On the Road

Steppenwolf's John Kay Takes a Musical Turn for Solo Virtual Concert

Steppenwolf's John Kay Takes a Musical Turn for Solo Virtual Concert

Dave Mason Strives to Be Alone Together...Again!

Dave Mason Strives to Be Alone Together...Again!

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Rolling Stones' Lost Steel Wheels Concert Fires on All Cylinders

By Bob Ruggiero
Oct 1, 2020

In 1989, there was a lot riding (pun intended) for the Rolling Stones on the release of their new record, Steel Wheels. It had been three years since their prior LP, Dirty Work, and the feud between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had been going strong in the interval. There...
Slim Jim Phantom on 40 Years of Rockin' Cat Cool

By Bob Ruggiero
Sep 4, 2020

In 2019, fans of rockabilly revivalists the Stray Cats were ecstatic to hear that in celebration of their 40th anniversary, the band would reunite for a short tour and release their first studio album of new music in 26 years. The trio of Brian Setzer (vocals/guitar), Slim Jim Phantom (drums),...
A Pièce de Résistance About Pizza...New Haven Style!

By Bob Ruggiero
Aug 11, 2020

Pizza. It’s probably the most beloved – and often simplest to make – food on the planet. You’ve probably had a slice or several in the past week. Or you’re thinking about it now. And for you kids, according to analytics it’s the “Most Instagrammed Food,” beating out burgers 10-to-1...
A Survivor's Story: Lynyrd Skynyrd's Plane Crash Gets the Movie Treatment

By Bob Ruggiero
Jun 9, 2020

Sometimes, the sound of impending doom is quiet. And sometimes it is loud. Less often, it is both. That’s how Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle recalls what he and 25 other band members, crew, associates, and pilots heard inside their Convair CV-240 plane over the swamps near Gillsburg, Mississippi on...
Travels with Gen Z: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Part II

By Bob Ruggiero
Mar 18, 2020

Note: In Part I, we looked at the Rock Hall and how it was striving to appeal to Gen Z with new attractions. In Part II, we give some background on its foundation, current exhibits, Houston connections, and just what is considered “rock and roll.” Also, the Rock Hall has...
With the Travails of 2020, the Mastersons Have No Time for Love Songs [UPDATED]

By Bob Ruggiero
Mar 12, 2020

It’s the morning after the city of Austin announced the complete cancellation of the SXSW festival when Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore are on the phone from New York City. The day prior also marked the release date for their new album, No Time For Love Songs, and they’d played...
The Glorious Sons Wage a Six-Man War

By Bob Ruggiero
Jan 27, 2020

Well, you can’t say that The Glorious Sons don’t give their fans truth in advertising. It’s not just for shock value that their third and most recent studio record is titled A War on Everything. For while the music’s pendulum swings back and forth between pop and hard rock, the...
Steve Harris' British Lion Loudly Roars its Own Identity

By Bob Ruggiero
Jan 20, 2020

For any new (or new-ish) band based in Europe, the first tour of America is something that’s usually looked forward to with equal levels of anticipation and anguish. English hard rockers British Lion will probably experience those feelings, with nearly 20 gigs booked across the United States in January and...
Dirty Honey: Not Changing Their Act for Instagram Moms

By Bob Ruggiero
Jan 14, 2020

In music culture, everything is cyclical. And one glance at today’s Top 40 charts dominated by hip-hop, pop, rap, and balladry means it’s time for yet another round of hoary “rock is dead” stories (insert yawn here). But newer and younger bands like the Struts, Red Sun Rising, Greta Van...
Year-end Ruminations on Classic Rock, "Farewell" Tours, Aging, and Concert Resolutions

By Bob Ruggiero
Dec 13, 2019

Since a former Houston Press music editor dubbed me “Classic Rock Bob” ages ago, it’s no surprise that the majority of shows I attended in 2019 fell squarely into that genre. But there were a bit fewer than last year, which was even fewer than the year before. And that’s...
Kansas Returns to the Point of Know Return

By Bob Ruggiero
Nov 22, 2019

Kansas guitarist Rich Williams vividly remembers a certain day in 1977 that still has an impact on his life and career in 2019. His band had just finished playing a show in Chicago when they headed for a studio which had been set up for them to be filmed miming...
Coco Montoya's Hot New Record Sparks Houston Memories

By Bob Ruggiero
Nov 21, 2019

It’s a common tale in the annals of contemporary music that a newly-minted blues fan first discovers the genre not from any of the African-American originators and descendants, but through the mutations played by white, younger, and often English blues rock acolytes. That’s was certainly the case for the Coco...
Last Night: The Drive-By Truckers at the Heights Theater

By Bob Ruggiero
Nov 15, 2019

An Evening with the Drive-By Truckers November 14, 2019 Heights Theater As Matthew Keever pointed out in his review of the recent Black Keys show, a good chunk of the near capacity audience at the cavernous Toyota Center likely was familiar with just the band’s radio (er…streaming) hits. The complete...
Drive-By Truckers Ready New Album on Signs of the Times

By Bob Ruggiero
Oct 25, 2019

While they haven’t been pegged as a “political band,” the Drive-By Truckers have certainly had a decent amount of songs that cover political and social topics – albeit usually told through the experiences of characters in story songs. That edge got sharper with their last record, as 2016’s American Band...
Joe Walsh Hits Houston with All-Star VetsAid 2019 Mega Concert

By Bob Ruggiero
Oct 18, 2019

Throughout his decades-long career in rock and roll, Joe Walsh has been all over the world. And there may indeed be no place like home. But on this October morning in 2019, Joe Walsh wants to be somewhere else. “Well, Bob, I’m in Colorado and yesterday we woke up to...
Vivian Campbell's Last in Line Mixes Dio Legacy and New Tunes

By Bob Ruggiero
Oct 14, 2019

Ronnie James Dio played with a lot of different bands and musicians throughout his career. Arguably the owner of heavy metal’s finest voice, he’s graced albums by Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his own long-running band Dio. For many fans, his pinnacle was the 1983-85 run of those first three...
Derek Trucks on His Family Band, Personal Losses, and...Deshaun Watson??

By Bob Ruggiero
Oct 10, 2019

It’s a Monday morning and just about 36 hours since the Tedeschi Trucks Band have stepped off the stage of New York’s storied Beacon Theatre, wrapping up their ninth annual run of gigs at the venue. The string of six shows saw them play an estimated 80+ different tunes. So...
Stone Temple Pilots Create New Path with Singer Jeff Gutt

By Bob Ruggiero
Sep 30, 2019

With all due respect to all members of rock bands—regardless of their job in the group—a lead singer is often the most difficult to replace. By their very nature, they are the most visible person, and their voices are stamped on the music. And when said vocalist is also deceased,...
The Feral Rock and Roll of Rival Sons

By Bob Ruggiero
Sep 26, 2019

Jimi Hendrix did it. So did bands like R.E.M., the Killers, and Kings of Leon. They were all American rock acts that had to go to England to gig or gain traction there before coming back home with greater success. A recent addition to that list is Rival Sons. They’ve...
Reignwolf Howl for The Who and...the Wu-Tang Clan?

By Bob Ruggiero
Sep 24, 2019

The first time that Reignwolf played Houston, it was at the tiny Continental Club opening for a Beatles cover band. Just a couple of years later, they’re back. But this time, the Canadian hard rockers are sharing the city’s second-largest performing venue with the real Who. That’s almost as big...

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