John Oliver @ South Street Seaport (EV Radio Fest) by Chris LaPutt

MON 12/15: 7:30pm / $25
TELL YOUR FRIENDS! THERE'S NO CHRISTMAS IN DARFUR!
A comedy benefit for Save Darfur. Hosted by Liam McEneaney.
JOHN OLIVER
TODD BARRY
GREG GIRALDO / EDDIE BRILL / ANDRES DUBOUCHET
and way more! PLUS: The Comedy Nerd raffle, with prizes from The Onion, Comedy Central, Comix, more... PRODUCED BY: Liam McEneaney and Jessica Flores

David Cross and Dave Hill are performing at another benefit at Knitting Factory on December 8th.

Dave Hill's next Explosion takes place at UCB on December 18th.

Mike Birbiglia stars in the new show Sleepwalk With Me.

Stella & Demetri Martin have cheap/small-venue shows coming up.

The holiday edition of Eugene Mirman's show Tearing the Veil of Maya takes place at Union Hall on December 7th ("on sale soon").

Sara Schaefer will be Conrad of Takka Takka's guest at "Outsmarted: The Music Trivia Night" at The Bell House on December 1st (free).

"HANUKKAH with HOT SAUCE!" is the name of a show at UCB on December 26th. Add it to the list of other Hanukkah-related events happening in NYC this year.

John Oliver opened for Yo La Tengo at one of their 2007 Hanukkah shows at Maxwell's. Watch a video from that show - John is discussing "alternative energy - below...

Continue reading "John Oliver, Todd Barry, Mike Birbiglia, Dave Hill, benefits & other comedy shows "

Out with the old, in with new...

On October 18th, the 92nd Street Y is thrilled to celebrate the official opening of its amazing new downtown venue 92YTribeca, with a stream of outstanding programming and events including a special programming lineup we're calling 18 Nights of Inspiration. The 18 Nights will represent a mix of awesome live experiences including music, comedy, film, theater, food and more, and featuring some of entertainment's hottest talent and thought-provoking performers and presenters.

Why 18 Nights? 18 represents Chai, meaning life in Hebrew, and also signifying the number 18. You can also find the 18 dots represented in our logo.

92YTribeca is committed to fueling your life with experiences that inspire you. We welcome and serve a diverse community of young people from New York City and beyond, including musicians, artists, filmmakers, performers, writers, educators, humorists, directors, speakers, sports enthusiasts, and many others.

So come visit us at 92YTribeca this fall!

Continue reading "92YTribeca opening in Tribeca - John Vanderslice, Adam Yauch, Zach Galifianakis & other shows already on sale"

photos (all but one) by Jason Bergman

NJ Ira (this photo by Paul Bachmann)

I'm always running late, so I unfortunately didn't get to the Pool on Sunday (Aug 24, 2008) until Yo La Tengo was about to go on. That was right around the time they also shut the gates for being at capacity. It was also when I saw Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz walk in. I heard he was supposed to introduce Yo La Tengo, but he got there a minute too late.

Yo La Tengo are such a great live band - from beginning to end, but the highlight of my 90 minutes at the Pool (which were also the final 90 minutes of JellyNYC's 3-year run of Pool Parties at McCarren) was, when during Yo La Tengo's encore, fellow NJ band Titus Andronicus joined them on stage to do a cover of "Where Eagles Dare" by Misfits (who were also from NJ) ("I ain't no goddamn son of a bitch, You better think about it baby"). Ira announced that now that Brooklyn was over (a joke referring to the end of the pool), NJ is where it's at. Titus' frontman also held up a NJ flag in Jersey's honor and then draped it over Ira's back (see above).

Obama was barely in the house. More of Jason's pictures below...

Continue reading "Yo La Tengo, Titus Andronicus & Ebony Bones @ McCarren Pool, Brooklyn, NY (the final Pool Party) - pics"

Sarah Silverman @ Knitting Factory, NYC - Aug 19, 2008 [YouTube]

Tonight [August 21] we bring you:

Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Anchorman)
Todd Barry (The Flight of the Conchords, Letterman, Conan)
Heather Lawless (Comedy Central, Stella)
Baron Vaughn (Comedy Central, VH1)
Rich Juzwiak & Tracie Egan (Jezebel.com's Pot Psychology)
...and a secret surprise guest!

