Metal Church at Sunken Gardens

Metal Church is scheduled to play Sunken Gardens Sunday, August 21st. I'm assuming this one is correct, as Metal Church lists it on their web site.

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Concerts - Metal Church

Reminder: Dan Dyer at Jack's

Dan Dyer from Austin wanted everyone to know that he will be playing at Jack's July 13th and would love to see some SA rockers out there. I posted this before, but it kinda got buried under all the Taco Land posts, so I thought I'd post a reminder.

Alter Ego at the Roxy Friday...last show for a month

Greetings, to all our ALTER EGO-maniacs!

It has been a GREAT month of June for ALTER EGO, with lots of gigs and several new ones under our belts. Both the Broadway Brewhaus and Boozehounds want us back for August and we had a great show at Billy D's, so hopefully we'll be back there again more often!

On FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2005 at 9:30 p.m., we'll be back at one of our favorite spots, THE ROXY at 3249 WURZBACH, across from Ingram Park Mall, and just off Loop 410. This will be our only July gig, as we're gonna take some time off to learn some new tunes and just relax and enjoy the summer a little bit! Between jobs, families and the band and everything else, sometimes some of us don't get a lot of free time!

A little breather will do us good I think, and we'll come back in August fresh and ready to tear it up once again all over town! So if anyone has any song suggestions, please feel free to let me know. We're looking at some new tunes by Green Day, U2 and Audioslave, as well as some classics by Candlebox, and maybe some AC/DC.

Thank you all so much for the support you've shown the band! You are the reason we are getting these great gigs! These bar owners and managers are hearing about us because of you, and on behalf of Bruce, Tony, Paul and myself, we can't thank you enough!

http://www.thebandalterego.com

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Bands - Alter Ego

51 Acres at Broadway Brew Haus Friday

from 51 Acres:

51 ACRES @ Broadway BrewHaus on Friday @ 10pm.
Broadway BrewHaus used to be the old Iron Armadillo,
and the location is 2411 Broadway. Come support the
ACRES at their brand new hang out!

Well, we are fresh off of our biggest performance
ever! The parade was a blast and we are in the process
of getting some video clips up on the
website(hopefully). The highlight of the parade was
Bruce Bowen gettin' down to the Acres' groove, he then
proceeded to get Tim Duncan to do a little shake and
that just about made my day...no wait, my year! If you
can get Timmy to dance, you must be doing something
right!

Up Next:
Friday, July 15th at Crabby Jack's...No COVER!!!

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Bands - 51 Acres

July 4th BASH!

Please join us this July 4th at The Bottom's Up Saloon for an Independence Day party.

The Killing Floor will be performing with special guest Rick Sanford, formerly of Legs Diamond.

Doors open at 7pm, there is a $7 cover charge, and the show begins at 8pm! The club is located at 10318 IH-35 North at the Starlight Terrace exit, before the Diamond Shamrock.

For more info., please contact rainmaker@stic.net or refer to www.thekillingfloor.net

Please note, this is not Rick's birthday party as previously posted...

New Concert Announcement for White Rabbit

Saturday, August 6th - Chimaira & All That Remains

All ages. Tickets go on sale at Ticketmaster this Thursday, June 30. Tickets are $14, increasing to $17 the day of the show.

New Concert Announcements for Sunset Station

Monday, August 1st - Nevermore

Wednesday, August 24th - 30 Seconds to Mars & The Used

Added Note: I just realized that August 1st Megadeth and Dream Theater were scheduled to play Sunset Station. They are no longer listed on Pollstar. I'll look into this one.

Added Note #2: Ok, it looks like Nevermore has joined the Gigantour. So the lineup for August 1st at Sunset Station should be:
Megadeth
Dream Theater
Fear Factory
The Dillinger Escape Plan
Nevermore
Life of Agony
Symphony X
Dry Kill Logic
Bobaflex

Taco Land Benefit at the Sanctuary

Announcement from The Sanctuary (Thanks for sending me this):

THIS SUNDAY - TACO LAND BENEFIT AT THE SANCTUARY
Doors are at 3, and bands start at 4 and go all night long til 2am.
All proceeds from the door will go towards handling Doug and Sunshine's medical expenses. There will be music, a raffle, and a barbeque. We will also be playing the Taco Land documentary on repeat the entire day in our side room.

The currently lineup is as follows:

Shit City Dreamgirls
Pat Todd of the Lazy Cowgirls
Vatos Locos
Los Mescaleros
Oklahomos
Hammered feat. Suzy Bravo
The Martyrs
The Bent Gents
The Hickoids
Flamin' Hellcats
The Tombstones
Snowbird
Rice & Beans
Yoshimoto
Total 13
MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

$1.50 Domestics All Night Long



I don't know the door price off hand unfortunately and dont have the flyer with me, but thats the base info!

