history. From their origins as a popular southern California cover band and their rise to rock gods in the David…
Drenched In Blog: Meg White Sex Tape?
Ever since 2000, when I first set eyes on the White Stripes’ Meg White, I have had a crush on the little drummer girl. So, you would think that a supposed sex tape would have me and other pervo indie boys all aflutter. Alas, it’s a bit of a letdown…
Same Old Texans? Jason Friedman Writes a Rebuttal to John Royal.
Okay, so let me see if I understand this correctly: The Texans took the field yesterday without their best player and subsequently went on to lose their top running back, wide receiver and center as well. Making matters significantly worse, Sunday’s opponent just so happened to be the SUPER BOWL…
This Just In: Hard Rock Hosting Melissa Etheridge Listening Party
Folk-rock favorite and reigning Best Original Song Oscar winner Melissa Etheridge’s new CD The Awakening comes out tomorrow, but her Houston fans can get a preview at 9 p.m. tonight at the Hard Rock Café, 502 Texas Avenue in Bayou Place. The Awakening is Etheridge’s first LP since 2004’s Lucky,…
Dreaming of Electric Sheep: Richardson Businessman David Hanson Vows His Robots Won’t Kill You
If there’s one thing the world doesn’t need, it’s one more killer robot. Everyone knows that evil robots have been wreaking havoc for decades, using their wheels, boxy torsos and metallic pincers to get one over on humanity. So that’s why Richardson businessman David Hanson wants to make nice robots…
Countdown to the 2007 Houston Press Best of Houston®Issue
Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect. Picking the Best Restaurant in Houston is no easy chore. Just to be fair, we try to consider…
Peyton Manning Takes a Break from Shooting Commericals, Takes Down the Texans
I happened to be in attendance at yesterday’s Texans/Colts game – the restraining order only prevents me from being near the Chron writers, and those guys aren’t going to get anywhere near the fans. I’ve been reading stuff about moral victory and the team earning respect. I don’t buy it…
Huge Steroid Bust. We’re Talking Huge.
The Associated Press is reporting the arrest of more than 120 people in a nationwide steroid bust. This may be of interest not only because it appears to be tied into the sports world, but because Houston seems to have been a major player in this situation, as it’s being…
Countdown to the 2007 Houston Press Best of Houston® Issue
Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect. Don’t expect a quaint B&B or hoity-toity cafe inside Houston’s Best Renovation. In fact, you’re more likely to…
The College Football Review, Week Four: Coogs Win Despite Mascot Shame
It’s the end of the University of Houston game and the Coogs have just scored to finally put the game out of the reach. They cut to a shot of the Cougar mascot doing his pushups after the score. And the CSTV announcers start carrying on about how they’ve been…
Miss Pop Rocks: I Drink Tab. Yes. Tab.
My name is Miss Pop Rocks, and I’m a Tab addict. I just wanted you to know that. And I wanted you to know that it’s safe to admit that you may be a Tab addict too. Tab. Just saying the name makes me feel cuter. And thinner. Tab. That…
Jose de Jesus Ortiz. Really, What More Can We Say?
