words & photos by David Andrako

Daniel Kitson / Jim Gaffigan

The 2nd night of the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival (read about the first here) featured two shows: "Montreal Callbacks" and a super sized "Invite Them Up."

The first show of the evening was held at Union Hall and was billed as "Montreal Callbacks" - a reference to the Montreal Comedy Festival. Kurt Braunohler began the show with a brief set before he assumed the role of host for the evening. The night featured young stand-ups many of whom can be found performing weekly at clubs in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Mike Lawrence, Greg Johnson, Max Silvestri, Andrea Rosen, Ken Reid, Dan St. Germain and Hannibal Buress.

Highlights of the show included Ken Reid's set, which featured stories of his "white trash" childhood growing up in Massachusetts, Dan St. Germain's self depreciating tales of living in Brooklyn and Andrea Rosen recounting awkward encounters with celebrities and long lost friends. I caught the first few minutes of always great Hannibal Buress's set before heading off to The Bell House for the second show of the night.

Invite Them Up, the much beloved weekly comedy show that Eugene was involved with from 2005-2008 returned for a sold out performance at The Bell House. The show was again hosted by Bobby Tisdale, and featured performances by ITU co-host (and the host of the night) Eugene Mirman, A.D. Miles, , Maeve Higgins, Morgan Murphy, Reggie Watts, Daniel Kitson and special guest, Jim Gaffigan.

Jim Gaffigan, who headlines SIX shows at the Best Buy (formerly Nokia) Theater in December, was greeted with some of the loudest cheers of the evening and the fact that the comics from the earlier show had made their way down to The Bell House to watch his set from the back of the room speaks to his status as a massively respected comedian. His unannounced appearance strengthened an already packed show.

Daniel Kitson, the British stand-up and storyteller, ended the show with an hour long set that featured some impressive crowd work and allowed him to display his razor sharp commentary and lightning fast wit. After admitting that he "didn't have the professionalism to be a middle act," Kitson launched into quizzing audience members on their names and occupations only to later weave them all together in a freestyle rant comparing audience members to each other. In addition to his biting commentary, he wasn't afraid to display his vulnerability explaining that, "I'm quite lonely and I live alone. This is my chance to chat." He also addressed his stutter, which was apparent during his performance. At the age of 33, his stand-up act is impressive and made even more impressive by the fact that Kitson has turned down most television work in the US and Britain. He has performed both story shows and stand-up at the past eleven Edinburgh Fringe Festivals.

The 2010 Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival concludes Sunday night. Read about Thursday night HERE. More pictures from Friday below...

Continue reading "Jim Gaffigan showed up & Daniel Kitson was there at night 2 of the Eugene Mirman Comedy Fest (pics & review) "

by Klaus Kinski (of Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon)

Two films I've been dying to see quickly made their way in and out of our fair city this past June. Being an idiot that cannot seem to prioritize anything, I missed them both. The films I speak of are Big Fan starring Patton Oswalt and Visioneers starring Zach Galifianakis. You may recall from previous articles that Zach and Patton are among my favorite comedians of all time; thus the eagerness to see these films and the anguish at missing them. Big Fan is the directorial debut of Robert Siegel, the man wrote The Wrestler, a film that featured comedian Todd Barry (another favorite). In Big Fan, Patton plays the role of Paul.

Paul is a 35-year-old toll booth operator from Staten Island who lives and dies by his New York Giants. When he has a chance encounter with Giants linebacker Quantrell Bishop, however, things go horribly wrong and a brutal beating at the hands of his idol tests Paul's allegiance to the team. Comedian Patton Oswalt delivers a heartbreaking, layered performance in this pitch-black comedy that reveals the disturbing side of obsessive fandom.

Thankfully, word is out that Big Fan will begin showing in theaters in New York and Philadelphia August 28th, Los Angeles, D.C, Dallas and Houston theatres September 11th and then expanding! In the meantime, visit the official website for trailers and whatnot. And definitely check out Patton's diaries from when Big Fan played at Sundance back in January. Trailer below.

Having seen the trailer last year, I feel like Visioneers has been on my radar for a really long time. It definitely looks to be a somber, Orwellian, supremely dark comedy. The film, directed by Jared Drake, stars Galifianakis as George Washington Winsterhammerman.

