Houston - Rocks Off - "Playbill" Archives

Tonight: Rozz Zamorano Jazz Trio at the Big Top

By David A. Cobb in Playbill

Friday, Jul. 3 2009 @ 10:30AM

Big Sir Junior

Super Live

Recorded during live sessions at Houston's Jet Lounge in early 2006, Big Sir Junior's debut release shows the power of three accomplished musicians firmly in their element. Local bassist Rozz Zamorano (Fondue Monks, Yoko Mono, Rozz Zamorano Trio) recruited former Houstonian Chris Young (guitar) and New York-bred drummer Jano Rix specifically for the sets, which drew both hardcore jazz aficionados and newbies alike.

Being among the latter, what Rocks Off remembers most from the set is the trio's seemingly free-form chops. Obviously, the group knew what it was playing but like the best jazz musicians they meander their way around the songs - noodling a bit at times - eventually meeting up for the inevitable big finish. Throughout the album's six songs, Zamorano again proves why he continues to earn the Press' "Best Bassist" nominations, and Young and Rix seem at ease with their less pressurized environments (both are long-time session players).

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Houston's Rememberances of Warped Tours Past

By Craig Hlavaty in 1-2-3-4!, Playbill

Thursday, Jul. 2 2009 @ 2:47PM

For the past 15 years, the Vans Warped Tour has been barreling through city after city across the globe creating punk rockers out of boy scouts and riot grrls out of band geeks.

The traveling punk, hardcore and emo road show has been coming to Houston since 1995. The first taste local punks got of founder Kevin Lyman's tour was at the AstroArena, starring such future luminaries as No Doubt, Sublime and the Deftones, along with members of the old guard like Sick Of It All and L7.

Everyone who is a veteran Warped attendee, even of they only went once, has a story to tell. Most involve baking on the concrete of the Astrodome complex and getting awful sunburns, but generally having your musical universe expanded. For kids who weren't yet old enough to inhabit clubs like Fitzgerald's, the Abyss or Instant Karma, the Warped Tour was an easy all-in-one way to meet folks like you and discover new bands along the way.

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Do You Look Like Aerosmith's Steven Tyler or One of ZZ Top?

By Chris Gray in Oh, What a Giveaway!, Playbill

Thursday, Jul. 2 2009 @ 7:30AM

Live Nation has come through with a four-pack of lawn tickets to the classic-rock show of the summer, Aerosmith and Houston's own ZZ Top July 18 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, and Rocks Off sure as hell ain't gonna give this away for some cheap-ass trivia question. Naw, this time we're gonna make it real interesting.

Here's the deal: if you look like either Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler or one member of ZZ Top, or know someone who does, email a picture to chris.gray@houstonpress.com or hprocksoff@gmail.com. (Jpegs work best.) For Steve, it's the lips we're interested in; as for ZZ, naturally it's the facial hair - but since we don't want to leave drummer Frank Beard out, we're interested in mustaches and beards. Any Houstonian with half a brain cell ought to know what ZZ looks like (but just in case), and get a good gander at Tyler's smackers here. Oh, and please include your name or the name of the person in the picture.

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This Week In Beyonce: B Acts... Like What?

By Craig Hlavaty in Playbill, This Week In Beyonce

Wednesday, Jul. 1 2009 @ 3:59PM

Rocks Off can't argue with the fact that Beyonce Knowles is a stone-cold fox when she gets on the microphone and belts out a song, dripping in glitter and wearing a barely-there outfit. Her voice is at once menacing and thundering, but also femininely fragile. Plus she has to be super-cool behind the scenes for Jay-Z to call her his girl, because we are pretty sure he doesn't dig on crazy women as much as we do.

But sweet baby Jesus, she can't read lines or emote into a camera unless she's filming some melodramatic music video.

Since her debut turn in an MTV-produced adaptation of Bizet's Carmen, Lady B has been stinking up our DVD players and movie screens with her wooden acting. In early roles, she came off less like a silver screen ingénue than a ham-laden soap star.

In the third (and worst) Austin Powers film, 2002's Goldmember, she tried desperately to reenact the allure of blaxploitation-era Pam Grier and failed. We understand it was an Austin Powers vehicle, but that kind of role should have been easy to slam-dunk.

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This Week In Beyonce: Who Dares Cover the Queen?

By Kim Douglass in Lists, Playbill, This Week In Beyonce

Tuesday, Jun. 30 2009 @ 3:30PM

Not strictly a cover, just one of those things we never get tired of posting...

As if Queen B weren't (Sasha) fierce enough on her own, it seems her majesty's minions - let's face it, we're all her royal peons; there isn't anyone left on Earth who hasn't heard one of her songs, or doesn't tap their foot a bit when "Single Ladies" comes on - adore their queen so much that they dare to be like her. In this case, Rocks Off is speaking of the numerous individuals who dare to cover - or remix, or mash up - one of her songs.

