Houston Music Blog

​When Rocks Off learned that Texas countercultural icon and longtime ZZ Top graphic designer Bill Narum passed away Wednesday night, one of the first things we did was reach out to the ZZ camp for a statement. The Lil' Ol' Band from Tejas' publicist just got back to us with a message from the Rev. Billy F. Gibbons himself. Here it is verbatim - we just love the way he talks:

"Bill Narum... Man of many talents as a gifted artist, designer and persistent protagonist on many fronts. As the designer and creator of each and every early ZZ TOP cover, his hand forged the perception of the artist essence of ZZ TOP... Cactus, desert sand, rattlesnakes and javalenas, jalapenos, hot sauce and hot bluesrock imagery from way deep down in Texas.

"Scribble on, Bro Bill. You were the best!"

After the jump, a few of Narum's fellow artists remember their friend and colleague. Thanks to Margaret Moser at the Austin Chronicle and South Austin Museum of Popular Culture for her help.

​Both Rocks Off and our predecessor in the music editor's chair have written about what a travesty it is that there is no official marker honoring perhaps the most famous and influential musician to ever call Houston home, country-blues icon Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins. Along the way, we've both mentioned that we're hardly the only ones that feel that way either.

Now Houstonian R. Eric Davis has taken the next step and filed the necessary paperwork with the Harris County Historical Commission to erect a Texas State Historical Marker on the Project Row Houses property in Third Ward. Known as the "King of Dowling Street," Hopkins is buried in Forest Park Cemetery, across I-45 from the neighborhood where he spent most of his time in Houston.

An Illinois native who moved to Houston in 1993, Davis and his daughter went to Forest Park last August to find Hopkins' grave and originally, he says, "couldn't do it." After getting some "very specific" instructions, they eventually did. Having been there ourselves, Rocks Off can say firsthand that it's pretty easy to miss.

"We were stunned," Davis says. "We found his headstone and it's this 12-18 inch slab of granite. I was taken aback that this was the only memorial this guy has, for all that he did."

Update: According to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission's Web site, Rich's - listed as owned by MZM Nightlife, Inc. - has had its liquor license suspended. The license was scheduled to expire on November 29.

Son Lam

Dancers enjoying Halloween at Rich's

​Rocks Off received an email this morning that longstanding Houston dance club Rich's had been shut down. So far all the information we have been able to gather has come from social networking sites.

The incident appears to have happened Saturday night between 12:30 and 1 a.m., as tweeted by @djebonix and @EATitORstarve. @keithdavisjr, who got there after Chris Brown's concert Saturday to find it shut down, and several others tweeted the reason was for nonpayment of taxes. @TheOscar, to @MsTano1, tweeted the club, which opened in 1983, will reopen Thursday.

On Rich's Facebook Page, the following exchange occurred on the Wall:

Chris Payne: "What's up with the signs on the door saying that the property was seized for upaid taxes?!?"

Rich's Houston: "Paperwork issues, the club will be back open again on Thursday."

Rocks Off left a voicemail for Rich's owner and emailed the source of the tip. At the moment, we have not heard back from either one.

We will update this story as soon as we have further information. If you know anything, please leave it in the comments or email chris.gray@houstonpress.com.

www.unclecharlieart.com

This is not the Uncle Charlie art illustrating the artist's "Six Word Tale." This is.

​They say less is more, and in this case they're probably right. Houston poster artist Uncle Charlie, the subject of one of Rocks Off's recent columns in his ink-and-paper Noise persona, is currently the featured yarn-spinner on the L.A.-based blog Six-Word Tales. Charlie's old friend Stiles White, who co-wrote the Nicolas Cage film Knowing with wife Juliet, normally asks various visual artists to illustrate one of his (extremely) short stories, which he appropriately calls "microfiction."

Seems White read Rocks Off/Noise's article on Charlie and asked his old friend to do one of said illustrations. Except Charlie and wife Stephanie decided to come up with their own half-dozen words - "Blind artist perennially focuses. Infinite spectrum" - and White happily yielded the floor. You'll have to go to White's blog to see the art... Rocks Off doesn't want to spoil it any further.

