Tori Amos’ tour is coming to Houston this coming Sunday night, at Jones Hall. Yes, we know that’s almost a week away, but we wanted to give you a good heads up since many of us are going out of town. Tori is currently touring supporting her latest album, American Doll Posse. She received fame with her debut solo album Little Earthquakes (which spawned the very personal "Silent All These Years" and "Crucify,” among others),......

Yo, Houston - the only thing better than pie? Why 24 hour a day pie - for that 2:30 a.m., we can't sleep unless I get we get us some French Silk, pronto - thing! Well, perhaps that's just us. You can even get a sugar-free pie made with Nutra-Sweet (insert Boudreaux joke here), a Bayou Goo, Lemon Ice Box, Sweet Potato and a fine assortment of cakes and cheesecakes. Where? Why where else? The......

Houstonist interviewed Beto from Grupo Fantasma this week, in preparations for their show this Friday night at the Continental Club. The large, Austin-based band, who puts on a hell of a live show, gave us some insight into their music and other work that they are doing. If you'd like to see Grupo Fantasma Friday night, we have a pair of tickets just for you. Send us an e-mail with your name and phone number......

Can you be considered a blues-rocker if you’re a drummer? Yes, if you’re Doyle Bramhall. The veteran Texas singer, musician and songwriter has had his hand in the Texas blues-rock scene for many decades now, and was one of the driving forces behind Stevie Ray Vaughan. Now in his late 50’s, Bramhall is still rocking, celebrating his latest release of original songs, Is It News, to rave reviews. The original Doyle Bramhall (not to be......

Do you plan your day's meals before you turn off your alarm clock? Do you know where to get the best breakfast tacos in town? Does the thought of braised chicken feet intrigue you? When you taste something divine, do you need a moment of silence? Tickle your tastebuds pink, Houstonist is looking for food writers! One of the best things about living in Houston is the awe-inspiring number of restaurants and diversity in......

So, we teased you with a new video from Spoon last Friday. This week, we're giving you the real thing -- chance to win a pair of tickets to Thursday night's show at Warehouse Live. We're really looking forward to the concert, not just because of Spoon, but also because The New Pornographers are opening. Still haven't been Spoon-fed? (Sorry) Check out the streaming audio for their new album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. If......

::Wine and Dine with Two Star Symphony at Avant Garden:: Tonight is your last chance to catch Wine and Dine Thursdays with Two Star Symphony at AvantGarden. If you haven't been by this reincarnation of Helio's yet, stop by and check out the beautiful transformation tonight, while your ears get a treat from local favorites, Two Star Symphony. AvantGarden presents fine wines from different regions of the world. Experience samples of delicately crafted wines, from......

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 20 years ago when the band The Cult united rockers with club-goers with the single “She Sells Sanctuary.” Other classics followed, including “Fire Woman,” “Love Removal Machine,” and “Rain.” The band faded from the spotlight last decade, but they have a new album out now and plenty of Cult followers to cheer them on. (Check out the first single "Dirty Little Rock Star") The Cult arrives at......

Houstonist loves good pop music. We’re not talking about Britney, or anything else you’d hear on local pop radio for that matter. We’re talking about good indie-pop. Catchy melodies, clever lyrics, and overall sophisticated (yet, fun). Well, that basically describes Chicago-based Office. Office (not to be confused with the popular TV shows) originated in 2001, but Office leader Scott Masson didn’t get serious about it until 2004 – that’s when he left his job waiting......

Many bands had to change their names to avoid legal problems with existing bands with the same name. Most find new names or add a modifier, like “U.K.” to distinguish themselves from the other similar named band from another country. Chicago’s The Academy Is… (formerly, The Academy) decided to add a verb and ellipsis. After all, they consider themselves an indie/punk/rock band, they must keep you guessing. The Academy Is…, who first received recognition when......

Houstonist loves music. That’s why make our iMixes, keep you up-to-date on what shows are in town, share our favorite music videos with you, and even interview both local and national musicians. We know, however, that there are some fanatical music lovers out there that think we can do more (and we’re not disagreeing). That’s where our challenge comes in. We’re currently looking for more music contributors. What’s required, you say? First off, you......

Good morning, Houston. Did you hear the one about the high school teacher who might have appeared in a bunch of gay sex videos? Well, now you have. He's a faculty member at Clements High in Sugar Land, and Fort Bend ISD officials got a tip last week that he has appeared in dozens of sexually explicit videos under an assumed name. The district has removed the teacher from the classroom while it investigates......

Good morning, Houston. At Houstonist world headquarters, our e-mail boxes are graced almost daily with offers from people who want to move millions of dollars to U.S. bank accounts and allow us to take a huge share of the money just for helping — eh, all in a day. But there's a new e-mail in the same vein floating around now: It comes from someone claiming to be Michelle Kristine Kraiser, the "the Confidential......

Do you love Lawndale? Is life meaningless without the magnificent Menil? Do you think the MFA is Muy Freaking Awesome? Does alliteration never get old to you? Then we want you. Yes, you. Is that so hard to believe? Houston is a big city. And we bust our -ists everyday to cover a fraction of it. That's where you come in. Arts contributors should, first and foremost, have a passion for (and basic knowledge......

Good morning, Houston. Looks like we'll have a tougher time cracking out those fake Benjamins next year: The $100 bill will soon be getting a high-tech makeover to thwart counterfeiters. The key feature: 650,000 tiny lenses embedded in each bill, which will magnify the printing so that the portrait of Benjamin Franklin appears to move up and down or side to side, depending on which way you move the bill. "It makes for a......

