You'll understand when you go on down to Tacoland...

June 27, 2005 8:04 PM

Ram Ayala - owner of the famed Tacoland nightclub in beautiful downtown San Antonio, Texas - was shot and killed during a robbery at his bar last Thursday. The world-famous club has been a favorite dive for bands and locals alike since 1969, forever immortalized in the Dead Milkmen song "Tacoland". R.I.P.
posted by item (3 comments total)

Nothing to do with the owner, but my band just canceled a show at Tacoland, and I was a bit surprised to see the nightclub as the topic of a fpp. Immortalized in verse as it may be, local bands suggested looking for shows elsewhere, as in their opinions Tacoland had a small stage and poor sound.

Out of sheer morbid curiosity, I wonder what the life expectancy of nightclub owners is?
posted by StrangerInAStrainedLand at 8:21 PM on June 27, 2005

That sucks. I went to high school just outside of San Antonio and Tacoland was one of the more interesting spots around.

.
posted by amandaudoff at 10:52 PM on June 27, 2005

Stranger, the place is a total dive. Shitty sound? Yes. Tiny stage? You betcha. Chance an honest-to-goodness barroom brawl will break out whilst yr band's playing? 50/50. I have no idea what the current venue scene is like in SA, but I could only imagine that there's always been better places to play.

All being said, though, if you had ended up playing at Tacoland you would've had the unique opportunity to tell yr friends, "We played a biker bar in San Antonio, nine people showed up, we got paid $17, and we feared for our lives until we reached the city limits on the way outta town. It was brilliant."
posted by item at 2:10 AM on June 28, 2005