Louis CK's two Bell House shows sold out very quickly this morning. Luckily, not only did he add a third that starts at 11pm tonight after the other two shows, it will be cash only at the box office. $10 each. 2 ticket limit. The bad news is you have to be at the box office between 4-5pm to get them! Get there! (if you can, I'm not sure how you can, but maybe you live near there and are off from work today or something).

(so many places to be at 4pm on a Friday!)

by Klaus Kinski

OK, rather than bore you to tears with one of my usual exhausting preambles about how great the NYC comedy scene is, I am simply going to throw out a handful of shows coming up that are well worth your attention. (Unless you're a humorless slob who has nothing better to do than hate everything.) For everyone else, what follows is some totally awesome news. You're welcome, in advance.

First off, as mentioned already, the great Louis CK will be doing two pretty last minute shows at The Bell House on Friday September 30th aka TODAY at 7:00pm and 9:00pm. The shows go onsale Friday September 30th aka TODAY at 10:00am, so get those refresh button fingers limbered up. After that, your next official opportunity to see Louis in NYC is on Thursday November 10th at the Beacon Theater as part of the New York Comedy Festival.

And speaking of comedy in Brooklyn, don't forget that tickets are on sale for Mike Birbiglia's show happening on Tuesday October 18th at Union Hall. Though, there's a good chance the show will be sold out by the time you read this. This is a CMJ show believe it or not.

But back to the Bell House for a second. On Thursday October 20th, the really and truly wonderful Julie Klausner brings her podcast How Was Your Week? to the Bell House stage with a truly incredible line-up that actually sort of reads like the guest list on a good night of The Best Show on WFMU. The line-up so far includes Ted Leo, Paul F. Tompkins, Billy Eichner, and Special Surprise Guests. And knowing Julie, those surprises are bound to be way beyond worth the cost of admission. And speaking of the cost of admission, I am truly dumfounded that this show isn't sold out yet. Oh, but you know what is sold out? The TWO Paul F. Tompkins shows happening at The Bell House on October 22nd and October 23rd. You know what's nuts about those PFT shows? He won't be doing the same material both nights. Holy!

On Tuesday November 1st, the House will play host to a John Hodgman "That Is All" Official Book Release Party. The cost of admission will get you a copy of the book as well as other treats, including Jonathan Coulton. Totally brunchcore.

Yikes! Lemme loop back to CMJ comedy shows taking place at Union Hall this year. I'd be an idiot (well, a bigger idiot than I already am) if I didn't mention that one of NYC's most awe-inspiring comedy/variety/brainz shows Heart of Darkness will bless Union Hall with its majesty on Saturday October 22nd. The show is hosted by Greg Barris and will feature Greg Johnson, Dave Hill, Mind Warrior Michael Wigler and a SPECIAL GUEST! For the uninitiated, it might make sense to learn about the show here. Best to go into these things prepared.

Oh, but before I go to bed, here's another show worth noting, but be warned, this one takes place in Manhattan. Comedic wunderkind Michael Ian Black will be doing a show at Bowery Ballroom on Thursday November 10th as part of the New York Comedy Festival. Bowery does seem like an odd venue choice for me because, well, it's too small for MIB and, well, ya don't often see comedy there. I am pretty sure the last comedy show I saw there was the Invite Them Up CD release party way back in 2005. But I ain't complainin. Bowery is one of my favorite rooms in the city, and I love MIB ever so much. Tickets are on sale, though I doubt for much longer. Shit gone sellout ASAP, son.

Louis CK @ the Bell House in 2010 (more by David Andrako)

Louis CK will play a 7:00 and 9:00 show at The Bell House in Brooklyn on Friday (9/30). Tickets (at the links) go on sale the same day at 10am.

Louis also has a show coming up at the Beacon in November.

