We’re celebrating live comedy, Live Comedy L.A., and yes…my 30th birthday this Saturday at Red Rock with a show that will blow you away. The line-up is awesome. If you want to laugh, please come down and enjoy the celebration with me. The show is FREE. Yeah…FREE COMEDY. I swear to you…this line-up rivals any of the line-ups you will see at a major club this weekend. Hope to see you there.
Kicked off the year in comedy with a show at Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge at Red Rock on Tuesday night. Check the line-up:
Bob Bledsoe: ProfileShot - VideoShot
Jonas Garvin: ProfileShot
Matty “Ballgame” Balaker: ProfileShot
Iliza Shlesinger: ProfileShot
KT Tatara: ProfileShot - VideoShot
Duncan Trussell: ProfileShot - VideoShot
Ryan Sickler: ProfileShot - VideoShot
Highlights:
Bob Bledsoe kicked off the show and then wrapped it back around with a set in the middle that he is sending into Leno. I’ve seen Bob a few times and it was great seeing his classic material, plus the new clean stuff that will hopefully end up on the Late Night Shows. Jonas Garvin took the stage for the first time at Red Rock…I have not seen him before. Great stage persona…with some material development…he’ll be good. Matty Ballgame had me screaming out loud when we was talking about inviting his girlfriend’s friend over for a BBQ and a threesome. I’ve heard the joke before…but he nailed it. Iliza is always great…and KT is just a stellar comedian. He’s very polished. I expect big things from him. Duncan Trussell is an extremely intelligent, extremely funny individual who I could watch over and over again. I have the feeling this guy has tons of material at home that he’s just waiting to throw at us. I hope he never does clean set in his life…it would kill it. And of course Sickler took the stage at Red Rock for the first time in a while. I love this guy. He’s a buddy…so I’m biased. His new tortilla joke had me laughing “about 10 tortillas”. I’d like to see some new stuff…which I know we will. In the mean time…he’s comedy is like a good tune…I turn it up every time it comes on.
Line-Up:
Matt Baetz
Jessica Glassberg
Matty “Ballgame” Balaker
Josh McDermitt
Sarah Colonna
Chris Franjola
Brian Scolaro
Let me tell you why I love live comedy…you never know what’s going to happen. This Stevie Nicks look-a-like chick kept interrupting the show. It was kind of funny at first…but as all obnoxious crowd members go…it got annoying. Ballgame handled it well…but eventually she had to be tossed…loved it. Look folks…as much as we think live comedy is some type of interactive thing…90% of the time…it isn’t…so per usual…keep your yapper shut. If the comedian wants to engage the crowd…he’ll come calling…don’t worry. There is nothing worse than an audience member thinking they are funny…you’re not…no really…you’re not. Me included. Big crowd last night…the show may have reached the tipping point…people are starting to talk about it. Onto the comedians.
Matt Baetz -
Best host in town…hands down…it’s not even close. Not only does he get the crowd warmed up with very good material…he knows every comedians name…and you can just tell things were loose. Matt hosts in a way where he doesn’t make it about him…it’s about the show. By doing so…he comes off way more professionally…and his material and skills shine. Not to mention he was dealing with that d-bag lady in row 2. I’m not kidding…she kept saying she was from Texas…so damn annoying. But Baetz handled her. This guy is a gamer…go see him…ASAP!
Jessica Glassberg -
I really liked her slutty baby material…she called her Slutty McSlutterson…and she did some Pussy Cat Dolls action. I think she hung with the jury duty material for about 3 minutes too long…but I’m sure she was testing. She has good presence…and she’s cool. Some material development and she’ll be good to go.
Matty “Ballgame” Balaker -
Ballgame was solid…unflapped by Stevie Nicks…he powered through his set. The unfortunate thing is…because of this chick…I’m having a tough time remembering his material. But he handled her really well…didn’t lose his cool…got the crowd laughing at her…never lost his confidence on stage…and kicked ass. Folks…this chick actually walked on stage…anything less than Ballgame kicking her in the ass was a miracle. That’s a pro, ladies and gentlemen.