However indirectly (White notes he had Charlie in mind for a tale long before the article came out), Rocks Off is thrilled to have played a small part in this story. Charlie will be showing his work at this weekend's Art Crawl at Hardy Street Studios if you missed the Sig's Lagoon poster show a couple weeks back. And if you missed his interview on Fox 26 News (like we did), here it is.

​30FootFall: Fri., Dec. 25. Fitzgerald's.

Agnostic Front, Death By Stereo: Sun., Jan. 24. Walter's on Washington.

American Sharks, The Watermarks: Wed., Nov. 25. Boondocks.

Band of Heathens: Fri., Dec. 11. Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe.

Basses Loaded, Springfield Riots, Nosaprise: Fri., Nov. 27, 8 p.m., $5. Mango's.

Bill Maher: Sat., Jan. 30. Cullen Performance Hall.

Bryan White: Tue., Jan. 12. Dosey Doe Coffee Company.

www.freepresshouston.com

​The first bit of news to report from this weekend's Westheimer Block Party is not a happy one at all. Late Saturday night, Free Press Houston staffer Lee Powers, 19, fell to his death from the Hazard St. bridge over U.S. 59.

Powers, who also worked as a cook at Mango's, did many different tasks for the Montrose publication that produced this weekend's Block Party, a visibly shaken editor/publisher Omar Afra said Sunday afternoon. Among other things, Powers interviewed Devin the Dude, helped deliver the paper and distributed flyers for Block Party and other FPH-produced events such as Summerfest this past August.

"He did everything for us," Afra said.

Rocks Off glimpsed several Free Press and Block Party staffers who had obviously been crying Sunday. Many more left the festival early - "half the staff walked out," Afra said.

"He was more than warm in his greeting, and a perpetual friend to everyone he met," FPH's Mills McCoin posted on www.freepresshouston.com Sunday afternoon.

Afra is organizing a benefit for Powers' funeral expenses scheduled for this coming weekend at Mango's. The specific date, time and performers are TBD.

Update: In a Facebook note Friday afternoon, Free Press Houston editor/publisher Omar Afra announced that this weekend's Block Party will be the last one in its current form due to safety reasons surrounding to his inability - or the City of Houston's unwillingness - to close down Westheimer during the festival.

"The streets must be shut down, the city must get behind the event, and I can no longer personally foot the bill," he said. "Our staff can no longer handle the capacity of the growing festival and squeezing all of these people into the same block is becoming hazardous."

According to Afra, he has an on-camera commitment from Houston runoff mayoral candidate Annise Parker to lobby the city to shut down Westheimer and bring back Block Party as, once again, the Westheimer Street Festival. Rocks Off hates to say we told you so, but in this case we support Afra's efforts 100 percent and urge our readers to do the same. Stay tuned... - Chris Gray

​This weekend's Westheimer Block Party is already going through some minor scheduling changes, just less than twenty-hours away from the time Bryan Jackson cracks open his first Modelo on Taft. Facebook and MySpace (yeah, we know) have been awash the past two days with changes to the lineup and set times. A recent Facebook status update from WBP sponsor Free Press Houston said this: "I don't know when your band is playing. Bands keep on trading slots like trading cards. It is what it is."

FPH is also supposed to have a Block Party announcement at 5 p.m. today - as in, now - on KTRU's Revelry Report. Stream it here.

Let's break some of it down for you before you head down to the event tomorrow afternoon. And as always, make sure to follow us on Twitter at @hprocksoff for all the breaking news related to the event, and ya know, drunken bons mots about douchebags and jerk-offs.

Ah, here we go again with local artists trumpeting "Grammy nominations." The latest is Atascocita-grown country singer Susan Hickman, who seems to fancy herself as a Miranda Lambert/Martina McBride type. We stumbled across Hickman accidentally through MySpace's "Status Updates," and our eye was immediately drawn to: "Susan Hickman Up for 6 1st Round Grammy Nominations."

Now Lonesome, Onry and Mean doesn't claim to know everything about what's going on around here, but we do try to keep our ears to the ground about 23 hours a day for what's happening in the local live music scene, especially the country music scene. And, to lay it on the line, we've never heard of Hickman.

