blonde medicine – The Comedy Bureau

TCB Debriefing 11/4/23: Jessica Sele, Atsuko Okatsuka, James Austin Johnson, Curb Your Enthusiasm, F Marry Kill

November 4, 2023

atsuko okatsuka, blonde medicine, comedy album, curb your enthusiasm, james austin johnson, jessica sele, lucy hale, seth meyers, stand up comedy, weird vibes

1. Nailing a comedy album title is often a quietly difficult challenge. Many a comedian try sidestepping it by just going the “Live at…” route while others fall short of the mark with a goofy name coupled with a corny pose for the album cover. For our money, the deeply funny Jessica Sele not only comedically lives up to the pitch perfect album title of Weird Vibes, her brand new record from venerable comedy record label Blonde Medicine, but she embodies it. Sele never ceases to surprise and has us snickering throughout the whole hour in fully embracing her own strangeness in every aspect of her life and presenting so frankly, but doing so with a gleeful awkwardness. All told, Weird Vibes radiates pretty sweet vibes. Weird Vibes is now streaming and available now wherever you get your comedy albums.

2. Not only is Atsuko Okatsuka full grown, but she is a bonafide comedy star. Just look at this tour schedule and sold out dates (and those added dates that you should get tix for if you’re anywhere around those cities).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Atsuko Okatsuka (@atsukocomedy)

2. James Austin Johnson, yet again, proves that he’s the perfect weapon at SNL on his Late Night with Seth Meyers appearance this week.

3. Season 12 of Curb Your Enthusiasm is set for Feb. 2024. Perhaps, it’ll be an early Valentine’s gift on 2/12?

4. Turns out F*ck Marry Kill will be the latest game to be adapted into feature film (THR). This adaptation will, of course, not shy away from the nature of the game and, instead, lean into it with star Lucy Hale trying to figure out which of the three guys she’s dating is a local serial killer and which are F or marriage material. With all of that in mind, we are curious as to who owns the trademark to F Marry Kill if anyone.

5. We’ll leave you with this: Yes, this TCB Debriefing is a day late because we run this site all on our own and book a theater, so apologies for this and any future delays (and thank you kindly for reading).

Please Enjoy the Socio-Comedic Research of Kenice Mobley’s “Follow Up Question”

December 9, 2022

News

blonde medicine, comedy album, kenice mobley, stand up comedy

For the majority of the time during a stand-up performance, the goal of crowd work isn’t in-depth research and having an actual back-and-forth with the audience. That said, some of the magic of a live performance come in the unplanned moments of which the audience and their reactions are a critical part. Beloved NYC comedy staple Kenice Mobley leans as far as she can, with joyous success, on her new and very aptly titled album, Follow Up Question.

For an hour, Kenice thoroughly questions the audience led by her genuine curiosity of all things prurient. Mobley takes a dive into actually getting to literally know her audience and all of their own relationship and sexual proclivities, almost as if she’s conducting A/B testing, to tease out that proverbial lightning in a bottle, as opposed to a more well-worn route of asking audience members where they’re from and what they do for a living. The result of her findings are delicious reveals in of themselves, but the field-research-like approach to getting there is also its own funny and endearing journey, especially since Mobley hones in on pretty intimate questions from the get go.

Kenice cleverly reveals herself too and how nerdy and horny she is whilst comedically “gathering data” from the crowd. That trick marvelously belies the quasi-clinical ticking off of every question for her supposed research for something that’s much spicier, tingly, and hilarious.

Follow Up Question just came out today via Blonde Medicine. Please give it a listen and enjoy it here.

