As throngs of locals know, Sneaky Dee’s is the place to go when you’ve given up on all other places. Whether you’re travelling north, south, east or west, all streetcars eventually have to stop at the corner of College and Bathurst. This helpful bit of cardinal direction info comes not from our fair transit commission, but from none other than Rawkin’ Ray, one of four Sneaky Dee’s DJs: “This is good news for the drinkers among you,” he says with a smile.

Sneaks has long been the place where everyone goes after everything else closes, for good reason. From Mondays ’til Thursdays they’re open until 4 a.m., stretching to 5 on Fridays and Saturday. With hours like that, you gotta know they love their patronage. I mean, would you want to be serving yourself at 3:30 am? Of course not. So why not pay someone else to do it?

The food is easy on the digestive system and the meagre prices are even better on the wallet. Your OSAP dollars are also conserved with the cheapest beer—yes, I said the cheapest beer—in town. Of course, other incentives than cheap food and painted skeletons beckon one to their Mexican maracas.

That incentive sounds like the shaking of floorboards by DJs: Ray, JD, Dwayne and Scoot working out their tunes on eager Solid Gold wannabes. Expose yourself and your dance moves to the evil madness of their tricky DJ fingers as they flip out tune after tune to get the likes of you shaking about with what your momma gave you. And they insist that they’re request friendly, which could mean realizing you dream of hearing Minor Threat right after Gloria Gaynor.

HISTORY OF OUR MEXICAN HIDEAWAY

Sneaky Dee’s has been in operation for over fourteen years now. In its earlier years, it played host to such acts as Chixdiggit!, Lagwagon, Fifth Column and Barenaked Ladies. Those live band nights disappeared a few years ago in favour of more dance room. Today, the sleepless little club is looking to bring back those glory days and add a few more notches on the ol’ stage post. A long time venue for NXNE shows, Sneaks will be utilizing its upstairs venue as a RNR room (though those of you with ticket stubs from the Riot 99/Blast Caps/Ruination show this past April need no reminding of this fact). Hopefuls looking to book a show should contact Dwayne at (416) 603-3090 and by fax: (416) 603-9514 or JD at (416) 501-0264. They’ll give you all the details you need about booking a show at the venue. And for the aspiring rock stars among you, don’t be shy! Drop off your tape/CD with contact info at the venue for the guys to take a listen to.

THE LINEUP

Tuesday: DJ Scoot (mod/rocksteady/ska/punk/retro)

Wednesday: DJ JD Get Out Wednesdays/Rainbow Connection (alternative/retro)

Thursday: DJ Rawkin’ Ray Guilty Pleasures (60s/70s/80s good ole RNR)

Friday: DJ Dwayne Del’s Stereo and Sound—obscure alternative songs that “ohmigod, I haven’t heard in forever!”

Saturday: Scoot and JD’s Tattoo Zoo: Psycho Devil Retro Hip Freak Rock (punk, oi, streetpunk, heavy metal, retro dance, “good” hip hop)