Review: The Groove Movement & Spoonfed Tribe at Sam's

"Welcome to a new kind of listening experience!" said Egg Nebula of Spoonfed Tribe. That’s a perfect description of Saturday night at Sam’s Burger Joint with local San Antonio band The Groove Movement and Dallas-based Spoonfed Tribe.

When Staci and I first got to Sam’s, I was starving so we grabbed a bite before heading in to see the show. Man, those burgers are huge! We split one and I couldn’t even finish my half! Anyway, because of this we missed the beginning of The Groove Movement’s set, but we caught most of it.

I’m actually at a loss for words to fully describe either of these bands, but I’ll do my best.

The Groove Movement

The Groove Movement: I could make it easy on myself and say "eclectic" or "fusion" or one of those other vague terms that reviewers like to throw around, but that doesn’t really do justice. The single word "groove" (or maybe "groovadelic funk") is probably the best description, but I’ll try to be more specific. Take jazz, blues, rock, funk, reggae, soul, classical, hip-hop, medieval, orchestral, gypsy music and just about anything else you can think of, mix it all up into a groovin’ musical potpourri (or goulash, if you prefer a tastier metaphor) and you might have some idea of what I’m talking about

Thumping, bluesy bass rhythms. Guitar alternating between eerie wailing leads and steely staccato beats. Rockin’ drums. Bongo funk. Soulful vocals. And...wait, let me say I haven’t used the words "jam" and "violin" in the same sentence since the Charlie Daniels Band made "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", but...JAMMIN’ violin! And if you think all these different styles don’t go together, you’re wrong. It all blends together perfectly. Even when, mid-song, they break into "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music. Yep, that’s right, that song about raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, except they don’t actually sing the words, just groove the melody. Bassist/keyboardist Matt Wolff told me they also do a version of the Sesame Street theme song. Gotta hear that one!



Guitarist Frank Pena and violinist Bob Jimenez alternate on vocals. Danny Gallegos and Aaron Elias provide excellent drums and percussion. Gallegos also takes up the bass for Matt Wolff when Matt mans the keyboards. There were no keyboards that night, but I’ve heard Matt on keyboards (and drums too) playing with 51 Acres, so I know he’s great on keys, too. All the band members are very talented and versatile musicians.

Really though, any description I can give you is insufficient. So, tell you what... Go see ‘em. You’ll be glad you did.

Spoonfed Tribe


Now...Spoonfed Tribe: If describing The Groove Movement was difficult, describing Spoonfed Tribe is impossible, but I’ll tell you a little about them:

First of all, these guys have serious stage presence. They have a tremendous energy, and it flows out into the audience...you can’t hold still! We were drawn in from the minute bassist Jerome57 stepped out onto the dimly lit stage with face paint and plaid pants, playing a deep, dark, eerie intro. The guitarist, ShoNuff, wore an aviator helmet, goggles and a long skirt. But the odd apparel is irrelevant. What matters is the sound, the visual, the whole experience of a Spoonfed Tribe show. It’s a transcending experience. We were no longer in a local burger joint. We were at a hippy commune in the jungle, partying with the natives. The music is very tribal, very percussive, lots of bongos. Every member of Spoonfed Tribe plays percussion at some point, besides just the two drummer/percussionists, Kabooom and Gouffahtts. And while Egg Nebula is the lead singer, they all do vocals, except for Gouffahtts. And if I was surprised to hear jammin’ violin in The Groove Movement, I was at least as surprised, if not more so, to find Egg jamming on...the FLUTE! And I mean jamming. I really dug the flute! They also use a glockenspiel. (If you don’t know what that is, it’s a percussion instrument similar to a xylophone, only with metal bars instead of wooden, and it’s higher pitched, sounds much like bells. Very cool sound. Radiohead uses one on “No Surprises”.)

If this gives you any indication of the jungle-beat intensity of their music, at one point Staci said, “I so wish I was having sex right now!” (I had to beg her to let me use that in this review, believe me!) But, she’s right. The music has a sensual rhythmic energy that can’t be denied.

They attract a young, very bohemian following. Lots of tie-dye, lots of dancing. A really fun and interesting crowd.

And that’s all I’m gonna tell you about Spoonfed Tribe. They really defy description. If you haven’t heard them, you can listen to a few of their songs on their website. Or if you subscribe to Napster, there’s about 20 of their songs available for download on there. But I recommend seeing them live to truly experience their unique sound and showmanship.

Where to catch the bands:

You can find The Groove Movement in San Antonio -
At Crabby Jack’s July 9th and August 20th.
Monday nights at The Mix for the next month or so.
Check their website for updates.

I don’t know when Spoonfed Tribe will be in San Antonio again, but you can catch them in Austin at Antone’s August 20th. See their website for other tour dates.


Added note: This review has also been posted at BandWeblogs.com in the "Bar Blog" section.

