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A scene from The River Bride, one of Stages' Sin Muros productions that first caught the eye of its new general manager.

Stages' 2021-22 Season Complete With a New Managing Director

By Margaret Downing

Jul 21, 2021

Fresh from her duties as managing director of Denver's Curious Theatre Co., Katie Maltais will begin working as the new managing director of Stages and its theater complex The Gordy on August 1, sharing leadership duties and a commitment to community outreach with Artistic Director Kenn McLaughlin. Her hiring the...

Feedback's Musical Muses of the Morning: Lori Majewski and Nik Carter.

The Volumaniacs' Breakfast of Choice: Feedback with a Side of Nik and Lori

By Bob Ruggiero

Jun 29, 2021

One thing the music programming of SiriusXM satellite radio has in abundance is variety. It seems like there’s practically a channel for every genre and style, including Albanian Jazz-Inflected Death Metal Featuring Klezmers. But when Senior Director of Talk Programming Roger Coletti went to The Powers That Be in 2016...

Doxing was standard operating procedure of white nationalist movements long before antifa started fighting back.

Opinion: Doxing is Not Some New Antifa Tactic; It’s Old Right-Wing Terrorism

By Jef Rouner

Jun 24, 2021

One of the most frustrating articles I’ve read this year appeared in the Washington Post earlier this week. Crime reporter Robert Klemko did a deep dive into the life of Edward Jeremy Dawson, a man who has been a part of various far-right groups linked to violence like Patriot Prayer...

Dennis DeYoung rocks into recording retirement, but is ready to hit the road again next year.

Dennis DeYoung Wraps Up Recording Career with Nostalgic - Yet Timely - 26 East Vol. 2

By Bob Ruggiero

Jun 10, 2021

He thought he was done making new music. Finito. End of the Road. When Dennis DeYoung released what he was calling 26 East last year, he fully expected it to be his final studio album in a long and storied career that stretched back to 1972 with the first Styx...

Bar Harbor, Maine is a real place, but the imaginary version where people go to escape their tragic pasts is far cooler.

Responding to Internet Creeps Leads to Bizarre New Shared Storyverse

By Jef Rouner

Jun 4, 2021

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman in possession of a social media account must be in want of creepers asking, “u up?” Few people take this ubiquitous experience and turn it into a bizarre shared storyverse set in Bar Harbor, Maine, but Dixie Heaven-lee (real name, I...

Make Them Say Exactly What is Being Canceled

By Jef Rouner

Mar 9, 2021

Free speech on the political right is a grift, and here’s how it works. First, you take something like the Dr. Seuss estate deciding to remove six books with racist depictions of people of color from future publication. Then, you ignore the content of what led to the decision in...

The Tummies are: Judd Fuller, Philip Shouse, Dana Radford, Sandy Gennaro, and Jeremy Asbrock.

The Tummies Digest a Bellyfull of British Invasion on Debut Record

By Bob Ruggiero

Feb 4, 2021

Nashville, Tennessee—the home of country music—might seem like an odd place to start a band writing and playing original music in the sonic style of mid-‘60s British Invasion bands. But that’s exactly what Judd Fuller and Dana Radford decided to do—albeit with a little help from copious amounts of fermented...

Rock Hall EDU provides instant access to educational packets, music, photos, and more.

The Real School of Rock Beefs Up Its Curriculum

By Bob Ruggiero

Nov 24, 2020

Jason Hanley, Ph.D., says he’s used to the reaction. As the VP of Education and Visitor Engagement at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, he’s attended plenty of educational conferences and meetings to let teachers and school administrators know about Rock Hall EDU, the educational component of...

During COVID, Houston’s Influencers Use TikTok to Connect to a Local Audience

By Anna Ta

Nov 13, 2020

To the uninitiated, TikTok is a platform for teens to share 30 second dance routines and memes. To the addicted, well, it depends. Are you on DIY TikTok? Straight TikTok? Or maybe your algorithm has stumbled onto Kameron Whiteside’s videos and you’ve found Houston real estate TikTok. Whiteside, as fitting...

2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Andy Fletcher, Dave Gahan, and Martin Gore of Depeche Mode had to receive their honor virtually this year. Damn coronavirus!

Going Virtual with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

By Bob Ruggiero

Nov 3, 2020

Since the first event in 1986, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony has taken place in different cities (New York, Los Angeles, and Cleveland). It’s been televised or not televised, shown live or later, and in its entirety or edited. It has even occurred before there even...