George lives a comfortable yet completely uneventful life, and when he starts having dreams in which he's the first President of the United States, his doctor informs him that they could be signs of impending explosion. Later, as the dreams become more frequent and his co-workers continue to detonate, George is prompted to reevaluate his mundane existence.

It looks like that June 3 screening at the 92Y Tribeca may have been my only opportunity to see it theatrically; it comes out on DVD July 21st (using Zach's role in The Hangover to reach a broader audience) and there only seems to be independently organized screening parties scattered across the US. Trailer below.

Zach did a split 7" with Ted Leo a while back, available only via Chunklet.com and only available if you purchased another item from the Chunklet store. Now you no longer need to buy a second item in order to purchase the record. This extremely limited edition 7" is only $5 and is available on four different types of wax. Get 'em while they're hot!.

In Other News........

Continue reading "comedy news: Patton Oswalt, David Cross, Zach Galifianakis, Ricky Gervais, M Showalter, ATP & more (by Klaus Kinski)"

words by Klaus Kinski, photos by Bao Nguyen

As a person who gets pretty agitated when a schedule starts to fall apart before my very eyes, the fact that the Channel 101 show was running 45 minutes behind schedule had me wound pretty tight. Add to that the fact that we couldn't get The Perfect Storm's sampler working, forcing them to (rightfully) bail, and you've got a Klaus on your hands who's on the verge of frenzy. Luckily, a blown schedule and the loss of part of our line-up turned out to be really just minor bumps in what ended up being a completely off the hook night of comedy and music (May 5, 2008).

When I got to Pianos, somebody told me that a beardless Louis CK was hanging out and host Max Silvestri persuaded me to see if he'd want to do a set. He agreed on the condition that he could go on as early as possible in the show. I was beside myself with glee. However, we were plagued with delay upon delay, so much so that during Max's opening, Louis waved good-bye to me and left. I was heartbroken. But then a few minutes later he re-appeared, I gave Max the 'times-up' light, and Louis ended up doing nearly 20 minutes of completely new (to me at least) material. As already pointed out, his set really was mostly amazing. Like any comedian trying new material, some of his jokes didn't hit the mark, but even those were hilarious. Louis is beyond one of my favorites. He's almost a deity to me. The fact that he showed up to do a set was really a ridiculous honor.

continued below....

Continue reading "the comedy part of Rock n ROFL last night @ Pianos - pics"

Leo Allen & Bobby Tisdale (will be together again Thursday night) *

* photo by Marianne Ways

Comedian Greg Johnson was all set to host our inaugural Rock 'n' ROFL party at Pianos tomorrow night (Feb 28, 2008) until he suddenly went ahead and 'pulled a Paul' (aka he has removed himself from the lineup), BUT DO NOT FEAR...... we are not only NOT cancelling the show, we have already confirmed a more than qualified replacement, and that is none other than Invite Them Up's own Bobby Tisdale.

Tonight (Feb 27) you can catch Bobby at Riffi co-hosting the very last Invite Them Up show EVER. Tomorrow catch him hosting Rock 'n' ROFL at Pianos. He'll take the stage around 8:30 - right after Peasantt finishes soothing our souls with his sweet sounds. Tickets include a free bottle of Newcastle.

Check out the interview with Peasant that Gothamist posted today. Check our recap of the Monday night Invite Them Up show.

P.S. Todd Barry will be on Conan O'Brien tonight (Feb 27)

Continue reading "Bobby Tisdale replacing Greg Johnson at Rock 'n ROFL"

words by Jon Roren, photos by Marianne Ways

DOWNLOAD: Cobra Krames - What More Time! (MP3)

Karin, Bobby and the time capsule @ Rififi, Feb 25, 2008

Invite Them Up has been a mainstay on the Downtown comedy scene for about six years, and has played host to many great talents. This week sees the end of ITU's run as a weekly show, with shows on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night to celebrate more than a half-decade of fart jokes and fireballs. If you're coming on Wednesday, bring something for the fancy time capsule.

John Oliver

Host Bobby Tisdale got night one-of-three underway with his patented rubbing of the microphone on some dude's balls before bringing up opening comic Greg Johnson - the co-host of the ECNY award-winning Rififi variety show 'Greg Johnson and Larry Murphy Show'. Johnson was followed by Michael Showalter whose set consisted of one of his trademark "showbiz rants" - this one about how he was only 3rd-to-last-night material and that he clearly wasn't good enough for Wednesday night before trying to tell jokes about shows nobody in the audience had seen.

