Filling the Gaps at Fiesta en Guadalajara
I’ve lived in Houston for 22 23 years. It took me 16 of those to visit the Rothko Chapel for the first time. I didn’t eat at Ninfa’s on Navigation until I’d counted myself a Houstonian for nearly a decade. I still haven’t eaten at Frenchy’s. The list of glaring…
“Supermensch” Shep Gordon Enjoys His Lifetime Backstage Pass
They Call Me Supermensch: A Backstage Pass to the Amazing Worlds of Film, Food, and Rock ‘n’ Roll By Shep Gordon HarperCollins, 309 pp., $25.99 One of the more entertaining rock docs of recent years was Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon. Produced by Mike Myers (yes, Austin Powers himself), it…
Peek Inside ICP’s ‘Riddle Box’: A Primer on Music’s No. 1 Clowns
You don’t have to admire Insane Clown Posse’s music to respect the duo’s longevity. Nor should you admire ICP’s music, mostly because it’s not very good. Yet despite an utter lack of musical talent and lyrics that can safely be described as juvenile and, on occasion, somewhat disturbing, ICP has been…
“I Love Chaos”: American Honey Director Andrea Arnold on Improvisational Filmmaking
The month before Fish Tank writer/director Andrea Arnold premiered her film American Honey at this year’s edition of the Cannes Film Festival (where it won the Jury Prize), she spoke before an audience with director Ira Sachs as part of the Tribeca Film Festival. The following are excerpts of her remarks, edited for clarity…
Sculpture Month Houston Joins the City’s Art Festival Line-up
It’s been 16 years since Houston last celebrated sculpture on a city-wide scale with Sculpture 2000. Volker Eisele, director at Rudolph Blume Fine Art / ArtScan Gallery, and Tommy Gregory, artist and curator at the Houston Airport System, thought it was time to do it again and began Sculpture Month…
7 Reasons to Visit Tomball
Tomball has lots in common with the Heights area; the Houston skyline looms to the south, there’s a palpable appreciation of history and a friendly neighborhood feel to the place. There are a few differences. Things are a little more spread out in Tomball than they are in the Heights…
Beer Glorious Beer! A Return to Our Series on Buying Beer in Time for Oktoberfest.
As the weather turns cooler and Octoberfest gears up, we thought it was time to return to the serious business of drinking beer. And because we don’t want you to spend too much time getting lost along the way, we’re going to set you up with our series on beer…
First Look at Platypus Brewing
The tag line reads: Brewed with Texan Heart and Australian Soul. The newest brewery in the Washington area blends homegrown ingredients with both Texas and Australian hops to produce Texas-Australian hybrid beer. The Houston Press happily stumbled upon the soft opening of Platypus Brewing on October 2. Located in the space…
The Thrill Is Not Gone for Rick Lee & the Night Owls
Houston’s Rick Lee cites blues guitarist and singer Otis Rush as a major influence and the reason he started playing the blues. Lee heard a song called “All Your Love (I Miss Loving),” which Rush wrote back in the ’50s and was later covered by John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers while Eric Clapton…
50 Years Later, The Battle of Algiers Remains a Cinematic Astonishment
Half a century after its debut, The Battle of Algiers has a permanent parking spot in the film canon. After taking home the Golden Lion at the 1966 Venice Film Festival, it was nominated for three Academy Awards (one in 1967 and two in 1969, oddly) and now ranks within…
Paying the Piper With Handel’s Jephtha, the First Concert in New “Circle of Fifths”
For Ars Lyrica artistic director Matthew Dirst, Handel’s Jephtha, about the Book of Judges warrior who vows to sacrifice the first thing he sees in exchange for winning a battle (which, unfortunately for him, turns out to be his own daughter), is a perfect fit for their current season Fables & Follies,…
Five Things You Can Do With Your Dog This Fall (Part One)
We took a look at fun things to do with Buddy this fall in Houston, mixing in a few tail-wagging no-brainers like food and play, but also adding in some enrichment and cultural activities. Believe it or not, there are a lot of opportunities to bond with man’s best friend…