New York Comedy Festival is returning to multiple NYC venues this fall from November 9-13. The festival features a number of comedians including Wanda Sykes, Louis C.K., Russell Peters, Bill Burr, John Pinette, Tracy Morgan, Bill Maher, Sarah Silverman, Kathy Griffin, Norm Macdonald, Ricky Gervais, John Pinette and Jo Koy. The festival spans venues including Beacon Theatre, Town Hall, Carolines on Broadway, 92nd Street Y, Carnegie Hall, and BAM. Tickets are available for each show and are in various states of sale/presale. Full schedule is below.

Australian comedian/actor/musician Tim Minchin is returning to NYC this fall to perform at Town Hall on November 4. Tickets are available for Live Nation presale now (password: ELECTRIC) and go on sale to the general public today, Friday (8/12) at noon. Check out a video of Tim at Bamboozle this past Spring along with all dates below...

Continue reading "NY Comedy Festival 2011 lineup & tickets, Tim Minchin too"

today in NYC
* Evillive
* Oscars
* Asscat 3000 @ UCB
* Louis CK @ Caroline's
* Emily Wells @ Ace Hotel
* Rob Curto @ Barbes
* Baby Soda @ Barbes
* Bear Hands @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Hannibal Buress @ Knitting Factory
* D.R.I., Mucky Pup @ Starland Ballroom
* Lupe Fiasco @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Joe Mande, James Harris & more comedy @ Beauty Bar
* Lionel Loueke Trio w/ Jason Moran @ Jazz Standard
* Ted Hearne, loadbang, Andy Akiho @ Littlefield
* Bird Names, Key Demo, Animal Hospital @ Zebulon
* Bruce Lamont, Lichens, Kevin Hufnagel, Cocaine and Abel @ Union Pool
* The Pendulum Swings (Jason Trachtenburg), Gigi & Pop @ Bruar Falls
* Cellular Chaos, Satanized, Drums Like Machine Guns, White Suns @ Cake Shop
* Pretty Good Friends w/ Michael Showalter, Eugene Mirman, Kumail Nanjiani @ The Bell House

Disney Hipsters

Listen to Donald Rumsfeld and Louis CK on Opie & Anthony, below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

Back on January 20th, a week before the Decemberists got a whole bunch of press for their chart success, Billboard reported that...

Louis C.K. scores his first Billboard No. 1, as "Hilarious" debuts atop the Comedy Albums chart.

The stand-up comedian and star of the FX breakout hit "Louie" peaked at No. 5 in his previous appearance on the list with "Chewed Up" in 2009.

The new album insightfully jabs that "everything's amazing and nobody's happy," expanding upon a routine that became a viral sensation after Louis C.K. appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in 2008:

Continue reading "Louis CK was #1 on Billboard, playing 9 shows @ Caroline's"

John Oliver is hosting/taping a "New York Stand-Up Show" at NYU's Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Saturday & Sunday - January 14-16...

"Stand-up Comedian and Daily Show correspondent, John Oliver, hosts a unique series of stand-up comedy shows for Comedy Central which feature some of America's most influential stand-up stars and great upcoming comics. Season 2 is sure to be amazing. Headliners this year include Greg Behrendt, Pete Holmes, Al Madrigal and Maria Bamford as well as these great comics Brendon Walsh, Kyle Kinane, Anthony Jeselnik, Marina Franklin, Jen Kirkman, Deon Cole, Mike Lawrence, Kumail Nanjiani, Rory Albanese, Glenn Wool, Moshe Kasher, Rory Scovel plus more tbd..."

Wyatt Cenac is doing something similar. Free tickets available.

Free weekly series Whiplash continues every Monday night at NYC's UCB Theater. Tonight's special guests are John Oliver, Rory Scovel & Mike Lawrence.

Reggie Watts and Daniel Pinchbeck are having "An Open Dialogue About the Future" at Cameo Gallery tonight (1/10) (doors at 9pm). On January 17th, 2011, Daniel Pinchbeck will host a screening of "2012, Time for a Change" at the same venue.

