Good times can be had for free

Of all the awesome benefits of being the music writer for the Review-Journal, the pay package is the best: I get compensated in magic beans, Schlitz tall boys and DVDs of past seasons of "Herman's Head."

Unfortunately, this currency is not as accepted by others as by me -- namely landlords and bartenders.

So, sometimes I have to find entertaining things to do for free, which isn't a challenge in Vegas.

Here's a way to spend a week on the town without spending a dime -- bar tabs not included.

Monday: Monday Night Rocks, Crown Theater. Monday should start with a laugh, so chortle at everyone who actually paid money for Afroman and Marcy Playground records while you get to take in acts like that for free at the Rio.

Tuesday: Hip-Hop Roots, Las Vegas Country Saloon. This is the city's longest running MC showcase and for good reason: From indie activists such as host HighDro to the more rugged sounds of the streets, this is a weekly (mic) check of the pulse of Vegas hip-hop.

Wednesday: Double Down. Any night at the Double Down is an adventure, and by "adventure," we mean a haze of questionable decision making set to the sounds of acidic punk bands as grizzled as the club's interior. The shows are free, but they do have a hidden cost: primarily, a toilet-hugging hangover the next day.

Thursday: Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Quinn's Irish Pub. Their logo is a barfing leprechaun, and you'll be able to relate to that dude after an hour or two in the presence of this raucous Irish band at Green Valley Ranch Resort. They tell dirty jokes, mix traditionalism with tongue-in-cheek 'tude and play almost as hard as they drink.

Friday: Steel Panther, House of Blues. Steel Panther is just as kick ass-ingly ridiculous, over-the-top and punchline-worthy as the '80s Pomeranian rockers that the band so knowingly and lovingly lampoons. And their gigs at the House of Blues are free with a local ID. Death to all but metal! Especially cover charges.

Saturday: Seth Turner, Las Vegas Country Saloon. Good country music is kind of like the whiskey that catalyzes plenty of it: It's better when a little aged. More indebted to George Jones than George Strait, Seth Turner plays the kind of blue collar, heart-on-the-sleeve honky-tonk that makes beers salty with tears.

Sunday: Sunday Sermon, Royal Resort. We're not much into sermonizing, unless it involves street preachers warning of locust showers or this laid-back open mic gathering hosted by Halloween Town's Ryan Pardey and Red Eye Radio's Bryan Todd. Members of some of the area's best indie acts such as Dude City, The Big Friendly Corporation and Red State Soundsystem have been known to drop by for acoustic sets as loose and relaxed as Sunday itself.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.