“Oldchella” Celebrates Rock’s Ultimate Survivors
There has never been a mega-festival quite like Desert Trip. There are just six acts and only one stage. No art installations, no dance tent, no bands you never heard of serenading you in the distance while you stand in line at the beer garden. Just a half-dozen rock &…
First Look at The General Public
The General Public opened on August 11, just six weeks ago, but already, it has become a favorite neighborhood gastropub serving Americana southern classic dishes and craft cocktails and beers. From the copper-plated ceiling tiles to the open-concept kitchen, the restaurant’s charm greets you warmly from the first hello to the…
Lyle Lovett & Robert Earl Keen Bring a Taste of Texas to New England
Lyle Lovett & Robert Earl Keen Merrill Auditorium Portland, Maine September 30, 2016 In 1952, Erwin Schrödinger first floated the idea of the multiverse, in which different realities occur simultaneously with each other. So it’s comforting, in a way, to believe in an alternate reality where Lyle Lovett and Robert…
Ava DuVernay’s 13th Exposes, in Fury and Fact, Why America Loves to Jail Black Men
You might have let yourself act surprised as the waters have risen and the floods have come. But you can’t anymore, not after 13th, Ava DuVernay’s miraculous cine-history of the criminalization of American blackness. Few films shake and astonish like this one, even though nothing in it should be a…
Malick’s IMAX Lulu Gapes at the Roots of the Tree of Life
Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience might be the most narrative film of Terrence Malick’s career. The enigmatic director’s recent work has been marked by a turn toward elliptical, stream-of-consciousness meditations, pretty much discarding any semblance of conventional storytelling. But going as far back as Badlands (1973), he’s had a…
Bedouin Drama Sand Storm Finds the Patriarchy Thriving in Modern Times
Outside of dudes killing dudes, there’s little the moviegoers seem to love more than weddings, a truth that Elite Zexer’s heartsick desert drama Sand Storm exploits for a first-act sucker punch. The nuptials that teen Layla (Lamis Ammar) is driving her father Suliman (Hitham Omari) toward, the frame of a…
The Girl on the Train Offers Steady Suspense, but Where Does It Get You?
It takes all of two minutes of listening to Emily Blunt’s voiceover in The Girl on the Train before you have to wonder whether this narrator might be unreliable. As her Rachel rides Metro-North in and out of Manhattan, detailing her growing obsession with the ostensibly perfect couple she steals…
The Federal Government Just Made It Easier to Sue Nursing Homes
When Elisa Zapata died, her Houston family wanted to sue the nursing home, Fredericksburg Caring Co. LP. They ultimately found they couldn’t do it. Now, a significant policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services aims to empower patients like Zapata. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme…
Five Underrated Plays That Helped the Texans Beat the Titans
My plan for these “Five Underrated Plays” posts after Texans games has been to use them only when necessary, which in the NFL is a game that’s played inside of single digits, where the butterfly effect of one good or bad play can set the tone, steer the game, or…
Book Review: Junk Gypsies Celebrate Pickin’, Junkin’ and Antiquing in Texas
You’ll find yourself humming Johnny Paycheck’s “Take This Job and Shove It” and dreaming of road trips and small-town life after reading the new book by the Junk Gypsies, those Texas sisters with “an addiction to flea markets, wanderlust and Americana-inspired design.” It might be their debut novel, but it’s not their…
David Snyder’s Work at the GAR Tackles Trump and Guano
Donald Trump, cockroaches and bat guano — all part of David Snyder’s work on view at the Galveston Artist’s Residency. Trump’s voice is center stage in “Knock-off Oracle, Undecider’s -Anthem…And a Disaster, After,” Snyder’s sprawling installation in the main gallery, curated by the GAR in collaboration with Rice Gallery’s Joshua…
Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Ken Paxton Via Email
A man pleaded guilty in Houston federal court Monday after lashing out at Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his employees via email and telling them he hopes “God burn [sic] your houses and burn the bodies of your children and yourself,” according to the criminal indictment. Syed Kaleem Razvi,…
State Fare’s Menu Matches Its Decor — Both Are Still in Development
There’s an unfinished feel to State Fare that lingers with you past the exposed sheetrock on the walls and the dangling Ethernet cables. That absence of the finishing touches that make a space really come together into the final vision of a restaurant shows up across the menu as well…
The Texas Junk Company, Longtime Purveyor of Boots, Stays Open – For Now
The Texas Junk Company, which has sold Houstonians worn boots and other used goods for decades, has been granted a stay of execution. The Montrose institution was originally scheduled to shutter its doors last weekend, but will instead remain open for at least another week, according to its Facebook page…
Meet the Texas RenFest Performers Who Bring the Joust Into the 21st Century
This year at the Texas Renaissance Festival, listen for the sound of blaring trumpets and beating drums: It signals the start of a show of the Middle Ages’ premiere sport. Four times a day, knights ride out in the RenFest Arena to greet the roaring crowd, as flags wave and…
Lisa Carnley Benoit Brings Her Cajun Charm to Spring
Eleven years after Hurricane Katrina brought Lisa Carnley Benoit to Houston, she just celebrated the ribbon-cutting of her second location of The Cajun Stop in Spring. She sat down with the Houston Press to chat about “keeping all of her balls in the air.” This little Vietnamese-American woman has become…
How the City Came to Know Dozens of Midtown Kush Users on a First-Name Basis
Marc Eichenbaum, Mayor Sylvester Turner’s special assistant for homeless initiatives, feels a little embarrassed to be wearing a suit down here, fresh out of a meeting. He strolls through the U.S. 59 underpass near Wheeler Station in Midtown like he is walking through his office, greeting homeless people and others…
Upcoming: Barbra Streisand, Cracker, Cop Warmth, One Africa Music Fest, PartyNextDoor, Screw Up the Vote, etc.
Note: Highly recommended events are marked in bold. A Cinemasonic Experience: Carman Live In Concert: Sat., October 29, 7 p.m., $10. Jefferson Theatre, 345 Fannin, Beaumont, 409-838-3435. Albert and Gage: Fri., October 28, 8:45 p.m., TBA. Anderson Fair Retail Restaurant, 2007 Grant, Houston, 832-767-2785. Alejandra Guzman: Thu., October 20, 7…
Drive-By Truckers Reclaim Southern Rock for the Good Guys
When you spend virtually all of your time listening to country music, it’s easy to feel like you’ve just been listening to the same song for the past 20 years. Trucks, girls, rinse, repeat. Every once in a while, something different will come along, but homogeneity is, evidently, a successful…
Houston Press Monthly Mixtape: ACL Runoff Edition
October is a great time for Houston music fans, as it’s the time of year when the music-fest juggernaut that is Austin City Limits affords us a taste of some of the finest new music of the year. To celebrate, this mixtape is full of the cream of the ACL…
The 10 Best Music Venues in Houston
The paint is hardly dry on White Oak Music Hall, but the multi-stage Near Northside venue has already been a game-changer for Houston’s live-music scene. Explicitly inspired by numerous well-known concert destinations across the state and beyond — Stubb’s in Austin, Houston’s own Fitzgerald’s, Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club — White…
You Can’t Unsee The Red Pill, About a Filmmaker Who Learns to Love MRAs
Here’s a great example of how not to open your documentary. “After releasing my film in 2012 about marriage equality, I was at a loss of what topic to explore next,” says Cassie Jaye in the halting tones of a hostage reading her captors’ statement to the world. That comes…
Masterminds Leaves You Time to Wonder: Does Director Jared Hess Hate Poor Folks?