Please Get Kyle Ayers’ Great New Album “Happiness” That Was Recorded Outdoors Before Comedy Was Only Allowed Outdoors

October 14, 2020

News

blonde medicine, comedy album, kyle ayers, stand up

Few comedians tempt and tango with chaos quite like Kyle Ayers. Whether it’s having comedians write what they think a scene from a particular movie is without ever having seen it or subjecting himself to the elements and chaos of the world by taping an entire comedy album in the back patio of one of LA’s most hip and lively neighborhoods, Kyle thrives in rolling with whatever’s happening in the moment. That’s the true magic of watching comedy live and getting to share that one-time-only experience as someone shifts flawless between their material and a random skateboarder showing up, then making a dramatic exit.

All of that spirit is captured on Ayers’ new album Happiness, which was wonderfully recorded on what would normally be an evening of Good Heroin, Stories Books & Cafe’s surefire Saturday night stand-up show that happens on their outdoor back patio. We’ll note again that this was recorded outside, well before lockdown and most live stand-up wouldn’t dare attempt to be done outside. Again, Kyle thrives in it.

Ayers has plenty of silly, self-deprecating, clever, and whip-smart material that is derived from the more absurd parts of his life. Of course, there’s plenty of it that he invites into his life especially when it comes to the nearly 20 minute epic tale about the stingiest home decor seller on Craigslist. The beauty of the performance here is that nearly everything that was recorded is seemingly left in and you get that fly-on-the-wall feel that is so rare in comedy albums and specials. There is even a pretty fun exchange with his producer about what to do about a clock tower ringing at the top of the hour that would likely get cut from most other albums. Then again, it’s the keeping of that sort of thing that makes you feel like you’re there.

Ayers’ Happiness is coming out this Friday, Oct. 16th, fresh off the presses from Blonde Medicine. Please, please, please go pre-order/get and enjoy Happiness here.

View this post on Instagram

Someone skateboarded through my album recording. Here’s that clip. The album is mostly jokes that aren’t this skateboarder. You can preorder the album on iTunes / Vinyl and more. The vinyl comes with an incredible 12-page, full color nsert like you’ve never seen before. Link in my bio! http://www.kyleayers.com Album out October 16 wherever you listen to stuff, on Blonde Medicine record.

A post shared by Kyle Ayers (@kyleayers) on Oct 8, 2020 at 9:45am PDT

Please Get and Enjoy Mike Carrozza’s Purely Silly Debut Album “Cherubic”

September 3, 2020

News

blonde medicine, comedy album, mike carrozza, stand up

If reality is too much right now (and we’re betting that it is), you might be seeking something far removed from the present moment, something abjectly silly, absurd (and cheekily self-aware).

If that is indeed the case, you might want to dive into Mike Carrozza‘s debut comedy album Cherubic that has so many delightful twists, turns, tomfoolery, hysterically intentional “long walks” and is, overall, just a genuine stroke of joy (oh, how rarely we use that word these days). This whole album, whether Mike is in the bit or outside of it making fun of how silly a premise is, takes you down so many avenues and it’s a delightful ride all the way through. Truly, you can imagine Carrozza beaming through all his carefully constructed shenanigans that are undeniably fun and it harkens back to a time and place that, well, is just not now. Carrozza hails from Canada and this first hour bodes well for more jubilant comedy coming on down from up north.

Mike Carrozza’s Cherubic comes out this Fri. Sept. 4th. Pre-order/buy fresh from Blonde Medicine here.

Please Get and Enjoy Calise Hawkins’ New Album “Calise Hawkins Is 40 AF”

August 13, 2020

News

blonde medicine, calise hawkins, comedy album, stand up

With stand-up comedy, the closer in proximity in time a comedian is to their material, the fresher and more resonant it will undoubtedly be. Calise Hawkins‘ new album Calise Hawkins Is 40 AF really runs with that idea as Calise recorded this new hour on her 40th birthday.