The Wednesday night free "Big Teriffic" show has been happening again at Cameo Gallery, and it will happen again on 1/12 and 1/19 (and probably after that!). Max Silvestri, Gabe Liedman, and Jenny Slate host. Other special guests perform too.

Hannibal Buress still hosts the free show every Sunday night at Knitting Factory. 1/16 promises Rory Scovel, Ben Lerman, Jermaine Fowler, John Mulaney & Rob Shapiro

Monthly show Variety Shac with Andrea Rosen returns to UCB on January 13th with special guests John Mulaney, Aasif Mandvi & Negin Farsad.

Joe Mande breaks out at Caroline's this Tuesday, January 11th. Tickets are on sale.

Neil Innes of Monty Python and The Rutles fame plays Highline Ballroom on May 10th. Tickets are on sale.

Did you miss all six appearances Patton Oswalt just made in NYC? If you live in Fargo, North Dakota you're in luck.

Did you miss the opening weekend of Daniel Kitson's show at St. Ann's Warehouse? Well, you have until January 30th to correct that!

Aziz Ansari's Carnegie Hall show happens on January 22nd. Tickets are still on sale.

Louis CK has a new CD and DVD entitled "Hilarious" which gets relesaed this Tuesday, 1/11. That's the cover art above. Have you seen it on Comedy Central? Well, the DVD is " uncensored and feature an additional 40 minutes of content not aired on TV." Check out the trailer/e-card thing below...

Continue reading "free John Oliver taping tickets, a Neil Innes show, Louis C.K. is 'Hilarious', Big Teriffic & other comedy shows & news"

Mike Birbiglia & Michael Showalter @ Mirman Fest (more by David Andrako)

Mike Birbiglia, you know, the guy from the subway ads that has a book out, celebrates, well, that book, at Caroline's on Tuesday, November 2nd. Tickets are on sale.

Amazingly there are also still tickets left for Birbigs' November 22nd "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend" show at UCB. That's a Monday which is convenient because then you can stick around for Whiplash.

One week earlier, Nick Kroll does the pre-Whiplash show for only $5.00 which is cheaper than the shows he'll be practicing for.

The New York Comedy Festival presents "Louie: A Conversation with Louis C.K.", at the Paley Center this Wednesday, November 3rd. Tickets are on sale.

Louis plays Carnegie Hall one day later which is almost three months before Aziz Ansari plays Carnegie Hall with Eugene Mirman, but only two days before Aziz plays Beacon Theatre.

Who knows who will show up to play later that night, and the night after that, at UCB for two special non-Monday editions of Whiplash, aka "The Best of Whiplash."

Also Wednesday: "The world premiere of Dave Hill's Rock Shop with special guests PAT KIERNAN of NY1, MICHAEL SHOWALTER, and DOUG GILLARD (Guided By Voices/Nada Surf)!" I mean, I don't think you need to know more than that to immediately want to buy a ticket, but just in case:

Dave Hill's Rock Shop is a new comedy "talk" show which will hopefully happen the first Wednesday of each month at Park Slope's newest buzzworthy club, The Rock Shop. The show will run approximately an hour and will feature comedian/guitarist and Ohio native, Dave Hill hosting the shit out it. Dave Hill's Rock Shop will feature interviews with a famous or semi-famous or not so famous person, a famous or semi-famous or not so famous comedian, plus the focus of the show: Dave challenges a famous or semi-famous rock musician to a guitar duel (possibly to the death). The show is being produced by Caroline Creaghead (Tearing The Veil Of Maya / Eugene Mirman's Comedy Festival / The Rope Swing) and Jack McFadden (The Bell House / The Rock Shop booking guru) and is sure to have South Brooklyn peeps peeing in their seats (don't worry, we clean them, sorta).'

Our debut show will be on Wednesday, November 3 at 7:30pm and features Pat Kiernan of NY1, comedian Michael Showalter, and guitar hero Doug Gillard of Nada Surf & Guided By Voices. The show will cost $7 and you'll feel pretty good about getting your 7 dollars worth. There will be no refunds.