And as always, Gabe & Jenny & I [Max Silvestri] are going to be really goofy and make you feel electric downstairs.

Sound Fix Lounge
110 Bedford Ave at North 11th St, Brooklyn, NY
FREE!

Continue reading "Sarah Silverman anti-video video + more comedy tonight"

Sarah Silverman @ Comic Con 2008 (veganstraightedge)

Sarah Silverman was the special guest at the free comedy show 'It Is It' at Pianos in NYC last night (August 18). Todd Barry also performed.

Todd Barry performs again tonight (August 19) - at Knitting Factory with "Variety Shac, Jim Gaffigan, Tigers & Monkeys and VERY Special guests!!". The rumor is that Sarah once again will fall into that "special guest" category.

Where will Todd Barry be on Wednesday (August 20)? He'll be performing with Sean Conroy and "VERY special guest" at UCB's free, weekly "School Night" show. Will Sarah be the guest again? Only time will tell.

Sarah's next actually-scheduled performance (aka she will definitely be there) is at Hammerstein Ballroom on November 8th - part of the New York Comedy Festival and tickets are on sale.

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."

words by Klaus Kinski, photos by Shawn Brackbill

Right off the bat, I want to bring something to your attention that's been making it's way around the internet recently. Back in June, comedian Patton Oswalt delivered a graduation speech at his old high school. Anyone familiar with Patton's comedy, his blogs, and his interests in life will realize rather quickly that, in addition to being one of the funniest people alive, Patton is a sharp, thoughtful individual. Anyhow, read the damn speech.

Another one of my favorite comedians is putting out an album. LA-based comedian Doug Benson will unleash his debut CD DOUG BENSON: PROFESSIONAL HUMOREDIAN on July 15th via AST Records.

Whether you know him from VH1's "Best Week Ever," NBC's "Last Comic Standing" or his documentary "Super High Me," chances are Doug Benson has made you laugh before. Now he will make you laugh again, repeatedly, with his first full-length solo comedy album, "Doug Benson: Professional Humoredian." Recorded live at the world-famous Hollywood Improv, "Professional Humoredian" catches Doug at his loosest, silliest and most hilarious. Playing to a rowdy sold-out house on 4/20, Doug tears through his set with wild abandon, delivering material on such wide-ranging topics as movies, politics, relationships, anti-drug campaigns and the miracle of modern science known as McGriddles. A perennial favorite among comedy aficionados, Doug placed sixth on Season Five of "Last Comic Standing" and was named "Stoner of the Year" by High Times Magazine in 2006. Patton Oswalt calls him "prolific ... a resin-scented miracle." One listen and you'll understand why Doug has won such acclaim: witty, charming, relentless and irrepressible, Doug Benson is a Professional Humoredian.

As I write this, tickets are still available for all three Ricky Gervais shows happening at the WaMu Theater at MSG on July 14, 15, and 16. And I couldn't be more excited that Todd Barry will be the opener for the 15th and 16th shows. Todd had no problem winning over the sold out crowds at the Flight of the Conchords shows at Town Hall in May so I look forward to his domination of WaMu.

Speaking of Todd Barry, he and several other comedians were part of Sub Pop's 20th Anniversary Festival. The comedy portion of the Festival took place on Friday, July 11th The Moore Theatre and featured David Cross, Patton Oswalt, Kristen Schaal, and Eugene Mirman. I so with I was there. That's where the pictures in this post came from.

More pictures, news, vidoes and upcoming shows, below...

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon & comedy pics from SP20"

It went Michael Showalter --> Kristin Schaal --> Kristen Schaal & Kurt Braunholer --> Neko Case & Lucy Wainwright Roche --> Eugene Mirman --> Todd Barry. It was June 5, 2008 @ Southpaw in Brooklyn. Plus, the whole thing was hosted by LA's Andrew Donnelly who I guess counts as the "super special guest" (though Kurt wasn't on the bill either).

