Houston’s 10 Best Bars With Free Wi-Fi
These places stand ready to serve the many Houstonians who simply can’t go five minutes without checking Twitter or updating their fantasy football roster.
Houston and Lean: A Hip-Hop Tragedy
Houston’s relationship with “lean,” or codeine-promethazine, goes back to at least the 1960s, when blues musicians would mix Robitussin with alcohol. These musicians lived in the same areas that would become hotbeds in the city for the new generation of musicians coming out of the Bayou City — rappers. The rise…
Maurice White: Shining Star of Earth, Wind & Fire’s Life Was a Boogie Wonderland
My Life With Earth, Wind & Fire By Maurice White with Herb Powell Amistad, 386 pp., $27.99. In 1969, drummer Maurice White had a pretty sweet gig. The Memphis-bred player was touring the world and making hugely successful records as part of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, bringing pop-jazz to the masses. Life…
Andrea Arnold’s American Honey Spins Its Wheels on the Fruited Plain
In American Honey, her 162-minute fourth feature (and the first she’s made in the U.S.), the British director Andrea Arnold sets an infatuation-at-first-sight encounter to Rihanna’s “We Found Love,” a conversation about dreams to Bruce Springsteen singing “Dream Baby Dream” and a moment of camaraderie among itinerant youngsters traveling across…
10 Songs All You Outer-Loopers Should Know
Houston is the definition of a metropolitan sprawl. Though the city itself may not be that expansive, surrounding suburban cities like Pearland, The Woodlands, Katy, and Spring are commonly accepted as an extended part of the Bayou City. As Houstonians, we take pride in music that represents our city; whether…
Burnout Houston is “One Helluva Hot Rod Party”
When is old not old enough? If you’re talking about classic cars, the folks at Burnout Houston set the bar at 1964. “We get a lot of beef about it, especially from the muscle cars,” says Veronica Flores, co-organizer of the event along with her husband, Marco. “The way we…
Where to Find the 5 Best Burgers in Houston’s East End
Houston’s historic East End end is colorful, vibrant, and eclectic. When it comes to food, taquerias dominate the landscape, but there are these hidden gems: burger joints. The area’s exuberance is directly reflected in them, and they’re sure to satisfy anyone who drops in for a bite. Here is where…
FLY Dance is Putting on a Show Tonight
Jorge Casco didn’t need Captain America or Iron Man when he was a kid. At 15, he watched FLY Dance Company b-boys make leaps like Superman at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Casco saw them as heroes. “I was just a kid doing local break dance. Small performances,” he says. “I didn’t know you…
NFL Week 4: Titans-Texans — Four Things to Watch For
During the Bill O’Brien Era, it’s been admittedly tough to count on anything. The quarterback position has been a circus, Arian Foster (while great, when healthy) was always an injury waiting to happen, Jadeveon Clowney took two seasons to finally get right, and now this J.J. Watt thing… Oh, curse…
Openings & Closings: Hungry’s Is Expanding
Hungry’s announced plans for an extensive expansion of its Rice Village location scheduled to open in phases in fall 2016. According to a press release, the new two-story building will triple the size of its current space at 2356 Rice Boulevard. The existing Hungry’s building is scheduled for demolition and…
One More Time With Feeling‘s 3D Reveals Nick Cave’s Ever-Shifting Genius
Don’t resist the temptation to take off your 3D glasses while watching the Nick Cave concert doc One More Time With Feeling. Without them, as you watch the images projected atop each other, you can see Cave as something like he envisions himself in this film made after the death…
Finally, a Definitive Ranking of All 23 Gangs in The Warriors
Our TV receiver shuffled off its wireless coil last Friday, “forcing” me to rewatch an old favorite: the 1979 gang classic, The Warriors. I own the Blu-ray, incidentally, but the player is also on its last legs so I had to rip a copy to my hard drive and Chromecast it…
Dream Merchant – A Look Back at Houston’s Weird Retail Past
Once upon a time, Houstonians who belonged to fringy subcultures and wanted to dress in ways that reflected their otherness didn’t have a whole lot of options. Nowadays, any teenager with a computer or smartphone has a world of weird fashion options at his fingertips, but in the early to…
Houston Festival Celebrates Lamborghini Miura, the World’s First Supercar
It’s a big year for Lamborghini. The iconic brand is celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the birth of car creator Ferruccio Elio Arturo Lamborghini, the 50-year anniversary of the Miura – often called the world’s first supercar – and one of the largest events of its type in the country:…
Best Bets for This Weekend’s College and NFL Games