What gets LOM is the overblown bullshit of touting "6 1st Round Grammy Nominations" by a virtual unknown. Such public-relations malarkey may fool the average fan, especially if their music diet is the by-the-numbers Nashcrap Hickman specializes in, but it doesn't fool anyone in the working press or most club owners. Remember local folkies Sugar Bayou getting their public relations teat caught in the Grammy hype ringer with John Nova Lomax about five years ago?

www.irancartoon.ir

​The remaining members of Aerosmith yesterday confirmed the news that singer Steven Tyler has left the band, and that they are currently looking for a replacement while Steven pursues glory with "Brand Tyler," whatever the hell that is.

Thought Rocks Off has a hard time imagining anyone who could fill Tyler's stretchy pants and lead the venerable group on another tour as they gamely feign enthusiasm while playing "Sweet Emotion" for the ten-millionth time, we came up with a few candidates who - due to artistic similarities or good timing - might fit the bill.

Axl Rose

Rose's insistence that Guns N' Roses are planning a new tour behind Chinese Democracy - starting in Winnipeg - is like that time your friend talked about this awesome girl he met over the summer. Coincidentally, she was also from Canada. Axl needs to get with a band that will actually get him out on the road and won't automatically bend to his every schizophrenic whim. Besides, don't forget G N' R's bad-ass cover of "Mama Kin" on G N' R Lies.

Daniel Kramer

​Rocks Off hears members of AC/DC had a grand old time, um, "warming up" for Sunday's show at Toyota Center. We know they were there because a friend of Rocks Off's in town from Austin had lunch next to Angus and Mrs. Young Sunday at the Four Seasons' in-house restaurant, Quattro. "Evidently they caused quite a ruckus" the night before, she says.

If you saw or heard anything else, let us know in the comments. We are so glad to hear AC/DC still parties like the plane is going down, because that's going to be us one day, minus the bazillions of dollars. We just hope no one got "The Jack," and that perhaps the band's escapades will inspire them to write a sequel to "Thunderstruck" on their next album... whenever that is.

By the way, AC/DC's odds-n'-sods CD/DVD package, Backtracks, is out today.

​40 oz. To Freedom (Sublime Tribute): Fri., Jan. 22. Scout Bar Clear Lake.

"4th Annual Rudz Thanksgiving Eve" With Born Liars: Wed., Nov. 25. Rudyard's.

Bowling For Soup, Smile Smile: Sat., Dec. 5. Scout Bar Clear Lake.

"104.1 KRBE Not So Silent Night" With All-American Rejects, Justin Bieber, Cobra Starship, Jay Sean: Fri., Dec. 18. Verizon Wireless Theater.

Ben Lerman: Fri., Dec. 18. Notsuoh.

Better Than Ezra: Tue., Dec. 29. House of Blues.

Born Liars: Thu., Dec. 10. Mango's.

The Burden, Satannabis: Sun., Nov. 22. Rocbar.

Charles Feelgood: Fri., Nov. 20. Rich's Houston.

Cursive, Capgun Coup, sIngs: Mon., Nov. 30. Walter's on Washington.

Next Tuesday, Rocks Off Movie Night at the Mink returns with the 1980 "classic" Urban Cowboy. Classic if you're from Houston, anyway.

The film kicks off our three-week series on movies filmed in and around Houston proper. Ben Stiller's directorial debut Reality Bites and Wes Anderson's hipster-baiting Rushmore follow in the coming weeks. We were going to show Robocop 2 tonight, but the Mink is having a hard time finding a replacement bulb for its projector, and most of the Rocks Off crew is going to be at Surfer Blood anyway. Also, Robocop 2 pretty much blows fajita chunks.

​The Wailers, The Supervillains: Sat., Jan. 9. House of Blues.

30 Seconds To Mars, Cage The Elephant: Thu., Dec. 3. Verizon Wireless Theater.

Adam Richman: Wed., Dec. 2. House of Blues.

Asleep At The Wheel: Sat., Dec. 26. Crighton Theater.

Bob Schneider: Thu., Dec. 31. Meridian.

Breaking Benjamin, Sick Puppies, Adelitas Way: Mon., Nov. 30. Verizon Wireless Theater.

​

This past week, Internet search-engine giant Google introduced a new music-search tool that immediately opens a pop-up window for people searching for a song, where either the entire song or a snippet will play for them. It's still in the beginning stages, so not all songs are available.

