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)
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
Tuesday is always a big night for live comedy in Los Angeles. Tonight is no different - Dane Cook, Judd Apatow, Sarah Silver, and many more on the card.
Laugh Factory - Jay Davis Comedy:
Jay is friends with all the best comedians in the city and they all do his Tuesday night show at the Laugh Factory…including Dane Cook (who will probably be there tonight).
Info:
10pm @ Laugh Factory E-mail Jay @ his Myspace for half of the tickets (which means $10). Get there early!!!
Upright Citizens Brigade: UCB has two unbelievable shows tonight - Comedy Death Ray with Sarah Silverman and Marc Maron and See You Next Tuesday with Judd Apatow (yeah…that Judd Apatow).
Info:
Comedy Death Ray @ 8:30pm
$5
See You Next Tuesday @10:30
FREE
Red Rock - Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge:
I venture to say that tonight’s line-up just might be the best in Laugh Lounge history. Colona, Franjola, Pazsitzky, Segura all in one line-up? Really? For Free? Really?
No Name Comics is one of a handful of stand-up comedy rooms in Los Angeles I feel comfortable recommending every week. At quick glance, tonight’s line-up looks solid. I haven’t seen all the performers, but I know Matty “Ballgame” Balaker will be doing his thing. Hopefully, you’ll get a chance to see the set he wants to perform on Ferguson…it’s tight. Brian Keith Etheridge will also be in the house and a guy named Tom Clark who is supposed to be hilarious…but I have not see him. So if you have an easy going Sunday and don’t feel like spending a ton of dough but still want to go out, I always recommend No Name Comics. Info below:
No NaMe CoMiCs @ROOM 5
143 LA BREA 2ND FLOOR (JUST SOUTH OF BEVERLY)
HOLLYWOOD 90036
SUNDAY MAY 25 @7PM
NO COVER - FULL BAR - DINNER AVAILABLE
Former head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and 2-time NBA Champion Houston Rockets, and University of Michigan alum Rudy Tomjanovich was in the house last night for a stellar line-up for Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge at Red Rock. Other notables in the crowd included Brad Stewart from No Name Comics and my girlfriend ; ).
Alonzo Bodden is always incredible to watch at the Laugh Lounge because of how informal and intimate the setting is. He seems very comfortable with the audience. It’s the ultimate in live comedy. I’d love to see an All-Star Show at the Laugh Lounge…maybe for my birthday show (hint…hint). The rest of the line-up was great. I loved watching Keith Healy. He has improved so much…terrific to watch. Jen Murphy was dirtier than ever…and I loved it. Rebecca Michael nailed it. Patrick Keane…as Alonzo Bodden said…is an incredible joke writer. And Patrick Keane…as Alonzo Bodden said…is an incredible joke writer. And Laura Hayden was awesome in her white jeans on the 28th day.
The crowd continues to grow…and I hope L.A. keeps supporting live comedy. See you around town…go laugh.
Jim Gaffigan hits The Wiltern on Saturday, November 8th. Tickets officially go on sale tomorrow according to Live Nation. However, Ticketmaster already has tickets on sale right now as part of an “internet pre-sale”. No code necessary. Gaffigan is a spectacular comedian and 100% clean so you can take the entire family. He tours so much that it is tough to see him do stand-up comedy in Los Angeles. The link to Ticketmaster is below.
The GREAT Dave Attell is in L.A. this week. Normally a New York guy…Attell gets out to L.A. a few times a year to do stand-up comedy in the our clubs. You can catch him:
Tuesday - “Life of the Party with Jay Davis” at 10pm at the Laugh Factory
Wednesday - “Comedy Juice” at 10pm at the Hollywood Improv
Thursday - 10pm at Hollywood Improv
Friday - 8pm at Hollywood Improv
Saturday - 10pm at Hollywood Improv
That means he MAY be at the Laugh Factory at 8pm on Saturday…but I will have to check on that. If you have never seen Attell…he is arguably the best club comedian in the country. Meaning…if you are going to experience live comedy at a club…and you have one comedian to go watch…it’s Dave Attell. Two of my favorite comedians…Artie Lange and Greg Fitzsimmons both said the same thing last year on the Howard Stern Show…and I have to agree. He’s the man. Make the calls…book the tickets…and go see Attell this weekend.
We hit up No Name Comics on Sunday at Room 5. Host Brad Stewart puts on the show every Sunday and usually gets a decent crowd from what I hear…but always a very solid line-up of funny comedians, including the likes of Aisha Tyler and Brody Stevens on a regular basis. No difference last night as far as comedians are concerned, but the room was absolutely packed - which was terrific to see. I really hope we can help keep this room full every Sunday night. Last night featured 4 of my favorite comedians in Los Angeles - scratch that - in the country and the discovery of 3 more terrific talents.
You’ve heard me talk about the favorites over and over again. But I’d like to make something clear…great comedians are like fine wine - you can experience them many times but enjoy them just as much as you did the first time…and notice new things every time you see them…and appreciate the nuances that you never recognized previously. It’s really incredible. I’ve seen Ryan Sickler do the same set at least 10 times…to the point where he apologized to me before going on stage. But the reality is you will never see a comedian do the same set, the same way…ever. And last night, Sickler performed his set better than I’ve ever seen it. He truly has evolved as a comedian in terms of his delivery and pacing. His material has always been amazing but watching him last night was just awesome. The same is true for Norelli and CP (CP is how we will refer to Christina Pazsitzky from now on). I love watching them because they are on-point every single time. I am so happy that Norelli is filming for the Late, Late Show tonight and CP is going full steam with stand-up. Please do yourself a favor and get out and see them at your earliest convenience. I will pay you money if you do not enjoy their performance.
Carlos Kotkin was an interesting change-up as far as stand-up comedy is concerned. He is more of a story teller. I dug it…and so did the rest of the crowd. He had a bit about herpes and HIV that was off the charts. Andrew Orvedahl and Alex Nussbaum were great surprises as well. Nussbaum’s jokes about his Russian mother were killer and Overdahl’s Riverside jokes were great. I’ll definitely get out to see these guys again.
Good night of stand-up comedy on a Sunday night. Now it’s time to pick my brackets.
Largo is moving to the Coronet Theater in a few months according to Soundboard at the L.A. Times. The new theater includes a 280 seat theater and a smaller 90 seat theater located on La Cienega. The question remains, what portion of the programming will be dedicated to live comedy? However, it’s quite possible that a bigger Largo with two rooms will put more pressure on the other major clubs in the city - Laugh Factory, Improv, and Comedy Store - to step-up their game in the form of promotion, quality of product, and innovation i.e. getting on the Web 2.0 bandwagon. Additionally, the right amount of crossover promotion by Largo between its music shows and comedy shows will no doubt drive more fans to live comedy - at least from an awareness perspective. If I’m a stand-up comedian, I’m contacting owner Mark Flanagan right now about helping him promote his comedy shows. Have to imagine that if you put the foot work in, you’ll get the time. Take advantage of the cross-promotional opportunities that Largo offers.