One of Dave Hill's bands, the one with Moby in it, plays Mercury Lounge on December 4th. 21+. No refunds.

PREVIOUSLY: Tim & Eric add a show, Eugene Mirman & Hannibal Buress every Sunday & other comedy stuff too

Mike Birbiglia was on Jimmy Kimmel last week. Video of his segment below...

Continue reading "Louis CK, Mike Birbiglia, Dave Hill, Pat Kiernan & other tickets "

words & photos by David Andrako

"I will erase all of the fun that you've had tonight. You didn't pay to see me. I should do 40 minutes of broken jokes." Surprise headliner Louis CK

The first night of the 3rd Annual Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival was billed as "An Evening of Comedy from 1986" and featured sets from Emo Phillips, Tony V, Larry Murphy, Ron Lynch and Jon Glaser. As mentioned above, Louis CK was the unannounced headliner and he worked out some new material in a 45 minute plus set. Eugene Mirman acted as emcee, dj and Teddy Ruxpin operator.

During the 10 minute walk from my apartment to The Bell House I surveyed the damage caused by the fast moving storms that tore through Brooklyn and Queens several hours before the show began. Downed trees, crushed cars and closed streets were rampant as residents were returning home to a neighborhood that was affected by one of the most powerful storms in recent history.

Eugene Mirman kicked off the evening with a 3D film that he made, offered the audience duck (which he'd ordered from a local Chinese restaurant) and directed everyone towards the merch tables which featured everything from festival posters to personal items that Eugene brought from his apartment and had priced "a little high, so that no one would buy them." Tony V, a Boston comedian whom Eugene admired as a young comedian, followed with a tight set that set the mood for the evening. Larry Murphy, another Boston comedian best know for his work on Adult Swim's "Delocated" and "Assy Mcgee", performed as "Sandy Gorbin" the world's greatest impressionist.

Ron Lynch, yet another Boston comic and one who was a working comedian in 1986 turned in a varied set that featured jokes from his 1986 set, slight of hand magic and the playing of Louis CK's 1986 audition tape that Louie recorded in an attempt to be booked at Ron's comedy club. Louie interrupted Ron's set and chastised him for playing the tape and retreated backstage. Dr. Attitude aka Jon Glaser (aka the creator of Delocated) appeared on stage in doctor's scrubs with FUCK YOU spelled out in electrical tape and Van Halen's "Panama" as his intro song. Glaser's attitude heavy set ended with him mocking the audience and interrupting Eugene as he introduced Emo Phillips, the much beloved comedian. Emo, making his first appearance at the festival, was a ball of manic energy that worked his way through topics including religion, greeting cards and marriage. His 20-minute set was punctuated by biting social commentary mixed in with clever wordplay and a stage presence that could best be described as elastic.

Louis CK, one of the most respected working stand-ups today, closed the show with a set of new material that was both familiar and fresh. Unafraid to attack the audience Louie pointed out that "You all hate everything real. You're a bunch of meta motherfuckers" as he worked through material as varied as the origins of the Roman calendar and back to school clothes shopping with his daughters.

The Festival continues through Sunday, the 19th with 8 additional shows at The Bell House, The Rock Shop and Union Hall. Some shows are sold out, but others still have limited tickets available.

More pictures from last night, below...

Continue reading "Louis CK showed up & it was 1986 again at night 1 of the Eugene Mirman Comedy Fest (pics & review ) "

""Your father's dead," but the good news is that FX has renewed Louis C.K.'s half-hour comedy/cringe-fest Louie for 13 more episodes. Oh, joy! Rapture! Television has a brain! Way to go, FX (F--ing Xcellent). At the risk of sounding insensitive, this news makes me want to party down. (Too soon? Yes.)" [EW]

P.S. I noticed you can watch the whole first season of "Louie", free on FX demand if you have Time Warner cable. You don't even need to DVR it. Check it out!