Continue reading "Invite Them Up, night 1 of 3 final shows (pics & recap) "

DOWNLOAD: Peasant - Exposure (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Forms - Knowledge In Hand (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bear in Heaven - Bag of Bags (MP3)

BV & KK present.....Rock 'n' ROFL -- TH, Feb 28, 2008 @ Pianos, NYC

7:30 - Peasant
8:30 - comedy hosted by Greg Johnson
10:00 - The Forms
11:00 - Bear in Heaven (pictured above)

$10 admission includes a complimentary bottle of Newcastle ale. Tickets are on sale. More info, the flyer (that was designed by Creek Bed Industries), and a video of The Forms covering Nirvana at Union Hall, below....

Continue reading "Peasant & Bear in Heaven playing ROCK 'n' ROFL + free beer"

by Klaus Kinski

You Should Probably Go To Rififi Tonight (Feb 8)......

Why? Because every Friday night (this month at least) Rififi (332 east 11th, b/t 1st and 2nd) plays host to The Greg Johnson and Larry Murphy Show. If I wasn't so lazy/busy, I would have finished my Top Ten Best Things In Comedy In 2007 list for BV; a list that would have had the ECNY Award Winning Greg Johnson and Larry Murphy Show at the #1 slot. Every single week the line-ups their myspace bulletins boast are so packed with top-shelf talent that I often think Greg and Larry are the biggest liars in the business. But then I show up to the show and, sure enough, they deliver what they promised for a mere $5. Here's what makes tonight's show so great.....

Continue reading "Greg Johnson, Rififi, Larry Murphy, The Whitest Kids You Know, Human Giant, Nick Kroll, Chelsea Peretti, Patrick Borelli, Joe Mande"

DOWNLOAD: The Forms - Knowledge in Hand (MP3)

Greg Johnson @ Knitting Factory, NYC - Jan 29, 2008 (Anya Garrett)

It is with an unprecedented amount of glee that I annouce a new monthly party brought to you by BrooklynVegan and I (Klaus Kinski) called BrooklynVegan and Klaus Kinski present Rock n' ROFL (or just "Rock n' ROFL" for short).

Taking place at Pianos in NYC (158 Ludlow Street at Stanton), the purpose of the show is to bring you a night of great comedy and music in an intimate setting. Our premiere installment will take place on Thursday February 28th, 2008, and will be hosted by ECNY Award winner Greg Johnson. There will also be comedy by Pete Holmes, Dave Hill, Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler, Leo Allen, and maybe more TBA. Maybe. After the comedy comes two bands (approximately something like 8-10pm comedy, 10-12 bands). The first band is one of my favorites The Forms, and the second band will be announced soon. Your sides will hurt from laughing, your ears will hurt from the loud music, and your liver will hurt from all the booze you're going to drink. It's gonna be great! (ticket info TBA soon)

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No members of Human Giant are performing at the premiere show - at least partially because they'll be out on tour.

Fred Armisen definitely won't be joining us either - at least partially because we uknowingly scheduled this show the same night as his own at Knitting Factory.

Can't make our show, but still want to see the Forms? Or you want to see them twice? Or you love Gothamist? Catch The Forms and Pattern is Movement at Union Hall on February 15th (13 days before our show).

Max Silvestri @ Rififi, NYC - Oct 29, 2007 (CRED)

In addition to all the special comedy shows always going on, don't forget that there are plenty of shows that happen weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly in NYC that are always reliable, rarely over $5, and usually feature some of the biggest comedians in the business. Why, just the other day Invite Them Up featured Jim Gaffigan, Demetri Martin, Nick Kroll, Andy Blitz, and Max Silvestri. Nuts, right!? Here are some other recurring shows I highly recommend.

• Totally J/K with Joe and Noah: Every other Monday at Rififi with Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkle
• At Night with Gabe and Jenny: Mondays at Rififi
• Sweet: Tuesday at The Slipper Room with Seth Herzog
• Invite Them Up: Wednesdays at Rififi with Eugene Mirman and Bobby Tisdale
• Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy: Fridays at Rififi with Greg Johnson and Larry Murphy
• It is It: Monthly at Pianos with Adam Lowitt (The Daily Show)
• Tearing the Veil of Maya: Sundays at Union Hall with Eugene Mirman and Michael Showalter

What else? -Klaus