We Walk into a Bar (but Some People Were Dancing)

Di Cicco’s Lounge, Clovis, California

We’ve often said the reason we went to a church and a bar in every state was because those were the two place we could go in almost any community where we could have conversations with people. This bar visit reminded us of something else about bars and churches: they’re two places you can (almost) always find music.

Mindy and I are not concert goers. We like a variety of music -- classical, rock, the American Songbook. We love many songs and bands. But we have limited stamina for listening to music while sitting in one place. We get antsy if we have to sit and just listen after a half hour or an hour.

But most any church you go into will have live music. Some denominations frown on musical instruments, but there’s still singing there. And some bars have no live music, but there’s always at least Pandora overhead. Or a jukebox that hasn’t been updated since the Clinton Administration, but there is music.

Fortunately, there are also churches out there with great worship bands, musicians, and/or orchestras and choirs, and there are bars with live music.

Di Cicco’s, an Italian restaurant in Old Town Clovis, has a lounge with live music. We were there for Wednesday’s Hump Day Blues hosted by Richie Blue, and when we came into the Lounge there were just two seats available at the bar -- but there were two seats. The band was playing “Route 66,” which is the essence of cool.

We ordered a Strawberry Lemonade and a Chocolate Martini. We also ordered a cannoli (if you are a guy of a certain age, can you not think of The Godfather when you encounter a cannoli?). All were very good.

The band, a couple of guitars (bass?) and drums, and one guy doing vocals were pretty good. There were couples on the dance floor, almost all of them eligible for Social Security. But there was one younger trio next to us at the bar, and they were dancing as well. The guy was in his late thirties or early forties, and the two women, who took turns dancing with the guy, were probably in their late twenties. There may be a story behind this, but we didn’t hear it that night.

We didn’t talk to anyone at the bar that night, and we didn’t ask our questions. Because the music was loud, it wasn’t easy for Mindy and me to hear each other, let alone start a conversation with other people.

We also couldn’t hear the TVs, which was fine as there were just two network playing. There was Centric, a network I’d never hear of, playing the movie Set It Off. And ESPN was playing a Drone Competition. I had no idea that Drone Racing was a thing, but of course it’s a thing.

So bars do provide a place, along with churches, to listen to music. And bars provide a place to dance. There are a few churches that provide a dance, but not nearly as many. (Go to Africa if you want to dance in church.) And this is good thing.