Courthouse Nights welcomes Lockhart’s own, Rattlesnake Milk

By Kyle Mooty

LPR Editor

Envision someone entrenched in the Texas Panhandle, or you could just look at and listen to Lou Lewis. He was smack dab in the middle of it, having grown up in Plainview, a town somewhere between Lubbock and Amarillo.

Even Lewis’ band, Rattlesnake Milk, was born from Lewis’ childhood memories going to see his relatives in Sweetwater (between Big Spring and Abilene) and the Rattlesnake Roundup held there annually. Lewis recalls the event had everything from a Rattlesnake Queen to a man who would “milk” hundreds of rattlesnakes for their venom, hence the name.

Lewis eventually sunk his fangs into the music world, forming a band, moving to Austin and eventually Lockhart.

On Friday, July 19, Rattlesnake Milk will perform at Courthouse Nights in Lockhart, a free event put on by Rach & Rhodes Presents. Rach & Rhodes have tried to have a “Hometown Artist Night,” and this will make number three as it has previously had James McMurtry, Dale Watson (who became a recent resident), and now Rattlesnake Milk, which has all four of its band members now living in Lockhart.

Rattlesnake Milk has released three albums in 12 years with two more expected in 2025. The band, which played at Austin City Limits last year, is coming off a recent tour that went through Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. The band also toured around Texas recently with Jess Williamson. This fall, Rattlesnake Milk will tour with Amigo the Devil to sites such as Washington D.C., Jersey City, Boston, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Denver, and Salt Lake City.

“I really love when I see a band that wants to work,” Will Rhodes said. “These guys (Rattlesnake Milk) are out there working. They’ve played really cool venues around the United States and the world.

“Lockhart really has something cool with them. One of the reasons we’re so happy to have them here, it’s really great to watch a band that’s really out there working.”

Rach & Rhodes (Rachel Lingvai and Rhodes) was just recently informed it will once again be booking musical acts for the annual Texas Monthly Barbecue Festival in Lockhart in November. Rattlesnake Milk played the BBQ Fest last year.

Before transitioning into the vast world of music – Lewis calls Rattlesnake Milk “Desert country,” with a hint of psychedelic, blues and rock ‘n roll – Lewis and three-fourths of the band came from west Texas. Guitarist Andrew Chavez is also from Plainview, Drummer Corey Alvarez is from Petersburg, just down the road from Plainview. Bassist Eric Pawlak is from Buffalo, New York, having met other band members after relocating originally to Austin. He has been with Rattlesnake Milk for seven of its 12 years.

Lewis, now 39, was living in a trailer park in Austin along with his dog. He played a show with RF Shannon, who had Austin Burge playing bass. Burge had opened Chaparral Coffee in Lockhart and suggested Lewis give Lockhart a look.

“Austin said that everyone was real cool and chill here,” Lewis recalled. “So, I came and visited, and it reminded me of Plainview. It was before a lot of musicians had moved out here about seven years ago. It seemed like there were a lot of artists and like-minded people who had moved here.”

So, the small-town musician, carrying loads of talent and big dreams, returned to a smaller area, although things have taken off with the band.

Lewis plays rhythm guitar and is lead vocalist for Rattlesnake Milk, writing most of their songs.

“It’s kinda storytelling,” said Lewis, whose biggest musical influence is the late singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. “They’re all kinda sad, all kinda folklore in the Panhandle, where I’m from. They’re based off people I know, or that I’ve heard stories about, and a small percentage of those stories I just made up from my mind because I thought they’d be cool. I like listeners to try and figure out if it’s really happened or not. It gives them something to ponder.”

Among the neatest venues Rattlesnake Milk has played include the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, which was the inspiration for the Jack Nicholson film, “The Shining.” The band has also played at Ramsay Midwood’s Sam’s Town Point in Austin, which Lewis said was a highlight.

The three albums already released include Snake Rattle and Roll, Chicken Fried Snake, and the self-titled Rattlesnake Milk. Lewis believes the band’s biggest hit is “On the Road,” comes from the Chicken Fried Snake album.

Among the plethora of reviews regarding Rattlesnake Milk’s music include:

Saving Country Music said Rattlesnake Milk was the truth, adding, “There is every single other artist and band in American music, and then there is Rattlesnake Milk. Rattlesnake Milk accomplishes with so little what so many other bands fail to accomplish with so much more. Burrowing down to the very kernel of soul and feeling, and leaving everything else to the side, they are an underground version of musical mastery.”

Holler.country noted the band hailed “from the great desolate southern plains of Texas, Rattlesnake Milk make the kind of strange, disorderly, mutinous music that doesn’t benefit from being dissected and compartmentalized. It’s so deeply of this world it sounds completely otherworldly when you compare it to anything else happening in country music today.The roots of the band are just as mysterious as the music they make.

“Lewis found inspiration in the empty flatland landscapes of his home and the vintage airwaves of KDAV 1590AM, and recorded eight demos in his childhood bedroom. The demos paid homage to his favorite dust bowl migrant songs and ghostly musical gems from the 50s and 60s.”

Whiskey Riff said, “Rattlesnake Milk puts a modern twist on a western sound that you won’t be able to get enough of.”

Currently, the band is sold out of vinyl albums, but Lewis said “another batch” is coming soon. They also have T-shirts and are expecting hats soon, too.

“We are very excited to play Courthouse Nights,” Lewis said.

Rhodes said he has heard from people planning to fill their trucks up with water as swimming pools in the tailgating area on Market Street during the concert.

However, Lewis himself will likely be stationary, likely sitting on a barstool after recently undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus and cartilage.

“Who knows, maybe I can have a miraculous recovery.,” Lewis said.