When Relativity Media — the production company/distributor behind Masterminds, the newest vehicle for Zach Galifianakis to do his painfully committed schtick — started getting press, co-founder/co-CEO Ryan Kavanaugh boasted of his secret sauce for success. A proprietary risk-evaluation algorithm that crunched variables like cast, release date, relative examples in the…
Nate Parker’s Slave-Rebellion Thriller The Birth of a Nation Seeks Absolution
Forgiveness is tricky and personal, and you can’t be blamed for not offering it. Buying a ticket to Nate Parker’s slave-revolt drama The Birth of a Nation demands at least some measure of it. As you’ve probably heard, while a student at Penn State, Parker — the film’s star, director…
Gross-Out Goof The Greasy Strangler Dares You to Hate It
They say there’s no accounting for taste, and here to prove it is The Greasy Strangler. A fringe-inhabiting genre provocation destined for a self-selecting audience with strong stomachs, co-writer/director Jim Hosking’s feature-length whatsit tests sensibilities, but Hosking forgets that oddity isn’t a substitute for quality. The film offers a chance…
Travis Lenig Leaves F.E.E.D. TX Restaurant Group; Plans to Open New Place in the Heights
After five years with F.E.E.D. TX Restaurant Group, first at Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar in the Heights, and then at Liberty Kitchen and Oysterette in River Oaks, Little Liberty in the Rice Village, Liberty Kitchen in Garden Oaks, and most recently, Liberty Kitchen at the Treehouse in Memorial City…
Student Charged With Threatening HISD School on Social Media Using Clown Pic
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has charged a 14-year-old Houston Independent School District student with making an anonymous “terroristic threat” on social media against an HISD school, according to a press release sent out by HISD on Monday. The student’s threat contained an image of a clown, which led…
The Best Things We Overheard at ACL’s First Weekend
“This lady is trying to listen to Radiohead and all she can hear is your story about the urinal.” “USA! USA! USA!” — So, I’m not entirely sure what the group of bros chanting this was trying to accomplish by jumping up and down and yelling during The Naked and…
The Best and Worst Acts of ACL Fest’s First Weekend
THE BEST LL COOL J & DJ Z-TRIP There are plenty of rappers-turned-actors in the world of entertainment. The same charisma and attitude that makes Ice Cube, T.I., and Ludacris successful lyricists translate over to decent, sometimes very good acting jobs. But the OG of them all, a pioneer of…
The Astros Need to Rebuild — And No Player on the Roster Is Safe
It’s safe to call this Houston Astros season a disappointment. After a 8-1 loss to the Angels yesterday, the team finished with a 84-78 record, missing out on the playoffs that many felt the Astros were destined for after the team’s strong finish last year. The team never quite jelled…
An Afternoon Peering Into Houston’s Musical Soul
Growing up, Trudy Lynn didn’t listen to the blues. Truth be told, the Fifth Ward native and blues icon would have preferred to hear Elvis Presley. But coming up in the ‘60s and ‘70s, her musical career spanned multiple genres. The blues followed a stint in R&B music, and it was…
5 Scams That Are Working in the Houston Area Right Now
Last week, the Harris County District Clerk alerted citizens about a jury scam making its way around the area. In this scheme, callers posing as law enforcement officers tell unsuspecting people they owe fines for missing jury duty and even risk arrest. Often, the scammers demand immediate payment of hundreds…
Dish of the Week: Applesauce Cake
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. This week, we’re giving traditional coffee cake a fall kick with applesauce cake. Applesauce cake is a sweet cake made with, wait for it,…
Need a Halloween or Ren Fest Costume? Get Thee to HGO’s Costume Sale
When we heard that Houston Grand Opera was opening the vault to sell more than 7,000 fabulous items from its warehouse, our minds started racing. Which costumes? Might we find the mermaid’s tail from Rusalka, the fur and leather garb from Siegfried, or maybe the child-sized Fox get-up from The Little Prince? Big…
This Week in Houston Food Events: Vietnamese Eats & Napa Wine
Here’s a look at this week’s hottest culinary happenings: All month long Pumpkin Carving Contest at Laurenzo’s Restaurant During the month of October, Laurenzo’s Restaurant, 4412 Washington, is inviting guests to bring a carved pumpkin to add to the Spooky Jack O’ Lantern Patio, and receive 15 percent off the…
NFL Week 4: Texans-Titans — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