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Concert Reviews - The Groove Movement - Spoonfed Tribe

My First Interview! - 51 Acres

A few weeks ago, I approached 51 Acres about doing an interview for SA Rocks. They agreed, and we discussed several different ways of doing it - in person, via e-mail, etc. Finally, due to time constraints and my lack of a digital video camera, we decided to do it via e-mail. I wanted to check them out first, so I went and saw them at Rebar, which led to the review I posted a couple of weeks ago. And now, here it is! My first interview!

In case you don't know who's who, 51 Acres is:
Troy Reisner - lead vocals/acoustic guitar
Brandon Reisner - lead guitar
Zuri Cabaza - guitar/harmonica
Fil Grady - bass guitar
Jordan Slaughter - drums/percussion

AND...I noticed that Matt from The Groove Movement contributed to the interview, so I wrote Jordan and asked if Matt was a member of 51 Acres now, and he replied:

"I guess this would be the perfect time to announce that Matt Wolff is an official member of 51 Acres. He will play all shows w/ 51 unless his band, Groove Movement, has a gig. We have been looking for a keyboardist for over a year now, and we feel that Matt is the perfect piece to complete the puzzle. We are writing new music as a band and Matt is having an incredibly good influence on us. We are so lucky to have found such a good musician, and we kind of just let it all fall into place, so thats how we know its right..."

So, welcome to:
Matt Wolff - keyboards

Now on to...

The Interview:

Rowan:
OK, first the name, 51 Acres. What does it mean?

51 Acres:
The name 51 ACRES comes from a house that the band was formed in. It was an old 70's style pier-to-pier house with a great porch that used to sit on 51 acres of Texas land out by I-35 and Judson. Supposedly, it was Tommy Lee Jones' batchelor pad when he attended college at South West Texas in San Marcos. We didn't have a name for the band yet and were tossing around some lame ideas and then Fil asked "Hey man, how many acres does this house sit on?". Brandon replied"Fifty-one" and the rest is history.

Rowan:
On your website, you list as your influences some jam bands like DMB, the Dead & Phish, as well as several classic rock artists like Hendrix, Clapton, & Led Zeppelin, and some funkier stuff like Sublime and Marley. I can hear all that in your music, but I also hear a lot of blues and southern rock. What blues and southern rock artists have influenced you?

51 Acres:
Our Southern Rock influences include: Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, ZZ Top, Widespread Panic and The Black Crowes.

Our Blues influences include: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, BB King, and Robert Johnson.

Rowan:
What's in your CD player right now?

51 Acres:
Troy - String Cheese Incident
Brandon - Phish
Zuri - Chuck Berry
Fil - Antibalas (from New York)
Jordan - Addison Groove Project (from Boston)
Matt - Herbie Hancock

Rowan:
What would be your dream gig here in San Antonio? Where would you play? With what other local band(s)?

51 Acres:
Selling out Majestic Theatre with our good friends The Groove Movement, Full Throttle, and Jake Owen.

Rowan:
Same question, only on a grander scale, the absolute Fantasy Gig...if you could play anywhere in the world with any band (past or present), where would you play and with who?

51 Acres:
We talked about playing the Pyramids in Egypt with The Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd, then we talked about Central park in New York with the Dave Matthews Band.We finally decided on Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado with an all star line up of guests who we consider to be our heroes on our given instruments. We would want these guys to sit in with us on our originals and then jam some of theirs too, afterwards we would do a full out jam session to close the show. We chose Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead), Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead), Dave Matthews (DMB), Page McConnell (Phish), and John Bonham (Led Zeppelin).

Rowan:
Freebie: what do YOU want people to know about 51 Acres?

51 Acres:
We want people to know that there's a whole different side to the music scene here in San Antonio that doesn't revolve around Punk or Metal. With original and creative artists such as The Groove Movement, Sexto Sol, Dog Men Poets, and Jake Owen we are looking to change the landscape of the San Antonio music scene. We love and respect all forms of music and some of us even have influences from Metal and Punk Rock, but we want people to know that there is an alternative. We want people to recognize that there's so much more to the San Antonio Music Scene than Country, Hip-Hop or Hard Rock, and hopefully there's room for all of us to enjoy success here in SA.

Well, they definitely proved that to me. I generally consider myself a hard rocker, but I thoroughly enjoyed the show at Rebar and doing this interview! Thanks guys!

You can catch 51 Acres:
July 1st at Broadway Brew Haus
July 15th at Crabby Jack's
July 22nd at Sam's Burger Joint with The Groove Movement
July 29th at Booze Hounds
August 5th at Rebar
August 12th at Broadway Brew Haus
August 19th at Crabby Jack's

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Interviews - 51 Acres

Covers vs Originals

So, I’ve been following this little argument that’s going on in the comments on the fave band poll, which started off with someone saying, "This town is full of cover bands." Someone else responded with "Unless you're up there on stage, sweating your ass off, taking the time to get out and promote, setting up gear and teraing it down, in the garage learning songs, and generally never knowing if anyone will come out ... then may I suggest you walk a mile in a musician's shoes. See how much time and money we invest in our music, music that is being made, whether it is covers or original, to entertain YOU! To me, anyone who is making that type of commitment to entertain deserves some measure of respect"
etc., etc.