You don’t really believe it until it you see it writing, and it’s not really official until someone sends out a press release confirming it, but unfortunately both of those things happened yesterday morning with respect to the J.J. Watt trip to Injured Reserve-ville… Dammit. So now what do we…
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Alights at the Alley Theatre Once Again
Alley Theatre company members will be up to a whole lot of mischief when they once again perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream with all its forest magic and machinations. For Alley Company member Elizabeth Bunch it is a Shakespeare text well worth revisiting. “I’ve done Hermia in Midsummer Night’s Dream more…
A Decade In, Ra Ra Riot Has Found Its Way
Like many bands before them, Ra Ra Riot began as a way of pass the time, an avenue by which a group of college friends could explore their artistic side, have some fun and maybe make a few bucks in the process. Unlike most of their predecessors, however, the band…
Comedy My Blind Brother Admits the Disabled Can Be Awful Bros, Too
The road to equal treatment has been a long and difficult one for the disabled community, and littered with setbacks and defeats. Occasionally lost in that quest for accessibility legislation and insurance mandates has been the subordinate struggle to recognize the fact that, yes, the disabled can be assholes, too…
De Kus Asks if It’s Really Too Late
The biggest surprise for Kenn McLaughlin when he directed the St. Louis production and U.S. premiere of De Kus (The Kiss) for Upstream Theater was that the audience skewed young (“20s and 30s”). After all this is a play in which two people, both north of 50, meet unexpectedly while…
Criminal Defense Lawyers Say ADA Connie Spence Shouldn’t Be a Judge
As Harris County judges prepare to appoint the next bail hearing officer in a time of tense litigation, the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association is “vehemently opposing” one particular applicant: a prosecutor who has in the past been accused of misconduct. “Connie Spence has historically exhibited conduct and judgment unbecoming…
A Beautiful, Wonderful Park for the Late Stephanie and John Smither
Stephanie and John Smither continue to receive must-deserved respect. This weekend, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, during its Authentic, Raw & True: A Weekend of Celebrating Visionary and Self-Taught Art event, pays homage to the crucial Houston art philanthropists who spent their lives collecting and advocating for folk…
The Top 10 Houston Rockets of All Time
For the first time in the James Harden Era, the Rockets enter the NBA’s regular season with muted expectations, with fan enthusiasm most certainly tempered following an offseason that saw the departure of Dwight Howard, the hiring of new head coach Mike D’Antoni, and some noticeable tweaks to the roster…
Nominee for “Best Bloodbath” Screens During Turkish Film Festival
Baskin generated scream-worthy buzz last year in the horror flick community, picking up more steam at 2015’s Fantastic Fest in Austin and earning Can Evrenol a Best Director award for his debut feature film. Often pigeon-holed in the international genre, this Turkish import has racked up three wins and four…
Texas Monthly‘s Whiskey Affair Comes to Houston in October
Fall weather will be here soon so its time to trade in your Frosé for a darker, more seductive spirit. Whether your drink of choice is bourbon, rye or scotch you will find more than 30 brown spirits to sample at Texas Monthly’s First Annual Whiskey Affair, October 12 at…
Why We Love the Lunch at Gyu-Kaku
Located in a strip mall in the heart of Midtown across from Bagby Park, Gyu-Kaku may not immediately jump to mind as a place to visit for lunch. If you’re in the area, though, the lunch special, which starts at 10:30 a.m. and lasts until 6 p.m (overlapping with happy…
Texas State Prisons: You Can’t Read The Color Purple but Mein Kampf Is Fine
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has steadily been banning books for decades, but the latest decision, to keep the book Wolf Boys out of state prison circulation because of a single page the TDCJ found offensive, has caused a lot of double takes. This month, the TDCJ powers-that-be looked…
10 Local Musicians Who Should Play ACL Fest
Over the past decade, the Austin City Limits Music Festival has grown from a modest, regional festival into a full-blown national entity – one that takes place over two weekends and features some of the biggest pop, rock and hip-hop acts in the world. A festival that once took place over…
Weird Homes Tour Houston Gives an Inside Look at the Wacky and Whimsical
Austin doesn’t have a lock on weird, and the inaugural Weird Homes Tour Houston – with thousands of hippos, an old fire station and an eclectic mix of tramp and outsider art – just might prove the point. If you’ve ever driven past a house that’s peppered with whimsical lawn sculptures, or…
