I heard about JV’s shortly after I moved to Washington but never had been there until 1995, when I went to do a band tryout with some guys. It was a friendly, tiny shotgun bar, big on (happy) bikers and veterans, tucked away in a nondescript little shopping strip off Route 50 in Falls Church. On the wall was a photo of Lorraine, the bar owner, sprawled across a Harley. It was, in short, a dive — and I mean that as a high compliment. It was my kind of dive. Bonus: After the tryout, I got the job with the band.

Fast forward 16 years. The band, under a different name, was back Tuesday night. Three-quarters of the tryout ensemble remains intact. Two of us look a lot older and one of us looks a lot younger than we did back in ’95. Lorraine still owns the place, which has cleaned up just a tiny bit and serves a few food items that aren’t deep-friend and books live music every single freakin’ night (and two bands on Saturdays and Sundays, back to back). The bowling machine in the rear of the joint is gone and the space is filled by what looks like a phone booth — but it’s actually a tiny, highly ventilated ‘room’ where people can smoke. Hey, Virginia law is Virginia law.

Also gone is the photo of Lorraine — it’s been replaced a portrait that’s about 20 times as big as the old photo:

JV’s has been in the same location and owned by the same family for 64 years. I grew up around places like this, both in the Midwest and the South, but this is one of the few places of its kind in this area. Go visit it, catch a great live band and remember the JV’s motto: “Ageless Charm Without Yuppie Bastardization.”