Rubbies' stubbies

>> Bluegrassers Revelstoke belly up to the Barfly one last time

By JOHNSON CUMMINS

If you're looking for a glamourous night out, bathed in the glow of candlelight with the unassuming murmur of trip hop in the background, than you've come to the wrong place.

The Barfly, located a stone's throw from those Guru-guzzling, Powerbook-punching fops at Laika, is a place you go to get royally blotto. In fact, it takes a fair amount of the old hooch until owner Anthony Jeppesen's unique brand of interior decorating becomes tolerable: a "work of art" consisting of two "stubbies" glued to a sheet of broken glass, hung next to an alien head, against a rancid coffee-colour scheme which is guaranteed to make any person battling with sobriety retch.

And it ain't Anthony's Habs shrine that brings the people in. No, it's the cheap beer served in the big glass pitchers with some of the best live music happening in the city.

The bands that have mainstayed a regular weekly night can usually be found with their elbows on the bar when not hitting the "stage" located next to the washrooms. "The Barfly has always been a haven for marginalized music in Montreal," says Revelstoke's Matthew Large. "You will get anything from gypsy or klezmer music to punk rock. It's a really lowdown, Bukowski kind of bar that is really homey and I think that's what people like about it. That and, uh, the cheap beer."

Revelstoke, who ply a blend of gospel and bluegrass, will be giving up their regular slot on Sunday nights and finally calling it a day, as guitarist John Hobart will be reaching new heights as a professional skydiver. After a brief break, though, the band will be back under a new moniker while putting more emphasis on pre-bluegrass Appa- lachian music.

Some of the other bands who hold a regular residency of weekly nights at the Barfly are Lil' Buck on Mondays, Robert David on Tuesdays and Blind on Wednesdays. "I think what is so great about the Barfly is that that it's very much a learning space for bands," says Large. "The bands that are there are playing because they simply love music--and, uh, probably the cheap beer." :

Revelstoke bid adieu on Sunday, April 9, at 9pm. a hat will be passed.