Prophets of Rage and Music’s Mixed Bag of Supergroups
Whatever your opinion of Donald Trump – and they certainly vary wildly, depending on who you ask – the man’s contribution to rock music is certainly something worth saluting. After all, Prophets of Rage – a rap-metal supergroup comprised of members of Rage Against the Machine, Public Energy and Cypress…
All the Craziness We Can’t Wait For at Fantastic Fest 2016, the Great Genre-Film Freak Show
You know those kids who didn’t give a damn about fashion or football but piled onto beanbags in the basement every Friday to watch the freakiest low-budget camp horror comedies and psychedelic vintage animations on bootleg VHS procured via mail order from some dude they met at a rock show in…
With Miss Peregrine, Tim Burton Shows He’s Still Got Wonder in Him
The conventional wisdom about early-career Tim Burton is that he was an imaginative visual stylist but not a great storyteller. That sounds smart, right? It’s still something that a certain kind of ratty-beard-stroking film critic keeps tucked in his sweater vest in case he needs to say something that sounds…
Emeril Lagasse’s Eat the World Proves It would Be Amazing to Be Emeril Lagasse
One of the benefits of services like Netflix and Amazon Prime is that they allow TV stars, liberated from the confines of network television and cable, to try something new, expand their reach or otherwise kick it up a notch. In Amazon’s Eat the World, for example, Emeril Lagasse, the…
Engaging Courtroom Drama Denial Puts the Holocaust on Trial
Adults in 2016 know not to feed the trolls. If you have to, though, you need to come on hard and strong, publicly glutting them on so much truth that they just curl up and die under their bridges/in their comment threads. So it goes in Mick Jackson’s patient, heartening…
County Commissioners Approve $105 Million Plan to Save the Astrodome (Ta Da!)
After sitting vacant and in disrepair for years, the Astrodome is about to get the makeover, Harris County Commissioners Court announced today. County officials announced Tuesday morning that commissioners have unanimously approved a $105 million Astrodome Revitalization Plan, saving the dome from demolition. The expansive plan includes a project to…
The “Best of Les Miles” Press Conference Anthology
I have no idea why this is (but someday would love to research it), but college football, of all the major sports out there, is easily the one that arouses the most sports-hate in its fan bases. Whether it’s caused by blind loyalty to an alma mater, casual gambling or…
The Russian Grand Ballet Comes to Stafford With The Sleeping Beauty
Olga Kifyak, the prima ballerina who plays the title role in the Russian Grand Ballet’s upcoming performance of Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty is talented, but not what most would consider a veteran of the stage. “I started dancing very late,” she says. In fact, she only began to study dancing…
Clinton Misses Knockout, But Learns How to Wear Trump Down
I’m supposed to write about last night’s presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump through the eyes of a U.S. voter of Hispanic heritage. But all I can think about are the lessons boxing has taught us, and how I hope history repeats itself. I was like any Clinton…
Get Ready for Halloween With These Spine-Chilling Podcasts
Halloween might technically be more than a month away, but everyone knows that pumpkin season really starts October 1. (Or should.) And while it might be traditional to sit around a campfire and tell spooky stories, that’s far from the only way to get your adrenaline and paranoia pumping. Ditch…
In Its Quest to Join the Big XII, UH May Have Done Too Well
If college football conference realignment, specifically Big XII expansion, were a beauty contest, then for the University of Houston, September 3 was the final pageant. Through the countless months of fundraising, the sweat of building and paying for a new football stadium, the years of rebuilding and enhancing its brand,…
Police Find Nazi Emblems, Few Answers in Probe of Lawyer Who They Say Shot Nine
To John Thornton, who was outside grabbing the morning paper, it at first sounded like a dumpster lid crashing down. To Julie Bolin, it sounded like a truck carrying tanks of oxygen may have crashed, the tanks perhaps popping. “My husband and I just went to target practice yesterday,” Bolin…
Edgar’s Hermano Is Worth Checking Out, if You Can Find Your Way There
I couldn’t figure out why our waiter was so insistent on his recommendation of the quesadilla appetizer until I took a bite of the crisped, doughy housemade tortillas sandwiching a mixture of poblano rajas. Topped with a smear of guacamole spiked with just enough lime, the quesadillas were sublime. Houston diners…
Upcoming: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Susan Alcorn, Archie Bell, The 1975, Greg Ashley, Health, Jim James, Busdriver, Robert Ellis, Wild Nothing, Young Mammals
