Raul's: The Book of Joseph

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Originally a bar run by Hispanics Joseph Gonzales (deceased in May 1996 and Roy "Raul" Gomez, when, in late 1977, four musicians, Jesse Sublett, Kathy Valentine, Carla Olson and Marilyn Dean, approached them, looking for a venue to play, since those performers had difficulties being accepted elsewhere. The four musicians had formed a new punk band called the Violators. Sublett, along with Eddie Munoz and Bill Blackmon comprised the other new punk band in town, the Skunks. Raul's gave both bands a chance, but at first were skeptical about the new style, which was quite different from their original conception of operating a bar that catered to Tejano music. The Violators and the Skunks first played at Raul's in February 1978 to a mildly enthusiastic audience. Thereafter, the Skunks, with mainstay Jesse Sublett, and a new guitarist, Jon Dee Graham, garnered a large and devoted following, not only at Raul's but other, more mainstream venues around Austin. 

Raul's was not only the first venue in Austin to feature punk/new wave bands on a regular basis, but it became the nerve center for the punk/new wave scene. From this beginning, with the first gig by the Skunks and Violators, the Austin music scene itself began to shift. No longer would Austin be known merely as the home of Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker. 

Then there was the September 19 incident of the arrest for obscenity of the singer of The Huns, Phil Tolstead, while on stage for their first performance, which drew considerable attention after a scoop article on the matter was published in the university students' newspaper, The Daily Texan, and on to other publications such as Rolling Stone and the NME in the UK. A photograph had been taken at the moment where a bare-chested Tolstead, being handcuffed on stage, was reaching to one of the police officers for a kiss on the cheek. The establishment experienced a noticeable increase in clientele, fueled by curiosity, especially among young people, thanks to its proximity to the university. 

- From Wikipedia: Raul's

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection. 

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection. 

Raul’s Club was a bar and nightclub located at 2610 Guadalupe Street in Austin. It was initially opened as a Tejano club on December 31, 1977 by Roy “Raul” Gomez and manager Joseph Gonzales (1945–1996), often referred to as the “Godfather of Austin Punk Rock.” The headlining act for the opening night was local Tejano band Salaman. 

The modest 3,171-cubic-foot building was built in 1944 across from the northwest end of the University of Texas campus and has changed names and ownership many times before and after Raul’s. Prior to and after Raul’s it had many colorful names, including the Touchdown Lounge, the Pink Lizard Lounge, the Buffalo Gap, Gemini’s, the Hungry Horse, Sunshine’s Party, and the Texas Showdown.

- From the Handbook of Texas 

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

 Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

From Wikipedia: Raul's

A recording was made there, the 1979 Live at Raul's, a compilation of songs by five of the most popular of the Raul's bands: The Skunks, Standing Waves, The Explosives, The Next, and Terminal Mind. Two songs by Roky Erickson were added when the release occurred on CD. Other regular performers included: Radio Free Europe, Eddie and the Inm'8s, Joe "King" Carrasco and the Crowns, Sharon Tate's Baby, The MiƧtakes, Boy Problems, the Chickadiesels, the Re*cords, the Reactors, the Delinquents, D-Day, Aces88, the Inserts, the all-girl band The Foams, the Jitters, Action Toys, the Norvells, the Electric Tools, the Stains, the Gators, the Derelicts, the Huns, Radio Planets, the Rejects, Secret Science, Perverted Popes, ROKKER, the Invisibles, Toxic Shock;[8] then later, the Big Boys, and The Dicks. 

The club hosted a number of touring bands such as The Plugz from LA, who had Texas roots, in the summer of 79, and The Dils, also from California. The Urinals, from Los Angeles, happened by. Also : The Psychedelic Furs on their first US tour (1980), the Dinettes from Santa Barbara, on June 25 and 26, the Controllers from L.A. (November 17 and 18). Patti Smith made an appearance specifically so she could play a song with The Skunks. Devo also visited the club and so did Elvis Costello, who came to the club with members of the Attractions and Rockpile in tow, and as the Skunks were half-way through their first set, Costello joined the band for one song, then ended up playing for the rest of their set. Just a few of the other visitors included Robert Fripp, Annie Lennox, and all the members of Blondie—drummer Clem Burke and guitarist Frank Infante joined the Skunks for several songs. 

A fanzine was circulating, named Sluggo!. 

The club had no PA system and few of the bands owned their own PA. On some nights, bands hired the Austin-based company, Black Diamond, owned by Bruce Reilly and James (Jim) Berry; on many others, they rented equipment from Crosswind, owned by John Nelson.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.

Photo courtesy of the Margaret Moser Collection.