Josh McDermitt -
My first time seeing Josh. He was solid…his joke about you are what you eat was great. He said, “I don’t agree…I’ve never eatin’ a 29 year old loser who still lives at home with his dad.” Awesome. Looking forward to seeing him again.
Sarah Colonna -
Sarah is great. So cool. She’s getting Britney, Paris, Lindsey, Tom Sizemore, and The Hof…all in a house for a show called….”So You Think You Can Drink”. Genius. I love the roofy girl too. And she cut the her vibrator joke at the end at the perfect spot. Awesome set.
Chris Franjola -
I’m telling you right now…there are very few comedians on Franjola’s level. He’s off the cuff…he’s current…he’s quick. Can we get this cat a show or something…seriously. Can we put him, Sickler, Segura, Brody…I could go here…in some stuff. Franjola closed with his sex joke…which kills. I also love the one about his neighbor taping himself having sex…that is unreal. Go see Franjola…seriously.
Brian Scolaro -
There is one joke I will never get tired of…and Brian may be sick of it…but I’m not…and no audience I have ever seen is…the sneezing joke. I think it might be the best joke of all time. I scream like a chick every time I hear it. His caveman material was great too. Scolaro was awesome…he’s a cool dude.
Great time last night…if you aren’t going to stand-up comedy…you are missing out. It’s too good not to go.
Great show on Tuesday the 6th at Red Rock…I’ll be in the house.
The Laugh Lounge Gets Dirrrrrrty
Line-Up:
Matty Ballgame
Brian Swinehart
Dave Hanson
Dana Min Goodman
KT Tatara
Ben Gleib
Ryan Sickler
Shaq’s Donkey Dong, Dash of Downs, Sneezing Dicks…the Laugh Lounge got dirty last night…and I loved it! (more…)
Line-up:
Zack Pollard
Matty Ballgame
Erik Lundy
Christina Pazsitzky
Ron McGehee
Lachlan Patterson
Andrew Norelli
I grabbed a couple visiting from Minnesota off the Sunset strip to come see this show…they loved it…good stuff!
Zack Pollard -
Zack was really good as the host. He took the job seriously and introduced the comedians with energy and very clearly…I can really appreciate that. I think his material needs development…but he has good stage presence and verbal skills.
Ballgame -
Always coming with new material…his joke about catching up with old friends was absolutely stellar…that’s a keeper!
Erik Lundy -
This is my second time seeing Erik and he just seems frustrated by comedy and his heart isn’t there. He had a tough set.
Christina Pazsitzky -
She’s off the charts good…I love her. I want her at my 30th birthday. She’s dirty and clean…and smart…her material is great…she’s quick. She has the goods to be big time.
Ron McGehee -
I’ve seen Ron kill…tonight wasn’t it. His marriage material wasn’t hitting home with this crowd…but he kept plowing ahead with it. I respect that. That stuff happens.
Lachlan Patterson -
So good. Laid back…great material. Canadian. You’ll love this guy.
Andrew Norelli -
Norelli officially became big time in my eyes. I’ve seen him 3 times…and he hit it out of the park. BTW…Norelli has been doing comedy for 10 years…so who the fuck am I to say he’s big time now…he’s an established comedian. But to me…he has the material…the attitude…the presence…to be big. He just doesn’t have the name recognition yet. In my book…he’s as good as Byrne and a few other guys at that level. He and Sickler are killer. I’ll get Norelli to my 30th too. His joke about customer service at Sprint had me screaming…and his joke about Indians was priceless. Love this guy!
