For the Weekend of September 11th – 14th, 2008 Good afternoon, all of you residents of the Bayou City. It’s good to see that you return to us, week after week, for your Houston-area live music needs – we appreciate being showered with all of your love and affection. And on a light weekend of shows around the town, you should all look deep within yourselves and display the same devotion you show to H-Town......

Welcome to our new feature here at H-Town Rock. It has been a pleasure to provide you with our weekly music calendar for the past few months, but we wanted to up the ante a bit and diversify what we’re offering to the dozen or so readers of Houstonist. So, we’re introducing “H-Town Rock Interviews:” and hoping that everyone enjoys our attempt to shed a bit more light on local (i.e. Houston and Texas-wide)......

Houston, are you ready to rock? The last time we told you about Rock The Bayou, the huge 3 day Labor Day weekend metal fest, they had a mere 40 bands on the bill. They are now up to 110 bands and tonight at midnight is your last chance to get early bird tickets at a mere $99, tomorrow August 1st, tickets go up to $125. What kind of entertainment value does $99 get......

Many, many moons ago, when most of our 11 readers were just in diapers or better yet, not even born, there was a mega concert event that occurred at various times in both Dallas and Houston called The Texas Jam. The Texas Jam was legendary with huge names in rock headlining an all day concert. That was then... Rock The Bayou is now! Rock The Bayou is going to be a four day event......

Houston-area music for the weekend of May 29th – June 1st, 2008 Well, it seems that another weekend is upon us and that means it’s time for another installment of H-Town Rock. This week’s overarching theme: music from bands who reached their apex two or three decades ago! That’s right – this is your chance to enjoy music performed live that you normally have to listen to on your favorite classic rock station! All sarcasm......

Yeah, yeah, we know — Shelterporn has slacked off, and in recent weeks you've had to look for your own dream real estate listings. We're awfully sorry to have put such a burden on you and are making a Chinese New Year's resolution to be more regular. We'll do better at keeping up with Shelterporn, too. All of which brings us to the home we couldn't ignore: the Frame house, located off Memorial and......

• A fatal accident occurred this morning on Chimney Rock near Highway 90A. As of 7:30 A.M. the area around the accident has been cordoned off and traffic was being diverted. No further details are available as an investigation is under way. • Health officials are calling this latest round of the flu a "moderately severe epidemic." Flu cases are up 31% over last year and three children have already died as a result.......

Do You Like Rock Music? If so, British Sea Power has made the perfect record for you. The band's third full length album is aptly titled and rocking and rolling enough to satisfy your musical genre tastes. -Read an album review at Spin.com -Watch the music video for the song, “No Lucifer,” at Youtube -Download the song “Waving Flags” at World's Fair -Stream entire album at AOL -British Sea Power is set to perform at......

Nolan Ryan, Astros franchise icon and co-owner of two of the team's minor league franchises, today exited his personal services contract a year early to assume the team president position offered by the Texas Rangers. Ryan will oversee the daily operations of the floundering Arlington-based team, working with mercurial owner Tom Hicks. The fate of his owner's stake in the minor league affiliates is up for debate, but the assumption is that they will remain......

It's an American tradition, just like representative democracy and childhood obesity: the Super Bowl. Even people who aren't football fans usually find a way to watch the game (or the commercials, depending on your priorities) and the die-hards view Sunday as some combination of Christmas, graduation, and the non-lame parts of the Olympics all rolled into one. If you don't have plans for the big game already, here are a few options around town: -......

Friday night funtime reminder!! Houston filmmaker Raymond Gayle's film Electric Purgatory shows at 7pm tonight at MFAH. The film is a documentary examining the lives and musical contributions of black rock musicians, such as Fish Bone, Jimi Hazel, Jimi Hendrix, ?uestlove and many more. This documentary is a lively contribution to the history of rock music, examining reasons behind the lack of commercial success experienced by many contemporary black rock musicians. Blending classic performance footage......

Here are a few books Houstonist thinks your friends and family won't use for doorstops (that's the fruitcake, right?). Everyone likes a good read, or at least a smart-looking book to sit on the nightstand. Give these a try. And shop at your local independent bookstore -- they can give you even more recommendations, and probably a good cup of coffee as well. Fun, mostly fiction books for people who are... Houstonians and/or architecture......

It was weird. Sunday rolled around, and there wasn't a Texans game to watch. So we just chilled and ignored the TV for a change; what else were we going to do? Watch the Cowboys' game? What are we, Jessica Simpson? Between the Astros trades, the Texans resurgence, and the Mitchell Report, there was a lot to blog about this week. Everyone grab your number 2 pencil for the review: - The Miguel Tejada trade......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • Two men were rescued from the Gulf of Mexico 130 miles southeast of Galveston when their helicopter crashed. • Deer Park resident and former Astros pitcher, Andy Pettitte, admitted to using a human growth hormone during his recovery from an elbow injury in 2002. • During future evacuations and before boarding public transportation criminal background checks will be standard operating procedure to......

Football on a Thursday? Does this mean we have to skip 30 Rock? Damn, this is a hard decision. Gary Kubiak vs. Jack Donaghy. Sage Rosenfels vs. Judah Freidlander. Texans Cheerleaders vs. our completely defensible crush on Tina Fey. Tracy Jordan vs. Travis Henry's illegitmate children. Mike Shannahan's hair vs. the Sheinhart Wig Company. Who are we kidding? You can watch 30 Rock any time on NBC's website. It's like Tivo for poor people! The......

