Blog: Houstoned Rocks

Six years ago last week, on May 1, 2006, local rapper and Screwed Up Click Five-Star General Big Hawk was gunned down outside of a friend's home on Redfern on Houston's Southside. He was 36. Whi... Continue reading "Six Years Gone: Big Hawk Remembered" >

Springboard South Music Festival Citycentre May 6, 2012 An interesting experiment unfolded this weekend at Citycentre. The Springboard South music festival was the brainchild of Barry Coffing, ... Continue reading "Springboard South: A Peculiar New Festival Arises At Citycentre" >

Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, Z-Ro Warehouse Live May 5, 2012 If you've been staying up nights worrying that Houston's rap legacy will be lost on the city's current crop of teens and young adults,... Continue reading "Friday Night: Chamillionaire, Paul Wall & Z-Ro At Warehouse Live" >

Social Distortion House of Blues May 4, 2012 "If it weren't for good black music, there wouldn't be any good white music," Social Distortion's Mike Ness told Friday's House of Blues crowd. "We'd... Continue reading "Friday Night: Social Distortion At House Of Blues" >

When we discuss forward thinkers in rock music, Pete Wentz isn't a name that comes to mind. That's probably because, if you're like a lot of people on the Internet, the mention of his name will c... Continue reading "Flip The Script: 5 Things Rock Bands Can Learn From Hip-Hop" >

If there is anything you can say about Enter Shikari, it's that the band is a challenge just by its very nature. There's no genre, no label, no box that they fit comfortably in. Ultimately, they ... Continue reading "Enter Shikari: Either You Know You're Oppressed, Or You're Asleep" >

Today is Star Wars Day, or "May the 4th be with you." Something less than a national holiday but more than a horrific pun, it's evidence that we still very much live in a Star Wars world 35 years ... Continue reading "Star Wars Day: Recasting The Movie With '70s Rock Stars" >

Hello. It's Friday. And Devin the Dude is alive. So let's celebrate. This is "You'll Be Satisfied," the first single from his upcoming EP, Seriously Trippin. It just came out. There are no trick... Continue reading "Devin The Dude Is Here To Satisfy You... And That's It" >

Well, damn. Adam Yauch, the gravel-voiced third of Noo Yawk '80s and '90s rap-rock superstars the Beastie Boys, has died at age 47. Rolling Stone reports. The exact circumstances of his death w... Continue reading "RIP Adam Yauch: Beastie Boys' MCA Dead At 47" >

1997 provides us with an interesting cautionary tale about the pursuit of the next big thing and how it doesn't always play out the way we expect. From MTV's Year In Rock: Music fans were restl... Continue reading "Top 5 Ways EDM Is Now Mainstream" >

Rocks Off is waiting for the day that our 52-year-old mother sits us down for a serious talk and says that she's ready to pursue her dream of becoming a rapper. She'll say, "Mi hijo, you know ... Continue reading "The 5 Worst Musical Careers By Professional Boxers" >

"Simple. Fifteen years have gone by." Nineteen ninety-seven may have been one of the most magical years in trash-pop history. You had the Spice Girls, Hanson, Shania Twain, Puff Daddy, Toni Brax... Continue reading "How Bizarre: How the Hell Are These Songs All 15 Years Old? " >

The 2012 Springboard South Music Festival makes its debut this weekend, starting today and running through Sunday at CityCentre Houston. The event, boasting three days of music from 45 bands on tw... Continue reading "What Is The Springboard South Music Festival Anyway?" >

Mango's gets a jump on Cinco de Mayo with its "Cuatro de Mayo" party presented by Rockin' Steady. Cover is only $2, or free with a Social Distortion ticket stub. This could be fun: This month ac... Continue reading "7 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Tails & Tunes, Los Skarnales, Etc." >

Benjamin Wesley is one of Houston's greatest talents, and his new album Think/Thoughts completely redefined what I thought musicians were capable of in the realm of songwriting. I fired off an ema... Continue reading "30 Seconds With Benjamin Wesley" >

Well, Rocks Off was about to head over to Discovery Green's first free Thursday concert of the season when we noticed this item on the Chronicle's real estate blog, Prime Property. Seems that Hou... Continue reading "Trouble Brewing In Houston Pavilions Exclusivity Battle" >

Sometimes ideas come easier than others. Sometimes you think of something so stupid that you need to share it with your art director. Sometimes the snow comes down in June, and sometimes the Sun g... Continue reading "Not A List: Your Favorite Musicians As Food" >

Have you seen the Wild Moccasins? Rocks Off is starting to get a little worried. Just kidding. Houston's favorite indie-pop quintet has been strangely scarce recently, working their day jobs and... Continue reading "Wild Moccasins: Zahira Gutierrez's Top 10 New Wave Songs" >

Boy, the Houston media is in a tizzy about George Clooney today. The King of Hollywood is in town this evening as part of the "Brilliant Lecture Series" at the Wortham Center. (Celebrity With a... Continue reading "5 Bands George Clooney Likes" >

After raising ticket prices Monday night, Free Press Summer Fest announced more headliners Thursday morning. What are you getting for that extra dough? How about Pretty Lights, Erykah Badu, Fit... Continue reading "Summer Fest Adds Pretty Lights, Erykah Badu, 3 Dozen Locals" >