by CHRIS BARRY, RUPERT BOTTENBERG, LORRAINE CARPENTER, RAF KATIGBAK

Darling Foundry
(745 Ottawa)

The Quartier Ephémère organization (the brains behind installations like Silophone, Tunnel and Panique au Faubourg) are on a mission: to promote and support young, up-and-coming artists, and to provide them with space to work and display their art by re-using abandoned buildings. Officially open last June, the Darling Foundry is just such a place—an important part of the continuously expanding Multimedia City (aka Le Faubourg des Récollets), an area designed specifically as a response to two separate plans: creating jobs by setting up a business assistance program and putting to use abandoned industrial buildings.

Constructed in stages between 1888 and 1942, the enormous, high-ceilinged space that once housed a steel foundry is now a home for the arts. Past events have included art installations (the opening Ultra Vide exhibit), theatre productions (Samuel Beckett’s acclaimed Endgame), and concerts (Constellation Records’ post-rock showcase featuring Fly Pan Am, Hanged Up, One Speed Bike, and Polmo Polpo). Most recently, the Darling Foundry was also home to the Biennale de Montréal. The Foundry and its exhibitions serve to expand the already growing artistic community in the Old Montreal area. (RK)

The Lava
(6744 St-Laurent)

Ever check a club and think, I could do this that much better? The Lava, up in the increasingly happening Little Italy district, offers you that chance. “The Lava can be either of two things,” explains co-owner Mauro Cappadocia, “your living room away from home or your own nightclub. Most people cannot accommodate 100 people in their home. We provide them with a home away from home. Also, some individuals dream of owning a club and we make it possible for them. We’ve had corporate parties, charity fundraisers, fraternity parties, seminars, comedy nights, engagement parties, Christmas parties—we’ve even had a movie filmed here. On the nightclub side of things is a regular clientele who organize Russian nights, Haitian nights, Latin nights and just plain commercial dance and R&B nights. These nights are opened to all.”

Events for teens, like bar mitzvahs and sweet sixteens, are also kosher. “The kids feel like adults for the night. They love being served drinks—non-alcoholic, of course—at the bar, they dance, it’s really fun for them.”

Clean, spacious and tastefully decorated in a fun, red-schemed way (check out the cool lamps!), the Lava sports a dancefloor, a quiet corner and comfortable seating. Book it for the night and bring your own DJ, or leave it to Mauro and his partners Frank Cappadocia and Ryan Lewis. “We have in-house DJs with 25 years of experience that can play music from the ’50s to present-day hits. We supply the waitresses, barmaids, security and anything else someone requires to make their night complete. We also have valet-parking if required.” Furthermore, Casa Napoli downstairs can be called upon to cater, and Livingroom’s Phil Bloom also supplies “an endless variety of specialty dishes.” Yum! To reach the Lava, call 722-1052 or 272-6335, e-mail them at info@thelava.com or visit www.thelava.com for news. (RB)

Metropolis
(59 Ste-Catherine E.)

Back after a short absence this fall is the Metropolis. The sole survivor of the era of the great, mythic theatres along Ste-Catherine street, the hall closed its doors in August for major renovations to its stage, sound and lighting facilities. But it’s now back in business, new and improved, with vastly superior acoustics and considerably more generous sightlines. First opened in 1884, over the years the Metropolis has hosted everyone from Sarah Bernhardt to Black Sabbath and for a brief period in the ’90s was the swingiest disco in town. A discotheque no more, the venue will now be used strictly as a concert hall, with the new renovations allowing for 2,300 standing customers at rock ’n’ roll events and a sit-down audience of 1,200 for cabaret-style shows. Équipe Spectra, who own the joint, swear up and down that the latest renovations to the old theatre have in no way compromised the original architectural beauty of the hall but, in fact, greatly served to enhance its charm. (CB)

Mile End Bar
(5322 St-Laurent)

In the ever-expanding Mile-End area of upper St-Laurent, the Mile End Bar boasts three levels of hip and stylish fun. With its clean lines, frosty colour scheme and ample, modular square seating, the upper club area takes on a sleek, Scandinavian airport-lounge atmosphere (complete with third-level catwalk representing the wing of a plane). Its quality sound system and small stage for DJs and live acts also make it the perfect place to get your groove on. Downstairs, at street level, the décor shifts as the cold minimalism is offset by wood accents and exposed brick, revealing a modern, funky take on a traditional European lodge/tavern. Weekly DJ residencies (which include P-Thug, Paul Raymer, Olivier Bergeron and Romeo Kardec) will be interspersed with live acts and one-off shows giving the casual customer a variety of sounds each week.