For the first time since January 2, 2011, the Houston Texans took the field on Sunday afternoon without defensive end/world beater J.J. Watt. He wasn’t with the team, he wasn’t on the sideline, hell, he wasn’t even in Houston. Watt’s back surgery earlier this week actually took place in Los…
Celebrate National Adopt-A-Shelter Dog Month With Hip Happenings in H-Town
In honor of October’s National Adopt-A-Shelter Dog month, we took a look at some of the dog-friendly happenings in and around Houston. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed thinking about Houston’s homeless pet population, but one glance at all of the great work being done by volunteers, shelters and philanthropists around…
Clients Say Quanell X Ripped Them Off, but He Says He Can’t Help Everyone
For years Quanell X, a Houston civil rights activist, has appeared before banks of cameras and lights, addressing crowds with his sonorous voice about a crime or a miscarriage of justice that he was working to prevent. But last week in Beaumont a small cluster of people gathered outside the…
Shows of the Week: Dramatic Brits Bring Their Mountain to Houston’s Gates
FOALS White Oak Music Hall, October 4 Since they’ve been practicing since before even Shakespearean times, Brits’ talent for drama isn’t that surprising, but it always raises a smile when a band like Foals puts a fresh twist on the “Rocker as Mad Genius” archetype. For the band that formed…
Rock 4 Recovery Brings Wounded Veterans Some Guitar Therapy
Army Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Paul De La Cerda is a quality guy, the kind of dude you’d want in your corner for just about any trouble. Luckily, De La Cerda is that corner guy for U.S. veterans every day. Through his organization, Rock 4 Recovery, he’s doing something unique for…
The Weirdest Lawsuits in Recent Houston Memory
On Monday, Craig Malisow brought us the weird story of Paree Latiejira, a former Houston porn star who sued Facebook for $1 billion, claiming the site’s owners, well, just read the story. The strange tale got us thinking of all the other odd local lawsuits in recent years. Here are a few we…
Our Most Read Houston Fish Stories in the Past Year
We live on the Gulf Coast. So there’s pretty much no way to avoid fish and other denizens of the briny deep. Then there’s all our streams and lakes. Here’s some of our most read stories about the fish in our midst and how to tackle them. Crawfish Boil Etiquette:…
New System Allows OSHA to Issue Big Fines to Houston Machine Company
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration finally has some teeth and its Houston inspectors have just bitten into Machinery Maintenance Rebuilders, a city machine shop that has been found repeatedly violating worker safety standards, according to OSHA. OSHA first checked out Machinery Maintenance Rebuilders in 2015 and found several…
Handyman Charged With Bilking Houston Artist’s Widow Out of Small Fortune
Nearly three years after a Harris County Probate Court investigator warned that the elderly widow of prominent artist John Biggers was being bilked out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by a handyman, a Houston man has been charged with felony theft. Napoleon Bruns II, 72, was charged in Harris…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: The Forecast Calls for Brunch & Beer
From an inaugural bottomless brunch event to Oktoberfest fun, here’s a look at this weekend’s best culinary happenings: High West Whiskey Tasting at Reserve 101 Friday, 6:30 p.m. 1201 Caroline Whiskey lovers are invited to join Reserve 101 for a High West Whiskey Tasting hosted by David Perkins, founder of…
Industrafest Part 2 Brings Meat Beat Manifesto, Clock DVA, And Other World Class Electronic Music To Numbers
On the heels of a successful first night for Industrafest, which brought performances by PIG and The Cocks to Houston industrial and electronic music fans, The New Beat and Past Present Productions are bringing another stellar lineup for the second night of the festival. The Saturday, October 1st show features…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Deepwater Horizon
Title: Deepwater Horizon Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: Mr. Burns: Soon, that mighty apparatus will burst forth with its precious fluid. Almost sexual, isn’t it, Smithers? Brief Plot Synopsis: America’s worst marine disaster is surprisinglyb watchable. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Four Unclwe Bobs out of five. Tagline: “When…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: Get Berryhill’s Smoky Taco of the Month
Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these deliciously fun culinary happenings, from food and wine pairings to a culinary meeting of the minds: Inspired by the smoky smell of autumn air, Berryhill Baja Grill’s October Taco of the Month is the Smoky Buffalo Chicken Taco. The taco…
