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Rocks Off spent a good chunk of the afternoon today competing in RodeoHouston's annual media Rodeo Roundup (more on those exploits tomorrow), so he's feeling especially nativist today - and with good reason.

On this day almost a century and three-quarters ago - 173 years, if you're counting - as Santa Anna's army lay siege to the Alamo in San Antonio, 41 delegates gathered at Washington-on-the-Brazos near Navasota ratified the Texas Constitution - they elected David G. Burnet, who would later lend his name to an Austin road with a lot of cool bars on it - officially (in their eyes, at least) breaking away from Mexico and establishing Texas as an independent republic. (By the way, it's also Sam Houston's birthday today.)

If you don't know what happened next, Rocks Off really can't help you (and he weeps), but he suggests you at least look here. What he can do is come up with a list of his and a few friends' favorite songs about Texas to give you a little musical history lesson. Leave yours in the comments and he'll add 'em to the list.

He's 67 today, and still "Vicious"...

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: "Killa Joe," Michele Thibeaux

Wire To Wire

Houston's OG Ron C, head honcho of the GO DJ Coalition, was allegedly assaulted and tased by security at TOC Bar this past Thursday night. Chris Brown doesn't see what the big deal is.

Bun B is talking about the final UGK album again, so we're listening.

Michael "5000" Watts has a mixtape coming out with Three 6 Mafia. Let's hope there's a "Chop Me Up" remix.

Photos by Craig Hlavaty

With a roaring fire pit outside and the Schlitz flowing freely inside, three-piece Ka-Nives put on a one-off gig in a corner of the Heights' Big Star Bar late Saturday night. The erstwhile Austin plumbing enthusiasts tore through a short set of their Jerry Lee Lewis-cum-garage-rock fan favorites, like "Where Was Moses" and "Let's Dance."

A guitar amp was paraded through the throng of boozy die-hards like a member of the band by Ben Murphy. At one point, the amp was held up like an old-school '90s crowd surfer, getting passed along on a bed of hands. But alas, it soon found its way onto the ground with a sad and resounding thud. Rest in gear-nerd heaven, Kasino 200.

While the catalogues of Motown and Stax get all the attention, the "Philadelphia sound" of the '70s - headquartered at Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records - if often overlooked, and that's a pity. This concert, filmed last year for a PBS fundraiser and in conjunction with the release of the 4-CD box set of the same name, showcases many of the PI stars revisiting their classics. Producers were also blessed with an extremely appreciative crowd, and the shots of the middle-aged (and up) audience grooving to the soundtrack of their youths is actually quite endearing.

Force of Nature Eddie Levert, sweating and grunting for joy, leads the O'Jays through "I Love Music," "Use Ta Be My Girl," and "People Get Ready/Love Train." The Ice Man Jerry Butler proves minimalist stage movement and vocal inflections can still command attention with "Never Gonna Give You Up," and one-hit wonders (and white boys) Soul Survivors - or at least two of them - rip it up with a good-time "Expressway to Your Heart."

Young Mammals

Carrots

www.myspace.com/youngmammals

Carrots is the former Dimes' first full-length, and first physical product of any kind since 2006's Animal EP netted the quartet a slew of Houston Press music awards and set the local indie-rock community's hearts atwitter long before a "tweet" was anything besides the sound certain birds make. Three years (and one drummer) later, Carrots adds a Flaming Lips-like sense of wonder to the Mammals' propulsive sound. It's a huge-sounding record, with guitars that reach for the sky and towering drum crescendos, and also the somewhat unfortunate side effect of vocals mixed so far down they occasionally sound recorded for an entirely different album.

Still, the Mammals play with an infectious, go-for-broke joy that can be very difficult to capture in the studio, and the songwriting - periodically augmented by a woozy brass choir and judiciously applied melodica - recalls both vintage New Order ("Wires & Buttons," "Stay to the Left") and of-the-moment bands like Vampire Weekend ("Confetti," "Dragon's Wagon").

Photo by Daniel Kramer

Still high-kickin' in her "Boots of Chinese Plastic" as she approaches 60 years old, Chrissie Hynde and her hired guns known as the Pretenders - including Plexiglas-shielded original drummer Martin Chambers - thrilled a sold-out House of Blues crowd Saturday night with a wide-ranging set that encompassed the familiar ("Don't Get Me Wrong," "Stop Your Sobbing"), obscure ("Tequila," "Thumbelina"), new ("Love's a Mystery," "Don't Cut Your Hair," both from last year's Break Up the Concrete) and old ("Kid," "Back on the Chain Gang").

The band was in the house like a pigeon from hell, all right, and Daniel Kramer was in the front row. Click here for a slideshow.

Eugene J. Benge

How to Become a Successful Executive (Success Motivation Institute, 1962)

You TOO can be a successful executive! Imagine the jealousy of your peers when they see your new office!

A wide expanse of walnut just waiting for the business to roll in. A lesser man might be satisfied with just one pen. Not you. And the gold plated letter opener will make a mean slice once the correspondence starts coming.

Ms. Johnson! Ms. Johnson, there! A cup of your fine commercial brew for the new executive. Squeeze back behind the desk and warm up the keys on that Smith Corona. I may soon have a letter to dictate.

Most people don't associate humanitarianism with tough, working-class street punks whose artistic bent tends toward songs about drinking and fighting. For Street Dogs, a band of politically minded Boston-scene all-stars fronted by a war vet turned fireman, community is the whole point in the first place.

As the band embarks on its "1st Annual Crooked Drunken Sons Tour," it's bolstering its lyrical platform with a real call to action. Along with the usual tour tees and discs, merch tables at each stop will be accepting canned food donations, for distribution to local food banks.