Though you might have seen Anna Drezen’s name most frequently as a writer for SNL, you should know that Anna is quite the wonderfully madcap stand-up.
The way she absurdly twists and turns her premises into punchlines is very satisfying and a joy to watch.
Dan Soder Will Get Be Taping and Premiering His First HBO Special This Year
Though many know Dan Soder these days as Mafee from Billions, Dan has carved out an extensive career as a great stand-up comedian (including a deep repertoire of voices and characters) with late night appearances, big time radio appearances, specials, etc. for several years now.
Now, he’ll be getting his very HBO special, which will tape, “10/23 at Bowery Ballroom in NYC. 2 shows, tickets at dansoder.com”. Definitely be in attendance for the taping if you’re in or around NYC around late October and then tune in December when it premieres.
Also, it’s interesting to note that this might be the first traditional stand-up special HBO has done in several months.
The mere cadence of Andrew Orolfo has such a bouncy rhythm that takes whatever joke he’s telling to another level. His observations are silly, but also carefully considered if you’re really listening making for some very good, tailor made jokes.
That always-bandied-about thrill that stand-up comedy supposedly can provide by bringing light to the dark topics, even when it acts like a bit of twisted fun house mirror that you’re looking into is very hard to achieve (making it all the more magical when a comedian does so while also being, of course, very funny).
When it comes to the subject of “pushing boundaries” and “taking risks” in the art form of stand up comedy, one should look to Jena Friedman to see how that can be pulled off.
It’s kind of her thing.
We’d even go so far as to say that Jena’s stand-up, always unafraid to sneak into dark territories, showcases, very clearly, how artful stand-up can be.
The backroom of the Blue Rooster Art Supplies was poised to be the heir apparent to Nerdmelt @ Meltdown. Alas, such a fate was not to come to pass as construction and expansion will prohibit the space from being a live venue.
Thus, Faded, On Deck, live tapings of All Fantasy Everything, and more will be moving on to a new home in the Mid City Arts Center next month.
However, before they go, they’re throwing a big farewell this Saturday in the form of an all female comedy marathon featuring 30 of LA’s best female comedians telling one joke. Signature Drink, another Blue Rooster show alum, and its hosts Courtney Karwal and Megan Gailey will be presiding over what should be quite the swan song.
Seriously, this would be a show that you shouldn’t miss without the whole prospect of a venue closing. As this is a living wake of sorts, it’s even more imperative that you enjoy yourself at a damn fine stand-up show.
Best get your tickets here quick.
Gary Gulman is stopping by once more at Largo (he comes by about once a year). However, this time is extra special as it will be an evening that triples as a heads up on his upcoming HBO special The Great Depresh, a wondrous, wondrous line-up of comedians as you can clearly see with Maria Bamford and Patton Oswalt, and a benefit for Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services as well as a conversation about mental health.
It truly is going to be a special night, even by Largo’s high standards, and definitely worth the $58.50 ticket price. Go get your tickets for this evening of The Great Depresh here.
Ronny Chieng who you’ve probably seen and enjoyed multiple times on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and Crazy Rich Asians is capping off his international stand-up comedy tour Tone Issues by taping it as a special at Glendale’s Alex Theatre.
Chieng’s rants and the style in which he taps into his own rage is such a delight to watch and relish in, no matter what he’s talking about. There are two shows, both on Fri. Sept. 27th, 7PM & 9:30PM for $20 a pop. Get them here and here respectively.
Always cool, calm, and calculated, Noah Gardenswartz delivers a tight 5 (it pretty much 5 min. on the dot from tip to tail) on The Late Late Show with James Corden that features one of the more of the bizarre arguments to ever happen at a Subway.
Please enjoy it here.
Not only are Daniel Webb, Jamel Johnson, and Logan Guntzelman three comics that make a damn fine line-up of stand-up comedy with their unique styles of charming rapid fire barbs, silly rants, and wry, dark observations respectively, they’re three comics that are about to tape their EPs.
Also, you’ve got to be sold with that flyer, right?
We highly recommend that you be in attendance to see them lay their comedic stylings down on digital wax at the Hollywood Improv at the end of the month. Tickets are $10/2 item min. Go get ‘em here.
All in one fell swoop from Thurs. Oct. 3rd-Sat. Oct. 5th, Team Coco will be putting their live comedy stamp from ATL to LA and Minneapolis all the way down to Austin.
They’ll be having the fantastic comedic stylings Ron Funches, Kyle Kinane, Christina P., Roy Wood Jr., Laurie Kilmartin, and many more performing at several comedy clubs across the country all under the Team Coco House umbrella.