Well, I finally decided to have my say. And, since it’s my blog, I can do it here instead of in the comments :)

Personally, I don’t care if a band plays covers or originals as long as they do a good job of it. As a matter of fact, I prefer a mix of both. I love to hear local bands with good originals and I love to hear a great cover of a good song.

Many famous musicians started off in cover bands. The Beatles started off as The Quarrymen, which was a "skiffle" band, meaning they did heavily rhythmic variants on American folk and country music. Tommy Lee’s first band was a blues cover band. Alice Cooper’s first band played mostly Rolling Stones tunes.

Doing covers is a great way to get a band out there and noticed. It’s a lot easier to get gigs doing covers than it is doing originals. You do a good job, people come to see you and like you. You get a following. Then you start slipping in some originals. The people like them because they like you! Pretty soon they’re singing along. Then you make a CD and sell them at your gigs. The people buy them...you’re on your way.

A lot of famous musicians STILL do covers, to add a new twist to an old song, to pay tribute to a favorite band, or just cuz they like the song. And there are some great covers out there! Marilyn Manson did a great job with "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurhythmics and "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell. I love Korn’s cover of "Word Up". I think Hole did an awesome job of covering Fleetwood Mac’s "Gold Dust Woman". Sanctuary did a great cover of Jefferson Airplane’s "White Rabbit". And on and on...

And, even if all a band ever does is covers, so what? They like to make music and entertain people and people like to be entertained. A lot of people prefer to go see cover bands because they like to hear songs they know. They can sing along, dance along, whatever. Cover bands give them that.

So I say: Play what you want as long as you do it well!

'Sup with Sunken Gardens?

Kel brought up a good point in the comments on my last post on Iguana Bay (below).

What's up with Sunken Gardens?

Last I heard, they were no longer going to have concerts there. There was a big hullabaloo about it.

And yet, both Pollstar and KISS list Saxon as playing there in November.

Kel said that Sunken Gardens website lists NO concerts.

According to Saxon's website, they have cancelled or postponed all their tour dates because Biff Byford's house burnt down. They have no listings for November and at the top of their Tour Dates page, it says, "Remember, if it is not listed here, then it is not SAXON playing!"

What's going on with this? Is Saxon playing at Sunken Gardens in November? Does anyone know for sure?

Added note: Kelly dug up a couple of interesting articles on Sunken Gardens mentioning that Sunken Gardens is up for privatization and renovation.

Also, according to the SA Parks & Recreation Dept, Sunken Gardens is still available for concerts. So that clears that up.

But is Saxon playing there?

'Sup with Iguana Bay?

A couple people have told me that Iguana Bay shut their doors, so I took them off the sidebar club listings. But just now I was looking at the schedules on the Current's website and saw they still had N'Somnia listed as playing there. Now, it didn't surprise me that the Current had an incorrect listing. That happens at least a couple times a week...that I've caught. Maybe more. So anyway, I went to N'Somnia's site to see if they'd picked up a gig anywhere else. On there, they have a note that Iguana Bay is renovating. Does anybody know the whole story on Iguana Bay? Are they closed for good or just renovating?

On Taco Land

written by JCM...posted on The Killing Floor's Yahoo group:



I was there about 6:30 or so... About 50 People were there with the numbers growing for the 8:00 vigil...

Ram has a very special place in my heart...

He would give any band a chance to perform and let you gain some mileage no matter how good or bad the band...

Unlike some of these stuck up venues, that I will not mention, won't even touch you without a manager, CD or a big following or all three... We all have to start somewhere... Ram would give you that chance to express yourself live and create your music in front of people in a live bar atmosphere... Of course if you sucked you would get heat or dead silence from the regulars there but it would be for your own good... How else would you grow...

I remember:

One time early last year when i booked so many Tacoland gigs. On one of those gigs dated David's truck broke down about a mile away from Tacoland... Man we did everything we could to get it fixed and then try to make on time... But no such luck that night... So David, Jack and I drove to Tacoland and of course I was ready to get my ass chewed by the man Ram... But no... He was soo humble and happy that I took the time in person to tell him I wasn't going to able to do the gig due to car trouble... He then kissed my hand... Kissed my hand... He then told everyone there I was one bad mother fucker guitar player and offered if we wanted something to drink... I guess he notice the sweat and tears of fustration from all of us that night... But Man I was in such an awe that whole night... He took notice and appreciated my band and my music... I was touched ever since. I would never forget that impression for it will stay with me for life...

The very first gig as a front man/lead guitarplayer of my own band was there at Tacoland... I'm playing at the Verizon tomorrow because of Tacoland... The right person notice the better, meaner sound of the new Double Clutch one night and gave us the gig with JP tomorrow...