Line-up:
Taylor Williamson
Taylor Morgan
Kyle Smith
Jason Gillearn
Matt Fulchiron
Greg Fitzsimmons
Matt Ballgame billed this show as the one year anniversary…reality is…this show has been going on for over a year and just keeps building momentum. The audience keeps getting bigger and the comedians keep getting better. Ballgame’s show is a step above everyone else’s. From a audience perspective…you get to see the top headliner’s in the country and the best up and comers in the city. This isn’t a workout room…and Ballgame doesn’t throw up 12 comedians so that the audience just gets bored as shit. Even I don’t like that. For the comedians…you get a highly organized highly professional show. Great environment…great mixed crowd…and a line-up with other great comedians. You go in…you laugh hard for an hour and a half…and you our out. Best comedy show in the city!
This show was packed with frat guys…which threw a few of the comedians…very interesting to watch their reactions.
Taylor Williamson…solid.
Taylor Morgan…first time seeing her. She was good…dirty…I always like dirty and it worked well with this crowd. We talked before the show and she told me she was going to break out that material…so it worked.
Kyle Smith…I like Kyle a lot. His nickname joke is hilarious…Kyle “The Hookerstabber”. Awesome.
Gillearn…always solid. He never gets old to me. He’s not big nationwide…but in L.A. he’s the man.
Matt “The Fullcharge” Fulchiron…not gonna lie…he was off his game. The crowd may have thrown him.
Greg Fitzsimmons…what can you say…he’s a genius. I would love to spend an hour talking comedy with Greg. He’s awesome.
Line-Up:
Matty “Ballgame” Balaker
Matt Hummell
Bob Bledsoe
Natasha Leggero
Duncan Trussell
Chris Franjola
6 comedians…perfect size. Everyone kept it tight. Matty had some Laugh Lounge first timers in the line-up also which is great to see. Love it when I get to see new comedians.
Ballgame -
Matty is a good host…kept it tight this time around. Still slingin’ new jokes. But he pretty much let the other comedians have it tonight.
Matt Hummell -
First time seeing Matt…I’m gonna need to see his material again…but he kept it tight. Gotta love that.
Bob Blesoe -
Bob is a riot. Starts off the show with the joke about someone leaving a message on the wall in the bathroom about giving blow jobs…but didn’t leave a number. Hilarious! Plus his joke about the Wisconsin girl’s accent is stellar. I like Bob a lot. He was in the line-up during my debut…so it was cool to see him without the stress of that night.
Natasha Leggero -
Wow! She’s off the charts. Her stage persona is part stuck-up…part cute as hell. I loved her bit about doing comedy to get laid…it was sarcastic of course…which is her MO…but it rocked. Can’t wait to see her in action again.
Duncan Trussell -
Clearly Duncan is a sick fuck…and I love it. Little Hobo is unreal…his bit about channeling was stellar. He didn’t do “Fuck Blob” which is one of my favorite jokes of any comedian…but that’s ok. Duncan is still top 10. I love this guy.
Chris Franjola -
Franjola’s joke about watching his neighbor’s video of him fucking an old girlfriend has officially reached “all time” status. You can put it with Scolaro’s Sneezing, Jokoy’s Fighting, Dane’s Someone Shit on the Coats, and Sickler’s CAIDS and Dash of Downs. It’s a riot. Franjola is awesome…and I hope I can get him to perform at my 30th birthday party.
Line-Up:
Matt Baetz
Mark Serritella
Matty “Ballgame” Balaker
Andy Kozel
Bryan Erwin
Brian Keith Etheridge
Matt Iseman
Tom Segura
Big line-up for the Laugh Lounge. But here’s the key difference between Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge and the typical “room”. Ballgame books very good comedians up and down the line-up. Every “room” has it’s purpose…the “rooms” that put up 12 comedians are for comedians to practice…this “room”…is for top performers…and the great up and comers. Normally I say there is no reason to have more than 5 - 6 comedians in the line-up…and that’s the most. But if you’re solid all the way through…and everyone keeps their sets tight…8 is ok. 10 - 12 comedians kills an audience no matter what though.