Not many musicians in their mid 20’s can say that they’ve been in the music industry for over a decade, but Texas native Ben Kweller can. When he was only 13 years old, he formed a band called Radish, which was hyped-up to be the next Nirvana. But, even after a major push from their record label, Radish’s hype turned out to be rubbish. Ben Kweller has now made a bigger name for himself as......

Have you ever wondered how a bat sleeps? How much food a bat can eat in one hour? Or how a bat contributes to the ecosystem? Yeah, niether have we. But now we're curious. This Friday night, beginning at dusk, learn the answers to these questions as you board the Bayou Breeze Pontoon Boat and observe the emergence of approximately 250,000 bats from Waugh Street Bridge. And you thought Austin was the only city with......

This Wednesday alt. rock band Ween will be in town performing at Warehouse live – and we have a pair of tickets, just for you. Ween was founded in 1984 and despite not having major “radio-play” success, Ween has a large and devoted fansbase. Ween recently released The Friends EP, which they describe as: The ultimate party record, filled with good beats and good times. Perfect for your barbecue or doing bong hits or whatever......

For all of your rockers out there, we got a pair of tickets for Sunday night’s Projekt Revolution waiting for you. What is Projekt Revolution you say? Well, it’s a concept that headliner Linkin Park created about 5 years ago, with hopes to bridge the gap between rock and hip-hop. This year’s tour features both genres, along with bands that melt the two genres together in their own music. This year’s line up includes My......

If there's one thing we appreciate about Houston, it's the variety of news that comes from our fair city: uppity preacher's wives, hot, hot mail trucks (and restrooms), giant kidnapped clowns, robbers with bad hair — and even people in Dallas who actually like us. Of course, there's also serious news, too, but you can find that easily enough. We're looking for news junkies who are interested in helping Houstonist expand our original news......

Local tech news in a compact, digital format. Chronicle Tech Round Up The tech guys over at the Chron are pumping out the technology news and we are going tell you about it. ---Dwight Silverman Dwight Silverman reviews and discusses the newest version of the popular image editing software, Photoshop. The new version is called Photoshop CS3. Dwight also informs us that Houston is the 5th most e-mail-addicted city in the U.S. A fact......

Houstonist and Bob Schneider go back a long way. We remember partying with Bob and The Scabs/Ugly Americans at the Satellite Lounge (among other places) in the 90’s. Bob has been solo for most of this decade, bringing him more national success. He’s touring behind his latest album, The Californian, which was released late last year. Bob is playing two shows this week: an acoustic, more intimate set at the Mucky Duck on Thursday night;......

Being a sports fan in Houston is a life of ups and downs: When the local teams are up, they're fantastic; when they're down, they're really, really down. But either way, we know Houstonians love sports — and that's why we're looking for a couple of dedicated writers who live and breathe local sports to contribute to Houstonist. Sports contributors should be able to write, have the time to post regularly at least a......

As we noted yesterday, the Doyle house on Heights Boulevard is no more — and Harry James, the man who had it demolished, is pissed off that anyone tried to save it. In an e-mail to the Chronicle, James said the house was beyond repair: "This house is not a historic mansion, as is being classified in the media by my opponents. It sat in disrepair for 35 years, without any occupants and with major......

The Chronicle had a story this weekend about Houston's coming municipal Wi-Fi network: The network, which will be built and operated by EarthLink, will have the latest security features when it's completed in 2009 — but it'll be up to users to download and install security software to make sure they're protected. But will they? That's the question we'll have to wait for an answer to, especially where it concerns people who haven't really used......

Several notable musicians/bands have some from Norman, Oklahoma; including The Flaming Lips and (on the other side of the spectrum) Toby Keith. But, there’s another band hailing from that city that hasn’t (yet) received the notoriety of the above mentioned – Starlight Mints. Starlight Mints is pure indie-pop (definitely more in line with The Flaming Lips than Toby Keith, of course). The quintet looks beyond the usual guitar/keyboard/drum mix. They add strings, bells and other......

There are no new traffic laws and no new laws concerning cell phone use in cars according to the Texas DPS. A recent email hoax is being forwarded to inboxes across Texas as fast as those drivers in the left lane. That is, until they reach someone driving the speed limit, of course. The hoax email states that improper use of the HOV lane will result in a fine in excess of $1,000, doubling and......

When we first saw publicity shots of Marc Broussard a few years ago, back when his first full-length CD Carencro was released, we were afraid that he was going to be another teeny-bopper. It only took one listen to figure out that he wasn’t trying to be the next Justin Timberlake – this boy truly has soul. He proved it with “Home.” The Louisianan just released his follow-up to that sleeper-hit album. SOS: Save our......

If you’re bored with the usual guitar, bass, drums, and vocals of your everyday rock band, and are looking to experience something different in a concert – boy, do we have a treat for you. We have a pair of tickets for Monday night’s Polyphonic Spree concert at Warehouse Live. The Polyphonic Spree was developed by former Tripping Daisy’s front man Tim DeLaughter. The Dallas-based band sprung to life in 2000, and was a far......

So, Houston cable subscribers, the much-talked-about day is here: Today, Time Warner cable service in the city officially becomes Comcast cable service. Feel any different yet? You probably won't unless you go looking for the TV Guide Channel or west coast feeds of the Disney Channel and Encore, which have been dropped from the cable lineup. In their place are 20 new channels, some of which KHOU has listed: high-definition versions of Starz, The Golf......