“We didn’t want people to expect Friday nights to always be like this and Saturday nights like that,” remarks musical director and PR man Mark Dillon. “For us it’s more like, come in any time and it’ll be good music.” Worried about speculation and new-club overhype, the owners kept the very existence of the bar a secret until only two weeks before opening last August. “We didn’t want people to prejudge it,” says Dillon. “We just wanted people to show up and accept it for what it is, the local spot to grab a good beer and good conversation and maybe shake your ass a bit upstairs.” (RK)

Nick’s Pasalymani
(5845 du Parc)

If you don’t need the presence of disco balls to make your evening on the town feel like something worthwhile, then you might be wise to check out Pasalymani on Parc (corner Bernard) sometime. A family-owned Mile-End drinking institution for over 30 years, the reins of this legendary watering hole have recently been passed down to youngest son Nick Spiropoulous, a topnotch drummer and a man fiercely dedicated to the Mile-End music scene. Drinks are cheap, you can actually hear the people you talk to, and on any given night you may find yourself witnessing the neighbourhood’s finest musicians banging their bongos in some of the most stylin’ jams to be found anywhere. Thursday night is officially jam night, pretty well everyone is welcome to sit in and, if you’re lucky, it’ll probably be ol’ Nick himself holding down the beat. The weekend entertainment slot is usually filled by local Mile-End bands. (CB)

O Patro Vys
(356 Mont-Royal E.)

Quick Czech lesson: Bily Kun (the popular watering hole on Mont-Royal) means “white horse.” O Patro Vys means “the next level,” and that’s the tag for the space upstairs from Bily Kun, run by much the same folks. The aim, as explained by co-owners Charles Sebestik and Harm Duzink, was “a small, centrally located, well equipped, multi-function space that would allow us to present and support a variety of arts. For six months, interior designers, sound and lighting designers, architects and engineers all worked to define the space. We then spent about two years dancing with the city to get the permits required.” The key to getting the papers was, as Sebestik and Duzink put it, “Patience, patience and a lot of patience.” That, and a special private-club policy—don’t worry, anyone can join, and members can bring their friends (meaning future members) in. It’s kinda like the Hare Krishnas only not creepy. The space is available for shows, parties, plays, readings, art exhibits, performances of all stripes and whatever else you can cook up. On the technical tip: “We have a basic sound system, a small lighting rig, a digital projector, and we’re wired for Ethernet and high-speed Internet access.” No decapitated flightless birds glowering at you, however. To reach “the next level,” call 845-3855 or e-mail info@opatrovys.com. (RB)

Plaza Theatre
(6505 St-Hubert)

Decorated by famous Maltese artist Emmanuel Briffa (the man behind the Rialto, Corona and 150 other theatres in North America), the majestic Plaza Theatre has gone through many changes since its construction in 1922. Starting off as a popular 1,200-seater at the height of Montreal’s theatre boom of the ’20s, the space has since been shut down twice, split in two, become a clothing store, converted into a bowling alley, and in the mid-’90s was even an Asian speakeasy boasting an illegal bar and imported karaoke acts from Japan. “I remember coming in here during that period,” recalls current part-owner Renaud Gauthier. “There was this huge spotlight on this little Asian pop starlet on stage. It was really surreal, like a David Lynch film. Then when we moved into the office, I found posters of Japanese pop stars and bullet shells. Strange stuff went on here.”