We started off trying our current fave, Husker Du's Flip Your Wig track "Makes No Sense At All" and we heard 30 seconds of the song, almost instantaneously. For Rocks Off, this will undoubtedly be a very useful tool, especially when writing blogs or reviews. Plus, it can always handily settle bets, like Wikipedia does. We can't count how many times we hear "Wiki that shit, yo!" being yelled around our house during a pop-culture dispute.

Songs are either available in their entirety or in just the aforementioned snippet; it seems to depend on the service they are culled from. MySpace let us play all of Devo's "Whip It," while we only heard the first half-minute of Metallica's "Sad But True." Sound quality also varies, as does the date of the recording. When Googling The Association's "Windy" you will hear a newer recording by the band, with tinny '80s sonics.

As for Texas and Houston bands, we dialed up the Wild Moccasins' "Fruit Tea," and were quickly hearing a version as clear as the one on our Microscopic Metronomes disc. This one came from online store Lala.com and played for the entire duration. We chilled out to Lightnin' Hopkins "Mojo Hand" soon after, also in full. Ditto for Benjamin Wesley's "Have You Ever Died" and Mitch Jacobs' "Jukebox Fool."

​Because we worked somewhere that shares a property line with SXSW for many, many years, Rocks Off knows a little bit about how the carcinoma-like March music festival places its 1,500-something bands into its 75-something venues. Basically, they work on it all year long - we reckon the schedule for next March's Austin shindig is between 50 and 60 percent booked at this point. (Lord help us all.)

That said, we have no earthy idea how the Free Press Houston crew managed to schedule the some 250 local and regional artists - everyone save Saturday-night paid-show headliners Dead Prez and Japanther, basically - across the seven stages of the upcoming two-day Westheimer Block Party, now less than two weeks away. Jesus Christ. Especially considering how much reefer the FPH crew is rumored to puff. Save us a bong hit or two next time, guys.

Anyway, it's going to take Rocks Off from now until Block Party to figure out who we're going to see and how long we're going to allow ourselves to stay rooted to any one spot, from the Saturday dilemmas of 10th Grade Cutie vs. Caddywhompus and Buxton vs. Peekaboo Theory to seeing how many acts we haven't seen live yet - Football, etc., White Guilt, Fiskadoro, Ringo Deathstarr, Holy Fiction, the Misfires, More Cowbell and the Goods, say - we can squeeze into Sunday.

See the entire two-day schedule - plus a link if it's a little too hard to read - after the jump. We have our work cut out for us, and so do you.

Son Lam

Scenes like this appeal to you? Rocks Off might have a way for you to go out and get paid.

​

Rocks Off figures if you're even reading this far, you probably go out from time to time. But can you write about it? We're looking for three or four people to write a rotating nightclub column online similar - but not identical - to the Nightfly we already run in print.

We are especially looking for people familiar with the techno/dance-club, Latin, Asian and ice-house/dive-bar milieus. If that's you or one of your friends, please email chris.gray@houstonpress.com or katharine.shilcutt@houstonpress.com and tell us why you'd make a good addition to the Rocks Off family.

And yes, we will pay you.

​Between The Buried And Me, Devin Townsend Band, Cynic, Scale The Summit: Mon., Jan. 11. Meridian.

Billy Dean: Fri., April 16. Dosey Doe Coffee Company.

Bobby Bare: Sat., May 22. Dosey Doe Coffee Company.

"The Canvas Grand Opening" With Chase Hamblin, listenlisten, Sideshow Tramps, The Mighty Orq: Sat., Nov. 7, 7 p.m., Free. The Canvas.

Chuck Negron (ex-Three Dog Night): Sat., Nov. 28. Stafford Centre.

Cross Canadian Ragweed: Thu., Dec. 31. House of Blues.

Chris Gray

Blue October's homecoming at the sold-out Verizon Wireless Theater, July 2009

​

Live Daily reported Friday that former Houston alt-rockers Blue October have canceled a club tour that was scheduled to start Thursday in Columbia, S.C., because front man Justin Furstenfeld has been hospitalized for "an extreme mental anxiety attack," according to a press release from the band's management.

