Words and pics by The Noiseboy 

Between all these trips to the beach, who has time to blog? (Allow me to gloat about my newfound life beside water; there will be plenty of time for you to exact revenge in the winter months.)

Hungry Girl and I finally found a bar we both like, a splendid amalgamation of a dive bar and a townie bar that has so much character it could, if these people existed up here, become a happening spot for the hipsters to hang out. It’s called The Joynt. And once you get past the name, it’s really a great old bar in the heart of “campustown.” I hate to say it, because I may just be setting myself up to fail at filling a void I had long given up on filling, but it reminds me of Les’s Lounge.

The space has an old soul and is lined with photographs of the many notable blues and jazz artists that performed there (I’m guessing primarily in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s). We’re talking Dizzy Gillespie and Odetta. There’s a CD jukebox that offers an eclectic taste (from Sun Ra, Hank Williams, and Chuck Berry to Arcade Fire and Bon Iver, with a fair amount of shit thrown in — just like Les’s juke!). Hundreds of long-retired beer cans are on display. A lone pool table, dart board, and pinball machine are at the rear of the bar. No air conditioning.

They offer about 8 draughts and I didn’t notice anyone drinking from a bottle (nor did I see a fridge with bottles). All beer is served in smaller, shorter beer glasses (I believe you would call them Czech Pilsner glasses; similar, if not the same, as the ones Les’s used). So a pair of draughts went for about the price of one pint.

Barstool philosophers appeared to outnumber the brain-dead two-to-one and there were few, if any, college kids in attendance. At least on this late-afternoon, The Joynt was a place for locals to drink up. And the bartender was a bit of an asshole. My kinda place!

Hungry Girl was sold when she noticed the Dylan Thomas quote on the back of the coasters. (She’s a sucker for poetry, that girl.)

I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking.