A Wedding, A Tuesday and A Wednesday...Plus Andres du Bouchet, Dan Bialek, Ted Alexandro, Chris Hardwick and Mike Phirman Coming Up

Ok, lots to cover and I've already wasted enough time today, so let me cut all this to the chase:

Kambri Crews and Christian Finnegan's Wedding
This was a great time. They both looked gorgeous and happy, the wedding toasts were great and Becky Donohue can get a crowd dancing. Maryanne and I decided not to play photographer that evening and opted for drinking and dancing instead, however, I did get one photo that I want to blow up lifesize and put on my wall:


Click for larger version

Tell me that's not what handsome looks like. From l-r: Jonny Fido, Andres du Bouchet, Michael Reisman, Mark Douglas, Rob Gorden and Tom Shillue. (Thank God Bryan Olsen was already gone or this photo would simply be too hot...I take that back, I'm photoshopping Olsen in...I can take it.) Ocean's 14??? Hello?

Summer Tuesdays at Rififi
This was an awesome show that we have no pictures of because I'm a douche and left the 20D at home. Because of a last minute scheduling snafu, Patrick Borelli wasn't able to host, however, local sweetheart Baron Vaughn was on hand and he happily agreed to host for the night. Great sets were delivered by Harry Terjanian, Matt McCarthy, Chris O'Connor, Dustin D'Addato, Rob Gorden, Brad Steuernagel and Sean Crespo.

What I have loved about doing this show is that it's taught me to trust my instincts. I've booked a lot of comics I don't know very well and most of them have delivered big time. It's been such a lucky break that we got to do this show for two months before going weekly at Ace of Clubs. Because I consider that our BIG show, I'm much more finicky with who I book. I took more chances at Rififi and it has really helped add to the list of comics I want to book going forward.

Invite Them Up
Pals Bryan Olsen and Jesse Popp were both doing sets on Invite Them Up last night and I helped out with recording them. They both did bang-up jobs and got a good response from the audience. I also saw Max Silvestri for the first time who I found charming, funny and smart. Definitely plan on getting him on the show sometime. Can't say the same thing for the jerk-off from LA. If I see one more aloof comic who delivers one-liners in an eccentric voice and never looks at the audience....

Some photos of the show are here. By the way, that's Anya Garrett at the top and yes, she looks equally good focused as well as blurry. Damn her and those lips.

Ok, that's it for re-capping. Here's what's coming up.

This Monday: The Drink at Work Show
Holy crap, is this going to be a fun one. Some out of town comics including occasional Drink at Work contributor Dan Bialek, some musical comedy, sketch...we've got it all.

THE DRINK AT WORK SHOW
Monday, August 21
8:00 P.M.
Ace of Clubs
9 Great Jones Street

Tony Sam (Chicago)
Dan Bialek (LA)
Elon James White
Ophira Eisenberg
Jon Lang
Jon Fisch
MEAT
The Maestro
And musical guest Cousin Hubie

This Tuesday: Summer Tuesdays at Rififi
Whet your appetite for the return of Giant Tuesday Night of Amazing Inventions and Also There Is A Game when Drink at Work presents special guest host Andres du Bouchet! Andres will welcome another diverse group of up-and-coming comedic talent:

Drink at Work Presents SUMMER TUESDAYS
Tuesday, August 22
8:00 P.M.
Rififi
332 East 11th Street

Dan Bialek (LA)
Nate Bargatze
Nick Cobb
Myka Fox
Benari Poulten
Eliza Faria Santos
and sketch group Lolabrigada

Tuesday, August 29th: Summer Tuesdays
Our final show at Rififi and we're going out with a bang. Ted Alexandro hosts a stellar line-up, including stand-up sets by the members of LA-based musical comedy duo Hard N Phirm!

Drink at Work Presents SUMMER TUESDAYS
Tuesday, August 29
8:00 P.M.
Rififi
332 East 11th Street

Chris Hardwick (LA)
Mike Phirman (LA)
Pat O'Shea
Nick Turner
Josh Comers
Alex Clarke
Colette Hawley
Rob Paravonian

Ok, I think that's everything I wanted to say. Fuck you all, I love you!

xoxo,
Carol

Wednesday Night at the Duplex

Last night I was supposed to get together with Kambri Crews in Astoria to take some PR photos as well as a few of her in her wedding dress (she and fiance Christian Finnegan tie the knot this weekend). Due to last minute wedding madness, Kambri had to cancel, which worked out because I haven't been to the Duplex in ages. With The Drink at Work Show going weekly in September, shows like Poppi Kramer's Suddenly Stand-Up are going to be invaluable when it comes to finding new faces...plus, it's always such a fun time there.

First thing I realized when I got there; Poppi looks AMAZING! I felt like such a shlub ordering my red wine (cause it's healthier than beer, right)...fortunately the free cheese curls and chips were out of arm's reach. I vowed to start getting in shape...right after the wine and slice of pizza when I get home. (I did get up and jog this morning, so that's something.)

While ordering my drink and chatting with Poppi, Becky Donohue came up; I was blocking her seat and she was annoyed until she realized it was me...of course, I still got the hell out of the way. One doesn't fuck with Becky Donohue. We chatted about her upcoming movie screening, I told her about my documentary idea, then we talked about comedy clubs and how to get through to bookers. I'm trying to figure out what a real manager does and Becky had a lot of insight on how comics can develop a career that has real momentum to it without constantly beating your head against the wall with the clubs. Note to young comics...if Becky's around, buy her a drink and get some advice. That girl knows her shit.

Other friendly faces began to stream in; Sean Crespo, John F. O'Donnell, Gilad Foss. The show was a lot fun and I definitely found a couple of people I want to book for DAW. I'd seen Jackie Monahan before but she really stood out this time. O'Donnell is coming into his own in a BIG way (no pun intended) and the find of the night was Maggie Lauren. She's from Georgia and it was her first at the Duplex (a cursory google search reveals that she is also an actress who had a one-woman show at the Abingdon Theatre and was in the film Palindromes). She immediately reminded me of the stand-up version of my dear friend Mindy, all bubbly, saucy, southern and sexy with a dash of valley girl mixed in. And then she tackled these racially-themed jokes with such abandon and bravado she had me in tears. It was one of those sets where you wonder if it will be as funny in another context or a second time, but it was exciting nonetheless. I didn't get to chat with her after but I'll definitely be looking her up.

There was also one of those classic Duplex moments where a comic does the show for the first time, shits all over the place, and then goes over their time to boot. Poppi fucking nailed him for it but he didn't notice; he was too busy talking very loudly with his friend (including during the next comic's set). Fortunately, they left quickly. I cannot wrap my head around the mentality that can sit 6 feet away from a comic, with their back to them, talking at a normal volume as though there isn't a show happening. Entitled fucks.

So, all in all, it was a productive night and I even made it home at a reasonable hour. Pics of a few of the performers are here.

Summer Tuesdays at Rififi

Holy crap, was last night's show fun! It was a small audience but they laughed their heads off and it seemed like all the comics had a good time. Craig Baldo was an awesome host and Matt Little, Mike Burns, Sven Wechsler, Brandy & Sara and Jay Bois all turned in great sets. I can't wait for September when our run at Rififi is over and we can combine what we're doing there and what we're doing at Ace of Clubs into one weekly powerhouse comedy and music show. If you haven't gotten out to a Summer Tuesday show, come down soon...there are only three left. And stick around to check out Victor Varnado, Roger Hailes and Jordan Carlos' kickass show Flying Blind at 10:00.

Here are the line-ups thus far for the last three shows:

August 15th
Host: Patrick Borelli
Performing: Dustin D'Addato, Harry Terjanian, Chris O'Connor, Sean Crespo, Brad Steuernagel and Matt McCarthy

August 22nd
Host: TBD
Performing: Dan Bialek, Nate Bargatze, Myka Fox, Nick Cobb, Eliza Faria Santos and Lolabrigada

August 29th
Host: Ted Alexandro
Performing: Pat O'Shea, Nick Turner, Benari Poulten, Josh Comers and Alex Clarke

Photos from last night are here. Thanks, Maryanne!