“Intermezzo” Concert: Sat., October 8, 3-4:15 p.m.; Sun., October 9, 5:30-6:15 p.m., Free to $20. Lambert Hall, 1703 Heights, Houston, 713-861-5303. The 1975: Sat., November 26, 7 & 8 p.m., $39.50 to $41.50. Revention Music Center, 520 Texas, Houston, 713-225-8551.Adam Torres: Wed., October 12, 5:30 p.m., Free. Cactus Music, 2110…
The Power of the “Soy Yo” Video and the “Brown Little Miss Sunshine”
The other day I got an unexpected visit from a friend, Robin Beltran, a media personality who is African-American. She recently went natural on the dome. Her hair is now a big, beautiful, puffy unapologetic Afro – a crown, she calls it. She said something very revealing to me during…
Privilege Is Being Able to Laugh at What Kills Other People
I’m not sure any word has ever had the trigger quality of “privilege.” We talk about wanting trigger warnings for rape and sexual violence survivors or veterans (hey, does anyone else remember that Rambo: First Blood is actually about a dude undergoing a severe mental disturbance brought on by having…
In Trump and Clinton’s First Debate, Moderator Lester Holt Was the Loser
Last night history was made. Donald Trump lied on stage. A lot. But that wasn’t the big deal. Hillary Clinton smiled, baited Trump, and then smiled again. She also took the stage as the first woman presidential candidate nominated by a major party in the history of the United States…
Gun Activists Slam Pi Pizza With Bad Reviews Over Its Anti-Gun Stance
When it comes to arguments over gun control in Texas, it turns out that even pizza isn’t a safe topic. This weekend, Facebook user Kyle Kelly posted that he intended to try out Pi Pizza, a pizza restaurant on Heights Boulevard – until, Kelly said, he saw that they banned…
The Angola Oil Companies Don’t Want You to See
It would make for a tough trivia question: Where are you? This young nation boasts huge reserves of oil and diamonds, plus international investors — from the United States, France, China, Russia, Brazil — lined up to score a piece of it. Its capital, which hardly ever sees tourists, bears…
Non-Headliners to Watch at ACL Fest 2016
Any major music festival is only as good as its headliners. It’s a lesson Free Press Summer Fest has learned the hard way in recent years. Austin City Limits Music Festival, however, has traditionally delivered on major, name-brand headliners; in the past few years alone, ACL headliners have included Drake,…
Things I Learned From the ‘Houston Music Is Awesome’ Response
I’ve never been a fan of the follow-up article. As a reader, it feels like someone’s returned to the barn to once again saddle a very tired horse or, worse yet, to beat the poor thing after it’s already keeled over from exhaustion. As a writer, it’s a bit uncomfortable…
Luke Cage: Marvel’s Latest (and Best) Expands Its Universe
The first moments of Luke Cage offer much that the previous 38 or so hours of Marvel superhero Netflix drama haven’t: laughter. Warmth. A sense that the New York City that Daredevil and Jessica Jones mope and brawl through might be more than just a place to save — it…
Opportunity Knox — but Goes Unanswered by this Middling Doc
In the nine years since she was first accused of and jailed for murder — then exculpated, only to be retried and found guilty again, and finally absolved — Amanda Knox has learned a thing or two about performance. “Either I’m a psychopath in sheep’s clothing…,” the 21st century’s most…
Deepwater Horizon Makes Rousing Adventure From a Real-Life Tragedy
Deepwater Horizon is the most entertaining Hollywood disaster movie in years. I’m sorry — is that a terrible thing to say? Peter Berg’s film is based on the true story of the BP-leased, Transocean-owned deepwater drilling rig that in 2010 exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 souls and…
Massive Audience Expected for First Debate Between Clinton, Trump
Tonight, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are scheduled to face off in New York for the first of three debates. Millions of people are expected to watch the broadcast, which will be shown on all the major networks and streamed online — but past that, nobody has a…
The Gory Details of the Inaugural Houston Open Air Festival [UPDATED]
Anyone who held a Houston Open Air ticket this past weekend or at least was within earshot of someone who did, got quite an earful of concern and complaining. That’s because for Houston’s inaugural Danny Wimmer Presents metal festival, the grounds were evacuated both days due to inclement weather from…
National Conservative Media Distorts Story of Robbed Black UH Student
Jerry Ford Jr., on his way home from class, thought the man sitting outside his apartment building was a University of Houston student who had been locked out. But before Ford, a graduate public policy student at UH, could even put his key in the door, the man pulled out…
The Gritty Life – and Fiction – of Nelson Algren Not Big on Niceties