Such a vast verity of music would play there at Tacoland and never mind it's history... My God we lost such a great man... San Antonio will not be the same without Ram.

Ram, I will miss you dearly.... JCM

Ram & Taco Land

Ok, I said I wouldn't post until morning, but this article has so much more to say that I had to include it in the vigil:

from MySanAntonio.com:

Owner of famed Taco Land is slain
Web Posted: 06/25/2005 12:00 AM CDT

John Tedesco, Jim Beal and Mary Moreno
Express-News Staff Writers

Ramiro "Ram" Ayala, whose iconic bar Taco Land became an institution for underground music for more than three decades, was shot to death early Friday in a possible robbery attempt, police said.

Two employees at the near North Side bar, doorman Douglas Morgan, 53, and bartender Denise "Sunshine" Koger, 41, were injured in the shooting — Morgan critically.

At 72, Ayala was known to patrons as the gruff bartender with a sweet spot, a gray-haired curmudgeon who opened his dive bar to everyone, from upstart bands with no experience to street people.

With his trademark sunglasses and black rocker T-shirts, Ayala was as offbeat as the bands he booked.

"Ram's everybody's dad," said Mitch Webb, lead singer of the local country rock band the Swindles. "He adopted all the homeless people in the area and countless musicians."

Bands across the country wanted to play gigs at the squat brick building at Grayson and Elmira streets. The Dead Milkmen named a song after Taco Land, and the bar cropped up in lyrics by local groups such as Los #3 Dinners.

"Without Ram there, it will never, ever, ever be the same," said Los #3 Dinners lead singer Eric Friedland. "That was why you went to Taco Land, because of him."

Witnesses told police two men in their early 20s had been playing pool and drinking beer at Taco Land early Friday, as the city celebrated the San Antonio Spurs' victory over the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Championship.

Robert Flores, a homeless man who did odd jobs at Taco Land, said two bands scheduled to perform had canceled, so few people were lingering in the bar at 1 a.m.

One of the pool players stood out to Flores because he'd never seen him at Taco Land before.

The man was leaning against the jukebox drinking beer shortly before he walked over to the bar and struck up a conversation with Ayala, Flores said.

Flores didn't hear what was said, but he saw the man stick a gun in Ayala's gut and fire a shot. Flores said he ran out of the bar and didn't see what happened next.

"I can't believe this man went off like that," Flores said.

The two men fled in a silver sports car. They were described as short Hispanic men, one with a light build, the other a little heavier. One of them went by the first name "Rick," or that's what they told other patrons.

The slim man wore a red or burgundy polo shirt and blue jeans, had a crew cut, and spoke Spanish and English.

The second man had a white San Antonio Spurs T-shirt, tattoos on both arms, and light or hazel eyes.

Police found a cash register knocked over with a few dollar bills strewn across the floor.

Investigators said they had no leads.

Although the club seemed like a reliable safe haven to regulars, Taco Land had its rough side. Police knew the spot well, and in recent years had responded to an increasing number of emergency calls.

In 2000, Ayala said in an interview he first opened Taco Land in 1965, selling tacos and enchilada plates to workers from soda pop bottling plants that once operated nearby. After the plants shut down, he turned the business into a bar in 1969.

Taco Land became a draw for an eclectic crowd that on any given night had homeless people drinking beer with uppercrust college students.

"He touched people from every walk of life, from kids (in) Alamo Heights, to kids from Trinity to kids from the West Side," said Laura Escamilla-Fouratt, who worked on a documentary about Taco Land in 1999.

"I think that's kind of what everyone liked about Taco Land," she said. "It was interesting for everyone."

If he liked you, Ayala would offer a sip from "baby," the bottle he kept in a paper bag. You were expected to take a swig of what could be good tequila, cheap Scotch or a more ambiguous mix of fiery liquid.

His affection came out in other ways, too.

"Ram would only heckle bands he liked," said Sanford Nowlin, lead singer for the band Boxcar Satan and a business writer for the San Antonio Express-News.

Roland de la Cruz, guitarist with Los Mescaleros, said, "He could be a tough guy but he was a sweet man. When it came to the club, it didn't matter who you are, you could play there."

There are Ram stories Escamilla-Fouratt has never been able to confirm — that he was a projectionist in old movie houses and that he was a Korean War vet — but his work ethic and devotion to his bar always held true.

"He was really, really proud of Taco Land," she said.

Ayala suffered a heart attack in May 2003 and in recent months spent less time behind the bar, instead holding court from a stool beside the pay phone. The phone would ring periodically throughout shows, and Ram would answer it, barking "What?"

"I love the people that come here. All of them," Ayala said in 2000. "I've got good people and bad people that come here, but 99 percent of the people are good."

To pay homage to a man so many considered a patron saint to the music scene, Friday night's gig became a makeshift memorial with bands More Fire from Austin, Los De Verdad from Houston and local bands Valley of the Kings and Total 13. A crowd of about 400 to 500 people had gathered by 9 p.m.