P.S.S. Joanna Newsom is playing Carnegie Hall too

Bruce Springsteen & Lisa Lampanelli backstage @ Town Hall (Caroline's)

The New York Comedy Festival runs through Sunday. It kicked off last night at Town Hall with the "Stand up For Heroes" benefit...

[Host Brian] Williams walked onstage with a laptop and opened his monologue with the words: "Yankees 2, Phillies nothing." There was loud applause from the New York crowd missing Game 6 of the World Series.

He quipped that he wanted to be a full-service provider onstage and offer sports and weather updates in addition to covering the news. Williams also shared jokes about military food and being from New Jersey.

[Bruce] Springsteen threw in a few jokes, including one about Pepsi having created a drink that includes Viagra and that is called "MountAndDo."

One of his guitars and four Madison Square Garden tickets were then auctioned off by auctioneer Jamie Niven, the son of actor David Niven, for $50,000. "Law & Order: SVU" star Mariska Hargitay walked away with the goods to much applause.

Louis C.K. had the audience in stitches with edgy material about divorced life and his kids.

Colbert offered some topical humor, talking about his experience visiting the troops in Iraq, which he described as hot and dangerous, "like Texas with fewer guns." He also described a former Saddam Hussein palace as mindful of a house decorated by "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." [Hollywood Reporter]

The Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) and The New York Comedy Festival (NYCF) unite to present the third annual Stand Up for Heroes: A Benefit for the Bob Woodruff Foundation at Town Hall in New York City at 8:00 PM on Wednesday, November 4th. Brian Williams will host Stand Up for Heroes, which will feature star performances by Louis C.K., Stephen Colbert, Lisa Lampanelli, John Ondrasik, Bruce Springsteen and other surprise guests. These and other A-list entertainers have agreed to Stand Up for Heroes and ReMIND our nation that "Support our troops" is no longer a slogan. It's an action. The evening promises unforgettable performances, laughter, and sincere gratitude, with proceeds going to the BWF.

For the third consecutive year, all of our nation's living presidents have officially expressed their support to the Stand Up for Heroes event. President Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama, President George W. Bush, President George H. W. Bush, President Jimmy Carter and President William J. Clinton serve as the Presidential Committee for this year's event. Major television network executives join the Presidents as event co-chairs including Steve Capus and Sophia Faskianos (NBC), Ken and Kristin Jautz (CNN), Jon and Jennifer Klein (CNN), Sean and Tracy McManus (CBS), Philip Miller and Anne Sweeney (ABC), Richard and Lisa Plepler (HBO), David and Sherrie Westin (ABC), and Jeff and Caryn Zucker (NBC).

The show is part of the New York Comedy Festival.

In related news Louis CK is now on Parks & Recreation.

Colbert recently had John Darnielle on his TV show.

Bruce Springsteen plays his fifth and final show at Giants Stadium tonight (10/9).

McSweeney's, Smith Mag, and The Rumpus Present: Todd Barry and Eugene Mirman, Matthew Caws of Nada Surf, and special guests at Highline Ballroom on May 30th. Readings by Anthony Swofford, Jessica Anthony, James Hannaham, The Six-Word Memoirists, and Amy Tan. Hosted by author and Rumpus editor Stephen Elliott. Tickets are on sale.

Nada Surf (the full band) has a show coming up much sooner - April 15th at The Bell House, but that one is sold out.

Also April 15th: Eugene Mirman returns to Le Poisson Rouge with John Wesley Harding. Tickets are still on sale.

Todd and Eugene are also both appearing at this year's All Points West Festival. Tickets are on sale.

Tickets are now on sale for the Holy Fuck shows happening at Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale for both June Bill Callahan shows: Music Hall of Williamsburg and Le Poisson Rouge.

Crystal Stilts were added to Sunday's Comet Gain show at MHOW. Tickets are still on sale.