And, yes, Neko and Lucy performed TOGETHER (as you can see in the pictures above). I didn't realize they would do that. It was just the two of them, their mics and a guitar. Unfortunately, they only played two songs - both covers, one of which was a kind of a half-joking semi-disaster. For about a minute though - during the second song, the half-filled Southpaw got a little bit of magic from the ladies, and all in an extra special intimate setting.... for $25, but it was for a very good cause. Honestly, they could have played a few more songs, but I'm not complaining. The comedy part was almost all funny from start to finish and there weren't even supposed to be musical guests originally. Did I mention it was for a good cause?

I'm glad I went. I was a bit torn about missing the Black Lips/Titus/Gringo show.

Kristin and Kurt showed episode 5 of their hilarious series "Penelope Princess of Pets". You can watch episode 1 below...

Continue reading "Neko Case & Lucy Wainwright Roche @ Southpaw, NYC - pics"

by Klaus Kinski

Night one (May 6, 2008) of Flight of the Conchords' two night stint at Town Hall was fantastic. Todd Barry opened the show and handily took control of the completely sold out room. A 20-year comedy veteran and favorite of mine, Todd made the season finale of Flight of the Conchords the best Conchords episode yet. The Conchords came out right after Todd and the place erupted. I mean, the place went completely apeshit. Like, Beatles-era apeshit. A girl in front of me even had a Hot Dog sign. They kicked the show off with "Inner City Pressure" and from there continued with a string of classics including "A Kiss is Not a Contract", "Bret You Got it Goin' On" that lasted over 90-minutes. They played two great new tunes too. Sadly, they didn't play "Bowie" which was a crushing let down. Personally I found their between song banter a tad on the meandering side, but I'm definitely in the minority there; the crowd devoured every thing these guys did for the entire show. The interludes served as perfect opportunities for people in the audience to scream song requests and other provocative oaths which the Conchords handled with unprecedented smoothness.

Tonight's show (May 7) is sold out as well, but last night there were a handful of tickets at the box office so it's probably worth stopping by and trying your luck. And for Christ's sake, DON'T buy a ticket from one of the scalpers. The people in line in front of me - a father with his teenage daughter - were turned away because their tickets were forgeries. Thighs has the complete set-list as well as another review.

Check out some classic videos below...

Continue reading "Flight of the Conchords & Todd Barry played Town Hall"

Kristen Schaal ROFLaughing (more by Elizabeth Weinberg)

Thu. 6/5
South Towards Home Presents:
MICHAEL SHOWALTER/KRISTEN SCHAAL
TODD BARRY/EUGENE MIRMAN
$25
7:30 pm doors/8 pm show
A benefit to help rebuild the Gulf Coast 18+
>> buy tickets

ALSO DON'T FORGET: Negative Approach

AND Zombieville XI THIS FRIDAY (May 9th) w/ Reggie Watts

Sub Pop is now confirming a lot of the rumors and then some.....

Continue reading "Sub Pop Anniversary Festival - SP20 initial lineup announced"

It's been a while since I posted much comedy-related news, and the last thing I did post turned out to be somewhat of a false alarm caused by completely erroneous listings on Ticketmaster and Live Nation (which they've since corrected). Sorry about that.

Eugene Mirman & Bobby Tisdale cakes, final Invite Them Up (Anya Garrett)


One of the bigger bits of NYC comedy related news was the final installment of Invite Them Up which took place at the still-to-remain-open Rififi on 2/27/08. It was the last of three final shows and, having heard the crowds weren't actually that insane at the previous two, I decided to get there at 8pm sharp. That was a huge mistake. When I arrived the bar was so full that I couldn't even close the door behind me. As the crowd began to file into the live room, I knew there was no way I'd fit in there either, so I decided to watch the show on a large flatscreen from a stool at the bar. The evening's line-up was absolutely insane and featured Kristen Schaal, Jim Gaffigan, Slovin & Allen, Todd Barry,Chelsea Peretti, Eugene Mirman, Jon Glaser & Jon Benjamin, and Demetri Martin. Craig Baldo did the very final "30 Seconds of Stand-Up" during which Rififi received a noise complaint from one of the neighbors.

