Some FEATURED ARTISTS on this week’s Stronger Than Dirt (Saturday, December 3, 8-10pm) include Giant Crab, Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger, Iron Virgin, Johnny Thunders, Explosives, Skids, Teardrop Explodes, Bill Nelson’s Red Noise, Headcoatees, Lost Sounds, Habibi, lots of new music, as well as the weekly Dusty Diamond.
COVER ART OF THE WEEK: Raul’s was the first and most celebrated punk club in Austin in the late 70s and early 80s. Opened in late 1977 it originally featured mostly Tejano music, but soon switched to punk and new wave. It remained the epicenter of Austin’s punk scene until it closed on April 1, 1981. In 1979 a live recording was made of five different bands with the ensuing “Live at Raul’s” album featuring two songs from each band. It was released on the Raul’s label and featured cover art and photography by Cam King, guitarist and vocalist for one of the bands, the Explosives. Click on image to enlarge.
DUSTY DIAMOND OF THE WEEK (a forgotten gem from the STD vaults): The Smooty Filth were a garage rock band from Rennes, France. Between 1993 and 1997 they released one full length album and two singles. “Let’s Have Fun Tonight” perfectly captures the sound and zeitgeist of the 90s garage scene, gritty production, fuzzed out guitar, and beer-soaked party vibe. It appeared in 1995 on a 3” CD compilation of French garage bands that came with the Larsen Recordz Fanzine #9. Listen to it here:
Promo art from Johnny Thunder’s 1978 “So Alone” album on Real Records. Original design by Bill Smith and photography by Peter Gravelle.