Walking into the Carlyle Club felt like walking onto the set of a 1930s or ’40s movie. I half expected the Haynes Sisters to show up and do a number. The art-deco themed club is located in Alexandria, Virginia. In a few months, they will move to a new, larger location nearby.
In addition to the nightclub tables around the dance floor, there is seating in the bar area with a view of the stage. The place was still decorated for Christmas when my wife and I were there on Saturday.
Originally, my wife and I had planned on driving home to Tennessee on Saturday. When my mother-in-law passed away, we obviously had to change our schedule. The meetings with the funeral home and the church took place on Friday morning and Saturday morning. The wake was on Sunday afternoon.
One of my brothers-in-law, Perry Seip, plays trombone in a band called Big Bad Juju. They perform regularly at the Carlyle Club. He had already arranged for a large table for family members to attend on Saturday night and was able to add my wife and me to the group.
The show was an early New Year’s Eve party. Attendees got all the same benefits at fraction of the price. There were hats and noisemakers on the table. At midnight, they had a champagne toast.
Big Bad Juju covers a wide range of classic and current hits. I especially loved their version of Bruno Mars’ “Runaway Baby.”
Perry had been in the band for a while before discovering a connection with singer Amy Bobchek. The band had a gig at a fancy event. Perry brought along his wife Carol, who is my wife’s sister. When Amy spotted Carol in the audience, she recognized her childhood friend. Amy’s family used to go camping every summer with my wife’s family.