UH’s Greg Ward Jr. Makes It Look Easy as Coogs Get Revenge Against UConn
One of my colleagues put it best last night when referring to UH’s Greg Ward, Jr.: “It’s just too easy,” he said. And anybody watching the Cougar offense operate against UConn has to agree. But not only does it look just too easy for Ward, it’s looking too easy for…
New HPD Body Cam Policy Would Likely Have Captured Alva Braziel Shooting
When Mayor Sylvester Turner announced he would release the body camera footage from the night Alva Braziel was shot by police, his show of transparency was applauded across the state. The move came was less than three weeks after Braziel was killed. Two Houston police officers had spotted Braziel walking…
The Five Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Art, a Bluesy Ballet and Brunch
There’s nothing traditional about this weekend, and that’s a good thing. We’re celebrating the grand opening of Smither Park with its everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mosaic masterpieces, the Alley Theatre starts its pedestrian-centric theatrical experience in a cemetery, and Musiqa is jazzing up its season opener with saxophones and a ballet. Refuel and recharge with…
Houston’s Rap Scene & The Great Podcast Renaissance
How often have you discussed your local music scene with your friends? Casually? Frequently? Enough so that all parties involved can literally want to punch and scream and attempt to shake up the establishment one segment at a time? It’s going to happen. In the type of mind enlightening /…
In Defense of Cheesy Pop-Punk
The turn of the century certainly brought about its fair share of change. New president. New technology. And with regard to music, a new movement. Pop-punk wasn’t exactly a new phenomenon in the early-mid 2000s. Bands like Green Day, Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, and – to an extent – The…
Fantastic Fest: Here’s an Apology to Anne Hathaway, Because She’s So Good in Colossal
I want to take a moment to apologize to Anne Hathaway. Ms. Hathaway, as you’ve grown from precocious princess (The Princess Diaries) and embattled intern (The Devil Wears Prada) to destitute prostitute (Les Misérables) and back again to Disney royalty (Alice Through the Looking Glass), I’ve sometimes judged you unfairly,…
Fantastic Fest: Ana Lily Amirpour’s Bad Batch Is a Mad, Post-Apocalyptic Spree
There’s little in the way of setup or explanation for what the “bad batch” is or how the members of such a motley, unfortunate tribe of humans were banished to a desert wasteland in Ana Lily Amirpour’s post-apocalyptic action dramedy. Instead, Amirpour just lets the camera linger on a sign…
Houston Taco Trucks Pull Double Duty as Voter Registration Booths
Next time you stop by a taco truck for a quick lunch, budget a few extra minutes into your break because you might be able to sign up to vote. Starting this week, taco trucks all over Houston will hand out voter registration cards to customers in an effort to…
Paxton Seeks to Save Internet by Suing Feds
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Thursday morning he is suing the Obama Administration over its decision to relinquish its oversight of an important intergovernmental entity that controls the Internet. Tomorrow, a contract between the feds and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) — which approves and…
EPA Opts to Remove (Most) of Dioxin From the San Jacinto Waste Pits
With a toxic enchilada called the San Jacinto Waste Pits Superfund Site on its hands and a range of choices about how to deal with it, the federal Environmental Protection Agency has opted to just get rid of the mess. After years of studies, reviews and lots of pushing from…
Your Houston Home May Now Be in a Higher-Risk FEMA Flood Zone
Harris County homeowners may want to take a gander at FEMA’s recently released flood-risk map —because roughly 8,000 structures and homes have been elevated to the Special Flood Hazard Area, FEMA officials said. The special flood hazard designation means there’s a 1 percent chance your home will flood any given year,…
Watch Austin City Limits Fest for Free With the Houston Press, Thanks to Red Bull TV
Now that it’s almost October, the weather is finally livable in Texas — which is perfect, because festival season is just getting started here. The biggest of them all, Austin City Limits, kicks off the first of its back-to-back weekends tomorrow at Zilker Park. With a lineup that boasts Radiohead,…
It’s Easy to Show Courage When You Have Nothing to Lose