I can’t take it anymore. Jesus Ortiz has finally pushed me off the ledge. And I’ve got to ask the Chron’s publisher: Do you know this guy’s being paid by Drayton McLane? My evidence? Let’s try this: “Astros owner Drayton McLane has reason to be optimistic as his club enters…
Last Night: The Sea and Cake, with Meg Baird, at Warehouse Live
Meg Baird The Sea and Cake, with Meg Baird September 22, 2007 Warehouse Live Better Than: Watching your math teacher’s band play the Abyss Download: Unfortunately, the Sea and Cake don’t seem to have any free downloads available. There’s a YouTube video of “Crossing Line” embedded below. Guitarist Meg Baird…
College Football Police Blotter
Being an equal opportunity offender, and since my Longhorn pals have been sending these to me all day, it’s only fair to note that UT isn’t the only college program in the country with a police problem…
Last Night: Midlake at Numbers
Midlake Numbers Thursday, September 20 Better Than: Trying to explain why you’re so offended that the already-on-thin-ice Kaiser Chiefs ripped off Duran Duran on “Angry Mob.” Download: “Roscoe” or “Head Home” from The Trials of Van Occupanther, for a clear idea of the ’70s bands Midlake cut their teeth on…
Drenched In Blog: Tranny Time with Devendra Banhart
If you guys are anything like me, you enjoy dudes dressing up as bearded-lady she-males from an eastern European circus sideshow. If you don’t, stop reading. Prude…
Countdown to the 2007 Houston Press Best of Houston® Issue
Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect. Where’s Houston’s Best Bingo Night? Let’s just say it involves condoms, high-heels and men wearing thongs…
Jason Friedman’s NFL Picks, Week Three: Approaching the Promised Land
Houston is finally a football town again. Oh sure, we’ve had our dalliances with baseball and basketball over the years, but those were nothing more than mere trifles necessary to pass the time while our souls wandered through a pigskin-less wasteland. Deep down in our heart of hearts, there was…
Let Me Clear the Fleming From My Throat
And this just in: The Key Middle School students will move to Fleming Middle School next Wednesday, September 26, while HISD tries to figure out if it’s got a toxic building on its hands. Now for the good news as far as the kids are concerned: They won’t have school…
John Royal’s NFL Picks, Week Three: Colts, Chargers and Greeks
Well, last weekend was brutal. I went 6-10 for the NFL weekend. Which puts me at 13-19 for the season. Back when I was a kid, there was a guy named Jimmy the Greek. I’m sure some of you remember him. And I could swear that he missed nearly every…
Where in the World Is Sheila Jackson-Lee?
This just in: Adding just that one more special thing that the mystery illness situation at Key Middle School really needed – we’ve just received a rather desperate message from Terry Abbott, spokesman for the Houston Independent School District. It seems that rumors, and perhaps the congresswoman known for her…
The College Football Preview, Week Four: Longhorns in Jail and Cougars with Excuses
Okay, I spent the week making fun of the University of Texas. One of my colleagues says it’s because I went to the University of Houston, thus I’m jealous. Maybe there’s some truth in what he says. Maybe I am jealous. It probably is better to have your school turned…
Countdown to the 2007 Houston Press Best of Houston® Issue
Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect. The Best Route into the City slashes through many of its most ethnically and economically diverse neighborhoods. Pupusas,…
Ed Wade. Ed Wade. Ed Wade. There, We Said It.
I know all of you are awaiting my words on Ed Wade. And why I think it’s a bad deal. You expect me to go on and on and on and on and on for thousands upon thousands of words. But I just don’t know if I can do that…
Miss Pop Rocks: Remaking Footloose Is Satan’s Work
So they’re going to remake Footloose. Hear that? It’s the sound of my teenage soul curling up and dying a slow, agonizing death. Remake Footloose?!?!? I don’t think so. Footloose. The film that taught me how to use the Bible effectively to make an argument. (Ecclesiastes 3: “To everything there…
From the Stacks: DJ Shorty’s Faves
DJ Shorty, somewhat cryptically, selects a few favorites: 1. Can, Monster Movie 2. Sun-Ra, Heliocentric World, vols. 1 & 2 (“I’ll let you raid my Sun-Ra if you’re willing to pay the price – I’ve got 35 Sun-Ra records”) 3. Banco, first album (“The Italian King Crimson”) 4. Goblin, Suspiria…
Alicia Silverstone Naked! Now That We’ve Got Your Attention…
The folks over at the Chronicle might be suffering from a case of blue balls today. Yesterday, the paper breathlessly reported, “Actress Alicia Silverstone’s latest role is that of a glisteningly vegetarian Venus, emerging unclothed from a swimming pool to promote People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ goveg.com campaign…
This Just In: Midlake Moved to Walter’s
Tonight’s show by Dallas Fleetwood Mac descendants and recent ACL Fest alumni Midlake has been moved from Numbers to Walter’s on Washington. All tickets for the Numbers show will be honored – Chris Gray…
This Just In: Astros Hire Ed Wade
Multiple sources are reporting that the Astros have hired Ed Wade to take the place of Tim Purpura as the team’s general manager. These sources are basing this on Drayton’s McLane statement that he will be holding a press conference at 3:00 to announce Ed Wade as the team’s new…
Take a Hike: Would an Extra Dollar a Gallon Keep People Thin?