Mark Cruz, Ayala's son, said he knew there was trouble when he saw the club on television after the Spurs coverage.

He rushed to the scene, and then to Brooke Army Medical Center, where he learned his father had been pronounced dead.

Earlier Friday, shocked patrons gathered outside Taco Land and left a shrine of flowers, candelarias and tributes along an outside wall.

Eddie Cruz, Ayala's youngest son, said he didn't know what would happen to the bar. But he hinted that without Ram, there is no Taco Land.

Vigil at Taco Land Tonight

A vigil will be held tonight at 8pm at Taco Land (103 W. Grayson) for anyone who would like to pay their respects to Ramiro Ayala ("Ram").

Added note: For more details on what happened, see this video update from MySA.com.

Ragdoll - Roxy's - 06/24 - tonite!!!

We are the champions my friend! How awesome is it that the Spurs won??!!! Let's celebrate again despite the hangover we all have right now. Comeout to Roxy's tonite and hang out at a very cool bar with a semi-coolband. And should you be in Kerrville tomorrow - we'll be there too! Goto http://www.ragdollz.com/ for maps and stuff.
Later Chumps!
Mario Udrih

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Bands - Ragdoll

Press Release: 51 ACRES @ SPURS Championship River Parade on Saturday!!!

The biggest announcement in 51 ACRES history!!!

The Spurs did their part, now it's time to do ours. 51 ACRES will be floating down the river on Saturday with the Champions themselves! The Express News lists the starting time for the parade at 6pm, with the celebration at the Alamodome starting at 9pm. For those of you who know the band and especially me, this is an absolute dream come true!

So come on downtown to the river and celebrate with us, or at least watch for us on TV. There should be 350,000 in attendance and even more watching at home.

Every one of our fans has gotten us to the point where we are asked to do things like this, so thank you guys very much!!!

Much Love and Congratulations...We did it!!!

-51 ACRES-
http://www.51acres.com
San Antonio's #1 Party Band

Up Next:Broadway Brew Haus on Friday July 1st @ 10pm.

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Bands - 51 Acres - Spurs

Taco Land article from the Express-News

sent to me by JCM:

So many great memories playing there... I'm speechless...
RIP Ram and let's us pray for the two victims to pull through... JCM


Vianna DavilaExpress-News Staff Writer
The owner of Taco Land, a landmark San Antonio night club once immortalized in song, was fatally shot at the bar around 1:21 this morning in an incident that sent two other people to the hospital in critical condition, police said.

Ramiro Albert Ayala, 72, was pronounced dead at 2:25 a.m., according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office. Ayala is listed as the bar's owner, the medical examiner said.
Details of the shooting were sketchy, but San Antonio Police Department Sgt. Matt Podwika said two men were inside the bar when words were exchanged and at least one of the men opened fire.

"We don't know exactly what was said between ( the victims) and the suspects," he said.
Ayala was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center with a wound to the left side of the chest. A 40-year-old woman who was shot in her abdomen, and a 54-year-old man shot in the side, were taken to University Hospital, according to Podwika.

It appears the two suspects fled in an unknown vehicle with the money in the bar's cash register, the sergeant said.

A Dec. 12, 2000, article in the San Antonio Express-News said Ayala opened his business, at 103 W. Grayson, in 1965, selling food to workers from the soda bottling plants that once operated in the area. He turned the business into a bar in 1969

Shooting at Taco Land

here's the article from Yahoo! news:

The owner of Taco Land, a San Antonio bar, was killed and two other people were critically injured in a shooting early Friday morning at the bar.

Ramiro Ayala, 72, identified as the bar's owner, died at Brooke Army Medical Center.
A 40-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man also suffered gunshot wounds. They were both listed in critical condition Friday morning at University Hospital.

The shooting happened about 1:30 a.m. at Taco Land, in the 100 block of West Grayson.
San Antonio Police Department Sgt. Matthew Podwika said that police believe the shooting occurred after two men tried to rob the bar.

From what I understand, they were already in the bar and they walked up to the counter. At that point, they possibly tried to rob it. We don't know exactly what was said between the owner and the suspects,? Podwika said.

Podwika said the two men fled the scene, possibly driving a silver Cadillac.

Rock City Bar

Wondering about this new bar, Rock City Bar? You can take a virtual tour of it right now at KISSRocks.com.

Looks kinda small, but nice. Can't really see where the bands play, but I think I see a stage in the background of one of the pics.

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Clubs - Rock City Bar

Megadeth and Dream Theater

Dont know how I missed this one coming up.



K-Rock presents Gigantour: Megadeth and Dream Theater at Sunset Station Monday, August 1st.

Pre-sale tickets went on sale today for MegaFanClub members. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Saturday at 10:00 AM at Ticketmaster. Tickets are $27, increase to $29 the day of the show.