Modern culture has a way of ruining words. Once the collective hive mind of humanity finds something they like, they beat it into the ground until the words or phrases go from meaning what they originally meant to “feel free to gloss over whatever the person writing this is saying.”…
U.S. Justice Department Goes After Gaslamp, Alleging Racial Discrimination
After months of controversy and a name change which didn’t seem to change much of anything, on Wednesday the U.S. Department of Justice filed suit against the former Gaslamp and its owner, citing a continued pattern of discrimination against minority patrons at the Midtown club. The lawsuit was filed against…
Harris County Sheriff May Hand Over 17-Year-Olds to Private Prison Contractor
After failing to comply with Prison Rape Elimination standards requiring that 17-year-olds be separated from adults in the Harris County Jail, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office is reportedly drafting plans to send the teens off to Limestone County—roughly three hours away from their families. Limestone County officials told the Houston…
I Was There: The Night Johnny Ace Died
Our city has a long, compelling, live concert history. According to the Texas State Historical Association, the Bayou City boasted a live music venue as early as 1838, which hosted American and European artists performing opera and classical pieces. From turn of the century gospel music conventions to the Beatles…
Conference Turns Houston’s Music History Into a Party
Though it’s blurrier than it used to be, the party line on Houston holds that this city is either contemptuous of its past or simply too focused on the future and/or present to spend much time looking backwards. And even on the rare occasion that history prevails, it’s often due…
I’m in a Relationship but I Lust for Other Women
I’m in A Relationship but I Lust for Other Women Dear Willie D: I’m nearing 2 years of a pretty good relationship. My girl is a good southern girl. She caters to me for the most part. I say for the most part because sometimes she’s lazy in bed when…
Metro Officer Who Beat Man With Baton Indicted
A grand jury on Wednesday indicted a former Metro Police Department officer on assault charges after he beat a man with a baton on a train platform earlier this month, the Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson said in a statement. Jarius Warren and another officer, only identified as D…
Rick Perry’s Dance Career Cut Short on Dancing With the Stars
The hopes and dreams of Texans everywhere were crushed last night. Well, the hopes and dreams of one Texan anyways. That’s right: On Tuesday night, former Governor Rick Perry was voted off Dancing With the Stars. On Monday, as his former presidential rival Donald Trump was gearing up to take…
Judge Shuts Down STORM’s Bid to Control Most of Galveston Bay’s Oyster Reefs
Sustainable Texas Oyster Resource Management’s lease giving the company control over most of the oyster reefs in Galveston Bay has been declared null and void. After more than two years of verbal and then legal tussling, the plan to lease a substantial portion of the bay’s oyster reefs to just…
Houston Open Air Issues Refund Details
As promised Sunday evening via social media, Danny Wimmer Presents is issuing refunds due to the cancelation of Houston Open Air. Anyone who has purchased tickets should be receiving an email with details about how to redeem portions of the ticket price. Here’s the official email statement from HOA: “We…
Devin Townsend Releases Control for Transcendence
Speaking to Devin Townsend via telephone about his gig tonight at Warehouse Live, I got to know a few things about the guy. And, for years, after following him through his work with Steve Vai, Strapping Young Lad and now the Devin Townsend Project I had a few preconceived notions…
The Morning After Brunch Event Offers a Bottomless Brunch
According to Brunch a History by author Farha Ternikar, which is apparently the Bible of brunch studies, the hybrid meal gained favor in 1895 England either as a meal for after-church English Catholics or “as a late Sunday breakfast for Saturday night pub crawlers.” Actually, according to the same book,…
J.J. Watt Re-injures Back, Placed on Injured Reserve List
Back in March, J.J. Watt came on my radio for a nice, little offseason interview. My cohosts and I had some laughs with him, talked about his offseason, his charity softball game, and how his body was healing from the numerous injuries he had suffered in 2015. It was in…
Looking at the Least Talented Members of Famous Bands
The history of rock music is a strange and thorny place; a scarred landscape littered with the tales of bad bands that made it big, great bands who never got their chance, and plenty of odd characters of varying levels of talent who somehow had their moment of fame. While…
