10 Other Musicians Who Should Have Said "Blow Me"

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Creative Commons
The line between rock star and cranky toddler can be a fine one; deny them their candy and you've got tears welling up and naughty words being shrieked at ear-bursting decibels. Every once in a blue moon, though, a rational thought will pipe up from said rock star, and it deserves a little bit of notice from the general public.

That's what happened here, courtesy of Garbage front woman Shirley Manson. In response to the reports that Beyonce has banned photographers from her concerts, presumably to keep photos like those less-than-flattering Superbowl stills from hitting the press circuit, Manson had this to say about the idea of controlling press photos on her Facebook page a few days back:


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Second-Guessing Snoop Lion's Comments on Hip-Hop and Homosexuality

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Snoop Lion (formerly known as Snoop Dogg) is a legend in the rap world. Everyone, even grandma, knows who he is. In the past 20 years, the rapper has branded himself well enough to be a household name.

In a recent interview with UK publication The Guardian, Snoop shares his views on a few social issues. One particular issue that Snoop touches is his current views on gay marriage, and says he supports it.

The interviewer, Simon Hattenstone, proceeds to ask Snoop his views on Frank Ocean coming out as bisexual. His response was "Frank Ocean ain't no rapper. He's a singer. It's acceptable in the singing world, but in the rap world I don't know if it will ever be acceptable because rap is so masculine.

"It's like a football team," Snoop continued. "You can't be in a locker room full of motherfucking tough-ass dudes, then all of a sudden say, 'Hey, man, I like you.' You know, that's going to be tough."


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The 10 Most Ridiculous Band Names Right Now

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Creative Commons
Hey there, musicians.

I like you guys. I enjoy checking you out, hearing what you're all about. I don't mind the sweaty venues or sticky floors when I venture out of my safe little bubble to see your shows.

I don't even mind the massive bar tab that our little adventures cost me at the end of the night. It's a give-and-take relationship -- a symbiosis of sorts -- and it works for me.

But here's the clincher. As with any good relationship, I want things to work for you, too. However, it can be hard to want to come to your show if you've named yourself something like "Crazy Penis" or "Danger Muffin," or if you've added so much stylization to your name that I can't even figure out what the hell it is supposed to say.


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10 More Reasons Dolly Parton Is Badass

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So, the 9th Annual Mountain Soul Vocal Competition is just around the corner, and you should care because it involves the ever-illustrious Country Barbie known as Ms. Dolly Parton. She's my favorite, and just saying her name makes me want to adopt a Southern accent and wear rhinestones.

If you're a decent singer (which I am not, or I would enter and kick your ass), you might want to look into this little ol' contest. The Mountain Soul Vocal Competition is encouraging contestants to enter by singing your version of a song that Dolly has penned, and you could win all sorts of sweet swag -- including a recording session in Nashville and a guitar autographed by Dolly Parton. Swoon.

I'm sure at least half of the submissions will be "Jolene," but if you want to win that guitar, maybe you should try to change it up a bit. I mean, with 41 albums out and more than 3,000 songs penned, there's got to be a few Parton songs to choose from, right? (Also, if someone submits a metal version of "Coat of Many Colors," I will forever be in awe of your talents. Please and thanks.)

If you're interested in puttin' on your best Dolly Parton wig and warbling your way to fame, you can visit Bloomin' BBQ for more information on this amazingness. If you're still not sold, check out the list below. It'll help you out on your road to finding your inner Dolly Parton. Here are 10 Facts That Make Dolly Parton Badass:

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So We're Twerking In Unicorn Suits Now, Are We?

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The original onesie twerker; Miley stole all her glory.
I suppose if you're going to post a twerking video taken while you're wearing your footy pajamas, they should be of the unicorn variety. It makes the whole thing more magical.

In case you've been living under a rock (or have a job that requires you to do more than watch YouTube videos all day), Miley Cyrus has done us a solid by uploading a Twitter video of -- you guessed it -- her twerking skills while wearing a unicorn onesie. Yeah, I know. It fucks with my mind too.


