Normally Rocks Off's first post of every week is our selections for the best shows happening in Houston for that given Monday through Thursday. This week we'd like to try something a little different.

Houston being what it is (a city we love, of course), the weekday live-music options can be somewhat limited. Recently Rocks Off has found ourselves filling up our weekly best-shows post with a few of the same recurring shows: Free Radicals at AvantGarden, Tianna Hall at Sambuca or John Egan at the Big Easy (Mondays); Little Joe Washington at Boondocks (Tuesdays); Paul Ramirez Band at the Continental Club (Wednesdays).

We encourage you to visit one or more of those gigs again this week if you're so inclined. We also pledge to work a few more local early-week recurring gigs into the best-shows soon. But just for this week, we're going to highlight one show, Scoremore's Jambalaya festival. Not only is it just about the only non-recurring gig in Houston between now and Thursday worth mentioning; we're not going to lie, we have a bunch of Jambalaya tickets to give away -- like a lot -- and we need to do it rather quickly.

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Last week we announced a Marilyn Manson YouTube contest for a pair of guest list spots for The Manson and Rob Zombie co-headlining show here in Houston, set for tomorrow night at Reliant Arena.

REWIND:

Rocks Off's Marilyn Manson YouTube Video Contest

The contest was fun, but most of the entries collected were from places not near Houston, Texas or even the United States. Which is cool, because that means the word got out, and people were listening. But they didn't see the part about Houston, I guess. Still, they all did a great job. Pesky rules. Sadly, we couldn't fly anyone in from Australia.

The Rocks Off private jet has become tied up in legal red tape.

Anyhow, we picked a couple from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who turned in a hilarious video that we think Manson himself would have approved of. Plus, they agreed to actually make the trip to Houston.

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Photo By Lindsay Usich

Manson -- Version 2012

OK, the big Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie "Twins of Evil" tour hits Houston and Reliant Arena on October 30, just one short week from now. No doubt if you are a big fan of the boys, you have already got your tickets in your paws in sweaty anticipation. That's awesome, because the show looks like it will be a goodun'.

Rewind:

Rob Zombie, Lord of Salem, Now a Twin of Evil on Tour

Last Night: Marilyn Manson at House of Blues

FLASH FORWARD: Your Marilyn Manson YouTube Contest Entries

Plus it's just a day before Halloween, so all of you slutty Frankensteins and sexy hamburgers can get your nasty freak on to "Dragula" and "The Dope Show" in beautiful, costumed reverie.

But if you don't have tickets, Rocks Off feels your goth-y, frothy pain. We want to help. But you have to help us. Don't worry, you won't have to do anything demeaning you don't already do in front of the mirror or in the shower in your own home.

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You know an upcoming show is a big one when you see an actual TV commerical about it like we did on VH1 over the weekend. Also a good tipoff: The concert is at the same venue where the Houston Texans will soon enough start their 2012 season.

So all week long, but only this week, Rocks Off and the Houston Press are proud to offer one floor or lower-bowl seat to this Saturday's Reliant Stadium stop of the "Brothers of the Sun" tour, featuring country super-duper stars Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw, for only $50. That's a savings of 63 percent over the $135 asking price; part of our VOICE Daily Deal.

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Photos by Marco Torres

Reba McEntire (left) and Blake Shelton host this year's ACM Awards.

The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo is well on its way to drawing a couple of million more (mostly) country-music fans to Reliant Stadium again this year. Now the rodeo and Reliant Energy want to send one lucky fan to the Academy of County Music Awards in Vegas April 1. No foolin'.

All the couple hundred thousand or so of you who will be at the rodeo this weekend have to do is keep your eyes peeled around the grounds for keywords posted around the park. The info Rocks Off got didn't say, but we're guessing those words could be stuff like "ACM," "Vegas," "Dream Trip," "Energy," and maybe even recent Rodeo entertainers/ACM hosts "Reba" and "Blake Shelton."

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weathercade.blogspot.com

The things you find on Craigslist. Rocks Off photographer and contributor Marc Brubaker passed this our way:

Free ticket for JESUS AND MARY CHAIN concert March 13 in House of Blues Houston. ONLY for a sexy, adventurous, sensual woman for an evening of good music and hot fun. you need to be able to host since I am from out of town. You must be a very oral fellatrix. I am handsome, 40 yr old writer from Spain new to area. send pic. no men. no gays.

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Welp, it's been a year to say the least. There has been so much great music, amazing shows, new discoveries, many sad and happy milestones, and Rocks Off tried to cover all of it these past 12 months.

Next year will be even more awesome, for so many reasons, which we will get into the next two weeks. Which local rapper is about to sign a big record deal? Which local rock act is set to set SXSW on fire in March? Where will we be seeing shows in 2012? Will 2012 end in a great ball of fire and madness as the Mayan calendar predicted? There is no way to know, but we're sure Rocks Off will be there to make a Top 10 list about.

"Top 10 Songs To Listen To As The World Falls Down Around You!"

We have partnered with some of yours and our favorite locals to give you some free music this weekend. Some donated whole albums, while others are giving you select songs. Most of the links go to these artist's Bandcamp or Soundcloud pages that allow you to hear even more music from them. If you are into that.

Oh, and sorry-slash-you-are-welcome for that Christmas art above. A happy Whoop Whoop to you and yours this holiday season.

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At 4:30 p.m. on Rocks Off's Facebook page, we will be throwing out five pairs of tickets to the much-anticipated Guns N' Roses show tomorrow night at the Toyota Center. That means you must "like" the page to have a chance to win. In order to win, be one of the first five people to correctly answer the one GNR trivia question we will load up.

If we were you, we would start looking back at Rocks Off's past GNR coverage, because this year there have been more than a few blogs about the boys. They are on the ballot for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year after all.

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cred

Now that the 2011 Houston Press Music Awards ballot is up and running, Rocks Off would like to offer you a little more incentive to attend the HPMA showcase on Saturday, November 12. Head over to the showcase's Facebook page, click "I'm attending" and you will be automatically eligible to win a two-night stay at South Shore Harbour in League City, that you have to use before Halloween. Rocks Off had our prom - or some high-school function - there a long time ago, and it's very nice.

But besides clicking that you're attending on Facebook, Rocks Off encourages you to actually attend the showcase as well; tickets are $10 and available at HPMusicAwards.com. The winner of the South Shore stay, which also includes a breakfast buffet for two, will be chosen Friday, so don't mess around.

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PB&J: Live from the ribeye.

If there's anything Houston is known for more than live music, it's food trucks. So leave it to Swedish trio Peter, Bjorn & John to combine the two. What else would you expect from a band named after a popular sandwich?

Seriously, it's hard to find decent food on tour. If Rocks Off came all the way from Sweden to play a show, we'd want something besides a deli tray from Kroger. As part of PB&J's "All You Can Eat Tour" - in which, as you can see above, they have thoughtfully depicted Texas as a big juicy raw steak - they're teaming up with Oh My! Pocket Pies to give away some filled pastries and stuff 4 p.m. this afternoon at Warehouse Live. (Burgers, fries and desserts are also available.)

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