a cop storms Rififi (Heather Fink)

Because the bar itself was completely packed and everyone was really focusing their attention to the flatscreen, I don't feel like I missed anything by not being in the actual live room. Plus, being at the bar I never had to wait for a beer which was truly joyous. Like every other ITU I've gone to, I left this one extremely drunk and amply satisfied with the fantastic comedy they gave me for a mere $5. Although I am sad to see ITU go, the reality is that it isn't the only cheap, awesome, and reliable comedy showcase in town. We've still got Greg and Larry, Totally J/K, Tearing the Veil of Maya, CBS/NYC, Sweet, ITU's replacement Gelmania, and so many more. So cheer up.

Demetri Martin, Invite Them Up RIP (Driven By Boredom)

One night later I co-hosted our first installment of Rock 'n' ROFL at Pianos, but more about that HERE. Stay tuned for another announcement coming any second with the lineup of our March 31st edition.

Keep reading for news, upcoming shows, videos and more....

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (03/22/08)"

words by Jon Roren, photos by Marianne Ways

Todd Barry and Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo) @ Rififi, Feb 26, 2008

Eugene Mirman

The penultimate Invite Them Up at Rififi Tuesday night (Feb 26, 2008) was perhaps as close to perfection as downtown comedy gets. It was also about as crowded as it gets. There were so many people that they had to open up the back room, put up a projection screen and seat people in there. This of course inspired some visual humor with Eugene Mirman standing in between rooms, watching himself in the back room while waving his arm in front of the camera in the main room a la "Spaceballs."

Continue reading "Invite Them Up, night 2 of 3 final shows (pics & recap) "

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"

by Klaus Kinski

Leo Allen @ Occhi's Lounge,Comix, NYC - Feb 1, 2008 (Maryanne Ventrice)

I've never been a big fan of 'comedy clubs'. The two drink minimums, the sterility, the ticket prices, the middle-of-the-road risk-free comedians, the touristy crowds, the fact that people feel the need to dress nicer than usual and over-cologne themselves.... The whole vibe is pretty repellant to a slob like me. And although Comix is guilty of some of the above offenses to a certain degree, I feel that the venue makes great efforts in supporting and nurturing the local NYC comedy scene. They keep their ticket prices a fraction of what a place like Carolines would charge, they often have discount codes readily available, and they opened a downstairs lounge called Ochi's that has great indie comedy for free (with a one item minimum) six nights a week.

I am always happy when comics we're used to seeing at Rififi, Union Hall, The Pit, or UCB get the chance to shine in the main showroom of Comix. I'm comforted in the fact that they're probably making a halfway decent bit of coin and that they're reaching a more diverse audience. I think it's important (if we can afford it) to support our pals by attending these bigger shows. That said, I strongly recommend the following shows. Todd Barry's complete tour schedule also follows......

Continue reading "Comix ain't so bad, Todd Barry is touring, Brian Posehn.."

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)"

night four of Hanukkah @ Maxwell's....

Alex Chilton & Yo La Tengo - Dec 7, 2007

More photos & video below....

Continue reading "Alex Chilton & Yo La Tengo pics/video (4th Hanukkah show)"

Todd Barry is easily one of the greatest comedians in existence. Period. On November 1, 2007 at Union Hall Todd celebrates his 20th year in comedy on the exact date he first went on stage. Also on the bill are David Cross, Sarah Vowell, Michael Showalter, Heather Lawless, Slovin and Allen, and some surprises. Or maybe just one surprise. Probably more than one. There are a hand full of tickets left online and a few will be available at the door so buy now or get to the venue EARLY (doors are at 7:30pm). All proceeds go to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

