Tuesday Nights... a dilemma for most party people, a fly in the week's ointment ... whatcha gonna do? Nothing good on tv, your favorite watering hole ain't hoppin', none of your 9-5 pals will go out with you 'cause it's too early to trash the whole work week for a night's fun... Fear not, Ladies and Gs, you're in New Orleans and there's no need to sing the blues by your lonesome. What you want is cheap drinks, excellent music and cool people to share it with you.

Oak Street is exactly where you'll find it.

Hie thee to the one and only Snake & Jake's Christmas Club Lounge! At the unlikely corner of Oak & Hillary Streets (just one block away from the birthplace of Archibald, one of the Crescent City's finest barrelhouse pianists, R.I.P.), you can't miss the shantytown shack that is an uptown monument to modern day decadence: there's a gigantic Christmas wreath that is wider than the bar itself hanging over the darkened door. Don't expect overt Bachannalia, though. The dazzling Miss Elaine would never have it so crass...it's more like "anything goes as long as no one gets killed!" (I remember when male nudity was all the rage there; I also remember Jose catching his face on fire when he ignited a concoction consisting mostly of 151). In this laissez-faire environment, expect friendly service, cheap drinks, excellent 70's rock, funk and reggae tunes from Elaine's own collection, and interesting folks bellying up at the bar to casually chat with. Snake's is primarily a late night place, but late at night can be a bit much, what with Tulane and Loyola Universities so close by -- you get the picture. New Orleans afficionados might find it to be a smaller version of F&M; Patio Bar without the pool tables. But before midnight, Snake's is a great place to stop in around 10 or 11 pm on a Tuesday night before heading down the street (drive, don't walk!) to The Maple Leaf, where the mighty ReBirth Brass Band will help you dance off that hearty buzz you just caught.

Yes, The Maple Leaf, a true New Orleans landmark that represents the best of the city's live music tradition. This is the place where James Booker, Piano Prince, held court once a week for many years, delivering his psychotic, poignant worldviews accompanied by music in the spirit of Jelly Roll Morton, Professor Longhair, Huey Smith, Chopin, Bach: one woefully delicious package. The Maple Leaf is also home to Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. every Friday Night (who inherited the longtime gig from his father, "King of Zydeco" Rockin' Dopsie) and Walter "Wolfman" Washington fills the room with sly R&B; funk every Saturday night. But Tuesday night belongs to the ReBirth Brass Band, where they have taken it to the stage weekly for the last six years.

You'll find the same kinda folks at the Tuesday night ReBirth gigs that you just met down the street at Snake's... a rolling, rollicking, youthful crowd who are mesmerized by the brassy funk the ReBirth throws down. Key words here are dance, drink, and laugh. Enjoy yourself, have a good time! Play the "Magic Mirror" game at the door: I see N'Dea from the Brand New Heavies! I see Tony Crane from The Big Easy! Look -- it's John Goodman! Branford Marsalis! The Rolling Stones! This down-home joint is the people equalizer; the funk that oozes from The Maple Leaf's tawdry red walls unites one and all under a groove... Last week I overheard a bewildered young brother from L.A. say, "Goddamn! These people have no idea it's Tuesday Night!"

You'd think after three solid hours of ReBirth power people would want to get back to the crib, but noooo... by now they're revved to party some more and usually head right back over to Snake's for more drinking, dancing and laughing, sometimes past dawn...Snake's is the perfect spot for "just one more." In fact why don't you ask that babe you just met on the dance floor to accompany you?

There is no such thing as a weak week night in New Orleans. It's one endless weekend if you want it to be. In the next few columns we'll carouse you through every night of the week. That urge to just hang can hit you at any time... be ready!

Musicians and club owners lead complicated lives subject to abrupt changes -- please contact venues to confirm current performers.