Indie/hip-hop fans will enjoy tonight's line up at Warehouse Live, headlined by Aesop Rock. Tomorrow night, check out local rock band Days Drive at Rudyard's. Originally from New Orleans, but transplanted to Houston after Hurricane Katrina, the Rebirth Brass Band always puts on a horn-filled funk show - catch them at the Meridian Friday night. Songwriter/guitarist Anne McCue lands at Dan Electro's Guitar Bar Saturday night. The alt/rock band Brand New is playing two......

Good morning, Houston. Well, uh here's something you don't hear about every day — but it being Halloween and all, we couldn't resist: In Hunt County, police pulled over an 18-wheeler Sunday morning and found about two dozen human heads in the back. True story. But it's not what you think: Turns out the heads (which were embalmed) were specimens used in medical training in Fort Worth, and they were headed back to a......

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......

Houston is getting some great leftovers from ACL Fest this week. Yesterday was Arctic Monkeys & Queens of the Stone Age. It is disappointing to note that the Kaiser Chiefs show for Wednesday has been cancelled. However, on Thursday we recommend going to check out Midlake at Numbers. A lot of great music on Friday – anywhere from local favorite Today Castillo to indie band Deerhoof opening for Bloc Party. Nothing better than curing a......

If you're keeping up with us lately, you've probably noticed our keen affection for photography over the last few weeks. With last weekend's opening party of our current Photo Show exhibit at M2 Gallery, and today's DirtyFeet introspective, we can't seem to get enough of these snap happy shutterbugs. Today, we're coming to you from Sin City. Our mission: tailing Houston-based Music Photographer, Mark Austin (a.k.a. MCA Photo). Austin has graciously invited Houstonist along to......

It is a very diverse week for music in Houston. Arizona alt-rock band Scary Kids Scaring Kids hit the Meridian tonight. If you prefer down-home Americana, check out the trio Kane Welch Kaplin as they celebrate their new CD at the Mucky Duck Thursday night. Austin's Latin-fusion band Del Castillo play at Warehouse Live on Friday night. Saturday, singer/songwriter Mat Kearney will play his hit "Nothing Left to Lose" and more at the Meridian.......

This week is a little light on “big name” musical acts, but don’t let that get you down – there are still plenty of good local bands to see. Southern Rockers, Shinedown, are playing at Verizon Wireless on Wednesday. On Thursday you can check out Fulton Read, a strong new band from the Austin area, who is having their CD release party at Fitzgerald’s. Our pick for Friday is to see The Lemurs play......

Monday Night Movies at Domy Books It's Monday. AGAIN. We know, right? Monday already? Yep. Shake off the Monday Blues with a free movie at our fav-o-rite bookstore, Domy Books [1709 Westheimer]. Hey, ho, let's go! Tonight's movie is the teen rebellion classic Rock 'n' Roll High School. Keeping in tune with the teen rebellion flicks of the 50s and 60s, Rock 'n' Roll High School delivers much of the same camp with a 70s......

Well, at least some new Mike Jones music came out this week. In spite of his oft-delayed second album, Adidas, MLS, and Jones teamed up to create an anthem for the Dynamo, entitled Houston Dynamo (Don't Play). The song is part of the "MLS Represent" album, which matches all 13 MLS teams with a local band or artist to create a fight song for the team. You can find the song here: you'll have to......

The Dimes may not have swept the Houston Press Music Awards last week, but they did leave with the most trophies – three, to be exact (Best New Act, Best Indie Rock, and Song of the Year). While puppies (in age, that is) compared to many on the Houston music scene, they’re making a big splash right out-of-the-box. We caught up with Carlos Sanchez, guitarist and lead vocalist for The Dimes, as he and the......

No, it's not a new adult film premiering at Aurora, its White Linen Night in the Heights, and it's back for it's 2nd coming. "Small town cool, in the center of the big city." This Saturday, Heights residents, and curious visitors from all across the city, descend upon one of Houston's fastest-growing art scenes for a celebration of culture and community. The annual event, now in its second year, focuses on art, galleries, retail, outdoor......

Last night, Warehouse Live played host to the annual Houston Press Music Awards. Houstonist was there to absorb all of the entertainment and was treated to some of the best local music around. The Dimes (pictured above) walked away as big winners, with three awards – Best New Act, Best Indie Rock, and Song of the Year, for “Delilah,” which they performed on stage midway through the night. Other performers included Million Year Dance......

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a......

Good morning, Houston. Weather got you down? Here's a fun story to lighten your mood: drunk astronauts. A report on astronaut mental health (undertaken after the infamous Lisa Nowak incident) revealed that NASA has sent astronauts into space totally sloshed. This happened in spite of the fact that they put a ban on alcohol consumption at least 12 hours before launch. Oops. We hope they're not too hard on the astronauts. After all, it's......

You may recognize Judah Friedlander as Frank Rossitano on 30 Rock or as “The Hug Guy” from the Dave Matthews Band video, but anyway you look at it, he is a winner (and you won't get any disagreement out of him). Judah is in town this weekend (Thurs. – Sun.) performing at the Improv. Houstonist was able to speak with the self-proclaimed “World Champion of the World” and to be expected he had us......