Ironically, this month-long outing, the "Pick Up the Phone" tour featuring Atlanta rapper B.o.B. on board as opening act, was intended to raise money and awareness for suicide-prevention services and mental health issues. Furstenfeld has addressed his psychological struggles in several Blue October songs, such as 2006 hit single "Hate Me."

​A wake will be held from 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Stag's Head Pub for Angela Mullan Jenkins, who passed away Thursday from breast cancer complications.

Jenkins came to Houston from Northern Ireland over 30 years ago and worked briefly for a division of Baker-Hughes before beginning her career with British Investments at the Richmond Arms. She is probably best known as the manager of the popular West Alabama pub and music venue The Ale House, which she ran for over a decade until it was razed in June 2001. She then moved over to open and manage the Stag's Head.

During her tenure at The Ale House, she began booking many of the edgiest acts in the city and state. She was an early supporter of the seminal Texas rock band True Believers, who often slept on her couches and floors before they found fame. Her impact on the music Houston scene in the '80s and '90 is incalculable.

farm1.static.flickr.com/

I.J. Gosey

​

• We have a winner in our Live Nation "Club Passport" photo contest - we think - but are still awaiting a judge's ruling. Stay tuned.

• Live Nation has expanded its "No Service Fee" promotion once again, to include pretty much every show coming to House of Blues or Verizon Wireless Theater: Mat Kearney, Hanson, Peaches, Three 6 Mafia/Rakim, Stryper(!), Bob Saget, Raphael Saadiq, Cafe Tacuba, Anvil, O.A.R., Regina Spektor, 311 and our pals the Pogues, to name a few. Tickets range from $10-30; see www.livenation.com to purchase and for more information.

• Houston guitarist and onetime Peacock Records session player I.J. Gosey plays this week's installment of "Blues and Burgers" noon today at Discovery Green. Free.

Among this week's Distant Early Warnings comes Jay Reatard, who is set to hit Walter's "Possibly Still" On Washington December 8. The art-damaged garage-rocker recently pissed on (and pissed off) his backing band at Goner Fest 6 in Memphis. It's hard to tell exactly why the things happened in the video, but suffice to say these guys soon took their leave of the erratic Reatard.

When Reatard's circus hits town in December, he will have members of the Danish band Cola Freaks in tow as his backing band. We suggest ponchos.

More Early Warnings after the jump...

Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off's weekly rap post. It probably won't rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies.

Single of the Week: Slim Thug feat. Lil Ray, "Salute Me"

Note(s): Yes, this is a remake of the same-named song from Fabolous' Loso's Way. Yes, it lists Lil Ray as the featured artist but is actually Lil' Wayne rapping/singing. And yes, the unintentional juxtaposition of the video's "Look How Much Money I Have" premise with the "Look How Much Money We Clearly Did Not Have to Spend On This Video" vibe is humorous.

Wire To Wire

Shortly after the Trae Day shootings fiasco, we tagged along with Trae to Austin as part of an upcoming article we're still working on. Prior to leaving, we were hanging out at his house - we're not saying we're BFFs or anything, but that is something that BFFs do - and he was working on a remake of that Drake and Weezy song where they say "it's okay" about 100 times. Audio of his take (finally) hit the Web this weekend. It's dope. Listen to it. And like it, because we feel kinda like that might make us cooler somehow.

Daniel Kramer

The Jonas Brothers at RodeoHouston 2009

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Monday morning, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced the first four entertainers next March's musical entertainment at Reliant Stadium. Jonas Brothers, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, and Brooks & Dunn have all been tapped to perform at next year's rodeo. The Kix and Ronnie date will be the duo's last rodeo appearance, as B&D plan to part ways at the end of 2010.

This will be the Jonas Brothers' second Houston rodeo appearance and their third concert in town in the past year. No doubt their March 7 show will sell out, so either start getting in line like freakin' now, or start growing an extra kidney to hawk so you can line the pockets of a scalper for a pair of tickets for your little girls. Fellow 2009 rodeo alum and Joe Jonas ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift will be bypassing this year's Reliant Stadium event for a two-night stand at Reliant Arena at the end of May.

​"13th Annual Pimp-N-Prostitute Ball" With MINIKISS, The Crisis, DJ Looney, DJ Jager, DJ Velvet: Sat., Oct. 31. Warehouse Live.