Algren: A Life By Mark Wisniewski 384 pp. $30 Chicago Review Press Nelson Algren really wanted to be a professional writer. Really. Sure, he had graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in journalism and a card he could show to potential employers saying that he was “a…
Several Shot by Gunman Near Southwest Houston Strip Mall [UPDATED]
Several people were injured early Monday after a gunman started firing shots at moving cars and pedestrians near Wesleyan and Bissonet in southwest Houston. According to various reports, the shooting broke out around 6:30, targeting a strip mall near Randall’s grocery store where police and first responders are now gathered. KTRK…
College Football, Week 4 — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
With no Texans game to prepare for nor attend this past weekend, I finally had a chance to sit on the couch for roughly eleven hours unfettered (save about 90 minutes worth of grilling in my backyard) and take in an entire Saturday of college football from beginning to end,…
Counting Crows, Rob Thomas Embrace Nostalgia on Picturesque Night in The Woodlands
Counting Crows, Rob Thomas Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion September 26, 2016 There’s some humility in finding out firsthand that the bands of your youth are now nostalgia acts – big business, amphitheater-playing ones, but nostalgia acts nonetheless. As much was evident during Counting Crows’ and Rob Thomas’ double bill in…
The Redemption Series Fails to Move us Forward from Crisis
The set up: We don’t go to the theater to see spectacular CGI special effects. We don’t go to get swept away by glorious Technicolor animation, 3D stereoscopics or Dolby Surround sound. What we do go to see are stories about people, places, and ideas. Stories that, while they may…
Dish of the Week: Jägerschnitzel
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. With Oktoberfest in mind, this week, we’re sharing a recipe for Jägerschnitzel. Originating in Austria, a schnitzel is a butterflied, boneless piece of meat…
The Real Story Behind the Houston Ex-Porn Star Suing Facebook for $1 Billion
In late August, a former adult film star living in Houston gained notoriety for filing a $1 billion lawsuit against Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, accusing him of allowing libelous comments about her to remain on the site. The woman, who calls herself Paree Latiejira and who performed in the early…
In Honor of James Bond’s Anniversary, Check Out the Ten Best Bond Girls
The Bond girl is the litmus test of every James Bond film. Yes, many Bond girls are written as nothing more than one-dimensional sexist clichés, but it’s not a coincidence that all of the best Bond films treated their female leads like actual humans. And when that happened, some truly…
This Week in Houston Food Events: All You Need Is Brunch
From a brunch sampling extravaganza to fiery burger night, here’s a look at this week’s hottest culinary happenings: Monday through Wednesday SaltAir Chef Series: The Philippines at SaltAir Seafood Kitchen The 12-week, travel-inspired chef series (ending Wednesday, October 5) continues at SaltAir Seafood Kitchen, 3029 Kirby. This week’s passport takes diners…
Will the State Board of Education Dodge a Vote Killing Mexican-American Textbook?
It turns out even State Board of Education members know the Mexican-American studies textbook they commissioned is a mess. What’s intriguing is how they plan on handling this. Last week, the State Board of Education presented a (more or less) open-minded, united front when they met to get public input on…
10 Best Places for Houston Geek Women to Meet
If you’re female and a geek in Houston, we have got some really excellent spots where you can express your love for all things nerdy in a welcoming environment. Since finding those spots can be a chore sometime, here’s a handy list. 10. Neil’s Bahr 2006 Walker This is Houston’s…
James Blake Woos House of Blues With Seductive British Soul
James Blake, Moses Sumney House of Blues September 24, 2016 I made a cardinal mistake on Saturday. A rookie move even, arriving just as doors were opening for James Blake’s long-awaited Houston stop on his The Colour In Anything tour. After finding a spot in the front I watched as…
Shows of the Week: New Okkervil River, Same Brilliant Will Sheff
OKKERVIL RIVER White Oak Music Hall, September 26 Fragile beauty, fierce intelligence, dry humor and a singularly poignant style have accumulated across nine albums — plus their unforgettable collaboration with ‘60s psych avatar Roky Erickson, 2010’s True Love Cast Out All Evil — to establish Okkervil River as one of…
The Best One-Man Bands in Recent Memory
Okkervil River began as a band in the late ’90s, when Will Sheff and his fellow Austinites joined up to have some fun and make some music. Over the years, myriad factors – kids, 8-5 jobs, etc. – led to one member after another departing to the band, to the…
Dear Stoner: What Can I Do With My Vaped Weed?
