Live Comedy L.A.

A driver plowed through the front door of IO West on June 26th. Here is the official word from the IO via Myspace and the official video tribute:

On June 26th at about 4 p.m. an SUV crashed through the front window of our beloved iO West Theater. The SUV took out the entire front door, window and a good chunk of the bar. The only good news is that no one was injured.

However the extensive damage to the exterior and interior of the building has forced the Mainstage and Bar to be

CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Our phone service also got knocked out, so please check back at our web site and here on myspace for online updatesTHERE WILL BE NO SHOWS IN ANY OF THE IOWEST THEATERS UNTIL AT LEAST JULY 7TH MAYBE LATER KEEP CHECKING THE WEB SITE FOR UPDATES.

Classes will still go on as scheduled.

Thanks for your patience while we repair the theatre.

Go watch a live taping of the BET stand-up comedy show for free. This should be fun.

Dan Bialek, the producer of “12 Shiny Nickels”, that show with 12 comedians in 1 hour, posted this bulletin in the events section on Myspace:

Hi, this is Dan Bialek. I run the 12 Shiny Nickels show on Fridays and Saturdays at 11pm.

I would like clarify one issue that arose at tonight’s show. And I’d like to apologize for not making this point more clear in my previous posts.

EVERYONE WHO COMES TO THE SHOW MUST PAY $5 AT THE DOOR.

INCLUDING ALL COMEDIANS.

AGAIN.

INCLUDING ALL COMEDIANS.

I’m sorry. I know that a lot of other shows and comedy clubs in LA let comics hang out at the venue and watch shows for free. I, however, cannot afford this luxury because I have to pay for the theater space, sound equipment, promotions, videography, editing and especially all of the free beer out of my own pocket. And I’m also doing this two nights a week and expenses add up quick.

(I’ll let you in on a little secret, all three shows that I’ve done so far have ended up costing much more to put on than they pulled in money-wise.)

I apologize for those of you who came down to the show tonight under the assumption that you would be granted free admission if you were a comic. I was not trying to mislead you. But please understand that $5 for all the beer you can drink (two nights a week) is still a pretty good deal whether you are a comedian or not.

Thanks again to everyone who came to the show and who performed on it as well. I’m looking forward to many more in the future.

–dan

P.S. Please do not respond to this bulletin with an email asking me to book you on the show. When I want you to do the show I will email you. I promise.

This show is quickly becoming a logistical nightmare for Dan. I feel bad. Too many comedians, two shows a week, free beer, not a enough help, and a terrible business model are going to crush this show. Small line-ups, great comedians, great venue, smart promotion, and slow growth…wins.

Linda Pine produces a stand-up comedy show once a month at Meltdown Comics on Sunset called Comedy Meltdown that is at the top of the list when it comes to professionalism. Yet, some how she pulls it off in a kick-back, nerdy environment that I dig.

The show is free. The beer is free and sponsored (yes…sponsored) by Asahi. You actually have to make a purchase at the store to get free beer…which is genius. It could be a $0.25 comic…doesn’t matter. But it’s a win all the way around for everyone. The lighting is great…the sound system rocks…the comics have their own little room. And check out that huge poster behind the stage. This show kicks ass. I recommend it to everyone. All promoters should aspire to this level of professionalism.

Three comedians I would like to highlight from a stellar line-up: Jonah Ray (who has hosting duties for the monthly show), Chip Pope, and Brent Weinbach:

Jonah Ray is a pro at hosting and did a great job at setting up the other comedians. You’ve heard me use the point guard analogy for hosts - he nailed it. Love that.

Chip Pope was a little unconventional tonight and took on the role of a character name R.O. Mance. A British pop singer from the 80’s. HI-larious! I’m normally not a big fan of this stuff during a stand-up show…but he killed it.

Brent Weinbach might be one of the most talented performers I have seen on stage in a while. I really enjoyed the Russian Alphabet bit…the upper-case letter in particular.

This is a must see show…so stay tuned for next month…definitely a fun Friday night out.

There is a ton of live comedy going on this weekend…too much to list…so much that I need to do start my list on Wednesday night in case I forget anybody…which I’m sure I will. At some point, I’ll design the calendar system to keep track of all the comedy…but I’m not going to make it open source because I refuse to send you to bad shows. Here’s the run down:

Thursday//June 26//Katt Williams//Gibson Amphitheater (I’ll be there…say hi)

Friday//June 27//Suli McCullough

Friday//June 27//Shang//Downtown Comedy Club

Friday//June 27//Comedy Meltdown

Saturday//June 28//Joe Rogan + Duncan Trussell//Improv - 8pm and 10pm
Rogan is doing an hour set

Jessica Hagy at indexed.blogspot.com says it better than I…or anyone else….could ever say it:

Please visit Jessica’s site, add her feed to your RSS reader, and buy her book. While she is not live comedy…she helps me laugh everyday.

