Live Comedy L.A.

Line-up:
Matty Ballgame
J. Chris Newberg
Iliza Shlesinger
Bret Ernst
Sam Tripoli
Adam Gropman
Andrew Norelli
Bone Hampton

Nice to see the line-up card making a second appearance at the Laugh Lounge…and in color. I’m diggin’ it. And I saw people taking it with them…I think it’s going to catch on. Also, cool to see a special slot on the line-up card dedicated to me for my birthday…no I didn’t do the card this week…thanks Matty! Loved the new seating set-up…I probably should have thought of this…but I’m glad someone did (I can’t think of jokes, line-up cards, how to deal with a guest appearance by Bret Ernst…and new seating arrangements - however - I think we should take Franjola’s advice from the last show and put a table up there for the comedians). They took one of the “couches” from the “Judges” section and put it out front. Good call. Sweet crowd…late arriving L.A. crowd as usual…but whattaya gonna do…ask the Dodgers. People don’t come till the third inning for their games…people don’t come till the third comedian for this show. On to the comedians…

Matty Ballgame - myspace.com/balaker
Ballgame kept it to a tight two minute set last night because of a stop in by Bret Ernst (more on him later). Gotta love Matty for sacrificing himself for the good of the show. No joke…he knows what’s good for the show…he knows Ernst is one of the best…and one of my favorites ; )…so he cut his own time. He did some standard jokes…kept it tight…and nailed his Lindsey Lohan joke. Can’t ask for much more than that. Ballgame knows how to wear the promoter hat when he needs to and that’s clutch. It is exactly why this is the best room in the city.

J. Chris Newberg - jchrisnewberg.com
At some point, I’ll give you my thoughts on what I believe a host of a comedy show should be. I believe it’s a special position that plays a pivotal role in the evening’s events. I won’t get into it now…but stay tuned for it. What I do know is that J. Chris Newberg is not a host. His material is good…I liked the short musical bits…but he’s not a host. And the notebook on the floor by the mic needs to go. Fitzsimmons, Silverman…even Gillearn can pull off the notes like that…but they are very special cases. This isn’t that type of room. I’m not trying to knock the guy…but truth be told…ditch the notebook and bring it back around for a smoother set.

Iliza Shlesinger - ilizashlesinger.com
Two takes on Iliza (who I’ve now seen 4 times) - even with a shortened set…she did new material. I like the house party jokes. And there is nobody in comedy better at handling non-laughter than Iliza. That may sound bad…but it’s not. Sometimes…you tell a joke…and it doesn’t work. Sometimes…you tell a great joke…and the crowd isn’t into it yet. Sometimes…shit just happens. Iliza handles those situations better than anyone I’ve seen because she has this sarcastic, “I don’t give a shit” attitude that works so well on stage…and actually helps loosen the crowd…and can create funny moments. She just powers through…it’s really incredible if you are paying close attention. Telling a joke and not getting a ton of laughs is tough…she says “Fuck it…you didn’t like that one…I got another one right here.” I like her a lot.

Bret Ernst - breternstlive.com
Bret has reached a point in his career where he doesn’t even have to think when he’s on stage. You can just tell…it just flows out of him. He’s hilarious. His jokes about his “guido” friends back on the East Coast are priceless…especially the jokes about bottle service. Christ…those had me rolling. And the “old man jokes”…just awesome. I love Ernst…loved him since ‘04…and it’s great to see him just pop into places like Red Rock to help out Matty Ballgame. That’s a good guy. Because he’s top notch folks. If you ever get a chance to see the roller skating joke…it kills.

Sam Tripoli - myspace.com/crimefighter
I love the “Crime Fighter”. He’s really starting to be very consistent every time he goes up. Tripoli did a short set…but make no mistake about it…this guy has the ability to go on for a long time. Still love the “300″ joke…just makes you want to go to Westwood and beat the shit out of Persians, he says. Hilarious!