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Bow Down to Beyonce's Potty Mouth, Bitches

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Tumblr
Ooh, Beyoncé! I see your potty mouth, and I kinda like it.

Sunday evening, Queen B released a new song on Tumblr, "Bow Down/I Been Down," and there's a mass hysteria a-flowin' from the general public over it, as one would expect. It's freakin' Beyoncé.

I mean, who doesn't love themselves a new Bey track? Well, apparently in this case, a lot of folks.


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Mark E. Smith: 10 Outrageous Quotes by the Fall Front Man

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Commonorgarden via Wikipedia
Since The Fall's humble beginnings as a learned, literary group of misanthropes in 1976, the one consistent factor of the band has been the insane rambling of legendary front man Mark E. Smith. Smith is known as an idiot, an asshole or a brilliant genius. Sometimes all three at once.

He is an acclaimed lyricist, writing hyper-literate and insular songs that only make sense if you somehow know exactly what he's referring to, but in everyday life Smith is just a hilarious and lovable curmudgeon.

His lyrics may be vague and obscure, but his style in interviews is blunt and direct. He does not mince words about things he doesn't like, and it's made him one of the most instantly quotable interview subjects in the world. As Smith turns 56 years old today, we decided to take a look back at ten of his most outrageous quotes over the years.


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Enabler's Jeff Lohrber Talks Andy Hurley and the Upcoming Shift of Redemption

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Photo by John Mourlas
Jeff Lohrber of Enabler

With the recent news of Fall Out Boy's reunion, I found myself much more concerned with the fate of a wholly different band.

Specifically, Milwaukee hardcore act Enabler. The Southern Lord band just released a stunning, slamming slice of hardcore and metal last year on their sophomore record All Hail the Void and are gearing up to terrorize your neighbors' ears once again in April with an EP called Shift of Redemption.

Astute fans will be quick to notice a major change in the drum kit. Enabler had been working with Fall Out Boy's drummer, Andy Hurley, who as we all now know as taken off back to his original band for their reunion tour and new record.

This week I caught up with Enabler front man Jeff Lohrber to discuss life beyond their erstwhile drummer and their new record.

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Vladimir Putin's Boyz II Men Sex Plan Is Phenomenal

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parttimemusic via Wikipedia
It seems that Russian president Vladimir Putin has finally figured out what every middle-school boy has known since the '90's: if you play Boyz II Men for your date, it all but guarantees that her clothes are comin' off.

In a bid to astronomically increase the Russian birth rate, president Putin has hired the '90s ballad-crooning trio known for "End of the Road" and "I'll Make Love to You" to entice his citizens into gettin' it on. It's the right choice if you ask me, considering I believe their music is directly responsible for one in three American births during the early 1990s.

As silly as it sounds, I really feel like Putin may have hit the nail on the head with this one. I'm glad he's stopped the whole "trying to pay the citizens of Russia to have babies" thing; it was a little desperate. Women like it when you drive a hard bargain, offering nothing more than a little vodka and some ambiance. I mean, why pay for it, when all it takes is a little mood music to seal the deal?

In a slow-clap to his creativity, I'd like to offer a few song suggestions to Mr. Putin to help increase the odds of this weird, nationwide naughty-bits marathon succeeding. I'm helpful like that.


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Abandon All Hope: Your Guide to the 2013 Grammy Award Underdogs

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Taylor Swift = not an underdog, no matter what face she makes.
There are certain truths we all accept about the Grammy awards, including but not limited to: no matter how many times she's won Taylor Swift will always make that "ohmygod people like me?!?!?!" face; that NARAS president Neil Portnow will show up to make a speech that no one will remember; someone we like will lose an award they should have won.

Although we'll complain about how once again the voters dropped the ball we know that we'll be watching the show again next year secretly hoping that maybe it'll be different this time, only to be disappointed again.

How do we break this cycle of frustration?

This year instead of rooting for our favorite acts let's band together and root for those acts with no chance of winning. If they lose we knew it was coming and if they win we'll be pleasantly surprised.

Which underdogs should you root for Sunday night? Here are some suggestions.


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