Eat at Fats: Meet the 'Official' Fairfax Dive Bar

The venue is often just as important as the performing artist.

That's why many local residents and students have dubbed Fat Tuesday's the not-quite-in-city-limits-but-still-pretty-official Fairfax City Dive/Music Bar.*

As TT Reynolds and its fantastically cheap happy hour and all-unknown-bands-welcome attitude disappeared from Fairfax City a few years ago, Fat Tuesday's emerged as the self-proclaimed "dive bar" of choice for many Fairfax residents, myself included. I'm usually there with friends after school or while writing record reviews for It's a Trap!, a Scandinavian music journal, or working on my misleadingly-titled blog, Notes from Murder House (which has probably placed me on some watchlists when all I wanted to do was write about bands like Foals and Cut City or extend my socialist-leaning political views to the Internet community at large—you know, as that always goes over well).

Their happy hour offers mixed drinks and most beers at $3 from 3-7 p.m. on weekdays. Starting the weekend early pays off at Fats' Tuesday happy hour—when all drinks are $2, with the exception of Guinness, until 9 p.m. with the purchase of a $2 wrist band. Even a poor graduate student can toss a few back without thinning out their wallet, all while tipping the waitress at least 20 percent. After going to Fats a few times, you'll want to tip more, if only because your tab is a fraction of what it should be.

My group of friends has a favorite waitress, one that puts another drink down in front of you just as you're about to look up to see if she's around to take another order. She doesn't have a 24/7 shift, sadly, but I've never had a bad server at Fats—they're there when you need them, they're friendly, and they're quick with the drinks.

Beyond its fine happy hour, staff, and atmosphere, Fats is a busy music venue. 

Dive bars like it have the ability to make good shows great, the intimate setting enhancing the experience, and awful shows bearable, the bar's outdoor patio and extensive beer menu becoming sanctuaries until the amplifiers and microphones fall silent. While I'm still looking to rival the experience in Fairfax, I've seen a few wonderful shows at dive bars or small, dingy clubs in Arlington and DC, and more in similar venues when I lived in Sweden.

A large bit of the live music in Fairfax is performed by local musicians or by relatively unknown touring acts.

Luckily, Fats' Internet presence and flyers that litter the walls and bathrooms show more than a few bands pass through their halls, most on the cheap—typically running $3-5—and a decent amount of shows are free. Check out the venue's MySpace page. It only takes a few clicks to hear the bands scheduled to play and plan accordingly.

If you're a fan of Dave Matthews Band, local act Crowded Streets does a decent impression, though they play for $10 a pop. If you're not a Matthews fan, stay well clear of the place on those nights. That's what I do. One Dave Matthews Band is hard enough to handle, even if they are playing at my bar. 

Even if you're unsure of the performers, it's worth a trip to Fats to see some music. The shows aren't terribly expensive, the beer selection is impressive, and the staff are fantastic. If you're looking for something to do, you could do a whole lot worse than checking out some local music at a great Fairfax bar.

*Not an actual title.