Tonight's Roots show (4/6) is sold out, but tickets are still available for a lot of the other ones coming up at Highline Ballroom. The April 1st show featured "James Poyser, Fresno Rapper, Fashon, Vernon Reed from Living Colour, and an eclectic cast of characters who usually perform in the subways of NYC." Video clips from that show from the week before below...

The Roots are also playing Montreal's Osheaga Festival.

Todd Barry insulted Louis CK in a car. That video below too..

Continue reading "Holy Fuck, The Roots, Todd Barry, Eugene Mirman, Nada Surf & other tickets "

Louis CK is playing "one night only" at Comix in NYC tonight, Monday February 9th, and $15 tickets are still on sale (thx Adam!)

Continue reading "Louis CK is playing Comix tonight, tickets on sale"

by Klaus Kinski

Max & Gabe D & friend @ MoMA - Jan 6, 2009 (by Fred Benenson) (via)

I don't get to see nearly as much comedy as I used to, but the scene is as vibrant as ever. If the mood strikes and I find myself wanting to get my yuck-on there is absolutely no shortage of one-off shows and recurring weekly shows. The Tribeca branch of the 92nd St Y has been booking some insane comedy shows recently. I caught Zach Galifianakis there a few weeks ago and was mightily impressed by the performance space and the insane, reasonably priced beer list at the bar. Sound Fix in Williamsburg has free comedy every Wednesday and Thursday. Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkle host Totally J/K every Wednesday at 9:30pm, while Max Silvestri, Gabe Liedman and Jenny Slate host Big Terriffic at 8:00pm on Thursdays. These shows fill the void left by the demise of Rififi and its staples Invite Them Up and The Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy Show by attracting big names like Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman, Janeane Garofalo, Todd Barry, Eugene Mirman, and zillions more. Speaking of Greg Johnson, he's got a free show every Sunday at Pianos. And speaking of Invite Them Up, former host Bobby Tisdale now has a semi-regular, RSVP only show happening in Greenpoint called Wards of Merkin. It's usually $10 and there's usually free booze and top shelf comedians. And don't forget that the UCB Theater and The Pit have calendars bursting with options as does Comix's underground lair Ochi's. And that's just barely scratching the surface of the goings ons. Below are some shows currently on my radar...

Continue reading "NYC comedy @ 92Y, SoundFix, Comix, Pianos, UCB, places"

Punchline Magazine's 10 best comedy albums of 2008
#1 - DOUG BENSON, Professional Humoredian
#2 - LOUIS C.K., Chewed Up
#3 - ANDI SMITH, Homeperm
#4 - ROBERT KELLY, Just The Tip
#5 - ROCKY LaPORTE, Who Knew?
#6 - TODD BARRY, From Heaven
#7 - MITCH HEDBERG, Do You Believe in Gosh?
#8 - LISA LANDRY, Put Your Keys in the Keybowl
#9 - DOV DAVIDOFF, The Point Is...
#10 - TOM McCAFFREY, Lou Diamond Phillips?

What are the best music albums?

Video of Doug Benson performing live in 2007 below...

Continue reading "What are the best comedy albums of 2008?"

DOWNLOAD: Twi the Humble Feather - Finale (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (White Sirens Of Burr Remix) (MP3)

The Walkmen

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Fake Blood @ Plan B
* Doveman @ The Stone
* DJ Andy Rourke @ Beauty Bar
* Immortal Technique @ SOB's
* Neil Young, Wilco, Everest @ MSG
* Of Montreal @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* James Murphy & Sam Lipsyte @ Joe's Pub
* Corn Mo, .357 Lover & Growler @ Glasslands
* The Walkmen & The Dodos @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple
* The Antlers, Dark Dark Dark & Kate Ferencz @ Cake Shop
* Twi the Humble Feather, Here We Go Magic & Sharon Van Etten @ Bell House
* Souls of Mischief, The A-OK Collective, Takya Morgan & Rob Flow @ Knitting Factory

Kevin Barnes will also be at The Bell House tomorrow.

