If you belong, as I do, to a certain Greater Washington demographic — mid-40s
incurable music geek — then you no doubt have fond memories of the Bayou.

The Georgetown nightclub, under the Whitehurst Freeway on K Street NW, was a
destination for me in the 1980s and 1990s. The Bayou hosted up-and-coming
national acts and local bar bands alike. U2 played its second gig in the U.S.
there in December 1980. A benefit concert for Eva Cassidy was held there in
September 1996, where she closed the show with “What a Wonderful World,“ her
last performance before dying two months later.

The Bayou will be the subject of a documentary set to air on Maryland Public
Television at 9 p.m. Feb. 25. “The Bayou: DC`s Killer Joint,`` almost 15 years
in the making, was a labor of love for Dave Lilling, Bill Scanlan, Vinnie
Perrone and Dave Nuttycombe. Lilling and Scanlan were granted fly-on-wall
access from November through December 1998, the Bayou`s last month in business.

“What we didn`t know when we started the project was how rich a history the club had,“
said Lilling, the owner and president of Metro Teleproduction s Inc. in Silver
Spring, referring to the Bayou`s roots from the 1950s as a Dixieland venue.

About $70,000 in cash would end up going into the film`s production. A Kickstarter
campaign raised additional funding, though Lilling described the digital
crowdfunding platform as a poor fit for the mid-40s (and older) incurable music
geek demographic.

Still, last-minute production costs mean the filmmakers are about $30,000 in the red,
Lilling said. Donations are being accepted at the documentary` s website,
bayoudoc.com, but a website isn`t always the best way to convey the “art of
the ask.“ So I asked Lilling: Why should D.C.`s moneyed classes help back this
film?

“It` something that delivers to the community,“ he told me. Indeed, the arts
connect communities; stories of people meeting their spouses at the Bayou are
legion. Some are included in the film. “Clubs like the Bayou should be
remembered,` ` Lilling added.

Posted by Scott Roberts