Mike Bigel is one of the raddest drinking buddies we have here at Chronic Youth. Besides having a ludicrous green arm tattoo and a great attitude towards life, he also manages some of our favorite bands, gets really hyper and is a Yankees die hard. So after a particularly long night, we decided to let Mike loose on all of you and create this here weekly column.

Top 7 Free Drinks I’ve Had This Week

1.  Miller High Life @ Fontanas ­ 12/3.
Ok, this is a bit more than a week, but the Thursday before last RED/Tones Of Death held the Until The Light Takes Us premier party/show at Fontanas.  Free show and free beer.  Tell me
this…  Where else can you see Liturgy, Cable and Sea Of Bones AND have the delicious champagne of beers quenching your thirst, all for free?  Nowhere kids, nowhere.

2.  Jameson on the rocks @ Arrow Bar ­ 12/4.

What do you do on Friday after a long work week?  Heavy Metal Happy Hour @ Arrow bar, that’s what.  I played the DJ there the day after the above show (again, a tad over a week, but I’m cool with it), and by doing that, earned a copious amount of free Jameson.  The best is playing a bunch of black metal songs in a row so you only actually have to “work” every ten minutes or so.  You can use this time to consume said booze, smoke a bunch of cigs and flirt with girls you have no chance of getting.

3.  Jameson and Ginger @ The Charleston ­ 12/12.
Well, well, well… Just so happens a CY event makes this list!  Man, kicking off a show with both
Naam and Early Man by offering free Jameson to us jackasses is either the best or worst idea ever.  Personally, I’d like to think best.  As getting good and drunk prior to the show makes Naam’s heavy-as-hell brand of psychedelic monster riffs and Early Man¹s thrashtastic assault, that much more intense.

4.  Jameson on the Rocks / Bud Light @ Canal Room ­ 12/11.
Yes Bud Light. I enjoy it.  Get over it.  Anyways, Canal Room isn’t where any of us expect
to end up on a Saturday night, but a co-worker plays in a Van Halen cover band (more on that in a moment), so a crew of us went.  Dropped the company card, so drinks were taken care of.  Completely Unchained (think about it…think about it) actually ripped shit apart, tearing through the VH hits to an appreciative crowd of Long Island/Jersey Shore dudes sporting Ed Hardy
and frosted, spikey hair and dudettes that were way too old with way too much plastic surgery.  Honestly, I don’t really like Van Halen and their jocky take on hard rock, but the shit was fun as hell.  I even sang along.

5.  Rated X Vodka and Soda @ Arlo and Esme ­ 12/8.
WTF you ask!?  Rated X Vodka!?  Arlo and Esme!?  Well, our friends at Women In Music threw their rager of a holiday party at A&E and Rated X Vodka was the sponsor.  The drink was sickly sweet and not really that strong.  I probably drank 10 doubles in about 1.5 hours and still was only buzzed, but free booze is free booze… Am I right!?  Like the drink, Arlo and Esme is not a place I’d normally inhabit, as I assume the prices are over the top and it just isn’t my scene, but it’s actually a really cool bar.  I’d gladly go back, as long as the drinks are paid for!  The party was still a blast and we all love the WIM ladies!

6.  Jack and Coke @ Kemado Records ­ 12/10.
Our Kemado buddies threw their annual holiday party at their brand new (and epic, I must say)
offices/studio.  Choice of free Jack, Vodka and beer (maybe some others, I wasn’t so concerned after I saw my favorite brown devil that is Whiskey). The Kemado bro(ette)s are all great people and I like nothing more that drinking free booze with my friends.  Unfortunately I had to miss Langhorne Slim, who played a set in said studio, as I left to go to number 7.

7.  Jameson on the Rocks/Jameson Shots @ Knitting Factory ­ 12/10.
Suckers, the band, played The Knitting Factory.  If you don’t know them, you should. Not metal, but absolutely amazing.  Another day job work event, so that fancy blue Amex was thrown down.  Can you tell I enjoy Whiskey?  The best is taking a shot of Jameson with a Jameson on the rocks as a back.  Phew.  Talk about a night of very hazy memories.

Intro: David Castillo
Words: Mike Bigel