     Talk on the Rocks  Magic, mirth and the art of bartender
banter  By David Templeton  At half past 6 in the evening, the
inevitable crowds of young scene-makers have yet to invade
Christy's on the Square in Santa Rosa (96 Old Courthouse Square;
707.528.8565). Though there are less than a dozen people in the
place, Christy's is alive with a cacophony of sounds: ice shaken
with a ch-ch-chattering snap, the tiny thunder of dice on the
bar, lyrical fits of soprano laughter from a small group perched
on a sofa nearby, the band's guitarists strumming chords in prep
for their next set—and the recognizable voice of bar manager
Jason Flint conducting an impromptu master class on tequila. A
few moments later, he'll be conversing on the joys of the
television show Wipeout ("Best TV show ever!" he says), and
within the hour, he'll produce a long piece of ribbon and
commence to dazzle the bar-sitters with a classic magic trick.
Flint, as his many regulars will attest, is a master of the art
of neighborly bar banter.