You read that headline right, folks. The year is 2006 and The Medicine Show is playing at Helios again. Sort of. Rekindle those lovely memories of finishing a long day's work and partying at Helios on Monday night to the rousingly rambunctious Medicine Show. Instead the place is technically called AvantGarden, it'll actually be a Friday and the band changed its name to the Sideshow Tramps. Not to worry, though. You still get to listen......

The revamping of the Astros roster is starting to look more and more like an episode of Extreme Makeover. Today, the Astros announced that they've reached an agreement with the Baltimore Orioles for former MVP shortstop Miguel Tejada in exchange for (deep breath): Luke Scott, Matt Albers, Troy Patton, Dennis Sarfate, and Lou Costanzo. Patton, Sarfate, and Albers are all young pitchers with some major league experience; Patton was the Astros' most experienced and highest-rated......

With all the excitement surrounding the new Wu-Tang Clan record, what are some other bands you'd like to see return to the spotlight? We still say a prayer for a Fugees' comeback album, even though we know it's a lost cause. 8 Diagrams is the long-awaited new album from Wu-Tang, featuring the much-talked about Beatles' sample and guitar work by John Frusciante. Group members Ghostface and Raekwon have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with the......

Good morning, Houston. Did you know that we're now in a bold new Fluorescent Age thanks to Mayor Bill White and his colleagues in Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and El Paso? The collective His Honors gathered in San Antonio on Friday to name the compact fluorescent bulb the "state bulb of Texas." If that doesn't make you want to switch to CFLs, try this: December is Compact Fluorescent Light Month in Texas. What's so......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • DNA evidence confirms the identity of "Baby Grace" as Riley Ann Sawyers. • Camioni’s Restaurant in north Houston falls victim to false rumors, online hoax. • A southwest Houston bicyclist is dead after being struck by a vehicle. • The birdwatcher who went on trial for killing a cat has been shot at and claims he feels like "a walking abortion clinic."......

Are you a big fan of dream sequences? Perhaps you'd like to give yourself a headache? Maybe you're a fan of avant garde films? If you answered yes to any of the preceding questions, you should check out David Lynch's Eraserhead at River Oaks Theatre. Like much of Lynch's material, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eraserhead" target=new>Eraserhead promises to warp your brain with a hard to follow story, astounding visuals and lots of stuff to make you go hmmm.......

Good morning, Houston. If you're hoping that the United States will one day be free of its dependence on foreign natural gas — and we're sure at least one of you is — this isn't your lucky day: According to a report from the Energy Forum at Rice University's Baker Institute, there's no end in sight to our use of imported gas. Natural gas accounted for 22 percent of total primary energy use in......

Finding new homes for old homes While these were listed as demolitions, it may only be partial - both 2506 Morse in Montrose (picture) and 347 W 27th in the Heights had steel beams outside waiting to lift and carry them away. While house moving isn't unheard of in Houston, we are (pleasantly) surprised, and also curious about where these smaller homes will end up since we all know the current trend is "build big"......

Meyerland's Carousel House came crashing down today - the property's new owner Marvin Granit decided to hurry up and get it over with, just a day before Thanksgiving. The house has been an interesting architectural fixture in Houston since it was built by Robert Cohen in 1964, and has had a resurgence of attention since the previous owner John O'Quinn put it on the market. We featured the endangered home in late August, the Chronicle's......

Good morning, Houston. In these days of near-$3 gas, there's one group of drivers who aren't so worried: hypermilers, who use certain techniques to squeeze every possible M out of their MPG. Hypermiling involves a few pretty simple changes in the way you drive, including coasting, accelerating slowly from stops and the skillful use of cruise control. Used correctly, hypermiling can increase your car's fuel efficiency by 30 percent or more — so why......

Good morning, Houston. It's November now, and you know what that means: We're at the beginning of nearly two straight months of Christmas. Retailers put their holiday decorations up early in hopes that shoppers will see them and get in the buying mood — but will it work? Not necessarily, if most shoppers are like Sharon Baker, who the Chron found at Macy's downtown. "I do like Christmas, but I need time to celebrate......

Need to know just a little bit about something? Ask a dilettante. I just saw a commercial for a cereal, I think it was Total, that used a Canned Heat song as the background ditty. It really bothered me for some reason, and I'm not sure why. -- Abbie H., Chicago Though you didn't really ask a question, Abbie, I get your drift. The growing number of 60s rock songs in TV commercials right now......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • There's an Amber Alert for a missing teenager from Fort Bend Co. • Houston Dynamo knock off FC Dallas to advance in MLS Western Conference Playoffs • Local authorities have released artist renderings of Baby Grace • An HPD office was hurt overnight in an accident on the Gulf Freeway. • The Museum of Fine Arts has raised over 3 million dollars......

This week saw the usual ho-hum type of Missed Connections with a few Halloween misses thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, some posts were more depressing than others. Hopefully the following MCs will make you smile. I DONT UNDERSTAND HOW YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME! - w4m - 42 YOU DONT CALL U DONT EMAIL N THEN WHEN YOU DO YOU HAVE NOTHING OF WHT I ASK FOR - ALL I WANT IS THE......