Dear Stoner: I’ve had a vaporizer for almost a year now and have a buttload of golden-brown vaped weed saved up. Is there anything I can do with it, or have I been wasting my energy? Nicholas Dear Nicholas: If your vaporizer isn’t turning your flower black, it might eventually…
Dear Stoner: How Do I Tell My Family I Smoke Pot?
Dear Stoner: I’ve been smoking pot for a few years, but in the last six months I’ve started smoking more as I drink less (I’m 25). My parents have always been against marijuana, but I want to be honest with them if I continue to partake. How should I break…
Cougars Play Close to Perfection in Defeating Texas State 64-3
Tom Herman probably could’ve taken an intramural squad from the UH campus and defeated Texas State last night, so mismatched did the game appear to be. He surely could have taken that intramural squad and used it exclusively in the second half and have held on to the win, especially…
Fawning for Trump, Cruz Proves He Cares More About Power Than Wife, Dad, Pride
After all this time, it turns out Sen. Ted Cruz is exactly what he’s always seemed to be, a political operator so hungry for power that nothing else — not his wife, his father, his claims of conscience or his claimed concern for the United States — can compete with…
HISD Pays Off Fired Kashmere Principal Mable Caleb, 6 Years Later
On Thursday, with very little fanfare, the trustees of the Houston Independent School District voted to approve a $550,000 settlement payment to former Kashmere High School Principal Mable Caleb. The news, dispatched in a terse public relations statement from HISD, could not have been more different than the hoopla that…
Beyoncé’s Epic Formation Tour Takes a Hometown Victory Lap
Beyoncé, DJ Khaled NRG Stadium September 22, 2016 When Beyoncé’s Formation World Tour thundered into NRG Stadium back in May, her new album Lemonade was only a couple of weeks old. Announced hot on the heels of her eyebrow-raising Super Bowl appearance, the pop diva was embarking on her biggest,…
To Whom It May Is Ready to Take on Houston Open Air
When Houston Open Air announced a “Battle of the Bands,” a contest giving acts from the area a chance to perform at the festival, that was a big deal. When they further announced that the winner would be the festival opener, that was an even bigger deal. Who wouldn’t want…
Bundle up! An Arctic Blast Is Forecast for Houston
Break out the parkas, salt the walk and get those snow tires on: A cold front is forecast for Houston. The Houston/Galveston office of the National Weather Service is predicting the first cold front of the fall, which will move into Harris County from the west by Sunday evening and…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: The Best Wurst Kolache Pop-Up
From an Oktoberfest celebration to eating alllllll the shrimp, here’s a look at this weekend’s best culinary happenings: Kolache Pop-Up at King’s Biergarten Saturday, 8 to 11 a.m. (or until sold out) 1329 East Broadway King’s Biergarten is hosting its second kolache pop-up, inviting guests to feast and get a…
Celebrate James Bond’s Anniversary With Our Bond Movie Marathon
“Bond, James Bond,” the world’s coolest alcoholic sex addict and action hero, met the world more than 50 years ago when the film Dr. No premiered in London on October 5, 1962. The movie was a massive success, sparking a cinematic series that still continues on today. (Okay, yeah, there…
Houston Ballet Delivers a Satisfying Madame Butterfly
There’s an underlying sense of dread in Stanton Welch’s Madame Butterfly. The tragedy, set in Nagasaki, Japan, in the early 1900s, follows Cio-Cio San, a young geisha who enters into an arranged marriage with Lieutenant Pinkerton, an American Naval officer. He eventually abandons her, returns home and marries his American fiance. Years…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: The Magnificent Seven
Title: The Magnificent Seven Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: Mr. Bergstrom: And there were a few Jewish cowboys; big guys who were great shots and spent money freely. Brief Plot Synopsis: Seven and the ragged Sarsgaard. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three Sandinista! albums out of five. Tagline: “Justice has a…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: SaltAir Adds Lunch & Brunch
Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these deliciously fun culinary happenings, from a seasonal truffle menu to fire-grilled paella on the patio: With truffles in season, Chef David Denis has created a decadent menu at Le Mistral, 1400 Eldridge. The special menu will be offered now through the end of…
The Astros Aren’t Dead Yet, But the Grim Reaper Is Pounding on the Door
While you were busy watching the Texans get whooped by the Patriots (again), the Houston Astros were hosting the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a game the Astros needed to win. The Angels were pitching Ricky Nolasco who, coming into the night, was 6-14 with a 4.78 ERA on…
Precinct 4 Internal Report Suggests a Far Larger Evidence Scandal
The corporal who was fired for wrongfully destroying thousands of pounds of evidence sat at the same tiny desk that had been in the Harris County Precinct 4 property room for 20 years. The printer had been broken for months. An old prisoner cell that had been converted to a…
The Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Shrunken Heads & Space Junk
