It was a long and costly road.
So when construction equipment moved into the lot behind the bar earlier this year, Carvalho panicked.
Austin is famous for this exact situation.
The War on Drugs at Forest Hills Stadium in SeptemberPhotographs by SACHA LECCA
They want to move into these culturally enriched areas for music, he says.
And then they dont want the music.
In many cities, noise complaints can shut down licensed music venues with surprising efficiency.
In other cities, vague laws state that any plainly audible music is grounds for a crackdown.
In Boston, Black-owned venues report excessive noise complaints.
He runs its Sound Advisory Task Force, which has recently reconvened out of desperation.
That story happens all over the place.
So there needs to be a little more care and deliberate planning to keep music in the city.
Now venue owners are wondering: Will the changes move fast enough to protect live music?
In New York City alone, noise complaints nearly tripled between late 2019 and late 2022.
Behind the scenes, musicians turned urban planners like Fichman are seizing on that glimmer of hope.
He realized that a thriving music scene couldnt be built on passion and energy alone.
And that couldnt be left to chance.
You have to sit all these things on top of a foundation of governance, Fichman says.
Somebody has to be responsible for thinking about this.
Fichman decided to be that somebody in Philadelphia.
Instead, these offices now handle all of the complaints complete with sound-measuring devices to remove the subjectivity.
So in 2015, the city took a bold step to support the music.
Now other cities, including Washington, D.C., are considering similar legislation.
In some places, the new building is mere feet away from his venue.
But as it turns out, venue owners like him might not have to.
Austin wont mandate that developers change their building plans, like San Francisco does.
And if developers do build accordingly, Block says, that helps venues, too.
Whether noise complaints are valid or not, they still take time away.
A few months ago, he started as a commissioner with the citys volunteer music commission.
I think its important to get in a little trouble and push the limits.
You cant be as free with your bullshit.
He owes that effort, he says, to his delightfully noisy employees, music scene, and city.