Shang is coming to Los Angeles this week for a four day stretch of stand-up comedy shows that I highly recommend seeing.  If you have not seen Shang live - his comedy is a great time.  I saw him for the first time at Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge in March and he killed.

I’m most impressed with Shang’s ability to build his own personal brand - much like Dane Cook, Joe Rogan, and Jim Gaffigan have done. He’s a promoter. He could just wait around and hope that TV deals and movie deals hit him…but instead he’s out hustling. The video below is just one example:

I highly recommend checking out Shang at one of these shows this week:

Thursday, June 26, 2008
9:30
THE M BAR

Friday, June 27, 2008
9:00P
THE DOWNTOWN COMEDY CLUB

Saturday, June 28, 2008
7:30P
HOLLYWOOD PARK CASINO-W/JON B

Sunday, June 29, 2008
8:00P
SPOKEN FUNK AT THE M BAR

Last night, I went to Dan Bialek’s new show “Twelve Shiny Nickels” at The Gardner Theaters. It’s a new concept show where 12 comedians do their best 5 minutes of material so that the audience is in and out in one hour. Sounded interesting given that I think stand-up comedy line-ups should have no more than 6 or 7 comedians at the absolute maximum because no one benefits from a long show with a lot of comedians. No one. Dan’s idea was intriguing because he was going to get us in and out in 1 hour. (more…)

You have heard me harp on how large line-ups can kill stand-up comedy. Dan Bialek, however, has created a concept that may have circumvented that rule. We’ll see.

Dan has created a new show called “Twelve Shiny Nickels” - 12 comics, each one does their best 5 minute set. So the entire show only lasts an hour. Plus free beer. It only costs $5 and the line-ups for both Friday and Saturday night look good. I will try to get there on Friday night. Check out his site for all the details: www.twelveshinynickels.com

TWELVE SHINY NICKELS
STANDUP COMEDY
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS AT 11PM
(Beginning June 20th)

THE GARDNER STAGES
1501 N. GARDNER STREET (AT SUNSET)
HOLLYWOOD, CA 90046
$5 AT THE DOOR.
FREE BEER ALL NIGHT.

A packed house at Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge last night saw one of the best line-ups in the show’s history. Chris Franjola, Christina Pazsitzky, Tom Segura, and Sarah Colona are 4 of the best stand-up comedians in the city and probably the country - and we got to see all of them in one show. It’s a really a tribute to the great job that Matty “Ballgame” Balaker has done. I would also like to give a shout out to the management at Red Rock for giving the show such great support. Prior management was not as supportive, but the new guys have really worked hard to help Matt. They understand what a great asset comedy can be to the establishment.

A few highlights:
- Christina Pazsitzky’s performance last night proves that the judges on Last Comic Standing do not choose the funniest people. I find it impossible…and I mean impossible…to believe that there are even 10 people in any city funnier than her. America got to see maybe :30-seconds of her act. Not fair. She’s unreal. She has reached a point in her comedy career that being on stage is second nature. She doesn’t have to think. Choosing to pursue stand-up comedy full time was a great decision. Please…for the love of holy hell…go see her live.

- Tom Segura did 20 minutes of new material that I have never heard before and it was incredible. I have seen Tom about 7 or 8 times. To do that much material…and for me to never have seen it…means he’s a great writer.

- When Sarah Colona performs…I feel like I’m getting a raw look into her life…and it’s so amazing. She is why stand-up comedy is so cool. When she jokes about her age and the number of men she slept with and her “roofy girlfriend”…it’s real…and it’s hilarious.

- Chris Franjola did the impossible last night…he dealt with a ridiculous heckler…and still pulled off a terrific set. I love Franjola. He’s a pro. Plus…he mentions my website on stage. He said, “Live Comedy L.A…what the fuck is that”? Genius…if you ask me.

- Chris Millhouse and Jessica Glassberg also performed. I think both had great stage presence. Especially Chris…he was very cool up on stage. With some material development…he’ll be solid.

Great time again at the Laugh Lounge.

HEY…make sure to check out Sarah Colona on Chelsea Lately on E! on Thursday night. Tivo that action so you know who I’m talking about.