Matt Baetz - mattbaetz.com
Hands down the best host in Ballgame Laugh Lounge history. He’s the perfect host. Great material. Tight set. Made sure he knew everyone coming to the stage…and was interested in seeing them. That’s the key right there. I was late unfortunately for the beginning of his set…but I hope Matt is getting spots at the big clubs…and going on tour. I see big things for him. He has the tools.
Mark Serritella - markserritella.com
For some reson, Mark’s set isn’t sicking with me. It was very smooth and he has his stuff dialed…I just need to see him again to get the material down.
Matty Ballgame - myspace.com/balaker
Nobody in comedy writes more new jokes than Ballgame. I’m not kidding. He prides himself on putting himself out there…and we all need to respect him for it. It’s easy to use the security blanket…Matt rarely does. That’s how you become famous…throw your balls out there!
Andy Kozel - myspace.com/andykozel
Andy had one of the best jokes of the night…his “America’s Most Wanted” bit was spot on. I always change the channel because it scares the shit out of me…but then I have to turn it back…I just have to. I thought Andy got off to a slow start…but he brought it back around with “America’s Most Wanted” and closed strong. Looking forward to seeing him again.
Bryan Erwin - bryanerwin.com
Bryan has been at Laugh Lounge a bunch…he’s polished. A little fast…but his parenting material is solid…and this guy is dirty. I’m digging it.
Brian Keith Etheridge - myspace.com/briankeithetheridge
BKE crushed it this time around. His “sucking dick” tirade at the end of his set was just awesome. He was calling out girls left and right…and the crowd was on the floor. I love when comedians push the envelope. Stand-up comedy is still the only place you can do this…that’s why it’s the greatest.
Matt Iseman - mattiseman.com
Matt has really good stage presence….loved his joke about his new girlfriend…who is smokin’ hot comedian Kris Lezect. She uses him as a scratch post when she’s having an orgasm…he just gets in the way. We should all be so lucky. Anyway…back to the blog. I’d like to see new material from Matt. He’s a solid performer and a cool dude though.
Tom Segura - tomsegura.com
Tom is hands down one of the top 10 comedians out there. I love this guy…I’ve written about him many times. He and Sickler make the best writing team in the business. Someone just needs to let them have free reign on a project. His racial, sexual, and dirty humor is off the charts funny.
Line-Up:
Matty Ballgame
Patrick Ney
Lana Turner
Bernadette Balagtas
Nick Thune
Jeff Short
Michael Batts
Chris Porter
Josh Wolf
Biggest line-up in Ballgame Laugh Lounge history tonight…but it wasn’t awful. You know why…because all of the comedians were good…they stuck to their time…no one went up too long…and that kept you wanting more. The other thing was important…at no point was Matty saying stuff like, “OK folks…only few more comedian…hang in there.” I hate that shit. If you have to say that…the comedians aren’t good…and you are putting on a bad show…and not helping the cause…which is getting people out to see live comedy. Get with the program folks…this should always be fun…not torture.
Just a highlight review this time (sorry to the comedians in this line-up…I’ll get you back in more detail on another blog) because I’m writing this two weeks after the fact…my bad…I’ll catch up today.
Matty Ballgame is still slinging new jokes every time and the confidence is still rising…I love it. Pat Ney was very good…looking forward to seeing him again. I still can’t get into Lana Turner’s style…it’s not that she has bad jokes…I’m just not into the style…to each his own. I LOVE Bernadette Balagtas…she is just very friendly…clean…funny as hell. Thune did his IM Bit…Salmonerd/Insynchottie…very well done bit…I’ve seen it 3 times now…and he has it dialed…looking for new material from Thune. Jeff Short was the surprise of the night…he crushed it…tons of talent…great jokes…a big time up and comer with Kinno. Michael Batts had a solid set…Porter was stellar…and Josh Wolf was solid. More later on everyone.