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Concerts - Megadeth - Dream Theater

Reminder from the Groove Movement

Saturday night is a big night for the Groove Movement. We are going to need everybody's help by coming out and supporting us at Sam's Burger Joint from 9PM to 10:30PM. If you can, bring a friend or two to help. We greatly appreciate the support each and everyone of you have given to our band. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday. Directions are on our website at http://www.thegroovemovement.com/. Thank you advance for your support.

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Bands - The Groove Movement

Get Well Soon, Abel

Abel, the bass player for Open Chapter, was in a bad car accident today. According to the band's bulletin on MySpace, he's ok, but really banged up. They ask for everyone to keep him in their thoughts and wish him back to them soon.

(By the way, they will still be performing this Saturday at Broadway Brew Haus, but it will be an acoustic set.)

Dan Dyer at Jack's

Dan Dyer from Austin would like to let everyone know that he will be performing at Jack's Patio Bar on July 13th and would love to see some San Antonio rockers there. If you don't know who Dan Dyer is, check out his web site at dandyer.com

I went and listened to some of his stuff. Sounds great and there's a good video on there too. Check it out.

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Austin - Music - Bands - Dan Dyer

Eric Johnson & Adrian Belew at Sunset Station

According to Pollstar, Eric Johnson and Adrian Belew will be in concert at Sunset Station Friday, August 26th.

Adrian Belew is probably best known for his work with King Crimson. He has also played with Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, The Talking Heads and a multitude of other bands and artists.

And I don't think anyone from Texas needs any explanation of who Eric Johnson is!

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Concerts - Eric Johnson - Adrian Belew

Congrats to Archer Avenue!

Archer Avenue just wrote me from the Dog Bone Studios in Burbank, CA, where they are currently working on their first full length record, to be released in 2006.

"Due to hard work, good networking, patience, and some luck, our band Archer Avenue has managed to set up a recording session with a team of highly renowned producers.

They are:
-Grammy award winning producer Pete Anderson (of Dwight Yoakam fame, K.D.Lang, the Meat Puppets, the Backsliders) as Executive Producer

-LA Producer/Engineer Tony Rambo (worked with The Donnas, The Vines, Dwight Yoakam, That Thing You Do! Soundtrack) as Producer/Engineer

- Renowned LA Producer Engineer Sally Browder (Wayne Kramer, The Humpers, The Red Aunts, Auntie Christ, New Model Army) on Editing.

The album will have 10 songs and is being recorded at Pete Anderson's studio The Dogbone Studios in Burbank, CA located at his label's headquarters LittleDogRecords.

Here's a brief description of how this whole studio thing came about:

Archer Avenue recorded its first EP in Jan. 2004, followed by an extensive, Southwest Texas Tour in Summer 2004. It was just after the tour that a chance meeting between guitarist Marc and Pete Anderson months before gave Archer Avenue its first big show. Archer Avenue got to open up for Moot Davis and the Cool Deal in at Moontime Pizza in El Paso TX, featuring Anderson on lead guitar. Pete thought the guys in Archer Avenue had something worth recording after checkin 'em out live. A few months later we were scheduled to record."

Congratulations guys!!

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Bands - Archer Avenue

51 Acres at Crabby's

from 51 Acres:

51 ACRES @ Crabby Jack's on Thursday, 9:30pm, NO COVER!!!

Let's celebrate all night long! Cheep drinks and good food always make for a great time out at Crabby's.

In some unfortunate news the benefit for Rob Sawyer has been CANCELLED due to Iguana Bay closing its doors. We will re-group and probably wind up doing this show next month some time. SORRY ROB!!!

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Bands - 51 Acres

Fave "haunt" in SA

Well, I still catch s*** when I reminsce about Tacoland, but no matter.

Something about it's longevity, location, personalities (especially the dear door-man in the trenchcoat offering his gin with a smile off of his water bottle (bless ya!) and, totally harmless) I love the place...many reasons. That would include memories of David Hamm of Azrael hanging from the rafters in 1992, with a voice and vibrance that will never be replaced.

...and onto the defunk "Cafe Solei" which was located on Broadway in Alamo Heights.

At least half of the bands listed on Rowan's list played there...

I lived nearby, and the place had it all.

Comfy booths with free internet (with most of the pc's off-line, o well), free pool, awesome food on the 'other side'. Combine a beautiful fireplace/hearth placed directly in front of the stage, the decor...

Full Tilt, DragonFly, Beverly Houston, Desmondea (sp) aka Violet Trip, maybe some of you remember the place. Kinda (very) yuppie-ish, but nonetheless lovely.

Whether my friend and I sat on the fireplace hearth slamming...something, occasionally dancing (what a mess), Cafe Solei was a gorgeous place.

The outdoor gardens, the tiki posts...the fountains.

RIP for the late owner...anyone recall anything special about a place they performed?

Kelly

Message from The Groove Movement

from Matt Wolff of The Groove Movement:

The Groove Movement is playing tonight at The Mix from 10-2AM. We will be performing there on Mondays for the next several weeks, so try to catch a performance or two, maybe three, or all of them for that matter. Tonight we will have a special guest performing with us. His name is Oliver and he plays trumpet and flugal horn. You won't want to miss him, this guy is bad to the bone.