As Conan O’Brien himself has remarked, “This is exactly like ‘Oceans’ 11,’ only instead of robbing multiple casinos we are making people laugh in multiple comedy clubs. So, it’s really nothing like ‘Oceans’ 11’”
Get more details and tickets for Team Coco House here.
In case these times haven’t made a clear, the time for f*ckboys is over. Mary Beth Barone is bringing her show Drag His Ass: A F*ckboy Treatment Program across the country once more to further this sentiment via sharing damning stories, observations, and more on f*ckboys.
Barone has a great line-up taking f*ckboys to task, as you can see above, for this edition at Dynasty Typewriter this Thursday. It really ought to be a satisfying, hilarious evening that’s probably long overdue for those deserving f*ckboys
Get tickets for Drag His Ass here.
Comedy Central is doing more rounds of their digital stand-up showcase Comedy Central Stand-Up Featuring, which highlights nice and tight sets of folks that you both, hopefully, already know and love as well as some newcomers that you absolutely should know (lord knows that we’ve sang the praises of almost all of these four line-ups.
It’s free so long as you RSVP.
8PM on 9/11 is already sold out, but you can snag tickets for the other shows here:
10PM Wed. Sept. 11th
8PM Thurs. Sept. 12th
10PM Thurs. Sept. 12th
FYI, it should read Jenny Zigrino and Logan Guntzelman where the flyers cut off.
Well, Netflix is really rolling out the big specials one right after the other. Last week was Chappelle’s Sticks and Stones and, next week, it’ll be Burr’s latest hour, Paper Tiger.
This time around, Burr taped his special at London’s revered Royal Albert Hall, his biggest venue for a special yet (just over 5,500 w/o production crew). Burr’s penchant for being a contrarian, we’re truly curious what this latest hour will be and the conversations that will undoubtedly be held around it.
We’ll just have to wait and see if Burr has flawless comedic logic yet again come Tues., Sept. 10th on Netflix. In the meantime, watch the trailer for Paper Tiger here.
The Laughing Skull Comedy Festival has been going for over a decade down in Atlanta, GA via The Laughing Skull Lounge and has worked its way to be one of the most respected comedy festivals in the country.
They’re gearing up for their 2020 run and are now taking submissions for stand-up comedy here.
Deadlines and fees are as follows:
Early deadline-submit by October 20th-$30
Regular deadline-submit by October 21st – December 22nd-$40
Final deadline-submit by December 23rd – Feb. 24th-$50
Their picks for the festival will be announced Mar. 9th, 2020. Go get all the info and submit for The 2020 Laughing Skull Comedy Festival here.
Today marks Amazon taking a big step into the world of stand-up comedy specials highlighted specifically by Alice Wetterlund’s first hour special My Mama Is a Human And So Am I.
Amazon Studios released four very different comedy specials (and Jim Gaffigan’s latest hour earlier this week), but Alice’s special stood out for us as she really got to let loose with her cool, sharp, and deftly wry sense of humor for a whole hour. Undeniably, Wetterlund has a command of the room in such an effortless way. She satirically points out how deep the threads of the patriarchy run through every fiber of society and examines her own long journey of self-acceptance and healing all while maintaining a relaxed vibe, sneaking in punchlines throughout.
So, please enjoy My Mama Is A Human And So Am I as it just started streaming on Amazon Prime today.
Dave Ross was one of the first comedians that we saw in the LA scene (back in 2009) when we first started dipping our toe into comedy (even before we created TCB). In that time, it has been a hoot seeing Dave meticulous craft his material over several years into this one very, very good album, The Only Man Who Has Ever Had Sex.
In fact, we have heard all of this material plenty of times, but still thoroughly got a kick out of it hearing in this particularly wonderful performance (that’s playful, loose, self-aware, lightning-in-a-bottle-esque as stand-up comedy recordings should be). Dave’s deconstruction of masculinity is so spot-on and hysterical from every angle. Even the notion that he is dissecting the old idea of what being a man is with a traditionally very manly voice is inherently very funny. The name of the album The Only Man Who Has Ever Had Sex, track titles (I Attack Strangers, I Am God, I Am A Truck, I Scream at Children), and the album’s website http://sex.guns.beer/ also accomplish this goal and makes you laugh no matter how you engage with this album.
If that wasn’t enough, there’s a 152 pg. flipbook that enhances said experience with the same irreverence.
The Only Man Who Has Ever Had Sex is out today from AST Records and you very, very, very much should go get into all of it here.
Mohanad Elshieky not only came to the US from Libya, but managed to figure out how to do stand-up well (always an unbelievably, impressive feat in your second language) and do so with poise and charm (yet another unbelievably, impressive feat).
He gives a great perspective of a recent immigrant in this set from Conan, which is something we definitely we like seeing right now. Enjoy his set here.