While others were bouncing from JENS Lekman to Danzig on Saturday night, I was bouncing from (Fred Armisen's) JENS Hannemann show at Sound Fix to Comedians of Comedy at Irving Plaza. Jens came out at around 8:00pm to a comfortably crowded room . His stage was flanked with two drum kits and he began with a drum solo that was a pitch perfect caricature of every instructional drum video solo I've ever seen. From there he spoke for a short time and challenged anyone who was willing, to a drum-off. Shortly after that, the wig came off and Fred was Fred which is what I hoped would eventually happen; it isn't often that Fred Armisen does an appearance like this. He covered topics such as SNL (2 years left on his contract), Trenchmouth (don't expect a reunion EVER), and TV he likes (I couldn't agree more). He even played some melodies on the piano. He was extremely funny, gracious, and a real joy to hear talk.

From Sound Fix, I hopped on the L-Train to check out the second of two Comedians of Comedy shows at Irving Plaza. Comedians of Comedy is the one show I look forward to more than any other on the planet. And with the fear in the back of my head that this might be the last CoC tour, I enjoyed this show with maximum relish. It was one of those shows that made me feel so lucky to live in NYC as we were treated to easily the best line-up of the entire tour. The line-up included Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Maria Bamford, Eugene Mirman, David Cross, Aziz Ansari, John Mulaney, Jon Glaser and Jon Benjamin, and Heather Lawless. From start to finish, the show was absolutely rock-solid. Even when some douche-nozzle had the balls to heckle Maria Bamford, the show never lost its momentum. As a matter of fact, that heckler probably added to the show's velocity as the subsequent comedians worked destroying said heckler into their routines. Every single comedian commanded the room, but I have to say the highlight of the show was John Mulaney. Sure, I've seen all of his material before, but he is such an amazing performer that his bits are always funny to me. Come to think of it, if there's one comedian out there who needs to make a CD ASAP, it's Mulaney. Sadly, no Zach Galifianakis this time around.

More comedy & NYC show listings, below....

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (10/29/07)"

We're playing some catch up, so here is the first half of this week's Comedy Canon....

Craig Wedren, David Wain & friend @ Gramercy Theatre, NYC - Aug 2, 2007 (CRED)

I unfortunately couldn't make it to last night's "Ten" event at the Blender (Gramercy) Theatre, but as you can see from the picture above - the film's co-creator David Wain was also celebrating his birthday. How did it go?

This Fall, Drag City will release the first in a series of DVD's called Fred Armisen Presents. For those of you not in the know, Fred is quite the seasoned drum veteran; he appears on the new Les Savy Fav record, he was in early 90's punk band Trenchmouth, and one of his most beloved characters on SNL was Fericito, a drumming latino variety show host. So it's only fitting that the first Fred Armisen Presents DVD will focus on drum wunderkind Jenns Hannemann whose Complicated Drumming Technique made Fred realize Jenns is a man who could change the world of drum instruction . Billed as an incredible educational opportunity for the musician in us all the disc is set to hit music shops around the globe in October.

But wait; who the hell is Jenns Hannemann? I don't know, but according to Pitchfork, Jenns recently did a show with Will Oldham. He also put on a clinic in Canada last month. This guy's good. Real good.

And speaking of Will Oldham, have you seen the new Kanye West video he's in with Zach Galifianakis? Probably yes, but if not, hurry up!

Neil Hamburger is on tour, and going on tour. He'll be at the Knitting Factory in NYCon September 8, 2007 with Pleaseeasaur. If anyone reading this will be in Chicago on August 4, 2007 - and looks like Neil, why not enter the NEIL HAMBURGER LOOK-A-LIKE CONTEST. The winner gets two tickets to his Lakeshore Theater gig. My condolences to the winner.

All of Neil's tour dates can be found at the end of this post, and much more comedy, below...

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (08/03/07) (part 1)"

It's another blog television network debut....

Continue reading "VIDEO (premiere): THE ROSEBUDS - 'Silence By The Lakeside' ++ bonus video starring comedian TODD BARRY"