Adam Gropman - myspace.com/gropman
First time seeing Gropman. He had a lot of material…but I just don’t think the tech jokes were playing with the crowd. His Sandler impression was good. And he definitely got thrown by some silent moments…tough set this time. No worries though. He’ll bring it back around.

Andrew Norelli - andrewnorelli.com
Norelli had such a great set…last time he performed…I performed…so I wasn’t fully concentrating on his stuff…but I did this time. His joke about wishing the Indians would just move here so we could just pick up the Mexicans and Indians outside of Home Depot in one trip might have been the joke of the night. Also, the chin to shoulder ratio being the determining factor of how gay you look in pictures is unreal. Plus his AIDS jokes were stellar. Norelli is great. So glad I could see him again and pay attention this time.

Bone Hampton - bonehampton.com
I just love this guy. Not just because he knows I write this blog and talked about during his set…but because he’s a riot and a hell of a good guy. There are very few comedians that I quote on a consistent basis…Tosh, Sickler, Gaffigan…and Bone. “FO’ FIFTY….BYE!!!” My girlfriend and I say that at least once a week. Now Bone grabbed me after the show and said he thought I would write something about him needing to do new material. The fact is…I could listen to his material all the time…just like a good song. But I want to hear new material because he’s that good. Just like I want to hear new material from Sickler and Gillearn. Because when they write new stuff…it’s awesome. Lookin’ forward to new material from Bone!

Next Show: August 7th

Line-Up:
Matty Ballgame
Adam DeVine
Sarah Colonna
Scott Krinsky
Retta
Ryan Sickler
Chris Franjola

Let me just say that everyone needs stand-up comedy in their lives.

On to the show…we debuted the “Line-Up Card” last night…which I was very proud of on a personal level. It’s all about the comedians and the audience…and that should never change. We’re going to make that a staple in comedy.

Matty Ballgame - www.myspace.com/balaker
Here’s the great thing about Matty Ballgame right now…he’s writing new material for every show. That alone deserves a ton of respect. He’s not just sitting back and resting on old material. He’s utilizing his time at his show to it’s fullest. Last night’s killer jokes: The hand job from the gypsy and his girlfriend wanting to get married but she hasn’t found the guy yet. Good stuff.

Adam DeVine - www.mailordercomedy.com
I’ve been watching DeVine for quite some time now…and it’s just awesome to see a comedian get better and better and really hone his material. Doing the drunk guy at the party is great (Fuckin’ Heather! I can drive!), Frotto’s Fat friend, Black Berry/White Berry/Brown Berry, Filthy Rich…he’s go it dialed. I’d love to see some new material from him. And I’d love to see him do 12 minutes just to push the envelope a little more. I think he deserves a shot at Red Rock to do that time.

Sarah Colonna - www.myspace.com/sarahcolonna
First time seeing Sarah…and we all know how much I like seeing people for the first time. First observation…I confirmed what I already knew…Last Comic Standing doesn’t do comedians justice because it’s too restrictive. Sarah is on Last Comic Standing…and I saw her first set…and I was very luke warm about it (not that I know shit). But last night…she was great. I love when comics are totally honest on stage about who they are…and that’s what Sarah does. She talks about her drinking and her boring friends (I love Ruffie Girl…btw). I want to see Sarah again…she kicked ass.

Scott Krinsky - www.myspace.com/scottnspace
First time seeing Scott also…he had a lot of jokes. Nothing seemed to stick with me too much…so I’m gonna have to see him again. However, there was a point when Scott told a joke that didn’t work…and that’s when he got good. It’s like a switch clicked…and that’s when you know a good comedian. He settled in with the good stuff.

Retta - www.comedycentral.com
Retta has a very controlled way about her. I’m not gonna lie…I need to see her again to tell you all the jokes. I think the new joke she told about the sleeveless wedding dress and her big arms kind of overshadowed the rest of the set. But you know what…you have to work out material as a comedian. That’s what they do. I want to see her again.

Ryan Sickler - www.myspace.com/ryansickler
This guy is just my favorite…you know that by now. He’s a friend…and a good guy…but Fuckin’ A he’s funny. He had a great mixture of old jokes and new material…which I love. I always want to hear the favorites…but I want to see what he comes up with next. The joke about carrying the coffin is off the charts. He didn’t do CAIDS last night…but he ended it strong with Dash of Downs.

Chris Franjola - www.myspace.com/chrisfranjola
Let’s just start by saying this guy is an absolute professional. First…he promoted the shit out of the show on Myspace…and not in some bullshit way. In a creative way like I would. Plus…he brought a bunch of hot chicks…which is always gonna get you points. He could have sucked…and at the end of the day…we would have gone…”Yeah…but he brought hot chicks.” And to top it off…he killed. He does a ton of riffing…plus the closer with him going to his neighbors house to watch a video of the neighbor fucking an ex-girlfriend is a classic. Franjola is legit folks.

Nest Show: July 24th

I go to more stand-up comedy shows than most people…and it amazes me that the venues/promoters do very little to connect the name, face, jokes, and websites of the comedians in the line-up so that the audience will remember them when they leave for the night. How often do you go…”I loved that joke…by that one guy…what was his name?” Well…for the very first time anywhere…that I know of at least…we are going to introduce…the “Line-Up Card” at Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge this week. It’s all about connecting the comedians with the audience. So that if the audience members like the comedian…they know what their name is…what they look like…where to look them up on the internet…how to tell their friends about them…where to go see them again, etc. This is the foundation of stand-up comedy promotion. Seems simple enough to me…but no one does it. Blazing paths in stand-up comedy. Only the beginning…stay tuned. Here’s the “Line-Up Card” for the show on July 10th.

Line-Up:
Matt Dittman
Brian Swinehart
Tom Segura
Josh Wolf
Ryan Sickler

Wow! Let’s just start out with how great this venue is. This was my first trip to 3 Clubs. Sickler always tells me its great…so I thought I would check it out. And it was terrific. There is complete separate room for the comedy show…sound proof…bar off to the side…almost stadium like seating…great DJ set-up…cool little stage…plenty of room to get and get drinks…table and chairs for everyone…still and intimate atmosphere…plus…they had this tight marquee thing at the the back of the stage that a fan made that said “3 Clubs Comedy”…I’m tellin’ you…this place rocked. Tons of potential here…no doubt.

Before I get to each comedian…Segura got rid of some old hammered broad that was heckling comedians in the previous show…by calling her a cunt. Now…he did the right thing by tossing her…because comedians don’t need to put up with this shit…but the problem was…for some reason…some other chick in the audience got all offended…and she and about 15 of her friends left before the show got started. Not the way you want to start a show. Right idea…maybe could of been handled better…but whatever…fuck her…she missed a good show.

Matt Dittman
This is the second time I’ve seen Matt and he’s really improved since the last time I saw him. He must of gone for about 15 min. and was basically just freestyling a lot. He’s spastic…and all over the place…not afraid to push the envelope. Gotta love the foam jokes…and accidentally bumping your dads cock in the sea of foam.

Brian Swinehart
Brian runs the room and seems like one hell of a nice guy. He was struggling a little with his material but that happens. I’ve seen him twice now…and he’s workin’ it. I’d like to see him with a college crowd. I think that’s his fit.

Tom Segura
Segura was great again. I love this guy. I don’t think he did any new material this time…but I really don’t care…because he’s that good. So smooth…so doesn’t give a fuck.

Josh Wolf
First time seeing Josh. I liked his set…gotta love the guy who wants to do everything he can to prevent his little 13 year old daughter from becoming a whore. Good stuff. Comfortable style. I’d like to see him again.

Ryan Sickler
Really…he just crushes it every time. Of course he did CAIDS and Dash of Downs…but he came with the Costco Guy, the Coffin, and…and…well shit…I was laughing so hard I forgot the other new bits. Thankfully, I’m seeing him again on Tuesday at Red Rock. Sickler is a natural…a definite headliner…and I’ll never get bored of his stuff. He’s too good.