Ever been at the gas station watching some really fat guy pumping away and think, “I betcha if gas cost more, that dude would weigh less?” Well, graduate student Charles Courtemanche has. According to Courtmanche, who is working toward his Ph.D. in economics at St. Louis’s Washington University, a $1…
Countdown to the 2007 Houston Press Best of Houston® Issue
Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect. Gone are the days when you had to run from store to store to find a vibrating flexidong…
Drenched in Blog: Kisslature
Man, if life isn’t already FUBAR these days. You got a never-ending war going on, people kidnapping four-year olds, O.J Simpson going to jail and NOT staying, smoking bans… Leave it to Kiss’ Gene Simmons to lead us further down the evolutionary ladder. See, instead of sticking with reuniting his…
Make Like a Tree: Houston Photog William Winkler Wins an International Photography Award
Houston-based photographer William Winkler took home a third-place ribbon in the nature category for this photo. You can read the press release after the jump…..
Re: Hey Drayton, What’s the Rush in the Search for a General Manager?
There have been some changes since I wrote this Astros post last night. My post was premised on Jesus Ortiz’s article which was based on his talk with Drayton McLane and in which it was essentially stated that there weren’t going to be any second interviews. Mark Berman at Fox…
Radio Houstoned: Edgar Bustillos
To hear a podcast interview with artist Edgar Bustillos and Houston Press Night & Day Editor Olivia Flores Alvarez, click the LISTEN button below. To see a slideshow of artwork by Edgar Bustillos, click here. The elastic paintings of Edgar Bustillos are pulled taut with the experiences of a lifetime…
Hey Drayton, What’s the Rush in the Search for a General Manager?
While the Astros have yet to decide upon their new General Manager, according to the Chron, Drayton McLane sure seems intent upon ramping up the speed of this process and getting it done. And I ask why? The story says that the Astros have interviewed 11 candidates, and that Drayton…
Countdown to the 2007 Houston Press Best of Houston® Issue
Our annual Best of Houston® issue hits the streets on September 27. The theme is hidden treasures, so every day till then we’ll be unfolding a map of what you can expect. When deciding on the Best Gym, we wanted to be able to lift some serious weight, so that…
Long Snaps with Bryan Pittman: Sashimi, Indy and Ignorance
www.houstontexans.com Houston Texans’ long-snapper Bryan Pittman returns for more thoughts on life both on and off the gridiron. This week, while going one-on-one with Ballz columnist Jason Friedman, Bryan reveals his favorite food, pet peeves and predictions for this weekend’s big match-up with the Colts. JCF: What was the reaction…
Get Lit: The Spiderwick Chronicles, by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
The Spiderwick Chronicles, a series of five children’s books which are soon to become movies, are an overall good read for children of elementary school age The basic plot is that children of young ages, 9 and 13, discover a book that leads them to believe fairies—here spelled færies—really exist…
Notorious MSG
Notorious MSG is ready to wok the party. The hip-hop trio plays on Asian stereotypes with their rhymes (hence, Notorious MSG). The threesome fronts as a group of Chinese immigrants who met working in a restaurant in Chinatown (of course, it’s rumored the guys actually grew up in a New…
Weekend of Texas Contemporary Dance
Don’t let the name of tonight’s performance, Weekend of Texas Contemporary Dance, fool you: While all the troupes performing are homegrown, some of them have graced stages around the nation. Now in its thirteenth year, the event summons the likes of Revolve Dance Company, Hope Stone Dance Company and Leslie…
Four Corners Music from Asia, Europe, North and South America
Throughout cities all over the country, it seems it’s the artistic communities whose members are often hit hardest by AIDS. And they’re often at the forefront of the battle lines, holding events to increase awareness about the disease and its prevention. Mukuru — the arts arm of AIDS Foundation Houston…
“Masterful Churches: A 30-Year Collection”
Bill Durow needs a good home for his churches. After almost 30 years of collecting colorful, hand-painted Mexican clay churches, the Houston art enthusiast has decided to sell them off. Until he does, however, viewers can admire (or think about buying) his throwbacks at “Masterful Churches: A 30 Year Collection.”…
“War and Peace and Quiet”
Since 1974, artists Suzanne Bloom and Ed Hill have been creating unusual works under the name MANUAL. The multimedia pieces combine photography, video and animation, and they often delve into ironic, referential territory, examining and deconstructing art icons like the Mona Lisa and the cult movie Blade Runner. The two…
Cabildo