Disgusting, right? But also pretty awesome. We’re looking forward to viewing the shrunken heads and animal mummies over at HMNS (we heard there’s a fish, a dog and a baby crocodile) and unlocking the secrets of ancient civilizations. On the futuristic end of the spectrum, we’ve got the world’s first…
This Is 40: Okkervil River’s Music Matures With Experience
Puff Daddy is back on the road with his Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour. Doc Martens have begun to pop up at shopping malls again. Hell, Bill Clinton may be back in the White House by this time next year. Point being, nostalgia is in full effect here in America. Okkervil River…
“Forever Country”? Give Us a Break
On Tuesday night, the sweetest little video you ever did see premiered during an episode of Dancing With The Stars. Featuring practically every living artist who has ever had a Top 20 hit in the last 30 years, ranging from Brett Eldredge to Dolly Parton, the video is a celebration…
The 10 Best Deftones Deep Cuts
If you listen to loud music, odds are good you know the Deftones’ narrative: they were the most talented band in their scene, critically acclaimed but never quite as popular as they should have been, who after some dark and tragic times had a second renaissance period that sees them…
Musicians Still Think Houston Is Awesome
As a personal rule, I avoid contention. Naturally anxious people tend to be like that. But all week I’ve been reading Facebook threads between local musicians about this Houston Press article. This has happened before, too — evidently there’s plenty of mileage in taking the scene to task over various…
Have Superheroes Killed the Movie Star?
Looking back at this dismal summer of superhero adaptations, I am reminded of something Chris Rock said during the 77th Academy Awards: “There are only four real stars, and the rest are just popular people.” This was February 2005, mind you — a few months before Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins…
Color Coding With Clint Black
Clint Black is not color-blind. In fact, as he told Taste of Country last year, as he was writing songs for his latest album, On Purpose, he assigned each song a color as a way to ensure he was making a well-balanced record, something that applies just as much to…
Friends for Life Animal Shelter Gets $200,000 Award [UPDATED]
Congratulations are in order for Houston no-kill animal shelter Friends For Life, which won a $100,000 award from Reliant Energy, and a $100,000 match from an anonymous donor. Located in the Heights, Friends for Life was founded by Salise Shuttlesworth, who graduated with a law degree from UT-Austin, but apparently…
World’s First Drone Play Premieres This Weekend in Houston
If you’re tired of watching plays performed by, you know, people, this weekend offers Houstonians another option with the premiere of the play Space Junk: Do People Dream of Electric Children? Instead of using human actors on-stage, all of the characters in the one-act comedy will be performed by drones…
Harris County Seeks to Shutter V Live Club, Where Moses Malone Jr. Was Attacked
The Harris County Attorney’s Office is seeking to shut down the club outside of which Moses Malone Jr., son of Houston Rockets legend Moses Malone, was recently attacked and robbed. The county has filed a common nuisance lawsuit against V Live Club due to its frequent brushes with violent crime…
Haunted House Operators Work All Year to Ready Their Haunts for Halloween
A woman sprinted through the dark woods, trapped in a maze made of high bamboo shoots. The sound of chainsaws filled her ears, as their operators seemed to chasing her. Finally, the woman reached the exit, where two police officers and the owner of the maze, part of a haunted…
What We Learned From Our Nightmare Move to Houston
I should have sensed trouble when Hector didn’t call me back. It was June 2. My girlfriend and I had been in Houston nine days, but most of our belongings were on a moving truck, somewhere between Burlington, Vermont and Texas, that had not yet arrived. Hector, the foreman from…
Remembering Shawty Lo, Regional Rap Hero
I have a day job that doesn’t consist of writing about music yet does entail listening to music, if that makes sense. Every day, I put on a shirt, a tie, some slacks, and some comfortable enough dress shoes and take people to and from the airport. It’s a nothing…
So, Before You Write That Anti-Feminist Article…
I travel a lot in what’s called the Manosphere, which is a loose collection of anti-feminists, Men’s Rights Activists, pick up artists and other terribly annoying people with more web presence than brain power. These dudes (and the women chocked full of internalized misogyny that are their allies) love to…
A Non-Exhaustive List of Things Ted Cruz Has Done That May Cost Him His Seat
This week, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick offered some tough love to his friend Sen. Ted Cruz. He told a talk show radio host that if Cruz fails to endorse Donald Trump before the presidential election, he will be “left behind in the rear-view mirror of the Republican Party.” Of course,…
The Houston Press Brunch Event, The Morning After, Nears
Friday at midnight is your last chance to scoop up a special four-pack of tickets to The Morning After, A Houston Press Brunch Event. On Saturday, October 1, 2016 from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at Bayou City Event Center Pavilion the Press will celebrate itsinaugural event, featuring food sampling…
My Girl Gave Me an STD. Help!