A delivery man was recorded on a local resident's Ring video doorbell. Many police departments partner closely with Ring, which has caused concern among some privacy advocates.

Privacy Advocates Question Police Partnerships with Amazon Ring

By Schaefer Edwards

Sep 1, 2020

From voice-activated speakers that can scrape the web for all kinds of info to home security systems that trigger email alerts when motion detectors are set off and smartphone apps that constantly accumulate user location data, it’s undeniable that there are more devices collecting more information on more everyday people...

Hard to imagine this Taylor singing "Exile."

Taylor Swift's Folklore is Whatever Story You Need It To Be

By Cory Garcia

Jul 27, 2020

She’s a snake, even if she’s never broken your trust. She’s your best friend, sharing her secrets in your ear. She’s a good role model, the girl next door you want your kid to be. She’s too outspoken and needs to stay in her lane. She tries too hard and...

Robert Price feels like a superhero with his Barbie bari-tenor guitar

With Live Gigs Scarce, Comic-Songwriter Robert Price Goes Digital with “Heartbreak” Album

By Vic Shuttee

Mar 25, 2020

“Every song is like a little play you don’t have to go to. Which is really convenient, because now we can’t!"

Social Media Is Changing Us Some More

By Kate McLean

Mar 11, 2020

“I love you Gramma,” a toddler sputters from her high chair, followed with an impromptu giggle: 201 likes. (Two-year old grandson opens a bag of flour—it goes everywhere—and he looks up wide-eyed.): 157 likes. In the day or so since posting, ticks begin to dwindle as does the excitement of...

UK-based pop-rock outfit Kero Kero Bonito at Sattelite bar on November 8.

Internet Pop Sensation Kero Kero Bonito Thrill Fans on Chilly Night

By Carlos Brandon

Nov 9, 2019

Nothing makes the world feel smaller and more connected like niche internet fandoms. Transcending borders, cultures, even language, the fanatic devotion of online followings is a fascinating and rather heartwarming side-effect of a perpetually logged-on world. At the same time, nothing makes one feel older than standing in a crowd...

DarkZero onstage during competition in Milan

DarkZero is a Houston-Based Esports Team That's Dominating the Competition

By Carlos Brandon

Sep 30, 2019

On a quiet tree-lined street in Houston, somewhere in the Heights, a top-ranked professional esports team just dominated a regular season match to retain first place in their North American league. "We're technically the only esports team in Houston," jokes DarkZero team owner Zach Matula. While the former energy and...

A post about the current camp conditions

Well-known Illustrator Mary Engelbreit Has No Patience With Donald Trump

By Jef Rouner

Jul 29, 2019

Odds are you had a Mary Engelbreit calendar or children’s book she illustrated at some point in your life. Her style is sweet, homey, and inoffensive. You’d think if anyone was keeping her head down and going about her kitschy business in the Age of Trump it would be the...

Broadcasters and Analysts during the Collegiate Esports Championship.

Wrapping Up the ESPN Collegiate Esports Championships at Comicpalooza

By Carlos Brandon

May 13, 2019

Comicpalooza and ESPN brought the inaugural Collegiate Esports Championships to Houston with a spectacular live studio arena and a Twitch stream viewed by thousands. The event was the first of its kind and the first major esports tournament hosted by ESPN's recently developed esports division. Over three days of match...

Singer/guitarist Pere Yorn is on an acoustic tour.

Pete Yorn: One Man, One Mike, Two Guitars, and a Lot of Stories

By Bob Ruggiero

May 13, 2019

Contemporary musicians can certainly have an interesting relationship with social media – or at least those who actually handle their own Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts and don’t leave it up to a publicist. Some find it a great way to keep in touch with their fans personally and get...

Comicpalooza 2019 featured panels on a variety of current issues in the gaming industry

Comicpalooza Gaming Panels Focus on Streaming, Charity, Gender Diversity

By Carlos Brandon

May 11, 2019

As always, this year's three-day Comicpalooza extravaganza was so much more than a fan-art market and cosplay convention. The highlight of the annual event continues to be its informational, inspired and entertaining panels and speaking events. One of the industries receiving more attention at this year's conference than in previous...

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Rickie Lee Jones Won't Run Out of Chances

Dave Koz Is Jazzed About Multiple Musical Projects

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