Hawkins stories and observations about being a 40 year old single mother really are celebratory in a way that you rarely hear in comedy. Most comments on being middle aged or older usually lean towards pretty self-deprecating to terribly self-deprecating. Calise has a few slick lines cheekily poking fun at her current moment in her life, but it’s pretty clear that she revels in joy with the present, being 40, and having a 13 year old kid. As a result, Calise’s lust for life is pretty infectious as she even recounts the struggles of her love life in her situation and attempting to raise her teenager while sharing a room with her. The lining up of her 40th birthday and talking about her age and her experience gives a snappy energy on this record that is so charming.

Also, Calise’s bit where she shares her own interpretation of the creation myth is pretty damn fun and subversive too.

Calise Is 40 AF is available from Blonde Medicine wherever you get comedy albums this Friday. You can (and should) pre-order it on iTunes here.

Nore Davis’ Live From The Comedy Trap House, One of the First Comedy Albums Made Over Zoom, Out Today

July 3, 2020

News

blonde medicine, nore davis

Nore Davis has consistently been upbeat, joyful, and hopeful in his stand-up in every one of his hours that he’s released over the years. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Davis, like many other comedians has done his best to keep his craft sharp, express himself, and get laughs over Zoom, the video conferencing platform that a good majority of comedians had no idea about until the latter part of March.

Davis opted to headline on his own from from the get go at “The Comedy Trap House” for a few weeks with a live Zoom audience, so there would be laughs to had (in contrast to the plethora of live-stream shows with comedians performing to silence while a virtual audience enjoys it on the other end). From that, Nore opted to put out a brand new album via Zoom.

Thus, Live From The Comedy Trap House was born with Nore speaking from the heart with his signature warmth about COVID-19, the murder of George Floyd/Black Lives Matter, and even a break-up he went through while in lockdown. In fact, this was only recorded days after George Floyd’s life was stolen, which gives you Nore’s perspective at its freshest and most raw. You very rarely get that in a comedy record, but then again, this is a special album.

The hour is somewhat surreal as you can almost sense that the laughter from the audience and Nore are disembodied voices, but they still managed to be connected and laugh and giggle throughout the whole album. Davis’ hope and joy are still clearly intact, which is amazing considering how deeply traumatic every single day has been over the last several months. Live From The Comedy Trap House is and will be a fascinating document of this historical moment both because of how it was created entirely over Zoom and will likely be the most “virtual sounding” comedy album and for it speaking to everything that’s happening in the world that other future generations might be in disbelief about whenever we talk about it.

So, go listen and enjoy and take in Live From The Comedy Trap House, a comedy album that is very well historic on its own. Fresh from Blonde Medicine, it’s streaming at all the places you get your comedy albums.

Jim Tews’ Oatmeal Is Another Fantastic Album That Marvelously Deconstructs Masculinity

February 27, 2020

Uncategorized

blonde medicine, jim tews, oatmeal

For as much as the hysterical Jim Tews is self-deprecating about himself, his generation, his generation of men, etc., Tews shows that masculinity and being a millennial can be more complex and evolved these days than some stereotypes might suggest and still be so damn funny.

For his latest album, Oatmeal, Tews really digs deep into himself, his fears, anxieties, peculiarities, but does so with charm and self-assuredness that it makes for several truly great bits and stories throughout the hour. It’s a great balance of absolute honesty, but not in a stark, take-it-or-leave-it way. Jim maintains a quietly playful spirit throughout whether he’s talking about getting hit by a car or getting out a relationship or owning cats as a guy. This record ought to stand as a testament to how great it can be when men truly get in touch with their feelings.

Oatmeal is out this Fri. Feb. 28th, fresh off the presses from Blonde Medicine. You can (and very much shouuld) get it off of Apple Music here or Amazon here.

August 5, 2019

Uncategorized

blonde medicine, chris garcia, comedy show, crossword puzzle, dynasty typewriter, experimental comedy, irene tu, zach sherwin

Zach Sherwin is doing “it” yet again.

By “it”, we mean putting on a dazzling display of how linguistically masterful he is via having comedians solve a crossword puzzle live on stage that is superbly weaved into a theme with jokes, stories, etc. all throughout. It’s quite the spectacle to see especially if you’re wondering how solving a crossword can be a live show.

