The Needles and The Crack Rock.

True Stories From Taco Land

By Yawn Blog

Place: Tacoland
When: mid-90's
Who's Playing: The Needles
Ram Factor: It Ain't That Kind Of Club


Some band was playing - I always hated the sound in there and had no interest in rock and roll by my late twenties, so I always sat outside drinking $1.50 beer on the patio. Now that was something that I was interested in. Tito, on the other hand, really enjoyed checking out the bands. The relaxed atmosphere really facilitated a lot of one-on-one conversations with the bands in between sets.

The night some band The Needles were playing I was really wanting a crack rock and they were really wanting to sell me a Needles CD. I think they started at $10 and I said no, that’s all the money I had, so they lowered it to $7. Hmmm… CD or crack rock.“Hey Tito, can I borrow $7?” I asked.“Sure.” Okay, so I pass Tito’s $7 to the guy and slip over to the corner of the patio where there’s a vato on a 10-speed bike.“Oye amigo - tienes piedrita?” I asked.“Cuanta?” he replied.“Como cinco, diez- si tienes?” “Claro,” he replied, pulling a $5 nugget out of his snap-up western style shirt and charging me $10.“Gracias amigo.”

I put the rock in the end of my cigarette and lit it slow, trying to maximize the effects of the $5 rock for which I had just paid $10. Then I overhear that punk from The Needles selling his lousy CD for $5 to some other guy after he tried to charge me $10 and worked it down to $7. I didn’t bother to say anything to him.

That’s Tacoland for you.

Ram Jam 2

Tomorrow night, Saturday April 14th, Ram Jam 2 at Sam's Burger Joint

The Second annual gathering of the Taco Land tribe is designed to celebrate the life of the Godfather, the late, great Ram Ayala.

There'll be music from punk to folk to combinations thereof, including Big Drag, Sons of Hercules, Los Mescaleros with Suzy Bravo, Los #3 Dinners, Snowbyrd, The Tombstones, Texacala Jones & Her T.J. Hookers, Hyperbubble, Davy Jones & The Ideals and Chrissy Flatt & Eric Hisaw.

Everyone on the bill honed their chops, social skills and liquor-holding talents at the House of Ram.

Proceeds from the Ram Jam benefit San Antonio College radio station KSYM.