Four of us
had a great time on our field trip this past Thursday evening to the Showtime
Bar, on Rhode Island Avenue in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of DC.
Back story
– one Friday morning last July I was eating breakfast and browsing through the
Weekend section of the Washington Post when I noticed the headline “Looking for the best jukebox in D.C.? It’s at Showtime.” Glancing at the article, I saw
that the bar was owned by Paul Vivari, aka DJ Soul Call Paul and with a surname
that is familiar to the vast majority of us Westatians. Visiting the
establishment and checking out the jukebox immediately went onto my bucket
list, and I finally got the chance to make my first trip down there (although
it’s unlikely to be the last).
The place
definitely lived up to its reputation for a convivial atmosphere and good cheap
beer – business was booming. Paul’s expertise in old R&B tunes far
surpasses mine; I think I recognized maybe 3 of the 24 tracks on one of the
compilation CDs in the jukebox. However, since I grew up in Harrisburg PA, I
was delighted to find “Karate” by the Emperors, a local band who had a #1 local
hit with the song back in the mid-60s when I was in junior high. Needless to
say, this became our first selection on the box. Fear not, though – if you’re
familiar with the likes of Aretha, James Brown, Otis Redding, or Wilson Pickett, you will
find some tracks you know and love.
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