Tickets are still on sale for tonight's Neil Young show.

Tickets are on sale for David Byrne's show at Radio City Music Hall.

Tickets are on sale for Sharon Jones's shows at Nokia Theatre.

Tickets are on sale for Tim & Eric's show at Nokia Theatre.

Tomorrow is the Obits/Night Marchers show at Santos.

Dan Fogelberg died today in 2007.

Video of Louis CK "boxing and getting his stupid fat ass kicked" below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

Band of Horses @ ACL 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Mary J Blige @ Radio City Music Hall
* Sam Champion & Hymns @ Mercury Lounge
* Chromeo, Peanut Butter Wolf @ Webster Hall
* Helios Creed/Chrome, Kreisor, Weird Owl @ The Annex
* Stereolab, Van Allen Belt, Atlas Sound @ The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
* Say Hi, Spacekamp and Jukebox The Ghost @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Shy Child, Team Robespierre, Project Jenny/Project Jan @ Public Assembly
* Shearing Pinx, Pterodactyl, Hearts of Darkness @ Death By Audio
* Get Him Eat Him, M Shanghai String Band, Babe The Blue Ox @ The Bell House
* Muggabears, Evangelicals, Parenthetical Girls, Miracles of Modern Science @ Cake Shop

Richard Hell was born on this day in 1949.

Happy "International Day of Non-Violence".

Mission of Burma is playing a $5.00 show during CMJ.

Department of Eagles (other members of Grizzly Bear and Dirty Projectors included) AND Louis CK were on Conan O'Brien last night. Video of the entire episode is embedded below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

by Klaus Kinski

Louis CK suprise appearance @ Pianos (more by Bao Nguyen)

The 2008 New York Comedy Festival is not until November 5-9, but tickets for lots of the shows start going on sale August 7th. The festival boasts some pretty massive talent, but the festival also boasts some enormous venues and somewhat hefty ticket prices. Individually, the tickets prices might not be so bad. But when you want to see 4 or 5 of these shows the overall cost (with fees) is a bit crippling. Some highlights of the Festival include:

• 11/6 - Louis CK - Town Hall
• 11/7 - An Evening with Craig Ferguson - Town Hall
• 11/8 - Sarah Silverman and Friends - Hammerstein Ballroom
• 11/8 - Tracy Morgan - Apollo Theater
• 11/9 - BJ Novak and Friends - Town Hall

"We're thrilled to celebrate the fifth year of the New York Comedy Festival with such a talented and hilarious group of performers who are on the leading edge of the comedy business," said Caroline Hirsch, co-founder of the Festival and owner of Carolines on Broadway. "We are also very excited to launch a multi-year partnership with COMEDY CENTRAL, and look forward to working with them to extend the Festival's audience even further and to provide even more content and programming through COMEDY CENTRAL's various media platforms."

Continue reading "young Patton Oswalt, David Cross & Louis CK (videos)"

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"

photos by Bao Nguyen

My comedy dream came true last night at Pianos (May 5, 2008). Klaus and I hosted our third music & comedy show called Rock n ROFL. The early show (the Channel 101 thing) ran way late, so we had to start an hour later than we thought we could start. That made me really angry, but what came next kind of made up for it.

Klaus and host Max Silvestri said that Louis CK was walking around. Louis CK is my favorite comedian. Louis (who I think came with one of the other comedians scheduled to play in the show) was looking for a place to test new material. Coincedentally, we asked him if he would do a set.

I think he performed for about 20 minutes, and it was all mostly-amazing. What sucked was that he went first, so it was a serious challenge for the other comedians to bring the energy back to the room. I think they all did a good job at it though - especially John Mulaney who closed out the hour of comedy with a hilarious story about Jerry Orbach's donated eyes. The Perfect Storm (a comedy trio) showed up, but they never ended up performing because the sound guy couldn't get their mixer working or something. That ended up being okay because we were already running so late - especially with Louis' unannounced set.