With its presentation of Amy Beach’s Cabildo in the lush gardens of Miss Ima Hogg’s Bayou Bend estate, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston proves opera needn’t be a stuffed-shirt, hoity-toity affair. Instructions for this outdoor presentation of Beach’s 1932 composition, which tells the story of a tourist who dreams…
John W. Dean
John W. Dean is off the team. The former Nixon White House counsel is a Republican no more, and today you can hear him read from his new book, Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches. According to the ex-GOP member, the Bush Administration doesn’t…
Edgar Bustillos
The elastic paintings of Edgar Bustillos are pulled taut with the experiences of a lifetime spent traveling. The El Paso-born artist wandered through Panama, Mexico, Alabama, New England and Europe before settling in Galveston. His solo exhibition, “Mi Sangre Se Mueve Pero No Se Muere” (literally translated, “My blood moves,…
Doug Stanhope
Doug Stanhope is a comedian every man can relate to. The former host of The Man Show usually performs looking like he rolled out of bed after a night of drinking and grabbed whatever clothes looked clean. But his routines prove he doesn’t need a pressed shirt or minty breath…
The Draughtsman’s Contract
Iconoclastic filmmaker Peter Greenaway once said, “There are basically only two subject matters in all Western culture: sex and death.” Film lovers can see Greenaway put his camera where his mouth is today at Rice Cinema’s screening of The Draughtsman’s Contract and A Zed & Two Noughts. Zed (1985) tells…
Mamma Mia!
Dust off your dancing platform shoes. The ‘70s are back with Catherine Johnson’s hugely successful Mamma Mia! The Broadway mega-hit, coming to Houston via Broadway Across America, weaves a story about a single mom with a wild past around the popular tunes created by ABBA, the pop icons from Sweden…
“How Healing Becomes Killing: Eugenics, Euthanasia and Extermination”
In addition to killing millions via gas chambers, starvation and forced labor in concentration camps during the Holocaust, the Nazi regime also propagated the lesser-known but equally horrifying practice of “mercy deaths”: the systematic killing of people with cognitive and developmental disabilities, usually in the context of medical “care.” In…
Margaret Coel
Readers who like a little history with their mystery are discovering the novels of Margaret Coel. The author sets her books and short stories among the real-life Native American Arapahos on the Wind River Reservation, with plots based on actual crimes. In her latest work, The Girl with Braided Hair,…
“Lupin the III: The Castle of Cagliostro”
It seems like a thief would give up after realizing his boosted bounty is all bogus bills, but not Lupin. The titular character of Lupin the III: The Castle of Cagliostro, the first anime feature film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, creator of the Academy Award-winning Spirited Away, realizes…
Steve Hamilton
Edgar Award-winning author Steve Hamilton has decided to take a break from his popular character Alex McKnight, opting to channel his energies into the new stand-alone thriller Night Work. Hamilton’s new protagonist, Joe Trumbull, is a grieving juvenile probation officer who has shunned women since his fiancée was strangled to…
Daddy Yankee
Sixteen-year-old Raymond Ayala’s dreams of baseball stardom were cut short when a stray bullet plunged into his leg. But the native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, would ultimately find fame spitting out rhymes instead of chewing tobacco as Daddy Yankee. The “King of Reggaeton” — that blending of reggae, dancehall,…
Henry Rollins
After legendary hardcore band Black Flag broke up, lead singer Henry Rollins wasn’t ready to step off the soap box or give up the microphone. Not only did he form a new band, Rollins Band, but he also started spreading his word sans fast guitars and heavy drumbeats. The tattoo-covered…
Carmen
Fiery and wicked, Georges Bizet’s Carmen was condemned as immoral when it first opened in Paris in 1875. Today, the opera about a gorgeous Spanish hedonist (read: gypsy) and the men who love her is one of the genre’s most performed — what a difference a century or two makes…
Deerhoof
Bloc Party is about to get blown out of the water, but the band is probably used to it by now. The UK new-new wavers chose Deerhoof to open for them on their current tour, and it’s likely the San Francisco experimental pop rockers have stolen the show on more…
Stand-Up for Peace
James Ladmirault thinks the war in Iraq could still use some comic relief. The local comedian organized Stand-Up for Peace in response to a challenge issued by the IraqMoratorium.org. The site encourages those opposed to the war to host an event in protest on the third Friday of every month,…
Houston Ballet’s The Four Seasons
Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” is gorgeous enough on its own. But leave it to Stanton Welch, artistic director of Houston Ballet, to send the great composer’s score into the realm of the sublime with brand-new choreography. Welch’s world premiere ballet narrates the four seasons of a woman’s life, moving…
“Lizards & Snakes: Alive!”