Currently being used as a screening space for the Kino film collective on a semi-regular basis, the 400-capacity theatre has also recently seen action as a rehearsal space for popular Quebec groups, a rave location, a concert hall (four sold-out shows with godspeed you black emperor!), and for various pre-production and video-clip projects. With plans to convert the mezzanine into an intimate bar/club, Gauthier and partner Claudio Bustamante are currently awaiting full licensing to open to the public on a daily basis. (RK)

Rialto
(5723 du Parc)

Possibly the most visually stunning of major local venues, the Rialto Theatre on Parc has also recently re-opened its doors after nearly three years and countless dollars worth of renovations. “We can do anything at the Rialto now,” says owner Louis Calogeras, “wedding ceremonies, concerts, theatre screenings. I just want to be selective about who I rent the venue out to. I could have something in here seven nights a week but I want to be sure whoever I rent it to doesn’t destroy the place. It’s so beautiful and I’ve spent an awful lot of money on it with all the new renovations.” Said renovations include a rockin’ new sound system and so many minor structural and ornamental details that Calogeras says, “You’ve got to actually see it to understand just how much work has gone into the place.” With a capacity of just over 1,000 seats, the revitalized Rialto promises to once again reclaim its stature as one of the most glorious mid-sized venues this city has to offer. (CB)

Sputnik
(1333A Ste-Catherine E.)

Gay, straight, young, old, transgendered or transatlantic—glamour degenerates of all kinds are welcome at Sputnik, a hot Village hangout opening this weekend. The 250-cap club was christened by Plastik Patrik (who spins every Saturday with DJ Tök) and conceived by Pierre Viens, the mind behind Unity, Magnolia, Cabaret Mado and, as far back as 1983, the Beat.

“At that time, the gay scene was more diversified,” says Viens. “For years, it’s been very circuit-oriented and so many people don’t identify with that, so we thought it was time for something more arty, more underground.” Filling out the weekend program, DJ DB takes on Friday while Leo Cruz spins on Sundays, offering a unified musical menu of electroclash and classic alternative rock with a steady $3 cover. Expect guest DJs and flamboyant performers like Mini, Bob Loblaw and Kiki Lee, as well as art exhibits and multimedia installations. In the spirit of beloved bars like Lézard, Viens conceived Sputnik’s décor as dark, organic and busy, adding a vaguely rustic, faux-Eastern European look to the former Sisters space. Opening night’s this Friday, Oct. 25, at 10 p.m., $3. (LC)

Zoé
(3296 Jean-Talon E.)

London-born Al Gordon grew up in the midst of Beatlemania, but his real musical calling kicked in in 1970. “My brother came up to me with a John Coltrane record and said, ‘You’re not going to like this straight away, live with it for a month or two and you’ll get into it.’ That’s what happened. That kind of music, it takes some getting used to—it’s like Guinness that way.”

After a stint with London band Mirage, a bad divorce led Gordon to Rome, where he busked up and down the coast, 10 cafés a night, and on to NYC in ’93, where he opened his own jazz club briefly (“It didn’t make much money but it was an incredible source of inspiration and contacts”) and wrote the latest of his three books, Jazz and the Abstract Truth. So why Montreal, ultimately? “To make a long story short, I met a Canadian girl and got married. I’ve got a studio here—I’m realizing that I’m more of a producer than a player, which is where the jams come in.”

Meaning Gordon’s Sunday-night (as of 10 p.m.) jazz jams at Zoé, a little bar near St-Michel metro. A smoky karaoke space most nights, Zoé sports weird acrylic paintings on the walls and ceilings, and the perfect degree of intimacy for jazz, blues and soul players to strut their stuff, off the cuff.

“It’s a cool place where we can workshop a lot of styles without stress. The jazz jam is incredibly exciting because you have to be great to even take part. Beyond your instrument and charts, you have to have a flexible attitude and a good ear. For me, jazz is the master game, but I’m not about to say you can’t do your thing. My message to the jazz people is, please be tolerant—if we’re not playing jazz when you walk in, we’ll soon shift back. We don’t want jazz to be this glass-case museum music. It has to innovate, to be happening.” (RB) •

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