More photos of Louis below....

Continue reading "Louis CK made a surprise appearance @ Rock n ROFL "

Continue reading "Louis CK, Janeane Garofalo & others playing benefit"

Todd Barry recently discovered that he was interviewed on Carrie Brownstein's NPR blog Monitor Mix. READ IT.

Louis CK is taping a new stand-up special called Chewed Up! It will take place in Boston on March 1, 2008. Tickets go on sale through ticketmaster on 1/25/08 and are $30. HOWEVER, a limited number of $10 tickets will be available through Louis' website so keep checking it for details!

A while back I told y'alls that Eugene Mirman's Comedy Central Presents episode will be airing on Friday February 1st at 10:00pm. Like you, I was happy to hear the episode would finally be airing. Also, like you, I wasn't really looking forward to sitting in my apartment on a Friday night watching TV. Luckily Eugene, a man of intuition and foresight, has come to our rescue and will be having a FREE little screening party at Union Hall.

The details for that, and MUCH MORE, are below....

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (01/24/08)"

Andrew WK, Kurt Braunohler, John Oliver, Leo Allen - Aug 20, 2007 (CRED)

The UCB Theater played host to a freaking stupendous edition of Bro'In Out with Leo and Tony. The show, which featured guests Andrew WK, Jon Oliver, Kurt Braunohler and music by Sam Bisbee, may be the comedy highlight of my summer. The show kicked-off with a sedate and chill Andrew WK discussing his recent lectures and motivational speeches which I found quite interesting. I find his theme of blocking out the bad, letting in the good, and making sure you feel happy and fulfilled all the time a bit unrealistic though - for me at least. WK was followed by Hot Tub Variety co-host Kurt Braunohler who delivered a monologue about fathering thousands of children all over the country. I pretty much laughed throughout the entire monologue and pray he performs it again soon. Up next was Daily Show correspondent Jon Oliver. I should point out that at this point in the show the guests and hosts had just about finished an entire bottle of absinthe, and that the effects were totally dictating the direction of the show. When Jon Oliver hit the stage it was pretty much a free-for-all with guests and hosts talking over each other and just having a blast. One stand-out line occured during a back-and-forth between bartender Jawnee and Jon Oliver when Oliver exclaimed "Giving you alcohol is like giving a child a tambourine." Finally, Sam Bisbee came out to close out the evening with a few songs, one of which was the most touching ode to his little daughter. He was fantastic and brought the energy back down to a normal, non-manic level. I left the show sore. These pics truly capture the essence of the experience.

And speaking of shows, we're giving away a pair of tickets to the next installment of ROFL at Joe's Pub on August 31, 2007. To enter, send us an e-mail at BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: ROFL), and tell us the last thing that made you ROFL. Include your first and last name. One winner will be picked at random and contacted. ROFL! is high art, low humor, YouTube video, Myspace weirdness, flash animation, web memes, conceptual puzzles, original film and non-sequiturs galore.

A few weeks ago Stephen Colbert broke his wrist. Bid on the actual cast.

NYC comedy staple Variety Shac (featuring Heather Lawless, Chelsea Peretti, Andrea Rosen, and Shonali Bhowmik) is having a monster DVD release party on September 21st at the Knitting Factory. This evening of music, comedy, and shorts will have special guests including Zach Galifianakis, Fred Armisen, and Cory Arcangel. The show is on a Friday and tickets are only $8! Check out the sweet flyer.

Speaking of Fred Armisen.... Fred's been working on a new short video series called ThunderAnt with ex-Sleater-Kinney guitarist/vocalist Carrie Brownstein. A while back Fred and Carrie did a short called Boink! Look for the premiere of the newest video sometime soon on Stereogum.

Keep reading for more upcoming comedy shows, more news, tour dates, and just more stuff....

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (08/24/07)"