Dear Willie D: My girl gave me an STD, and tried to act as though I must’ve gotten it from somewhere else. She claimed to not have it, but won’t go to the doctor with me to get tested. The last time I had sex with another girl was over…
Fleabag is the Egocentric Comedy Heroine of Your Dreams/Nightmares
America might not be ready for Fleabag, the new Amazon/BBC series from British writer and creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Think about all the guff Girls received for “forcing” viewers along on a ride with myopic 20-somethings. Waller-Bridge has gone even further than Girls creator Lena Dunham, speaking directly to the camera…
Blue Bell Issues an Ice Cream Recall Because of Possible Listeria. Again.
Shock of shocks, Blue Bell is once again pulling products because of listeria. Yep, more than a year after it was discovered that Blue Bell’s ice cream plants had been putting out listeria-tainted ice cream for years — a revelation that led to various recalls, shutdowns, furloughs and layoffs in…
Mark Drew Pens Epic Love Letter to Acres Homes
Swishahouse Studios needs a State Historical Marker. The music – and the magic – created inside of it during the ‘90s thrust “the 44” into the national spotlight. Paul Wall, Slim Thug, Chamillionaire grew up within the once-agrarian Northside neighborhoods abandoned throughout the White Flight of the ‘50s and ‘60s…
White Professor Sues TSU, Alleging Racial Discrimination
A white Texas Southern University physics professor is suing the historically black school for discrimination, saying he’s been harassed, ridiculed, and denied promotions, among other things. Christopher Tymczak, who has taught at TSU since 2006, alleges that his continued persecution by his department chairman — who is black —…
Kanye West Gives Houston a Concert Experience Unlike Any Other
Kanye West, Travis Scott Toyota Center September 20, 2016 Note: Because Kanye West is such a multidimensional artist (and because his ego practically demanded it), the Houston Press sent our two foremost Kanye experts to Tuesday night’s Saint Pablo show. BRANDON I’ve long argued that Kanye West can maximize the…
Texas Is Ahead of the Feds When It Comes to Forensic Science in Courtrooms
President Barack Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology has a pretty clear-cut message to prosecutors across America: Stop convicting people based on junk science. On Tuesday, the advisors released a scathing review of various forensic “science” practices that have, for some time, remained kosher in courtrooms — despite…
The Inaugural Woodlands BBQ Festival Will Take Place This Sunday at Town Green Park
Barbecue is serious business in Texas. Arguments have often erupted over which BBQ joint has the best brisket or ribs. Places famous for their smoked meats usually have patrons lining up for hours in hopes of getting a taste. This weekend the inaugural Woodlands BBQ Festival allows guests to score…
DA’s Office Releases List of Cases Dismissed in Precinct 4 Evidence Scandal
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office released a list Tuesday of all of the cases that have been dismissed so far due to missing evidence from Harris County Precinct 4, but have still given no explanation of how the fiasco was allowed to happen. After Precinct 4 superiors discovered that a…
Mary Sarah Looks Far Beyond The Voice
Mary Sarah, who recently turned 21, belongs to two pretty exclusive clubs, making her perhaps one of the few artists who can claim membership in both. This spring, she advanced to the Top 5 in the latest season of NBC’s The Voice, which won its second consecutive Emmy for Reality-Competition…
George H.W. Bush Will Vote for Clinton, a Kennedy Says
In this day and age of stark political divides and strict party lines, some may have assumed that of course former President George H.W. Bush would vote for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump come November. Well, it looks like those assumptions are decidedly incorrect. On Monday evening Kathleen Kennedy Townsend,…