This fall, the Houston Museum of Natural Science welcomes an assortment of scaly skins, slithering sounds and projectile tongues. No, it’s not a KISS reunion; it’s the return of “Lizards & Snakes: Alive!,” a special exhibition featuring 26 species of reptiles from the group called squamates. The museum’s recreated their…
“Perspectives 158: Kelly Nipper”
What happens when two strangers, male and female, are forced into each other’s personal space? Will they flirt? Will they giggle uncomfortably? Or will they find themselves repulsed by each other? Los Angeles-based artist Kelly Nipper wanted to find out. “Perspectives 158: Kelly Nipper,” the artist’s first solo museum exhibition,…
Blame Dave
Here are two situations you have probably found yourself in if (a) you have a penis and are/were (b) not in a fraternity: #1: While at a friend’s generally lame party — he just played Journey — you meet a girl who looks as bored as you. She’s beautiful, and…
“RED HOT: Asian Art Today from the Chaney Family Collection”
The good, the bad and stuff that ought to be recalled — “RED HOT: Asian Art Today from the Chaney Family Collection” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has got ’em all. Last week’s review [“Red Hot Business,” September 13] discussed how oilman and venture capitalist Robert Chaney used…
Art Capsule Reviews
City Glow Self-styled Pop Art star Chiho Aoshima emerged out of the “factory” art group founded in Tokyo in the late ’90s by Takashi Murakami. Her computer-generated images reference manga comics and anime cartoons, with wide-eyed characters and line drawings. Like Murakami, Aoshima believes in the contributions pop genres have…
‘Roid Rage Returns
In space, no one can hear you scream Jumpin’ Jesus, this is one of the greatest games ever! But that doesn’t mean you won’t try during Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Hard-core gamers know Metroid’s star, bounty-hunter babe Samus Aran, has been kicking ass since 1986 — back when Lara Croft…
Fernando’s Latin American Cuisine
Fernando Echeverria, owner of Fernando’s Latin American Cuisine (14135 SW Fwy., 281-494-9087), has figured out a shortcut for preparing one of the world’s most time-consuming dishes. In order to prepare traditional paella, you need mussels, clams, calamari, shrimp, lobster, crawfish, chicken, chorizo, olive oil, garlic and rice, among other ingredients…
BayouSphere
He’ll Be Back BayouSphere does not appear this week, while our intrepid photojournalist Daniel Kramer gets in a little R&R. Look for its return in our next issue…
Brandi Carlile, A Fine Frenzy
Small-town Washington girl Brandi Carlile’s career has been the stuff musical dreams — and sometimes actual musicals — are made of. She learned to play guitar at 17 and moved to Seattle for a couple of years of acoustic gigging, releasing several independent records along the way. Columbia Records signed…
JONNY’S SPORTS BAR
Having spent several purple-hazed semesters at TCU, I feel a kinship to the Horned Frogs. So last Saturday, I headed for Jonny’s Sports Bar (2511 Bissonnet, 713-521-9928, a relatively new bar, to watch my team take on the Longhorns. Having taught college for a couple of years, I felt right…
Feeling Feverish?