Also, The Groove Movement needs your support big time this Saturday at Sam's Burger Joint. We need to impress the people there so that they keep booking us. We will be opening up for Spoon Fed Tribe starting at 9:00PM to 10:30PM. I know it's a short set, but we are going to rock it. A special guest will perform with us that night as well. His name is Valin and goes by Zeal32. He just won a major competition in Pheonix for freestyle vocal and is being sent to Chicago to compete in the same competition EMIM won that made him famous. Anyway, it should be badass, please check it out.

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Bands - The Groove Movement

DOUBLE CLUTCH announcing...

DOUBLE CLUTCH fans, look forward to catching Spider Mike, Matt and JCM on the 2nd stage at the Judas Priest / Queensryche show this Saturday night at The Verizon Wireless Amphitheater...

Good luck guys, way to go!

Review: Alter Ego at Broadway Brew Haus

(I don't know why it's leaving a big space right here!)

Alter Ego
Meet the Band
Bruce Allen Lead Vocals	Steve Elliott Bass/Vocals	Paul Navarez Guitar/Vocals
I couldn't get in to get a close-up of Tony Vasquez on drums, but I did manage to get one of this on his drums: It's Animal from the Muppets!

So, Staci and I went to Broadway Brew Haus last night to check out Alter Ego. The bar is not very big, but it was nice, the bartenders were great and we had a really good time.

The reason I wanted to go see Alter Ego is because their Song List looks like a piece of my Napster library. I mean, they could've named themselves "The Band That Plays Music Rowan Likes"! And I wasn't disappointed. Tool "Sober", Radiohead "Creep", Toadies "Possum Kingdom", Sublime "Santeria" -- they even replayed the White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" for me even though they had already played it before I got there. And they did an awesome job with all of them! (I did throw them off when, in a moment of '90s nostalgia after they played "Shine", I shouted out "Blind Melon!" Guess they don't know that one...sorry guys!)

And I gotta hand it to a band who can do a medley of Judas Priest's "You Got Another Thing Coming" and Billy Idol's "Mony Mony" and make it work! (At this point, Staci said I should warn you that during "Mony Mony" there's a good chance that Bruce will suddenly shove his microphone in your face and expect you to shout "Get laid, get f**cked!". That totally threw her off - it was hilarious!)

Alter Ego will be playing tonight at Booze Hounds, then next weekend at The Trap on Friday and Billy D's on Saturday. They'll also be at Roxy Sports Bar Friday, July 1st. Catch 'em while you can because after that, they're taking a month off to learn some new songs. They're looking for suggestions on songs to learn, so go to their web site and leave your suggestions in their guestbook.

Thanks guys! You rock!!

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Band Review - Alter Ego

Saturday in SA - from Hearts Fail

ATOMIX

!!ZOMBIEFIED!!
ATOMIX LAND OF THE DEAD PRE RELEASE PARTY!!!
Celebrate the release of George Romeros new film LAND OF THE DEAD.
Zombie Contest for pairs of tickets to the ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE SPECIAL EVENT LAND OF THE DEAD PREMEIRE with the main ZOMBIE from LAND OF THE DEAD!
Goth . Industrial . EBM . Deathrock and More!!
FREE COVER all night!!
$1.50 wells and domestics till 11pm

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SANCTUARY

Front Room
!!!!DEPECHE MODE TRIBUTE!!!!
Dance to all your favorite Depeche Mode hits all night!
Doors @ 9pm

Live Music Room
HEARTS FAIL
BOMBS OVER BERLIN
GASTROMACHINE
BIZZARE MUSIC MACHINE
Doors @ 8:30

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Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Westlakes presents:
George A. Romero's LAND OF THE DEAD advance screening
THURSDAY JUNE 23rd @ midnight!!
with an encore showing Friday June 24th @ 7pm and 10pm!!
an exclusive TX appearance by lead zombie actor Eugene "Big Daddy" Clark!
$25 ticket package which includes ticket, limited edition t-shirt, pizza and soda
(ticket and t-shirt may be purchased seperately)
pre-show activities include Q&A and autograph session w/ Eugene Clark, live performance by local psychobilly band Saturday Night Shockers, zombie costume and gut feasting contests!
advance tickets and info at:
www.Drafthouse.com/Westlakes
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Westlakes
1255 SW Loop 410
San Antonio, Tx
(210)677-8500

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Technorati Tags: San Antonio - Music - Bands - Hearts Fail

Sanctuary's New Web Site

Ok, this explains why I couldn't find new updates at The Sanctuary's web site. They have a new one! It's at www.liveatthesanctuary.com, and it's very cool, with lots of info, message boards and everything.

Thanks to the person from the Sanctuary who sent me the info (sorry...don't know your name).