Last Night's Show at Ace of Clubs

Last night's show was a lot of fun. Good turnout, lots of energy and laughs and Lonesome Jack once again turned in a fantastic performance. We're hoping that come fall they'll be a frequent guest on the show. More to come on that in a moment but first, here's a quick rundown on what happened last night:

Pre-Show Slideshow We added seven new ads to our slideshow and we have a bunch more to come. We're planning to continually add to this and eventually have it be a new arrangement each time.

Opening Credits I tried something new this time. About half an hour before the show, I sat down with iMovie and made a quick intro for the show with photos of the performers and Pela's Lost to the Lonesome as the soundtrack. It was a little clunky due to time constraints, but I think it started the show off on the right note. With a little refining I think it will be a great addition to each show.

Lonesome Jack The band kicked off the show with two songs. I love these guys. Ned, the bassist, runs a comedy/variety show himself so he knows exactly what you need to get a show rolling. The two times these guys have opened a show for us they've 100% delivered the goods.

Lucas Held Lucas is fast becoming one of my favorite young comics. He did our first show at Rififi in July and did a great set there as well as last night. The bit on his TV pitch, "The Abortionists" is priceless.

Sean O'Connor Not to be too bold, but Sean O'Connor did one of the best sets I've seen him do last night. He was utterly charming and the audience was really into him. I need to get out to the show he does with Andrew Wright at Rififi more often.

Amanda Melson Amanda puts another nail in the coffin of women aren't funny. Not only is she very funny, she's incredibly smart, too. I like comics who are very relaxed on stage and don't make the audience feel like they need them to laugh. Amanda is always very cool and welcomes the audience in on their own terms. You can't really teach someone that.

Anthony Devito Anthony got some of the biggest laughs of the night. This guy is such a pro and he's just fun to watch. Another one of my favorite things is to hear stories about the daily life of a comic; Anthony told one about the audition process for a national commercial that was insane.

Schaffer the Darklord Schaffer had to cancel unfortunately, and I just found out this morning that he was sick. Word of advice to other new comedy producers, if you book someone through myspace make sure they have your email and cell phone number. Schaffer felt really bad about cancelling and he had no other way to get in touch with me. We'll rebook him for an upcoming show.

Jon Lang I pulled Jon Lang up on stage since Schaffer wasn't there. He was already a little sloshed and did a hysterical, bizarre set. I love the way he uses the stage and continuously walks away from the mic. This kid's got a future.

Liam McEneaney One of the things that always bothered me about our Monday time slot is that it goes right up against Liam's show Tell Your Friends, which is a lot of fun. Liam did a great set as always. His show will be back at Lolita Bar on September 11th.

Allison Castillo Allison simply killed. It takes a very deft hand to do the type of material she does and have it be so charming and funny. She's extremely self-deprecating and revealing and in a less experienced comic that can come off desparate or awkward. Her willingness to laugh at herself is instantly disarming and she leaves the crowd giggling long after she's done.

Sean Crespo I've probably seen Sean perform more than any other comic and I never get tired of it. He did his Bruce Springsteen bit last night, which I've seen before, and it kills me because it's a joke that works in reverse...the setup is really long and it's the way he commits to the voice and, most importantly, the posture of "The Boss" that makes it so funny. By the time he gets to the punchline you find yourself laughing more about the story that got you there. It's sick, twisted and hilarious. The dude's our resident closer for a reason: he's smart, daring and confident.

After the comedy, Lonesome Jack played for about 40 minutes and a lot of people stuck around. Much dancing and drinking was enjoyed, and at the end of the night the venue and I decided that we would make the show weekly come September. Hell yeah! People keep asking me if we want to be the new Eating It. I've been reticent to say yes because I have a ton of respect for that show and don't want to seem overly ambitious or presumptuous. But fuck it. Yes, yes we are.

Thanks to all the performers and everyone who came out to watch. Also, thanks to everyone who bought Ces a birthday drink. We'll see you guys on August 21st when we welcome Tony Sam, Dan Bialek, Elon James White, Jon Lang, Jon Fisch, MEAT and Ophira Eisenberg (musical guest TBD).

Photos are online here; these didn't come out so great because I forgot to adjust the ISO setting. They were shot at an ISO of 100 when they should have been at 3200. Live and learn. Sorry, Maryanne!

xoxo,
Carol