Saturday Night Fever: 30th Anniversary Special Collector’s Edition (Paramount) For all its camp-classic status as the ultimate disco-fever dream, John Badham’s movie truly is remarkable — a foul-mouthed, mean-streets masterpiece that just happens to feature a Bee Gees score that spreads like melted cheese 30 years later. And, of course,…
Lauren White
Various new vocalists emerge onto the jazz scene every year, but young Texan Lauren White invests the standards and originals of debut At Last with gratifying honesty, showcasing her vocal and songwriting talents. One tune that immediately stands out is “Superstar,” the Delaney and Bonnie hit best known from the…
Stage Capsule Reviews
Jeannette Clift George Onstage If Houston stage veteran Jeannette Clift George decided to read from the Yellow Pages, she could imbue it with drama to spare. She’s that good. Her one-woman show ushers in the 41st season of A.D. Players – where she is founder and artistic director – and…
Liars
Anyone who saw Liars cover Nirvana’s “Territorial Pissings” during last year’s summer tour might have suspected that, despite the seemingly irredeemable freakiness of 2004’s They Were Wrong So We Drowned and 2006’s Drum’s Not Dead, the New Yorkers hadn’t lost track of their more conventional roots. Sure enough, for this…
Vinyl Heads: Round and Round
Obviously, buying vinyl does no good if you don’t have something decent to play it on. For aspiring DJs, DJ Sun says that conversation begins and ends with Technics, makers of the industry standard 1200s. “They’re like tanks,” he says. “I’ve had my turntables since 1993 and they’re still working…
Vinyl Heads
Late one placid Friday afternoon, a friend sends this enticing text message: “Just talked to the dealer. We are on for tomorrow. I’m supposed to call around three or four.” Sounds perfect. The next couple of days just got a whole lot more interesting. But this particular dealer doesn’t traffic in…
Vinyl Heads: Good Vibrations
Vinyl LPs are made by lacquering a substance called polyvinyl chloride (PVC) between two wafer-thin groove-bearing discs called “stampers.” PVC is a polymer — a dense molecular compound composed of multiple smaller molecules — and is also used in credit cards and construction materials, especially plumbing. Sound recordings are inscribed…
In the Valley of Elah
Even the most adamantly antiwar movies about American soldiers returning from Vietnam — Hal Ashby’s Coming Home (1978) and Oliver Stone’s Born on the 4th of July (1989) — redeemed their mangled, embittered grunts through the love of good women, devoted parents, political resistance or all of the above. You…
Brasserie Max and Julie
The fruits de mer Max at Brasserie Max and Julie came on three platters that a team of waiters arranged into a tiered tower in the middle of our table. A lobster head anchored in shaved ice protruded festively from the top platter like the nose cone of a rocket…
Tonk Blokes And the Mean Streets Of Da R.O.
10. Mike Jones is a “‘rapper’ for people with A.D.D.” 9. Hamilton, Ontario, Hickory, North Carolina and the London district of Hackney are all trying to lay claim to the nickname “H-Town.” 8. ZZ Top is to be ranked “somewhere between Stevie Ray Vaughan and Pantera, but below Willie Nelson.”…
Mexican American Culture
Dear Readers, I asked half-breeds a couple of weeks ago to write in with nicknames that describe their mixed Mexican heritage. Many, muchos responses continue to trickle in — gracias for the submissions. Following is a handy glossary that ustedes wrote, with the occasional Mexican commentary — enjoy! If you’re…
Under the Volcano
My lame headlights do their best to pierce the pitch-black, pre-storm stretch of Kirby Drive leading to Under the Volcano (2349 Bissonnet). Tropical Storm Humberto is coming, they tell me, and I believe them. Sort of. Ideally, I’d find a dark hole with a well-stocked whisky selection near Montrose or…
Hinder, Papa Roach, Buckcherry
When critics carp that rock doesn’t sell anymore, they mean rock they like doesn’t sell anymore — if it ever really did — because Hinder sells just fine. Since the Oklahomans’ Universal debut Extreme Behavior’s September 2005 release, it’s been SoundScanned more than 2.5 million times; last week it outsold…
Mailbag
End it: I very much enjoyed the article on greyhound racing [“Going to the Dogs,” by Russell Cobb, September 6], as I felt it looked at the issue from both sides in an evenhanded manner. As an animal lover, I hope that greyhound racing becomes something of the past. While…
Sydney White
Amanda Bynes fans probably didn’t get most of the Shakespeare references in her As You Like It-inspired She’s the Man, so, behold: This time she’s gone for something a bit more familiar with Sydney White. Originally entitled Sydney White and the Seven Dorks — which would have been actually funny…
