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Black Joe Lewis: North Loop Nostalgia and Austin's Shitty Coke Scene

"If you want to come here and visit, it's already too late."
​Black Joe Lewis (center). Photo byKeith Davis Young, Courtesy Constant Artist

You can go a decent amount of time before running into a true, born and bred Austinite. And, like Black Joe Lewis, they've got their own opinions about all the pretty new things invading the city. But with one ear in traditional blues and soul, and another in blast-your-noggin soundscapes, Joe and his ilk are pretty much keeping the ancient spirit of the town alive. Not that there's not plenty to complain about. But thank the Texas Gods for Mexican food, the garage scene, and cheap cocaine.

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You're one of those rare birds now, born and raised in the Austin area. Do you have a favorite neighborhood in Austin?
I got my old neighborhood when I first moved out of my mom's called North Loop. I still like going there, because there's memories or whatever. Austin used be like a lot of dudes with mohawks and shit walking around, like gutter punk dudes. And it kind of just got gentrified or whatever. And now it's a lot of people buying $500,000 houses. Are there places you like to play or drink?
I like this spot called Nomad. It's up in North Austin. It's definitely more of a neighborhood spot. I just kind of like it. I kind of know a lot of people who hang out there a lot and that work there. We've been playing Monday nights up there. Me and my band in town, minus the horn section. We use it to jam out new stuff. Do you have places you like to eat? I know everyone's got a food trailer now, not so much "places."
My favorite spots are still probably Mexican joints, you know, like El Azteca over on East Sixth. I like that place on Riverside called Taco More. How would you describe Austin to someone who's looking to come?
Shit, dude. I would say that if you have a lot of money, move here. If you don't, I'd probably go somewhere else. I would say it's a changing city that will cater to a lot of different stuff. Less and less [of it is about] music. So, you think it's less of a music-friendly city now for musicians?
I think it is more than a lot of places I've been to. We all rag on Austin, but there is more going on here than most cities musically. With that said, ten years ago, before that, it was more music-friendly. Musicians could afford to live here, and get their own place. I feel like that's kind of what made people start coming here, the music scene, in the first place. That's what kind of caught everyone's attention. Like, "This place is cool. It's a freaky city, and it's all arty and shit." And then, you forget that it's in Texas. Texas, somebody said, caters to money. No matter what, money always is. This state, if you can buy it, it's yours. So, it's just drama. The kind of place this is has changed. It just needs to be be cheaper so you can have more of a scene. Any change in Austin that you've liked?
I kinda felt like whenever I first started playing music out here indie rock was a lot bigger. It was more mellow groups. And now you have this huge garage scene, like Hotel Vegas and stuff like that. There's more good bands in Austin than there were back in the day. Anything else?
There's a lot more drugs going on. There are a lot more people doing cocaine. That's one thing that's definitely changed. Every time you go to fucking use the restroom, you hear somebody. You gotta wait on them to do their shit. I don't give a fuck, but it is funny. I remember, growing up, if they found out you're a cokehead, they'd be like, "Dude, don't fucking tell anybody." Now it's like somewhat glamorous, you know? Yeah, you can get an eightball fairly easy.
Really shitty cocaine is our scene. Anything else you want to add?
Man, not really. I'd just keep complaining and shit. If you want to come here and visit, it's already too late. It's over. Check out the entire VICE Guide to Austin here.