That old green-tiled building in the Village We witnessed the operose demolition of the office building sitting in the way of Randall Davis' new Californian baby Sonoma this week. The green tile (possibly chosen by Lars Bang and Lucian Hood) was flying with a handful of onlookers - don't worry, though - Davis' stylish Mediterraneuscan masterpiece will break ground after the rest of the area is demolished and the street is closed. Speaking of oper...as......

Lots of CDs are released week after week. And though we unwisely spend a bulk of our disposable income on music, Houstonist understands that you work hard for the money, honey! So every Tuesday, we'll bring you a list of CDs that we think will give you the most bang for your buck. Ryan Adams and his band the Cardinals release an EP called Follow the Lights today, just months after the acclaimed full-length Easy......

With the wounds from the Texans' loss to the Jaguars still fresh this morning, let's browse the blog world and see if there's any good news to be found. - Here we go. Rick Adelman + Rafer Alston = BFF. OMG ROFL. ;) - The Chronicle picks up a new blogger/editiorial columnist. It's always amusing to watch a non-Houston native try to put their finger on the pulse of this city's schizophrenic sports fans. It's......

Hey, registered Houstonist commenters: You now have avatars! If you have a profile (and if you don't yet, why not register?), just go to "Edit Profile" and upload a 100 x 100 pixel image. Then try commenting (on this post!) and bask in the glory of our ever-improving commenting system. For now, the default avatar for registered commenters across the Gothamist network is a baby panda — and no, it's not clear why, though we......

Signal to Noise is a globally distributed quarterly magazine focusing on improvisational and experimental music. You'd be hard pressed to find a larger, more eclectic mix of album reviews and artist spotlights in any other publication. It's celebrating its 10th birthday this year. Editor Pete Gershon now calls Houston home and sat down with us to talk about his magazine and his favorite topic – music. How did Signal to Noise begin? Ten years ago,......

Abejas, next door to Azuma off of Kirby, is a boutique with New York style and New York prices.. If mod and rustic had a baby, it would be this store. The smells draw you in with lavish feminine scents from diffusers placed all around. The clothes are organized by color so all black, brown, or white articles can be found on the same rack. If only Abejas could come to our closet and make......

Good morning, Houston. If you've ever been to Rich's, the dance club in midtown, you probably won't be surprised to hear that the crowd there Saturday was sporting "feather boas, glittering hair accessories, sparkling dresses and tutus." But exactly who was in the crowd might take you by surprise: It was a bunch of kids there for Baby Loves Disco, part of a national series of dance events that benefit childhood cancer research. (In......

This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King and appreciated their beautiful skyline. Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out and......

There was very little else for Londonist to be concerned with when the threat of a Tube strike became a very unpleasant reality. The inconvenience was extreme: there aren't many alternatives to the Tube in London despite the best efforts of the Londonist team to get everyone from A to B. Brighter news came in the form of the first ever female Yeoman Warder, or Beefeater as the position is more commonly known, and......

A new radio station is born this morning. Houston will get its own “Jack” format, a format that has succeeded in other major markets for years. What is “Jack” you say? The idea behind the format is (as radio programmers say) your iPod on shuffle mode. That is, if you iPod only included popular mainstream songs from the 1960’s to present time. The switch will be happening on 103.7 FM at 10:37 a.m. this morning......

With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-A-Verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. After cooling down from a hot weekend of many badass Sunset Junction Street Fair photo dispatches, LAist asked......

Good morning, Houston. It's back to the books for many area students this week, although HISD won't begin until August 27. Many local private schools have already started classes, and many will start up again this week, and many colleges will begin class this week as well. Although the temperatures are still pretty summer-y, these next couple of weeks have that end-of-August, book-reports-due feel to them. >> Hurricane + no tax = shopping!: Stories......

Need to know just a little bit about something? Ask a dilettante. The Chinese obviously hate us: First, they tried to poison our dogs, then our teeth, and now they're after our kids. Does this mean we should be keeping a closer eye on Yao Ming? Or ChineseElvis? --Red Ballsworth, Houston Now that Yao Ming has entered wedded bliss, I don't think he has the time to plot our downfall. Plus, he's been living in......

Good morning, Houston. Nothing to lol at here: the Houston SPCA is rolling out a new policy for pet owners who drop off their pets. From now on, there will be a fifteen minute "counseling session," during which the owners will know if the pet is going to be a candidate for adoption or if it's going to the big litterbox in the sky. The policy is meant to make it harder for owners......

Good morning, Houston. It's August, and that means hurricane season is starting to get heavy. The country's got fins to the left and fins to the right, so to speak. As of last night, Tropical Storm Dean was crossing the open Atlantic with winds at 50 mph, while Tropical Depression #5 had put part of the Texas coast under a tropical storm watch. And over in the Pacific, Hawaii's dealing with Hurricane Flossie. Time......

Good morning, Houston. Do you feel like you're living and dying in 3/4 time? Need a margarita(ville) or two to pick up your spirits on this way-too-hot Monday morning? How about a vintage Jimmy Buffett video to help you through the week? "Come Monday" has long been one of our favorite JB songs, and what better time to listen to it than now? Plus, his girlfriend was super-hot, and we can't argue with that.......