Some come off like bad karaoke, but minus the anger that comes from knowing you paid a two-drink minimum for this crap. Others are admirable, introducing an artist some might be put off by to a different demographic. Together, they help push the world's most famous Houstonian to whatever status is beyond "superstar."

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Seven Skynyrd Songs Better than "Sweet Home Alabama" or "Free Bird"

By Chris Gray in Lists, Playbill

Tuesday, Jun. 30 2009 @ 2:31PM

Allow Rocks Off to let the cat out of the bag for a second: this evening at the Woodlands, Lynyrd Skynyrd will close with "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird." Taking nothing away from either song - they are, after all, a serious rebuke to Dixie-haters and Southern racists alike disguised as a poolside party anthem and the American "Stairway to Heaven," respectively - they are, shall we say, a shade overexposed at this point.

Unfortunately, "Alabama" and "Free Bird" have come to dominate the public's idea of Skynyrd so completely that these days only diehard fans and serious Southern Rock scholars know the band's catalog is loaded with lesser-known treasures - a couple of which the boys and girls from Jacksonville might even play tonight.

"Call Me the Breeze": Written by Oklahoma-born boogie man J.J. Cale ("Cocaine," "After Midnight"), "Breeze" is five minutes of pure freewheeling pleasure. Frontman Ronnie Van Zant extols the itinerant rock and roll lifestyle at a time before he realized he might be in over his head.

Find It: Second Helping (MCA, 1974)

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Lonesome Onry and Mean: Tremoloco Headed Back Under the Volcano

By William Michael Smith in Lonesome Onry and Mean, Playbill, This Just In

Tuesday, Jun. 30 2009 @ 1:15PM

Doug Sahm is probably up in heaven with a bottle of Big Red in his hand and a huge smile on his face and bending God's ear about Tremoloco.

Lonesome, On'ry and Mean has received an early warning that Tremoloco is returning to Under the Volcano July 22, after a 13-month absence. Composed of Los Lobos vets Tony Zamora and Cougar Estrada, longtime Dave Alvin sideman Rick Shea, and three - count 'em, three - ace guitaristas in Bob Robles, Mike Tovar and Juan Chacon, this outfit brings it full-force every song. Dance floors fill when the 'locos lay into a driving border polka or a bad-ass blues groove, and when the four guitarists have their say, the intensity is almost not believable.

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Distant Early Warning: D12, the Dodos, Daughtry, Michelle Shocked, Rob Thomas and More

By Craig Hlavaty in Distant Early Warning, Playbill, This Just In

Tuesday, Jun. 30 2009 @ 7:30AM

Back in Black (AC/DC Tribute), Tragedy (Metal Bee Gees Tribute): Sat., Aug. 15. House of Blues.

Black Congress (7" Release Show): Fri., Aug. 28, 9 p.m. Rudyard's.

Burn Halo, American Fangs, Dine Alone: Fri., July 31. Scout Bar Clear Lake.

Cosmic Gate: Fri., July 3. Rich's Houston.

D12, Potluck: Sat., Sept. 5. House of Blues.

The Dandy Warhols, Spindrift: Mon., Sept. 7. Warehouse Live.

Daughtry: Fri., Aug. 14. Warehouse Live.

Dinosaur Jr., Built To Spill: Fri., Oct. 23. Warehouse Live.

The Dodos: Sat., Oct. 3. The Orange Show.

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Pride Show: A LGBT Playlist

By Chris Gray in Playbill, Slide Show

Friday, Jun. 26 2009 @ 4:45PM

Sounds like Houston is all set for its annual Pride festival this Saturday. Rocks Off figured we'd chime in with a few (well, 20) of our favorite albums from gay/lesbian/bisexual artists or groups with at least one LGBT member. (Besides Elton, Bowie and Queen, that is... those are a given.)

These acts definitely have a lot to be proud of.

11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, June 27, Montrose (Yoakum and Commonwealth Streets). Free. The Pride parade down Westheimer starts at 7 p.m.

Saturday: Skyler Stonestreet at Spring Tavern

By Kim Douglass in Inquiring Minds, Playbill

Friday, Jun. 26 2009 @ 3:00PM

Skyler Stonestreet is so cute. She started her singing career at a young age singing along to the Olsen twins. This multi-talented young woman who writes her own lyrics and plays everything from the piano to the drums; she's so damn loveable we're still trying to get the taste of unicorns and rainbows out our mouth.

This is by no means an insult, because she's too charming to insult. Stonestreet may be sweet as sugar, but her lyrics deliver just the right dose of sass to know let you know she's no pushover, either. Rocks Off bent the Hollywood dweller's - her music has appeared on One Tree Hill and MTV's Laguna Beach - ear earlier this week to advance Saturday's show at the Spring Tavern. (Actually, it was an email exchange, which explains all the exclamation points.)

Rocks Off: What first got you interested in singing?

Skyler Stonestreet: I was doing a lot of musicals in school, and I could never get the main part - I was really short, and was scared to sing - and I really wanted to sing, but I didn't know if I was any good, so I took lessons to get better roles but ended up ditching the drama circuit and writing my own tunes!

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