Live Comedy L.A.

Variety Magazine came out with a list of “Top 10 Comics to Watch”. No disrespect to Variety or the 10 comedians they chose, but I have a different definition of “watch”. Their definition is “to keep an eye on in the media and movies”. My definition is “to go see in a club and laugh your ass off”. To each his own. I happen to think my list can and will accomplish both feats. But what do I know.

So here is the “10 Really Good Comedians that You Should Go Watch in a Club to Laugh Your Ass Off” list.

1. Ryan Sickler
2. Dana Min Goodman
3. Tom Segura
4. Christina Pazsitzky
5. Jason Gillearn
6. Chris Franjola
7. Steve Flye
8. Andrew Norelli
9. Sam Tripoli
10.The Unknown Comedian

Starting on Monday, we will spotlight each of these comedians. I guarantee…if you go see any of these comedians live…it’ll be a good night.

Comedian Steve Flye and the Ice House in Pasadena make a killer combo folks. Last night I hit up Flye’s monthly show at the venue for the first time. Again, the Ice House proved that it is the best large comedy venue in the greater L.A.-area - hands down.

The Ice House is what live comedy is all about. The staff is incredible - especially long time staffer and new author Barbara Corry. I want to personally thank Barbara for showing us a great time last night. She is an amazing contributor to the community. Live comedy and the Ice House should be proud to have her. We will be spotlighting Barbara Corry and her new book “The Ultimate Green Room” in the coming weeks.

On to the show - simply put…Steve Flye has the skills to be a big time player. I asked Steve to perform at my 30th birthday a few weeks ago because I wanted more people to see that he is the real deal. But, honestly, I think he is doing just fine on his own…he packed the Ice House last night…that’s not easy. You may know “Life of the Party with Jay Davis”. But “Flye Comedy” is right there. His material killed again and he can sing (who knew?). I loved when he went into the crowd and talked about the “horchatas” on the Mexican girl in the front row. He said, “Those things could squeeze out cinnamon.”

I also enjoyed the sets from Honest John and Chris Spencer. Honest John is this older dude who talks dirty. Love that. If you are a fan of stand-up, you probably know Chris Spencer from hosting Chocolate Sunday’s at the Laugh Factory. I had never seen him before, but he was great. Tons of great material and so natural.

I want to thank Barbara Corry again. And I want to thank Steve Flye for giving Live Comedy L.A. a big shout out at the end of the show. So cool. He called me the Founder and CEO. How ’bout that people…I’m a CEO.  Go Laugh.

Upcoming shows at the Ice House
Gabriel Iglesias: Aug. 28, 29, 31
Kevin Nealon: Aug. 30

I’m headed to Steve Flye’s comedy show at the Ice House on Saturday. Looks great. See you at the club.

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.

I have a new favorite comedy club - The Ice House in Pasadena. The Ice House combines all the best features of the Improv, Laugh Factory, and Comedy Store…plus it throws in ample parking. I absolutely loved my first visit to the Ice House. The venue was well-designed, the staff was friendly and on top of their game, the show was spectacular, and it’s reasonably priced. It was the little things though that I dug the most:

1. All the chairs in the main room faced the stage.
2. The staff took both your drink orders at the same time at the beginning of the show (as not to interrupt you during the show).
3. Every seat is within 30 feet of the stage.
4. The main room was tiered.

The list really goes on and on. The highest complement that I can pay the Ice House is to say that I would like to hold my 30th birthday here coming up in July. We are building a killer line-up of my favorite comedians for the event and I want it to be here.

The line-up was amazing: Frazier Smith, Steve Flye, Jason Collins, Kenny Johnson, and Jo Koy.

Everyone was terrific. Jo Koy went for about an hour and a half. He did new material on the 405 and his son. But amazingly, the crowded requested jokes…and he did them. It was simply the greatest thing I have ever seen in stand-up comedy. Right there…that’s what live comedy is all about.

The comedian of the night however was Steve Flye. We expect Jo Koy to be amazing…and he was. But I love seeing new comedians just kill it. Steve had a joke about child support that was off the charts. Seeing Steve was like seeing Ryan Sickler or Christina P. or Chris Franjola or Tom Segura for the first…he has the goods - you can just tell. It’s an exciting feeling for a comedy dork like me. Check out his VideoShot of Steve.

…and definitely check out the Ice House…I’ll be there all summer checking out the comedians.