Well, here’s your first look at and reminder of the upcoming Comedy Central half hour specials (now branded as the third season of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents) for:
Jaboukie Young-White, Sara Schaefer, Vanessa Gonzalez, Joe Kwaczala, Charles Gould, Will Miles, Nore Davis, Tom Thakkar, Dulcé Sloan, Allen Strickland Williams, Mia Jackson, and David Gborie.
From what we can see, it looks like it’ll be a good season. Check for it on Comedy Central starting Oct. 18th.
Daniel Van Kirk has been headlining across the country on his The Together Tour for a bit now and this ought to be a special, very intimate night in UCB Franklin that you ought to not miss.
Van Kirk’s penchant for being genuine and also being a playful trickster is something we truly love and you’ll get an hour of that if you’re in attendance next week.
Tickets are $9. Go get ‘em here.
As both Kate Berlant and John Early are skyrocketing with their own individual successes in comedy, it’s a much more rare occasion that you’ll see them on stage together, a dynamic that so famously dazzled audiences across the country (including Fallon and The Tonight Show).
Thankfully, a chance to catch them together again will be happening this week in a special performance at the intimate space of the Tom of Finland Foundation (a lovely house in Echo Park). The always lovely Beth Stelling will be joining them as well, which just might end up being the stand out night of this “Summer Acoustic Series”.
Best go get your tickets here.
When committing yourself to hearing an hour or so of comedy, you’d probably like to hear a voice that can comfort you while pointing out the taken-for-granted absurdities of the world.
NYC’s Shalewa Sharpe has one such ideal voice. Her sophomore album “So, You Just Out Here?” is full of spot-on, worldly observations that point out the big and small cracks in the veneer of this world. Yet, Sharpe delivers said material with such a calm that you might just think things might be OK (well, at least during the duration of listening to So, You Just Out Here?). It’s a perfect balance of sweet and sour and definitely we want to listen on repeat (or delightfully have pop up in shuffle when listening to music).
Shalewa Sharpe’s So, You Just Out Here? just dropped today and you can (and very much) should go get it at Apple Music or wherever you listen to comedy albums.
Tonight’s What’s the Story with Todd and Rory? where you could have seen Rory Scovel make up an entire hour of comedy with Todd Glass is unfortunately sold out.
Fortunately, you’ll have another chance (you actually will have two) to catch Rory Scovel performing an hour in LA. If you’re in the school-of-thought-that-believes-you-should-catch-any-and-all Rory Scovel performances (as they’re a perfect mix a brilliant material and brilliant riffing), you need to clear out your plans for Aug. 26th and Sept. 3rd.
Tickets for Rory Scovel: Live at the Virgil are $5 now and $8 cash at the door.
Tickets for Rory Scovel: Live at Lyric Hyperion Theatre & Cafe are $7 now and $10 cash at the door.
Snag those tickets at the links above before they very likely sell out!
In the spirit of the times of trying to level the playing field between men and women, Femmes The Rules that cheekily has male comedians get interrupted and then have to sit and listen to female or non-binary comedians.
With or without that format, the line-up is definitely worth checking out:
Katrina Davis & Kevin Anderson
Pallavi Gunalan & Robert Schultz
Debra DiGiovanni & Paul Danke
&
hosts Mary Jane French and Sarah Mowrey
If you’re down for this playful comedy experiment (that no one on the Internet is sure to have a hardline opinion about even before going to actually see it and maybe having some fun), make your way to Skiptown Playhouse in East Hollywood on Mon. Aug. 19th at 7PM to check our Femmes the Rules (tickets are only $5). Get more info here.
Maria Bamford, who is sincerely one of the best comedians and human beings around, is doing another run of afternoons to work out her latest hour of stand-up comedy at The Clubhouse in Los Feliz (1607 N. Vermont Ave. *next to Jons*).
Really, you ought to try to get free one of these afternoons whether it be this Tues., Wed., or Thurs. to see her hone material, which we have no doubt is silly, truthful, vulnerable, life-affirming, and beautiful all at the same time.
There’s a $5 suggested donation for these shows, but no one will be turned away if they can’t afford it.
Please get more details here.
Tiffany Haddish’s “she ready” brand is so strong that she Netflix allowed her to handpick a whole line-up of comedians that she could highlight them as, indeed, “they ready”.
It’s a whole diverse line-up of female comedians that Tiffany clearly loves including: Chaunté Wayans, April Macie, Tracey Ashley, Aida Rodriguez, Flame Monroe and Marlo Williams.
In fact, her gushing over these women is almost enough of a selling point to get you to watch. Also, Tiffany picked well.
Look for Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready next week on Tues. Aug. 13th on Netflix.