This edition, this Wed. Aug. 7th at Dynasty Typewriter at the Hayworth Theater, will feature Chris Garcia, Irene Tu, and a “special surprise solver”. Tickets are $10 right now and $15 on the day of. Please go get them here.

Also, if you can’t make it to this one, “it” (The Crossword Show with Zach Sherwin) will be happening monthly at Dynasty Typewriter for the rest of the year!

Caitlin Gill’s Major. Needs to Be The Next Comedy Album You Listen To

August 2, 2019

Uncategorized

blonde medicine, caitlin gill, comedy album, stand up comedy

If you’ve been following us here at TCB, you might know that we’re big fans of Caitlin Gill and thusly, it wasn’t a big surprise that we immensely enjoyed her latest hour on the new album Major.

What did take us by surprise is that Gill is completely clean for the entirety of Major. in a way that you likely won’t notice and certainly doesn’t sacrifice her rambunctious comedic spirit. In fact, there is a certain bottled-lighting feeling we get here as the stories and observations woven and told with gusto by Caitlin that feels pretty damn close to watching Caitlin be the force of nature that she is live in person. That’s pretty rare for comedy albums/specials even though that is all of what they’re going for (often due to the arduous prep and planning that goes into these sort of recordings).

Also, Gill probably has the definitive bit about the existential frustration of bank transactions for our generation on this album.

So, please, please, please go get Major. (it’ll be streaming on Sirius XM this weekend as well).

Please Get and Enjoy Josh Gondelman’s Latest Album Dancing on a Weeknight

April 20, 2019

Uncategorized

blonde medicine, comedy album, josh gondelman, stand up comedy

In debating whether all comedians are inherently sad clowns, the name Josh Gondelman is routinely brought up to refute such claims as he is undeniably a positive light of a human being and also undeniably funny.

Dancing on a Weeknight marks Gondelman’s third album and further proof that his cleverness, command of the English language, and his beautifully open-minded perspective on the world can provide for a hysterical voice in comedy. Having worked the writing rooms of Last Week Tonight and Desus and Mero, Josh knows how to write a brutal punchline and his very sharp writing gets more surprising with his calm, easing voice and delivery.

Dancing on a Weeknight is now available from Blonde Medicine. Go get it and enjoy it on any night (or day) here.

Nore Davis’ Too Woke! Is Another Great, Exuberant Hour

November 23, 2018

Uncategorized

blonde medicine, comedy album, nore davis, stand up, too woke

There is a certain, great innocence that Nore Davis has a knack for preserving with his hysterical insights into the troubling world around him. It’s kind of a rare feat to pull off in comedy, especially to do so without sounding overly self-righteous or preachy.

On his third album Too Woke!, Nore maximizes this talent of commenting on such hot button issues nuances of race, gender, class, and sexuality all while being still very much on point with his punchlines, tags, and delivery. Nore himself is also a joy to listen to as his voice is so animated in so many particularly splendid ways.

Too Woke! just come out today, fresh off the presses from Blonde Medicine and you can (and should) go get it here.

Get Geoff Tate’s Fourth Album “People Are What People Make ‘Em”

January 22, 2018

Uncategorized

blonde medicine, comedy album, geoff tate, stand up

Quietly over the last five years, Geoff Tate has been building a catalog of comedy albums that we very much enjoy.

Tate has always had a great knack for coloring the vignettes of his life with subtle details that really make his laidback sensibilities land comedically. For example, this particular round features an almost epic journey of trying to make new friends via shared appreciation of the Jack Reacher franchise. It might possibly the funniest bit involving Jack Reacher in the current canon of stand-up comedy.

So, with that in mind, pick up a copy of People Are What People Make ’Em to see how that whole story plays out and to also listen to another solid hour from Tate.