Ali Zafar: Sat., Oct. 24. Arena Theatre.

Anvil: Sun., Jan. 24. House of Blues.

Brave Combo: Fri., Dec. 11. Dosey Doe Coffee Company.

Buxton, Surfer Blood, F.G. and the Gunz: Tue., Nov. 3. Mango's.

Dave Guetta: Fri., Nov. 20. Planeta Bar-Rio.

David Cook: Sat., Nov. 7. Warehouse Live.

Epica, Daath, Blackguard, Of Raven And Ruin: Wed., Feb. 24. Scout Bar Clear Lake.

​Our friends and neighbors at Free Press Houston just posted the lineup for the next Westheimer Block Party, November 14 and 15 on lower Westheimer. Rumors it's soon to become the Washington Avenue Block Party in an attempt to coax some of those sweet, sweet yuppie ad dollars out of the Social, Pearl Bar, Block 7 Wine Co., Blue Label, Pandora, etc. are - for now - greatly exaggerated, so all you "Montrose Forever!" types can chill.

Headlining are Brooklyn-based hip-hop rabble-rousers Dead Prez and Jersey garage-soul provacateurs Japanther, along with pretty much every local band you ever heard of. Several of Rocks Off's favorites are scheduled to play - give or take the inevitable addition/cancellation, of course - including:

TSU Jazz Ensembles (yay!)

The Gold Sounds

Chase Hamblin

Bright Men of Learning

Something Fierce

Female Demand

Alkari

​Front man and bassist Dickie Peterson of pioneering metallers Blue Cheer was found dead Monday morning in Germany. He was 61 years old and had reportedly been battling cancer for the past year.

Blue Cheer's lasting influence on modern heavy rock is insurmountable. With their devastating low ends and Peterson's grungy howl which even predated that of even Robert Plant, BC was a critical chain in the evolution of what would become heavy metal and stoner rock as we know it today. The band last performed in Texas during SXSW 2008 where they played with bands like High On Fire, the Supersuckers and the Meatmen. Those groups and countless others can look to BC as the catalyst for all things heavy past, present, and future.

​Texas music legend Rusty Wier has passed away according to a post from North Texas disc jockey Shayne Hollinger on the Galleywinter Texas music chat site.

One of the original Austin Cosmic Cowboys with the likes of Jerry Jeff Walker and Michael Martin Murphy, Wier has been a fixture on the Texas music scene for over 30 years. While Wier never had what could be considered a national hit, he was an evergreen act on the Texas circuit as well as in Europe. Wier was inducted into the Austin Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.

Wier had been diagnosed with cancer in Nov. 2007. Details are sketchy as yet, but it is known that he had been undergoing chemotherapy and had been able to be at home.

Rocks Off loves songs about Houston. Here's a pretty good new one by a rapper called Young Twinn.

While the video doesn't offer much we haven't seen before - please, one shot of the skyline as seen from the Interstate is enough - we do really like some of the words, especially the lines toward the end about Hurricane Ike. The beat is well above-average too.

​

Live Nation's weekly Wednesday "No Service Fee" ticket offer is pretty stiff this week: Buy one ticket for dozens of shows at House of Blues or Verizon Wireless Theater - such as Alice Cooper, O.A.R., Jewel, Goodie Mob, Bob Saget, Drive-By Truckers, Hanson, Peaches, Stryper, Zappa plays Zappa and many more - and get another one free. Or buy two and get 'em both at half price. (And they tell us we sucked at math in school.) As always, today only; more information at www.livenation.com.

​"Cactus Music 2nd Anniversary Party" With The Flamin' Hellcats, DJ Joey McKeel: Fri., Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Cactus Music and Video.

Arthur Yoria, Colin Lake: Wed., Oct. 28. Warehouse Live.

Delbert McClinton: Sat., Dec. 26. Verizon Wireless Theater.

Dir En Grey: Mon., Nov. 2. Warehouse Live.

"ArrowFest 2009" With The Doobie Brothers, Foreigner, Eddie Money, Foghat, WAR, Starship, Blue Oyster Cult: Sun., Nov. 1. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

Doug Martsch (DJ Set): Fri., Oct. 23. The Mink.