Raul Ch-

I was born in Dallas, TX. When I was about seven, I became interested in all sorts of rock music. Bands like The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and other 60's & 70s rock bands were pretty big influences. When I turned 14 my dad took me to buy my first guitar, a black Fender Stratocaster, and I started studying under my first guitar mentor, Bobby Glenn Taylor. He was the former lead singer/lead guitarist of some Steppenwolf tribute band in the 70's, and he showed me everything from how to hold a pick to chord shapes. Not only did I start performing live at church, but I also started learning song after song from Guitar World & Guitar One magazines. Over the years I've had to revise some of these techniques, but this experience laid the groundwork for much of my musical career. This also turned me onto some incredible musical influences, including some pretty obscure vintage rock bands.

Soon after my departure from my original teacher of 4 years I found myself really wanting to develop both my technique in guitar playing as well as my knowledge of music theory. At the time I was going to Texas A&M University in College Station studying biochemistry & genetics while my brother was attending school at the University of North Texas in Denton studying music composition. In our winter & summer breaks I would borrow his books on music theory & counterpoint. I studied and practiced his books without rest until I knew them better than the science I was supposed to be learning. This dichotomy of study in both technique & theory proved to be a tremendous catalyst for my songwriting career. It was much like graduating from two schools in 4 years...the school of science, & the school of music.

 I performed regularly as guitarist/singer/songwriter in college with the indie-punk band, The Screams, but soon grew bored of the scene in College Station. Upon graduating college, I came back to Dallas in search of a new band & a new sound. After performing for a few bands over the course of about 3 years I finally started a rigorously ambitious band with my brother, called "Wolf at the Door". Our music is influenced by the likes of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, The Doors, Nine Inch Nails, Guns & Roses, MC5, Frank Zappa, The Allman Brothers Band, The Rolling Stones, TV on the Radio, 13th Floor Elevators, & the Baroque Era.

I've taught guitar off & on almost as long as I have been learning. I would go to high school having just learned the newest Toadies song or some obscure Jimi Hendrix song, & my buddies would ask me how to play it...so I would show them. I'm always teaching both technique, & the power of attitude and heart. I believe it is noble to teach oneself, but far more noble to make the effort to teach others...make your mark.

"I wiped out the 60's"  - Iggy Pop