Dirty Projectors
Avant-garde pop exhibitionists Dirty Projectors may have authored the most traumatic punk homage ever attempted. After discovering an empty cassette case for Black Flag’s 1981 debut Damaged among some childhood relics, DP mastermind Dave Longstreth decided to resurrect the album entirely from memory, and delivered the electrifying, deranged, totally ingenious…
Carlton Pearson
The history of evangelical Christianity is littered with superstars who fell from grace. Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, Ted Haggard — all succumbed to the very vices they preached against. The Rev. Carlton Pearson was also a star in evangelical circles. He had his own TV show and a megachurch of 5,000…
In the Shadow of the Moon
Four decades ago, the American space program was synonymous with the pinnacle of human achievement. Thirty-eight years later, the program that punched a hole in the heavens barely dents the public consciousness. It took a vengeful astronaut in diapers to put NASA back on the nation’s front pages this year…
Corb Lund & the Hurtin’ Albertans
I love pickers who leave vapor trails behind wherever they go. Corb Lund and his crew sound like a jazz band that accidentally grazed in the loco-weed patch and tried to overcome the effects by drinking a bucket of coffee. Sidekicks Grady Valgardson (drums), Grant Siemens (guitar) and Kurt Ciesla…
The Hunting Party
Until 2005, Richard Shepard’s was a lamentable direct-to-prop-plane filmography populated with such forgettable titles as Cool Blue, Oxygen, Mexico City and The Linguini Incident, the latter of which was a heist film most notable for pairing David Bowie and Buck Henry — and that’s not even a punch line. For…
The Sea and Cake
The Sea and Cake’s “Jacking the Ball,” the first song on their first record, may still be their best, followed closely by every song since. Therefore, the Chicago quartet has been doomed to a career unadorned by the fireworks and controversy brought on by inconsistent quality. Originally cribbing its members…
Ryan Scroggins and the Trenchtown Texans
Ryan Scroggins was Los Skarnales’s keyboardist, and from the sound of the Trenchtown Texans’ debut, also their resident ska fiend. Aside from side forays into dub (“Hellbender”), Django-esque jazz (“The Alligator”) and ska/honky-tonk hybrid “Into the Light” — featuring Sean Reefer on vocals and the record’s most political lyrics —…
Average White Band
Some musical pairings were just meant to be, as if ordained from the beginning of time: John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Brian Eno and David Bowie, Scotland and funk. Well, maybe not so much that last one — good thing nobody ever told the Average White Band. As their misleading…
Our Band to Admire
In this heavily hyped day and age, most heavily hyped bands go only as far as the initial hoopla, their coveted buzz fickly trickling to buzz-kill. Not so with Interpol, the onetime buzz band whose hum has now become a bona fide roar. Back in 2002, the New York band’s…
Patricia Vonne
Patricia Vonne has absorbed just about every indigenous musical style Texas has on offer, and can summon any one in the flick of a castanet or guitar pick. She may have acting experience — Vonne’s brother is Grind House and Desperado director Robert Rodriguez, who cast her in Sin City…
Being There
You’re back in your old neighborhood… cigarettes taste so good…” “Misunderstood” wasn’t part of Wilco’s twilight set Sunday evening, but it didn’t need to be, as those lyrics had already been running through my head since I arrived in Austin Thursday night. After five years of covering the Austin City…
Stir the Coughee
Now that Curtis and Graduation have finally hit stores and everyone has (prematurely, but whatever) handed the sales victory to Kanye, it feels like a good moment to take a break from event-rap and talk about another album, one that has none of the world-conquering ambition of those other two…
Souvenir
If any playwright had written a character remotely like singing New York society matron Florence Foster Jenkins, no one would believe it. Yet Madame Jenkins did exist, beggaring all description — imagine grande dame Margaret Dumont from those Marx Brothers movies wailing a Verdi aria, and you’d be halfway there…
Our top DVD picks scheduled for release this week
Beyond the Gates (Fox) Blade: House of Chthon (New Line) The Boss of It All (IFC) Boston Legal: Season Three (Fox) Brothers and Sisters: The Complete First Season (Buena Vista) Catherine Deneuve: Essentials (Wellspring) The Condemned (Lionsgate) Deliverance: Deluxe Edition (Warner Bros.) Family Guy: Volume Five (Fox) Flashdance: Special Collectors…